How do we practice the truth so that satan’s lies gain no foothold? Ephesians 4:27 says to give the devil no opportunity. That means that we have to be alert, because he uses stealth and cunningly devised schemes.

James 1:21 says that the implanted word saves our soul. When we embed God’s word into our heart, that truth acts like a sentinel. When satan sends a fiery dart, the truth within us instantly discerns the lie and does not allow it entrance into our mind.

Alertness is part of our counter attack strategy. We are the aggressors. We are the watchman on the wall. 1 Peter 1:13 says to prepare our mind for action. Proverbs 4:23 says to be diligent in guarding our heart. 

Embed. Implant. Inculcate. Memorizing God’s word grooves in truth that pushes up the lies and forces them into the light. Light dispels darkness.

1 John 2:4 says, “He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” We can say that we abide in Him, yet our actions might not manifest truth. There is no place for deception when truth is embedded in our heart.

Verse 6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Ask yourself: does my life exemplify Jesus in every aspect? If not, then we have hidden unresolved issues that have not been removed through truth.

We are either deceived, or we are walking in the truth. It is either or in every aspect of our lives…not just one area. 1 John 1:6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

Romans 1:17 was written about the gospel. It says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” 

Timeless words. It is faith in the One who is Faithful. I love 2 Timothy 2:13. It says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Romans 12:3 reminds us that it is not our faith. It says, “…as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

We are saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8. John 1:16 Amplified says, “For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received (all had a share and we were all supplied with) one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift (heaped) upon gift.”

Our trials are God’s strategic tools to conform our lives to His will and ways; expose hidden dross; develop the character of Christ needed to fulfill His purpose in our lives; display us before the principalities and powers. 

1 Peter 4:13 is also part of our counter attack ~ praise. It says, “But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings…” Verse 19 is a checkpoint for our heart. It says, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God…” How do we suffer according to His will? One way is through humility, so that we are walking under His canopy of grace.

Passivity is pride. Faith is active. Hebrews 11:1 uses two words that are key, ‘now faith.’ Our faith for our last trial is a building block for our present trial. We go from faith to faith. 

Our trials often expose the hidden sin of worry. Following the verse to cast our cares on the Lord are two verses about spiritual warfare. 1 Peter 5:8-9. The devil seeks those he can devour. That is the attack. Our counter attack is verse 9. It says, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith…”

Our faith requires high maintenance. If we neglect it, we unwittingly walk into the devil’s trap. The bait is hidden. Here is the definition for insidiously. Stealthy, subtle, cunning, or treacherous. Working in a subtle or apparently innocuous way, but nevertheless deadly.

If we could look at our thought processes under a magnifying glass, we would see erosion in our faith because of the times we allowed fiery dart lies to enter and become seeded in our heart. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing God’s word. Bringing His word into our hearts keeps our faith strong and active.

In meditating on 1 Peter 5:5-7, the Holy Spirit connected something for me. In verse 5 Peter reminded his readers that God resists the proud. Verse 6 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…”

Verse 7 gives us a practical way. It says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The Greek word for care means to divide the mind with things like distractions, anxieties, burdens, and worries. Worry is pride.

Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” Verse 32 says that our heavenly Father knows what we need. Now connect all this with 1 Peter 5:12. It says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” If God allows trials into our lives, they are His will.

Fiery darts are lies. If we allow them to penetrate our mind, they set up inner strongholds. The battle then is no longer from the outside, but from within our heart. Our heart is our belief center. When our heart is ‘leaky’ then we are not able to assimilate and implement truth because the lies have deceived  us. They have broken through the protective barrier.

Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing God’s word. When I seek to memorize a verse, I have to say it over and over, phrase by phrase. As I continue to repeat it, the truth of that verse penetrates lies that I have believed.

It puts holes in that inner stronghold to weaken it. The more truth I inculcate through memorizing and meditating, the foundation of that stronghold begins to crumble. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “…mighty through God for pulling down strongholds.”

This is not medical advice. I am just sharing with you a comparison that the Holy Spirit showed me while talking to a friend.

God created a thin barrier in our guts to prevent foreign things from getting into our bloodstream. When undigested proteins, pathogens, viruses, etc. tear holes in that lining, harmful substances leak out. That creates a plethora of diseases. 

Now correlate that with our heart. He created our heart to hold truths from His word through meditating and memorizing. The enemy seeks to tear holes in our heart so that it is no longer sealed by a barrier of truth.

How does satan gain access to our hearts? Ephesians 6:16 says that he uses fiery darts to attack our faith. What weakens our faith? Fiery darts of doubt, fear, and unbelief. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Destructive hidden pathogens of unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, hatred etc. tear holes in our heart’s lining that affect our health.

The gospel teaches us that we have been forgiven totally. Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13 says to forgive others AS we have been forgiven. We will not grow when our heart holds unforgiveness.

1 Peter 2:5 says that we are living stones that make up God’s house. We are a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Verse 9 says, “…that you may proclaim the praises of Him…” Hebrews 13:15 gives definition.

It says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” OT priests killed animals. When we are slighted or hurt, we kill our flesh by thanking the Lord for the reminder of our forgiveness.

Don’t let things from the past weigh you down. Hebrews 12:1 says, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…”

1 Peter 2:1 says, “Therefore…” which means that we have to go back up to the previous verse. 1 Peter 1:25 says, “But the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”

1 Peter 2:1 says that since we have the gospel which endures forever, we need to lay aside some things. The Amplified says, “So be done with every trace of wickedness (depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity (pretense, hypocrisy) and grudges (envy, jealousy) and slander and evil speaking of every kind.” Selah. Stop and think about this.

If we don’t lay aside these fleshly attachments, we will be stunted in our spiritual growth. September 22, 2011 I had a dream. In the dream I was teaching. As I woke up these words were in my mind. “Without forgiveness our spiritual growth is stunted, like the butterfly that remains swollen.”