Tag: Be Aware of Spiritual Warfare

 

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.

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. ⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” ¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. ~ Job 2:7-10

Job’s wife gets a bad reputation. She’s often the butt of the joke. The hidden villain. But when we look at this in context, she really wasn’t the villain. At least, she wasn’t trying to be. Think about it. She’s now lost all of her children. Her husband’s wealth is all gone. The lifestyle she was used to vanished. In a single day. Now, her husband’s health is under attack.

His entire body was covered in loathsome sores. Job describes his skin as turning black and falling off (Job 30:30). He was in agonizing pain. And the crazy thing is, they both seem to understand that it was a spiritual attack. His wife is probably in fear that he will die. That she will lose her husband just like she lost her children. So, she’s telling him to curse God and die from this. I don’t believe she meant a physical death. Otherwise, she’d have nothing and no one. I think she’s referring to spiritual death. Similar to the death threatened in the Garden of Eden. A death that would separate him from God but end his suffering.

I genuinely don’t believe this was from a place of evil. I think Job’s wife couldn’t take anymore of the suffering she’d endured, and she’d seen her husband endure. We often talk about Job’s suffering but never his wife’s suffering. It was her children as well. It was her wealth as well. She carried and bore each and every one of those children. She nursed them. Raised them. Watch them grow up, and then in a single day, they were gone. All of them. Not a single one spared. Now her husband is under attack. Do you not think she was desperate to save him?

Sometimes, our love for others can make us arrogant towards God, even if we don’t intend it to be. Even if we don’t mean to do so. Yes, it may have been with good intentions, but what is wrong is still wrong regardless of intention. When we go through hardships, when we suffer loss, when we are struggling to watch our loved one go through a test, we have to make sure our love for God is never lowered below the love of them. We can’t sacrifice following Him for the sake of the physical comfort of another. God must come first. When He comes first, we learn true love for others.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love God Above All.

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” ~ Genesis 48:17-19

Jacob or Israel, as he was also called, was about to die, and Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be blessed by Jacob, his father. So, Joseph put Manasseh, his firstborn, on his left, facing his father’s right hand, and Ephraim on his right, facing his father’s left hand. But upon blessing them, Jacob crossed his hands and placed his right on Ephraim’s head and his left on Manasseh’s head, but Joseph was not pleased when he saw that. So, Joseph tried to switch Jacob’s hands by force so that his right was on Manasseh’s head and his left on Ephraim’s head. But Jacob told him no, because although Manasseh would be great, Ephraim would be greater. By doing so, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

It might seem like a small thing to us, but what happens in the physical world stirs or affects what happens in the spiritual world. That is why prayer can affect our circumstances. Scripture can change the atmosphere and tear down strongholds. Just having occult objects in your house can open spiritual doors that can cause supernatural activity in your home.

Even when the Israelites brought their offerings, they were required to say certain things and to do specific actions, such as waving the offering before the LORD as a wave offering. It may seem as if it was a useless action, but we don’t know what it stirred in the spiritual world.

The same would be true of other occult practices, such as yoga, and the different positions that accompany it. Many Christians practice yoga, not realizing that the positions are irrevocably linked to Hindu worship. These physical actions open spiritual doors. So, we must be conscious of what we do in the physical, because both worlds are inseparably intertwined.

Father please close spiritual doors that we have unknowingly opened. Help us to understand that what we do here in the physical will affect the spiritual and protect us from inadvertently inviting unwanted spiritual activity in our lives, in Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.