“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10–12).

 

Our Lord warns us that evil angels threaten us and we cannot fight them in our own strength. We must be strong in the Lord to withstand their assaults. One of the devil’s tactics is to terrify us to prove that he is more powerful than God. I once awakened in the night to a foreboding sense that evil was inches away. Half-awake, I repeated the name of Jesus in my mind. Eventually, I could mouth his name and then whisper it, over and over again. The Holy Spirit empowered me and I believed Jesus would remove this evil. I was strong in the Lord. The demon left. I prayed aloud God’s truth, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). I fell back asleep. Christians put on Jesus in anticipation of enemy attacks. We say his name. We love and obey him. We pray Scripture to remind ourselves of God’s truth. Jesus defeated this ancient foe through his life, death, and resurrection; and he protects those who call on his name. We worship our mighty Savior and we stand with him as he deals with the devil and the demons. We praise you, Jesus. Thank you for protecting us. We love and adore you, Lord Jesus. Amen