March 31 – The Unseen Battle (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

“What I have forgiven — if there was anything to forgive — I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”(2 Corinthians 2:10-11)

IN WORD:
Any wisdom we acquire that does not include a very real sense of the unseen world is severely deficient. The enemy has designs on us as the body of Christ — to destroy our unity — and on us as individuals — to keep us ignorant of our union with Jesus. He is no abstract force; he is a malignant personality with a malicious plan. We who believe are in his sights.
The enemy will draw near to you, but Jesus will draw even nearer. Never forget that. For the Christian, our proximity to Jesus is always greater than our proximity to the evil one. “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
That perspective must always be maintained, or the battle is lost. The enemy can’t steal your salvation, but he can steal all its pleasure — your joy and your peace.

IN DEED:
Spiritual warfare looks awfully physical sometimes. It takes wisdom to see the battle behind your battles and to respond appropriately. Know that the enemy loves your conflicts, not simply because they are conflicts, but because they distract you from God’s business — and, if you aren’t careful, from His character. Satan loves to obscure the glory of God’s name, and when he can degrade your spiritual health in a conflict, the glory of God’s name is certainly obscured. Satan retreats when you stand firm — when you keep your peace, maintain your joy, act in humility, and demonstrate love — even in the midst of conflict. Especially in the midst of conflict. He would rather not give you an occasion to show God’s character in the fire, so if you’re going to show God’s character anyway, he’ll eventually put out the fire. He’ll be back with another strategy later, but he’ll lose this one — if you stand firm.

“If you don’t believe in the devil’s existence, just try resisting him for a while.” -Charles Finney-