In the gospel of Luke, we see Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist. It was the first event following his baptism, but Jesus did not preach a revival or perform a mass healing; rather he had a dramatic encounter with Satan. We see three specific temptations outlined in this text followed by three straightforward responses. Jesus used Scripture as his weapon of choice when doing “battle” with Satan. His reliance on the word is a model for us all.
Often, when we talk about angels and demons and the activity of Satan, we can downplay the reality of spiritual warfare. However, what we need to realize is that we are, in fact, engaged in spiritual battles every day. It is our responsibility to take such battles seriously and to equip the people in the ministries we lead to take them seriously, as well.
As you think about spiritual warfare, please answer the following questions.
- How can you make sure that you are taking spiritual warfare seriously in your daily life?
- What are some practical ways that we can train our church members to be prepared for the spiritual warfare they will face as they walk the Christian life?
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