Do you ever get weary of doing good? Perhaps you feel like all the witnessing to your family is getting nowhere or that the tracts that you pass out are in vain. Or maybe that your prayers are not being heard. Or have the everyday trails of life caused a dark cloud to remain fixed above your head? Don’t forget that there is a spiritual battle going on. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6: 12 our battle is not against flesh and blood but with principalities and powers. Another version says “our struggle is not against flesh and blood”.
If you are a Christian, you know it is like to be tired during the battle in resisting wickedness and temptations. You know what it's like to get weary in the fight. You know what it is like to have seasons that seem particularly heavy with trails of various kinds.
I was on the mission field recently in Guadalajara Mexico with Tim Conway (Pastor from Grace community Church known for his media ministry I’ll Be Honest) and several other brothers and sisters. We talked for nearly an hour about spiritual depression and spiritual warfare. Tim talked about some intense times in his life which lead him to share thoughts about how the enemy and his minions get tired of bombarding us just like we get tired of resisting. If you’ve ever watched MMA fighting or a boxing match, someone will tap out. Someone will win. Someone will give up the fight.
I was reminded of the "war" verses in the Bible about how our weapons are “mighty in God” for the “tearing down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4) and that we are commanded to “put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes” (Ephesians 6:11) and that we are called to, “submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Take heart dear saint of God. If you feel that the battle is heavy? If you feel like you're about to collapse? If you feel the enemy pressing in? If you feel that you can’t take it any longer? If you feel like the darkness will not lift? Look to the Lord and fight with the Word. Jesus did this (Matthew 4). Are you above Him? Course not! He fought with the Word and you need to fight with the Word. The fight will only last so long. The battle will come to an end. And don’t forget "Greater is He who is in us then he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Listen to this incredible account that my friend Kristen sent to me after she read it on Facebook. It aptly describes the type of spiritual struggle we are in and that we need to not throw in the towel...
A FB friend just posted this. She is a regular at a mill in Houston.
God's Word will not return void.
• "An Assemblies of God minister just drove a girl in to kill her baby at HWC. The girl and minister were both aggressive. She was cursing. She said, "I'm a Christian and you don't understand my situation! You're judging me!" The Christians continued to try to reason with her from the Scriptures. The minister piped up quoting numerous passages of Scriptures including Romans 7 and said, "I don't support the killing of babies, but I'm here to support her. The Bible says, 'The things I want to do, I don't do, and the things I do, I don't want to do. We ALL sin! We are ALL weak!" The Christian man "D" who was interacting with him from the sidewalk rebuked him hard for this, as the minister was taking the girl by the arm and leading her into the killing place. "D" told the girl, "This man who is with you is a false prophet and a false teacher and he has a doctrine of demons. Don't listen to him!" The clinic escort showed up and accused "D" of blocking the driveway and called the police. The minister and the girl told the escort, "I want that guy filmed! He's harassing us!" (pointing to "D" on the sidewalk). "D" keeps rebuking the minister and telling the girl to not listen to them, pleading with her to have mercy on her child. They yell out in extreme anger, "Have you never sinned?! Are YOU PERFECT!? They go inside. The group on the sidewalk prays for them. Then, the minister and the girl come back out and sit on the bench. Now, she's crying and the minister is comforting her. They are still aggressive and angry, saying, "God will forgive me! God will forgive me! *f word* I'm calling the police! You keep harassing me! I have problems! I have issues!" "D" called out to them again, telling them, "You may not know what to do, but you know what NOT to do. The Word of God says, 'Thou Shalt Not Murder.'" There was a long, long time of silence. And then they get in their vehicle and drive to the entrance where "D" was standing on the sidewalk. They roll down the window and said, "I just want to thank you." The minister says, "I as well. I just want to thank you. Can we talk to you some more?" They pull into the overflow parking lot, and come over to talk to "D." But an escort gets to them first and talks to them for a long time. Then, they come over to talk to "D." The minister says, "I know you're a man of truth. You were speaking truth to us. We now know that this isn't right or in accordance to God's truth." They were weeping. Very sorrowful, very remorseful. "D" gave them two ladies' phone numbers to call for extended counsel and help. He told them that they will find a home for her if she needs it, that we can give her a baby shower to help her with her material needs for this little one. The girl said as she was crying, "What? You would give me a baby shower? Are you serious? What church do you go to?" "D" apologized and said, "I'm so sorry, but our church is about an hour away, but we can connect you with a local church closer to where you live." The minister said, "I don't care. We want to come to your church anyway! This is amazing. You are amazing." Lots of hugging and crying. An hour and a half of pleading with them, rebuking the minister, calling her to repentance, telling her to trust God, wrestling with light and darkness, good and evil, and then BAM!... God broke them. They are out to eat right now with Josie as she continues to counsel them. Praise the Lord!"
