How to defeat your enemy
Published: Mon, 04/15/24
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Sessions Include: Think Ahead, Lesson #1 Think Ahead, Lesson #2 Think Ahead, Lesson #3 Think Ahead, Lesson #4 Think Ahead, Lesson #5 Think Ahead, Lesson #6 Think Ahead, Lesson #7 Think Ahead, Lesson #8 |
You have a spiritual enemy who is coming for you. Go back and read that sentence again, because it is horrifying. We like to ignore the idea of the devil or make Satan into a fictional character in a red suit we can joke about. But he is real. And he is coming for you. In the Bible, Peter warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). (That’s the NIV; here’s my version: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a serial-killer bobcat looking for someone to claw to death.”) Jesus said in John 10:10 that the devil is trying “to steal and kill and destroy” everything that matters to God. You matter to God. So the devil wants to destroy you. Your spiritual enemy is strategic in his approach. He studies you. He knows your weaknesses. He plans to attack where and when you are vulnerable. So it is imperative that we watch and pray “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11). Most people don’t plan to avoid sin. But you are not “most people.” You are going to pre-decide to be ready “so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11). Craig Groeschel, Think Ahead: 7 Decisions You Can Make Today for the God-Honoring Life You Want Tomorrow (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024), 7–9. We have just released a 8-week study on the topic: Think Ahead by Craig Groeschel. You can get it on Amazon. It is also available as part of Good Questions Have Groups Talking.
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