In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter says we are chosen, a royal priesthood, and holy, a people for God’s own possession. He goes on to say that we are to proclaim the excellence of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. In verse 11 he admonishes us to abstain from the lust of the flesh because they wage war against our souls. Think about that! Satan wages war against our very souls to try to pull us away from being God’s witnesses. Therefore, we must always be on guard, ready to go to war against satan. 

As humans, we all have lusts of the flesh that we must battle at times, however, it is imperative that we, as children of God, learn to fight off those desires. In verse 12 Peter tells us to keep our conduct so honorable that even when others speak against us, they may see our good deeds and glorify God. We are to be shining lights through our actions. 

When claiming Jesus as our Savior, we must live to reflect Whose name we claim. In Romans 6:1-2, we are asked if we who are saved should go on living in sin, then it states, “Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Yes, it is a battle; a war with the enemy, but we have the power of God on our side. He is our strength and shield, an ever-present help in those battles. Through Him we can live victoriously over satan’s temptations.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I want to express my deepest gratitude to You for Your ever-present help when I am in war for my very soul. Thank You for helping me to overcome all the enemy throws my way as he tries to cause me to stumble away from You. Help me to immerse myself in Your Word and in intimate time with You so that the desires for the things of this world become less and less appealing to me. Help me to always lean into You when I am tempted, that my life may be a testament to Your glory. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

No one goes into war without being armed, therefore, we must arm ourselves daily so that as temptations come, we will be ready to battle victoriously! Beginning today, create a habit of memorizing a verse each week. Begin by searching out scriptures that pertain to fighting sin and temptation. Write the verse down or put it in your phone and refer to it often throughout each day. Often throughout the day, stop and repeat it two or three times. After a day or two, try saying it without looking, referring to the scripture to complete it or check yourself. Make it a point to memorize it, dwell on it, and walk in it throughout each day of the week and the weeks to follow. Even as you add more verses, continue to repeat those you have already learned.