Attack

DEVOTION

GENESIS

ATTACK

Gen 49:19

19 "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.

NIV

Such a brief blessing upon this son, Gad. What we know about his history, his descendants is they were a tribe of valiant warriors. They joined forces with other tribes to defeat many enemies who would assault the lands of Israel. When we think about being valiant the words courage and determination fit as the proper definition. The tribe of Gad were men of courage and determination forcing their foes back, defeating them at every turn. What can we learn here? Certainly we could say that since we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior there has been a war waged upon us by the enemy of our soul. Satan attacks us as a band of raiders, hoping to take a portion of our land, our mind and heart. It takes courage and determination to resist his attacks. We need to be brave, courageous, to the point of being heroic in our war against him. Yes, we could say that because we are in Christ, Satan has no power over us, nor can he actually harm us, unless like with Job, God gives him permission. Then it was limited at that. But even though we are in Christ that does not mean Satan does not attempt to attack us. We need to be bold, fearless, daring in our continued efforts to fight back. This is the reason God has provided us with his armor.

Eph 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

NIV

Having all this armor of God provides us with the weapons we need to take our stand against the attacks of Satan. We need to do so as valiant warriors, not just holding up against his attacks, but striking at his heels, pushing him back, driving him from our land. It requires being lion-hearted, brave, gallant, bold and fearless because we are I Christ and we have the Spirit along with all the weapons God has provided for us. We need not fear the devil, he cannot overcome the power of God who stands with us.

1 John 4:4

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

NIV

The tribe of Gad were fearless fighters, and we too most be fearless in the face of the attacks of Satan. We have God on our side, he is stronger than all the powers of darkness. But it is us who live here and are subject to the attacks, so we take our stand armed to the teeth with the power of God, his armor, his weapon, his sword, his word and we fight back, driving Satan from the land of our hearts and minds. We attack.