I guess it was just the way the light reflected off the building, but it set the stage for one of the more unusual boxing matches I've ever seen. It was night, and there was one large floodlight that illuminated the front of the chapel in this conference center where we were. There were two teenage guys standing out in front of the chapel. One stood in just the right place to cast a giant shadow of himself on that building. It looked like some monster up there on the building. The shadow must have been at least like five times the size of the guy, and of course you know what the other guy was doing. He was boxing with a giant shadow. It didn't look like he was in his weight class, that's for sure. Well, needless to say, you can never win if you're just boxing with a shadow.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about, "Devilish Distraction."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God. We're in Ephesians 6. I'll begin reading at verse 11: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

I think here that the Devil's schemes refers to what's defined in the next verse when it says, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood." The Devil's major scheme is to get you to think that you're fighting something earthly - something human. He wants you to forget that he's the only one you're battling. It may very well be that the battle that you're in right now is really a spiritual battle. It may also be that you've forgotten that. The Devil's been like those fellows shadow boxing at that conference center. He's been projecting shadows on the wall so you wouldn't throw your punches at him; you'd throw your punches at the symptom rather than the cause.

But James 4:7 says, "Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." He doesn't want you to directly resist him, so he's got you fighting shadows. The shadow might be a person you're fighting with that you think is the problem. Or it could be another believer or a group of believers you don't agree with. The enemy loves to have us waste our ammunition on each other so we won't get together to fight him. Hello! He's the real enemy.

Or maybe that shadow on the wall is a financial problem or a major discouragement you're facing right now, or just some very dark feelings. Whatever it is, the Devil wants to get you fighting a human enemy with human weapons. He can beat you then. Today, why don't you commit yourself to fight this as a supernatural battle, using supernatural weapons? Do some specific, bold combat praying. Cover all those involved with the spiritual protection of the blood of Jesus Christ. The death warrant of the Devil is signed in that blood. And the Bible says, "They overcame him with the word of their testimony and the blood of the Lamb."

You fight him with what Jesus did on the cross and what Jesus has done in your life. Consciously go to Ephesians 6 and go over this armor. And consciously put on each piece of spiritual armor each new morning. Don't fall for Satan's old trick of trying to get you to throw punches at a shadow.

"Resist the Devil" in Jesus' name and you can knock him right out of the ring.