Spiritual Warfare

The Bible says that Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44 AMP). In fact, we give Satan more power over us when we choose to believe his lies. To believe a lie is to be deceived. But here’s the thing—when people are deceived, they are not aware that they are deceived. They believe that what they think is true and they act accordingly. One of the most difficult tasks I have encountered in ministry is to try to convince someone who is deeply deceived…

You will be tested. Like Jesus’ desert trial, the enemy comes, probing the perimeter. He knows your story, knows where the weak spots are. But this is our training. This is the spiritual equivalent of, “Take a high guard, like this. Strike from high. Like this. Do it. Blade straighter. Leg back. Bend your knees. Sword straighter. Defend yourself.” This is how we develop a resolute heart. We make no agreements with whatever the temptation or accusation is.…

Back in the 1960s, the band The Monkees sang about how no one seemed to believe in absolute morals anymore. In *Shades of Gray* they sang: ||When the world and I were young, ||Just yesterday. ||Life was such a simple game… ||It was easy then to tell right from wrong… ||Today there is no black or white, ||Only *shades of gray*. Now the expression ‘*shades of grey*’ has come to be associated with the notorious and controversial books and films with…

In 2007, a group of twenty-three South Korean missionaries were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. They were terrified. The Taliban separated the group, isolated them and confiscated their possessions. One of the Korean women managed to hold on to her Bible. She ripped it into twenty-three pieces and secretly gave each of them a portion so that wherever they were, each person could read a part of Scripture when no one was watching. The group knew that the Taliban had…

It’s impossible to live in this world without ever facing doubt, confusion, or apprehension. The Word of God doesn’t dismiss these concerns. Instead, it tells us what to do when we’re afraid. The best response is to admit your fears to the Lord and trust Him to work out the situation according to His will and timing. Many people want to hold anyone but God responsible for their adversity—that’s because they can’t reconcile why a good God…

We all fight battles in life, but do we really know who we are fighting? The truth is, there are two forces at work in the world—good and evil. God is good, and Satan is evil. Since Satan cannot hurt God, he fights against His children—those who have believed in Jesus as their Savior. He hopes to hurt God through hurting us. You see, your fight is not against people or even with circumstances, but against the devil. First Peter 5:8 says, That enemy of yours, the,…

God has given each of us an inheritance in Christ. Jesus came that we might have life and life to the full. When we get into relationships with people or institutions or into patterns of behavior or addictions that are not God’s highest for us, they get in the way of our being able to receive what God has for us. We are to deal strongly with areas of bondage in our life. We are not to make excuses for them but cast them out. Make them leave. We say no to bondage, no…

The Evil One lied to us about where true life was found...and we believed him. God gave us the wondrous world as our playground, and he told us to enjoy it fully and freely. Yet despite his extravagant generosity, we had to reach for the one forbidden thing. And at that moment something in our hearts shifted. We reached, and in our reaching we fell from grace. So Helen betrayed Menelaus and her native Greece, and ran off to Troy with her lover. So Edmund betrayed his…

As you work to make one or many areas of your life better, there is a powerful principle you can use called “The Consistency Effect,” which is simply, “Small things done consistently, over time, lead to big things.” Commitment is good; it can get you to the starting line. It can set your intention. It can get you through January. But consistency will get you to July, September, and next December. You can change your life with small, consistent steps…