Will You Outwit--Outlast--Outplay?

If you're a Survivor fan you will understand my title. Today I want to talk about Stuffles, the honey badger. I believe we can often learn valuable life lessons by observing God's creatures. Even Solomon and Jesus told us to observe them.

Matthew 6:26 (NLT)

Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?

Proverbs 6:6-11 (NLT)

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.

    Learn from their ways and become wise!

7 

Though they have no prince

    or governor or ruler to make them work,

8 

they labor hard all summer,

    gathering food for the winter.

9 

But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?

    When will you wake up?

10 

A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,

    a little folding of the hands to rest—

11 

then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;

    scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Before you read on, please stop and watch Stuffles in action!

http://blog.petflow.com/truly-astonishing-i-had-no-idea-they-were-this-smart-must-see/

It was very entertaining and quite comical to watch Stuffles continuously outwit his zookeeper. He reminds me of my clever little ferrets. I'm a ferret lover and, like Stuffles, they love to problem solve. Mind you, if one of my ferrets started turning my bedroom doorknob in the middle of the night my son would have to peel my fingernails out of the ceiling. 

Now watch how my ferret Geist overcomes his "obstacle!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LjaEKQmfLs&list=UUdWrhwluT4pdQqNPUKvQKfw&feature=share&index=9

Aside from being very amused by Stuffles' clever antics, I was inspired by his tenacity. Whatever "obstacle" stood in the way of his freedom, he never gave up, and I mean NEVER!

The devil has all sorts of "obstacles" in his bag-of-tricks to try and keep us from enjoying the freedom Jesus died to give us. Often he succeeds with these "obstacles" which distract us and steal our joy. Thankfully, Jesus has given us everything we need to outwit -- outlast -- and -- outplay the devil. 

Luke 10:19 (Amplified)

Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.

The serpents and scorpions mentioned in the above scripture are Satan and his demons. Isn't that great news? Knowledge is good but, like Stuffles, we also need tenacity because even though we may outwit the devil once or twice he will always try again. It might even feel like you are in your own version of Alcatraz. This is where that Never Give Up attitude needs to kick in. 

Watching Stuffles really ministered to me at a time when I'm facing my own "obstacles." Recently one of my ferret fur babies passed away in my arms. I take the loss of a fur family member pretty hard. Shortly after that I was laid off at my work and I have property taxes and income taxes coming due as well. Being a single mom with no savings to fall back on, this has been a time of leaning on and trusting God to provide more than ever. I wanted to share this with you because I want to be able to look back at this at a later time and see how God provided, because He always does. 

Right now sadness, unemployment and worry are my "obstacles." 

What are your "obstacles?" 

Will you OUTWIT -- OUTLAST -- and -- OUTPLAY the enemy?

Satan injects negative thoughts but God provides the Ultimate Weapon!

Have you ever spent time playing the PAC-MAN game when you were a kid? When I was much younger I spent many hours playing that game and I can't forget Ms. PAC-MAN as well. I remember running around gobbling up pac-dots and running away from those dang ghosts who always seemed to be just a little bit faster. I would grit my teeth and hope to make it to a power pellet with all 4 ghosts hot on my trail. Of course that only lasted for a short time and then they were back again and hot on my trail. If I remember correctly, Pinky was the ghost who usually caused me the most grief. Here is a picture of the game:

PAC-MAN kind of reminds me of myself and what I used to be like. I used to gobble up all of the garbage lies that satan fed to me. I never knew all those negative thoughts that I allowed to have free reign in my mind were actually being fed to me by satan and his army of fallen angels. Thoughts like, "nobody loves you. Things will never change. You're an accident. You don't belong here. You're damaged goods. Nobody cares what you have to say. Your life will never get any better." All of these thoughts were like those pac-dots in the PAC-MAN game and I gobbled them up as my own thoughts (it was my truth, my reality). Of course satan also uses  people to spit forth mean, nasty, hurtful words and like a snake injects venom into its victim we often receive those words as truth.

When I started reading my Bible I discovered that all of those negative thoughts were lies. This is what it says about satan in John 8:44 (NLT)

 ". . . he has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

The Bible actually calls satan the father of lies. There is no truth found in him. When you receive Jesus as your personal savior the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you to lead and guide you through this life and that  includes leading you to wisdom and truth. If you take the time to read God's word the Holy Spirit will be able to reveal God's truth to you and set you free from those lies you have been believing about yourself for so long. The bible says in John 8:32 (NLT)

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

That is exactly what receiving Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and reading the Bible did for me, it set me free. The Bible also says, "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed."

I have learned that God actually loves me exactly the way I am. I learned that even though my parents never planned me He did and that He has good plans for me. Jeremiah 1:5 (NCV) and Psalm 139:13 (NLT):

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work." "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."

Now I don't just sit back and take it. I no longer gobble up every lie (pac-dot thought) that pops up, I fight back. When the devil tries to feed me more of his garbage lies I open my mouth and speak God's truth and it defeats him every time. Now, when he tries to tell me, "your life will never change" I fight back by throwing scripture back at him and say, "God has good plans for me" as it says in Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) and Philippians 4:13 (AM)

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency)."

That last scripture has brought me through a lot of tough situations (spiritual battles). I used to carry it around in my purse and pull it out whenever I needed it. Now I carry it around in my heart and mind. You would not believe how much this discovery has changed my life. It actually says in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NCV)

"We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy's strong places..."

I also like the way the Amplified Translation says that same scripture:

"For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are might before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,"

God has placed us in this world, but He has not left us without weapons. God's word is a powerful weapon. Prayer and Worship are powerful weapons. We are in a (spiritual) battle everyday and it takes place in our thought life. The enemy's strong places or "strongholds" as the Amplified version words it are those repetitive negative thoughts we have that play over and over in our minds like a broken record.

If you receive Jesus as your Savior and if you start to read the Bible your life is going to change in amazing ways. God's word will come alive. You will begin feeding your spirit the truth and it will take root inside your heart. It will begin to expose the lies that you have been believing for so long, perhaps all your life. Reading the Bible is like PAC-MAN eating those power pellets giving you the ability to defeat the enemy (satan and his lies). When PAC-MAN eats that power pellet those ghosts that were on his heels do a 180 degree turn and head for the hills. When you feel bombarded by those negative thoughts which are like the ghosts in PAC-MAN you just have to open your mouth and quote a scripture of truth and they will do a 180 degree turn and run in the opposite direction. You also need to know that one time will not be the end of it. They will  come back and try again just like the ghosts always come back to chase you in PAC-MAN. However, it does get easier.

What Satan Intended for Harm God Used for Good

I thought my days of being bullied would end when I graduated from high school, but apparently that was not the case. Through my years of life experience, I have learned that spiritual warfare is alive and well on planet earth. I define spiritual warfare as God's angels coming to the aid (through speaking God's Word and prayer) of God's children (believers) as satan and his fallen angels attempt to destroy our lives.  

Ephesians 6:11-13 (NLT)

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

I like the way the Message translation words it. It says:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Message)

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. 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.

 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Satan and his demons watch and study us very closely. They know what pushes our buttons. They know what hurts us the most and they will use people and circumstances to attack us.

1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

I read a book called “The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman." In it I learned that everyone has their own love language and they use that love language to communicate their love to the people in their lives. The problem with that is, unless the other person has the exact same love language it will not be received as love. 

Finding out someone else’s love language gives you the ability to communicate your love to the people in your life in their love language so they will be able to receive it. At the end of the book there is a test you can do to find out what your love language is. There will sometimes be 1 that is dominant and sometimes there are 2 or 3 that are very close which would mean that you have more than 1 love language (you are bilingual). Once you read the book you can often figure out what other people’s love languages are if you hang around them long enough. 

The 5 love languages are:

1.   Touch

2.   Acts of Service

3.   Gifts

4.   Quality Time

5.   Words of Affirmation

Here is a link to the website where you can take the quiz if you are interested. 

http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/

When I did my love language test, Quality Time was at the top at 10 points with Words of Affirmation right behind at 9 points. The rest were much lower (5,3,5).

When you receive the exact opposite of your love language, it hurts even more than usual because it's your love language. For example, if your love language is touch and your spouse (or parents) never hug you or put their arms around you, it hurts a lot, but if your love language is gifts and your spouse (or parents) shower you with gifts, you aren’t going to care as much that they don't hug you.

So quality time and words of affirmation are my love languages. Words of affirmation are kind words that make you feel good about yourself, compliments. When I receive the opposite of my love language (words of affirmation), for example, if someone calls me names, belittles my existence or threatens me, then it hurts me twice as much because it is one of my love languages.

With that being said, satan and his demons began attacking me with the opposite of words of affirmation through some bullies in high school. After graduation they used the same amo through a relationship I was in with a guy, then through a really bad boss, then through my niece and just in May 2012 through my tenant. I was renting out my basement suite to a guy.

He was late paying his rent for May so I put a reminder notice on his door. When he came home and found the notice he became very angry. He knocked on my door and when I opened it I could tell by reading his body language that he was really angry before he ever spoke a word. He proceeded to raise his voice as he hurled insults, belittled my existence, made up lies and threatened me. It was clear to me he had no intention of paying his rent. I tried to remain calm at least outwardly while inside I just wanted to curl up into the fetal position and hide. 

The same feelings of fear I used to have while being bullied in high school, in a past relationship, etc., returned. Near the end of the conversation I could not take it anymore. Unfortunately, in a moment of weakness I stooped to his level and hurled some of my own insults back. Of course, none of mine were nearly as nasty as his, but still I was disappointed in myself for not responding in more of a Christian way. It was clearly another attack from satan using the exact same amo. 

Matthew 5:43-47 (The Message)

 "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

My point is, we are all only human and we will never behave perfectly at all times, but if you have the Holy Spirit living inside your heart then He begins to change you little by little. The old me (before I came to know and love Jesus) would have responded a lot worse.

None of us can behave better for any length of time without God, BUT with Jesus by our side and with the help of the Holy Spirit we will begin to change as we surrender our will and plan for Gods.

So the next time you behave in a way that you regret, I don’t want you to beat yourself up about it. Apologize to the person and bring it to God, repent (means you're sorry and you have no intention of repeating the same action). If you haven’t yet invited Jesus into your heart then do so and ask Him to help you. He will. If you want help inviting Jesus into your heart and life just ask and I would be happy to help. 

Now for the best part of the story, immediately after this horrendous conversation my aunt shows up at my door. She tells me that she was on her way home when she heard God telling her, “Go check on Rowena, Go check on Rowena.” I was so glad she heard God and obeyed because I REALLY needed someone to talk to at that moment. 

When she told me that God told her to check on me I cried because I knew at that moment that God saw the whole ugly event take place. He saw someone picking on His girl (that would be me) and He sent reinforcements to help me when I needed it the most. In THAT moment I tangibly FELT how much God loves me and it felt so amazing I can't even put it into words. J 

Satan came at me with the same attack that he has hit me with through other people many times before; one that he knows leaves me shakin’ in my boots. But it totally backfired on satan because God took what satan intended to hurt me and He turned it into something good.

Genesis 50:20

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…

Now, instead of thinking about how horribly unfair I was treated and getting upset and mad, anytime I think about it I can’t help but smile because all I can think about is how God used that situation to show me how much He loves me. J

God's love is so pure (limitless, immense); it is so much greater and far more powerful than any love you will ever find or experience here on earth. God does not play favorites and He loves you just as much as He loves me. He is waiting with open arms for you to turn towards him and run into his welcoming arms. Only you can make that choice; no one can make it for you.  

Spiritual Warfare

Before I began my close relationship with Jesus, I used to be very interested in the paranormal. I used to read and believe in horoscopes, I used to go to psychic fairs and I had my tea leaves read. I used to love to watch those TV shows on the paranormal and stories of hauntings. I found it all so fascinating. I also loved to watch the psychic shows on TV. I even purchased different types of stones that were supposed to help you with different areas in life like finances or love, etc.

The more time I spend with God in His word which is the truth, the more I learn about how deceived I used to be. There is our triune God, God the father, His word (God the son, Jesus) which is the truth and the Holy Spirit, and there is satan who is also called the father of lies because there is no truth found in him or his gang. In the scriptures below Jesus is talking to the men who were seeking to kill him regarding who was influencing them to behave the way they were:

John 8:42-47 (The Message)

"If God were your father," said Jesus, "you would love me, for I came from God and arrived here. I didn't come on my own. He sent me. Why can't you understand one word I say? Here's why: You can't handle it. You're from your father, the Devil, and all you want to do is please him. He was a killer from the very start. He couldn't stand the truth because there wasn't a shred of truth in him. When the Liar speaks, he makes it up out of his lying nature and fills the world with lies. I arrive on the scene, tell you the plain truth, and you refuse to have a thing to do with me. Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me? Anyone on God's side listens to God's words. This is why you're not listening—because you're not on God's side."

Having suffered for over a decade with agoraphobia and severe panic attacks, I believe I can say that I have had my share of personal experience with spiritual warfare. Dabbling in the occult as I have in the past only added more grief to that experience. Spiritual warfare is when Satan and his kingdom of darkness are working against what God and his kingdom of light are doing on this earth.

At the beginning of my study in God's word I began to question, "If all spirits that are not from God are evil then why do some of them appear to help solve crimes and lead the police to solve murders through psychics or bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones by relaying information from the other side." I believe the answer is because the spirits or "spirit guides" those psychics are listening to are deceiving spirits that work for Satan. Think about it, if they can convince the nonbeliever that they are good spirits who only want to help, then they can fool the nonbeliever into believing there is no heaven or hell, per se, and therefore no need to worry about where we go when we die. They are only helping so they can keep the nonbeliever deceived and from finding out the truth which is, after all, their ultimate goal. If they have to solve a crime here and there or provide comfort to a grieving soul then so be it.

When a close friend of mine began to pray for my healing from panic attacks and freedom from fear he experienced "spiritual warfare" in a dream which is one of the ways they (the spiritual realm) can communicate with us. These dreams (when coming from satan's gang) usually seem very real and are meant to intimidate you and fill you with feelings of fear. I have attached below his words from part of this dream:

"I had a dream with you in it the other night. My ex showed up and I was watching my nephew. She came to me and asked if I could help her husband. I said yes, if you can watch my nephew. She said yes and we walked to where her husband had been 'stuck' somehow in a pool. By the time we got there another man was in the pool and he was a doctor. Her husband was drowning and the man couldn't get him out by himself. I jumped in to help, but it was too late. When I picked him up I saw a big red spot on him and the doctor said “he's been infected.” We pulled him out of the water, but after that I couldn't touch my nephew. I asked her to take my nephew back to my family since I couldn't touch him. She said 'no'. So I was desperately looking around for someone to help me with him. You showed up and you said you came to help me. We both realized that this meant that you had overcome your agoraphobia. I took you to my nephew and you picked him up. Then, somehow I found out that I wasn't 'infected'. I took your hand and we started to go back to my family, but we began seeing "inside" people, like what they were really like and some were evil. They tried to overtake us. They pushed me down trying to get to you and they tied me up. At that point I was kind of waking up, but I claimed that the binds with which they tied me were broken in Jesus' name and I broke free and we left. Then I woke up."

Here is how I interpreted his dream. His ex and her husband represent nonbelievers. Him being willing to help his ex's husband reveals his heart and how he will help anyone in need. The husband being infected represents sin and dark spiritual forces. Him being infected represents our vulnerability to spiritual attack. His young nephew represents purity. Us seeing inside people’s hearts I believe represents our ability (through the help of the Holy Spirit using discernment) to sense when evil forces are at work. Me being over the agoraphobia represents his prayers for my healing.

I think this next part of the dream is very interesting. When the people tried to overtake us and are trying to push him down to get to me shows me that he is my spiritual warrier friend and that he has been standing in the gap and praying for my healing and his prayers have been very effective. Us holding hands with his nephew represents the scripture found in Matthew 18:20 (NLT) "For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Him and I are standing in agreement concerning my healing. He has been praying for my healing and those prayers have been effectively making things happen and it really ticks off the evil spirits that have been holding me in bondage through fear for so long. Since his prayers are being effective they are turning their attention off of me and coming after him. This dream is evidence of that. The dream has the perfect ending though, he knows his authority in Jesus' name and he broke those binds as quickly as they tried to put them on him. What a happy victorious ending. I am so blessed to have a friend like him in my life. Even though he lives in another country, distance does not limit what God can do through a praying friend.

This year I felt God had placed one of my uncles on my heart to pray for him. I know he has, in the past, been tormented by evil spirits. I began to fervently pray very specific spiritual warfare prayers over my uncle. I never told him about it, I just prayed. My uncle does not live close to me and I never get to see him. Once in awhile we will chat live on Facebook or on the telephone, but not very often so to hear from him is rare but it is treasured when I do.

I am not sure if it was weeks or months later but one day out of the blue I received an email message from my uncle saying he had the strangest dream. He then went on to tell me the details of his dream. He had never sent me a detailed email about a dream before this. He had no idea about the prayers I had been praying nor about the dreams I have had and translated, some of which have been prophetic and one which is still coming true now. If you would like to read that one it is called "The Tornado" and it is in my April archives. The other two posts on dreams that I have translated are called "The horse is led to freedom" from March and "Jesus visits me in a dream" from November.

I had prayed that the Lord would send forth his holy warring angels to my uncle and bind up any and all evil, lying deceiving spirits attached to him and remove them from him. I also prayed and asked God if there is any way that I can help him then bring me to his mind and have him communicate with me when the need arises. The fact that he sent me a detailed email about his dream is an answer to the latter part of that prayer. His dream is below:

"I had the weirdest dream the other night at work, while I was sleeping at the hotel. I heard something at my window, so I opened my curtains, and there was an angel or something like it. It had no eyes though which managed to freak the living crap out of me! Its wings were white with gray and bluish tones. It held a a stick with a chain and a spiked ball and wore Roman type clothing. It was at least 8 feet tall and it spoke to me. It said, "It's time." I said I think you have the wrong room lol! I asked time time for what and it said, "It's time for battle" and that's when I woke up. It was so real, and if that is what angels look like I really don't want to meet one! This is the third time this month I have had quasi religous dreams and its all been based on me fighting something evil, and it scares the shit out of me!"

This is how I interpret this dream. My uncle mentions that there was an angel or something like it. It was the "or something like it." The "angel" he saw at the window was, in fact, a "fallen angel" (a demon). Satan and his gang were angels who lived in heaven at one time until pride got the better of Satan and he decided he wanted to be like God, and he was thrown out of heaven along with his gang which happened to be one third of the angels in heaven. Here are some scriptures that explain this:

Isaiah 14:12-14 (NIV)

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Revelation 12:9 (NLT)

This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

Luke 10:18 (NLT)

Jesus said, "Yes, I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!"

Revelation 12:7-9 (NIV)

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelation 12:4 (NIV)

Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth . . .

He then goes on to say it had no eyes. These "fallen angels" are from the kingdom of darkness, there is no light in them. This "fallen angel" had black holes where the eyes (the light) should be.

Matthew 6:23 (NLT)

But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

Angels are filled with light as evidenced in scripture. Below is a description on an angel Daniel saw:

Daniel 10:6 (NIV)

His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

When my uncle saw this "fallen angel" he mentions that it scared him pretty badly. This is another indication that this dream is from Satan as he enjoys instilling fear into people. The weapon he describes the "fallen angel" holding is a medieval weapon called a flail. This "fallen angel" was clearly dressed and prepared for battle, weapon and all. He says it was at least 8 feet tall. From descriptions I have read about people where God had momentarily opened their eyes to the spiritual realm and have seen angels, they have described them to be about 8 feet tall. Since "fallen angels" were angels at one time it would make sense that they would be the same height.

The "fallen angel" said, "It's time for battle." Later on my uncle said to me, "I also had the impression it wasn't him I was to battle with, but beside him." This is the part that truly saddens me and the very reason I felt the urgency from the Holy Spirit to pray these very specific spiritual warfare prayers over him. This "fallen angel" knows my uncle is on his side of this spiritual battle. He also told me this was the third time he had had a "religious dream" that month. This is no coincidence that he was having spiritual warfare dreams at the same time I began to fervently pray spiritual warfare prayers over him.

If you have accepted Jesus into your heart you have nothing to fear. The bible says:

Romans 8:31-39 (The Message)

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

You need not worry about this spiritual warfare that goes on all around us in the spiritual realms because God has not left us without weapons to fight back. Deceived people need to be freed from the deceptions of Satan and God has equipped us with everything we need. Satan is a defeated foe living on borrowed time and he knows it.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Message)

A Fight to the Finish 10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. 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. Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Prayer is one of our most powerful weapons and it should be taken very seriously. It is powerful against the dark spiritual forces in this world. I pray that this post will not only strengthen many of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, but also that it will shed some light into the truth for those who have areas in their lives where they are still being deceived.

Why was Jesus tempted after being baptized?

December 12, 2007

Matthew 4:1-11

Have you ever wondered why Jesus, after being baptized by John, was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil? Notice that the devil does not even begin tempting Jesus until he has been without food for 40 days and 40 nights? That would make Jesus a very hungry man.

I believe that is very similar to the temptations we face today. The devil waits until we are in a desperately hungry place in our hearts, whether we are feeling extremely lonely, extremely angry, extremely rejected or hurt. Whatever it is in our circumstances, you can pretty much guarantee that the devil will notice our weak and vulnerable position and take full advantage of it by bringing something extremely tempting into our line of sight or train of thought.

When the devil begins tempting Jesus, he tells Jesus to turn the stones into bread so he can eat since he is so hungry. Jesus responds by quoting from the Word of God (out loud), "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Notice how Jesus uses the Word of God against the devil's schemes. The bible says,(NIV) Ephesians 6:11,12,

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

The quote he responded with is so true. I like the way my sons bible phrases it:

"People need more than bread for their life, they must feed on every word of God."

In order for us to be able to resist the devil as Jesus did, we need to be very familiar with the Word of God. How do we do this? By reading His Word daily, by setting aside quiet time each day to read His Word. Many of you are saying, "I am just too busy to have time to read the bible." If Jesus were standing in front of you right now asking you to spend time with him each day, would you still be too busy? Your priorities will be clear in the way you choose to spend your time, and yes it is a choice. If you have troubles understanding the bible when you read it, then perhaps consider buying a different translation that will make it easier for you to understand. The New Living Translation is my sons bible and it is written in very easy to understand, modern English. Also, pray and ask the Lord to help you understand what you are about to read.

Once you begin to read His Word daily, you will begin to notice that He will speak to you very clearly through his Word. Some days you will read a verse or several verses that are exactly what you needed to hear at that very moment. Other days you will be reading His Word and you will be feeling conviction over something you now know you have to make right.

When you first start setting aside some time to read His word, it may feel like a chore. Do it anyway! After awhile, I promise you, you will begin to look forward to that quiet time you spend with God in His Word. You will begin to crave it, need it.

When the devil comes a knocking to tempt you (and he will) whilst you are in your "desert", you will be equipped. (NIV) Ephesians 6:13-18 says,

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."

Don't be fooled into believing that the devil does not tempt people like that these days. The devil and his army are still very active. Three times the devil tempted Jesus in that desert and three times Jesus responded by quoting scripture. After the third time, the devil left. I feel like I also need to point out in Luke 4:13, which says,

"When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came." The devil won't just try to tempt you one, two or three times. He will take advantage of every opportunity he can find. Not to worry though, keep reading and you will find out why you need only to be alert rather than worried.

The scripture says in (NIV) James 4:7

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

That is exactly what he did with Jesus in the desert and that is exactly what he will do with you if you use the full armor of God. I can tell you from my own personal experience right now, my desert is called "loneliness." I grew up needing affirmation and attention from my father, but not getting it, which led me to the devil's cheap alternative. That was by getting attention from boys. I became a boy crazy teenage girl. I then married a man who also did not give me the affirmation and attention I so badly craved. Then my husband left me and I was all alone.

Until that point in my life, I always looked to a man to provide me with my value, my self-worth, my reason for living, my joy, etc. If I was not in love with Jesus now and if I was not allowing Him to fill up my need for love, self-worth and value, then I would most certainly be resorting back to my old way of life, which was getting attention from a man.

This "desert of loneliness" has been teaching me how to lean on God in a much more personal way. It has taught me to run to him with all of my needs. And you know what, he meets all of them. There is still, of course, the desire to have a companion to share my life with. I believe when I make it through this desert of "loneliness" and learn the lessons that God wants me to learn, he will provide me with a suitable companion. As any loving father is, he will be sure that this suitable companion will meet his standards and have his blessing.

In the meantime, and I am speaking from personal experience here, the devil is busy trying to tempt me. He knows my weakness is "loneliness." He knows how I used to fill up that need and he is constantly scheming up ways to provide his cheap alternative in the form of inappropriate male temptation. I run to Jesus, and I run to his Word and He helps me. I put on the full armor of God and the devil flees from me.

I believe Jesus was tempted in the desert for two main reasons:

1. So Jesus would show us how to resist the devil's temptations.
   
2. So Jesus would understand what temptation feels like so he would better understand our struggle.