IMPOTENCY WITHOUT CHRIST

“Sometimes Satan and a carnal heart appear to scuffle, but it is a farce-- like the parrying of two fencers on stage.

When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). What can an unarmed soul do to shake off the yoke of Satan? No more than an unarmed people can do to shake off the yoke of a conquering army! Satan has such power over the soul that he is called the strong man who keeps the soul as his palace (Luke 11:21). If he has no disturbance from heaven, he need fear no mutiny within. He keeps everything under his control. What the Spirit of God does in a saint, Satan in a diabolical sense does in a sinner. The Spirit fills the heart with love, joy, holy desires; Satan fills the sinner's heart with pride, lust, lying. And like the drunkard filled with wine, the sinner filled with Satan is not his own man, but an impotent slave.

Friendship with sin and Satan is enmity toward God. A soul that refuses to put on Christ declares himself a rebel and makes himself the enemy of God. I think we can safely say that whoever is God's enemy must be Satan's friend-- and how will you make someone fight against his own friend? Is Satan divided? Will the devil within fight against the devil without?

Sometimes Satan and a carnal heart appear to scuffle, but it is a farce-- like the parrying of two fencers on stage. You would think at first they were in earnest, but when you see how wary they are and where they strike one another, you soon know they do not mean to kill. Any doubt is removed when you see them after the match, making merry together with the proceeds of their performance! Likewise, when you see an unrepentant heart make a great show against sin, follow him off the stage of good works where he has gained the reputation of a saint by playing the hypocrite. There you will doubtless see him and Satan together in a corner as friendly as ever.” 
The above quote is the complete devotional from our book.

Ouch! Talk about blunt! May God have mercy on us that we would not allow sin to make us so dull that we can not see God’s love and His desire that we repent and experience true fulfillment and power over sin.

For the complete devotional purchase  'The Christian in Complete Armour daily devotional by Gurnall and Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/