In the More….Know Your Enemy

It’s football season!  That means if the Saints, LSU or which ever high school team you root for is playing – people are tailgating, cheering and watching.  The coaches and players have spent hours scouting, practicing and knowing their opposition.  Hours of video has been viewed and will be viewed to ready the team against their opponents.  Every aspect of the other teams plays must be known and anticipated in order for the win to occur!As ministry women, You and I know that we have an enemy. Just to clarify – he is not the enemy sitting in the pew or having the preacher for lunch.  He is our enemy of old.  The one that came hissing at Eve in the garden.  He is no fool.  He is very methodical and he desires you to doubt God’s goodness in your life and for your life.  He wants us as ministry wives to come to place of such forlorn hopelessness in our calling that we will just stop.  Stop praying.  Stop reading/teaching.  Stop seeking.  Stop believing.  Stop encouraging.  Stop leading.  Stop letting the Spirit live through our lives.  He would like us to sit down on our laurels and just believe that God may have called us at one time but He has left us behind and frankly we are tired in the journey.  We are disillusioned with the journey.  And the journey hasn’t turned out exactly as we thought it would.In her book, “There’s Gotta Be More”, Donna Gaines writes, “The Bible uses many different descriptions and names for him (the words below are from the NASB):

• He is crafty– Gen 3:1
• He is a deceiver – 2 Cor. 11:3
• He is the tempter – Matt. 4;3; 1 Thess. 3:5
• He is the ruler of the demons, Beelzebul – Matt 12:24
• He is a murder – John 8:44
• He is a liar & the father of lies – John 8:44
• He is the evil one – John 17:15
• He is the god of this world – 2 Cor.4:4
• He sometimes disguises himself as an
  angel of light-  2 Cor. 11:14
• He is the prince of the power of the air – Eph. 2:2
• He is  Satan – Mark 1:13
• He is the dragon – Rev. 12:7-9
• He is the  accuser – Rev. 12:10

This is not even an exhaustive list.”

Do you see?  You and I must be aware of his schemes and his methods.  Yes I said METHODS.  My husband has a phrase, “Spiritual activity breeds spiritual activity.”  When God is at work then our greatest enemy will and does create activity to counter act the work of God.  You and I must be about the business of knowing the methods of this great serpent.  Beth Moore in her book, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things,” states:  “The most obvious word found in the greek is method. If we could only understand that the devil does not work haphazardly but carefully, methodically, weaving and spinning and watching for just the right time.  He truly has a method to his madness.  He draws out plans and executes them very carefully.  He carefully sets traps for the express purpose of wreacking destruction in the lives of the saints”.

Most reading will agree, you and I through prayer, must put on the armor every day.  Recently, I was introduced to some teaching that very simply taught that it was unnecessary to put on the armor of God.  The teacher said that this was metaphorical and was used as descriptive language concerning the battle that you and are in. I sat in disbelief as to what I was hearing.  Could it be that in the American church today we have so educated ourselves to the place where we can now dismiss what scripture clearly teaches concerning our greatest foe?  Could we in ministry so come to a place of super knowledge that we believe that we can control our own ministries and their success?  I thought for a moment…….then it hit me…..“What a scheme!  What a method!  What a plan!  Just get the leadership to think that the devil is not that important and then there will be no biblical teaching on the devil or war we engage.  Just get the leadership to dismiss the methods that he uses and then there will be no preparation or discernment as to the root of the battle. Keep the leadership and members undressed for battle and then they will be completely unprepared for the war!”  

I wanted to stand to my feet and cry, “The battle is upon us!   Put on your armor and stand!”  I didn’t.  I wanted to but I held my tongue and listened to a key reason I believe there is much defeat in ministry.  God has given us the armor that you and I might stand firm and resist this evil enemy.  So, how do we do it.  Read Ephesians 6:10-18 from The Message translation.  We live in a battle zone.  This world is not our home and we can’t live like we will never engage in battle.  The battle is all around us.  We have three choices according to Donna Gaines:

• Option 1:  We can hide behind unbelief and denial
• Option 2:  We can grit our teeth and try to utilize our own resources
• Option 3: We must take up the whole armor of God and stand firm

The only viable option of  the three listed above is Option 3.  We must enter the spirit realm using the Sword of the Spirit and prayer.  This is the place where we do the greatest battle and do what Paul admonished us to do:  “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5)  Leave no stronghold in our lives undisturbed.  Let no excuse or lie define us.  Give the Father permission to reveal your sin and your generational filth.   Be rid of the old lies and replace them with the Truth!  It will not be easy but it WILL be worth it!  All the while, as we battle, we are praying and interceding for the saints around us and the world.  Interceding for them to stand firm and fight!

Listen ladies, the lie is that we could lose it all!  The worst is that our lives or worst yet that our families might be at stake.  If we do nothing they most assuredly are.  But if we fight with our supernatural weapons then you and I  and our families are more well equipped to stand firm.  Besides what do we fear?  If we die – isn’t glorious heaven our destiny?  Join with me ladies put on the armor and let’s wage the war!

From your fellow armor wearer!

Interceding for sisters everywhere!

Diane

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