Weapon 4: Division

Division, "the act or process of dividing; state of being divided."

Satan uses his final weapon in Genesis 3.1, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden"?'" Did you notice how he divides them? It says he said to the woman. Verse 6 tells us that Adam was there with her, but Satan doesn't address him, just her. He doesn't invite Adam to share what God said. He divides them and Eve is forced to assume a role she was never meant to have.

When this happens, nothing good can occur. Eve takes the fruit and eats it, and then gives some to Adam who also eats. And when they do, sin enters the world. They cover themselves with fig leaves as verse 7 says, and then in verse 8 they hide from God. They are not only divided in the battle, but as a result of the loss they are cut off from God. They are divided from their source of life and as a result all of creation is cursed as well.

Jesus too is tempted with division. Satan tries to get Him to work for His own glory instead of Gods. In verse 3 he tries to get Jesus to selfishly use His power for His own benefit, and not rely upon God to sustain Him He tries to get Him to be separated from His true source of life.

Again in verse 6 Satan invites Jesus to take matters into His own hands. To test and see if the scriptures are true and put God to the test. Jesus again would be doing things His way, not God's. And in verse 9 Satan offers Jesus a way to fulfill His mission in a way that removes the cross. He simply needs to turn His back on God and worship him for a moment, and it can all go away.

Each time Jesus refuses, Jesus stays connected to His Father, His source of life. He brings the promises that scripture tells us of God. He remains faithful and trusts that God's plan is best, and that God will not abandon Him.

Division is the result of the other three. If we buy into the lies of Satan's first three weapons, division is a natural result. We are deceived that God and others don't care, or that we're the problem, and so we take off by ourselves. We are discouraged and embarrassed by results and so we avoid people who could help us. We have doubts that we can succeed, or that God will be faithful, and we run and look for the easy way. And in all of these situations we end up alone.

Division is a death sentence. Jesus said, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." (Mark 3.24) Where there is division nothing can get accomplished. Where people refuse to work together there can be no progress. Jesus beat division and stayed faithful and connected to His Father. We have the tools to do the same.

We surround ourselves with the belt of truth, and we refuse to buy into the lies of Satan. We cover ourselves we the breastplate of righteousness, and firmly stand in our relationship with God. We have sure footing because of the shoes of peace, and we stand our ground assured that God is with us. We take up the shield of faith and we stand in rank with others and fight together to win the battle. We put on the helmet of salvation and embrace the promise that we now belong to God and that nothing can separate us from Him. And we draw on the power of the sword of the spirit, and cut through the lies and barriers of the enemy.

We must stay connected to God and we must have fellowship with others. I think of the line from Gladiator as Maximus and the others prepare for their first battle in the Colosseum. He says to them, "Whatever comes out of these gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together we survive." If we stay together we survive.

Don't allow Satan to separate you from others and from God. Stand firm, pour into the truth of Scripture and spend time in prayer, communicating with God. Stay together, and we not only survive, but through the power of Christ, we kick tail.

Peace be with you