We ARE CHRISTIANS – IT'S TIME FOR US ROAR!

17-12-28 Thursday

SF, Stagecoach, NV

Dear Brothers & Sisters in My Family,

This year, and until Jesus comes for us, we need to ROAR at the enemy, who’s attacking us, our families, neighbors and churches.  I started this blog in August 2011 and for those of you, who have not been with us that long; I wrote a book “God’s POWER AVAILABLE TO US” that tells you how to kick the enemy in his buttocks [butt for short - if he has one?].  Unfortunately, I went to the blog page, Ezra 7:10 section and none of those blogs are still there. 

So I thought, since Jesus completed His tasks.  To help you continue His work, which is what we're suppose to do daily, I’d share “how to” kick the twerp [enemy] out of your way.  Hope it helps you, as it helped me through the years.

From Chapter 3. LEARN YOUR ENEMY AND YOURSELF.............pages 45-59

Galatians 5:7 “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.”

WHAT’S GOING ON? 

There are only three major battles left for satan to try and win. This general synopsis may help you understand his plan for these last days and why he’s so enraged.
God’s Plan: The Harvest / Rapture will allow all mankind to hear the Word and accept or reject Christ as their Lord and Savior. For anyone who believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life (Jeremiah 31:34 & John 3:16). The Lord Himself will descend from Heaven. First to take the dead [actually the bones, since their spirits are already with Him.] in Christ then we who are alive will be caught up together in the air and remain with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
satan’s Plan: His counter plan is to stop as many people as possible from accepting Christ and being taken in the rapture. The goal is to cause doubt, indecision, disharmony, mindless drugs, alcohol and chaos - whatever it takes to stop people from accepting Christ.
I Peter 5:6-8 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
As long as the devil is around, we are warned to “be of sober spirit and be on the alert,” which means no fuzzy or swollen heads, no shortcuts or being lukewarm [undecided] concerning our relationship with God. Don’t doubt for a moment, that the enemy won’t come after you because you’re a Christian. The Word tells us he will “make war” on those “who keep the commandments” and “hold to the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17). Why is he only attacking the Christians and Jews? Because we have the power and authority over him and it is driving him crazy!
Revelation 12:11-12, 17 (11) “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. (12) For this reason, rejoice, O Heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” ... (17) “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, we should be prepared for an attack. Why? Because the twerp has great wrath, literally he’s enraged that his plans are not coming to pass! Praise the Lord, he’s loosing!
Did you notice that he prowls around “like” a roaring lion? The twerp is not a real lion! You could say Jesus pulled his teeth. Since no weapon formed against you can prosper (Isaiah 54:17), he’s just playing mind games with you. Tell him in Jesus’ Name, I command you to leave NOW.  Then put your mind else where, play some worship music, etc.  The twerp cannot take up space, when there is none available for him!
The twerp can only win IF he can stop you from receiving the knowledge YOU have authority over him. IF he can confuse your mind through doubt and lack of understanding about the “blood of the Lamb” (your power) and the “Word of your testimony” (your faith/speech) then he can get a foothold in your life and overtake you. The power he has and the work he does are all conditional, based on your decisions and actions.
2 Chronicles 16:9a “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
While dealing with the enemy, you must always remember God is the Creator. We know that the one who creates a masterpiece is always the master and the one who makes a copy (with imperfections) is a counterfeiter and only able to steal the better work of another. We have the promise that God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Yet the twerp prowls about, seeking someone to devour, while God’s eyes move to and fro, seeking whom He can strengthen. The Living Bible interprets this same scripture, “show His greater power to.” I like the idea that God just looks around, while the devil has to go out and find someone. Truly, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4.
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
If he can stop you from reading the Bible he will. Why? Because without God’s knowledge he can destroy you and that’s his plan. We’re told he is the destroyer. If he can’t stop you from learning, he’ll makes things around you go wrong. A perfect example was when I made an agreement with my sister Teri that we would read the Bible one hour a day starting at Genesis 1:1. Well, let me tell you, the twerp didn’t like that one bit. First he tried to keep us in the Word three to five hours a day to convince us that we didn’t have the time. Then different things in our houses went haywire or broken. Then he attacked our finances to make us worry and change our focus from God to the world. The day Teri called to say she couldn’t study with me, praise the Lord, I wasn’t home! The next day God started showing Teri that, like the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible (Luke 10:40), it was more important that she, like Mary, learn His Word. Things then started working together for good. She got money in the mail to pay her immediate bills and the Lord showed her what was really important - Him. Needless to say, daily we build our relationship in Christ. As we learn to trust Him we realize He’ll provide our needs for tomorrow.

HELP — EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG!

Here’s a sure way to tell you’re under attack. If things start breaking down and your finances or business start declining. If there is fighting or strife within your family or you loose the desire to read your Bible or go to church, etc., — YOU’RE UNDER ATTACK! The reason we’re being attacked is because we are…
• Learning something from God • Doing something for God • Teaching something about God • Disobeying God [don’t forget, He disciplines those He Loves].
The devil hates God and he’s frustrated that you’re taking authority over him, so he’s on the attack. The twerp especially enjoys attacking God’s children when they are out of God’s will, because he knows they’ve become weakened and God can’t interfere until they repent [change their ways and ask for forgiveness] then ask His help.
James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” Nehemiah 8:10 “Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”” Psalms 103:20 “Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word. Obeying the voice of His word!”
You now have a choice to make. You can walk in fear which is the devil’s plan to steal your joy which weakens you. Or you can take it to God, doing whatever He tells you to do. Do not dwell on the problem, but believe God is able to bring you out of that circumstance. Take authority over those thoughts and dwell on your answer. Dwelling on the negative will not allow God to help you. You block God with your thoughts of hate, disappointment, frustration, anger, un-forgiveness, etc. When these thoughts come upon you, stop them. One way is to start singing a Christian song or read and confess His Word and you’ll see His peace return to you and your answer revealed. Later, I’ll show you how to bind the twerp up and throw away the key. Remember, no weapon formed against you will prosper. It will just be formed, so fear not!

LEARN YOURSELF!

Matthew 16:23 “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Also Mark 8:33 Matthew 7:15-16 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?”
I’ve learned my enemy, I know his tricks. The twerp will also use Christians to give me wrong advice sometimes. The twerp will try to put thoughts in my mind to doubt the Word of God. The twerp will use my family, friends, and strangers to make me fall.
But like Jesus did, I tell him — get behind me, satan! Lies, destruction, perversion, etc., have no hold on me. If I can do this, anyone can. It’s easy. If what you hear from others or thoughts coming into your mind are not in agreement with the Word, then it must be from the devil. Tell him to take a hike. Because what God says — you believe. And that settles it! Amen!
James 1:23-24 “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in the mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” James 2:17 “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”
Tell me, what good is it to join a club, but never get involved? Yet that’s exactly what many Christians are doing today. They accept Christ and maybe go to church, but that’s it. They never get into the Word. They never hear from the Holy Spirit about their purpose and anointing He’s given them. So they have a wasted life by going with the flow. If a Christian has no faith, no belief, when the days of tribulation come they will turn against God and follow their flesh, because it will be easier.

YOUR MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS.

Your adversary the devil wants you to see mountains so high, you can’t get over them. He wants you to see valleys so deep, you can’t get across them. But the opposite it true. There is no mountain God can’t turn into a hill. No valley He can’t take you through if you’ll trust Him. Now whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, I think of Psalm 37. I claim the promise that God has established me and that He’s holding my hand. It’s so much easier when I pray, knowing He’s there beside me so I won’t hit bottom before I’m rescued. Our mountains of problems only get so high because we let them. When we try to fix our problems in our own way and in our own strength, we become weak and broken from trying. But, you can stop that mountain from getting bigger if you will take the problem, while it is yet a hill and bring it before God. Speak the Word over each hill and watch God flatten it! Valleys are the same as any mountain. It’s the highs and lows of life. The Arameans knew that God could make mountains tremble, but they didn’t believe God was in the valleys, so they started a war there [truly their lack of knowledge killed them]. They learned that this was wrong the hard way, for God sent a prophet to tell the Israelites that He was a God of both, and proved it. When the Arameans fought the Israelites in the valley, “...the sons of Israel killed of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day,” 1 Kings 20:29.God proved to both His chosen and His enemy that there is nowhere He can’t go.
Whether you are talking about financial debt or emotional depression so deep that you can’t get out of bed, take it to the Lord now. As you learn to let go and let God at the beginning of your problems, the dirt will soon stop creating mountains, or burying you in valley of despair.
Matthew 6:32-33 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
It sounds good to me! The Lord already knows what I need to live. If I seek Him first and then choose the right way to go, I’ll get my answer and my needs met. He didn’t say I’d have to climb a mountain. No, He says don’t worry I’ve got a plan for you. Know that the twerp always does the opposite of the Word. So if you’re lacking the promises of God in your life, you’re under attack. Here’s a way you can test yourself to see if there is too much of the world in you.

Listen to yourself –

•Are you speaking what the world and satan says, manifesting your problems? Or are you speaking what God says, enabling your answers to manifest?

See yourself –

• Are your actions moved by love, or are they reactions to those who hurt you?

It could be an eye opener to find out. Look at what choices you’ve made and directions you have taken, focusing on what you speak and how you act. It will open your eyes and help you change your path. Repentance is the first step. Then seek the Holy Spirit for guidance. It may take a bit to straighten things out, but you’ll be in a better place to be used by God. Remember what you’ve come through so you can tell others. Then the testing of your faith will bring glory to God when they overcome.

CAUTION DEVIL AT WORK - USE BYPASS!

Let me caution you here. Do not judge others. That’s God’s job. When you do, you cannot be an effectual vessel for God. Why? Because you block the power of God’s love for healing and restoration, and without those there can be no change. We have to stop thinking about what they did, and in love show them what Jesus accomplished for them. If we’re helping someone from an angle that their wrong and we’re right, we’ve already lost the battle. People are not our enemy. They are just being used by the devil as vessels to do ungodly works. But the truth can set them free. God reveals good and evil in the Bible so we may see what the problems are, not judge those who are doing the evil. If you judge others, we’re told, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you,” Matthew 7:2. It’s one of the pits the devil try’s to lead us into. Love not hate will move mountains and God, so be careful and…
1) “Do not judge least you be judged,” Matthew 7:1. 2) “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord,” Leviticus 19:18.  3) “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” Galatians 5:14.

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY!

I’ve learned that God does not want a bunch of spoiled brats, but an empowered body of Christ to overcome adversity. In Revelation 2:1 thru 3:22, God tells us about the different churches and their problems. In each case He made a promise to anyone who overcomes or changes their way. As I read the problems that each church had, I found myself attending a couple of them spiritually. Spiritually, meaning these churches are from the past, yet I’m making some of the same mistakes today! So now I work on those areas in order to improve my life and become a better servant for Christ. When some nice person points out an area in my life that needs work, my favorite saying is, “God’s not through with me yet.” That eases my mind for awhile. But later, if my conscience starts bothering me about it, I go before the Lord and ask Him if it’s true. Usually within a couple of days the Holy Spirit shows me in the Word where I missed it, so I can repent and work to correct my path. I must say, playing hide and seek with myself is not enjoyable. The process is down right humbling. But, once that captivity or yolk has been removed, the Joy of the Lord is so much sweeter!
•It takes patience not to tell that nice person they live in a glass house. • It takes perseverance because we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again until our minds catch up to the Word. Once we get the answers, we have to practice it until we get it right. •It takes forgiveness from God and ourselves, because we live in “dirt” bodies and have a lot of mud to wallow through! God promises to “…be merciful to their iniquities, And … remember their sins no more,” Hebrews 8:12.
Since perfection does not run in my family, it’s a constant source for the devil to remind me of how unworthy I am. When I do feel unworthy, I remind myself and the twerp who God says I am. Since faith comes by hearing, I repeat what God’s told me...
I AM — AND SO ARE YOU!
•A child of God (Romans 8:16). • Redeemed from the evil one (Psalms 107:2). • An heir of salvation and forgiven (1 John 5:11-12 & Ephesians 1:7). •Kept in safety no matter where I go (Isaiah 46:4). • Strengthened in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). • Rescued from the fires of Hades (Colossians 1:13). • Light of the world, an imitator of God (Matthew 5:14 & Ephesians 5:1).  • Heir to the blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:14). • More than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).
I’m going to end this chapter with a blessing from God that will shine a spot light on the twerp for you.
Hebrews 10:34 “For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.” Proverbs 6:30-31 “Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry; But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; he must give all the substance of his house.”
Now that is good news. I know exactly who and where my enemy is. In 1985 I was saving money for a trip to Europe. Before I left, I checked my wallet and found $20.00 missing. It might not sound like much today, but back then it was. I had just finished studying Jerry Savelle’s book “If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy, He Can’t Keep Your Goods”. So I knew if I didn’t get upset, I could get a sevenfold return as the Word says. I claimed that Scripture and, praise the Lord, before I got on the plane I was handed by various people $140.00! As my sister Debby says, yippee! I had the devil on the run. It was worth learning my enemy and how to adjust my responses. Needless to say, the devil rarely steals from me anymore because he truly hates being forced by God to make restitution.

Next Sunday, I’ll share with you the THE POWER AND PROVISIONS FROM GOD from Chapter 4.  Sorry for the length of this one, but I believe every Christian needs to understand everything they can about the enemy, to see him for what he really is and how to deal with him.

Blessings to all who read the blog and keep the Faith being AMAZED of how much more He has for you, as you seek new goals for 2018.  I promise you, there is so much more the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to you thru His Word.  I pray for ALL of you nightly.

Sandy F. – The Lord’s Servant