Beware of the enemy

As I sat in Sunday school yesterday our teacher made a comment that caused me to think about something. He mentioned how differently people walk in the streets of Iraq verses the streets in America. The first thing that popped into my head was the clips of soldiers walking the streets of Iraq in full armor keeping a eye out for the enemy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmnuKMHo-z0). The verse that came to mind was Ephesians 6: 10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

I thank God that we do not have to live in these situations where we could be killed by gunfire or road-side bombs while on a trip to the grocery store or gas station. But we do have to be on watch for the enemy, as Paul states,...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Do we look like these soldiers spiritually? Do we have our spiritual armor on? Are we watching out for each other knowing that the enemy could be ready to attack at any moment?

Another verse comes to mind:

I Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The devil is on the prowl and will use any tactic possible to destroy our testimony or to make us ineffective. As was mentioned yesterday one of his most successful tactics is busyness. Pastor Bob made a similar comment in the second hour stating that there is so much that tends to push God out of our lives. Some of the busyness is not bad stuff. Attending Bible studies, going to church, hanging out with the family. These in and of themselves are not bad things but hanging out with lost family members and never sharing the Gospel is exactly what the enemy wants to happen. He would love for us to think that church attendance is all God asks of us.

Beware of the schemes of the enemy. His plan for your life is in stark contrast to what God has planned for your life.