Weak Side - Surprise Attacks

In sports - a weak side is defined as the side of the field where there are fewer players to defend the ball.  In life, it's where we are vulnerable.

I was ill this weekend.  Not seriously but enough to keep me in the house and on the couch, doing nothing.  My neck hurt so bad it caused a headache and as tired as I was, I could not sleep.  My weaknesses all amplified by an illness.  I chalked it up to excessive travel and a grueling work schedule; I thought I was just exhausted.

This morning, I found out a colleague I'd traveled with last week was also sick, her symptoms a bit different but it had attacked her weak side.  My son was sick this weekend, different symptoms but it had attacked his weak side.  Coincidence?  Maybe, or just maybe we'd all been hit with a virus that went manifested where we are weakest.

Isn't that how spiritual attacks go?  The enemy zeroes in on our weak side.  Our most vulnerable is where the attack comes in.  Our children, our health, our jobs, our self-esteem, our security... that is where we can expect to be attacked.  The strategy is brilliant because it can go undetected, we expect to be attacked there, life is hard.  I'd ask you to take a moment though and look deeper, is it everyday life or is this an assault by the enemy?  If it is, then friends, you must stay strong and pray in the Spirit.  Pray the full armor of God and go to battle against the enemy.

If you are feeling defeated, I'd ask you to prayerfully consider that the Devil understands not only your weak side but the weapons of warfare.  He employs his own countermeasures against us, if you are struggling, please read Counterterrorism in the Spiritual Realm.

30 Days of Birth Pangs - Day 29 This Present Darkness

Ephesians 6:13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.

Brothers and Sisters, read that Scripture again... let it wash over you.  I know that you know it, but hear it again.  For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.

For this reason... what reason?  Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

To stand - having done all you can, in the end to be standing.

As believers surrounded by the darkness, it can be easy to forget your armor or worse to don the chains the of the enemy (if you missed it, read Counter Terrorism in the Spiritual Realm).  

I used the New American Standard because I love the phrase, This Present Darkness.  I loved Peretti's classic book by the same name, it changed my life.  Faced with overwhelming obstacles the heroes in the story prayed, fought, and clung to the Lord for the victory.  We fear today that there will be no such victory....

The Watchers on the Wall are tired; hoarse from beseeching a world that no longer hears, fighting an enemy whose time has come, and tamping down a desire so fierce just to be done. All the while going about 8-5 life like tomorrow is going to matter and being afraid that it actually does.  Simultaneously realizing that we could very easily be out of here in the twinkling of an eye but knowing that for 2000 years the bride has been waiting.

To Stand

So if October 1st rolls around and we are still here... well, we'll just pick each other up, brush each other off, and stand.

Rapture Index Scores:

Lovers of Self - Day 1: 10 out of 10

Perplexities of Nations - Day 2:  8 out of 10

Mass Animal Deaths - Day 3:  7 out of 10

Revilers - Day 4:  8 out of 10

Signs in the Heavens - Day 5:  9 out of 10

Commotions - Day 6:  7 out of 10

Scoffers - Day 7:  10 of 10

Vexed Souls - Day 8:  10 of 10

Greed -Day 9:  8 of 10

Famine - Day 10:  8 of 10

Itching Ears- Day 11:  10 of 10

Rushing to and fro - Day 12: 10 of 10

Blind Eyes and Hard Hearts - Day 13:  9 of 10

Brutal Men - Day 14:  8 of 10

Wars and Rumors of Wars - Day 15:  9 of 10

Boasters - Day 16:  9 of 10

Messianic Jews - Day 17:  7 of 10

Demonic Activity - Day 18:  8 of 10

Lawlessness - Day 19: 9 of 10

Hedging Your Bets - Day 20:  9 of 10

You Make Me Want to Vomit  - Day 21:  10 of 10

Earthquakes- Day 22:  10 of 10

Nobody Loves Philadelphia - Day 23:  10 of 10

Antisemitism - Day 24:  9 of 10

False Teachers - Day 25: 10 of 10

Asleep Church - Day 26:  10 of 10

Downward Spiral- Day 27: 10 of 10

American Idol - Day 28: 10 of 10

This Present Darkness - Day 29: 10 of 10

Rapture Index Total to date:  262 out of 290 or 90.34%

Counterterrorism in the Spiritual Realm

Have you ever considered that evil has a full armor?  Since we are told in Ephesians 6 that we struggle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places, then logically, the armor we are told to don is exactly opposite of what the enemy wears.  To wear the armor as purely a defensive barrier is perhaps an underestimation of the battle.  If you watch martial artists fight, you recognize that the sword is not the only weapon.  You also realize that the expression that there is no armor for your back is a misnomer, because the belt and the helmet cover your back.

(Note this blog was originally published in August 2013)

Pastor Mark Bilitz of El Shaddai Ministries puts forth a compelling argument that the armor of God is not patterned after a Roman Soldier but after the robes of a Jewish Priest.  That hypothesis resonates with me on a very deep level in my soul and has caused me to rethink this important part of Scripture. It is with fresh eyes and an open heart I would like to take a look at the weapons of warfare and those of our adversary, I think the church needs to employ some counter-terrorism strategies.

Garments of a High Priest

If we gird our loins with the belt of truth, the enemy must seek to wrap us with their chains of lies.  We discern lies in our guts.  Jesus says that Satan is the Father of Lies and that every word from his mouth is a lie and that when he lies he speaks his native language; he was a liar from the beginning.  Thus, the first area of attack begins with a lie.  We are faced with lies in the public arena everyday.  The adage of Lenin that if you repeat a lie long enough people will believe it is being played out in spectacular fashion today.  When trying to discern the truth of anything, the first thing you must do is discover the lies that have perverted what you are studying.  (ie if you are looking to astronomy, you have to deal with the lies of astrology.)  Imagine if our belt of truth was similar to Wonder Woman's lasso of truth... what if in warfare we periodically tie the belt of truth around the mouth of the prevaricating enemy?

We put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is the righteousness of Christ - the enemy tries to hang the millstone of sin around your neck.  Knowing we have no righteousness in ourselves we valiantly try to lift our heads but our past keeps our heads bent to the ground.  We can only see the shadow of sin before us, our hearts break and it becomes impossible to breathe the breath of life.

Instead of walking in the shoes of peace, we roll out of bed and put on the slippers of fear.  Our steps are dogged by every type of fear the enemy can throw at us.  Our hung heads watch our fearful feet trudge along the dark paths of our past sins.  Think of the powerful weapon that the shoes of peace are on the body of a skilled martial artist; when you are walking in fear throw a few roundhouse kicks at your enemy, you will feel the fear lift, and your path will once again be one of peace.  In John 14:27 Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

The enemy would have us armed with a shield of doubt and disbelief that is but a holey piece of Swiss cheese.  It is not an impenetrable force field of faith, it is not a dome of covering, it is a flimsy excuse of a weapon that does nothing to protect the wielder.  The "Name It and Claim It" false Gospel has been brilliant in disarming Christians for decades of their shield of faith.  By urging baby Christians to "believe God for things" they destroy the fragile and innocent faith new converts bring to bear.  Many folks continue to believe God for the big things of salvation and eternity but fail to have faith that He cares for them.  The twisted gospel takes admonitions of prayer and asking and perverts them into ways to control God.  The wreckage they leave behind is an abomination to God.

The poor warrior who is now chained with lies, with a millstone of past sins hanging from their neck, walking on the path of fear flanked by doubt and disbelief is now crowned with the vise grip of suffering and defeat.  The helmet of salvation and deliverance that would protect the brain and the ears is stripped away and messages of failure, hopelessness, and pain are heaped upon the believers head.  It is indeed a dark and scary walk at this point.

Lastly, instead of the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, we are given the Wisdom of the World.  Everything is backwards in the Bible, look at how you are suffering when those that follow the enlightened path of the World prosper in all they do.  Worldly wisdom, common sense, and "the way things are done" bury the warrior; most submit.

In the depths of the battle, you may find yourself valiantly trying to follow Ephesians 6 and in the end having done all you can, to stand.  Use the weapons that God has given you to fight the enemy.  Recognize the tactics and respond with the correct piece of armor.  In the end, ask God for what you need, even if it is to fall in battle and ask Him to rescue you and fight on your behalf.  God who is faithful and just will hear your prayers and deliver you from the hands of the enemy.  In our weakness, His Grace is made perfect.

No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper

Prayer is not a Monologue

The other day, I was driving and praying... but was I really?  Out of nowhere, the Lord interrupted me with an answer.  I was shocked.  My prayer time that day was a monologue; a one sided conversation where I did all the talking.   Why was I startled when the Lord answered?

I couldn't get this out of my mind, I kept reflecting back on it and realized that perhaps there is a bigger picture to paint.  As the body of Christ, why do we give each other "the look" when someone says, "Well, I was praying and the Lord spoke to me....".  Why do we hesitate to share with one another when the Lord speaks to us?  When did we accept that prayer is a monologue?

Is it because, somewhere along the line, we stopped expecting to hear from God?  Perhaps it is because He just stopped saying "No" to a certain prayer we keep praying hoping He will change His mind?  Maybe it happened when we were little and some unthinking adult squashed the expectation we had that God would answer?  Or possibly, in our hearts, we are not quite sure He is there so we would be closed to any answer He might give?

Whatever the reason, each believer needs to ponder this.  What's your prayer life like anyway?  Are you a baby praying the same way you prayed as a 5 year old?  Does your mind wander to the grocery list, the errands, and what to cook for supper?  Has it become a duty and an obligation on your daily checklist?  Or are you just so far away from the Lord you don't even talk anymore?  It's time to get serious about this; it's time to pray.

We have but one offensive weapon in this war we are in, "The Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."  We don't wield it effectively or often enough.  I beseech you faithful readers, find a group of people to pray with corporately.  Change your dead routine, step in faith, go deeper, and expect God to answer.  After all, He would like to get a word in edgewise.

Truth

Abigail and Dolley readers I have been reading Ephesians 6 lately.  This chapter is a favorite of mine for many reasons: it addresses how we as children are to obey and honor our parents.  It implores father's not to aggravate their children.  It gives us guidance on how we are to work and how we are to manage.  Finally, it  tells us that we are not just living a physical world that we can see and touch.  There is a supernatural aspect to our lives that we need to understand and be aware.  We are told to put on the whole armor of God as we resist the Devil and his lies and tricks.

The first item of the armor is the belt of truth.  Why a belt?  I mean a belt is the LAST thing you put on when you get dressed, right?  Who puts on a belt first?  What is God thinking here?  I am not sure, but I think I have an idea.  Follow along with me if you will.

First let's look at truth, in the original language it is aletheia.   Aletheia signifying "the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter" and "not merely verbal, but sincerity and integrity of character".   

Thus, we are told to start with the Truth.  This is often one of the hardest things to do in human existence because the truth if often painful.  Telling the truth at the beginning gives us no latitude to trick or manipulate. 

We don't like the truth anymore, about ourselves, about others, about sin.  We don't like it at all, we'd rather skirt around the truth, we gloss over the truth, we find the truth harsh and unwavering.

So we are told in Ephesians to begin with the Truth.  That in itself is a tall order my friends.  Something that going forward, I will endeavor to do.  If I find that I can't, I will just be quiet.  Nothing of good substance and honor can begin with less.  Relationships, stories, business deals - they all have to begin with the truth.  If we don't we have built our house upon the sand instead of the bedrock of truth.

It is of note that in the Old Testament the majority of times the English word truth appears it refers to our mouths.  It is often paired with righteousness and refers to justice.  In the New Testament most references are to THE truth.  In the book of John, he refers to the Spirit of Truth which is the Holy Spirit.

For me, it's a lot less difficult to start out with the truth if I recognize that it is God's Truth where we begin.  Knowing how fallable we are, HE gives us something to hold fast to and that is the Spirit of Truth. 

May you be greatly blessed today and thank you for reading!