"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5:8-9
"And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." 2 Corinthians 11:12-15
The Bible says again and again that we are at war with the world and with false teachers, preachers, and people who hide who they are. We need to be on guard and prepared to face the fight and discern those around us who might be feeding us lies and false truth. We need to surround ourselves with strong believers who will pour truth into our lives and we need to wage war on the world. But how do we do that? Its had to be in the world but not of it.
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
What are the weapons that we fight with then? The Truth of God's Word. We need to be filling our minds the Bible so we can be on guard and defend ourselves against the false teachers and against the attacks of the devil. It is our only weapon of attach against the lies of the devil.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 2:16-17
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
We face spiritual warfare every.single.day. What are you doing to combat that? Are you constantly meditating on the Word of God? Guard your heart and mind with the Truth of God's Word. Be in the Word. Learn the Word; memorize it; mediate on it; defend yourself with it. Take up the armor of God.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 4:10-20
- Amanda
Today I met with a girl I am going to be discipling this coming semester. God placed this relationship on my heart at the end of last school year and then used the summer to really so me the importance of investing in other people through one-on-one discipleship. I've never done this before so everything is new to me. Today was only the second time we met and already we are facing opposition. A girl sitting near us in Bentley interrupted us and made a mean, hurtful, and untrue statement about what we had been discussing and then left before I could even respond.
"Being a disciple of Jesus means that we are being transformed into His image. God wants to change us so much that it intrigues others. This gives us the opportunity to tell them about the God who is transforming us. Teaching others about Christ is essential to being on of Jesus's disciples." -Multiply by Francis Chan
And so it begins... People are getting intrigued; people are getting angry. The Bible says I will be hated for the work I do in Christ's name, but that isn't going to stop me from spreading His Word across campus or from loving on those who hate me.
"You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matthew 10:22
This summer changed my life. My eyes have been opened to the fact that I hadn't been obeying the command to make disciples very well. I was only half living my life for Christ because I wanted people to know who Christ was but I did not actively seek to share the gospel with anyone. This summer my eyes were opened to the urgency of the gospel and the command to make disciples. As I draw closer to Christ and my desires match up more and more with His commands people will start hating me, but I will stand firm on the promises of Christ. I will be obedient.
Im thankful to this stranger who interrupted today. I'm thankful for the reminder that the world hated Christ first and that when I am truly following Christ then the world will also hate me. As I sat in shock after this girl walked off I didn't know how to react. Then I remembered Romans 12:14 says to, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse" So I stopped and prayed for this girl who is clearly lost in the world of darkness. I do not know her name but God knows. I pray He will be working on her heart, and that doors will be opened for me to have the opportunity to share the gospel of God's grace with her. I am blessed to suffer for Christ's sake.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me." - John 15:18-21
- Amanda
