Satan is alive and well and after you

   I first got this message in Jan 2012,  after we were unjustly treated by a fellow church member.

It left us reeling.  We were so hurt.  We struggled with what to do next. What follows is the "gameplan" that we came up with.  I wish that I could tell you that everything has been resolved, that we are now living happily ever after, but that is not way it is.  The ripple effect of that situation continues.  What I can tell you is that God's Word is truth, and that God is faithful to complete the work He started in us.

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Satan is not after the lost, he already has them. Satan is after us, the children of God, the church!

Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8

For our struggles is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) 
  

When the attack came, we were tempted to react in an ungodly manner. But that would only have played right into Satan’s plan.

     Do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27)

We wanted to react with:       The Word tells us:

Anger                         Have you any right to be angry? (Jonah 4:4)

Anxiety/worry           Be anxious about nothing. (Phil 4:6)

Fear                           For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power,love and self control

                                          ( 1Tim 1:7 )

Withdrawal                Let us not give up meeting together, let us encourage one another. 

                                           (Hebrews 10:25)

Hate                           Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)

Retaliation                 Do not repay anyone evil with evil. Vengeance is mine says the Lord. 

                                           (Romans 12:17-19)

Judgment                    Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  (Matt 7:1)

Grudges                      Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and every form of

                                    malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other.  

                                             (Ephesians 4:31,32)

Pride                         Pride goes before a destruction (Proverbs 16:18) 

Instead, we chose to remain Christlike.

Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground,

And after you have done everything, to stand.      

Stand firm, then with the belt of truth around your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet  fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation,

and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers.   (Ephesians 6:13-18)

Resist the devil and he will flee. (James 4:7)

And always remember that it is: Not my ability, but God’s!   Not my battle, but the Lord’s

Put on the full armor (AKA: I ran over a Rabbit)

   

   I ran over a rabbit.

   He ran from one side of the road to the other. 3 times he zigged and zagged   Just when I thought it was OK for me to drive on, he zigged right back under my wheels to his death.            

                        

I thought about his crazy actions and realized that they were an instinctual way to avoid his enemy. But I was not a fox, and his usual strategies to escape his natural enemies failed him when he came head to head with my car.

   The "aha" moment: I focus on learning all about Jesus, but I try to avoid satan, who, all the while is roaming to and fro, seeking to devour me. 

    Avoidance is not a strategy that works.  Not only must I put on the full armor of God, I must become intimately acquainted with my enemy and his tactics so that I may be able to use the weapons of my warfare.

   Ephesians 6:  10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.…