Know Your Enemy's Tactics

Before we dive into the deeper waters of spiritual warfare, I feel led (and have for weeks for this series) to help you have a better understanding of what spiritual warfare is and what place is has in our lives.

For years I lived in a place of fear in regards to the enemy. I’d dabbled with some of the occult as a teen without a Christian upbringing or someone to explain to me that God is bigger and more powerful and always will be.

As I stepped into faith I began to learn and understand this truth, to understand that God is in complete control, even of satan and the extent of his evil plans (i.e. what he’s allowed to do. The book of Job is a good example), but I still worked and prayed from a place of fear in dealing with the enemy.

One of the biggest lessons I took away from Kris Valloton’s book, Spirit Wars, and his sermon by the same title (you can buy the video at iBethel.com) is that the enemy is only a threat if we let him. We give him way too much credit and influence in our lives. So here’s the understanding that God has given me.

Growing old is a part of life, right? We can either pretend we will never grow old and live like there’s no tomorrow, or we do things proactively to age well. Like exercise, eating healthy foods, going to the doctor to keep tabs on how our body is functioning, taking vitamins, etc. Without these measures we can wind up feeling sluggish, sick and out of shape. Especially the older we get. You get the picture.

Much like aging, spiritual warfare is a fact of our spiritual life. It’s inevitable—a part of our faith just like aging is part of our bodily progression. We can either walk through our faith, pretending the enemy won’t try to threaten our spiritual wellness (much like pretending that Big Mac habit isn’t going to mess with your cholesterol level) or we can be prepared, alert and proactive so that we walk in victory, no matter what stage we are at. Victories come in all shapes and sizes, my friends. Don’t forget that.

We don’t need to fear aging though we might not like it. Nor do we need to fear spiritual warfare. In fact, when we come at if from a place of fear, we are ineffective. Jesus didn’t not give us a spirit of fear, dear ones. He gave us a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Second Timothy 1:7 tells us that very clearly in Paul’s instructions for Timothy to live faithfully and boldly in his gifts and calling.

And now I’m reminding you of this truth. We are the ones with power AND authority. The enemy holds no important place in your life and is more like an annoying fly on your wall. Smack him away and give him no purchase, place, or hold in your life!

There’s one other thought I want to pass on to you, something I took away from Bethel that freed me to try things and not be so concerned about doing things “right” every time. We aren’t teaching you to look for a demon in every corner nor are we saying every situation or trial involves an evil spirit. Sometimes it’s clear but other times it’s not. The thing is, it never hurts to pray. If you think an evil spirit might be involved, pray against it. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, then ask God for wisdom and guidance on to approach the issue differently. Nothing wrong with covering your bases.

Now, let’s take a walk into the wilderness—as observers, not participants. Go to Matthew 4:1-2 with me and let’s look at the testing of Jesus. If you look at the sequence of events, you will discover some key details here.

1. Jesus knew the tempter would come. He was not surprised by His enemy. Jesus expected this time of testing and knew it was part of His preparation for what was to come. We needed a Savior who understood us completely, even to our temptations.
2. Jesus fasted before he was tempted. Again, Jesus is aware of what He would face so He prepared himself for the confrontation. I love what Kris Vallotton says about fasting—that he fasts to bring God near, not to fight the enemy. He even refers to Psalm 23 where it says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” We fast for God, we feast before our enemy. That is the victory that comes from the battle!
3. Jesus expected His enemy to come in His time of weakness. Here again, Jesus prepared for this because He knew the enemy would attack at His weakest time—when He was hungry, tired and weak. Sound familiar? My friends, the enemy is a coward and will attack you in your weak spots. It’s important to know your weaknesses, identify them and prepare ahead of time (read and memorize Scripture, pray, ask for prayers, etc.) so that you can recognize when you’re just having a bad day or if the enemy has decided you are his target practice. Then you can recognize the enemy’s hand and win the battles when they come. Or even better, avoid them! Remember 1 Cor. 10:13.

In the next part of this series, I will show you three areas that the enemy tempted Jesus and how these are critical “hot spots” for us to understand how the enemy tempts us. There’s more to these stories than just the testimony of Jesus’ temptation and perseverance. They reveal the deepest areas that the enemy targets in us to take away our authority and victory in Jesus by making us think we are ineffective and powerless.

My friends, many of you are in this place already. I was for a long time too, but God has brought me from that place, and now I get to share that with you. We are on this journey together to gain ground, regain ground and step into the full inheritance we have in Jesus. With that, I leave you with this powerful piece of truth:

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:9-11 (emphasis mine)

Even our enemy knows his limitations and Who he is answerable to—to Jesus. Even he has to bow down to Jesus and fear the name of our Lord and Savior. And you are a coheir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Now think about that for a while.

I can’t wait until next time to share more of these truths right from God’s precious Word! You will be empowered and equipped!

Love you so very much, my precious friends! I am praying for you—for your victory!
Dineen

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Weekend Worship — Thank You, Rosheeda!

My friends, many of us spent this last week fasting and praying under the guidance of our dear friend, Rosheeda Lee. Ro has led this yearly fast for four years now and each year is different and phenomenal! If you didn't get to participate, don't worry! We plan to do this again in the next several months. I know I'm looking forward to that as well since I didn't get to do the whole week. And once a year just isn't enough.

So today, ask God for blessings for Ro. She has been part of our community from almost the very start and is now an integral part of this ministry. Ro also manages our Twitter page, something we desperately needed help with. Love how God put that together. I prayed for help and she emailed asking, "God said I need to help. What can I do?"

Seriously! I kid you not!

And Ro is always praying for Lynn and I and the SUM community. She's prayed for many of us this past week in detail too! 

Ro, thank you so much for all you have done this last week. It's been inspiring, uplifting and beautiful! We love you so much!

Father God, rain your blessings down upon Ro. Show Your deep pleasure with what she has done to serve You this week. Holy Spirit, please continue to increase in Ro so that every day increases her awareness of You and what You're doing around her. Lord Jesus, thank You for Ro's precious heart and for sending her to us. We are so thankful for her. In your powerful name, Jesus, amen!

NEXT WEEK: Be sure to come back on Monday as Lynn and I begin our spiritual warfare series. We have so much to share with you that we know will bless and empower you! 

And now, let's worship!
Love you all dearly, my friends!
Dineen 

 

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Day One of a Fasting Community

Community Fast - Day Two

Day Four - The Power and Humility of A Fast

What Will You Take With You From This Fast?

What Will You Take With You From This Fast?

Receive the Holy Spirit

***Before we get to what God has for us today, I just want you to know intensely special this week has been for me. I cherish the opportunity to serve this ministry in this way every year. I know the power and might of the God we serve for myself and it is my greatest passion that others know it too. My heart has cried out as I completed today's post because I KNOW how hard it is to keep going. I KNOW how hard it is to trust God and to really truly take Him at His word when everything and everyone - including my own self - says to just let go and walk away. I have seen God start keeping promises this week that I have been praying for ten years. I have seen His faithfulness start to manifest in such a way that burdens that have brought me to my knees up until very recently have been lifted. I have been challenged with you to give more of myself and to receive more of my LORD. Please know that this year's fast has been intensely personal for me and that I carry you in my hearts and sisters (and brothers), warriors, and friends. I love you. Ro***

Acts 2:38-39  Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

This is the last post of our fast, gang! I have wrestled with this one all week, because I wasn't sure what the Lord would have me share. And in all honesty, I struggled to pick just ONE verse from Acts 2 because the whole thing is just so poignant. But the part that in red, that's the part that has rested with me since Sunday.

Receive the Holy Spirit.

When I read the chapter, I thought of all the signs and wonders and of God pouring His Spirit out on all flesh, but then I kept reading and low and behold, as I read, another word came to mind: BELIEVE.

That's really what it's all about. You can fast, you can pray, you can give away all your possessions, you can even be privy to some amazing miraculous displays. But if you don't believe, if you don't allow your heart to open up and welcome the gift of the Holy Spirit - if you refuse to accept the greatness and the grandeur of the God who loves you enough to save your soul, then how will you ever really know the depths of His love for you?

The day of Pentecost came and people began speaking in tongues. But at the end of the day, even after such a display of power and greatness, some called them drunkards. Peter preached a sermon, explaining what was happening, inviting them into relationship - not only salvation, but sanctification. And he even gave them a promise at the end, for their children and themselves and all those who God plans to call to Himself! (Which, by the way, is also His promise to you and to me!)

I daresay that some of them STILL were willing to write it all off as just a little too much wine.

That makes me sad. It grieves me in my spirit to think that after all the work, all the buildup, all the display, we could be those who refuse to just believe.

The Lord spoke to me once a few years ago, when the fire was the hottest and I was at my weakest point: 'You have obeyed Me. Now I want you to believe Me.'

I am asking you now, having given of yourself and given up your own wants - having obeyed scripture to fast and pray, would you throw it all away by not believing the One who holds the power of life and death in His hands?

Tonight at 7pm, your sacrifice will be made complete. Don't let your week be wasted, don't let your sacrifice be in vain. Today's prayer is very simple:

Abba Father,

Help me to believe.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Gang, I really love you.

Ro

Day Three - The Call

Lord, I Accept Your Call

2 Samuel 5:1-2 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.’”

There is so much here... God called David to leadership, and had him walking in that call even before the throne was free for him to be seated. He was leading those God called him to shepherd even before Saul was dethroned. The Lord spoke to David even before it came to pass, 'You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over Israel.'

God asked David to accept the call even before the people that he was called to lead were free to accept it. David took all that he had learned from shepherding and intimacy with God and led a people whose following of him was not necessarily an intentional thing in the beginning, but more an instinct. And in the end, when they were free of Saul's rule, they came to David willingly - because they trusted his leadership and his heart for them - and declared themselves one with the new king.

Israel gave to David what David gave to God.

As believers, our initial following of God is more instinct and convenience than anything. Over time and as He proves Himself, that instinct becomes an intentional act of submission and love, borne of great trust and confidence in who the Lord is to us personally. We align ourselves with our King. We become one with Him because we can trust His vision.

We accept His call, just as King David did. David led because God asked Him to, not because that was the position that someone had given him. He understood and was humble enough to simply say 'Yes Lord' and to do the job set before him, trusting God for the outcome.

Adonai,
I come to you and I simply say 'yes Lord'. I will accept Your call. I will take all that I have learned, all that I am learning even now, and I will do the job You have set before me. I will trust You for the outcome.

Help me to align myself with You, help me to allow myself to become one with You as I learn to embrace Your vision. May I be a leader worthy of the call.

In Your Son's Name, Amen.

Ro

(Please share with us how you fast is going and what the Lord is revealing to you, Hugs, Rosheeda, Lynn and Dineen.)

Community Fast - Day Two

Lord, I Surrender The Rules

2 Corinthians 3:6 ...who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

When I read it here's how my heart interpreted it: God you have done a new thing and You have made me someone you call worthy to be part of it. It's not about keeping the rules, it's about knowing Your heart; the rules rob us of truth, but the heart gives us life because it gives us real intimacy with You.

So much power and such a confidence booster! Ya'll, God doesn't want us to be rule-followers. He wants us to be Abba-Seekers, lovers of Him.

He picked us! He made us worthy to go the distance with Him. There need be no fear, no worry. Not if we will just choose Him. Not if we would just be willing to grow in intimacy.

It's really all about knowing the One who makes the rules.

Father, I don't want to be a rule-keeper. I want to be a heart-seeker. I want to know you. I give up my rules Lord. I give up my ideas of the way I THINK You should work and I ask You to show me how to really embrace the truth of the work that You choose to do in, through, for, and around me.

I will trust You to show Me how to honor your statutes in the way that truly honors You.

You chose me. You called me worthy. I want life, so Father I surrender my worship of the letter [of the law] and I will wait expectantly as I learn to be led by Your Spirit.

All things in Christ's name.
Amen.

Ro

(Please share with us how you fast is going and what the Lord is revealing to you, Hugs, Rosheeda, Lynn and Dineen.)

Day One of a Fasting Community

I Surrender My Will, Oh Lord

Psalms 119:5  Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes! 

So much in such a short verse. I read it and was so stunned at how directly it spoke to my heart and what I believe is the Father's heart for us ultimately in this journey. 

In my mind, I translate it this way: I want the way that I live my life to reflect true obedience to Your Word.

That really is the prayer of my heart, for myself and for you. 

This surrender is the first step in being prepared for what lies ahead. Begin today to give up your will for the greater will of the One who loves you endlessly. It will open your heart to accept what He wants to reveal to you. 

 

Oh Abba,

How we worship You. We adore You, Holy One. We love You. Oh Father, please forgive us for neglecting You. Please forgive us for not keeping Your statutes. Give us a heart this day, this week, this year and beyond to dwell in and experience real intimacy - true intimacy with You. You are holy. We need You. We love You. We seek Your face, Lord. Not only Your hand, but Your face more than anything. 

You say in Your Word that if we love You, we will keep Your commands. Lord, teach us to love You. Teach us to keep Your commands so that our lives are a reflection of the Psalm that cries out that our ways might be established to keep Your statutes. 

Reveal to us the places where we have become our own god. Reveal to us the areas in our hearts, mind, and lives that we have kept from You because of fear, doubt, pride or shame. Free us of the sin that so easily entangles us and move us to a place of such deep surrender  that we want You far more than our own way. 

Oh Father, let the way that we live our lives reflect true obedience to Your Word. 

We ask it all and we will seek it diligently. We will wait expectantly on You to reveal the hidden things. We are Yours to do with as You will. 

All in Christ's Holy Name.
Amen.

Ro

(Please share with us how you fast is going and what the Lord is revealing to you, Hugs, Rosheeda, Lynn and Dineen.)

Weekend Worship — His Glory Appears

This song from Hillsong brings me to tears at it's tenderness and truth. It's hauntingly beautfiul. And it's the perfect way to begin worshiping our sweet Jesus this weekend as we get ready for our week of fasting and praying. Be sure to come back tomorrow and read Rosheeda's post to get us ready for next week. It's AWESOME! You really don't want to miss this one! 

My friends, I love you with the heart and passion of Jesus! I'm so incredibly grateful to be on this journey (especially this week!) with you!
Dineen

 

Get Ready 2013

Hi Everyone, 

I’m a bit behind in posting this brisk Friday morning. I’m hopeful that your Christmas was wonderful. I was able to drive to visit my son and his new wife on Christmas day. My son turned 30 years old and we surprised him for this over-the-hill birthday. Yep, he is my Christmas baby. We had a great time but it was a quick trip. 

I wanted to give you a peek at what’s coming for the New Year. 

If you are new to our community, we want to invite you to our annual fast. Every January we, as a community, fast together for five days. This year we plan to fast Monday,  January 7^th through the 11^th. There are many ways to go about fasting. For me personally, I am planning a day-time fast. I fast all day until sundown and then have dinner with my family. 

During this fast we pray for God’s anointing upon the year ahead. We seek His Presence and His will for our lives. We pray for our spouse’s salvation and for our children. Rosheeda Lee leads us through this fast every day posting a prayer and/or instructions. 

I’m convinced there is great power in fasting. Jesus often fasted and He is our example. It is difficult to fast but when we humble ourselves and give our basic desires for food over to God, He moves the heavens for our petitions. 

So, if you have never fasted before ask God now if you are to participate in this week of fasting. And to read more about how to fast, visit this page as we have many resources about fasting. 

Here is the Link: Fasting. Does It Work?

Following our week of fasting we will launch right into a new series regarding the spiritual realms and how we recognize spiritual battles, how we fight within them and how we bring the authority and power Christ has given us into our lives. I’m positively psyched about this series.

My friends, 2013 is gearing up to be another exciting and fantastic year walking with Jesus. Our walk with God is ALWAYS the BEST ride of our lives. Love you much, Have a great day. Hugs, Lynn

Astonish Us, Lord!

Yesterday many in the S.U.M. fasted and/or prayed for Rash Hashanah. Did God reveal something new to you? Be sure to jump over to our Facebook page and share. We'll be talking about it there as well as here. 

“Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert. —Isaiah 43:19

Look among the nations! Observe!

Be astonished! Wonder!

Because I am doing something in your days —

You would not believe if you were told. — Habakkuk 1:5

This is the fourth year in a row that these two Scriptures have come to me either in emails, in devos, from a friend. And it's always around this time of year. 

And this one came to me during my fast and has shown up several times this year alone:

“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. ’

God is definitely up to something big. I can explain how I know it, I just do. In the past these Scriptures have seem to be for me personally. This year, I think they are meant for all of us. God is faithful, He's heard our prayers and He is about to show us some pretty cool things. So if you're struggling, if you're not sure how much longer you can go on in your mistmatched marriage, if you are losing hope that your prebeliever will ever come to faith, I want to tell you a story right from the Bible. I don't take any credit for this insight and I attribute my inspiration to a Bible study (James by Beth Moore).

Jesus was the oldest of his siblings. Scripture reveals that He had brothers. They didn't share the same father, obviously, but none-the-less, they were brothers. Did you know that His brothers didn't believe in Him? In fact, the Bible tells us this:

When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said,

“He is out of his mind.” — Mark 3:21

Even by His own brothers, Jesus was rejected. The author and perfector of our faith was rejected in His own home just our own faith if often rejected by our loved ones. Think about that. If you ever doubted whether Jesus truly understands what you and I are struggling with on that intimate of a level, then doubt no more. We often overlook this aspect seeing His overall rejection and crucifixion, but Jesus endured this level of rejection on a personal level as well.

But here is where it becomes astonishing. By the time you reach the very first book in Acts, His family believed. All of them. Jesus' entire family is mentioned in Acts 1:14 as being present and united in prayer. 

Jesus didn't give up on them. He knew they would eventually come to see the truth, and they would come to see that He was the Way, the Truth and the Light.

So don't give up hope my friends. Our limited vision can only show us what we percieve and understand right now. These limitations don't exist where our Saviour Jesus is concerned. He knows about all those hidden and unsearchable things that are at work right now in your life and in the life and heart of your prebeliever.

Call to Jesus and ask Him to show you what He's doing and to reveal Himself to you. He will. It may not be what you expect, but I know it will astonish you!

Praying & believing,
Dineen 

Image credit: 123RF Stock Photo

Rosh Hashanah - Join Us

UPDATE: I will be offline from Sunset on Sunday through Monday evening. But please leave your names and your prayer requests because I will be praying over them the rest of the week. ~Lynn

 

My friends, thank you for your amazing comments on the post last Friday. I’m blown away. I wanted to respond to each one however, in the midst of such a milestone the devil tries to take back ground and destroy. Let’s just say on Friday there was a lot of crying going on at the Donovan house due to an unexpected turn of events with regard to my daughter. 

I know many of you saw my few posts on Facebook and I’m deeply thankful for your prayers. It was your prayers that allowed me to walk with her through this trial and retain a somewhat calm mind and heart. I want to assure you that everything has worked out. I am fine and so is my daughter. In fact, God has redeemed much already and that is a very happy thing. I have learned some much needed lessons through this weekend and one day will share them with you. For now, I’m still allowing God to continue to work things out, to teach me and my daughter through it. 

Okay, enough of that. ONWARD.. 

On Monday over at 1Peter3Living the crowd has agreed to fast and pray together. Can I just say I love this community of believers. Monday is Rosh Hashanah. That is the beginning…. God’s New Beginning. This day is considered the “New Year” in the Jewish tradition and calendar. 

What a perfect day to be humble, fast and to pray seeking God’s hand in our lives. So I invite all of you in our community to also plan to fast and pray for your spouse this Monday, September 16 & 17th. We will be fasting from sunset on September 16th through sunset of the 17th. This is the Jewish tradition for fasting. 

Kinda cool, huh?? 

This is a wonderful time to participate in something very old and precious to our Lord. So if you can, join us. 

Sunset where I live on September 16: 2012 begins at 6:51 p.m. PST

Sunset on September 17, 2012 is 6:51 p.m. PST 

 

Orthodox Jew Blows the Shofar at Rosh Hashanah Image: David Silverman / Getty Images

So I will plan to join my family for dinner at 7 p.m. Monday evening and break the fast. I’m expecting my prayers to avail much. I want God to be honored by my life. I will be asking His favor upon my life, my family and all whom I have contact. I will be asking for chains to be broken and for freedom of the captives. I will be seeking the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But mostly my prayer time will be devoted to just be in His presence. 

 

If you can fast, let me know and let me know your husband’s name as I will pray for his salvation just as we are doing over at 1P3.

Love all of you Happy New Year!!!! Hugs, Lynn 

For many of you who are new to our community, we fast every year the first week of the year. Here are some links to information about fasting. Visit our Archives (here) and scroll through these posts. Also to read up on some interesting facts and listen to the Shofar, visit Hebrew for Christians.