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21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. Luke 11:21-22
Imagine the iconic picture of an unknown Chinese student, standing in front of a battle tank in China’s Tiananmen Square. The student was able to stop the tank in its tracks, just by standing in front of it. In your daily struggle with the adversary do you feel like the student, or the tank?
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul tells us we don’t war against flesh and blood, but rather against principalities, powers and rulers of darkness. Jesus, in Luke 11, gives us a parable of a strong man guarding his palace. The man is safe until a stronger man comes and disarms him.
Satan is the strong man who is fully armed. Colossians 2:15 tells us that Jesus has disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them. So Jesus is the stronger man who overcomes Satan and takes from him all his armor.
Many times we feel like the student who is facing down the battle tank. We feel naked against Satan’s power. The bible tells us he is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. But if we understand what Christ is saying, we are like the battle tank facing the student.
The student unarmed and helpless against the tank was able to control it just by getting in its way. Satan does the same thing in our lives. He will block our path, causing us to move around him in the direction he wants us to go.
With the armor of God and Christ’s work disarming the strong man, we need not fear the adversary. We can be certain that Christ has overcome the enemy for us and we will prevail with Him in the end.
