As a follower of Jesus, do you ever feel under attack? Spiritual warfare, I believe is a very real thing. I have found in my life that very often when I (we) are on the verge of great things for the glory of God……there are forces that don’t want those things to happen!
Jesus was faced with the very same thing! Not only did Satan try to tempt Jesus in prideful ways after His baptism….Satan attacked even from within….. through God’s people.
Mark 3:22-27 (TNIV)
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 2 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.
Jesus has been healing people and driving out evil spirits. He just chose 12 disciples to teach and to train so that they can carry forward the Good News of the Gospel. He also attracted those of God’s people that were looking for any reason they could find to kill Him. As always, what Jesus says and does is AMAZING!
Jesus is accused of performing these great miracles by the power of Satan (Beelzebul). What Jesus does is expose exactly how nonsensical their accusations were! They were simply acting out of jealousy and hatred! What I find is funny is that even the most ridiculous accusation will often convince some people.
Think about what Jesus says, If he were driving out demons (doing Satan’s work)….He would be actually driving out the evil that Satan wanted to be there! Why would Satan work against himself?
I would point out that they never question His power to heal or drive out evil spirits!
William Barclay says, “Jesus accepts life as a struggle between the power of evil and the power of God. He did not waste his time in speculation about problems to which there is no answer. He did not stop to argue about where evil came from; but he did deal with it most effectively. One of the odd things is that we spend a good deal of time discussing the origin of evil; but we spend less time working out practical methods of tackling the problem.”
The enemy may be unseen but the battle is real and the struggle is very personal.
So…how do we tackle the problem?
Stand firm for truth, allow God’s Spirit in your life by seeking and maintaining a relationship with Jesus. Don’t give evil a foothold, resist temptation, seek and maintain a relationship with Jesus. Oh, did I mention to seek and maintain a relationship with Jesus?
Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Message Version)
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angelsBe prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
