How to Combat the Last Minute Attacks of the Enemy!

 

The enemy won't bother you if you are lukewarm, living in sin, or have idols in your life that you refuse to get rid of. So, if that's you, go back to sleep. No need to worry.  But if you are all-in for Jesus. If you love the Lord and are committed to following Him, the enemy will come at you hard. 

1. He will first try to get you to doubt: to doubt God, His promises, His Word, that He's answering your prayers, that He's healing you, that He even loves you, and that He is even coming soon.  It's the same thing he did to Eve in the Garden of Eden. "Did God say....?"   If he succeeds at even planting a tiny seed of doubt, he will proceed to the next tactic,

 

2. He will lure you away from the Lord and back into the world.  He will wave your greatest temptation in front of you... and believe me, he knows what it is. Maybe it's a person, a relationship you know you shouldn't have, maybe it's money, success, fame, beauty, or even food!  It could also be something like gossip, watching something on TV you shouldn't, going to a club, drinking too much, hanging out with the wrong people, or simply just focusing on the world and being led by your flesh.

 

IF, HOWEVER, he is unable to do the above two things, if you are too much in love with Jesus and too committed, he will...

 

3. Remind you of past sins, of all the mistakes you've ever made, the embarrassing moments, the depth of the depravity of your past and the people you hurt with your sin. He will remind you of this at every turn and make you feel guilty and unworthy.  Once he accomplishes that, he will continue to bombard you with these thoughts until you sink into depression and lose the joy of the Lord, and hence, become ineffective for the Kingdom of God.  If he can't do this with your past, he will...

 

4. Glaringly point out your current sins and weaknesses. He will put them up on a billboard with flashing neon sins and make you feel like you simply aren't worthy at all, not only to be saved, but to be raptured. That you aren't going to make the cut because you are just too evil at heart. In other words, you just don't measure up to what a good Christian should be and do. Surely God doesn't love you.

 

Does any of this sound familiar?  These are the attacks I've been experiencing lately and that I've heard of others experiencing. And they are coming hard and fast as we approach our rescue date!   

 

I'm here to tell you that you are not alone. I'm here to expose the enemy's tactics, and to remind you to use the Word of God against these attacks! 

 

In the first one above, I'll leave it to you to look up the myriad verses that claim of God's faithfulness, His unchangeable character, His love for you, and the surety that He will answer all your prayers! The reasons I'm not listing them here is I want you to get into the Bible and see for yourself. You'll remember them better that way.

 

For number 2 above, what is required is that you recognize the temptation and call upon the Lord to rescue you. The Scripture says God never allows a temptation in which He does not provide a way of escape. This requires that you have your armor on. How do you do that? You stay in the Word and spend time with Jesus!  If you have slacked off on those things, you are making yourself vulnerable.

 

For the last 2 tactics of our enemy (the ones I've been suffering lately), I urge you again to use God's Holy Word. Remind the enemy that the Lord not only has forgiven you of all your sins, but that He doesn't even remember them. Remind the enemy that you are a new creature in Christ and the past is gone and forgotten. Remind the enemy that yes, you are a sinner, and as long as you are here on earth in your fallen body, you will sin, but that all your sin is covered by the blood of Jesus, and HE is changing you day by day into His image.  (These are all from the Bible, so look them up!)

 

It's also good to remember that the Apostle Paul said that he didn't even judge himself.

 

 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

 

In other words, when you start looking at your own sin and feeling bad, repent of it, ask the Lord to change your heart, and then let it go! Don't judge yourself. Only God is our judge.  This has really helped me when I come face to face with my own sin nature. I'm not talking about the Holy Spirit conviction here. The Holy Spirit does NOT make you feel guilty or unworthy. Instead, He gives a gentle nudge and points out your sin so you can then come to the Lord and repent. This should not leave you feeling unworthy or guilty at all.

 

One of the things I have done is memorize Romans 8 and recite it as often as I can.  It will bring you comfort regarding your sin and also reinforce how much God loves you!  There is also a verse in this great chapter that tells you exactly how to tell if you're saved or not. That way, when the enemy comes at you, trying to make you worry that you're not saved, you can go to this verse. 

 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  Romans 8:15-16

The Holy Spirit who lives within you will testify that you belong to God. You should have that witness in your spirit. In other words, you know if you are truly saved or not. 

So, don't let the enemy have the slightest opening in your life to get you off the narrow road (getting more narrow each minute) I heard a pastor say recently that in the garden, Eve should have never even listened to the snake. The minute the snake said "Did God really say....?"  Eve should have walked away. She knew better. She knew God. So, let's not be like Eve. The minute the enemy starts speaking, hold up your hand and walk away!  Better yet, as you are walking, cite Scripture!  I guarantee he will leave you alone.  

Yes, I'm back from my trip.. suffering a bit of jet lag, but doing well. I had fun with family and lots of good food. I even toured an old Spanish explorer ship and the Fort at St. Augustine! It was nice to get a break from the news also, but as I'm working on getting caught up, I see much has happened. Just yesterday, it seems the Iranian president has died in a helicopter crash?  We shall see what repercussions come of this. Until Friday, my dear friends....  Keep Looking Up!  We are close now.