Tag: Be Aware of Spiritual Warfare

⁹ So Moses told the people of Israel what the LORD had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery. ~ Exodus 6:9 (NLT)

Notice what the verse says: they refused to listen anymore. It’s not that they couldn’t. Or that they struggled to. It’s that they wouldn’t. They flat-out refused—they would not listen anymore because of their dire situation.

Sometimes your situation and your circumstances can push you so far down. You feel like you can’t even get back up. It certainly did to the Israelites. They had become too discouraged. They didn’t feel like going to church. They didn’t feel like getting involved. I’ve got too much going on, brother. You don’t know what it’s like. You haven’t experienced this before.

That is what discouragement does—but God’s promises don’t stop speaking, even though we stop listening. Discouragement is one of the enemy’s favorite weapons—because he can’t. He cannot stop God. So, he tries to stop God’s people from listening and believing, and so he brings in discouragement. Things always seem to get worse just before they get better.

For Moses, slavery worsened. The people turned on him. Pharaoh’s heart hardened. See, discouragement makes us stop listening. It makes us doubt. It spreads like gangrene. Look at how it made the Israelites react. They stopped listening. I don’t care what you have to say, Moses. I don’t want to hear it. I’m done. They had lost hope.

See, if the enemy can get you to stop listening, he can get you to stop hearing, and when you stop hearing, your faith is stolen. So, keep your eyes on Christ. Keep your eyes on your promise. Don’t let the enemy steal your hope. Keep going. Fight for the promises the LORD has given to you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stop The Enemy From Stealing Your Promises.

Matthew 7:21

²¹ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

I recently heard a Catholic exorcist say, “God has a plan for you; so does the Devil.” This is an interesting concept. We often think about the LORD having a plan for us, but we don’t really think about the Devil having a plan for us as well.

See, the Devil’s plan doesn’t always seem evil. In fact, a lot of the time it seems good. It seems like a good idea. Like our own idea.

It could be as simple as staying home instead of going to war (King David) or numbering the kingdom (King David). These in themselves, weren’t evil, but because they weren’t a part of the LORD’s plan, they were evil and brought great consequences upon David and his household.

Sometimes the Devil’s plan looks a little more mischievous like saying you sold something for one and amount when you really sold it for another amount (Ananias and Sapphira), and as innocent as making a sacrifice instead of being obedient from the beginning (King Saul).

The Devil’s plan doesn’t always seem evil. It doesn’t even have to be an evil action. All he really wants is for us to be outside of the will of the LORD. Why? Because Jesus warned us that it’s only those who do the will of the Father that will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So, be careful not to be distracted by the enemy. Be careful not to miss God’s plan for your life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stay In God’s Plan.

 

If you’ve read a few of our devotionals, you know that The Hobbit is one of my favorite trilogies. One thing I love in the series is how Dain, Thorin’s cousin, comes prepared to battle the elves, specifically. See, the elves are masters at hand to hand combat, but they are also masters at archery. Their archers send perfectly coordinated arrows into the air at their opponent, that it takes out much of the army before the even reach the elves. Dain’s army prepared for this.

They created large arrows that spun a large chain of sorts around the arrow like a propeller. When the elves shot their arrows, the dwarves shot these special arrows that destroyed the elve’s arrows, and the large arrows impact killed many elves when it landed.

The dwarves studied their enemies. They knew their gameplan, so they prepared for it. They planned for it and when the time came, they defeated their enemy. We have to do the same.

See, we are not unaware of the Devil’s schemes. We know how he attacks. What his go to jabs are, so we have to prepare for them. We have to get ourselves ready. We train our spirit man through prayer, fasting, memorizing Scripture, worship. We memorize Scriptures that help us when we are tempted. We know what the Devil likes to attack, so we prepare for it their Scripture. That way we are never caught unaware. Never caught by surprise. Always prepared to defend ourselves no matter what comes our way.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stay Prepared.

1 Peter 5:8-9

[8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

I recently watched the 2019 live action Italian film, Pinocchio. Throughout the film, Pinocchio constantly gets himself into trouble. He gets himself into trouble right before each breakthrough. Each and every time something stops Pinocchio and he is led astray right before he can do what he needs to in order to achieve what he wants. In order to get to the next level of his life.

The enemy is just like this. He will distract us so that he can steal our harvest. So that we never overcome. So that we never reach the next level of our lives. So that he can keep us bound where we’re at forever.

Paul tells us that we aren’t unaware of the devil’s schemes. That we are to be on guard and pay attention to all that surrounds us. To all that tries to come against us, so that we might finish the race  before us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Close Attention.

Mark 16:17-18

[17] And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18] they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Jesus said that in His name we would do many miraculous things. But do we actually fully understand what Jesus meant by “in my name they will…”? Here’s what I’m getting at. When someone speaks in tongues, they don’t start by saying “in Jesus name.” But when it comes to casting out evil spirits or healing the sick, we believe you HAVE to say “in Jesus name” or “in the name of Jesus.” But what if that isn’t what Jesus was talking about?

See, anyone can invoke the name of Jesus and get results. We saw this with the Seven Sons of Sceva, at least until they faced something stronger than they were prepared for. I don’t think Jesus is just talking on the surface level of “Say my name and x, y, and z will happen for you.” Jesus is not a magical genie that will perform commands you give, or grant any wish you make simply because you use His name.

Jesus said “in my name you will…” You have to be dwelling in His name to see results. You have to be dwelling in His name for the spirits to recognize you and the authority you have through/in Christ Jesus. It’s not about whether or not you say His name, it’s about whether or not you are dwelling in that name.

Here’s an example. Towards the beginning of their ministries both Paul and Peter use the name of Jesus when performing a miracle. Peter when healing a lame man and Paul when casting out an unclean spirit. Fast forward in their ministries when they have grown in Christ and are truly dwelling in His name. Peter’s shadow is healing the sick. Handkerchiefs that touched Paul’s skin is casting out demons.

The very two things they once had to speak to and invoke the name of Jesus in order to see results was now coming to fruition without even a word being spoken. The LORD was working through them. Jesus was dwelling through them. It’s the greatest example of “it’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives through me.” That is what we are aiming for. That’s what we’re running towards. That’s what we are striving for. To be so in tune with God that our shadows are charged with His Spirit. Our skin is charged with His Power.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strive To Fully Dwell.

Hosea 10:12

[12]  Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

So many of us desire revival. We want to see the Church on fire for the LORD and the book of Acts our reality once again. But little of us truly understand and comprehend that revival will cost you something. It’s not free, but costly.

What will it cost you? Rest. Me time. A missed meal or three. Your free time. Your relaxing time. Your “TV” watching time. Your “eating” time. And your time enjoying a good outing. It requires more than just a desire to see it take place. It requires a discipline that refuses to live without seeing it.

So, what are we to do? First, we must revive ourselves… before we can revive others, we must… ourselves be revived. We must enjoy being in the Presence of God again. Enjoy reading and studying His word. Enjoy the gathering of ourselves together. We must nurture the burden of prayer. We must have a love and a burden for lost souls. Our desires must be Christ-centered, not me-centered.

In other words, we have to light the fire again. We have to break up that fallow ground and return to our first love. We have to get off of the fence and choose to make and be a difference.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Relight That Dwindling Fire.

Genesis 29:31

³¹ When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

When Jacob first met Rachel, Jacob weeps. He then willingly works 7 years for her, and because of how much he loves her, it feels like just a few days. When it comes time for Jacob to marry Rachel, her father, Laban, tricks him by giving him Leah instead. This now puts Leah in an uncomfortable situation. A very difficult one.

Now, we know the rest of the story. Jacob finishes his marriage week with Leah and then he receives Rachel, his one true love, as his second wife. The LORD saw the trickery take place. He saw the deceit and deception of Laban, and defended the innocent in his schemes.

See, sometimes, the enemy schemes against us and is successful. Sometimes, he puts us in a situation where we are unloved, unseen, or under appreciated. Now, granted, sometimes we do this to ourselves as well, we put ourselves in situations we shouldn’t have. Here’s the thing. God still sees you, even if others don’t.

Leah could have easily allowed resentment and anger fill her and consume her, but instead she chose to love, even when he (Jacob) didn’t love her. She chose to not give up, even when she saw her younger sister receiving all of the love and attention.

Leah’s story is a sad one. She really did nothing to deserve the hand she was dealt, but that’s life. We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can control how we react. Leah reacted with persistence and love. And the LORD saw her from above and blessed her.

Leah is blessed with seven children, none die during childbirth, and she doesn’t die during childbirth either. Jacob honors her in the end. She’s buried with him and his ancestors. In fact, the Messiah comes through her, but her sister.

Leah may not have been loved the way Rachel was, but the LORD wouldn’t allow her to be forgotten. He wouldn’t allow her to be overlooked and pushed to the side. God made sure she was honored as the wife of Jacob. And in the end, I do believe Jacob honored her as his wife, as well.

Sometimes we’re in difficult situations that make us want to give up, give in, and claim defeat, but when we fight for our marriage, God begins to fight with us. When we pray for our spouse and we love even when it’s hard, God sees. He steps in and does the heavy lifting that we can’t do on our own. He makes a way where there is no way, softens hearts, and changes minds. God does not overlook us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fight So He Will Fight.