Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective by Brian Borgman & Rob Ventura

Author:Brian Borgman & Rob Ventura [Borgman, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Published: 2013-12-26T05:00:00+00:00

STANDING DEFENSIVELY

Second, our feet must be prepared with the gospel of peace so that we will always be ready to stand defensively against the devil by being firmly rooted in the truths of the gospel that pertain to us. The sense here is that the objective realities of the gospel, which we have experienced in our lives, are to guard our souls and keep us secure against the attacks of the evil one. When we understand preparation in this way, we see it as a “readiness which comes from the gospel of peace.”

Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10) and is relentless in his attacks on us. He lives to make our lives miserable. How do we stand against such a fearsome foe? The answer is the gospel of peace. Just as the gospel is a powerful means for advancing God’s truth and delivering many from Satan’s clutches, it is also a powerful means for stabilizing us as believers, helping us to stand against his attacks. The gospel of peace, like the shoes of the Roman soldier, gives us firm footing in life and the ability to stand in this spiritual war.

Believers are frequently under fire from the devil. Therefore, as followers of Jesus, we need peace when the spiritual bombs of the enemy are exploding around us, when the bullets are flying by our heads—when danger seems imminent. We find that peace in the gospel. Paul says that the gospel of peace, or the gospel that has peace as its content, is that which greatly settles us in the heat of spiritual conflict.

It works practically like this: When the devil seeks to plague our consciences with guilt after we have confessed sin, we remember what the gospel of peace tells us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When the devil condemns us, we are to bring to mind and soak our hearts deep in the comprehensive truths of the gospel and remember that God has no dispute with us because of Christ (Rom. 8:33). When the devil attacks our assurance, we must remember that we are in an unbreakable union with the living God through Jesus and that nothing will be able to “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39). When the devil tempts us to sin, we must push back and resist his enticements, recalling our deliverance from such things and our newness in Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).

As Christians, we must live day-by-day in the gospel. That is, we must let its truth regularly pervade and control the citadel of our souls. God’s great grace and love for us in Jesus must be our firm foundation throughout our entire lives. Here is how we will have joy, victory, and comfort despite our hardships and trials. Here is how we will be able to say with the hymn writer

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