Vital signs- Sunday,May31st, 2020

Our winning and losing in the everyday will depend on our understanding of the battle and of whom we are fighting. We won’t be powerful over the enemy until we see this life-or-death fight up close and personal. We must learn how he operates, uncover his schemes, and acknowledge his threat on our lives, our families, our relationships, and our generation. But seeing him clearly doesn’t mean we have to then live in fear. Rather, we can choose to let that clarity aid us in our resistance. The moment we see him as he is—a thief, a killer, a destroyer, an accuser, and an enemy of God—his deception is exposed, and we can begin our journey to defeat him.

Remember, our enemy will always overplay his hand. He is so eager to dominate and control this world that he leaves little to the imagination. He is sneaky, but he is not invisible. He is evil, but he is not all-powerful. He is devious, but the truth exposes him each time. He may surmise what is going on in our lives, but he can’t read our minds. Only God can do that.

The apostle Paul had a lot to say about battling the enemy, and his words were not spoken passively. He gave us the straightforward, critical instruction we need to live successful lives. In 2 Corinthians, he encourages us “to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2:11 AMP).

Being spiritually illiterate doesn’t mean the enemy will leave us alone. It means we are more likely to make critical mistakes due to a lack of full understanding. Ignorance will hurt us and leave us confused, dejected, and deceived. God did not call us to be spiritually blind; he called us to be spiritually alert.

The only way for us to get serious about our eternal fate is to see the Devil as our literal enemy. The Devil is out for blood at any cost. But don’t worry: The battle has been won, and we have the advantage. We just have to see him clearly and keep him in his place.