As Christians, we are aware of the verse that reveals that Satan has an arsenal that we need to beware. But when does he attack, and with what—or
who for that matter—and
how?
Well let's look at
what he will target. And I see from God's Word that the first target is
an ingrained weakness. When a lion waits for his prey, he's not going to look for the strong points, but the weak points. He's not in a competition to catch the fastest gazelle. He doesn't sit with his lion buddies in the grass like one of those hunter shows where they whisper to each other how to get the buck with the most points on its antlers. No, he's going to aim for the weak one in the pack. He's going to find the weakness and he's going to target
that.
Cain's weakness was
jealousy.
With Achan it was
covetousness .
With Samson it was
lust.
With King Saul it was
pride.
With Peter it was
impatience.
With Thomas it was
doubt.
With Martha it was
busyness.
With Demas it was
worldliness.
We know what we struggle with on a daily basis. We know what makes us angry, or what discourages us. And we need to be
ever so careful because
so does the devil.
But now, secondly, we see—not only
an ingrained weakness but also
an injurious wound.
Have you been hurt? Have you been burned by someone? Have you been let down? Has something been said? Has something been done to you that you can't quite let go of? It could date all the way back to your childhood, or something that happened five years ago, or ten. This is an injurious wound, and it is another target. There are going to be times that you think of a hurt from the past that will ignite passions of bitterness, jealousy, and rage. Beware of this! It's another area Satan
will target.
I not only see
an ingrained weakness, and
an injurious wound, but I also see
an inconsistent walk.
I realize that there are times when the apostle Peter blew it. I realize he opened his mouth at times he wasn't supposed to. But if you're honest, 95% of his life was very
admirable. But it was during those times of inconsistency in Peter's life that Satan attacked.
Friends, he will attack an inconsistent walk
every time. He will always be there waiting the moment you decide you're too busy to read your Bible or pray. The moment you decide not to witness to someone. The moment you decide to miss a church service, or say you're available for work on Sundays. Satan will be there waiting for the opportunity to strike. So beware of your walk!
Instead of walking in faith, are you walking in doubt?
Instead of walking in the Spirit, are you walking in the flesh?
Instead of walking in love, are you walking in hatred?
Fourthly, I not only see
an ingrained weakness,
an injurious wound,, and
an inconsistent walk, but I see also
an insurmountable weight.
Are you carrying any burdens? Are you under any weights? Are you burdened about a loved one getting saved? Or perhaps you're burdened about a loved one who's dying. These are all burdens.
Satan hates us. He doesn't care about your burdens! He'll simply use them to destroy you.
Can I clarify something? In the passage about
the whole armor of God, Paul mentions two pieces to that
panoply that I want us to notice in particular. First of all, he mentions
the shield of faith, and then he mentions
the sword of the Spirit. these are two pieces that require
hands. God only gave us
two hands. So here's why it is dangerous to take upon yourself an insurmountable weight. When you pick up a burden, that means that you have to put down the shield, or the sword,
or both!
My friends,
God never intended for us to carry a burden! We have a Burden Bearer for that.
Psalms 55:22 says, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."
1 Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
So why are we putting down the very thing we need to
protect us from fiery darts to pick up something we
don't need to carry?
So remember the targets. Be wary of them. And when you sense that the devil is attacking one of those four areas, claim your position in Christ Jesus
far above the enemy and
REFUSE THAT DART! And then keep on
fanning the flame!