““to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.””
We have been called, anointed, and sent to accomplish Acts 26:18. However, we also know that according to 1 John 5:19 “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one”, Satan will not allow us to get an easy pass. The good news is found in Exodus 15:3 “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.”and Psalm 144:1 “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”
If we belong to God, then we are in battle with Satan but the good news is in 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Satan is always on the move looking for those he can distract, steal, destroy, kill (John 10:10). Job 2:2 “And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Satan is at work 24/7, thus we must be at work more than that. Thus we must have a spiritual strategy to face him daily. This has been outlined in the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 6: 10-18 “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And 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 Lord’s people.”
Take each of these strategies allowed verse by verse and pray asking for help from the Holy Spirit who knows the mind of the Father. This year 2024, we must face every battle with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding which comes only from the Lord.