Living strong is not always easy; in fact, it is really hard at times. Because I just posted on prayer, I want to also touch on how concerned I get when people only focus prayers to God on their fears or even mention the enemy or the devil. As I said in my previous post, God is good, and any conversation with Him will be fulfilling. Knowing our own strengths and having those regular prayerful conversations with God should offset any fears of the enemy or the devil.
Life can truly throw us some challenges, and, for many of us, having gone through difficult times can scare us enough to create a lifetime fear of the enemy in any form—addiction, illness, financial trouble, depression… the list goes on. If we dress ourselves in the Armor of God, giving attention to where our weaknesses might be present and taking note, too, of our many strengths or honing and working on the strength we know we do have, we can ignore the enemy, knowing that when he comes for us, we are always ready. The enemy, the devil, or whatever challenges and fears we have, do not have any power over us. We should not be intimidated, especially when we have given attention to working on our faith, our prayer life, and our own strengths (and I can’t emphasize the latter enough).
In my book, I strongly suggest NOT talking to the devil at all—NOT giving in to those fears or becoming intimidated by the enemy in any form. When we give any credence to the devil and his antics or to the enemy in our own minds and the fears that ensue, we are acknowledging that we are concerned about the presence of the enemy. On the other hand, when we pray and tap into our own faith and our strengths, we do not fear the devil, and we do not acknowledge the enemy in any aspect of our lives.
Certainly, when the enemy is around—when we feel tempted or intimidated—or when we watch others fall victim to the devil, we need to stay focused and realize that, when the enemy is busy and visible, we have to redirect and look to the positive things in our lives and continue our deep prayerful conversations with God. Staying disciplined in all aspects of our lives is imperative to maintaining the Armor of God, and realizing that we are not always infallible and need God’s input are components to offsetting the enemy in our lives. Always remember to focus on living stronger in the Lord.
