When we decide that we are going to follow Jesus and step into the kind of life He has for us we will face opposition. Anytime that we decide to do any kind of good thing the enemy will come against us. He will use our thoughts, desires, temptations, emotions, and other people to try to get us to do different than what we truly want and should do. He hates anything that is good and wants to see us fail. His goal is to keep us down, stuck, going backwards, to continue to make bad choices, and to keep the truth about ourselves and God from getting into our hearts. He knows if he can keep the truth from us he can be more successful at keeping us from becoming all that we were created to be and do.

I face this problem just about everytime that I want to make a change. He comes at me in all directions but most often it is my thoughts that he attempts to attack the most. He will Amp up thoughts of my failures and mistakes, causing me to question my righteousness and my ability to change. He will use guilt and shame to wear me down. He will put lies such as, “are you really saved” or “you think that God really approves of you with all that you are doing or not doing.” If it is a action of mine that I am wanting to change he will put heavier temptation on me and use my emotions to try to get me to give into it. But he no longer has control over me because Jesus birthed my Spirit and it took the control that the enemy once had.

We no longer have to listen to the human part of ourselves that the enemy controlled. He gained control when Eve bit the apple but Jesus took it back when He defeated death and ascended to heaven. So now we get to choose to let the Spirit lead us instead of the enemy. We do not have to listen to what he says and we get to choose to do what we know we should do. He won’t make it easy to make the right choice but we can make it. It’s like the enemy says, ” okay let’s see if you really mean what you say. I am going to temp you, push you, try you, nag you, and oppress you just to see if you really mean what you say.” And that is the time when we can show the enemy just how strong we really are by resisting his attempts to deceive and destroy us.

He no longer has any control over us that we do not give him. He can not make us do anything. We now have a choice. It may not be easy to do but we can choose to do what is best. We have to fight him with the truth of who we are through Christ. We have to combat his lies and deception with the truth of God’s word. And we have to always be on the lookout for his works because he is sitting and waiting for our defenses to be down so that he can attack.

Arming ourselves with the truth is how we are able to defeat the enemy everytime. It is how Jesus defeated him in the desert. He responded to the enemy with, “it is written”, meaning, “God’s word says.” The word of God is powerful and absolute truth. And a lie can never cover up the truth. The truth always wins.

Some of the truths that have helped me battle the enemy are scriptures about our righteousness and grace. Knowing that you are alright with God no matter what gives you great power. It leaves no room for guilt or shame to take place in your heart. I am including some of the scriptures that I meditate on and I encourage you to look up and make a list of your own as well. Read and speak them out loud often. Memorize them if you can or keep them somewhere you can have quick access to them when you sense an attack coming from the enemy.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:7, Romans 3:19-22,5:16-20,8:1, John 3:17, Hebrews 8:12.

Something else that God had laid on my heart one day that I often meditate on is…….. I can not sin away my righteousness. I am only righteous because of Jesus. He has already done everything for me that I would have to do and all I have to do is believe it. I can do anything and everything that I need to do because I have the power of God within me to draw upon.