Attacks are coming and how you react and what you do is important. It will decide your destiny.
First, we must establish a biblical truth. Attacks will come against you. Just because you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, just because you are born again, just because you are a Christian does not stop the devil from doing what the devil does and that is this. He attempts to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). You are his point of attack.
Sadly, many Christians do not realize this. They believe that as a Christian, God is in total control of their life and there is nothing that they must do. This develops into the belief that everything that happens is from God. If they have a victory, then God brought them through to victory. If they have a defeat, God took them through the destruction and the valley of the shadow of death in order to train them and humble them.
When living by this non-biblical view, a Christian will be ill-prepared when the enemy attacks and the destruction will be great because they lack knowledge and skills in the weapons of their warfare. It allows the enemy to catch them by surprise. The truth is attacks are coming. Psalm 34:19 says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." James 1:2 says we should consider it all joy when-not if-we encounter trials, tests, and tribulations.
If this were the end of the story, it would be a sad story. But it's not the end. God has given us weapons that, when used properly, can repel any attack. If the attack is physical, we have the weapons. If the attack is emotional, we have the weapons. If the attack is financial, we have the weapons. And the weapons of our warfare are not of this world, but they are spiritual and more powerful than any earthly attack (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
It is true that the enemy has power, but we have been given authority over all of his power (Luke 10:19). What does that mean? That means we can order his power to stop. We can order his power to fail. We can order his power to leave. It doesn't give us the ability to go on spiritual vacation or to turn our back on him. The enemy cannot be trusted and the enemy does not play by general rules, but he is forced by our authority to submit to the rules of God. And we have been given authority through the Son of God to crush and defeat every attack.
Of course, we know that faith is required to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and that it activates the power and authority here on earth. But first and foremost and above all, we must understand, receive, and submit to the law of love because God's Word tells us that nothing, including faith, will work outside of love (Galatians 5:6). In fact, 1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us that faith, hope, and love are the three most important things for us to continue in. But then we are reminded that of the three, love is the greatest.
Why is this? Why is love so important and so great? It's because love is the ultimate power of the universe. It is the very essence and substance of God. In fact, God's Word tells us that He, himself, is love (1 John 4:16). And love never fails, nor can it be defeated. It conquers all and activates faith that is your victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).
Scripture References:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8)
If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20)
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
LARRY OLLISON
http://www.faithman.org/
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