Ephesians 6:12 says, "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."
A lot of times Christian who values the process and fruits of service much ignore that there is trouble from the spiritual world -- Satan, the unseen but existing devil, on the faith journey. Then how does he work?
Rev. Zhang from a church of Henan tells CCD that God's word in the Bible answers the question: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world -- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does -- comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:15-16) Besides, he also works through temptations of fame and wealth. Look at the temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:3-4, 6-9,12).
The pastor mentions that nobody can resist temptations from Satan without depending on the Lord. Because the Lord has overcome them and teaches us the methods leading to victory over these temptations: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his might power...Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:10-17)
"You won't be likely to fall into (Satan's work) when you rely on the Lord's word and God's word." Rev. Zhang says, "You're easily into temptations on your own. So believers should return to the biblical truth when realizing that Satan's enticement is coming; secondly, they pray for each other: 'Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.' (Ephesians 6:18)"
He adds that those who always stay with other believers and pray for each other are less trapped into Satan's snares alone. Fight with other believers rather than struggle against the devil's work alone. In this way, you will come out of the temptation not for long even if you're tempted.
