Fighting from Victory

Have you ever felt under attack on all sides from the devil?  Whilst we may not know whether it is in fact the devil’s doing, consequences of bad choices, a generational or other curse or even, if like Job, God has allowed the problem to test our faith, the bottom line is the same. Our victory is gained by our attitudes and our words of faith.

We may be familiar with the concept of binding the enemy and loosing God’s blessings to cancel out perceived curses in our lives, but sometimes it seems as if we are fighting against a relentless enemy, putting all our focus on the devil instead of standing on the Word and declaring our victory in His name.

The key to winning the war is changing the focus of our prayers, instead of reaching TOWARDS a point of victory, pray FROM a point of victory.  We do this by boldly declaring the victory God has already given us through Jesus’ death on the cross.

Psalms 100:4 says we are to enter His courts with praise. We stand against the enemy by putting on our Holy armour according to Ephesians 6:10-18, standing on   the promises that God has given us.

Remember that the enemy has already been defeated, so we just need to remind him of this by using the authority we have in Jesus’ name. 

Sometimes we act like dogs chasing our tails, trying to get what we have already been given. Jesus is our mediator and He is the one who intercedes on our behalf.  We do not need to beg God or persuade Him to release His power, but simply exercise the authority He has already given us.

Powerful prayers in fighting the enemy is by acknowledging our inheritance and the blessings we already have. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue, therefore we need to speak death and defeat to our sickness or problem, curse it and command it to leave; then speak life by releasing the living, resurrection life of power that God has given us through His Word. God clearly tells us to “choose life”.

Another important aspect of spiritual warfare is being aware and recognising the enemy behind the chaos.  The problem is not your boss, your husband or your child but it is the devil using them as puppets to push your buttons to try and destroy your relationships, and to steal your peace and joy.  When we can see that, it helps us to separate the person from their behaviour and allows us to more easily forgive what they said or did.  Satan uses people to get our focus off of God and what we should be doing for Him.

When we grasp the fact that there is a battle for our heart by an enemy who is trying to dominate our lives through our choices, of what we say, what we think, what we do and what we believe, we can be better prepared to respond correctly.

Satan cannot control us outside of our will – he needs our consent and co-operation, which is why we need to be careful of our choices in order to resist him. He will try every scheme he knows to discourage us, deceive us, oppress us and destroy us. A toxic environment of our heart and any unrighteous living is an open invitation to the enemy to enter, just as wrong and negative thinking will create strongholds in our minds that the devil will feast on.

Robert Morris shares in his sermon ‘Under Attack’ that a deer only pants when it is chased by an enemy, and its first action is to run for water.  We need to do the same, by running to our living water, which is the Word of God. Run to God, the shelter in your storm.

We need to stop listening to our negative, anxious thoughts and attack back with praise and worship as our weapon to defeat them. Every day, we need to be fighting the war within us between our spirit and our soul (mind, will and emotions), as they are both contending for control.  

When it comes to praying, many of us are losing the battle, merely by praying incorrectly.  We need to stop explaining to God how to do His job better, or giving Him ideas of how to solve our problems. We must stop griping and start thanking Him; praising Him for our victory in faith, even before our victory comes.

I’m not saying we can’t pour out our hearts to God in desperate situations – rather Him, than to the people around us – but just like in the Psalms, once you’ve vented to God, make sure that you end off by standing firm, and by letting your hope be your anchor to trust Him with the outcome.

I can honestly testify that when we choose to keep a good attitude about our problems, or difficult circumstances, instead of complaining and whining in a ‘Woe is me’ pity party, the issues always get resolved that much quicker. 

When we declare and speak out our faith, and the promises from God’s Word, we break the strongholds of incorrect thoughts, remove our doubts, build up our faith and align ourselves with God’s Spirit, activating the authority and power within us to win the battles.

Every day, we should mentally put on all of our armour, as listed in Ephesians 6:14-18, but remembering that it ends off with praying in the Spirit, which is the key to unlocking our victory. 

Remembering that the devil knows how God sees us and what He thinks of us, will automatically change our countenance. Satan already knows the outcome and that we win in the end, but he is trying to distract us from our path and to lead us away from it.  He does this by stirring up challenges and by disguising himself through people. He knows our weaknesses and what will ensnare us. He is trying to trip us up and rob us of our inheritance.

Our spirit is our connection to God and alive unto God when we are born again. We commune with God spirit to spirit though the Holy Spirit. This is the only thing that cannot be intercepted by Satan.  Man’s soul realm is his mind, will, and emotions, e.g. our worldly, carnal self, all subject to change and attacks of the enemy. That’s why it is so easy for Satan to attack us in this realm and why we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit, to give us that fullness of fire to resist.  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can walk tall with victory, knowing that the roar of our Father is behind us, scaring off the roar of the enemy.

In conclusion, I was reminded at Church recently by Gabe Philips of Life Changers Church - Milnerton, that Communion is also an effective Spiritual weapon in winning the war against the enemy.

When you consider all of our Spiritual Armour which is; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, they are all rooted in what Jesus died for and what taking Communion represents.  When we partake of Jesus’s body, represented by the bread, we are claiming healing not just for our bodies, but our minds and all of our broken pieces.  When we partake of His blood, represented by the wine or grape juice, we are receiving the forgiveness of our sins and covering our lives with His blood, that has redeemed us and protects us.

In Psalms 23, we are reminded that Jesus has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. The first communion, when Jesus initially demonstrated and charged us to remember the importance of these two elements, was held at the Last Supper.  When we feast with the symbols of Jesus’ body and blood, by eating the Word of God, the Spiritual realm is shifted to bring about our victory. Sometimes it may not seem like God is doing anything in the natural, but rest assured, that things are moving behind the scenes in the Spiritual realm, and the devil is going down!

Whilst God may choose to take our trials or problems away, true spiritual victory comes when we can have a Godly perspective on what is happening to us, whether they go away or not. The true victory is when we have reprogrammed our thinking with a renewed mind, being able to still praise God regardless of our circumstances.

So, my fellow soldiers in the Lord’s army, go forth with your full armour to fight your battles the right way, rejoicing with praise, taking Communion, and declaring that the war has already been won. You have the victory!

An Easter Passover Reflection

Every year, as I’ve tried to prepare my heart for Easter, God has always blessed me with a new revelation of His truth and this year He has focused me on the Jewish celebration of the Passover. This was celebrated the week before Easter and will finish on Easter Sunday.

Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from their slavery in Egypt.  In Exodus 12:14,18 and 24 we are instructed to observe and commemorate this festival, which although is predominately a Jewish holiday, many Churches and Christians are now choosing to celebrate it, in addition to Easter.  

The Exodus story of the delivery from bondage to slavery, can be seen as a foreshadow of Jesus who broke the bondage of our slavery to sin, as referred to in Romans 6:17. Both Passover and Easter are therefore the perfect occasion to reflect and consider what enslaves us, and to celebrate the freedom that God offers us.

During the Passover week, also referred to as the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, which means bread with no yeast in, Jewish people will eat Matzoh, that dried square cracker.  When you consider that bread is a symbol of Jesus’s body, and leaven or yeast is often referred to as sin in the Bible, it is symbolic that this ‘bread’ is broken at the Passover meal, also known as the Seder.  In actual fact, what Christians refer to as the Last Supper, was actually the celebration of the Passover meal, and where taking the communion elements of bread (body) and wine (blood) first began. 

Just like the story of Moses and the last plague of killing the first-born son, God’s first and only Son also had to be killed, but it was His blood that saves us. It was the blood of an unblemished lamb that was required to cover the doorposts to spare the first-born sons from the Angel of death in the last plague.  It is symbolic that Jesus is called the door or gate to the Kingdom of God, as referred to in John 10:9, and it was His blood that covers us and spares us from eternal death.

Although we celebrate Palm Sunday as the triumphant entry of Jesus on a donkey into Jerusalem, I was interested to learn that this celebration was done every year prior to Jesus’s arrival, to celebrate the procession of carrying the unblemished lamb that had been chosen for the Passover meal.  How fitting that Jesus became our sacrificial Lamb on the altar of the Cross, who although was externally blemished by bloody cuts and piercings, internally He was unblemished, pure and innocent! In John 1:29 we read how Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God.

It’s also fascinating to remember that Jesus’s first entry into Jerusalem was also ridden on a donkey inside Mary’s womb, and again, a donkey was chosen to enter Jerusalem for the last time.  If you look at the back of a donkey, its hairs across its shoulders and along its back actually make the shape of a cross. 

Whilst the Jewish people undergo a thorough spring-cleaning, purification process in order to remove all leaven from their homes and offices and prepare their hearts for Passover, Christians are also called to purify themselves from within during the last week of Lent, called Holy Week, in order to prepare their hearts to receive the Easter message afresh.

Another insightful comparison is the fact that no work is to be done at the start and end of Passover because it is considered a Holy time, which highlights the contrast that Christians don’t need to work in order to receive Christ’s Holiness, which is a gift of grace, based on our faith and in who and what we believe.

And here’s a thought, if Jesus was born at Christmas time, in December, then He would have been immaculately conceived and placed in Mary’s womb around the Passover or Easter period.

There are numerous comparisons in the Old Testament which mirrors Jesus in the New Testament, which I believe reveals God’s sovereign message and prophesy of Jesus. So, as we celebrate Easter this year, let us also reflect on the Passover festival and how it connects to our deliverance, and what its symbolism can teach us. 

Wishing you all a Blessed Easter! As you celebrate your redemption from sin and death and show your gratitude for what Christ did for you, may God bless you with a refreshed spirit of a renewed hope, a sustaining joy, a calming peace, a firmer faith and an overflowing of His abundant, unconditional love…

 

Gideon - Answering the Call of God

I was reminded of the story of Gideon at Church on Sunday, which I must confess is not a very familiar one to me. When I think of the name Gideon, I tend to think of the Gideon International Organization, whose aim it is to put a Bible into every Hotel and Motel room around the world.

Which is why I decided to research the reason this amazing organization chose that name. I was inspired to learn that it was started by just two humble traveling salesmen with a simple, yet passionate desire to share the Gospel. These men chose the name because they wanted to remind others of the story of Gideon and what God can do with just one or a few men.

Gideon is definitely an unlikely hero of the Bible, with a horrific character, but who was used by God to save his nation from the destruction of their enemies. His story can be likened to the epic movies of Gladiator or my favorite, Braveheart, where one man stands up to make a difference and become the change they want to see.

There are so many lessons that can be learnt from the story of how God used Gideon, that I would encourage you to read it for yourself in Judges 6-8. It will stir up your faith to believe in the impossible, even when things make no sense and to see God’s strength as being much mightier than all of your weaknesses combined.

This odd story of unlikely weapons of a lamp, a jar and a trumpet will make you believe in the odds again. When things in the natural seem hopeless and you feel helpless, inferior or unqualified to make a difference, that’s when God steps in and says “You’re it!”. God doesn’t need our resources, our knowledge or our connections – all He needs is for us to be available to be used and to trust Him with the outcome.

It is so encouraging that God often chooses the least likely people to start the change that is needed. I believe this is to make sure everyone will see that it was God that made it happen and not the man or woman. Perfection is not a requirement for being used by God. All we need is faith, however little, and to believe that God can use even us, yes, even you!

As a supporter of the Move One Million movement (Move1Million.com), I like to believe that Jarette Petzer is an anointed man, chosen by God, to initiate change for our country, South Africa. He has shown us what one person can do to unite communities and has pressed on valiantly, despite great opposition.

When we stop allowing our excuses or weaknesses to stand in our way, and choose to go in whatever strengths we DO have, we can partner with God to bring positive change to our country, its people and even the world. When we are obedient with the little God gives us, He will enlarge our territories to accomplish even greater things.

There will always be a cost to being used by God, whether it is our time, our finances or even great risk, but when we choose to obey and offer ourselves available, putting all of our trust in Him and not rely on ourselves, we too can be like Gideon, and be used in a mighty way to save our nation.

Great change always starts with just one person who is brave enough to stand up and be counted and with a dream big enough to fight for. All we need is a little faith to start the flame and our mighty God to work through us, and ignite others to spread it…

Could God be calling YOU?...

Inspired by the Sermon given by Scott Ferreira at Life Changers Church, Milnerton – Release Wide (21 March 2021) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfTwesxXW10