Discouragement is the devil’s most devastating tool in his attacks on Spirit-hungry saints. It has always been the enemy’s weapon of choice against God’s elect, and from the day you became serious about the things of God — determining in your heart to know Christ in his fullness — Satan has sought to discourage you. He has watched you dig deeper into God’s Word every day. He has seen you growing, changing, overcoming all worldliness, and he has made you a heavy target.
Jesus is faithful and caring through every season of our life, and he is touched by every feeling we endure during our hard times. The apostle Paul addresses this when he writes, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The treasure Paul refers to is the knowledge and presence of Jesus Christ — and we hold this precious treasure in our bodies. Just imagine! Yet the Greek word Paul uses for “earthen” is “frail clay” meaning, “weak, easily broken, and easily tempted.”
As the time of Christ’s return draws near, the devil is going to open up the floodgates of hell against God’s people. We see this happening already within the walls of the church, as Satan has infiltrated God’s house with subtle lies and false doctrines. Multitudes of deceptions and heresies are swirling through the church, and undiscerning Christians are swallowing it all.
The apostle Paul accomplished incredible things for the cause of Christ. He oversaw churches throughout Asia and some parts of Europe while also serving as an evangelist and apologist. A true scholar, he made the case for Christ before courts and kings.
How many Christians call themselves warriors but have never been tested or trained? We hear about the many prayer warriors in this nation. But the sad truth is, the vast majority of them have never been trained — they're not ready to fight. Many true believers refuse to fight the devil or do battle against his kingdom.
When God does find a believer with a hunger and a desire for his blessing, he puts him into the ring to learn to fight. The Lord is going to need well-trained warriors who will prevail over all the powers of hell in his last hour of warfare.
With all the talk in the church about spiritual warfare, too many Christians have not learned how to resist the enemy. In fact, few believers know how to stand up and fight, and they become real pushovers for the devil.
No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
Spiritual warfare can hit us when we least expect it, or worse yet, we might not even realize we're in the middle of a spiritual battle. Pastor Claud Houde talks about how believers can identify attacks and do battle against the forces of evil in their minds, hearts and lives.
