By
good experience, I know the devil’s craft and subtlety, that he not only
blows the law into us, to terrify and affright us, and out of
mole-hills to make mountains,—that is, to make a very hell of what is
but a small and little sin, which as a wondrous juggler he can perform
artfully; but also, can sometimes make such to be great and heavy sins
which are no sins; for he brings one threatening sentence
or other out of the Holy Scriptures, and before we are aware, gives so
hard a blow to our hearts, in a moment, that we lose all light and
sight, and take him to be the true Christ, whereas it is only the
envious devil.
Though Satan ceases not to plague the Christians, and
to shoot at us his fiery darts, ’tis very good and profitable for us,
for thereby he makes us the more sure of the word and doctrine, so that
faith increases, and is stronger in us. We are often shaken, and,
indeed, now and then the devil drives out of us a sour and bitter sweat,
but he cannot bring us to despair; for Christ always has kept the
field, and through us he will keep it still. Through hope, in all manner
of trials and temptations, we hold ourselves on Christ.
It is
almost incredible how God enables us, weak flesh and blood, to enter
combat with the devil, and to beat and overcome so powerful a spirit as
he, and with no other weapon but only his Word, which by faith we take
hold on. This must needs grieve and vex that great and powerful enemy.
From Table Talk by Martin Luther
Luther knew a lot about spiritual warfare and offers insight and
encouragement to us about what we need to remember when we are attacked.
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