Making War In The Local Church Series

Making War In The Local Church

1 Peter 5:8-9 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

The devil is always on the prowl looking how he can destroy the lives of God’s people. One of his most powerful weapons is deception whereby people end up believing his lies. We must know that every Christian can fall into this trap and no one is immune from it. He also deceives believers into thinking that they cannot be forgiven when they fall into sin. He makes the person feel like they are worthless and not good enough to approach God’s throne and ask for forgiveness.

He starts reminding them of their past and other sins they committed and if Christians believe these lies, they can easily backslide and fall into more sin and drift further from God. Eventually the person that is being deceived will begin to think that whatever sin they have committed is greater than the shed blood of Jesus Christ that was given for the remission of their sins. Believers should know that there is nothing more powerful than the blood of Jesus.

The devil’s plan is to steal kill and destroy. God however has a greater plan through His Son and that is to restore mankind so that they can enjoy abundant life. The way to defeat the devil is to resist him. Satan must flee because he cannot match the power of God. We need to remember that according to God’s Word the devil is the accuser of the brethren. It is not God who reminds a person of their past. It is Satan who does not want one to see God as a loving forgiving Father who is ready to welcome His children with open arms.

There is no justifiable reason to fall away from God. In leaving the Lord, Christians leave all the blessings that flow from Him and give up any hope of eternal life with God. Truly their last state is worse than the beginning. Jesus has given His children the Holy Spirit to help them change. Many Christians begin to lose their first love because they have been unable to renew their minds and to change their attitudes and behavior which must be in line with God’s Word.

That is why it is so important to study God’s Word and to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that a transforming change can take place in your life. Many new believers revel in their newfound faith and love for the Lord. However, if they do not grow aggressively in their faith, the demonic assignments launched against them will eventually cause them to become discouraged and they will begin to fall away.

Many new believers are not taught how to overcome the onslaught of the evil one and become confused and disorientated when things begin to go wrong. The Bible makes it clear that Christians cannot live any way they want to. Christians are new creations and through the anointing they must begin to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit and not the works of the flesh.

God has definitely promised to do His part but we also have a part to play. Nearly all God's promises are conditional and are dependent on each believer doing their part in order to partake of these promises.

There are two important aspects of being saved. First, salvation as it relates to the sinner. A sinner experiences the new birth by accepting Christ. There is nothing a sinner could do to earn the new birth. The new birth which the Bible calls salvation is a free gift, but it must be cared for once it is received. The second aspect of salvation relates to born again believers maintaining their salvation by living a life of holiness and bearing good fruit.

Philippians 2:12 - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

It is also very important for the children of God to be part of a local church. The reason why we go to church is to build a relationship with God and with other believers. The Christian life is not always an easy road. It is so easy to become discouraged. When believers separate themselves from other believers they become vulnerable and are an easy target for the devil.

Never before have people been confronted with so many voices and so many choices. God speaks to His people as a whole and He speaks to them individually, guiding them into truth and reminding them what is right and warning them what is wrong. His is a voice that tells the truth when so many other voices cannot be trusted. Coming to church means interacting with fellow members of the body of Christ. It is often through His body that Christ speaks the comfort and crucial direction that is needed. It often happens that one Christian will have spiritual insight that could benefit another.