THIS MEANS WAR!!!

You may not realize it, but there is a force in this world that seeks to destroy you. Your being tuckheaded and passive does not assuage him. You may have held the philosophy that if you mind your own business, keep to yourslef, and don't go looking for trouble that you will be okay, safe from harm. Just mind your own business, and everything will be fine. This, I have come to realize, is a fallacy. There is a real enemy. And he seeks us out. What choice,then, do we have but to get some backbone and stand up and defend ourselves--and our families?

For many of us, spiritual warfare is an uncommon term. We think we know what it is. We have heard it sung,"When the battle's over, we shall wear a crown," and we undoubtedly if we are Christians, refer to ourselves as being "in the Lord's army."
But sometimes those words just fly right over our heads. We are comfortable. Complacent. We live a convenient Christian life of going to church, going to work, enjoying our families, and living our lives, and it is not until we are faced with a crisis that we tend to think in those terms.

The enemy uses this complacency to his advantage. He waits for that opportunity when we are lulled into a soft slumber to gather his forces. And he will strike. He will push--maybe gently at first to test the strength of your front line. If there is no resistance, he knows you are an easy target. You have not watched and waited for him. You have not taken him seriously. There has been little to no preparation. No wonder it is so easy for him to bring us down into the depths of despair and defeat. No wonder we crumble when he shows himself.

I, for one, am tired of caving to the enemy. I am tired of cowering in fear. I am tired of trying to guess what his next move is. I am tired of being bullied around by him and made to feel that I am inferior--damaged, useless, and broken. He found my weak spots and battered them hard. He laughed at me when I fell. He said, "See, I knew what you were all along. A weakling. A mere human. You have no strength. You cannot fight me. You cannot fight this."

But the enemy is wrong. He is the father of lies. He is limited. The only power he has is the power I allow him to have over me. And when I take that from him, when I stop letting him to do it. When I begin to stir up the gifts within me...when I begin to fill my mind with the things of God and call the things that are not as though they were, when I take hold of the Power that is within the blood of Jesus. And begin to increase my faith and refuse to accept the lies...when I call upon the name of the Lord of Hosts, the Almighty, who was and is and is to come, the Great I Am, the creator of the universe, the El Shaddai, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of PEACE, the Comforter, the Shepherd of my soul-- the chains begin to fall off me. The enemy trembles and runs in fear. There is victory in the camp!

It is then that the songs become more than mere words but anthems. "Victory in Jesus" is a battlecry. "Power in the Blood" is no longer a traditional hymn but a testimony. Therefore, "Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Be filled with it. Fill yourself up so much that there is no room for anything else. No room for bitterness. No room for despair, depression, self-pity, self-loathing.
Equip yourself for battle. Put on the WHOLE armour of God. Not just a piece here and there. Not just a helmet. Not just a breastplate. Guard your heart AND your mind.

There is a real enemy. But there is hope and protection and power at your service. I am preaching to myself more than anything here today. But I hope these words encourage you as well. Continue to keep us in your prayers. I feel the strength of them when you do. Love to all.