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AND HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND
We see this pattern of fighting lies with scripture in Jesus’s life as well.
Jesus’s first run-in with the devil was recorded by both Luke and Matthew.
Stop now and read Luke 4:1-13 again slowly.
Three times the devil tempts Jesus. Each time, Jesus calmly responds with a quote from scripture. He doesn’t budge an inch. Finally, the devil leaves.
This story is so different from what I would expect. It reads like a conversation. There are no swords, no screams of fury, yet this is a fight, full-on. But Jesus is calm, exuding a quiet confidence in his Father’s truth.
And notice, he's doing so via practices from his way, or what has come to be called spiritual disciplines.
He’s all alone with God in the desert—in what has come to be called silence and solitude.
He’s in prayer.
He’s fasting.
His mind and mouth are full of scripture.
And this is how we, as apprentices of Jesus, fight the devil—not via some emotional or spiritual frenzy. We simply stand in quiet confidence in God’s truth via the practices of Jesus.
The devil’s primary stratagem to drive the soul and society into ruin is deceptive ideas that play to disordered desires, which are normalized in a sinful society.
The antidote is … spiritual disciplines.
You could say it this way: spiritual disciplines are spiritual warfare.
It’s through the practices of Jesus that we present our minds and bodies before God and open our souls to his Spirit and truth.
Peter picked up on the same language as Paul did in Ephesians in his advice on how to fight the devil by “standing firm in the faith” (see 1 Peter 5:8-9).
This is how we win: we stand.
When confronted with false teachings, Jesus would simply call out the lies, almost always appealing to scripture.
Said another way, he would stand.
And he never lost a fight.
When have spiritual practices empowered you to stand up to the devil? What would this look like on a larger scale as you stand in your faith in the midst of a confusing, conflicted society? In what ways might this bring greater peace to your life?
We hope this plan encouraged you. Learn more about Live No Lies by John Mark Comer here .
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About this Plan
Do you find yourself exhausted looking through your newsfeed lately because you feel torn between the ideologies of our time? John Mark Comer encourages us to follow Jesus in an age of increasingly hostile secularism while keeping our hearts tender and open. Finding spiritual renewal in our day starts with recognizing the inner conflict between the lies we live and the truth that brings the peace we long for.
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