HEART MATTERS

“For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”  Psalms 61:3-4

Since I’m always writing to encourage you to surrender your hearts fully to the Lord I think its only fair I also warn you that as soon as you decide to do so, almost each and every time, with every step forward, you can expect some sort of assault from the enemy in return.  If you find this difficult to believe I urge you to take a little walk down memory lane.  Just revisit all the major spiritual milestones and markers in your journey with the Lord thus far.  I’m sure as you reminisce it won’t be hard to identify the opposition that soon followed.  The anywhere from subtle to vicious attack often quickly follows closely behind any victorious steps we take in our faith walk.  But we shouldn’t be surprised.

Unlike  Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong will go wrong), the reality of opposition in the believer’s life is much more than an old adage-its a bankable truth.  1st Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

The Bible clearly states that as followers of Christ we have a very real adversary who seeks to devour us. The moment we are born into the family of God we gain a very real and viable foe, an enemy of our souls.  Now I know it sounds a bit scary but The Lord doesn’t want us to fear. He wants us to stand in faith. The Lord wants us to be sober, vigilant, aware-so we’ll know what we’re dealing with; so we don’t fall prey to the devil’s tactics (because boy can they ever be slick). The Lord wants us to be able to recognize the enemy’s attacks so that we can respond the way HE wants us to – by resisting the devil and resting in The Lord.

Our enemy is set on sabotaging our service for the Lord.  He knows he can’t do anything to change our eternal destination. Therefore, he tries to accomplish the next best thing in his mind-disabling and defeating us in order to prevent us from accomplishing all the Lord has for us to accomplish.  The devil wants to disable us so that we’re so preoccupied and distracted we never share the Gospel with others.  He wants to defeat us so that our priorities for our lives no longer align with the Lord’s and so we miss out on the purposeful path the Lord has for us.  For the satan and his demons this is serious business.

There are many believers who seem to be oblivious to the fact that we have an enemy who has a personal vendetta against us.  Sure they believe that the devil exists but they have a hard time imagining he or any of the other fallen angels have taken a particular interest in their lives.  Well let me tell you-if you belong to Christ Jesus you are walking around with a target on your back.  Your enemy will use anyone and everyone he can to defeat you.  He will especially use the weakest links closest to you-those are the assaults which hurt and disable us the most.  He will even use other Christians, those who are carnal, who aren’t checking themselves, or who are just plain careless spiritually (Read about Ananias-Acts 5:3). And of course He will use the world and our very own weaknesses against us.

If you haven’t yet read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis I recommend you do so.  Lewis’ book does a great job of illustrating how cunning and diabolical the enemy’s schemes can be.  In the novel Lewis lets us in on an ongoing mentoring program in which the more seasoned demon Screwtape guides his nephew Wormwood in different ways of railroading his assigned “patient” so as to make sure he’s never effective for God.  It’s genius!

We have an enemy who knows the best weapons to use against us are those we wouldn’t even recognize and oftentimes will even embrace.  Therefore being able to recognize the schemes of the devil is crucial.  We need to “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16 When we suffer opposition we need to be able to see beyond face value.  We live with a spiritual deficiency when we’re unable to recognize the real perpetrator behind the opposition we sustain. If you have been guilty of this, take a look at what the Lord has to say about it: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12  The problem with being ignorant of who the real enemy is, is that we also ignore the warnings to God gives us so that we can prepare to stand against him.

Ephesians 6:13-16  goes on to say “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Notice: the preparation we take by putting on our armor is not so that we can fight.  It’s so that we can stand.  The battle is not ours -it belongs to the LORD and The LORD of Host is His name! (2nd Chronicles 20:15) God will fight the battle for us but He wants us to be able to stand throughout the attack and remain standing so we can continue walking in the way The Lord has called us to.  He wants us to be strong and stand but not in our own power, in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10).  

it’s important for those believer’s who are consumed with “rebuking ” the devil to understand this truth.  It’s absolutely foolish to think that we have the power or the strength to go up against satan or any of his demons.  When John said “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (1st John 4:4), he was explaining the reason we are able to overcome and stand.  Because we are of God we’re able to both withstand and survive the enemy’s attacks. God never calls us to tussle with or rebuke the wicked one. Case in point: When the archangel Michael was contenting with satan over Moses’s body, he didn’t say “I rebuke thee” but “the Lord rebuke thee.” Jude 1:9  If God’s warrior angel didn’t try to rebuke the enemy himself then neither should we.  We forget that satan is still a powerful supernatural being-for now.  He’s referred to as “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and he can transform himself as a angel of light (2nd Corinthians 11:14). Satan was even brazen and insane enough to try to tempt Jesus in the wilderness.  We shouldn’t live in fear of the devil but we shouldn’t think we can fight him either.

Before I go any further its worth noting that satan is no match for our God.  There’s no being who can stand up to The LORD of Host.  The devil is not the LORD’s formidable opponent or even a powerful counterpart.  He was created by God and is still subjected to God.  When the “the seventy” returned to report to their success to the Lord, they joyfully said to Him “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”  Notice they said in His Name!  Jesus replied “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 10:17-18) So we don’t have to bite our nails wondering if God is going to be able to defeat or stop him on our behalf.  The Lord gives us the power and protection we need to accomplish His will.

God allows opposition in our lives for many different reasons.  We must filter all opposition through the truth that God is sovereign and God is good-all the time.  Although the opposition is uncomfortable, hurtful, and downright devastating at times, if we stand in faith we’ll emerge from it better off than we were before.  Opposition is often the refining fire that cleanses us from the impurities and contaminants of sin and the world.

The opposition that comes into our lives can range from a small irritating temporary inconvenience to an ongoing long term challenge?  So how do we stand in face of opposition?

• Examine your heart to make sure the opposition is not a consequence of sin.  If there’s unconfessed sin in your life, confess it and repent.
• Respond by resisting the devil.  Don’t give in to it how your sin nature wants you to.
• Do not fear and do not allow yourself to become discouraged.
• Stand in confidence knowing “if God is for us who can be against us?”
• Pray without ceasing.  Prayer allows you to take that burdensome bundle and lay it at the feet of the Lord.
• Meditate on the Word of God.  Find scriptures that will encourage you and help you trust God as you go through it.
• Fast and pray.  Fasting makes prayer even more powerful.
• Remember that God’s Grace is sufficient for anything He allows in our lives.
• Trust God to see you through it.
• Rest in God continuously.  Its all up to Him.  He knows exactly what we need to enter into and remain in our high calling in Christ Jesus.

God doesn’t want us to spend our entire Christian lives consumed with being on the lookout for the enemy every waking moment but He wants us to be ready and able to recognize the opposition he brings so that we can faithfully stand.

Indeed the enemies has many tools to use against us, especially in today’s world.  However, believers who walk closely with the Lord are in a win/win situation.  Anything the enemy means for evil, God can turn it for our good. Yes we can look at our opposition and say like Joseph did “what you meant for evil, God meant for good.” Overall, this is the ultimate purpose of the opposition-the Lord allows in our lives to cause us to trust Him even more! Even if the opposition accomplishes rebuking and correcting us. Even if it serves as a consequence for our sin. If we belong to God we can know it is indeed for our good!!! Because God is good all the time!

Sometimes the Lord  will turn the opposition into a “thorn in our flesh” to show us just how sufficient His grace is.  (stay tuned for next week’s blog!)

Side note:  I just recently realized that my severe allergy problem began the same month I launched this site.  Hmmm, interesting…  No worries though-if the Lord allowed it in my life He has a purpose for it.  Until that purpose is accomplished His grace is sufficient for me!

One of the scriptures the Lord usually speaks to me when I’m under attack is this very familiar Scripture:  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:11-13

When we look at opposition in light of this truth we can take our stand even more!  The battle is not ours-Jesus got our backs!

HEART TO HEART:  OPPOSITION CAN CAUSE OUR HEARTS TO TRUST HIM EVEN MORE!