Winners on parade

Author Frank Peretti created books that vividly portray spiritual warfare. While some do not agree with his theology, these books helped many Christians realize that we are involved in a battle with invisible enemies. Although we cannot see them, we know the reality of a spiritual attack.

Yesterday I was hit at least twice. I’d spent several hours with two other Christian women, and whatever was said, Satan didn’t like it. After both, I was physically and emotionally distressed and after both I said to God, “If this is from You, please clarify what is going on. If it is from the devil, please take it away.” Each time, my distress quickly disappeared.

Today’s devotional reading is about victory in spiritual battles. Paul wrote about the enemy’s plans to make God’s people disobey God. He wrote about spiritual unrest in his own heart, yet no matter what troubled him, he knew that Jesus wins. He described that victory using the image of a Roman triumphal procession. When a Roman general won a battle, he led his army and the captives in a parade down main street. Right behind the general were priests who dispensed incense, so the parade had a fragrance associated with it. Paul writes . . .

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

In my battles, God leads me through the parade of life as a winner. Jesus has defeated Satan, who is like a chicken with its head cut off; he still flaps around, but he is a loser. Those who are saved from sin and death smell the knowledge of Christ and the success of this battle. We rejoice that our parade will eventually take us over the threshold into eternity.

Those who do not know Christ cannot stand the aroma of our victory. To them it smells like death, and in a way, they are correct. To win my spiritual battles, I must yield to God. I cannot resist the devil unless I have died to having my own way and doing my own thing. This goal, while not always achieved, is a stench to those who put themselves in the driver’s seat of their own lives. In their mind, giving up their own way is not only undesirable and even impossible, but it actually smells bad to see someone else do it.

If those who perish respond that way to the people in Christ’s parade, it is little wonder that the devil wants to ruin it. Just prior to this (2 Corinthians 2:11) Paul tells the church in Corinth to forgive a repentant sinner “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

He knew what unforgiveness could do in the church. He knew that Satan is always trying to ruin the glorious relationship Christians have with God and each other. His “devices” (thoughts, methods and plans) are often subtle yet always designed to gain the upper hand and stop the parade.

James 4:7 says, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Again, this must happen in this order. If I am fighting God (whom I cannot defeat), I will not be able to resist the devil, who can defeat me, at least temporarily. By giving God the right to control my physical and emotional well-being, He used that submission to create another victory, and the enemy lost — because Jesus won — again.