As believers in Christ, we are – and should be engaged – in warfare against the Devil. Christmas time is no exception. During this season, it can be easy to forget the Lord and focus on buying gifts, decorating, preparing for company, and going to Christmas parties.

It can be easy to drift from the Lord and His will for us during this season. Let’s remember that God intends more than this from His people.

Here are some thoughts about the battle every believer should be engaged in.

1. Wrestling is a personal sport.

No one but you can wrestle with the Devil and win for you. You must fight personally with him. It is a choice.

2. Why we wrestle with the Devil.

We wrestle because the Devil seeks to cause us to sin and get out of the will of God and be rendered powerless to serve God. Once you yield to Satan’s temptation, you can no longer be effective in God’s service – until you repent and seek His forgiveness.

3. Wrestling requires giving your all.

If you intend to win a wrestling match, you cannot expect to do so half-heartedly. You must be determined to win (single-minded) and not allow distractions to weaken your resolve to win or the energy you exert in the match.

4. Wrestling has a time limit.

A wrestling match normally has a set time limit. Our fight with the Devil and his helpers does, too. For the believer, the time limit is your lifespan. The temptations will come – but you can be ready.

5. Wrestling match winners are experienced.

The only way you can continue to win over the world, the flesh, and the Devil is to practice winning each time you are tempted. Don’t give in to his devices or your own fleshly lusts. Ask God to help you each time – you can stand against him and be victorious if you wear God’s armor.

How well are you doing so far in your wrestling against the Devil?

In the previous post, I mentioned that the believer needs God’s power to be able to stand. We have not yet entered into our eternal rest.

Being that we are in a strange land and have forces that oppose us daily – the world, the flesh, and the Devil – we need armor that is suitable to the task. No human weapon or device can successfully oppose those forces. The armor mentioned in Ephesians 6, however, is more than capable of enabling you to defeat all three.

All six pieces of the Christian’s armor come from God and His Word. In order to use them correctly and successfully, the believer must be in close fellowship with God and the armor must be put on deliberately – with the intention to stand and do God’s will.

When the armor is in place, you can be sure to stand against anything that would cause you to turn from God’s will. The verses above testify that when you are surrendered to God and wearing His armor, that you will “be able to withstand in the evil day.” In spite of that, it must be realized that Satan is much smarter than you and you must constantly be on the watch for Him.

By grace, there is no need to fear the Devil as long as you stay in God’s will. You have probably heard it said that he is on a chain – but it is a long one. When doing His will, the Bible also tells us that God will not permit any temptation or test to be too strong that you cannot resist.

If and when you yield to sin, it is necessary to come back to God and confess it. Then, ask for His help to get real victory – and put the armor on again. Then – keep going in His power and armor.

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Have you seen these related posts:

Standing Fast in the Lord

Standing Fast in God’s Power