“Life is wonderful, yes it’s wonderful, Life is wonderful now to me; I took Jesus in, He changed everything, life is wonderful now” – children sing with full of joy and wonder. No doubt, Christian life is extraordinary and marvellous. The peace, satisfaction, rest and happiness a believer experiences is inexpressible and beyond comprehension.
Yet, Christian life has another facet that we should never forget. There is a fight to be fought. Ever since we came to Christ, we are constantly being attacked by myriads of evil angels under the leadership of the wicked one, Satan.
Salvation Safe
Of course, our salvation in Christ is secured and we are safe in His hands. The Lord Jesus, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.” John 10:28, 29. Eternal security of a born again child of God is a New Testament doctrine and we can be confident and content at such a fact.
Fight sure
Nevertheless, we can not afford to neglect the conflict that we are facing and we must be prepared to stand against the wiles of Devil. Apostle Paul repeatedly exhorts the readers to fight a good fight. 1Timothy 1:18; 6:12; 2Timothy 2:3; 4:7. He gives the readers very clear instructions; how to wear the whole armour of God and face the battle. Romans 13:12; 1Thessalonians 5:8; Ephesians 6:10 – 20.
Being strengthened by the might of the Lord and wearing the armour of God, a believer should stand before such a battle, through the battle and even after the battle. Peter also does not forget to prepare the saints for an impending satanic attack. Cf. 1Peter 2:11; 5:8.
If Salvation is secured and our safety is assured why should the evil one attack us?
Do not forget, every unbeliever is being controlled and led by Satan. In fact the word of God says, every sinner is a child of Satan. Cf. 1John 3:8, John 8:44. From the moment one is delivered by the power of God from the hands of the evil one, naturally he is at loss. Even if the wicked one can not take him back from the hands of Christ, he knows that he can disturb our peace and make our life a miserable and unprofitable. With that aim he is trying his best by various means to find an opportunity to harass a Christian. Cf. Eph 4: 27; 1Cori. 2:11.
Unhealthy obsession
It does not mean we should look for the hands of Satan in every difficulty we face. There are some who is so obsessed with satanic activities; they are always focussed to the demonic world! That would not be a healthy Christian life. We are called upon to look to Christ alone, stay close to Him and make use of the resources to withstand this spiritual battle.
We can not blame Devil for all that is happening in our life. We are responsible for the way we live and failure is the result of ignoring the warnings and exhortations of the word of God.
We are not even authorized to rebuke Devil or bind the evil spirits. Notice how Michael the archangel confronted devil in connection with dispute over the body of Moses. Michael just said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Cf. Jude. V. 9.
Defeated Foe
The word of God makes it very clear that the Lord Jesus by His sacrificial death on the cross defeated the evil forces. Colossains 2:15; Heberews 2:14. He has disarmed them and triumphed over them. So Devil is a defeated foe and the word of God tells us that shortly he will be bound and cast in to the bottomless pit. Cf. Revelation. 20:1ff. He may roar at us today but has already lost his teeth! 1Peter 5:8.
We can loudly say with Apostle Paul, “Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died …… in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8: 33 – 37. Ultimately victory belongs to us. What we face is only a battle, the war is already won. 2Cori. 2:14; 1John 5:4, 5.
Though, by virtue of our position in Christ we enjoy His victory over the evil forces, we ought to be aware of the battle that is taking place, the devices that he is using against us. 2Cori. 2:11. Such awareness will help us to be on our guard so that we may not give devil a chance to harm or disturb our Christian walk in any manner. Eph. 4:27.
Sympathize & Pray
Moreover, we ought to encourage one another, realizing that every one, especially those who live a useful Christian life is facing immense hostility from our enemy. The fight that we face may be different but each Christian is waging warfare in some form or shape. We need to sympathize with the brethren who do face such conflict on the way and intercede for one another. Let us stand with the fellow soldiers to defeat the designs of the evil one and stand firm in our faith and service.
Wellington Defeated the Enemy
It is reported that at the close of the battle of Waterloo, upon the issue of which hung the destinies of Europe and the English people, the English people were anxiously awaiting news of the result. Their only means of rapid communication was by means of a system of signal lights flashed across the English Channel.
The fog became so dense that only a part of the message was made out. It read, “Wellington defeated.” Gloom settled upon England. But imagine their joy when the fog lifted and they received the whole message, “Wellington defeated the enemy.”
