BE STRONG!!

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

Ephesians 6:10

We are told to “be strong in the Lord”; but, what does that mean?  Let’s look at Daniel for some clarity as to what this means.  Daniel, in speaking to Darius, the ruler of the Medes, says:

“the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”

Daniel is telling this to the heathen ruler when prophesying about what was going to happen the Mede empire.  I don’t think that Darius knew Daniel’s God; but he did know Daniel.  Darius knew the “exploits” that Daniel had done.  Daniel had risen from a teenage slave to a trusted consultant to his royal masters.  Daniel could have played the “victim” and sat around complaining about his plight’ but, no, he served his masters over the years, because he “knew his God”.

Do you think that his bosses, his slave masters, might have been a little overbearing and demanding at times?

Yes!  But Daniel “knew his God”.

Did Daniel have to work in stressful work environment? 

Yes!  But Daniel “knew his God”

Do you think his bosses were concerned about Daniel’s self esteem?

No!  But Daniel “knew his God”.

Do you think his bosses gave him positive reinforcement?   

No!  But Daniel “knew his God”.

Do you think they gave him positive feedback and constructive criticism? 

No!  But Daniel “knew his God”.

Did he get overtime for everything over 40 hours?

No!  But Daniel “knew his God”.

Did Daniel get 4 weeks vacation and holidays off? 

No!  But Daniel “knew his God”.

Daniel did “great exploits"!

vacation pics

Our California family

                      Karen, Emily, Ainsley, Linda, Corey, Reilley, Jason, Shaina, Bailey

Our Colorado family

                                                   Linda, Jim, Sharon

Our Arizona family

Arlene, Linda, Merle

Nice Lyrics, Lousy Theology, Sad Commentary

WARNING: This blog has content not appropriate for whiny, thin skinned, easily offended, immature Christians.

Now that I have your attention:

The next few days, I want to consider our Father’s command, written through the apostle Paul, to the Ephesians and hence to us to ”be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”  Before doing that, I want to look at how easy it is to get caught up in a nice sounding song, that for the most part is scripturally sound; but we mistakenly incorporate it into our theology.  If viewed as commentary on the songwriter’s experience, it is not a problem.  The problem occurs when we misinterpret the lyrics and assume that the songwriter’s experiences are a basis for theology.

The song is: “Through It All”, song by Andrea Crouch.  If viewed as a song expressing his personal growth as a believer, there is no problem.  It reflects many of our own walk as believers; but it is not how God would have us learn.  In the first two verses, the songwriter explains how through all his trials, he has learned to trust in Jesus.  Everything is fine so far; but in verse 3, he makes a theological statement that is scripturally false; all be it, a statement of his growth in faith. He says:

“For if I’d never had a problem, I wouldn’t know God could solve them, I’d never know what faith could do.”

We should not have to experience problems in order to know what faith in God could do.  That is not what God wants.  He has told us over and over again in His Word, what faith can do.  He has shown us through the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, David, Samuel, Solomon, the Judges, the Prophets, the Apostles and most of all His Son Jesus, what faith in God can do.  It is a very sad commentary on our trust in God’s Word that we have not learned what faith in God can do by reading His Word.

It tells us that we are more like doubting Thomas who said:

“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Jesus answered him by saying:

“Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

As a parent, do you want your children to know what a hot stove does by placing their hand on it, burning it; or believing that it will burn based on your word.

God does not want us to learn “what faith in God can do” by experiencing all of life’s problems.  He wants us to learn “what faith in God can do” by reading, believing, and trusting His Word.  He would have us making Satan miserable, rather than having Satan wreck havoc in our lives. 

Problems will come, just like they did to Paul; but Paul said:

“in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It is a sad commentary on today’s church that we have the theology that what I experience is more real, more reliable, more trust worthy, more authentic, better basis for faith, than God’s Holy Word.

 God wants His church to be a powerful church that brings Him glory; not one “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing!!

How many times have you heard someone say” “I can’t believe I ate the WHOLE bag of cookies!” or, “I can’t believe I ate the WHOLE bag of chips!”  Well, think of what you meant when you said “whole”.  It carries special meaning or emphasis, WOW! That was a lot of cookies or chips!

Now keep that thought and think of the last few blogs regarding the command to “put on the whole armor of God.”  This is God’s WHOLE armor.  There is no more! 

Think of being given the WHOLE arsenal of the U.S.  military to use for your personal use whenever needed. Every bomb!  Every airplane!  Every gun!  Every tank!  Every ship!  Every missile! Every everything!  Now add that you could use this arsenal preemptively when you thought you might be attacked!  Now add that not only could you protect yourself; but, were encouraged to annihilate your enemy with the full blessing of the U.S. government.  WOW!!!

WELL, not only God has given us His WHOLE armor; but, commanded us to use it.  God does not need this armor!  We do!  This armor was designed especially for every Christian.  This armor was designed to be used exclusively by faithful Christians!  This armor will not work for the unsaved!  Satan cannot use it.  His demons can’t use it.  This armor will only fit the faithful Christian.  Think back to when David was going out to fight Goliath, King Saul wanted to give David his armor to wear.  David tried it on; but it did not fit.  David had on God’s armor.  It fit perfectly!

I can’t believe I have been given the WHOLE armor or God!

YES I CAN because the Word says so!  So can you!

Now act like we believe it!

What’s so special!!

Following up on yesterday’s blog, I want to look at what is so unique and special about this armor we have been given and commanded to put on. 

First of all, consider whose armor it is.  It is from Almighty God, creator of the heavens and earth.  He created the angels, one of whom is Satan.  God knows Satan’s “DNA”.  He knows his weaknesses and his deceit.  Who better to create an armor against Satan?

Next, the whole armor consists of just 6 pieces.  There are no unnecessary parts.  There are no built in redundancies.  None are needed.  Each one is “fail safe".  There are no weaknesses in any of the pieces.

There are 5 defensive pieces and only one offensive piece.  Do you think God built this armor on the football principle: the best offense is a great defensive.  I don’t think so!  I don’t think he watches ESPN.  The 5 defensive pieces protect the parts of our physical body that Satan attacks.  The belt of truth protects your belly, the breatplate of righteousness protects your chest.  The gospel of peace protects your feet, the helmet of salvation protects your head, the shield of faith protects the gaps between the other pieces. If you notice there is no armor to protect your backside.  Why?  He commands us to stand.  Retreat is not an option! If you do, you are unprotected.  The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon.  There is only one!  Only one is needed!  Satan cannot stand up to the Word of God.  It is to Satan what Kryptonite was to Superman.  When you speak the Word to Satan, he shrinks in fear.

If you consider this fact, you can see why Satan wants to take the Word out of your life.  If you read the parable of the sower  (Mathew 13:3-8, 18-23), you will see that Satan wants to take the Word out of your life. 

Satan has taken the Bible out of our schools, out of our government, out of our conversation, and out of our culture.  And we wonder why this country is in the deplorable state that it is.  Satan has marginalized the Word in our churches!  How many sermons will be preached tomorrow where the preacher reads a few perfunctory verses of scripture and then spends the next 20 minutes never or rarely referencing the verses again.  Many people get only as much Word in them as the preacher reads on Sunday morning.  Could you live on one little bite of physical food per week?  That’s what a lot of people do in our churches.

Next time you walk into a Christian bookstore, check out the amount of shelf space dedicated to Bibles compared to all other books.  There are a lot of books about God but how much Word, do they have in them?

Is 55:11

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

THE Tree

A few years ago, when we were still traveling in our motor home, we were traveling through the southwest, either Arizona or New Mexico.  It was getting late at night and were looking for a place to camp.  We finally saw a sign saying that there was camping at the next exit.  I pulled off, but saw no sign of a campground.  It was dark, so I went to the gas station/convenience store and asked if there was camping and they said there was.  They gave me directions.  At one point in the directions, they said to turn at the tree.  It seemed odd but I thought I could find the place.  I did and we spent the night.  When we left in the morning, I saw the significance of THE tree.  There were no other trees in the area except for this BIG tree; so, now I understood the comment to turn at THE tree.

You might think, why am I mentioning this.  Well, I want you to consider the statement: “the whole armor of God”.  This is THE armor of God.  It’s not just any armor. 

If you look up the word “the” in a dictionary, you find the following:

-Used to mark a proper noun as something “unique”

-Used to mark a noun as “the most approved, most important, most satisfying”.

Now, go back to the statement “put on THE whole armor of God”.  His armor is unique, the most approved, the most important, the most satisfying.  He has given us HIS armor.  How do you feel when someone gives you a gift that is “unique” or the “most important”?  You feel honored to be given the gift.  But, now think about the fact that GOD Almighty gave you HIS armor.  He loved us so much that He gave it to us.  He loved us so much that he wanted to protect us from Satan, that He gave us His personal armor to protect us.  He trusts us so much that HE gave us His armor.  How did you feel when your dad let you drive his car?  Proud?  Scared to disappoint him? Grown up?  Honored?

Now consider that your heavenly Father gave you HIS armor.  He has entrusted you and me with His armor to do His work, to carry on the work began by His first begotten Son.  We are His adopted children; but He has given us the task to carry on the work of THE First Begotten Son, Jesus.  We have the exact same armor that His first begotten Son had, when He was on earth.

How would you feel if you gave your son or daughter something to protect them in time of trouble and they ignored it, did not take it seriously or failed to learn to use it properly?  It would be like a slap in the face.   What about if then, when they were beat up, they said: “well, I guess, mom and dad wanted this to happen to me to teach me a lesson”.  You would just want to slap them to get their attention and say back: “ yes, I wanted to teach you how to use what I gave you to protect yourself.”

What an awesome love that God gave us His armor!  What an awesome honor that God gave us His armor to carry on the work of His Son.  What an awesome responsibility that our Father has entrusted to us!

Armed and Dangerous

When you hear the phrase, “armed and dangerous”, what do you think of?   An escaped prisoner?  A terrorist?  A fleeing felon?  A policeman?  I would venture to guess that few think of a policeman, or someone who is good.  I would almost guarantee that no one thinks of a Christian.  However, if we look at scripture, we should be “armed and dangerous” when it comes to confronting evil and the works of Satan.

Paul tells the Corinthians: “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God.”

If our weapons are “carnal”, meaning “of the human nature”, they are NOT “mighty through God”.  Where do we get these weapons that “are not carnal”?  We get these weapons from our Father.  They are the “armor of God” that Paul tells us to put on.  If we put on His armor, we will be strong with His mighty power. 

Who is Paul talking to when he wrote the letter to the Ephesians, Christians or non-Christians?  Verse 1 of the first chapter answers that question.  He is writing to “the saints” and “the faithful”.  Are you a saint?  If you have accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are.  Are you faithful?  I cannot answer that. Only you can.  Can we infer from this that only the faithful are able to put on the Godly armor?  I would say, “yes”.  It seems logical that God would not allow someone who is unfaithful, to walk around with his armor.  Can someone who is unfaithful still be a Christian?  Again I would say: “yes”.  Christians can be out of fellowship with their Father and still be saved.  What are some things that could cause a Christian to be out of fellowship with the Father? Sin? Bitterness?  Unforgiveness? Anger?  Not honoring your wife?  All of these hinder our prayer life.  It is hard to imagine wearing God’s armor and at the same time having a prayer life that is hindered. 

Do all faithful saints, automatically, have on the armor of God?  No!  If they did, Paul would not be telling the faithful saints at Ephesus “to put on the whole armor of God”.  This must be a conscious, willful act. 

Can faithful saints be partially armed?  Yes!  Paul tells the faithful saints to “put on the whole armor”.  This implies that it is possible that one can be partially armed.   We can be partially armed and then susceptible to the devil.  Do you think that Satan may know where there are gaps in the armor that we have on?  I THINK SO!  He probably knows more about the armor you are wearing than you do.

Do you daily, consciously, willfully, put on the WHOLE armor of GOD?

Chasing Red Herrings!!

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a “red herring” as “something that draws attention from the central issue”.

In following up on the last few blogs, I would like to discuss “red herrings”.  We spend our lives dealing with people and events around us.  Most of our problems, frustrations and worries center on people and events.  As a result, most of our prayers concern these people and events.  We live in a physical world that we can see, hear, feel, smell or touch.  If we cannot see, hear, feel, smell or touch it, we question it’s existence.  We are all doubting Thomases, even if we don’t want to admit it.

BUT, Paul tells us:

“we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

There is a spiritual world that surrounds this physical world.  Most Christians are either ignorant of this realm or choose to ignore it.  It is easier to chase “red herrings” that we can see, hear, feel, smell or touch.  Hollywood gives more credence to the spiritual world than most Christians or churches.  New Age Spiritism concentrates on and lives in this spiritual realm.  Harry Potter and his fans play in this world.  Consider how many TV programs and movies deal with the “paranormal” and mediums. 

Much of South and Central American culture, and Haiti’s in particular, is steeped in voodoo, Satan worship. The following is from the website:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/01/15/825414/-Haitis-Pact-with-the-Devil

“In 1791 the African slaves in Haiti revolted against their white masters. The slave revolt was nourished in the clandestine gatherings of the African-based Voodoo religion and thus the white slave owners soon concluded that the slaves must have made a pact with the devil for their revolution to be successful.” 

“Over half of the Haitians continue to practice Voodoo. It is not uncommon for people to go to a Voodoo temple on Saturday and a Christian Church on Sunday.”

“Spirits are summoned with offerings, such as sugar cane and rum, and with animal sacrifices, usually chickens and sometimes larger animals such as goats. Nearly every Voodoo ceremony involves an animal sacrifice. By killing the animal one releases life which rejuvenates the spirits.”

“The central tenet of Voodoo is healing: helping people overcome physical and spiritual sickness with the aid of spirits. It is estimated that 60% of all Voodoo activity is about healing.”

The Voodoo priesthood includes both men (houngan) and women (mambo). In addition to healing and performing religious ceremonies to call or pacify the spirits, they also tell the future and read dreams, cast spells and create protections, and create potions for various purposes.

Prior to Pat Robertson mentioning this after the earthquake in Haiti, I google’d “Haiti and pact with devil”.  I found numerous websites acknowledging this pact.  After Pat Robertson mentioning this as a cause for the earthquake, the web is flooded with sites; but most say it is “just a myth”.

Satan would like us to believe that he is just a myth based in ignorance; and that now we are “enlightened”. 

Trust me, that is a vicious lie.  Scripture teaches that he is real and the church is tasked with controlling Satan in this world.

Are you spending your time chasing “red herrings”?

It’s Not Over Until the Clock Reads “00:00”

If you are a University Of Michigan football fan who watched the Notre Dame/ Michigan football game a week ago, you know what I mean.  If you are Notre Dame fan, you wish the game lasted only 59:52 minutes.  But this was just a game!

Life is not in a game.  We are in a battle, a life and death battle.  It is a battle with Satan.  Many people think since Christ defeated Satan at Calvary that the battle is over.  Yes, Satan has been defeated.  Yes, the sentence has been passed, but Satan has not yet been cast into the “lake of fire” described in Revelation 20-21. This will happen after Christ’s second coming.  Until then, Satan is trying to destroy Christ’s body, the church.

If he were, we would not be told to “resist the devil”.  If he were bound, we would not need the armor of God to stand against him. 

If he were bound, Christ would not have given the keys to heaven to the church:

“upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”

Satan is the accuser of the brethren.

Many people think of a little guy in a red suit with a pointed tail that we see in cartoons.  Trust me, he is not a cartoon character. 

The battle is not over until Christ returns in His glorious appearing.  We must be engaged in this battle if we are to fulfill the work assigned to us by Christ.

Instant Oatmeal, Instant Coffee

In today’s culture we are used to instant everything, and that is what we have come to expect in our prayers.  The last couple days, I have been discussing Daniel and his 3-week prayer vigil.  It took him 3 weeks to see his prayer answered.  What if he had prayed only one week or two or just 20 days?  What if he had taken time off to bathe or eat?

The impact of his prayer vigil must be seen in “the rest of the story”.  Daniel’s answer left the throne of God instantly from the time Daniel made the decision in his heart to start praying, before even he started praying.  What took so long for the answer to get to Daniel?  The pony express took only 21 ½ days round trip from Missouri to California. 

Daniel's answer came in the form of an angel.  Was this just a slow angel?  NOT!!  No such thing!  He was detained in a struggle with Satanic forces and was able to break free after the archangel, Michel, came to his aid.  This revelation serves to teach us about our prayers.  Satan is real.  His demons are real.  We are in a spiritual battle.  How many people consider this when they pray?  When we pray, we are not trying to convince God to answer our prayers; even though we often act like it.  How many times have we quit praying assuming that God’s answer is “NO”?  

Consider Daniel 10: 2-14

In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. ³I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. ⁴And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; ⁵Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: ⁶His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. ⁷And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. ⁸Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. ⁹Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

¹⁰And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. ¹¹And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. ¹²Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. ¹³But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

Know that Satan is actively interfering with your prayers!

James 4: 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Matthew 12: 28 – 29

²⁸But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. ²⁹Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Scriptural 3-Week Prayer Warrior Plan

-No meat

-No alcohol

-No soft drinks

-No seasonings

-Plain bread

-No showers or bathes

-No shaving

-No frivolous talk

-No laughing or smiling

You ask:  “where did I get this plan?”  It is right out of Daniel 10: 2-3. 

“During those days, I, Daniel, went into mourning over Jerusalem for three weeks.  I ate only plain and simple food, no seasoning or meat or wine. I neither bathed nor shaved until the three weeks were up.”

Daniel had received vision and prayed for the interpretation.  He was in mourning and prayed for 3 weeks before receiving the answer.   Daniel was about 80 years old at the time.  This was the guy that spent the night in the lion’s den.  Daniel was a man of faith.  At 80 years old, you would think that he would not have fast to get his prayers answered.  Surely God would answer his prayers instantly!

I don’t know of anyone who has ever done this.  I don’t know if I could ever do such a thing; but when I read this I am convicted never to suppose knowing God’s will, based on my experiences.   I have learned and continue to tell myself: I can know God’s will only from His Word, by knowing His character and studying His Son’s ministry.

A Warrior’s Diet

 Before foolishly charging God; have you tried the “Prayer Warrior’s Diet”?

Consider Matthew 17: 14-21

Jesus, along with Peter, James, and John had just come down from the mountain where Jesus had been transfigured.  At the base of the mountain, the disciples were meeting with a man and his son.  The disciples were trying to cure the boy with no success.  The father says to Jesus:

“Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him.”

Jesus rebukes his disciples:

 “What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this?”

Jesus then ordered the demon out of the boy and he was healed.

The disciples then asked Jesus why they could not heal the boy.  Again Jesus rebuked them:

⁰“Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”

AND THEN THE “PRAYER WARRIOR”S DIET:

“this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

When is the last time you or me have fasted?  We have dieted; but, not to concentrate to pray.  How would you or I respond if our pastor rebuked us like Jesus rebuked the disciples?  How do we respond when someone is not healed?  We often hear it said: “It was God’s will, not to heal.”  Surely, it could not be our lack of faith!  Surely, we have more faith than those faithless disciples!

While typing this blog, I misspelled “warrior” and my computer caught and suggested corrections.  One of the possible corrections was “worrier”.  How appropriate is that!!!!  We often respond with the “worrier’s diet” – twinkies or Krispy Kreme donuts.

 

Charging Foolishly???

No, I’m not going to talk about credit cards.  I want to talk about charging God foolishly.  If you remember Job, after being told that he had lost all his wealth and children, said:

The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

BUT we know the rest of the story, Satan is the one that did this to Job.

Yet the writer of Job, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says, in reference to Job:

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

BUT, in Chapter 38, God answers Job out of the whirlwind:

“Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.”

God then proceeds to question Job as to just who is he to question God. 

To help understand this seeming discrepancy, it is helpful to interpret this in light of James’ statement:

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

And Paul’s statement to the Roman’s:

“for by the law is the knowledge of sin”

Biblical scholars generally agree that the events recorded in Job, occurred prior to the giving of the law to Moses.  Job did not know the rest of the story.  WE DO!  Job spoke out of lack of knowledge, not foolishly.

We know that Satan did this to Job.  We also know the character of God, We have seen the Father through the life and ministry of his Son.  How many times have we charged God foolishly, having the truth been revealed to us in the WORD.  We question and charge God of doing things, or not doing things, things that are not consistent with the character of the Father as revealed through Jesus.  Too often, we interpret scripture filtered through our experiences, not through the entirety of the Word.

For the next several blogs, I want to discuss some things we need to consider before we charge God foolishly.

Sleeping With The Enemy

This is the title of a 1991 psychological thriller movie, starring Julie Roberts.  The plot of the movie revolves around a woman who fakes her own death to escape from her abusive, compulsive husband, moving from Cape Cod to Cedar Falls, Iowa.  Her husband, however, figures out that she is not dead, following her to Iowa and stalking her. 

You’re thinking: How is this relevant to the theme of these blogs?  Well, this is very similar to how we interact with Satan.  We think that we have escaped from his grip because we have been saved; not being cognizant of the realization that he is still very active and stalking us.  Satan has been defeated; BUT, he is still very active.  Many Christians, wrongly, believe that God will fight Satan for us.  This is not scriptural.  We are told: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  We must do the resisting. 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (KJV)

This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (The Message)

We are in a battle not a game.  Even football games, have a game plan and each team scouts out the opponent, more so, in a battle.  In every battle, each side studies their enemy.  Satan is the enemy.  Jesus confronted him daily.  We are to continue His work.  The church must bind Satan.

“I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

When is the last time your minister talked about the enemy.  Would any coach or general not teach their team or soldiers about the enemy.  Hollywood spends more time talking about the devil, demons and spirits than the average preacher.

Again read Jesus’ charge to the twelve and the seventy.

Some people make things happen, some people watch things happen, some people don’t know anything is happening. 

Which are you?