Spiritual Warfare

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

If we think we live in a world where there is no enemy distracting us and trying to keep us from the purpose, plan, and true intention of God's will for our lives, we are deceived. Every day, good Christian people get off track because they weren't prepared for the battle that happens every day on behalf of the souls of men, saved and unsaved.
 
If you're a Christian, the enemy's goal is to make you completely spiritually handicapped, either by an emotional wound or by lack of knowledge.
 
If you're not a Christian yet, the entirety of hell wants to make sure you stay that way.
 
My husband and I help administrate a bi-weekly discipleship group for the worship team and anyone creative in our church. Once the night before the group I went to my husband Justin and said, "Babe, I just don't want to do this anymore. I am worn out. I don't really feel like what I'm doing matters. I don't really feel like it's what I need to be doing."
 
The next night at the group was the best we had had yet, with a larger than normal number of people who came. It was a huge blessing to be a part of. The presence of God was very strong. This has also happened to me before an event when I was asked to speak. I was depressed before the event. I was filled with feelings of unforgiveness. But I prayed, and went for it anyway. The outcome was that people were touched and got a lot out of what I had shared. I was sharing on the power of forgiveness.
 
We know that we're right where God wants us to be when we experience a level of spiritual warfare that we wouldn't otherwise experience. It could be illness, emotional fatigue, circumstances, a sour attitude from ourselves or someone close to us, or all of the above. We need to combat these by worship, prayer, asking others for help & prayer, and getting suited up for battle. (Eph 6:11-15) Are you prepared for the battle ahead?


The Enemy's Schemes

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” -Ephesians 6:11

Have you ever noticed the verse above talks about the enemy’s “schemes”? I used to think the verse said, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil.”  But, it actually says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”  “What is a scheme?” you might say.  Well, according to the Dictionary.com, a scheme is a “plan, design, or program of action to be followed”. 

Why it is important to make this distinction between the enemy and his “schemes”?  We know that the enemy can’t be everywhere all the time, (while God is everywhere all the time) so it makes sense that he would put a “plan, design, or a program” in place to act on his behalf. He works hard to put schemes in place during our childhood, because this is the time in our lives where we are being “programmed”, either for success or failure in every area of life.

What are the enemy’s schemes?  Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10), so anything to do with stealing, killing, and destroying our relationships, purpose, money, and even our lives would be the enemy’s main intent toward us. But, how he does it is quite smart - he uses people in our lives to carry out these schemes - often the people closest to us - without them even knowing.  Many relationships have been destroyed for lack of understanding of the enemy’s schemes.

So how do we outwit Satan?  We can outwit him through Jesus and through the power of forgiveness.

“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive - I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,  in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”  -2 Cor 2:11

Are you aware of the enemy’s schemes?  Make sure you are aware, so that you can act in forgiveness.  We need to outwit the enemy’s schemes so that God can fulfill His purposes in our lives.