A Secret to Victory
But here’s a secret to victory in spiritual warfare that the devil doesn’t want you to know. The only power that Satan and his demons have over you and me is the power we give them. That’s because Satan is already a defeated enemy; he was crushed at the cross and the empty tomb of Christ! The only reason Satan could take over planet Earth is that Adam and Eve gave him permission to do it. The devil and his demons need your permission to unleash the forces of hell in your life.
And once they’re given permission, demons are like roaches. They are scurrying around in our lives because we have given them permission to be there. But let me say it again: The devil operates by consent and by cooperation. Some people say, “You Christians are just too demon conscious.” No, the problem is, most of us are too demon unconscious.
I say that because our battle is against these spiritual forces. Now let me ask you a question. If the devil has already been defeated by Christ in the heavenly realm, and if we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realm, and if our real battle is in the heavenly realm, where should we look for the weapons and the power to be victorious? In the heavenly realm!
That’s exactly what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6. The armor of God is spiritual. That means we can’t fight Satan in our own strength, using our puny human ideas. We fight in His power. Therefore, your assignment is to put it on, and then, please notice this, “stand your ground.” Paul calls us to stand, twice in verse Ephesians 6:13 and again in verse Ephesians 6:14. Stay Where You Are!
“Stand your ground” means stay where you are. Hold your ground. It means you don’t have to run and hide from the devil or throw down your weapons and surrender to him. Standing your ground doesn’t change the fact that evil is all around you or that the battle is raging all around you. But standing your ground, clothed in the armor of God, keeps the battle from overtaking you because you are under the protective covering of God.
It’s like standing in the pouring rain with a big umbrella over you. The rain is hitting all around you and even trying to get you wet. But you’re okay as long as you stay under the protection of your umbrella. But step out from under that protection, and you’re going to get pelted. Let me close with an illustration. Back in the pioneer days, a father and his son were trying to outrun a fast-moving prairie fire in their wagon. But the fire caught up with them, and they were about to be consumed. The father, to the confusion of his son, turned the horse around and went to a spot that had already been burned. He then told his son, “Jump out quickly.” They jumped out and the father said, “Now stay here and don’t move.” His son said, “But, Dad, the fire is coming at us from all directions.” The father said, “Stay here, and don’t you budge!” The son said, “But, Dad, I don’t understand; there’s fire all around us.” The father just said again, “Son, I said stay here.” Then he explained, “The spot we’re standing on has already been burned. There’s nothing left to burn, so if we stand here the fire won’t get us because it has nothing to grab hold of.” That father and son standing safely in the middle of a raging fire are a picture of you and me in spiritual warfare. You see, Jesus has already been “burned” for us at the cross. Jesus has already been crucified, and the resurrection has already occurred. So the devil’s fire can’t harm us as long as we are standing firm in Jesus. Stand your ground, my brothers and sisters. Stand your ground!
It’s like standing in the pouring rain with a big umbrella over you. The rain is hitting all around you and even trying to get you wet. But you’re okay as long as you stay under the protection of your umbrella. But step out from under that protection, and you’re going to get pelted. Let me close with an illustration. Back in the pioneer days, a father and his son were trying to outrun a fast-moving prairie fire in their wagon. But the fire caught up with them, and they were about to be consumed. The father, to the confusion of his son, turned the horse around and went to a spot that had already been burned. He then told his son, “Jump out quickly.” They jumped out and the father said, “Now stay here and don’t move.” His son said, “But, Dad, the fire is coming at us from all directions.” The father said, “Stay here, and don’t you budge!” The son said, “But, Dad, I don’t understand; there’s fire all around us.” The father just said again, “Son, I said stay here.” Then he explained, “The spot we’re standing on has already been burned. There’s nothing left to burn, so if we stand here the fire won’t get us because it has nothing to grab hold of.” That father and son standing safely in the middle of a raging fire are a picture of you and me in spiritual warfare. You see, Jesus has already been “burned” for us at the cross. Jesus has already been crucified, and the resurrection has already occurred. So the devil’s fire can’t harm us as long as we are standing firm in Jesus. Stand your ground, my brothers and sisters. Stand your ground!