Life is Your Boot Camp

By Paula Williamson guest writer

Life is Your Boot Camp!

Anyone who has ever been in the military knows that in a battle, you'd better know your enemy. You study him, his moves, his coming and going, his patterns, and his strategies. No wise leader sends soldiers into battle blindly. A good coach does the same—studies the opponent, anticipates their moves, and prepares winning strategies.

So why do so many Christians warn others not to pay any attention to the devil?

If I were the devil, my greatest weapon would be deception—and Scripture confirms that is exactly his strategy.

“He continually deceives the whole world.” — Revelation 12:9“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” — John 10:10

Definition of deceive- deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain.

This year has been full of trials, and frankly, I have felt pretty beaten up, but in my Bible reading today, I was sharpened, encouraged, and stirred up.

Luke 4 recounts a time of testing for our Lord Jesus. Luke 1 says the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. That alone is a good reason to pause and take notice. The Holy Spirit can lead a person through a wilderness experience for our good.

The children of Israel were 150-200 miles away from the promised land, which should have taken a few days. It took them 40 years of whining, murmuring, and complaining. May it not be so for us!

The wilderness experience was not to destroy them, but to train them, to reveal what was in their hearts (Deuteronomy 8:2). Wilderness seasons expose weakness, but they also forge warriors.

Being led through a wilderness experience was not a new idea sprung on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an act of a loving God, training His people to be overcomers. Jesus set the bar for us!

Luke 4:2 After forty days without food, Jesus was hungry—the enemy’s moment of attack. The devil targeted His weakness. But Jesus didn’t argue. He didn’t panic. He didn’t reason become defeated or complain.

He answered with one weapon:

“IT IS WRITTEN.”

Jesus was hungry. He hadn't eaten for 40 days. It was then that the enemy came, a weak point, a military strategy.

Luke 4:3 Then the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, order this stone to turn into a loaf [of bread].

I don't know about you, but if I were hungry and had the power to turn stones to bread, I'd be making myself a hot fudge sundae with pecans, whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Not Jesus–Again in Luke 4:4 He answers with one weapon!

IT IS WRITTEN! Now that's the winning strategy!

Luke 4:5-7 Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [in the twinkling of an eye]. ⁶ And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will. ⁷ Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.

Whoa! Did you catch that? Who has been given the kingdoms of the world? The earth has an invisible evil ruler whose purpose is to steal, kill, destroy, and deceive. Our job is to overcome. Do we do that with blinders on, pretending satan does not exist? That's not what Jesus did! He fought the fight with the word of God. Jesus had an arsenal!

Luke 4:9-11 Then he took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on a gable of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down from here; ¹⁰ For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to guard and watch over you closely and carefully; ¹¹ And on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Whoa! Did you catch that? Satan quoted scripture. He's been studying his opponent. He catches Jesus at a vulnerable moment, hangry, and quotes scripture to support his temptation.

Luke 4:12 And Jesus replied to him, [The Scripture] says, You shall not tempt (try, test exceedingly) the Lord your God.

There it is again! IT IS WRITTEN! Scripture says!

Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.

Did you catch that? The war did not end there; that test was over, but the testing never ends. Not as long as satan is on the earth and we are alive. He will continually look for a more favorable time to trip us up, gut punch, trick, deceive, steal, kill, destroy, and lie. We were never promised a life without war.

This same day Oswald Chambers began his devotional with this quote: 

“Antagonism is the basis of all spiritual growth. Opposition is not evidence of defeat—it is proof that what is inside you is alive and dangerous to the enemy.”

Jesus said:

“Behold, I have given you authority… over all the power of the enemy.” — Luke 10:19

You are not powerless.

You are not unarmed.

But you must be equipped.

When you are tired.

When you are tempted.

When you are discouraged.

When you are hungry—physically or spiritually—what comes out of your mouth?

If the Word is not stored in your heart, it will not come out of your mouth. You hold the silver bullet!

The enemy studies you. He knows your timing. He waits for “favorable moments.” You are the temple of the Holy Spirit—and because of that, you are a threat.

So suit up, warrior.

Put your armor on daily.

Keep your weapons close.

And when the attack comes—as it surely will—stand your ground and declare:

“IT IS WRITTEN.”

That is how Jesus overcame.

That is how you will overcome.

Where in the world do we get the idea that every day is supposed to be the Mount of Transfiguration, sunshine, roses, and chocolate? Every day we have an enemy who never goes on vacation, never stops, the battle never ends. He is relentless but we are not powerless victims.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Isaiah 55:11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result),Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Do you have an arsenal of the world of God that you can pull out when you are hangry, weak, and tired? You must! Satan is counting on a favorable time to come and steal your testimony, hinder you, discourage you, trip you up, and defeat you. You can bet your bottom dollar that he has studied you and knows you. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and he hates you. You are on the opposing side. He is looking for a way to pick us off one by one. 

Suit up, dear one! Put your armor on. Keep your battle plans in a convenient place. If the world is not stored in your heart, find an arsenal to pull out.

I have written one called Warrior Arise. It is a free resource on CoadWordBooks.com

It was written over ten years of my own struggle against the lies of the enemy, and I still pull it out today when I am under attack and say, "IT IS WRITTEN!"