Every single day. It was there yesterday. It’s there today. It’ll be there tomorrow. The temptation to sin, to mess up, to disobey, to be hurtful or thoughtless or lazy or irresponsible. It’s sin and it’s not going away. What a terrible thought.

In the lower level of the Wartburg Castle, where Martin Luther hid from those trying to capture him, is an unexpected room on the tour. Our family was excited to see this castle known for its part in the life of Luther and many of the writings for which he is known. The first stop was a room in the lower level that had a significant display of items used for confinement and torture of prisoners. It also included several items used in battle. We saw close up what a suit of armor looked like. It’s an imposing set of items designed to protect the soldier from attacks on any part of their body. It’s impressive to say the least. While not perfect, (it’s hard to imagine moving with the weight and design of the armor), being prepared with their full suit of armor provided considerable protection.

You and I are in a battle each day. We don’t face arrows flying at us. No one with a sword is hiding out ready to attack. But we do have an enemy. That enemy is Satan, and his weapons are cunning and designed to destroy. Satan is willing to go to any lengths to draw you and me away from our God. He wants nothing more than for us to be separated from our Lord. He uses our reason, our guilt, our relationships, our worries to create doubt, fear, anger, resentment, selfishness, and even complacency. He’s often subtle and always determined. What a terrible thought.

What can we do? In our previous devotion, we considered all that God did for the Israelite people. We reflected on God’s power to overcome earthly enemies and to provide for his people. We recalled the lengths God went to save us by sending the only Son he has, Jesus, to take every sin we have committed on himself and take the punishment that was to be ours. His power is endless and there is nothing, not even Satan, that is stronger than God. His love is also endless. It’s his love for us that motivates his use of power to protect us.

The reading for today reminds us that we don’t need to be afraid of the devil’s attacks. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” We can have confidence that God’s power and his love can protect us from any of Satan’s attacks. Just as the soldier put on the suit of armor one piece at a time, we can put on our armor of protection. How? Be in the Word. Every time we read and study the Bible, reflect on a devotion, sing a hymn, say a prayer and in many other ways, we are putting on our armor of protection one piece at a time. The more we know about God, who he is, what he has done, what he can do, what he does do on our behalf, the more he fortifies our trust, confidence, and ability to stand against the devil’s schemes. As the Holy Spirit strengthens our faith, we are more prepared, with his help, to fight off Satan’s attacks.
Our God is powerful, incredibly powerful, more powerful than Satan and his lies and deceit. God arms us with his Word and promises to be with us in all things. We can trust in that because of who God is. We can have confidence in his promises and live in the peace of his forgiveness and protection every single day.