The Position We are to Take in the Fight...

Chapter Thirteen:

Gurnall has spent a lot of time in his book, thus far, preparing us to receive our battle armor, but has yet to explain to us the various pieces of the armor. I believe it's because he understood that preparation was just as important as having the armor itself.  What use would it be to you to be given a weapon without having been given any instruction on why you needed it or how it would best be used to protect you? 

This last piece of preparation, before we learn about the pieces of our armor, is in order to teach us how we are to position ourselves when we are in the fight.  Ephesians 6:14 tells us we must, "Stand firm...".  We are to stand valiantly in opposition to our enemy, we are to resist steadfastly and to never yield to the attacks of Satan. In order to be able to do this, we must determine in our hearts to adhere to whatever orders we receive from our Commander in Chief.  Gurnall says,   "If we are to be successful soldiers, the preservation of God's honor must always take precedence over our fears. Just as an earthly soldier represents his country's honor in battle, the Christian represents God's honor whenever he is called to contend with temptation. Such testing quickly reveals how far we are willing to go in defending our Sovereign's reputation."

We must remember that our safety lies in resisting, while we stand firm. If we yield to temptation along the perimeter of our hearts, we are giving the enemy a foothold from which to create havoc in our inner spirit.  For instance, we may become bitter and angry and say something thoughtless. At that very moment our unholy words are giving the devil entry and we end up saying things that surprise even us. The safest thing is to give him no entry at all so that he acquires no ground from us.       "If you so much as hesitate as you walk by the door where sin dwells, you give Satan more time to entice you to enter. Then you are on his territory."

Gurnall also warns us of the importance of being watchful as we stand, "Watchfulness is more important for the Christian soldier than any other. In temporal battles, soldiers fight against men who need sleep the same as themselves, but the saint's enemy, Satan, is always awake and walking his rounds. Since the devil never sleeps, the Christian puts himself in grave danger by falling asleep spiritually - that is, by becoming secure and careless. Either the unregenerate part of his nature will betray him, or grace will not be alert to discover the enemy and prepare for the assault. Satan will be upon him before he is awake enough to draw his sword. You should be aware that the saint's sleeping time is Satan's prime tempting time."         If we desire to be a true soldier for Christ, we must always remain watchful, reserving our time of rest for when we reach home and are out of danger.

Gurnall goes on to point out that "we are to stand in our own place and not to usurp another's. To stand implies proper rank, order and station for each soldier, as opposed to disorder. Military discipline allows no one to stir from his proper place without special reason. It should be the concern of every Christian (to remain) in his assigned place. The devil's method is first to rout (retreat), and then to ruin."  Numbers 2:2 shows us that the Israelites were commanded, every man, "to pitch by his own standard". This meant they were to be arranged in order, as in a military formation.

To stand also means that we stay within the bounds of our place and calling. To take even one step in a different direction from where you are told to be is a departure from God. Whenever we are in any place, or doing any task that we are not told to do can cause us to be doing it without God. Paul tells us, " Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."(First Corinthians 7:24).  If we love to walk in God's company, we must abide in our place and calling. If we are doing that which we are told, we will have heaven's protection. But if we wander off or do that which is of our own choosing, we are opening ourselves up to the surprise attack that often befalls a soldier that has aimlessly wandered away from his companions.   And just as we are to stay within the boundaries of our own calling, we may give ourselves more difficulty if we venture into areas God did not intend for us. Before we venture out, we  must ask ourselves if we are truly prepared and equipped should any storm overtake us.

Just as the weakest areas of the battle line need to have the strongest guard, so also does our spirit.  We need to make sure we are not among those who leave the place of their calling. Some do it out of pride as they are not happy with their calling and are jealous for another. As in the case of Absalom, it was not the zeal for justice that made him strive for his father's crown, but rather his greedy ambition which he hid behind his zealous outward appearance (Second Samuel, Chapter 15).  Others will leave because of their unbelief, or due to their refusal to take orders from another that God has placed over them. They do not see it as being for their protection, that another has more experience in God's army than they.  So, in disobedience they leave.  

We must remember that as a soldier we must remain wakeful and watchful. Any duty we perform for the cause of Christ will oftentimes take us very near the enemy's camp, so we must do our best to pass by, undetected. If your approach sounds the alarm, he will come out immediately to oppose you. It is to our advantage to remain watchful. It will keep us out of Satan's grasp. It allowed the enemy to trap King David, who was in a state of spiritual slumber when he rose from his bed, walked upon the roof of his house, and cast his eye on Bathsheba (Second Samuel 11:2). Headlong he fell, into Satan's trap, and while he eventually repented, it cost him dearly.

It is in our best interest to stand and watch. Gurnall gave us a necessary warning when he said, "Christian, it is so very important to make sure your sentry lamp does not go out in this darkness, and your enemy catches you unawares. If you drift off into spiritual slumber, you are an easy mark for his wrath. And you may be sure if you do let sleep overtake you, the devil will hear of it....Some Christians, having been injured in a serious fall into sin, will be very careful for a while as to where they walk and the kind of company they keep. But as the soreness of their conscience wears off, they forget to keep watch and become as careless as ever....Be especially careful to watch yourself in those areas where you know you are weak. The weakest part of the city needs the strongest guard; watch most carefully the area you find weakest."

Knowing there will be those who will maliciously put stumbling blocks along your way, you will need much resolve to get around them. We must rely upon God to guide us. It takes a trusting faith in our Heavenly Father to continue on when everything and everyone seems against you, and it may test you to your very core. But persist to the end we must.  Daniel 11:32, promises us "The people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits."  Let us make the commands of God our absolute standard of truth and of duty, the foundation of our hope, and the light to our paths. It will guide us through this dark world, to the glorious inheritance that awaits us above.

Gurnall said, "This perseverance is hard work! Taking up the cross daily, praying always, watching night and day and never laying aside our armour to indulge ourselves, sends many sorrowful away from Christ."    Our hearts must be steadfastly fixed upon God, or we will find it easy to compromise and run when faced with adversity. We must be ready to be called up by our Commander at any time and to always be ready for whatever task is laid before us.  

When you have done these preventive measures and have taken your stand as commanded, you will discover that your house will be secure against any attack of the devil. And you will still be standing when the enemy meets his end. And one of the sweetest things you will discover, as you obediently stand as directed, is that the Lord Himself will come to keep you company. It is the watchful soul that Christ delights to be with!

What Satan is Desperate to Attain...

Chapter  Twelve:

In any war or battle there is some sort of prize that is sought by both sides. It can be for position and power, wealth, land and kingdoms, and even in order to expand some set of laws or rules.  As believers, we need to seriously consider what it is that our enemy seeks to win from us, what the prize is that we have that he's desperate to attain. 

At the end of Ephesians 6:12, it reads, "...against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly  places."  After much study, Gurnall came to the conclusion that he was in agreement with others who interpreted the meaning of the original words to mean heavenly "things", not heavenly "places".   Gurnall explains, "This would mean that Paul is saying, in essence 'We do not wrestle for small or trivial things, but for heavenly things - in fact, for heaven itself!"   He believed that when we wrestle against these powers of spiritual wickedness, it was for the greatest prize of all, "...for that which heaven itself holds forth. Such an enemy and such a prize make it a matter of our greatest care how we manage the combat."

Satan's efforts are so intense because he's desperate  to get us to stop doing things that draw us closer to becoming like Christ, having a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father, or from doing any endeavors that will help enlarge the Kingdom of Heaven. Why? Because he despises God and His children and anything that will help God's Kingdom grow.  He isn't satisfied that he currently rules this world.  He has position and power, but it's not enough for him. He has many within his grasp, but he can't stand the thought that there are those of us who have turned down his offer of living a carnal life here, as we are not satisfied with less than heaven itself. If he can't get us to willingly return to his side,  he'll try to use whatever means he can to undermine our walk with God.

Charles Spurgeon reminds us, "Nothing less than perfection and complete salvation of a Christian is the heart's desire of our Savior. The reverse is true of Satan, nothing short of the total destruction of a believer will satisfy him. His aim is to destroy your faith so that you may not believe in God to the saving of your soul. Let us take this for comfort: if it is Satan's desire that we may be utterly destroyed, in that at least he is certain to be defeated. When it comes to the question of who shall win the victory -- Christ, the Eternal Son of God, or Satan, the prince of the power of the air -- we need have no doubt as to which shall succeed!"

One of the main weapons our enemy tries to use against us is to try to get us to question our salvation in the first place. He waits for us to slip up and make the slightest mistake so he can become our accuser.  However, what we need to realize is that as we grow in Christ it is a natural thing for us to become more aware of our personal sin. While grace is not an excuse to sin, it's a natural thing to begin to see the depth of depravity that exists within all of us. The enemy, however, will try to make you feel like you are a terrible person for realizing you still have sin in your life, when in actuality it is a measure of our growing closer to God.  As we grow in Christ, we are shown that which still needs to be deal with within us. While it can be disheartening to realize it still exists, we should be encouraged that we are becoming more sensitized to the Holy Spirit's shining a light on that which needs to be dealt with. 

Sometimes a sin can be present for years in our lives, but we have just now noticed it. We should rejoice that we are choking out the weeds that the enemy has planted.  The more aware we become, the quicker we can drive in the nails of repentance and forgiveness to any sin that is drawn to our attention.  Sin cannot survive when our distaste for it is present. The sign that we are full of remorse at the presence of the least sin is an indicator that our love for God is increasing!

Another way the enemy seeks to shipwreck us is through hopelessness or despair. As believers,  we shouldn't expect any satisfaction from anything this world has to offer. Our anticipation of heaven, and eternal life with our Father, has to be what gives us the hope that will carry us through any time of hardship or difficulty.  Gurnall tells us why hope is so important, "Hope is the grace that shows us how to rejoice in the prospect of promised glory. It sits beside us in the worst of times. When things are so bad that we cannot imagine how they could possibly get worse, hope lifts our eyes from our immediate troubles and places them on our future eternal joys. We can smile even in the face of our persecutors,  knowing that in only a short time the cross will be lifted from our shoulders forever."   Satan knows this and he tries to get us to believe his lies about God so as to cause us sorrow and to lose our sense of peace and joy.

E.M. Bounds warns us, "The Devil often tries to break the soul down and reduce it to despair. In order to discourage us, he tells us that we will never succeed, that the way is too hard and the burden too heavy. He takes advantage of weak, distracted nerves and suggests fears. Grace is hidden from sight, shortcomings are magnified, and weaknesses are classed as gross sins. Sometimes the fear of death is used by Satan to quench the fire of faith....Heaven and God are hidden by a thick veil of tomorrow's cares, trials and needs. The imaginary disasters, failures, and evils of the future are powerful weapons in Satan's hand. He suggests that the Lord is a hard master and that His promises will fail. He works on the corruption that remains in the heart and raises a great storm in the soul."

We must remember that whatever methods or devices he tries to use against us, that his main methods are trickery and deception. If we are aware of this and are watching for him to try to get us off course, we can quickly remind ourselves that through Christ we have the ability, and duty, to resist him, as we stand steadfast in our faith (First Peter 5:8.9). 

If he can't get to us by hopelessness or fear, he'll try to get us to by getting our eyes on earthly things all the while telling us that we can have the best of both worlds.  We must be careful and not resort to the world's ways in our desire for material possessions.  While God doesn't mandate that we live like paupers, He also doesn't want us having the wrong perspective on our "things".  If He blesses us with possessions, it's so we use them for the benefit of others and the Kingdom, not solely for our own personal pleasure. What many don't understand is that God created pleasure, He desires us to enjoy things, but it's when our possessions own us, rather than us owning the possessions, that problems arise. 

We must have the same indifference to keeping earthly possessions as we do about gaining them. When we are called home, we will take nothing with us, not even the clothes that we wear. If we are totally honest with ourselves, we will agree that earthly things are, in the end, deeply unsatisfying.  They can never bring us the kind of contentment that we think they can. We must use them as they are meant to be used. If God sees fit to give us things while we are here, then we are to be thankful for His generosity, and if He takes them away, then it is His right to do so. We need to ask ourselves if we have allowed our possessions to take control of us. What if God asks us to let go of them to show our love for Him, could we do it? We must keep a loose grip on the material possessions that we value the most and be ready at a moment's notice to turn our backs on them if we are told to do so, rather than risk the shipwreck of our faith. If our hands and hearts are focused on earthly pursuits, we cannot labor for our treasure that should be laid up in heaven.

So, how do we make sure he doesn't get what he's after?  We remind ourselves that the battle isn't ours, it is Almighty God's. He wages war with Him, not us.  Our duty is to seek and draw close to God. If we have sinned, we are quick to repent and move on.  We make sure that we have surrendered all earthly things to God and that we use them properly. And above all, we must guard our hearts against allowing hopelessness, despair or worldliness from taking hold.   Gurnall says, "If you will have heaven, you must have Christ, who is all in all. And if Christ, you must accept His service as well as His sacrifice. No holiness, no happiness.".  We must not allow the enemy to gain one piece of this precious treasure he is after, and with God's help, he won't!

The Second way Satan attempts to Influence Believers...

Chapter Eleven:  

         

In the previous chapter we looked at how wicked spirits are responsible for provoking a believer to commit sin.  Gurnall broke it down into two types of sin that we can be enticed to commit. In the previous chapter we looked at the first one, sins in the heart. 

We will look at the second type of sin that wicked spirits try to entice believers to do.  Gurnall tells us that they are those directly related to spiritual topics. Because of the topics they address, he labels them as spiritual sins. Just as sins in the heart corrupt the inner man rather than the body, so also do spiritual sins.  Gurnall  believes Satan has two favorite spiritual sins, those being errors involving spiritual principles, and errors resulting in spiritual pride.

The first errors involve spiritual principles. The Apostle Paul spent quite a bit of his time amongst the churches in Galatia, Corinth and Philippi trying to undo the erroneous teachings and false teachings that had crept in after he had presented the Gospel message.  "The Word is the mirror in which we see Christ and, seeing Him, are changed into His likeness by the Holy Spirit. If the glass is cracked, our conception of Him will be distorted, whereas the Word in its native clearness sets Christ out in all His glory ", Gurnall  tells us.  It is Satan's main objective to distort this message of hope.  Having us accept false doctrines and teachings that do not line up with the Word of God is a great victory to him. 

So, how do we prepare ourselves so that we aren't accepting of error or false teachings? We must make sure we have had a true change of heart, are crucifying our flesh daily, and that our faith in Christ is fully rooted and we are diligently spending time in God's Word. If we are firmly established in Christ and in the Word, error will be choked out as fast as it tries to spring up. As we study and grow, we need to be wary of new doctrines that are presented to us. We must never easily nor hastily accept everything we hear, even from the pulpit. We have every right to look into it, study it for ourselves, and pray about it before we accept it.

The second type of error is spiritual pride, which can come in many forms.  Gurnall has us look at where he believes we can most easily fall into spiritual pride, and that is when we feel we're superior by having any one of the following three:  pride of gifts, pride of grace or pride of privilege.  

By pride of gifts, he means "those spiritual abilities the Holy Spirit dispenses to Christians for the edification of the body of Christ as a whole".  The Apostle Paul spoke of these gifts in First Corinthians 12:4.  Each one of us is gifted by God, so as to serve and build up one another. But let pride creep in, and we begin to feel superior to those who we feel have lesser gifts.  

Then there's the sin that's referred to as the pride of grace. This is where we erroneously trust in our own goodness, rather than remembering that it's God's grace that saves us and helps us to grow. We are to put forth our best effort in whatever we are doing, but in an attitude of knowing we are incapable of anything good apart from God. 

Gurnall warns us, "Where pride reigns, God will chasten. He may let you fall into a sin that will humiliate you before men and God, and force you to come crawling home in shame. Or He may use a thorn in the flesh to prick the balloon of your pride. If your pride has placed His honor in jeopardy, expect to feel God's rod of correction. Most likely it will be applied to the very spot where your pride is rooted. The only thing that will keep you from it is your humility. Remember whom you wrestle with - spiritual wickedness. They will try to convince you that your spiritual accomplishments are a result of your own efforts and that you deserve the credit for them....Where pride flourishes, the body of Christ suffers." 

The only remedy for the pride of grace is for us to repent as we come to terms with the fact that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Until we understand that it is only by the grace of God that we are redeemed, by Christ's paying for our sins, it will be our natural tendency to fall back on works. It's difficult to believe that there is nothing we need to do, nor can do. However, God loves us so much that He makes the way to heaven available to every person, regardless of how they've lived their lives prior to becoming born again and becoming heirs with Christ! 

Lastly, there is the pride of privilege, the third kind of pride that wicked spirits will use. There are several types of "privilege". There's the pride that comes from being in a place of prominence, such as a being a high official or running a large ministry. There's the pride that comes from being persecuted. While suffering for God is to be considered a privilege, some will use their suffering as a way to get sympathy, or recognition or even use it for their own personal gain.  Then there's the pride that comes from being blessed by God, by being financially well-off or born into a family of status. The proper response to any blessings from God should be one of thankfulness and seeking to find out how He desires us to use these blessings for the good of the Kingdom. 

Gurnall's desire is that we are well informed of what methods Satan will try to use in order to undermine our usefulness as a soldier for God and why:  Satan's greatest achievement will be to get us mired in spiritual wickedness, "the ones that sear your conscience, blind your minds and petrify your hearts.  If ever you perish, it will be by the hand of these sins. Other sins are preparatory (preparation) to spiritual sins. Satan therefore draws you into carnal sin to bring you ultimately into spiritual sin." 

If we are engaged in carnal sin, it makes us more disposed to proceed on to spiritual sin, as any sin, by its very nature, hardens the heart. Hebrews 3:13 warns us, "Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."  If we continue to beat down a path toward sin and do not give heed to the Holy Spirit's  warning to leave that path and go to God for forgiveness in order to regain a softened heart, then we could end up with empty, hardened hearts. 

However, God will do everything He can to help us if we go to Him and ask for His help.  He is showing us these things so that we can be softened, be changed and have hearts that are full of humility, as this is what stops pride from retaining any hold upon us. We must not ignore any sin He exposes, any opportunity to soften us. He puts these opportunities before us so that He can replace our hearts with even softer hearts.  Like a loving Father, God will use whatever means He has to in order to save us from bad choices. If we are eager to hear, and change whatever He shines His light upon, we will hear His tender voice saying, "This is the way, walk in it!"   

The First way Satan attempts to Influence Believers...

Chapter Ten:

Imagine yourself being in the middle of a heated battle and a soldier runs in, declaring that he has found a copy of the enemy's plan of attack. What would you do? You'd definitely study it and most probably devise a plan of counterattack.  This is precisely what Gurnall is doing in this part of his book.  He is letting us know how the enemy attempts to attack us in order to make us at best, inefficient, and at worst, rendered useless. But, he also teaches us how to carry out and win our counterattack.

Before he has us learn about our enemy, Gurnall briefly revisits the fact that we must fight our own sinful nature as it will fight alongside our enemy against us, "Were there no devils you would still have your hands full resisting the corruptions of your own heart. What Paul wants you to see is that your old nature is only a private in the war against your new nature. Satan comes to the battle as an ally of the flesh and launches a massive attack. He is the general who marshals your sinful inclinations, exercises them mercilessly, and sends them out as a united front against the power of God in your life. This knowledge should make every one of us diligent to keep our lusts unarmed - for they will be all too eager to declare their allegiance to Satan when he comes to tempt."

It may not be obvious to us that we have areas in our lives where we are weak and prone to temptation, but out of His love, God allows them to come to light so we can deal with them, rather than allowing them to stay and cause us trouble.

Ephesians 6:12 warns us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."    Gurnall reminds us that even though we may fight with man, who is made of flesh and blood, our chief assailants are evil spirits, directed by the devil himself and sent out to war against us.  Christ, Himself, referred to Satan as the prince of the (this) world (John 14:30).  

One of the areas of disagreement that has occurred in Christianity for many years is whether a Christian can be infiltrated by Satan.  Gurnall puts that fear to rest when he says, "If you are a saint, you do not need to fear that Satan will infiltrate your soul. God will not permit it. But the devil can and does attack along the borders of your faith. Though you are not the proper subject of his power, you are and always will be the chief object of his wrath. He wrestles with you at every opportunity, and you will only overcome him as long as God supplies His strength (emphasis added) in your behalf. If He steps aside, you will immediately find out how helpless you are against your strong opponent."

It is important to understand the nature of these evil spirits and why God allows them to operate in this world, not so we are in fear of them, but in order that we have a better understanding of them.  Gurnall points out several reasons why God permits our enemy to come against us, and when we understand why, we realize that it's actually for our benefit. 

 First, it helps to convict us of our sin.  We need to truly believe that nothing we can do can save us as it is easy for us to fall into the trap of believing that we need to work our way into heaven.  Maybe some of us have already accepted that idea and are busily trying to accomplish it by the way we live our lives.  Gurnall puts it very plainly when he says, "Before the Holy Spirit can convict such a person of his need for Christ, he must agree with God that all his righteousness (and good works) are but filthy rags....The finest human being - the most sincere philanthropist or moral crusader - has within him the same seeds of corruption, the same potential for wickedness as the devil himself. If his true nature has not yet shown through, it is because God's grace is intervening. For until you are made a new creature in Christ, you are of the same brood as the Serpent; his seed is in you. And the devil can only beget a child like himself."

Second, it is to keep us humble. Gurnall felt it especially important for those who have been walking with Christ, since a very early age, to recognize the potential wickedness in their heart. He said, "Our old nature (whose residue is not cast off until heaven) has the devil's stamp of 'traitor' on it from the day we were born." When we truly realize the significance of the great debt that Christ paid on the Cross for us, we will then recognize the depth of sinfulness that lurks in our hearts.   It is also so that we don't compare ourselves to another, and come away prideful, feeling that we are less sinful than they.   

Third, it is so we better understand why we can be so easily persuaded to sin if we are not aware of Satan's purpose. Satan gives us false promises, uses clever arguments and many  are won over by him as he appeals to their greedy natures. 

At this point, Gurnall turns his attention to how wicked spirits are responsible for provoking a believer to commit sin.  He breaks it down into two types of sin that we can be enticed to commit. The first one is what he refers to as sins in the heart.   He says, "When thoughts and feelings overtake you that you know are not pleasing to God, what can you do? You do not want to be critical - but you are; you do not want to covet - but you do. How can you take these stones of offense and rocks of stumbling Satan hurls into the path of your thoughts, and use them to build a monument of glory to the Father? In two ways in particular: by keeping a close watch on your heart and by steadfastly resisting its sins." 

So, first we need to keep a close watch on our heart. We need to do a self examination and ask ourselves what kind of welcome does Satan find when he comes at us with these sins in the heart and asks us to dwell upon them? Does Satan find our hearts fertile ground or does he find soil that quickly extinguishes any thought or desire he attempts to plant?  While we may turn them away when they're presented to us in the light of day, do we gladly entertain them when no one will see? 

Gurnall warns us, "Christian, this is imperative for you to realize: When wicked or unclean thoughts first force their way into your mind, you have not yet sinned. This is the work of the devil! But if you so much as offer them a chair and begin polite conversation with them, you have become his accomplice. In only a short time you will give these thoughts sanctuary in your heart. Your resolve - not to yield to a temptation you are already entertaining - is no match for Satan and the longings of the flesh. Your confidence must rest on this face: Unclean thoughts will not stay where the love of Christ reigns supreme." 

Second, we must steadfastly resist the sins that lie within our heart, which will show where our loyalties really lie. Christ told us in Matthew 5:28 that even spending time on a thought is as bad as actually doing it.  It is just as much sin as having actually done the deed.  We cannot allow Satan's thoughts to have free reign in our minds without consequences. You must renounce every vile thought that is not in obedience to God, the moment it presents itself.  

We cannot stop Satan from trying to influence us, but we can put safeguards in place.  God's intention in allowing the enemy to attack us is so that we learn where our weaknesses are and remove them. Just as a soldier of an army is trained to look for their areas of vulnerability, so it is within God's army. We cannot have any areas of vulnerability that the enemy can use to his advantage. In order to make sure we are not vulnerable, there are several precautions we can take.

The first precaution is to make sure our heart is under Christ's control every single day. Gurnall encourages us, "Here lies the secret: to control your thoughts, ask Christ to control your heart. David cried out to God many times when he knew Satan's attacks were beyond his power to deflect.  You will need to pray more and harder than ever when you are called to a duty that brings you in closer contact than usual with the world. This is where Satan's thoughts attack like a plague of locusts. First, be sure you are going on God's business and not your own. Do not try to stave off the onslaughts of Satan in your own strength....Make Him (God) the censor of your thoughts, and you will not need to worry. The devil's arm is not long enough to reach you when by earnest prayer you place yourself under the shadow of the Almighty."

The second precaution is to set a strong guard around your outward senses. Be careful where you look and what you hear, as Satan flies around looking for access to your inner man.

The third precaution is to reflect on what we've allowed to affect us throughout the day, as it has probably affected our thoughts and attitudes.   Gurnall warns us that "Much of the unholy noise that erupts (anger, envy, impatience, bitterness, and all the rest) is because you have left it (your heart) to its own desires." We need to be diligent and watch for anything that may allow access for the enemy.

In the next chapter, we will look at how the enemy can get to us by a second way, which includes not only deceptive teachings, but also by way of tapping into one of our weakest areas, spiritual pride.