This Month's Newsletter

There are primarily four different sources of conflicts in the life of a Christian.

1-The flesh... Matthew 7:20-23 tells us this... and Galatians 5:19-21 lists them all. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the life; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

2-Circumstances in life;
John 16:33 (NKJV)³³These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have over the world."

30The system of the world;
1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)¹⁵Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust and the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

4--The Devil himself;
Ephesians 6:10-12 (NKJV)¹⁰Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord in the power of His might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

--The first thing we must understand when difficulties come into our life is that they are not always a direct result of a satanic attack. In fact sometimes it can be quite difficult to identify the source. We need to use some discernment in the face of conflict to know when to stand and when not to. Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians 2:11 not to be ignorant of Satan's devises, for he is very deceptive and sneaky. For the sake of this study let's focus on Satan's tactics so they are more readily identified.

--He uses accusation; This is his number one weapon.

Rev. 12:10 identifies him as the accuser of the brethren. (US) Accusation works like a two edged sword. He accuses us both to God and to ourselves. Whenever God brings conviction of sin into our life to lead us to his remedy the cross, Satan accuses us in an attempt to discourage us, and cause us to want to give up. Friend don't let this happen.

--Next he looks for a weakness in our character; once Satan locates a character flaw he intensifies the attack by placing many hidden snares (traps) in the well worn path that we have created through much use.

--Oppression from his army; In the process of demonization, the demon power holds a measure of strength over a person. These powerful demons seek to build strongholds in people's lives both Christians and non-Christians alike. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

--Physical afflictions; If he can't get at you through your soul and spirit he will come after you through your body. At times he will afflict us with illnesses, sicknesses, and even personal injuries. Matthew 9:32.

--Hindrances; or delays are another strategy to abort the arrival of God's plan in your life. Daniel 10 tells us of a time when Satan hindered the arrival of God's divine impartation to him for 21 days, until he went into warfare by fasting and praying to get the message that God had for him.

--Deception; Rev. 12:9 calls him the one who deceives the whole world. He's the master of deception and error. Only eternity will reveal to us how many people he derailed in life through false teachings and erroneous beliefs.

--Distractions; God warns us in Proverbs 4:7 to turn not to the right or to the left in dealing with spiritual matters. Satan seeks to break our focus to get us wasting time on rabbit trails. Friend get rid of all distractions that lead you away from the will of God.

You may be wondering just what can I do against this tactic of the enemy? Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us clear instructions to putting on the armor of God for our defensive and offensive battles. We must depend on his might and not our own. We are in the position of victory in him.
Ephesians 3: 16-17. ¹⁶that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love.

So no matter what battle we are facing, our job is to be strong in him, who has already overcome Satan's evil powers.

Continued Next Month