WARNING!

In the United States, there are warning labels everywhere. There are labels on prescriptions, food, toys, clothes, cars, houseware. You name it. If it is a manufactured good, there’s a warning. The warnings associated with prescriptions are crazy. You take medication for high blood pressure, and there’s a warning about all the possible side effects. Have you ever listened to the advertisements for over-the-counter prescriptions and pharmaceutical drugs? The warnings are more dyer than the reason you are taking it in the first place. This drug may cause diarrhea, leaky bowels, incontinence, incessant crying, cramping, nose hair growth. It’s just crazy. Any why on earth do we have to warn people not to put their hair dryer in the bathtub with them? You know if they are putting a warning on it that some person tried it at some point. I bet their hair ended up looking like Don King or Phyllis Diller. Bless their hearts.

There are some warning that are helpful like Dangerous Road Ahead, Road Closed Ahead or Bridge Out. I am rather grateful for those warnings. We really should heed those kind of warnings speaking from personal experience on that whole Dangerous Road Ahead thing. Fortunately I wasn’t the one driving and making the decisions because I was a kid. We were assured it would be a short-cut. HA! Not even close. So those warnings are good ones. Just saying.

For those of you who are participating in the fast whether you are doing the Daniel’s Fast or you are fasting social media, TV, caffeine, coffee, etc., I should have given you a warning. I should have told you to expect spiritual warfare and to arm up every day putting on the whole armor of God. If you don’t know what the armor of God is read Ephesians 6:10-20. You see, Satan knows that fasting draws us even closer to God. We are probably the closest to God when we are praising, praying and fasting, and Satan does NOT like that.

Satan will go through all manner of attacks to try to get you to veer off your fast. Maybe it’s your fleshly weakness. Maybe he attacks your family. Maybe he attacks the health. Consider Job. Consider Jesus. Satan will go to extreme lengths to get believers to deny Christ or at the very least become passive, useless Christians.

If you haven’t found what you are to be reading and studying during the fast, I highly recommend studying the armor of God and when Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4:1-11. The armor of God teaches us the different elements of how God prepares us for spiritual warfare. Be sure to read all the way to verse 20 because there are valuable instructions there. Then reading how Jesus withstood being tempted while he was fasting will give you ammunition to use along with your armor. I’ll give you a little secret. Jesus quotes Scripture, but you need to dig and see how it all applies.

So while fasting grows us and matures us in our faith and draws us closer to God, you can count on the enemy to attack. Continue steady on with your fast. Pray fervently without ceasing. Meditate on Scripture, and watch God work it all out because we know who the ultimate victor is. God.

Is the warning dyer? Yes. Is the warning worse than the results of the fasting? Not in a million years. Keep your shields up, girlfriends. Keep your shields up.

Spiritual Warfare 102 - Tactical Maneuvers

Tactical Maneuvers

Spiritual Warfare is real. If you don’t believe it is, then don’t waste your time reading the rest of the blog.

Just like if you ever go to court, you have a strategy for the case.

If you are on a sports team, there is a strategy for defense and offense depending on the adversary.

This is no different.

Let’s examine the tactics Satan used when he was attacking Jesus in the wilderness. Remember, you can read for yourself (and I encourage you to do so). Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-12

1.       When did he attack?

a.       Jesus was hungry – physical need

b.      Jesus was alone – lack of support and encouragement from friends and family

c.       Jesus was in the wilderness – many places for adversaries to hide and have an advantage

2.       What was the strategy of attack

a.       Tempt Jesus into proving He was the Son of God but taunting Him saying, “If you are the Son of God…”

b.      Quoting Scripture – Psalm 91:11-12. Yes, the devil has Scripture memorized. Do you?

3.       How did he attack?

a.       Acknowledging the physical need and offering to meet it, BUT with a conditions

b.      Making promises – shows Jesus the kingdoms present and kingdoms to come and wants to play Let’s Make a Deal

c.       Testing the authority and power of Jesus Christ – throw Yourself down from here because the angels are ordered to protect you. Let’s test it out.

Jesus was prepared. Let’s look at the moves Jesus made during the warfare:

1.       Jesus response – quote Scripture. You don’t see any other conversation other than Jesus quoting Scripture. This is a huge point. The more we run our mouths, the more ammunition we give the devil. God’s Word can stand on its own. Quote the Scripture and zip your lips.

2.       Jesus knew the physical need was temporal in nature. He knew He would not die from hunger. He knew how He was going to die and when, and this was not that day. Friends, if you are tempted by food, you will not die from hunger either.

3.       Jesus knew the errors in Satan’s logic. Yes, Satan had freedom to reign on this earth, but it’s temporary. Jesus’ reign is eternal. He knew when the time came all the kingdoms will bow and confess, so why say anything else but quote Scripture?

4.       Jesus did not have to prove himself to Satan. They both knew each other from when Satan was in heaven with Jesus. Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God, so why would Jesus have to defend it? He didn’t. He just quoted Scripture.

Luke’s version of events ends with a phrase, “he departed from Him for a time.” Spiritual warfare isn’t over just because a squirmish or battle is won. The war continues until Jesus’ triumphant return.

If you want to prepare for spiritual warfare and want to dig deeper into another story in the Bible, read Genesis 3 when Satan tempts Eve. Break down his tactics, strategies. Identify how she responded, and write down a correct response, should you ever find yourself facing spiritual warfare.

I encourage you to keep Scripture written on cards. Post on your mirror, in your car, at work, in the kitchen, etc. A sweet friend of mine has Scripture made of vinyl on her walls.

And study the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-18, and put it on every day without fail. Teach this to your children. Start them out young putting on the armor of God when you wake them in the morning. Shake their little heads as you put on the helmet of salvation, tickle those feet when you put on the gospel of peace, grab their arm to hold up the shield of faith, grab their hand and move it around like the sword which is the word of God, tighten their clothes around their waste for the belt of righteousness. Teach those sweet babies how to be ready. They are the future army of God.

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