Understanding the Enemy!

[RGR]

Umm, birthday isn't until tomorrow! For some reason the boards show me ahead on my time even though I've went into my control panel thingee and reset my time. Guess I'll PM George and ask him or post down in the one forum on questions to him. I turn the BIG 30 tomorrow! Who would've thunk it? It seemed like it would take me forever to hit driving age and now here I am married for 8 1/2 years with 3 kids and graying hair and goatee!!!!! I think it's time to check into getting something done about the gray hair-everything else I'm happy about! Thanks for the wishes.

[Guest Teri]

George this is all so true and I am willing to bet we have all been given over to that tormentor a time or two. Think of the times we have lain in bed with a battle raging in our heads because of someone we are angry at. The person we have not forgiven is probably sleeping peacefully while we can not sleep due to unforgiveness.

My degree is in psychology and it has always been interesting to me that when people carry a resentment long enough, say a person who was abused as a child, or molested becomes what they hate. This is a long and horrible path to a person learning to let go of their hatred because they can never heal from their own sins until they forgive the sins committed against them. Forgiveness is the key to their healing, but sad to say most of the secular world of counseling doesn't get it.

I don't like being angry it's quite uncomfortable and I have learned over the years the fastest way to get rid of it is through forgiveness and a hug is always nice too. And it really doesn't matter what the other person did because two seconds after the offense it's part of the past and can not be changed. We can actually discipline ourselves to be forgiving almost immediately when we stop using the excuse to be angry because of the offense. It's as simple as standing there right after or in the moment and saying ok God I'm giving this one to you because I can't do a thing about it and the only part I have in it to this point is forgiveness. We let that second go by and usually we go into the mode of having a part in it and then we need forgiveness and have to do repentance. We either attack the other person verbally or go running around and gossip about them. No matter what another has done to us we don't get to excuse our own sins because of theirs. This of course has taken me years to get, and I'm still working on it.

Thank you for the reminder

In Yeshua's love

Teri

[Adstar]

Hello Friends

Matthew 6

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Notice what it says in verse 12

12And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

What was Jesus revealing here? What are people saying when they say this?

Is it hey God forgive me?

Or is it Hey God forgive me in the same way that I forgive others. Are we not asking God to forgive us to the same extent we forgive others?

Something to think about.

All Praise The Ancient Of Days

[George]

Understanding the Deadly D's is crucial in walking in freedom!

Discouragement, Dispair, Despondancy, Disallusionment, Dejection, Depression, and Distress, and Defeatism.

The enemy knows how to manipulate our emotions, our feelings and how to get our minds sidetracked and off of the Lord!

How do we become overcomers when the Deadly D's are used?

First we have to realize we we are in Him! Who you are in Him is not based on an emotion -- or a feeling -- it's a fact! Recognize that you are more than a conqueror -- but we can only be a conqueror THROUGH HIM!

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Recognize what your position is in Him! Recognize that you are a king! You are called to be part of the Royal Priesthood.

Revelation 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Recognize where you are seated as part of the Royal Priesthood! You are spiritually seated in the heavenlies!

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

You have been given full authority over the enemy! You need to assert that authority in your life -- most of all assert it in your mind!

Luke 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Now when the enemy comes at you with the deadly D's -- assert the promises of God and stand on the victory already provided. Don't let the deadly d's have a place in your mind! Decide to focus your mind on Him -- focus your mind on the salvation provided -- focus your thoughts -- renew your mind!

2Cor 10:4-5  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  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;

Be an overcomer through Him and recognize the enemy tries to manipulate emotions -- overcome negative emotions with God's promises and then you will overcome the deadly d's!

Your brother in Messiah with much agape love,

George

[George]

When discussing the enemy I am attributing the ways the forces of darkness are constantly warring against us.

Ephesians 6:11,12 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.

May God bless you,

Your brother in Messiah with much agape love,

George

[George]

Now the most interesting Deadly D!

Doubt! Oh how the enemy loves to shoot firey arrows of doubt into our lives!

Ephesians 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Notice we are to take up the shield of FAITH against what? What is the antithesis of faith -- doubt. The enemy loves to attack with thoughts of doubt and these attacks will never cease.

D.L. Moody was told by a lady, "I have been a Christian for xxx years and I have never doubted my salvation." D.L. Moody replied, "Ma'am I have to wonder if you are truly saved." Why? Because we are constantly attacked with thoughts of doubt and how do we respond to doubt?

We need to take hold of the Word --

Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith comes by the Word of God! We need to immerse ourselves in the Word, we need to become in tuned with the Word! As we grow in our knowledge of the Word, in our understanding of the Word -- then our shields of faith become larger and larger! We may constantly be attacked with doubt, but we will have the faith to shrug off all the fiery arrows of doubt the enemy sends our way!

Your brother in Messiah with much agape love,

George

[Faith1]

More Great stuff George - love the D's

Emotions - Yes you are so right about those being a target for satan. The renewal of the mind is such an incredibly (sp) important part of our walk I believe. It all starts in your thinking.

I think that women have more of a problem with emotional reactions rather than men! Just my observation is all. The facts of biblical truths and promises sometimes bypass the intellect and settle in the emotions and thereby become distorted because of over sensitivity of feelings then the negative thinking comes in to play and literally all hell breaks loose..what a battle that can cause. But God is good and will continue to whisper in that 'still small voice' to again focus on His truths and promises.....and by faith lay hold of them so that we are once again stabalized.

This has been my experience anyway, and my comment about women above was in no way a sexist put down (I am a woman after all) but just a general observation on my part.

Look how satan was so clever in going and tempting the woman first so that he may get to the man, but ultimately to foil God's plan (which we know did not/has not/and never will suceed) he stirred her emotion and curiosity..and we know the rest of the story....

Anyway great reading here George, again I thank God for you and give Him all the praise and glory it is His blessed work in you.

F1

(had to edit this 3x lol my grammar/spelling sucks and to think I passed english with flying colours hey! it's been a while since those school days any chance of a spell checker on the board? )

Edited December 5, 2003 by Faith1

[George]

Now the big F!

FEAR!

Amazingly FEARS are constantly used by the enemy and we need to recognize that FEAR never comes from God, but always comes either from within ourselves or is a direct attack of the enemy.

Some of the biggest reasons why the body of Messiah does not accomplish more is because of fear. Fear is such a huge topic that I will spend several posts going through the fears that hinder our walk the most and how to overcome our fears!

FEAR of man -- is one of the biggest hinderances to sharing the gospel. How many times do we let this fear of what someone will think about us to sharing the gospel message?

But FEAR of man is broken with the anointing of the Spirit.

Act 4:31  And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Notice that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is directly connected with sharing the Word of God boldly! The Greek word for boldness is parrhesia. Notice what the definition for parrhesia in the Thayers Lexicon.

1) freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech

1a) openly, frankly, i.e without concealment

1b) without ambiguity or circumlocution

1c) without the use of figures and comparisons

2) free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance

If you want to overcome the fear of man in your life, you need to seek for a deeper anointing. Seek to be bold with the Gospel message! Recognize that the forces of darkness DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SHARE the gospel message!

So how do you overcome this fear? Ask the Lord for the anointing to be bold with the Word!

Luke 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Your brother in Messiah with much agape love,

George

[Faith1]

Amen Amen this is like sponge to water I love this thread.

Learning, learning, learning

[JesusisGod2]

Keep it coming brother! I really need this.

Another thing about a woman Faith, is that their minds do well at soaking up information like a sponge, but men on the other hand-- -at least me, will have to go back and read this about 10 times before I get the whole of it

I know my wife has an amazing knack of remembering detail, me, well lets just say women have an amazing gift of detail. I have trouble remembering my phone number

George, this is great stuff Brother, keep it coming!

do you remember the old book "The Adversary"? This is a great book on the schemes of the enemy of which by your thread I feel I will read again, its been a while