The structure that once represented certain death now hangs on necklaces and stands in churches everywhere as a symbol of ultimate victory.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself fighting a demon or two this week. Timing is everything, even in the Kingdom of God. The timing here happened to be the day before Good Friday. In the body of Christ at large, that’s significant. When Jesus took His place on the cross, all hell broke loose.
Even now, as we honor the sacrifice of Good Friday, we can expect a similar experience. Similar, but not identical. The difference now is that we live in light of the resurrection. The structure that once represented certain death now hangs on necklaces and stands in churches everywhere as a symbol of ultimate victory.
So when we find ourselves fighting a demon or two, we can be assured that we fight on the winning side. The same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is alive and active in us. Fight on, soldier. Your reward is already in hand.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself fighting a demon or two this week. We know the enemy. He’s not hidden from us. We know his minions. They’re not hard to identify. Anything that sets itself up against Jesus qualifies as our enemy.
Anything that sets itself up against the authority of Jesus qualifies as our enemy.
Fear. Anxiety. Insecurity. Just to name a few.
How do you know that these things are demonic and not just the result of life? Think about it – what most often inspires fear? An inability to protect ourselves. What most often inspires anxiety? Fear of an unknown future. What causes us to be insecure? The feeling that we are either too much or not enough.
Do you see the connection? Every one of these examples tempts us to see ourselves as our only savior. Pride is at the root of these things and so many others, attempting to manipulate us to believe what we see instead of what we know…
… fear stems from an inability to protect ourselves. But we are the sheep of His pasture. He guards us. He holds us with His strong right hand – the hand of blessing. Him, not us. The same ‘Him’ who has already defeated hell. He, who has never lost a single battle. That’s Jesus who protects us. What do we have to fear?
Pride is constantly attempting to manipulate us to believe what we see instead of what we know.
… anxiety exists when we fear the unknown. But in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. Then the Word became flesh. Jesus… there in the beginning, victorious in the ending. There’s nowhere in time that He has not existed. There’s nothing that He does not know. And He’s got you.
Furthermore, we already know the enemy. We know who we fight. That’s not unknown to us. We know how to fight – with the sword of the Spirit, that is the word of God. Not unknown. Therefore, do not be anxious about anything.
… insecurity is rampant when we perceive that we are too much or not enough. We believe the lie that we can’t fulfill what is being asked of us, or that we will overwhelm those around us. And those lies give way to feelings that seem like facts. But the real truth is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, created for good works which He prepared for us in advance.
He knows what we are suited for because He was there when the Father knit every necessary ability into our creation. He knows the friendships and partnerships that we need to execute our mission because He is Himself community. No one understands like He does. Therefore, we can be confident, not in ourselves, but in His creation. He did this. He gave you life. And He will be the one to sustain it.
We can be confident, not in ourselves, but in His creation. He did this. He gave us life. And He is faithful to direct every step.
The enemy of your soul cannot send you emotions; he can only tell you lies. What you do with those lies can deeply impact your emotional state, but do not be misled. We experience emotions because God made us in His image. Our emotions are a reflection of our Creator. Satan can’t change that which is woven into your creation. But his lies – when gone unchecked – can convince you to.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself fighting a demon or two this week. Here’s the thing: the battles are going to happen. We are at war, wrestling not against flesh and blood, but war nonetheless. Wars are made up of battles fought by armies made up of soldiers.
Will you be found fighting? Or will be found cowering? Unless you are on the sidelines of life, doing nothing for the Kingdom, you can’t escape the fight. It’s everywhere. So how will you engage?
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself fighting a demon or two this week. He told us this would happen. “In this world, you will have trouble,” he said. “But take heart, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
The victory is already secured, even if the battle rages on.
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