Defend Your Soul!

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." [Ephesians 6:11]

Satan attacks the children of God. Satan is a very formidable, subtle, and intelligent enemy. We must be on guard against him, his attacks, and his schemes at all times.

Satan will attack God's people in various ways at the most inopportune times. These attacks come when we are usually the most vulnerable. The following are some of the times that you must be on guard in order not to be overcome by temptation, sin, or the schemes of Satan:

• When we are undergoing some type of sickness, weakness, or affliction

• When we are going about our daily life and activities with little proactive protection against his schemes and fiery darts.

• When we are busy and actively serving God in some capacity

• When we have opened ourselves up to temptation by locality, opportunity, object, or vulnerability. (i.e. if we are tempted to lust, we seek out in various places things which titillate our lusts)

• When we are being tried, tested, or troubled

This list is not exhaustive as you will imagine. It is only a guide to stimulate the thinking on protecting oneself from the attacks of Satan by the continual putting on of the armor of God. There is no "force-field" surrounding us that automatically keeps temptation from "bouncing" off and away. You must be proactive.

Someone once said, "Most Christians flee from temptation. The trouble is that they almost always leave a forwarding address." Put on the armor of God, utilize it, and defend your soul against the temptation to sin. Remember, it is no sin to be tempted. The sin comes when temptation is allowed to give birth to sin.