Run -September 8, 2021

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12

Run

“This foe is beyond any of you. Run!” In the first Lord of the Rings movie, Gandalf shouts those words to his companions. They have just defeated many enemies in battle, yet this new enemy is on a different level. So, they all flee. Not even mighty wizards or warriors could stand up against that powerful foe.

With this verse from the Bible, God is reminding us that our evil foe is no ordinary enemy. Satan is not flesh and blood like we are. He rules the evil spiritual forces that are arrayed against us. This foe certainly is beyond any of us. We are no match for the devil, and in countless places, the Bible encourages us to flee—to run from this powerful enemy.

Yet, there are times when we fail to realize the seriousness of the situation, times when we figure we can handle the devil’s temptations on our own. Our over-confidence gets us into trouble. So to the times when we fail to take our enemy seriously. In any case, we are overmatched, and we fall to the devil’s attacks. We so easily give in to temptation.

There is One who faced off against Satan and came out victorious. Jesus came into this world and did battle as our Savior. He succeeded in fending off every one of the devil’s attacks. Jesus never fell into sin. His power was more than enough to conquer our ancient enemy. And even as Jesus hung on the cross to pay for our sins, when it looked like the devil might win, Jesus removed all doubt when he rose from the dead. In his resurrection, Jesus has forever defeated the devil for us.

We are no match for the devil, but we need not fight him alone. Jesus, the victor, is on our side and will defend us through his Word. When we turn to him in prayer and trust in his Word, Jesus will fight for us, and it will be the devil who flees.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you are all powerful and Satan is no match for you. When temptation comes, help me always to run to you and to trust in your Word. Amen.