Evil always seeks to betray. To destroy and separate and instill fear. And, on that day, evil won. But that doesn't mean we surrender the battle. We will not dishonor those who paid the ultimate price for freedom by giving up. Evil wants to shut you down. Shame you. Destroy your relationships. Keep you from being the person you can be. Don't let it.

Sometimes you lose sight of what's going on around you.

Islamic fundamentalism in its activist manifestation is bad news. Religious fundamentalism in general is bad news. We know about religious fundamentalism in South Africa. Calvinist fundamentalism has been an unmitigated force of benightedness in our history.

It is not sufficient to deny or ignore evil; it must be understood. It is not enough to pray to God to remove the evil; you must find out why it is there, and what lesson it has for you.

Every other animal responds to the call of sex only in "season." Man's inclination is to declare "open season.

Satan is real, and he is relentless in his attacks on people of the light. Satan and his demons don't look anything like the depictions we see flickering across the screen in movies or on television. He subtly plays upon the fallibilities of good people to convince them that their darkest desires and most destructive activities are innocent, even righteous. His chief weapon is deception, and he uses it masterfully.

This lifestyle of putting on the armor implies consistent and multiple efforts. We live this way because of what can happen if we don't: relinquishing the benefit of our position in Christ as we are bombarded by schemes designed to destroy us and render us ineffective in kingdom pursuits.

Understanding the role of God's protection will not help us very much if we don't first understand exactly why we need it. If your eyes are not yet open to the behind-the-scenes context of our new life in Christ—if you are still skeptical about the whole business—prepare to be jolted by the reality of the conflict raging around you.

Satan is always content to hide in the shadows of a worldview if he can exploit that worldview to his own ends.

Any planning in a bottle is short, thought Stamp, but he knew from personal experience the pointlessness of telling a drinking man not to.

Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace creates a stability that even Satan cannot undo.

Keep in mind as you face Satan's tricks of deception that you cannot fight him on your own, with your own methods, or even with your own thoughts. God's Word—His truth—trumps Satan. You don't. Satan has constitutional superiority over every man and woman because he is a spirit being.