Spiritual Attacks

If you are anything like me... your shoulders sink a little at the subject matter of spiritual warfare.   You are tired of the dreaded topic that seems to never go away.   We don't just see and hear the evidence of spiritual warfare on television and radio but we see it in our lives and people's lives around us.  It is prevalent or common everywhere... even in the church.   So you can imagine my hesitation in addressing this topic... but after I posted I heard Dr. David Jeremiah and Dr. Charles Stanley) speak of spiritual warfare as well.   This not only confirmed but encouraged my soul.  
 
In my experience and reading the bible, Christians will experience spiritual attacks from the enemy who will use just about anyone or any situation to discourage and hurt us.  We must not only realize the source of these attacks but where our life needs to be securely fastened to so that we may stand as children of God against the wiles of the Devil. 

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers  and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirit in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12

The Very Real Unseen Enemy to Humanity
I once shared with you a time when I asked God if the devil was indeed real and that very night the spiritual veil was taken down to reveal our adversary.  Like a figure of a human- he has no horns, tail, or pitch fork.  He is no longer the once beautiful angel he once was.  He had no wings.  He had no armor. His outer appearance is scared and blotchy and it is reasonable to imagine this was caused when he was thrown from heaven.

 "He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven." Luke 10:18

Satan's penetrating evil eyes seemed to look straight into my soul.  He was in this dark vertical channel of a chamber that had an orange flickering glow below him.  When I could not stand to look at him anymore (which wasn't long) I turned my head away and that is when I heard a blood curdling scream that startled me awake.  The scream seemed like it was right by my bed side.  I sat straight up in bed and listened but no other scream came.  The tortured scream no doubt came from one of his deceived victims.

Needless to say I told God, " I know the devil is real now."  I didn't need any other further proof then what I saw and witnessed.  Don't make the mistake of thinking the devil is some folktale, myth, joke or some poetic symbolic illustration of evil.  He is very real.  His deception is making people think he doesn't exist or he is some friend of the rebellious.  

Satan has been deceiving many since the very beginning.  His warfare seems to be increasing, probably because he senses his time is short.  Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy but Christ came to give life and life more abundantly.  Satan wants to persuade humanity to put their hopes in material possessions and riches, power and popularity or even health -that way when he takes those things away they see no value or hope in what they perceive as life.  But LIFE isn't what the world believes is life.  Life is GOD who gives of himself.   God gives ensuring love, sustaining hope, lasting peace, abounding joy, undeserved mercy and grace. Things the Devil doesn't want us to know or understand.  In fact he rather deceive in order to steal the reality of those things in our life and he works hard at it.
      

 "Then the dragon became angry at the woman, and declared war against the rest of her children- all who keep God's commandments and confess that they belong to Jesus." Revelation 12:17                 

 
We find out a lot about ourselves in spiritual attacks.  We find out how far from God we are or how close we are to God.  We also find out a lot about God and his ability to keep us calm as we allow him his rightful place on the throne of our heart. 

Dream of a Spiritual Attack

In the dream a man brought a white horse into the front of sanctuary of our church building.  The horse got spooked and ran to the back of the sanctuary where I was sitting.  I calmly put out my right hand knowing somehow it would come to me.  When it came to my hand it transformed into furious white hound and took my right hand into its mouth to bite it.  I was not afraid or even surprised by this sight.    I might have been had the bite actually been a bite but the hound couldn’t harm me.  When the master retrieved the dog, I could see into the animal's mouth.  Around the inside of hound’s teeth was a blue substance that prohibited the hound’s teeth from biting down onto my hand. 

I admit the subject matter somewhat troubled me ... but instead of letting it get the best of me I sought God and after a few weeks these images were revealed one by one. 

Spiritual Attacks

 "Dear Friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.   Instead, be very glad- for these trials make you partners with Christ in his sufferings, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world." 1 Peter 4:12-13

"God blesses those are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."  Matthew 5:10

We will all experience as Christians spiritual attacks in one form or another but thank God he has warned us of these attacks in His word and by His Holy Spirit.

Keep These Things in Mind.

1.      Be thankful for the warning from God.  Thank Him for his protection. Psalm91:10-11

2.      Don’t become preoccupied with potential attacks. John10:10

3.      Seek discernment from God concerning those individuals and situations that come across your path. James 1:5

4.     Stay Alert. 1 Peter 5:8

5.     Draw close to God. Humble yourself before God. Stay submitted and reliant on God for understanding especially in the midst of an attack.  God will keep you calm.  James4:7-8

6.     Remember God is on sentinel duty in your life. Psalm27:1-5

7.     Thank Him again knowing you have put your life in His hands. He is your peace. John 14:27
Remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering much more-even at the cost of their own life. 1 Peter 5:9-10 

Letting Go of Control

-->

Remember the song, "Everyone wants to rule the world" by Tears for Fears?

Since Adam and Eve’s fall in Garden of Eden, humanity has been trying to “control” what they can’t control.   They have used God’s name to control and denied there is even a God so they can feel in control. 

Come to think of it, one’s own justification for salvation comes from the idea of control.  Ever hear, “I should be able to go to heaven because I am a good person”.  Some people want salvation based on their works (control) instead of what God has done through His Jesus Christ.  There is no other way to heaven but through Jesus Christ.   

Man was made to be an instrument for God, to be used by God.

Don’t think of control as a bunch of puppet strings but a supernatural living conduit where the soul is weaved together with God’s spirit.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

One is either submitting to God or the ways of the flesh that are easily manipulated by evil.

Of course those who think they are in control would call this nonsense and that is their choice but what is steering their choice?

God gives us the ability to choose what we submit to.  We can submit to God and discover what LIFE is or be manipulated by Satan who comes only to kill, steal, destroy. 

When what personal control evaporates in a person’s life what happens to that person?

When I forget God is in control I become discouraged, spiritually tired, stressed, frustrated, overwhelmed, anxious, worried, and sometimes even physically ill.

No wonder why the Word says,

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.  Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” 1 Peter 5:6-9

If God is in control why does he allow suffering?

Suffering is part of the consequences of Adam and Eve’s actions in the Garden of Eden.     Their minds and hearts had become corrupted and this defect was passed down to all their offspring (that would be us).  And now those enticed, lured and persuaded by the world -yearn to have things their way.  They essentially want to be their own god.  This is not only sinful, self-centered, but causes trouble and heartache for anyone else around them and hence suffering occurs.

One of probably many reasons, God sent Adam and Eve into the world was to discipline/teach their souls to trust Him and show He is the one to be rightfully in control and without Him there is only destruction and havoc.   

Some might disagree but how many times did suffering awaken and reveal to us, as Christians, the realities of God?  How many times has our soul prospered in God through hardship and challenges in this life?   And have we not learned, as Christians, God needs to be in control, He trustworthy and He loves us?

Hebrews 12:11 “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”  

Knowing God is in control brings comfort, strength and stability to our soul.

That is not so when we think we have control -in fact it is down right destructive.

I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of what it says in Galatians 5:19-21 and Romans1:28-32 and all these instances have to do with not acknowledging God in our lives.  They all have to do wanting some type of control instead of submitting to God’s will.

They also have to do with us hanging on to our life and losing our life and instead of giving it to Jesus to save it. (Matthew 16:25)

But look what it says when we allow God to have control.

“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Here there is no conflict with the law.” Galatians 5:22-23

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy1:7

Power, love and sound mind come from submitting to God who is really the one who needs to be in control.

Extending Grace & Mercy

Struggling periods in life are hard enough but they are even tougher when people don’t extend you grace and mercy during that trying and painful time.

… It’s always easier to judge then live in the truth and love of Jesus Christ.

It’s easy to be a fruit inspector and see just the bad fruit but is that what God sees in a person who we see as worthless, small, a failure, an outcast and so on?

No!

Jesus is the faithful shepherd. He goes and gets that lost sheep or the sheep that has fallen into the well even on the Sabbath. He isn’t religious but real. He is the one who ministers to the cast sheep that is drowning in the circumstances, perceptions and feelings about life. He is the one who relieves the heaviness of life and gets the sheep back on their feet. Unfortunately the enemy, who sees the compromising and recovering position of the sheep, urges other sheep to knock that sheep back down. These sheep, which feel justified speak and do so in a manner that doesn’t exalt Christ.

You know the reason they feel justified to speak from their flesh? They do this because they have forgotten the mercy and grace that God has given them.

But deeper…. you know why it hurts you? You have based your value on how others look and act towards you. Don’t worry I got that t-shirt as well. In fact it is autographed more then once.

It hurts us because we have forgotten that God didn’t just send anyone to die for us but He sent himself (Jesus Christ) who didn’t just know all your successes but also your failures and troubles as well. And in spite of all these things, he saw you as precious enough to die for. He valued you so much that he died for you.

No one can value you more then God - Jesus Christ.

I am still learning the value of Jesus going to the cross and taking the punishment for me. My value is not in those who value or not value me but what Jesus did for me. God would lay down his life for me! That is where our value should be in. That is where our faith should live and breath and start and finish. That is where our confidence needs to remain.

The Lord is our rock and our salvation. The Lord is our shepherd we shall not want. He leads us to peaceful streams and to rest in green pastures.

I see that extending grace and mercy can be a mighty tool to those who are struggling and not extending grace and mercy can cause more problems. Here God is addressing the issues in this person’s life and you not seeing this make negative comments and use God’s sharp word against them…

Do you want to open your mouth out of some fleshly justification and have to answer to God for causing more havoc in a person’s life. He is helping a cast sheep, which is drowning in the circumstances, perceptions, failures, situations in life and you come along and say whatever you “feel” like. You going to set fires to God’s work and leave only bitter tastes?

God says to love and do good to your brother and sister in Christ. He says to do good even if it means to suffer. (1 Peter 2:21) He says “And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!” (Luke 6:33) He says to love your enemies. (Matthew 5:43-48)

We are to live in the truth, which Jesus Christ, died for you.

If we are not living in this truth we cannot give grace and mercy to those struggling.

The same is true for the struggling. If they are not living in the truth, they cannot extend grace and mercy to those who judge and have prejudices against them but a win-win situation only comes and exalts Christ when grace and mercy are extended.

Extended grace and mercy builds instead of tears down which produces conduct that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ. It unites instead of separates.

Jesus says “Stop judging others and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.” Matthew 7

To the struggling and emotional compromised…. Don’t give yourself, your value, your outlook on life, your faith, your prospective, your confidence, your trust – that are pearls which God has paid for to people who can easily attack you, turn on you, and make you feel like all the things you are not.

To the people who want to speak out of some fleshly justification, you treat someone as if they have no value, they will act as if they have no value.

God says, “I want you to be merciful. I don’t want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that’s more important then burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6

Jesus says “God blesses those who are merciful. For they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7

Accepting God’s value and meditating on this truth in your mind and heart will empower you and God will allow you to give mercy and grace when the human nature demands vengeance.

And though we understand a person reaps what he/she sows, it is not our duty to judge. No one really knows what a person is going through. Who can give an accurate conclusion by only our own human observation and calculation? For who knows the good work of Christ being completed in a person who is struggling? Certainty it is not us- for who carries out the good work in you?

“Each heart knows its own bitterness and no one can fully share its joy.” Proverbs 14:10

Success is done only in the Spirit not the flesh.

The flesh only causes obstacles; envy, rivalry and trouble- the ways of the flesh don’t work for the living Gospel but working against it.

Don’t be biased but give the same consideration Christ has and is continuing to give to you.

You take things into your own hands instead of praying and allowing God to work- you are causing more trouble. You are not being an instrument of God. You are being a stumbling block.

God is removing the speck from your brother or sister’s eye and because you have decided what is going on and what is best – you have “not only” inserted a log in your own eye but hurt the relationship you could have built-up in Christ.

Extend grace and mercy and you will reap mercy and blessing.

To those struggling and hurting may God show you the reason for this pain that maybe purposeful to teach you something deeper to strength your faith or so you can exalt Christ. Remember Jesus loves you enough to die for you…. That is how much he values you.

Not Meant to Suffer Ourselves

It seems to me that we suffer most when we suffer ourselves. We actually cause us to suffer. We commit to things and allow ourselves to trust in things or people or ideals, or understandings or imaginations more then God.

Let’s take temptation. Temptation is like a “piece” of bubble gum that you can blow into this giant bubble but this enormous bubble is inside your head. You blow it up with captured mental pictures, imaginations, senses, understandings and if not captivated and spit out it will grow and grow and pop and make a big mess but unlike bubble gum with just all this sticky goo to clean up- falling into temptation can have long carrying messy consequences. One thought leads to another thought. That thought leads to a decision, which results in an action. It can be a pretty slippery slope if your focus isn’t on God and can start pretty innocently. The enemy works best in subtlety.

We can do the same with our own perceptions; worry, fear, doubt, depression and we might as well make our own personal painful wipe-out course when we listen to the enemy and ourselves.

Temptation, imaginations, suggestions, whispers, will come as if they have been read from your personal little black book. The enemy of your soul knows what you like, dislike, fear, stumble and struggle with and he knows there is nothing better then a discouraged, non-active, doubting, troubled, enticed, Christian soul.

But you know what he is scared of most? He scared of that same individual actually coming to God’s throne of grace and mercy for his help. No hole is deep enough- trust me.

A person who’s willing to be second in their lives allows the Spirit of God to work within them. When I say be second- means allowing God to be first and submitting to him.

It is to be FREE from ourselves and others, who so easily let us down and trust in God who fills our life with an everlasting love, pure heart, clear conscious and sincere faith.

Again I say- you can’t be free if our mindset is set upon our own understandings, perceptions, ideals, and trusting in ourselves.

We must put emphasis in our mind and heart on Jesus and the Father. We must remember, we are a new creature in Christ.

The old nature crawls back inside its cage if we whole heartily trust God in our life. The old nature becomes captive to the crack of the whip of light and righteousness.

And just as our body needs physical exercise to stay strong so does our spirit-man needs spiritual fitness in God’s word everyday. We need our mind and heart to be spiritually renewed each day, which not only brings contentment to our soul but also stirs our soul and steers us away from the things that try to take importance above God.

Spiritual fitness helps our focus and the more we see it’s importance in our lives the more our faith, love, perseverance, gentleness, kindness grows deeper. We don’t so easily suffer ourselves- or the things that come our way.

We live in the verse: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Let’s make God our focus in all things in our life.

Mercy Me on "Bring the Rain"

To Suffer and God's Will and Love

"Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace."
- Oswald Chambers

"Pain is not good in itself. What is good in any painful experience is for the sufferer, his submission to the will of God, and for the spectators, the compassion aroused and the acts of mercy to which it leads."
- C.S. Lewis.

I want to be a living sacrifice that lives in the perfect will of God- no matter what may come knowing God's love will over take me as I surrender to my hope in Him. I am going to let go of the steering wheel of life and not try to grab it back from God no matter what may come.

Do we really know or want to suffer knowing the unmeasurable amount and understanding of God's love that comes through suffering. To know the deep reality that is so secure that nothing can robe you of the fact of God's deep love for us. To come to the end of ourselves seeing no value in anything that the world could offer. To be so persuaded that there is no hesitation to admitting our frailty and our need to be solely empowered and dependent upon God's love- where we are not afraid of death or what may come. Not afraid to speak of God and Jesus to anyone because we so deeply and genuinely know He is here with us not matter what we may suffer in this life or what things look like on the outside. Where we are comforted by the reality of heaven and the joy of our God who cares so deeply for us.

When Peter was asked by Jesus, "Do you love me?" several times what was he truly saying? He was saying, do you really understand how much I love you and if you know how much I love you will be able to endure the suffering to come. Of course Peter's understanding of God's love grew has he went through suffering and torture and his own crucifixion.

The most expensive perfume we can pour out upon the Lord's feet is our lives for we were bought with a high price and it only means something if we truly love the Lord and know he is good, unfailing and faithful.

Our lives are not our own- so why do we try to live our lives as if they are our own? Why do we hang on so tightly onto this life when our life is suppose to be in Christ. We are his vessels to be used as he wishes and he wills. - Just as Jesus said, "May your will be done Father." We are to do the same knowing no matter what happens to us in this life God truly love us.

If we truly understood this we would not fill our lives with things that do not really matter and worry and fear things that do not really matter.

God wants to live in our hearts not part time or when we think the time is best but all the time as we trust and exist in His wonderful limitless love.

God does not want us to just know the WORD- Jesus Christ but live in the WORD's love. And the more we do this the more we are willing to live the will of God regardless of what may or may not happen to us- because we have such a deep understanding of how much God truly loves us.

Thinks of those who risked everything for Jesus Christ? Think of all apostles. Think of the high schools students who did not deny God and were shot for it. Think of those who suffer and say I wouldn't take this cancer or these circumstance away because it has brought me to stronger and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

He alone is my rock and my salvation; my fortress where I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:6

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death or life, neither angels nor demons; neither worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love." Romans 8:38

"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God and God lives in them." 1 John 4:16

"I pray that from His glorious unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is." Ephesians 3:16-18