Deliver me from mine
enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Psalm 59:1
To whom it may concern;
This
letter is written to my fellow brethren in Christ which have of late found
themselves dealing with contention on multiple fronts: take courage, for you
are not alone. Nor have these conflicts come upon you because of
deficiencies in your walk with Jesus Christ. Indeed, the struggles have come
from your commitment to Him, and are a fulfillment of scripture.
Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same
afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the
God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle you. I Peter 5:8-10
At
least here in America, I think that Christians are usually under the impression
that their lives ought to be accompanied by prosperity, and peaceful relations
with all other human beings. This is not, however, what the Bible teaches, or
what Jesus lived while here in the flesh.
Think not that I am
come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am
come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes
shall be they of his own household. Matthew 10:34-36
If ye were of the
world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. John
15:19
Confirming the souls of
the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Acts 14:22
Yea, and all that will
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. II Timothy 3:12
It
becomes a confusing message when you see some acclaimed Christian leaders being
well received by nearly every one; it’s as if they had some special
dispensation which gives them a favorability that the Word of God doesn’t
teach—and that Jesus himself didn’t have.
After these things
Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews
sought to kill him. John 7:1
Always
trust your Bible, for that is the TRUTH. We have been warned that such
religious leaders would come.
Woe unto you, when all
men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Luke 6:26
For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. II Timothy 4:3,
4
For such are false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the
ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. II Corinthians 11:13-15
Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast
out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew
7:21-23
And so
it is, that many church leaders will promote the false idea that Christians
ought to be at peace with everyone in their lives. It’s easy enough to support
this notion through a few well-chosen scriptures, yet all the while they ignore
the vast testimony of God’s Word. This false notion about Christian peace can
be a real stumbling block. To accept this false notion of peace means that not
only will we have to deal with our contentions, but that then we will also have
self condemnation for even having a problem at all. Let us know, and cling to
the truth of God’s Word, and we will be set free (John 8:31,32).
The
truth of the matter is this; Satan is our arch foe, and he is going to bring
warfare against us. His intent is to steal our faith, or discourage us, and to
keep us from witnessing for Jesus Christ. We do in fact want peace, but the
enemy won’t let that happen. And Satan especially likes to afflict us in a
diversionary way—he doesn’t want us to think that it’s him, or that we are
suffering for our faith. The devil learned long ago that when Christians know
they are suffering for their faith, they get stronger. Therefore the enemy will
attack us through many things which seem natural, or ordinary. Yet the Bible
assures us that it is the devil, and so we must arm ourselves for the
fight.
Put on the whole armour
of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on
the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:11-18
In the Old Testament, God’s people had many
physical wars with neighboring enemies. In the New Testament, our fight is spiritual, but it is still warfare.
But Elymas the sorcerer
(for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the
deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the
Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all
mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou
not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of
the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a
season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went
about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what
was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. Acts
13:8-12
For though we walk in
the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ; II Corinthians 10:3-5
This charge I commit
unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee,
that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; I Timothy 1:18
Thou therefore endure
hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth
himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen
him to be a soldier. II Timothy 2:3,4
Beloved, when I gave
all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me
to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the
faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 3
We can
learn a lot through David, who God refers to twice as “a man after His own
heart” in I Samuel 13:14, and Acts 13:22. In II Samuel
chapter 10, we find David sending servants to comfort Hanun the King of Ammon,
after the death of his father, Nahash. The intent was sincere, but Hanun
treated these servants shamefully, and then brought war against Israel, though
David had treated them well! Could this be the inspiration for Psalm 120:6,7?
My soul hath long dwelt
with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 120:6,7
We also
read of another enemy encounter, through David in Psalm 55:12-14…20,21
For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have
borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me;
then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide,
and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the
house of God in company…. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at
peace with him: he hath broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were
smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil,
yet were they drawn swords. Psalm 55:12-14…20,21
The
enemy being written of here would not be easy to spot, yet it is an effective
way for Satan to attack—from those you wouldn’t typically suspect. And this is where
our lives (myself and my wife) connect with the truth of the scripture.
We knew
a man in the flesh, who was a neighbor, and a professing Christian. For above
10 years we lived with him both peacefully and helpfully. Never did we suspect
the true inner nature of this man. He began to wage war against us, at first in
secret, but later openly, once he was exposed. The Lord showed us that we had
never really known this man: and that what we were facing wasn’t really a man
at all, but an evil spirit. And evidence readily came forth to support what God
had shown us in secret. There is too much to write about here, and for the sake
of privacy I cannot be more detailed. Yet I earnestly want those in the same
type of battle to be assured that you are not alone, and to encourage you in
this fight. Our own battle with this enemy lasted more than 50 months from the
time we first knew that something was wrong.
Blessed be the LORD my
strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: Psalm
144:1
When
the Bible lists characteristics for mankind in the last days, it says such
things as they will be “haters of God” (Romans 1:30), and “despisers of
those that are good” (II Timothy 3:3). It also states that these will
have a form of godliness which denies
God’s power (II Timothy 3:5). In light of such descriptions, attacks
upon us should be an unfortunate expectation.
Many
will be the attacks of the enemy upon us, brethren. Yet God will remain
faithful through them all both for His glory, and our spiritual good. God has a
plan. And along the way you shall have ample proof of the continual presence of
our Savior.
For which cause we
faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day
by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are
seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. II
Corinthians 4:16-18
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