The enemy is real and he does not want you to know or understand that he has been and will be defeated! He does not want you to feel comfortable rebuking him in your prayers, out loud or especially in front of others. He does not want you to know that we have the authority, by the blood of Jesus to cast him out of our minds, our marriages, our homes, our schools, our neighborhoods ext. ext. He does not want you to know that you can pray mighty prayers of protection over your children too!
I said I was going to speak more about being well and this my friends is the next most important part.
The enemy does not want you to remember or think on all the healing God has likely already provided. All the miracles big and small that have been woven into your life and story so that the greatest one, frankly the only one that matters, could take place... your acceptance of Christ as Savior and our welcoming in as Son's and Daughter's of the one true God! That means, It IS Well!
Here is what the enemy does want, for us to believe that if our earthly "healing" as WE have defined and desire it doesn't come, that we are not "well". That somehow we have been forgotten. Left out. Abandoned. Or worse, that God is angry with us and is punishing us! That he has forsaken us or maybe changed his mind about us entirely. None of this is true because these are not the biblical attributes or promises of God.
A friend of mine told me years ago that "the enemy knows he cannot have us, so he wants to render us useless." Let that sink in.
You see, the Bible tells us in John 10:28 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never parish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." The enemy does not have power and authority to steal us away or to rob us of the promises of God. So, his sneaky trick is to use whatever he can to at the very least keep us quiet. This way the people who need to hear about Jesus and our personal stories of Salvation as a light to their path towards him, are kept in the dark.
I am going to go out on a dangerous but necessary limb here and say that I firmly believe that in many cases the enemy tries to use our struggles as a weapon against us. Anxiety (for example) is not new to our age. In 1 Peter 5 one of my favorite verses is "cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (v.7) Right before this it tells us to "humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, that he may lift us up in due time" (v.6) Right after it says "Be alert and of sober mind your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (v.8)
I need to acknowledge and say loud and clear that your pain is real and valid! There are many types of pain and many reasons for them. Mental or physical. Is your pain connected to your faith or lack there of, maybe, but also, maybe not! I am not God, only he knows the details and we should never judge or assume. Should you repent of sin that you are feeling convicted on, absolutely! Should you forgive those who have hurt you and not harbor resentments and bitterness, Yes! (Still working on this one myself) Should you pray in belief that God can heal you, Please Do! Does the outcome of all this guarantee "healing" or have any bearing on the sovereignty and goodness of God...NO! But the prowling enemy sure wants to convince you it does. So when our expectations of God in our situation are seemingly unmet, we begin to doubt and question. Worse case scenario, we turn away from God.
If the enemy can convince us of these lies do you think we will be shouting God's praises? Will we want to fight for our marriage? Have hope in our darkness? Feel equipped to battle the addiction, illness or circumstance that is threatening to take us down? Will we write the devotional or start the ministry that we were sure God was calling us to? I doubt it, and the enemy is counting on it! Worst of all, could you decide that this life is to much? That no one needs you, that the pain will never end, that you cannot take one more breath...this is surely the enemies ultimate goal.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians that he was given a "thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." (ch.12 v.7) He goes on to explain that "three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me"(v.8) but the Lord said to him "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"(v.9) Again, I do not know why you are suffering and I do believe you CAN be healed. I just feel so compelled to expose what God has made clear is a scheme of the enemy to stop you dead in your tracks...Your healing does not equal your wellness! Do not be fooled! Please here me loud and clear...If you BELIEVE, you can declare it is well with my soul! You can go about whatever business God has set before you despite the pain, boasting in your weakness and allowing Christ's power to rest on you!
Not Today Satan...(More to come)
Live Loved,
Melissa
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