The devil is always on the attack.  Peter tells us that he “walk about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  It is because of this that Paul exhorts us to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).  I like what Paul says in verse thirteen of that passage.

Ephesians 6:13 (ESV)
¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Standing firm in this spiritual fight that is upon us does not happen by accident.  Satan continues to go to and fro on the earth, looking for prey (Job 1:7).  So, Paul tells us that as we arm ourselves for battle, we must do all we can to stand.

This begins with putting on the whole armor of God.  We should be thankful that our heavenly Father has given us all that we need to stand against the devil.  We have an armor that Satan cannot penetrate.  Are you doing all you can to emerge from this warfare victoriously?  When it comes to the salvation of our souls, nothing should be left undone.  Here are some things we all can be doing to make sure that we continue to stand with Christ.

Keep the Armor of God on at All Times

Without the armor, we are completely vulnerable to the assaults of Satan.  Yes, the armor gets a little heavy sometimes.  Yes, it can even get uncomfortable after it has been on all day.  However, without it, you do not stand a chance against the wily ways of the devil.

Truth should not be something you put on and take off constantly.  It should be fastened to you like a belt.  Righteousness should not be something that comes and goes in your life.  It should be your breastplate day and night. Faith should not be something that fluctuates in your life, depending on the circumstances surrounding you.  It should protect you like a shield from the moment you get up in the morning until the time you close your eyes and go to sleep at night.  If you do not put on the armor of God, and keep it on, you are giving the devil the opportunity to defeat you.

We Can Make Prayer a Constant Practice in Our Lives

After Paul described the armor that we must put on to stand against the devil, he said, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…”  Prayer is a powerful weapon we can use against Satan.  James once said, “…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).  James was not guessing about that, he was stating an inspired truth.  Just after he tells us to resist the devil, he exhorted us to draw near to God.  When we draw near to God, we are resisting the devil.  One way to draw near to God; in fact, the best way to draw near to God, is through the avenue of prayer.

If your prayer life is lacking, you are not doing all you can to stand.  Fortunately, there is an easy way to fix it—just start praying.  Purposely put time aside to pray.  Separate yourself from all distractions, enter into the prayer room that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 6:6, and earnestly pray to your heavenly Father.  This will give you the power to shoo the devil away like an irritating fly buzzing around your head.  Prayer will give you the strength to overcome temptation, or even avoid entering into it altogether (Matthew 26:41).

Add Bible Study to Your Regular Routine

Did you notice in the Ephesians six passage regarding the armor of God that every piece of armor is ether directly or indirectly related to the Word of God.  The Bible is probably our best defense against the devil and his assaults.  The Word only helps us, however, if we know how to us it.  Like a physical sword, if we are not trained to use it, we can do more harm than good.  How are we trained to use God’s spiritual sword?  The only way we can be is by personal Bible study.  Studying the Word of God is a part of doing all we can to defeat Satan.  The good news is that when it comes to God’s Word, the devil is defenseless against it.  Our only job is to know and use it.

There are other things you can do as well.  Make sure that you are spending time with other Christians who can encourage you (Hebrews 10:24).  Make a habit of attending all the services of the local church of which you are a member.

If we really want to defeat that old serpent, we will do all that we can to do so.  The salvation of our souls should be our top priority in this life.  We can be sure of one thing—the devil will do everything in his power to knock us down.  Let’s counter him by doing everything in our power to stand.