Poster | Thread | HeartSong Member
Joined: 2006/9/13 Posts: 3179
| HOW TO STAND UP AND FIGHT! | | [b]HOW TO STAND UP AND FIGHT![/b]
With all the talk going on in the church about spiritual warfare, Christians still have not learned how to stand up to the enemy. We are pushovers for the devil!
I dont believe every misfortune that befalls a Christian comes from the devil. We wrongly blame him for a lot of our own carelessness, disobedience and laziness.
Its easy to blame the devil for our foolishness. That way, we dont have to deal with it. But there is a real devil present in the world todayand he is busy at work!
Let me tell you something of Satans strategy. If he cannot pull the Almighty out of his throne, he will try to tear Gods image out of you! He wants to turn worshippers into murmurers and blasphemers.
Satan cannot attack you at will. God has put a wall of fire around each of his children, and Satan cannot go beyond that wall without Gods permission.
Satan cannot read a Christians mind. Some people are afraid to pray because they think the devil eavesdrops on them! Others think the devil can read their every thought. Not so! Only God is omnipresent and omniscient.
Scripture commands us to stand up, be strong and do battle against the flesh and the devil: Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13). Brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might (Ephesians 6:10).
You have to become fed up with being held down by the devilliving low, depressed, joyless, empty, harassed!
The book of Judges tells us, And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel (Judges 6:12).
The Israelites were at their lowest point ever. They were driven to living in dark caves and damp dens, starving, scared and helpless. Then something happened. It started with Gideon, and it spread throughout the whole camp: Israel got sick and tired of hiding in those dark caves!
Gideon said to himself, How long should we put up with this? They go through our land with no opposition. Nobody stands up and does anything about it! Were told we have a God who moved for our fathers. But look at us nowwe are stripped, helpless. We live in constant fear!
Something rose up within Gideon. And he said just what God was waiting to hear: This has gone far enough! We serve a mighty, victorious God. Why do we go on, day after day, taking this abuse?
God will not do anything until you are thoroughly disgusteduntil you are sick and tired of being sick and tired.
You have to do as Gideon didcry out to the Lord! We serve the same God that Israel did. If he heard Israels cry in their idolatry, he will hear youin your sincerity.
[b]David Wilkerson Today[/b] Wednesday, January 7, 2009
http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/ |
| 2009/1/8 2:05 | Profile | MJones Member
Joined: 2008/10/31 Posts: 320 Missouri
| Re: HOW TO STAND UP AND FIGHT! | | Quote:
HeartSong wrote: [b]HOW TO STAND UP AND FIGHT![/b]
The Israelites were at their lowest point ever. They were driven to living in dark caves and damp dens, starving, scared and helpless. Then something happened. It started with Gideon, and it spread throughout the whole camp: Israel got sick and tired of hiding in those dark caves!
[b]David Wilkerson Today[/b] Wednesday, January 7, 2009
http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/
Personal story regarding this good word. 2 years into a test that I felt God was testing my ability to trust. 1 year past the scared stage. I had passed the test. I still wanted out, but I trusted and left my state of being to Him.
Normally, when things would press in pretty tight, I would pray and things usually got worse. It was like God was saying, 'I want you to trust no matter how bad it gets'. So I would stop asking for help and trust more. It dawned on me one day, as Paul said, I had learned how to be abased. Admittedly I was ready any time to abound again.
For some reason I felt stirred to seek God's wisdom about all that was going on. Had been doing so for over a week. One particular morning it was a little more intense. I remember ending with, 'it would be nice if things didn't get worse this time'. Two hours later I walked in and found my wife in tears. The wedding planner for our son's wedding, only 4 weeks away, had just been arrested and was not getting out.
So once again, worse instead of better. Already in a 'seeking wisdom' frame of mind, the search grew a little more intense. As clear as I felt the Lord tell me one day He wanted me to trust, I felt just as clearly that day He told me to fight. Very clear was the thought that satan comes to steal and destroy.
Satan delivered a blow and for the first time in a long time, I was able to deliver one back. It was like the end of a long gestation period. It was time to break out. I thought while the fight was on, I would enguage a few others I knew were in similar situations. Soon we had him surrounded from Mo., NC, Ga, and Al.
We prayed very specifically for evidence of satan's stealing to be stopped and for evidence of the beginning of God's restoration. I can say that for several of us, we are seeing progress. God stirred and we followed. It will not all happen over night, but the stealing has stopped and the restoration has begun.
Wilkerson is right on with this word. _________________ Mike Jones
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| 2009/1/8 23:00 | Profile |
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