Our shared process of journeying to revival has involved looking inwardly at who we are and whose we are. We’ve studied the importance of seeking God, knowing Him, and being armed for battle.  

As we near the end of these 40 days together, let’s inventory how we use our money, time, talent, and anointing.  Have you ever written down and considered your value at this time on the kingdom calendar.  How are you using your finances in a way that pleases God? Is your time being used effectively to serve God? Each of us has unique talents that when used in a specific time and place are part of God’s divine plan. Whenever God delivers anointing through us, we have an encounter with the Almighty.  What has God designed in you that has been ignored, unused, or wasted? And what have you knowingly brought forth exactly as God intended?

Is there an area of obedience with your finances, time, talent, and anointing that you already know needs to improve? Have you given God consent to position you and use you for heavenly purposes? Do you have the courage to risk embarrassment or sacrificial giving? What needs to change to put you exactly where God wants you, doing exactly what God wants for you, and exactly when God wants it?

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22; Proverbs 1:20-33

Those of us who walk with the Spirit can feel like strangers in a world where it is the status quo to ignore God and refuse to obey Him.

Being led by God’s spiritual voice, that others can’t hear, is the most important part of the unseen battle. However, that spiritual walk with God cannot be easily proven to our non-Spirit-led friends and family. That distinction and separation can cause us to feel like foreigners in our own hometowns.

Having spent the last decade bringing proof Scriptures about our requirement to hear God, I’ve learned something strange about those who don’t seek God. They are just as bold about saying that God doesn’t speak as they are about insisting that the devil and demons do speak. Their false theology leads them to believe that those of us who hear God, must surely be hearing from the devil. Insisting that God’s voice is the devil speaking is known as blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

The devil, demons and evil spirits are real. They have a spirit voice that speaks deception. In the Scriptures, we can read that Jesus talked to and heard the devil, demons, and evil spirits. Those spirit-voice conversations, recorded in Bible texts, were likely only heard by the one providing testimony. All throughout the Bible, we can read of the heroes of the faith who singularly and independently heard God and obeyed.  We can also read about those who refused God and walked contrary to His will. 

Hell is real too. Whether someone believes that hell is real or not doesn’t change the facts. Those who ignore God and choose their own paths should not expect to have a heavenly home with God. They instead will spend eternity in the devil’s domain and surely they will hear the enemy’s voice of condemnation.

Study: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 5:1-20; Mark 9:42-48

During the past several days, we have reviewed a few critical areas of being armed for battle in the spiritual war. On Day 30, we evaluated the importance of mentoring the next generation of the family of faith. Day 31 cautioned about knowing the difference between good and evil. Day 32 was a reminder to carry each other’s burdens. Day 33 we took a hard look at the idea that God hates evil and has justice and wrath. On Day 34 we considered how trials can be used for our training.

Today, we will consider the schemes of the enemy. The devil’s mission is to kill, steal, and destroy.  We know that he is a liar, and the father of lies. Satan and his minions use powerful seductions and subtle manipulations to deceive and lure the weak-willed into a pit of destruction. We must have a battle strategy to guard against the craftiness of the destroyer. 

Consider the areas in your own life that are weak. Are you naïve, ill-equipped, or untrained?  How has the enemy been successful in wreaking havoc with you? What attacks have wounded you the most? What have you done to fortify yourself against those enemy invasions?  Understanding the devil’s tactics will help solidify your stance against him. 

I’m going to use a few questions about doctrines to highlight some of Satan’s lie manipulations. Consider why believing false doctrines gives the enemy a warfare advantage. 

1) What warfare advantage does Satan achieve by doctrines that promote that there is more than one true God or that Jesus is not the one and only God?

2) What warfare advantage does Satan achieve by doctrines that promote that Satan, demons, and evil spirits are not real? Why would convincing us that the evil resides in our own hearts prove useful to him?

3) What warfare advantage does Satan achieve by doctrines that promote that God is mute or that God is a book? How can convincing us that God is powerless to speak to us be used against us?

Read: Isaiah 14:12-15; 54:16-17; John 8:44-48

Training is essential to prepare us for actual battle. The spiritual war is real and if we’re to know how to forge forward in the thick of it, we must be aware, prepared, suited with armor, and have the weapons of combat.  As I have said many times before, not all trials that we go through are punishment from God. Many trials are about providing the equipping and training to make us mighty warriors. 

God’s testing is always going to be about arming you to choose Him with priority. He wants to make you aware that every scheme of the devil is going to be aimed at manipulating you away from your devotion to God.  There are times when God must allow hardships and consequences to remind you that your focus has shifted from the priority. Other times God is putting you through a spiritual boot-camp of coaching, fitness, and experience.  Those lessons will give you the foundation against future temptations that God knows will be on the path ahead.

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4:18 NIV)

There are times on this path in obediently following God, that I have been hurt and angry with Him for allowing others to use and abuse me. I’ve questioned how the Righteous Judge could patiently watch while I was treated unfairly, persecuted, censored, betrayed, and falsely accused. But in hindsight, I can see clearly that He was training me to become more like Him.  He used those trials to equip me with wisdom, help me to see who is for me or against me, more readily identify the imposters, and anticipate traps by the enemy. 

Spiritual training is never comfortable. The only way through the pain is to keep choosing God first. When you’re tempted to walk away, cry out to Him. When you’re tempted to give up, seek Him for direction. When you’re tempted to be lazy or uninvolved, ask Him to mentor you to a better way.

Read: 2 Timothy 4:1-18

Because we so often want to focus on God’s love, we can miss that God also hates.  God has sovereign justice and wrath … without those His love would be insincere. God will never allow His love to be used as a doormat.  One of the keys to being armed for battle is agreeing with God’s wisdom in love, justice, and wrath. 

Here are some Biblical truths about what can provoke God’s wrath:

1) No other gods.  That’s the first and greatest commandment. (Exodus. 20:1-7; Deut. 12:31, 16:21-22)

2) Do not deny the voice and power of God (aka blaspheming against the Holy Spirit) (Mark 3:28-29)

3) Do not harm God’s prophets and anointed ones. (1 Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15)

4) God hates evil. (Zechariah 8:17, Psalm 11:5)

5) Seven abominations. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Some think that God is not allowed to get angry or jealous, but that’s contrary to Scriptural texts as noted above.  So let me suggest questions that you may not have considered.  If you don’t hear God’s voice in prayer, can you keep yourself from provoking God’s wrath by solely keeping the intent of the law? Also, can you please God by simply keeping the law or do you need to walk in faith?  Ask God to teach you how to be more than just a law-keeper and how to truly be a God-follower.

Please study the Scriptures passages included above.

The main point that I often spotlight is to have your own relationship with God and honor Him with your heart, soul and mind.  There are times, though, when God wants to send you to assist a brother and sister in the family of faith. You know when God puts a love in your heart that supersedes your own ability to love. That love inspires you to help a stranger in need or to encourage someone going through a difficult season.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 NIV)

Recently, God gave me what seemed like an impossible assignment. I was overwhelmed and questioning my ability to keep stepping forward. Nobody likes to feel needy. There were those around me who just couldn’t offer encouragement or help. Some left me feeling ghosted. It hurt knowing that they really weren’t for me. 

Thankfully, there were a few people who I can boast about in their desire to support me no matter the circumstances. Not only did they offer financial and physical help, but they never once made me feel “crazy” for stepping faithfully to obey God. God could surely trust them to carry my burdens with my best interests at heart. They sought God for His wisdom in how to assist in carrying my burdens too. That’s the sweetest security that anyone could hope to have. Without them, I would feel that I was in this faith walk all alone. I’m not fully through the burdensome time, but I have renewed hope that there are those who are for me, not against me. That sacrificial love is a beautiful gift to behold.

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10 NIV)

Did any of this discussion cause you to question if God can trust you to help carry the burdens of others? Can He?