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"Be careful! Watch
out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls
around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to
devour." (1 Pet. 5:8 NLT)
I've noticed a disturbing
pattern of spiritual attacks on believers over the past couple
of weeks. I'm convinced this is a counter-attack by Satan
against God's children--a calculated response to the
phenomenal success of Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of
the Christ.
I can only imagine how much all this
talk about Jesus torments the Devil. If he weren't
already mad, I'm quite sure this would drive him over
the edge.
You Are a
Target
My wife Debbi, my daughter Tiffany, and
I traveled to Lee's Summit, Missouri, recently, to spend a few
days with friends. Leo and Barb were faithful members of Life
of Faith Fellowship in Port Huron. Because of a job change,
they moved from Michigan to Missouri last year. One evening,
Leo and I went out to a store so I could pick up a couple
things for Debbi. As we approached the interstate exit ramp, I
noticed a large, red bulls-eye, glowing in the darkness of the
night. It marked our destination--Super Target. I
said to Leo, "You know, anyone who's serious about following
Christ and doing the will of God, is a target for the
enemy." And I might add, those who are super serious,
are super-targets!
That's important to
remember--if you're serving Christ, you're on Satan's "hit
list." He'll do everything he can do to bring you down and
take you out of the game. He is hell-bent on silencing the
saints of God!
I really wish someone had told me this
when I first received Jesus. It took many years for me to
understand the spiritual battle we are in, and to realize the
intense hatred Satan has for God's children. You see, if
you're in Christ, you're a marked man or
woman--you're marked for harassment, marked for persecution,
and marked for elimination.
If we could only see into
the spiritual realm, we'd be able to identify (as Satan is
able to), the children of light and the children of darkness.
Just like that giant, red Super Target bulls-eye
shining in the Missouri night, the light of Christ in you and
me shines forth into the darkness of this world, and shouts to
the evil one, "Here we are, come and get
us!"
Got Depression?
One of
Satan's chief weapons is discouragement. When you get
discouraged, you lose your strength and the will to fight. If
you've experienced depression or weariness recently, you're
not alone. As I communicate with believers across the country,
the word "discouragement" has come up far too often to be mere
coincidence. Once again, I believe this present attack on
God's people is Satan's retaliation to all the questions and
conversations about who Jesus is, and the meaning of His death
upon the cross--questions and conversations that have resulted
from the sweeping success of The Passion of the
Christ.
Saints of God, it's time to stand up and
resist the Devil--it's time to fight back! The apostle Paul
sounded a "call to arms" when he wrote the following words to
the church at Ephesus. We'd be wise to take them to heart,
also.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that
you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with
all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Eph.
6:10-18 NKJV).
Someone observed, "We don't fight
for a place of victory--we fight from a
place of victory!" That is a powerful truth--one worth
remembering. I pray that you will be able to recognize the
attacks of the enemy against you, and overcome every one, in
the name of Jesus! Be strong in the Lord, and the power of His
might--be encouraged!
think on these
things...
James 4:7
(NLT)
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the
Devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter
5:8-10 (NKJV)
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. But may the God of all grace, who
called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle
you.
1 Corinthians 15:57,58
(NKJV)
But thanks be to God, who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in
the Lord.
Copyright 2004 Randall
Gearhart
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