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eisakouo

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Tag Archives: the will of God

Three Components of Every Spiritual Battle (Part 2) War Over the Will of God

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Times of Testing

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appeal, bait, Charles Swindol, devoted servants, fame, frontal assault, future and destiny, God's will and purpose, jesus in the desert, Luke 4:9-12, nature of a servant, notoriety, our God focus, popularization, response, Satanic Shortcut, shame, struggle, the will of God, three components to every spiritual battle, who we are in the Lord

Yesterday, I began blogging on the three components to every spiritual battle. From the devil’s attack upon Jesus in the desert (Luke 4) we can deduce we will face the same types of aggressions in our life. We began discussing Satan’s attack upon the word of God. The second battle Jesus faced and we will too is over the will of God.

9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written,‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You, and, On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘ You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Luke 4:9-12

This story is not about suicide but popularization or instant fame and notoriety. Jesus could have popularized Himself through an awesome display with the angels catching Him before He hit the bottom. This was never God’s will and purpose for His life. It was His Father’s will He took on the nature of a servant, not a celebrity. How many Christian’s need to understand this? This passage is fundamentally about the will and way of God.

When I was a younger believer…in my teens, I often wondered, “why didn’t God do more flashy, miraculous activities so that people would know He was for real?” What I didn’t know then, I discovered later as I grew in the Lord. God isn’t looking for enormous masses of people to follow Him. He is looking for devoted servants who love Him for Who He is. Jesus could have had notoriety at any moment of His life. He discouraged it and avoided it His whole life. This is the way of God.  Numbers don’t mean much in the Kingdom… Disciples do!

Many of the battles in which we find ourselves are over these same issues. Satan attempts to force us away from keeping our “God focus“. In addition, he creates scenarios which cause the will of God to become fuzzy and unclear, so we become sidetracked. Satan doesn’t want any believer to discover or maintain their God-ordained destiny. Therefore, he will attack or seek to steal our identity. If we lose track of who we are and why we are here… then we will fall prey to any alternative to God’s will. It is imperative we stand strong and stay focused on what God has spoken! If we fail to stay focused, then the temptation to take a “Satanic Shortcut” will suddenly appear to be the right course of action.

Think back in your own life to the times when Satan sidetracked you and got you to do anything but what the Lord originally said to do. Satan didn’t use a frontal assault to mislead you. No, he approached from a side road. He attacked another area of your life which was soft. Only after causing failures in another area was he able to cause doubts about your future and destiny.

I can’t imagine Jesus jumping off any building or bridge because Satan asked or tempted Him. But it is not so crazy when Satan tempts us with some short-cut scheme to bypass the will of God…is it? Unless we are absolutely certain about the word and will of God for our lives… we are open to being attacked.

Satan has a tried-and-true strategy for luring us into his net. (From Charles Swindol)

First, he lays out the bait. Satan knows people, like a skilled angler knows fish. He notes our habits. He observes our hangouts. Then he prepares a tailor-made lure and drops it right in front of our noses.

Second, he comes with the appeal. He can’t make us bite, but he does know what happens inside us when we catch a glimpse of his tantalizing bait. Our fleshly nature draws us to it. We linger over it. We toy with it. We roll it over in our minds until it consumes our imagination.

Third, the struggle begins. Immediately, our conscience jabs us in the ribs, warning us of the danger. We know it’s wrong to take a bite. We may even see the barbed consequences poking through the bait. But Satan’s invitation looks so delicious. What do we do?

Fourth, the temptation ends with the response. Either we resist or yield; swim away or swallow it whole. Anyone who has resisted knows the feeling of freedom that decision brings. On the other hand, anyone who has yielded knows the feeling of emptiness that follows and the pain of the hook in your cheek.

Getting people to “sin” is not Satan’s end-game. No, he wants us to forget “who we are” in the Lord. He wants us to become so discouraged over our failures, we give up seeking to realize our God-given destiny. His short cuts and schemes are simply dead-ends and paths to nowhere. If you find yourself here… repent and return to the last word God gave you. There is no shame in being tricked and deceived by the devil. The only real shame is staying there.

Part Three – War Over Our Worship

 

Blessings,

Pastor

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“Tests” – Part of the Spiritual Process

09 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Times of Testing

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denial, fail, failures, find God, I Peter 4:12, John 6:5-6, spiritual pop quizzes, the will of God, times of testing, weakness

Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.  John 6:5-6

      Let’s face it, most believers are in denial concerning the testings of the Lord.  Whether we admit to it or not, the Lord does allow times of testing so that we might know where we stand, spiritual speaking.  These “pop quizzes” are opportunities for us to discern whether we are making it or faking it!  Tests are God’s diagnostic tools.  Yeah!  The Lord is not out to hurt us, but to help us along in our journey to be like Christ. 

      Like the test in our passage today, our times of testing are predetermined by the Lord.  Jesus knew what He was going to do in situations like this, but Phillip and the rest were totally confounded.  It is my observation that if the Lord gives you a test, especially your first time through the test, you are usually going to fail that test!  Failure is not a bad thing.  Remember, tests are a part of the growing process, not opportunities for you to appear like a perfect Christian before the Lord.  If you really have your act together, you wouldn’t have received the test. 

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;  I Peter 4:12

      Our goal should be to welcome all the movements of God in our lives, including tests.  The truth is God grows us in our weakness and failures, not in our successes.  Most us are just like Phillip in our story today.  We struggle with the tasks the Lord gives us.  We cannot feed 15,000 people with no resources.  We say things like, “I’m just struggling with the will of God.”  We say it like God’s will is an obstacle to overcome.  We are suggesting that ministry would be easier if God were out of the picture.  The real struggle is not with God’s will, but our will!  So we say things like, “How am I going to get all this done with so few resources.   Where am I going to get enough bread, enough fish, enough resources to feed all of God’s people.” 

     Like Phillip, God tests us enough times until we have seen the situation enough to recognize the testing and then grow.  The Lord requires that we “find Him” inside the test.  The real test is to find God when you absolutely need Him most! 

      How are you going to feed the multitudes in your life?  Find the Lord and find the answer.  Whatever you are going through, find the Lord in the midst of your time of testing and everything will change.  The Lord is not trying to pull you under, but to put you over to the next level.

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