Can't Touch This

How quick are we as Christians to forget the power that Satan has?  More importantly, how quick are we as Christians to forget that we're given a suit of armor to defend against the devil's assaults?  How often are we convinced that the glitter of worldly practices, religion for religion's sake, legalism and other "shiny" practices will keep us safe from the fiery darts hurled at us every day?

The fact is that Satan can touch us, in fact there are instances where God allows Satan to bring a man's world down around his ears and gives the devil leeway to do everything shy of taking his life.  For those of you who are a little lost on this point, I suggest you go and read the opening chapters of Job.  Then I suggest you recalibrate your understanding of how we are to respond to Satan's onslaughts.  James 4:7 reminds us with these words; "Submit yourselves to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." The answer isn't in cloistering yourself away from all the evils present in the world.  If that were the answer God would never have sent his son for the unrighteous, but we see that God sent his son specifically for the unrighteous.  No giving yourself over to asceticism isn't the answer, the answer is to submit ourselves before God, with a resistant attitude towards temptation.  Furthermore, when we put up this resistance, clad in the whole armor of God, then we can begin to mount an effective counterattack.

A way to cultivate this attitude of defiance towards sin, and compliance towards Christ is to remember how we were prayed over right before Christ offered himself up as a living sacrifice on our behalf.  John 17:15-18 says, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." So forget that glitter, get into the Word!  Learn to use that sharpened blade of iron that is scripture rather than the blunt oak dowel of worldly reason.  Don't be afraid, quit watching the world go by while staying well within the walls of your sterile Christian bubble, make it a point to resist the devil, and promote Christ on every street corner.  Quit padding yourself with fluff and glitter and put on some real armor!  For lack of a better term, "Viva la resistance, resistez la temtation!"