Knowing our Enemies
(Ephesians 6:12)

In 1982-83 the Cougars of the University of Houston was the greatest men’s basketball team on the planet. They featured several first team All-Americans, led by two future Hall of Famers, Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. They entered the college basket-ball championship game with an impressive 31-1 record and a 26-game winning streak. The final game was supposed to be a simple formality that was required before they would walk away with the trophy. But, in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in team sport history, they lost to North Carolina State, a team that lost ten times during the regular season and entered the tournament ranked #19 in the nation. How did it happen? Well, it would be right to say that it is just the nature of sports. Up-sets happen all the time. But the discrepancy of talent between these two teams was so immense that Houston’s loss shocked the sporting world and leads us to believe that Phi Slamma Jamma, as they were nicknamed, simply took their opponent too lightly.

We can make the same mistake. Many Christians have lost their souls by underestimating the devil and his allies. Paul reminds us that it is not just mere men against whom we are fighting, but spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). Everyone agrees these “spiritual forces of evil” are evil spirits in the unseen realm. We don’t know a lot about them and the extent of their power, but to deny their reality is unwise. There is no doubt that the power of Satan and his spiritual forces have been curtailed by our Savior; nevertheless, they have many tools at their disposal, and they are still actively involved in doing evil. That evil can take many different forms (pride, envy, lust, false doctrine, religious error, liberalism, etc.), all of which can have an influence on us and weaken us spiritually. But the area Satan seems to always attack first is the mind. That is the primary scheme of the devil. Be aware of it. He wants to get inside your mind and set up camp. He knows that if he can influence your thinking and have an effect on your attitude and disposition, he will win the battle of your soul in the end. Paul spoke of strongholds in 2 Corinthians 10:4, referring to the influence that Satan had on the saints at Corinth. It was Paul’s aim to tear down those strongholds and re-capture the minds of those saints for Christ. But the devil has not changed his strategy. Let’s not be ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). It is a lot harder to get Satan out of our minds once he has implanted himself there, than it is to keep him out in the first place. Is it your aim to arm yourself for this spiritual battle? Well, the fight begins with winning the battleground of your mind. Protect it! Guard it! Make it your first priority to keep the devil out. As you wind down for the night, think on these things.