by David Brenneman
Wars take place between the people's of this world. Over various ideologies and various purposes they do these things. Someone in some high position determines on his own or through various counselors that is the path they will take. These are the wars that are seen.
With the lives of everyone are battles over the souls of people. Satan's on one side with his demons and the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus and His Holy Angels are on the other.
The onus is on us to recognize God's truth concerning Jesus Christ. His birth, life, death, burial and resurrection. To receive His free gift of salvation through faith.
When we go out into our lives, the world in which we live, we are going into the other battlefield. The first battlefield is our minds.
There's no time in which an assault will not happen. The truth of the Bible is plain for all to understand with regards to these things.
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8.
When anyone is close to coming to Christ the battles intensify. When Satan gets a notion on the possible future path of someone who has come to Christ he steps up his game.
What probably annoys him to no end is this Biblical truth: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:28-39.
There's been more than a few times when I have recognized the spiritual battles in others. On a few rare occasions I can truthful say with all confidence that I have directly been in the presence of demons. I have worked with people whom I am convinced are possessed by demons.
In my life much of my earlier years were spent under great mental assaults by this enemy of God.
The truth is you and I cannot escape, cannot hide away, cannot separate ourselves from these battles. We come to Christ we will be persecuted. The Bible says this. We read earlier that we overwhelming conquer through our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing this world can do to us nor the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The Bible says this as well.
Many churches do not preach the whole counsel of God. They aren't teaching that which is everything about this world, who has usurped the control of it and what is coming.
Jesus made a promise over 2,000 years ago to come back. He is going to. He followed through with all the hundreds of places in the Old Testament concerning His first coming. He will return just as the Angels told the Apostles.
Your choices and decisions aren't as random as you might think. You can think your just out to have a fun day a largely deceptive carefree day. Being a Believer or not, you are on the radar of the Spiritual forces of darkness as well as on the mind of Jesus Christ at all times.
Satan's wanting to thwart the plans of God for you. The Spirit is working all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
A Believer must must must be proactive in these battles. This is why and where praying without ceasing comes from. This is what it means by setting your mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world is about.
The unbelieving cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned...this is what the Bible explicitly says.
The battle is over you.
You who are saved...the war is about getting you to be ineffective in your walk with Jesus. By every approved means possible. The book of Job eludes to the truth that Satan's got to get permission with those who are Believer's.
You who aren't saved...in some respects he still must get approval but in many he is going to use whatever he knows about you against you...which is everything since he has no need to sleep.
You are only under the protection of the Spirit of God by coming to Christ for salvation.
This begins the relationship with Jesus Christ that grows you in Christ. There is no just acknowledging Him. Demons do that and at least shudder. Jesus isn't your man upstairs. He's not your buddy to only call upon when life gets to be a bit much for you.
As the book of Revelation wraps up towards the end of it..there's a time of the final judgment of God concerning all mankind.
Coming to Christ for salvation places your name in the book of life. If you cannot honestly say that you are indeed saved your name is not written there. You will not go to Heaven based on how great a person you think you are. Salvation in Christ Jesus is based on the greatness of Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. Grace.
I have been a Believer most of my life. I cannot fathom what people who don't have Jesus as their Lord and Savior go through navigating this world alone go through. I see misery in the eyes of people who don't know Him as their Lord and Savior. I see fear. I see a stubborn refusal to acknowledge their need for Jesus in their lives. I have seen people cry out for help but refuse the hand of Jesus reaching out to them.
My Dear Reader...receiving Christ Jesus as your Savior is more than saving your soul. It's a personal relationship that brings you into the love of God that you will never see nor understand outside of it.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16. Most know this passage. Read the rest.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:16-21.
You will either push this message away or receive it. You will feel the war within yourself over this. There is more coming that you will only understand in light of the real relationship with Jesus that He wants to have with you.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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