Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 79the earth, seeking whom he may devour. We can be sure that Satan is involved in thesin that is troubling us.Does his activity absolve us from any responsibility in committing sin? Not inthe least. Peter did not let Ananias and Sapphira off the hook because Satan instigatedtheir lie. Their untimely death stands as a reminder that they were responsible, eventhough Satan filled their hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit.Consider Judas --- Satan entered him before the night of betrayal, however hepaid dearly for that sin and will do so forever.If we allow satanic activity in our life, God will hold us responsible, because wehave the power to choose whether we will give territory to Satan’s kingdom or not.Yes, Satan might suggest that we lie, but the choice whether to act on that suggestion isours. He may suggest any sin imaginable, but ultimately we make the choice. Hecannot work independently of our cooperation.Dealing with the DevilThose who say, “If I leave the Devil alone, he will leave me alone. I don’t want to getinvolved,” without realizing it, are unwittingly conceding the battle to the enemy. Satanhas them exactly where he wants them, safely tucked away on the shelf labeled, “TooFrightened to Fight.” Whether they realize it or not, they are already involved --- theyhave made peace with the enemy by refusing to do battle with him.Satan’s most successful weapon is fear. He’ll make us believe that if we take hisexistence seriously, he will create havoc in our home or ruin our peace of mind. Don’tbelieve him! Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He will bluff us and pushus as far as our ignorance will allow. But we have the authority to renounce Satan’sfoothold in our life. First, we must take inventory and check our armor. If there is onepiece missing, we are vulnerable. One exposed area, and that’s where an arrow will becoming through. Satan is an expert marksman. His arrows don’t miss their target; wecan’t depend on a sloppy defensive attack to get us by unscathed. This is one war inwhich good luck doesn’t count.We can’t take the time here to discuss all seven pieces of armor, but they arelisted in Ephesians 6:12-17. [See the study on “The Armor of God”] I would like tocomment on one --- the breastplate of righteousness. Satan always needs some reasonto trouble us, some sin that gives him a right to our life. Once that sin is confessed andforsaken, his foothold disintegrates. He still will attack, but we need not fall for hisenticements.When anyone is under satanic attack they are uncomfortable when the blood ofChrist is mentioned. This is because they have wondered into Satan’s territory byrefusing to deal thoroughly with their past. Righteousness shields us from demonicattack. Satanic arrows are deflected when up against a conscience void of offense. If we