Category: Be Aware of Spiritual Warfare

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. ~ Luke 1:80

This is speaking of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus the Promised Messiah. The Scriptures say that he was in the wilderness before his public appearance to Israel. You know who else was in the wilderness before His public appearance to Israel? Jesus.

Luke 4:1-2 says,

¹ And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry.

If you notice, before their public ministry, many of the Old Testament heroes spent time in the wilderness. John the Baptist, Jesus, Moses, and Jacob were in the wilderness taking care of his father-in-law’s sheep, Joseph spent time in the prison, and the list goes on. But in the New Testament, the heroes spent time with Jesus.

Acts 4:13 says,

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Even the great evangelist Paul spent time alone with Jesus before his public ministry. While writing to the Galatians, he described himself as still being largely unknown to the churches in Judea after three years.

But Acts 11:25-26 says,

²⁵ So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.

So, what am saying? The truth and seriousness of the return of Christ is still looming large right in front of us. We don’t have a whole lot of time left to mess around. We must be about the Father’s business. So, this year, determine to spend some time in the wilderness with Jesus, in prayer, fasting, and studying the Scriptures. It is the only way you will grow and the only way to really get to know the one who died for you and is coming back to get you. You don’t want to be a stranger to Him when He comes back in all of His glory. Be sure to set aside time to be alone with the LORD in this coming New Year.

Heavenly Father, thank You that I can spend time alone with You and that You want to be alone with me. There is no greater privilege than spending time with You, the one who purchased my salvation. Now, please help me to serve You with my full heart and with all of my strength; in Jesus’ mighty name, I pray, amen.

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¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. ~ Exodus 13:17-18

The people of Israel had just been freed from Egypt. Their spirits were joyful but still fragile. So, what does God do? He leads them in the way that is best for them. When God frees us from our sins, He doesn’t always send us straight into battle. Why?

Because not everyone can take battle immediately. God equipped them for battle, but knowing the weak faith of the people of Israel after 400 years of slavery, God gave them time to grow before they saw war. God promised that He wouldn’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can withstand but always gives us an escape route so that we can overcome. But I want you to understand that just because you may not see war immediately doesn’t mean you won’t ever see war.

Before Israel was able to settle in the Promised Land, they had to defeat their enemies. We will all face battles; some will be bigger than others, but one thing is for certain we will be able to overcome anything through Christ who gives us strength.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Prepared For War.

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⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ~ Luke 2:8-12

I’ve often heard shepherds were liars, looked down on, poor, and of low estate; they were just poor, humble men, and that is who Jesus came to save; besides, the people could identify with them. But have you ever read where an angel of God appeared to a man or a woman who was wicked and unreliable, especially to bring them good news of great joy? No. Not once.

What I have read, though, was that angels appeared to devout men, men who were looking for and waiting on the redemption of Israel. Godly men who were serving the LORD. Abraham, Lot, Moses, Daniel, Ezekiel, Mary, Zachariah, Joseph, the apostles, Cornelius, the women who went to the tomb after Jesus rose from the dead, Peter, John, Paul, and countless others. There is not one unworthy man or woman that an angel appeared to. Matter of fact, Jesus wouldn’t even talk to King Herod just before His crucifixion.

So, I would venture to say that the reason the angels appeared to the shepherds is because they were watching, and praying, and hoping, and not because they were unworthy, or poor and humble, or any of the list of things they said. There has to be another reason, and that reason has to do with their job.

These men were not just ordinary shepherds. They were highly trained Levitical shepherds who specialized in recognizing and caring for sacrificial lambs. They were the shepherds who kept watch over the sacrificial lambs that would be used in Temple sacrifices, such as the two daily lambs: one for the morning sacrifice and one for the evening sacrifice.

Then there was the special feast and ceremonies like the New Moon sacrifice and the Feast of Passover. So, these knew the prophecies. They knew the Scriptures. They knew that the Feast of Passover was a shadow of things to come. They knew that one day, the Promised Messiah would come and redeem Israel. They were watching and waiting. If you want to hear from God, you have to watch and pray. You have to be waiting for God if you want to hear from God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch, Pray, And Wait.

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¹ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” ~ Matthew 2:1-2

These wise men, also known as the magi, were watching and waiting for the promised Messiah. The king of the Jews, which would be the hope of Christmas for the whole world. They were probably scanning the night skies for generations, if not for centuries, waiting and hoping that it would be them who discovered the sign of the birth of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. The One who will save the whole world.

As soon as these men saw His star rising on the western horizon, they, with joyful hearts, packed their bags and belongings and prepared for travel. Then, they set out to find this promised Messiah they had been so patiently waiting for.

As the Christmas yard sign says:

Wise Men Still Seek Him

How many of us can say we are seeking the Messiah like these wise men did 2000 years ago? They traveled long distances just so that they could worship the Messiah and give Him gifts. Today, we won’t even travel 10 minutes down the street for a Church service. We won’t turn off the TV or put the game or book down long enough to have quiet time. There is no longer a desire to encounter God in the Church today. This Christmas season, let’s make the conscious decision to end the year better than we started it by spending more time with the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Still Seek Him.

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¹⁵Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—¹⁷blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. ¹⁸In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” ¹⁹So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. ~ Genesis 22:15-19^NKJV

Abraham was formerly Abram, and God had given Abram a promise that he would be the father of a multitude of nations. Not only would Abraham be the father of a multitude of nations, but in his seed, the nations of the world would be blessed. This seed is Jesus.

God promised the coming of the Messiah to Abraham. He promised that He would save the world and use Abraham’s seed to do it. Why? Because Abraham didn’t withhold anything from God. All that Abraham had, he willingly gave to God with faith and trust that it would be for his good. How many of us can honestly say that this is us?

Very few of us have the faith it takes to be used by God the way Abraham was used by God. Why? Because how many of us rush to meet God when He comes to meet us as Abraham did? In other words, how many of us set up a time every day to worship, pray, and spend time with God? Very few of us.

To be labeled a devout Christian in today’s world, all we have to do is pray before our meals and bed. Isn’t that sad? We don’t have to be on fire for God or even seek Him daily to be labeled a devout Christian. If we want to be used by God, we have to give Him everything.

Peace. Love. Go For and Give God All.

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²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. ~ Galatians 2:20-21

One of my favorite childhood shows was Avatar: The Last Airbender. In it, a young boy must save the world by taking the life of the antagonist of the show. This was difficult for him as he was a monk and was taught that all life was sacred, even the life of the enemy. Everyone told him he had to put those teachings aside. Even another monk told him that as avatar he had to sacrifice his spiritual well-being for the sake of the world. This teaching didn’t sit well with him, and as the show met its climatic end, he found another way to defeat his enemy.

There isn’t a time that two wrongs will make a right. There isn’t a time when you have to break the commands of God in order to bring people to Christ. God will never cause you to have to sacrifice your own soul for the soul of others. Why? Because Christ already made the ultimate sacrifice for all people. We don’t sacrifice our own souls and our own spiritual growth in order to save others. We live our lives to Christ, and it is His Light shining through us that saves others.

Dear LORD, help me to never sacrifice my own spiritual health for anything. I know that You made the ultimate sacrifice, and there is no other sacrifice needed from me. Help me to let Your light shine through me so that I might show as many people as possible the way to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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⁶ For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ~ Romans 8:6-8

The flesh is a rough enemy to fight because your flesh is a part of you. You can’t get rid of it. It’ll always be there nagging at you, trying to pull you down. Oftentimes, we confuse the flesh with spiritual oppression. We blame the Devil for everything, even when it’s not him but ourselves.

Derek Prince once said:

You can’t crucify a spirit, and you can’t cast out the flesh.

That means that there’s a difference between the flesh and spiritual oppression. And as Christians, we have to know the differences in order to overcome. Otherwise, we’re just blindly fighting a losing battle. We have to have discernment to know the difference between our own flesh and spiritual oppression so that we might be able to know how to fight our enemy because not all enemies fall the same way.

Dear LORD, please help me to be aware of the difference between my flesh and spiritual oppression. Teach me when to crucify and teach me when to cast out. Please give me a spirit of discernment so that I might be better equipped to serve you. Help me to focus on the matters of the Spirit and not on matters of the flesh. Teach me to love Your Word and Your Law so that I might not sin against You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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²² A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. ~ Proverbs 21:22

Wisdom is from God. And God gives wisdom to any of His people who ask for wisdom. Oftentimes, we think of wisdom as just knowledge, but wisdom is a little deeper than knowledge. I believe wisdom also entails being able to put that knowledge into action. See, if we know a lot of verses and can defend our faith in any argument, then we have a lot of knowledge, but unless we actually put those verses and faith into use, then we aren’t being wise.

That’s why a wise man can scale the city of the mighty and bring down that false stronghold that they’re putting their trust in. A wise person doesn’t just know Scripture but uses it. They put it into practice, and they take back what the enemy has stolen from them.

Spiritual warfare isn’t just prayer full of words that sound really good and powerful. It’s backing up those words with scripture and faith so that they have something firm to stand on.

Dear LORD, help me not to just be knowledgeable of Your Word, but help me to be wise and put that word into practice. Help me to see the power of Your Word, that it is living and breathing. That it’s not dead words for a time long ago but living words that have power for a time such as this. Help me to be wise in all things that I say and do. Guide me in my spiritual and physical journey. Show me the way You have planned out for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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