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Faith is Not Passive

The devil is constantly seeking to tear down your faith, and the devil is relentless and patient.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We know that the devil is disarmed now; he is not allowed to kill us or to harm us in any way. Here are a couple of places where the Bible tells us that the devil is disarmed:

Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."

Colossians 2:15
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

But he can still speak. And when he speaks, he speaks lies (John 8:44). The best defense against a lie is the truth. If the devil lies to you, you cannot be deceived unless you believe the lie. But if you do believe the lie, then you have come into agreement with it, and then your own agreement can be used against you to limit God's blessings in your life.

Psalm 78:41
Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

That's why the devil is so crafty and subtle. If he can get you to agree with him, then he can get you to hurt your self and cut yourself off from the flow of God's blessings. The Bible says that the devil is the most crafty and subtle creature in all the earth.

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

The devil's only power over the believer is in deception, in arguments, in lying. A lie believed creates a stronghold in the believer's mind where the devil can operate. A lie believed becomes embraced as "truth" by the believer, and so the believer himself will defend this lie from all attack by the truth. A lie believed becomes a blind spot.

Matthew 6:23
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

So God gives us supernatural weapons to do warfare against fortifications of darkness.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

Now notice the action words used by God in our fighting against the devil and his lies. We are to "be sober, be vigilant." We are to "cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." We are to "take up the whole the armor of God" and "stand" and "pray." Passivity puts us at a disadvantage, because the devil is actively warring against our faith every day, and our armor and our weapons do not simply protect us all by themselves; they need to be employed assertively and be used with intention.

Another spiritual weapon God gives us is discernment.

1 John 2:20
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

We have discernment of spirits, which comes from the Spirit of God, and the discernment of the living word of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 12:10
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We can study the patterns in scripture about the general ways in which the devil tends to come against believers. Once you recognize the patterns, it becomes much easier to know when you have to take out your weapons of warfare and how to use them.

1. Questioning God's word:

Genesis 3:1-3
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

Notice how the devil frames the question creatively, pretending to be ignorant. He twists it up and confuses Eve by asking it in a strange and indirect way. God's actual instruction to Adam was:

Genesis 2:16-17
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

The devil's questioning of the word of God and mis-framing it caused Eve to mis-remember God's instruction. She added in the "nor shall you touch it" part out of her own imagination (unless Adam had added that part when he relayed it to her). So when the devil starts questioning God's word, that unbelief can take root in a person's heart and get them to start questioning it in their own mind.

2. Denying God's word:

Genesis 3:4
Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die."

Just flat-out contradicting God's word and calling Him a liar.

3. Accusing God or questioning His character and motives:

Gensis 3:5
"For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Suggesting that God is trying to keep something good from you or that He's giving you a raw deal.

4. Accusing the believer

Satan is called "the accuser of the brethren" in Revelation 12:10.

Typically, Satan will tend to accuse you of things that are true. Otherwise the accusations wouldn't have much power. So the obvious strategy to deal with these accusations is to just confess your sins before the Lord and place them under the blood of Jesus. The thing Satan is hoping you'll do is disqualify yourself from the love of God and allow shame to cause you to hide from the Lord. It's a very common strategy, and it seems to work well for him. Just don't fall for it. When you confess your sins, you expose them to the light, and darkness cannot continue to exist in the light.

Ephesians 5:13
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

5. Twisting scripture

Matthew 4:5-7
Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

The obvious defense against the twisting of scripture is to have knowledge of scripture, having read it in its own context rather than relying on the opinions of others. Scripture interprets scripture. Scripture will never contradict scripture. The plain and obvious texts of scripture will help illuminate the more obscure texts. God has not intentionally hidden anything of importance from you. If anyone claims to have special knowledge that requires a unique interpretation of scripture, that person is certainly a heretic and a deceiver.

2 Peter 1:20
knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation

1 Timothy 1:4
nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.

1 Timothy 4:7
But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

6. Attacking your identity

Matthew 4:3
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Notice this temptation starts with an "if" question. Planting doubts in the mind as to one's true identity as a child of God, trying to make the believer question God's love for them or their position in Christ, demanding some sort of tangible proof instead of believing God's word, suggesting that one is on their own and needs to take care of themselves rather than trusting in God to care for them.

7. Discouragement:

Job 1:9-11
So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”

Notice how Job's own wife eventually took on the role as the devil's advocate here in this process:

Job 2:9
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

So we can see that in the case of a very strong believer, the devil's strategy is to wear him down and to try to get him to just give up.

With weak believers, the devil has a much easier task: just intimidate them and get them to doubt God's ability to save. As we read in Numbers 13 and 14, when Moses sent men to spy out the promised land, only Joshua and Caleb expressed faith that God would prevail against the inhabitants of the land. The rest of the spies gave Israel a bad report, and the people wailed and wept and plotted an insurrection against Moses as a result of their unbelief, which was triggered by fear and intimidation.

So God wanted to destroy all the people except for Moses and Joshua and Caleb, but Moses interceded for them. Nevertheless, God vowed that none of that generation except for Joshua and Caleb would enter the land, and so that is why Israel had to wander in the desert for another 40 years instead of entering directly into the promised land.

Now, we have a good example in the person of David. When he was discouraged and was hiding from Saul and not walking according to the promises of God but was dwelling among the Philistines, there came a breaking point. David's camp was attacked by the Amalekites, and everything, including wives and children, was taken captive.

1 Samuel 30:6
Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

David didn't passively sit. David didn't try to power through in his own strength. And David didn't give up. David "strengthened himself in the Lord his God." David reminded himself of God's promises to him. David reminded himself of God's lovingkindness. David reminded himself of God's power. And David, having stirred himself up in the Lord, sought God's face.

1 Samuel 30:7-8 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”

And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

David should not have been in that position in the first place, but God still showed Himself faithful to David and delivered him out of his troubles.

2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

So faith is active, and it requires action.

James 2:17-18
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Hebrews 5:14
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Notice the word "exercise."

1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

1 Corinthians 9:27
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Now, don't fall into the trap of thinking that if we are just harsh with our body or that if we follow strict religious rules that this is what Paul is referring to. Paul is using figurative languge here to describe the process of bringing his body under the subjection of his spirit-man.

Colossians 2:20-23
Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—"Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

To discipline the body means to bring our BELIEFS into subjection to the word of God and to make sure our actions follow accordingly. As we have seen, this is a constant process of maintenance that requires vigilance; because the devil is always trying to bombard us with lies and challenges and discouragement. This is not an exhausting process of working for your salvation; it is actually the opposite. By removing the impediments to your faith, you are increasing the efficiency of the channel through which God's grace can pour out though you, from your spirit and out into the rest of your being and your life.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God

When you weed out the lies in your heart and when you seek the Lord's face first thing in the morning as soon as you wake up, you are strengthened in the Lord; your alignment is set up properly, and you are given peace and help and power and wisdom and understanding. You are given strength to face the day in victory; your hope is renewed; your joy is restored.

Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Nehemiah 8:10
"...the joy of the Lord is your strength."

The proper alignment of spirit, soul, and body

I recently read an article about spinal health, and it said that one of the most important things is to maintain the integrity of the ligaments. They need to be kept strong. This requires exercise and healthy alignment. Sitting and lying down too much will degrade the back. So it is also with our faith. Faith must be exercised, and the believer's spirit, soul, and body must be kept in the proper alignment.

When the spine is out of alignment, it will cause pain and weakness, and it will interfere with the signals coming from the head to the various parts of the body. It will cause disease. So it is when the Christian is out of proper alignment with the Spirit.

For the Christian, we are told that our spirit is to be dominant over our soul and over our body. The spirit is the part of us that reaches into heaven and communes with and receives from God. The soul is the part of us that contains our will and thoughts and reason and emotions. The body is the part of us connected to the earth. We are all 3 parts. None of these parts is better or worse or more or less important; we are all 3. God didn't say that our flesh is evil; God said that the mind focused on the flesh is death.

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

If our flesh was evil, then Jesus would be evil, because He took upon Himself flesh and became a man (John 1:14).

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

So it is possible to be a human with flesh and blood and still be without sin.

The issue here is of alignment. If our mind is focused on the flesh, we are not walking in the Spirit. So the spirit is to take the lead role in our lives. You will notice that the will is part of the soul. The soul is positioned between the spirit and the body, so the soul can choose to yield either to the spirit or to the body. It is a choice; it is like a railroad switch that selects which track to run on. It can run on the high track or the low track. When the Christian is running on the high track, he is walking according to not only his own spirit but God's Spirit, because the Bible says that our spirit is one with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:17
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

So we exercise our senses and discipline our minds to maintain the proper alignment of spirit, soul, and body. When the spirit is in control of the soul and the body, then we are walking according to the Spirit, and our spiritual senses become acute and see things according to the Spirit. Our spiritual senses become natural to us; they are no longer supernatural but are part of our normal experience. We see things as they are, from God's perspective and with God's knowledge mixed in with what we see. We no longer walk in darkness but in the light. We no longer walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. This is the natural state of the believer. This is normal Christianity. This is accomplished by yielding to the Spirit, by submitting to God.

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

James 4:7
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

The fruits of the Spirit flow naturally from the Spirit; they are His nature. They cannot be produced by the flesh or by the mind. We are in grave error if we try to reform the old man to force him to resemble the new and behave like the new. We cannot accomplish the Christian life at all except through the Spirit, except through death to self (which is a grace God gives us and is not something we can do ourselves except through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus; see "Grace and Death") and living in the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. It is only by abiding in the vine that we can produce fruit.

Ephesians 4:24
and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Galatians 6:15
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

Colossians 3:10
and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him

Romans 7:18
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

To walk in darkness is not normal for the Christian. To walk in discouragement is not normal for the Christian. To be without faith or hope is not normal for the Christian. To disbelieve God's promises is not normal for the Christian.

So be on guard for the lies of the devil lest you find yourself agreeing with them. Watch out for complaining. Watch out for pessimism. Watch out for playing the victim. Watch out for offense. Watch out for ego. Watch out for fear and anxiety. The lies of the enemy are designed to make us question God's love for us, God's power and protection, and to get us to mis-align ourselves and to place the body and the soul into the dominant position to push out the Spirit. When you rush around to try to get things done instead of first praying, you are falling into this trap.

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

Once we recognize the signs and the patterns and begin to exercise good spiritual hygiene, the same way as we might like to maintain the complexion on our face (for you ladies) or keep our car in good working order (for you gentlemen), we will be kept free of the entanglements that drain us and keep us from running the race and living according to our destiny and in the works God has appointed us to walk in from before the foundation of the earth.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

That liberty in Christ is maintained by keeping our minds operating in the truth by which He set us free.

John 8:32
"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

How do we walk in that freedom? By abiding in God's word, by abiding in Jesus Himself.

John 8:31
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed."