“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon Has devoured me, he has crushed me; He has made me an empty vessel, He has swallowed me up like a monster; He has filled his stomach with my delicacies, He has spit me out.” (Jeremiah 51:34, NKJV)

What an apt description of the combined foe we face in the flesh, the world and the devil! Nebuchadnezzar was a monster toward the Jews and had devoured them. How like Satan he was, who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour everyone he meets.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, NKJV)

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The devil I am to resist and he will flee from me, but the lusts of the flesh, I must flee, or they will surely overcome me.” It is difficult to grasp the fact that we each have a monster within that seeks to destroy us. Many want to blame it on demons, but the truth is our own flesh is capable of taking us down and shipwrecking our faith.

And then there is the world, seeking to influence us and press us into its mold. How hard it is to stand absolutely firm against the flow of worldly corruption!

But even when we feel overwhelmed by these allied forces, we know that we have One who is on our side. The Holy Spirit is living inside every believer, and He is greater than the one who is in the world. Our Advocate sits at the right hand of God in heaven and is always interceding for us. We have our heavenly Father who may discipline us (as He did the Jews), but He will never leave nor forsake us. Lastly, we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God to slay our opponent.

Yes, we all face a monster, but we have weapons of our warfare that are mighty in God to defeat him. Let us pray that we may be skillful and effective warriors!