The devil copies what God does. He develops a whole host of harmful counterfeits. For example, just as faith is believing what God says, so fear is believing what the devil says. That’s why we need to refuse fear.
Whereas conviction comes from the Holy Spirit to keep us free from sin; condemnation comes from the enemy to bind us up in guilt.
In the same way, I believe that the enemy has developed a counterfeit to the whole armour of God. The Lord’s armour exists for our protection and advancement. I believe the devil’s armour aims to keep us bound and confined.
Dirty devices
Let’s look at the devil’s dirty devices. Once we can see his tricks, we are better equipped to fight.
1. Belt – The Bible tells us to gird ourselves with the belt of truth. A belt holds your trousers up and protects your integrity. The enemy wants us to wrap a belt of deception around our waist and cover up our shortcomings. He wants us to hide behind “white” lies.
2. Breastplate – The breastplate of righteousness protects your heart. Through the blood of Jesus, we are not just forgiven of our sin, but made completely clean and righteous before God. He clothes us with His righteousness.
Satan seeks to tempt us into a sense of self-righteousness, where we see ourselves as superior to others because of our own efforts. My righteousness is like filthy rags to the Lord.
3. Shoes – When we have got our shoes on, we’re ready to go. The Lord wants us to be booted up, ready to share the Gospel with anyone who will listen. The enemy wants us to have our feet fitted with gossip, sharing things that aren’t our business for all the wrong reasons.
4. Shield – The purpose of a shield is to protect. When we hold the shield of faith, we are actively believing God’s word, and refusing to listen to his lies.
The devil had a cunning counterfeit. He tempts us to take up the shield of denial. God’s word comes to shine a light on the kinks in our character. However, rather than receiving correction, we deny that we are missing the mark and instead deflect from our own issues by pointing out the other person’s errors.
5. Helmet – soldiers wear helmets to protect their heads. We were saved by grace through faith. We rely on Him. The enemy wants us to put on the helmet of self-sufficiency. He wants us to rely on our own talents or abilities to get ahead.
6. Sword – the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. When we put His word in our mouths, we can attack the enemy and get the victory.
The sword of Satan is accusation. Words that are spoken to crush and condemn. The Bible says, “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword.”
Don’t let those arrows pierce your heart. It’s what God says that counts. Go to the word and get God’s view, believe Him, not the enemy, and speak His word over your life instead.
Tricks to trip us
If you realise that the enemy has been trying to trip you up by tricking you into taking up his armour, take it off and lay it down today. Then put on the armour of God instead, the real way to rise up.
These devises are attacks against your heart. The bible says that we should guard our hearts more diligently that we protect anything else. If you want God to do a new work within you, get hold of our books and come along to the next Healed for Life event near you.
