Category: Be Aware of Spiritual Warfare

2 Corinthians 11:14

[14] And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

When Paul describes Satan as someone who disguises himself into an angel of light, he doesn’t only mean literally. He isn’t just going around appearing to people as a literal angel of light. Sometimes, its just a quick, simple thought that is thrown into your mind as an innocent idea. Here’s what I mean. One of the ways I’ve started making money is by reselling. I buy storage units, and I resell the contents for a profit.

When I was cleaning out a storage unit the other week, I came across a well-known narcotic, oxycodone. It was a prescription bottle with a good little handful of pills left in it. As I read what the bottle, a thought entered my mind “I wonder how much these things go for?” Immediately, I was like, absolutely not. I audibly voiced “nope” from mouth and immediately opened the bottle and poured out the contents in to the trash bag filled with dirt, mouse droppings, and other disgusting contents I cleaned out of the unit.

The thought didn’t come maliciously. It didn’t come in an evil way. It came gently and softly in the form of “You know we got bills to pay.” It was a very evil thought posed and delivered very innocently. This is how Satan gets you.

He doesn’t come dressed up as evil incarnate. He comes dressed up as an innocent thought. A rational, innocent thought that is posed as being in your best interest. This is how Satan works and has always worked. He didn’t tell Eve to break God’s rule. He simply questioned what God actually said. This is the importance of being spiritually on guard.

Satan is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He isn’t a defeated foe. He isn’t a toothless lion. He is actively seeking a victim. He is actively seeking someone to devour. This is why we have to know the Word of God. So that when Satan comes along whispering in our ear, we can see the lies and the deception coming out of his mouth.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for every time I gave into the enemy’s lies and believed the deception. Thank you, LORD, for every time you have shown me the deceptions and given me an escape. Please help me to see past the deceit and the lies so that I can see the Truth. Give me a spirit of discernment as You fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I might overcome in the day of testing. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Romans 15:30-32 NIV,

[30] I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. [31] Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, [32] so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.

There’s one thing the Church continuously struggles with, prayer. There’s an entire underground church that doesn’t ask for financial help, food, clothing, or even Bibles. What does it ask for? Only prayer, yet rarely do we pray for them. Rarely do we even mention them.

We have national burger day. Ice cream day. Water day. We have so many different random unofficial holidays in the US, but we don’t have a day we come together as a Church, and pray for the underground Church. Those being persecuted simply for believing in Christ and refusing to deny Him. They’re beaten. Tortured. Land and homes taken away. They’re taken to concentration camps. Why? For their belief Christ. For refusing to deny Him. For refusing to stop speaking about Him.

We are the most financially steady Church in generations, but we are the most lukewarm. We are financially rich, but spiritually poor. We don’t have the spiritual growth it takes to get on our knees and pray for one hour a day, but we can binge a show for 8 to 10 hours straight. When the Church didn’t pray, James was beheaded. When the Church prayed, Peter was saved and delivered from prison by an angel. There are countless Christians suffering right now. Their only request is prayer. How will you answer? 

⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 ^NIV

Have you ever felt just emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted? Like, no matter what you say or do, it’s never good enough? Like no matter how many times you get up, someone or something pushes you right back to the floor? That’s where I’m at…

Recently I’ve just been struggling to do basic everyday things. My drive has been drained and my body is just screaming we can’t go any longer. One minute I’m starving, the next I’ve completely lost my appetite. The more I analyze what goes before these feelings, the more I realize it’s the words and actions of others around me that are draining me. Yepp, I’m right back to where I began again.

It’s the little things that really get me. Someone says or does something that causes you discouragement and then instead of trying to encourage you and help you, they tell you not to listen to the voices in your head as if you made the whole thing up. As if you’re crazy. Or if you say something someone doesn’t like, they just begin to lecture you, and it becomes a daily occurrence. When they point out they didn’t do it the previous day or two, it’s because you had stopped talking, so there was nothing to lecture on.

When the Devil wants to go in for the kill, he uses those around you. Those you trust. Those he knows can crush you the most. When Jesus was arrested, who was it because of? One of His own close friends, Judas. When He was being mocked and slapped before the High Priest, and they were spitting on Him laughing in His face, who was it that denied Him in those moments? His best friend, Peter.

The Devil will use those closest to you, to try to destroy you. To try to finish you. But each day you have to get back up again. You have to keep going forward. You have to overcome. It isn’t easy. It’s quite exhausting. It isn’t a quick walk around the park. It’s quite discouraging. But that’s when you lean on the LORD. That’s when you fall at His feet and call out His name, for when we humble ourselves before Him and seek Him with all of our heart. He hears us. We find Him. And He picks us up.

Even when the whole world feels like it’s against, the LORD God is for you. Even when it feels like you don’t even have a friend to call on for help, Jesus is that friend. He will never leave you, nor forsake you, but it’s on you to call His name.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Call To Lean.

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. ~ Proverbs 17:17^NIV

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: ¹⁰ If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. ¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? ¹² Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-12^NIV

Every one of us has burdens that weigh us down. Burdens that cause us stress, pain, heartache, or oppression. The book of Proverbs says:

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17^NIV

We are to build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11), help each other when one stumbles (Luke 22:32). We are to be a Samwise Gamgee to our friends.

In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins is given a powerful ring that he must carry across the earth to destroy it. No one else can carry this burden for him. Despite this, his gardener, Samwise Gamgee, goes with him and refuses to leave his side. He constantly saves and protects Frodo throughout his journey. Even when Frodo, essentially, betrays him, Sam comes to Frodo’s rescue. At the end of their journey when Frodo is so overwhelmed and worn out from his burden, he can no longer walk. So Sam, scoops him up in his arms and says:

I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.

And he carries Frodo the rest of the way so that he could fulfill his purpose. Sam didn’t care about the power the ring could give him. He didn’t care about the fact that Frodo had betrayed him, or that he himself was tired and exhausted. Sam was there for Frodo whenever he needed a friend. That is the kind of friendship God is calling us to.

A friendship that isn’t selfish and self-serving, but one of selflessness and love. One of carrying someone when you can’t carry their burden for them. Being a shoulder to lean on or a hand to hold. We are called to be more than just a good friend, we are called to be Christ to the world.

The only way we can do that, is to start by building our lives on the Rock. And building up our spirit man. We have to spend time in the Word of God. We have to pray, fast, and worship. We have to make God our main priority, so that when we have the opportunity to be a Samwise Gamgee, we’ll be strong enough to do so.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be A Sam.

¹ I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ~ John 15:1-4^NIV

I’ve been really focusing on growing this year, and I’ve seen definite growth, but sometimes it just feels exhausting. I’ve been focusing on one fleshly obstacle at a time; right now, it’s turning the other cheek, and keep going forward. In other words, not allowing other people’s actions or words to negatively affect me. To be honest, it’s difficult. It feels like every time I take a step forward and I begin to see these things no longer bother me, the Devil hits me with multiple combinations, and I just seem to fall and fail to get up for a while.

Our enemy studies us nonstop. While it may not physically be the Devil himself, it’s his kingdom that we have to face daily in battle. And it’s his kingdom that watches us daily. They study us to know our limitations and weaknesses better than we ourselves know. So, what then? Is it a losing battle against an enemy that we can’t see, that knows us better than we know ourselves? It is when we try to do it in our own strength.

When Christ came to earth, the Psalmist and the author of the book of Hebrews wrote that when He took on human flesh, He became a little lower than the angels. Therefore, all humans are lower than angels. If demons and evil spirits can’t be cast out by our own power, then we’d be lower than them as well. Therefore, when we try to fight the enemy in our own strength we’re going to lose each and every time. We may see a win here and a win there, but ultimately, we’ll lose every time because those wins and gains aren’t real wins. Those wins are like little punches that landed against our opponent but didn’t do anything else. They got us on the scoreboard but we failed to actually be any competition for him.

This is my biggest downfall. Every time I begin to thrive and move forward and see a change in my life, one thing holds me back from reaching that goal. Consistency. I find consistency to be my biggest struggle. God promises that if we will draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. He promises that when we enter behind the curtain, He will meet with us in the cloud. But I, to my own downfall and destruction, don’t meet with Him daily. Yes, I pray every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed, but I don’t consistently spend time with Him outside of those two meetings.

I’ll be consistent for a week or even a month or two at a time, and then I just fall off the wagon. Life gets in the way. Or I get sick, and my schedule is completely thrown off, and then I can never get it back again. The enemy knows our weaknesses, and he uses it against us. So, what’s the solution? I guess the solution would be to get to the root of the issue. If my biggest issue that stops my growth in every other area of my life is consistency, then my focus has to shift to that.

Unless I learn to be consistent in my walk with the LORD, nothing will permanently change in my life. Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, put it this way:

²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27^NIV

I don’t believe Paul was saying he was afraid of giving up or turning his back on the faith. I believe Paul was saying that he puts his body into subjection so that he doesn’t become lazy in his faith. So that his relationship with Christ doesn’t become stagnant. So that he never stops bearing good fruit.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for all the time I have wasted not being consistent in with You. Please forgive me for every time I’ve taken You for granted and tried to grow in my own strength and in my own power. Please help me to crucify my flesh daily so that I might take up my cross and follow You. Thank You for Your many blessings and Your unfailing love and mercy. Help me to make meeting with You my biggest priority in my, and not an inconvenience. Show me how to walk in righteousness and in Your Truth. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

¹¹ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:11^NIV

I often hear the statement that the Devil is already defeated. That the Devil is just a toothless lion. But I want you to think about that for a second. The Devil is a defeated enemy, but woe to the earth and the seas, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath? The Devil is a toothless lion, but he’s also a roaring lion prowling around seeking someone to devour?

When we say things like “the Devil is already defeated,” we give ourselves a false sense of security. We let our guard down. We stop holding up that shield of faith that extinguishes all the fiery darts of the evil one. We stop praying and fasting, which causes demons to flee and strongholds to be broken. When we believe our enemy is already defeated, we stop fighting.

This is one of the best lies the enemy has told because it’s not out there destroying the world. No. It’s out here destroying the Church. The Church no longer prays, fasts, or worships the way it should, and why should it if there is no enemy to fight? So many of our Church leaders fall into sin because the enemy is already defeated, and what God has me, no one can take away. So what happens? We stop watching ourselves. We just start blindly talking. We just start blindly going. And if we are going blindly, we’ll fall into the pit.

This life for Christians is destined for trials, tribulations, and many attacks by the enemy. It’s not an easy, cushy life. It’s a hard life. A life that we must deny ourselves and pick up our cross every day. A life where we have to run the race set before with endurance. A life where we have to go to battle on behalf of ourselves and our loved ones. The life of a Christian is not an easy one. Why? Cause the enemy is still here. The enemy is still fighting us. The enemy is not yet defeated. Therefore, we must keep fighting. We must keep watching. We must keep seeking God. We must keep running the race set before us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For Battle.

⁷ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ⁸ And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. ~ Job 2:7-8

I want you to understand that at this time, Job is already in the crucible; it’s already hot, but now the fire, or the heat, is turned up even hotter. Satan went out from the presence of God and struck Job with painful boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. In other words, there was no part of Job’s body that did not have a painful boil with pus oozing from it.

He had sores from head to toe that hurt and itched, so much so that he sat in ashes and scraped himself with a piece of broken pottery, trying to get some relief from the itch and the pain. When Job’s three friends heard all that had happened to him, they came to visit him so that they might bring some comfort to him. But they did not expect what they saw. Job was barely skin and bones. His affliction was so grievous that they did not even recognize him.

When they did see him up close and saw how great his suffering was, they tore their robes, sprinkled dust on their heads, and lifted up their voices and wept for him. When Job’s friend realized how great his agony and his misery were, they couldn’t speak a word for seven days and seven nights. They just sat on the ground with him, hoping to comfort him in all of his grief.

It was so bad that earlier, Job’s wife had said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) But Job replied to her in verse 10:

¹⁰ … “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job 2:10b ^NKJV

This is the proper response when in the crucible. “Shall we accept only good from God? Shall we not also accept the bad as well?” This was not something that Job just inadvertently came up with off the top of his head. No, he was prepared. He had decided beforehand that he was in it for the long haul. That no matter what, he had decided that he would follow God and be obedient to Him.

We have to understand and admit that a lot of life is lived in the crucible. The fire may not be turned up as hot as it was turned up for Job, but we live a lot of life in the crucible. The rent is due in three more days, and we just don’t have it. A loved one was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. An unfortunate accident just claimed the life of someone you held dear. These are some of life’s challenges. They’re not easy to deal with, but with God…it’s a different thing because Jesus changes everything.

We also have to acknowledge that there are many innocent people who have been brutally hurt or severely injured by malevolent people who have no respect for life, nor do they care about others in general.But as harsh as it sounds, you can overcome that. No matter what life throws at you, with the right attitude you can overcome. All things are possible for one who believes (Mark 9:23b).

These are the words of Jesus Himself, when a father had brought his son to Him to have a demon, that tried to kill the boy on several occasions, cast out. The father had said to Jesus, “…if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us (Mark 9:22b).” With Jesus in our life, we can do all things.

¹ But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-5

As the days race toward eternity, the Return of Jesus draws closer and closer, and things will take a turn for the worse for the Church. And it already has in many places, but it will get even worse. Those who are called by His Name will be persecuted. We will be despised, hated, and even hunted down and killed, all because we love Jesus. Because we have chosen Him, because He first chose us.

Jesus has given us an opportunity to accept Him and to follow Him by loving Him and keeping His commandments. We love Him by being obedient to Him and loving others and living in harmony with each other. Therefore, we keep ourselves from being defiled by the world.

We live in the world, but we are not a part of the world. We do not partake in what they partake in. We do not take pleasure in what they take pleasure in. We are a peculiar people, a royal priesthood. A people chosen from before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 2:9).

We are loved by God, who purchased us with His own blood and wrote our names upon His palms and in His Book of Life. We all have been given the privilege of choosing Jesus (John 3:16). That is our choice. To accept Jesus or to reject Jesus. It’s that simple, but it has devastating consequences if we choose unwisely.

Therefore, separate yourself from the world. Be in the world, but not of the world. We are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16), not friends with the world. So, build your spirit-man now. Crucify your flesh now while these days are still ahead of us because when they come, it will be difficult to prevail without preparation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For Perilous Times.