A Battle To Fight
By Donna Johnson on July 25th, 2018
A few days ago I was at church praying with our church intercessory team and I felt this heaviness come over me. To combat what I was feeling, I began to focus on God and not the feeling. I started by telling Him how good He is, how much I love Him and things of the sort. Although I was able to continue praying the heaviness didn’t leave, and when the other intercessors were preparing to leave, I heard the Spirit of the Lord telling me to stay there for a little while longer. I walked the others to the door, made sure I was safely locked in, and walked back into the sanctuary. As I approached the altar, the heaviness increased, and I became overwhelmed. I lifted my head up and said in a loud voice “Okay Lord, what is this? What is happening to me?” My knees became weak, and I suddenly found myself on the floor crying the hardest cry I have ever cried. I then heard the Lord say, “Scream as loudly as you can!” I hesitated for a second because I thought ‘what if someone heard me?’ The Lord again said, “Scream it out!” And so, I did. I screamed the loudest I could while crying, curled up on the floor. The Lord then said, “Not just an empty scream. Scream ‘NO’ to the devil. Let him hear you loud and clear.” So, I screamed “NO” as loud as I could. Immediately, the weight was lifted, and I found myself laughing while crying because of how quickly everything changed. I left church that night feeling enlightened and empowered.
One thing I have learned in my walk with Christ is that loving God does NOT mean you will no longer have problems. As a matter of fact, in John 16:33 Jesus tells us the “In the world you WILL have tribulation…” 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” However, these warnings do not mean that we are to sit idly by and allow the enemy to issue an all-out assault on our lives either. Following the warning about the enemy’s tactics in 1 Peter 5, verse 9 tells us to “RESIST him.” James 4:7 says that we are to “submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” God reminded me as I was on floor that night, we have authority over Satan and anything he tries to dish out. In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the AUTHORITY to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power of the enemy…” In other words, we can say (or scream) ‘NO’ to the devil. We CAN resist him! We can stop him dead in his tracks.
We have to realize that the attacks that we face as Christians are not simply because the devil is bored, he is on a mission. He is trying to take us out. He wants to deceive us into thinking that life would be easier without having to serve a God who allows us to suffer. He wants us to think that we are powerless against the little arrows he throws our way. Above all of that, he wants to stop us from being the warriors God created us to be which would hinder the plans and purposes of God for our life. We CAN NOT let him win! We must be determined to take up our cross, whatever it may be, and follow Christ.
There are three things that we need to be sure of as we face the attack of the enemy. The first thing is that this war is not about us, it is ALL about God. Romans 8:36 says, “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” In Matthew 5:11 Jesus says, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:11 says, “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” In Matthew 10:22 Jesus told the disciples “…you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” 2 Chronicles 20:15, “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” When we chose to become followers of Christ, Satan became our instant enemy.
That brings me to the second thing we need to certain of. We are not fighting alone! One of the greatest reminders of this is found in Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 1 John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is IN YOU is GREATER than he who is in the world.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” Joshua, prior to his death, told the Israelites in his farewell address, “One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.” (Joshua 23:10). In Deuteronomy 20:3-4, the Lord sent word to the Israelites saying, “Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” When we fight against the devil, we NEVER fight alone.
The third and final thing we need to be assured of is that we already have the victory. In John 16:33 when Jesus warned us that we will have tribulation, he followed that statement by saying “…but be of good cheer, I have OVERCOME the world.” 2 Corinthians 2:14, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us IN TRIUMPH in Christ.” Romans 8:37 says, “in all these things we are MORE THAN conquerors through Him who loved us.” The more you read the Word of God the more evident it becomes… WE WIN!!!
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