Lesson 309: "Wrestling"
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12).All of these forces combined make up Satan and his evil schemes to deceive his victims about the true character of God to keep them from returning to God (Zech. 1:3).Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14 that we (Christians) are the light of the world. Remember too that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) so be careful you do not reflect the wrong light.Satan’s “gospel” is counterfeit light and we must learn to recognize this before we are able to understand the true light that we are to reflect.To reflect and defend the light of God will bring on a wrestling match with Satan which is sharp, life-long and which no Christian can escape.
Wrestling is not a team sport.In team sports you have help such as Joab and his brother Abishai.“If the Arameans are too strong for me then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you then I will rescue you” (1 Chro. 19:12).The armies of Israel were confronted by the armies of the Philistines.Goliath (a type of the old man of sin) looked over the situation and challenged David, the youngest and the smallest among the Israelites, to a one-on-one battle.“Choose a man and have him come down to me” (1 Sam. 17:8).He continued to announce that if David killed him he and all of Philistine would become servants of the Israelites but if indeed he should kill little David then the Israelites would become servants of the Philistines.Understand that when the battle becomes one-on-one then you are the sole object of your challenger’s fury.If the devil can get you away from the “Christian armies” within your family of God then you are the sole object of his fury.This is when you need to be a David and say to the enemy the devil; “you come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty” (1 Sam. 17:45).We will all have to wrestle with Goliath but never try to “stand alone” (Eph. 6:10-18).
If you think Satan only comes to churches/congregations/saints in a group then you have given him a dangerous advantage.Satan hates YOU!Satan tempts YOU!Satan accuses YOU!Every saint must realize this and make it a habit to say, God loves ME!God pardons ME!I am a child of the King!However, if you are a child of the King that simply makes Satan want you more and his objective is to gain victory over you.He will not gain eternal victory, if you are a child of the King but he will bring you to shame.“Do not give the devil a foothold” (Eph. 4:27) and do not give birth to evil (Isa. 59:4) or the devil will take hold of these corruptions within you and uses them to slaughter you.He uses your temper, pride and arguments to destroy you and as we grow in grace the spiritual warfare increases.Satan loves to instigate and tempt but we are the ones that are guilty of acting upon it (Rom. 7:18-20).Satan will also stir up loved ones and friends against you but remember these are instruments that God uses to chastise and bring His saints to the right place with Him (Heb. 12:11-12); into submission and subjection to the will of God. Take your eyes off the instrument (those who come against you because of the devil) and look at the Hand that moves the instrument. God!
Job understood this, knowing that God gave Satan permission to test him and only with God’s permission will Satan test us. God calls this a trial.Job saw the Hand of God and did not come back against his friends and we must strive to do the same.If we would learn to do this we would never be driven to the point of frustration.The Lord Jesus knew this in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said, “Father, not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).He knew Judas had come to betray Him but did not see him as an enemy but called him friend.He fully understood that this was the “trial of the century” and saw God’s Hand using the trial to make us righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).OH, WHAT A SAVIOR!If we are still frustrated with people coming against us then we have not yet come to the point of God’s purpose of the test/trial.If you get lonesome for the devil’s company just get all worked up with anger and worry.He will go right to bed with you and wake you in the morning with the same feelings welling up inside of you.We are not seeing the Lord’s Hand!He is attracted by the heat of anger and warms his hands on the flames of our tongues (James 3:6).We must look beyond the angry/accusing words of man and see they are only instruments in the hands of Satan with the Lord’s consent.“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke; because the Lord disciplines those He loves” (Pro. 3:11-12).
THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S!LISTEN FOR THE MARCHING IN THE TOPS OF THE BALSAM TREES…THAT WILL MEAN GOD HAS GONE OUT IN FRONT OF YOU” (1 Chro. 14:15).