To Him Who Overcomes…

"To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter..."  Revelation 2:26-29 

  

This "overcoming" theme has come around many times in my journey to know God… and in my blogs! Recently it has come about yet again in a different way through a couple of different circumstances and people that God has tied together so neatly. I guess God really wants me to get this! LOL!

"...To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7   

We have a tendency as humans, and as a body of believers, to think of negative, painful and difficult things as "bad" and something to avoid at all cost. But I continue to understand more and more how that is not true or truth! I am learning to redefine “good and bad” and see these circumstances as "refining fires" and "tools" that the Lord uses to shape and mold us into the people that He desires for His glory and His Kingdom purposes. While Satan may be involved, God uses him as a tool as well as other people and circumstances... We can take what happened to Jesus as a perfect example. God was in control the whole time, but Satan thought he had the upper hand... But, as we now know, he did not. God is MUCH bigger and MORE powerful than Satan, and since he was created by God, there is nothing he can do that can best God. Nothing.

"...He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." Revelation 2:11  

A few weeks ago Tom and I redeemed a massage gift card that a friend gave us for Christmas. During the massage the therapist and I conversed on a few different topics. At one point he mentioned how we, as kids, don't really "know" our parents... he said "They try to put their best face forward and don't really share the "dark side" of themselves so we, as their children, don't really know them like we think we do". I thought about that for a minute and said, "The dark side is all I really saw in my parents! They were very broken and used alcohol and drugs to medicate their pain because they were really hurting people." He was surprised and asked me how that affected me as a kid and as an adult now. After a short pause I said "While my childhood and teenage life were really hard and difficult, I wouldn't change a thing because those are the very things that God used to shape, mold and form me into who I am today!" And I like who I am now and who I am becoming. Overcoming childhood pain and trauma brings wisdom, compassion, and grace for others.

"...To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17   

Another thread to this topic was during a recent conversation with Tom's dad on Father's Day. Tom and his siblings decided to interview their parents last year, while they were still of sound mind and able, and asked them a bunch of questions about their childhood and growing up and life in general. It gave his parents an opportunity to talk about some things that they may not have otherwise had a reason or opportunity to share. Tom's brother did some editing of that interview, reducing it to 4 hours long, and sent it out to the family so we could all listen to it. During the Fathers' day conversation, Dad had mentioned that he took the time to listen to it so I asked him what it was like to hear, or listen to his own story. He mentioned talking about the hardships and tough aspects of his childhood and he was almost apologetic about talking about it. But I said to him, "Some of the best books are the ones with the struggles, tragedies, difficulties and traumas that people overcome! It would be a really boring book if nothing "exciting" ever happened and there wasn’t anything to overcome!" And then Tom said "David Copperfield is a good example of that, we like stories about people who overcome hardships and difficulties and come out on the other side and better for it!" There is something really inspiring about hearing people’s stories who overcome their pain, struggles and hardships, don’t you think? I think it is because it gives us all hope that maybe we can endure and overcome in the same way!

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5

In the addiction life coaching ministry that we do, we work with some men and women who have been married a LONG time, despite the pain and hardships that addiction brings/brought to their marriage! When they work on themselves and get the healing they need, their marriages are SO much better because of it! They overcome the pain and trauma that the addiction causes, and the trauma that caused the addiction in the first place, and are in such a wonderful place of healing and intimacy that they never dreamed was possible! Overcoming brings strength of character and a better relationship and intimacy with others as well as with the Lord! 

“Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” Revelation 3:12

And then Tom and I were talking about this in the car the other day and he brought up all of the Biblical characters that endured tremendous hardships. They endured and overcame a variety of pain, trials, difficulties and challenges to become amazing men and women of God and examples for us to be inspired by! Hebrews 11 is the "faith" chapter listing all the people of faith who suffered and endured tremendous hardships in their life, yet they overcame them all and are listed among the patriarchs of FAITH; Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Esther, Ruth, Gideon, David... Just to name a few, and of course, there is Jesus. Here is what the author of Hebrews says at the end of chapter 11:

"​...Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.​ Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.​ They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--​ ​the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.​ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.​ God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:35-40

Wow. These people went through A LOT!! But “the world was not worthy of them”…!! What if we have been taught incorrectly our whole lives?? What if pain, trials, suffering and hardships are GOOD, important and something to look forward to in our life of faith, relationship with God, and our character as children of God?? What if the life of leisure, ease and comfort is BAD and detrimental to our walk of faith!? What if the “eternal perspective” is that this life is “Boot Camp” and these difficulties and struggles are a TRAINING ground to prepare us for our eternal purpose, and without them, we would be like untrained, wimpy solders thrown into battle without the training to endure the battle physically, mentally or emotionally??

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21

We have heard many stories about what heaven is like but do we really know for sure? And sometimes heaven is depicted as a life of leisure, and we are floating around on clouds and strumming harps… Do we really believe that? But… what if the TRUTH is not even close to the things we have been told? Do you remember the first scripture I listed? Here it is again but in its entirety:

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.”  Revelation 2:26-28

Wow… That is intense! If we overcome and do His will to the end we will have “authority over nations”… “we will rule with an iron scepter…” and “dash them to pieces like pottery…”?? This sounds nothing like harps and clouds to me… We will have authority and we will be ruling over people…This sounds like something we really need to be prepared for and READY for!

​I did a search for the word "overcomes" in the New Testament and found the scriptures that I have placed throughout this blog. The scriptures in Revelation ALL have these words, either before or after the scriptures I posted here; “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches..."  ​With this phrase included in ALL of these Revelation scriptures, it impresses me that the words He is telling us should be VERY important to us.​ Do we have an "ear to hear" what God is saying to us? Are you in the middle of a difficult situation right now? How are you viewing it? I want to encourage you to take heart and hope that this is a refining fire and a tool that God is using to shape and mold you, do not fret but take heart! This is not the end of your story! “…God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:35-40. Let’s look at these overcoming scriptures again. What will Jesus do for those who overcome?:

To him who overcomes; "... I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7. "...He … will not be hurt at all by the second death." Revelation 2:11. "... I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17. “… I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5. “… I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” Revelation 3:12. “… I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21.

“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Revelation 21:7

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." 1 John 5:4-5

Thank you Lord for showing me this again, and again so that I can get this concept deep into my heart, mind and spirit! Help me to continue to redefine “good and bad” into YOUR eternal perspective and definition and reformat my mind and heart. Help me to continue to see ALL of my circumstances as opportunities to grow in You and refine my faith and relationship with You. Not MY will be done, but YOURS my Lord! Embracing boot camp, your daughter, Linda :)

Beauty from Ashes...

“...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:1-3

I recently watched a movie that was really hard. It was set in the 1930’s and it was about a family with 4 boys. The wife’s religious beliefs prevented her from going to the doctor so she died of a very treatable disease and left the husband with the 4 boys, ages 2 through 10. He reluctantly went to the welfare office to get a little financial help to pay for the funeral and get someone to help watch the boys while he worked. He was a carpenter and had a job but just needed a little help after the death of his wife. For some reason the welfare woman thought it was in the children’s “best interest” to forcibly remove them from their home and father’s care and place them in foster care. Anyway, things went south from there, they took the three oldest and placed them in this horrendous place, where they mistreated the boys so needlessly, and the youngest was separated from them and placed in a Catholic orphanage… it was so hard to watch. But eventually, 5 years later, the dad was able to get the boys back and they then had the chore of trying to undo the damage done, but they were together again which was important to them all. All this to say that it hurt my heart so much I was seeking the Lord for the “eternal perspective” and trying to understand how I needed to view situations like this. It seems SO unfair and cruel to treat kids like that, and I know that other children endure SO MUCH more suffering… I really needed help to see things correctly.

So the next morning when Tom came home from his breakfast meeting I shared my heart and feelings about the movie with him, and did some verbal processing while I was at it. As we were talking I realized that I tended to separate “childhood” suffering from “adult suffering”. Like there is some difference between the child and the adult when it is actually the same person… there is no delineation between the two. And the suffering the child goes through is the very thing that helps to refine and shape the adult. It just seems so unfair and heartless to allow children to suffer but, it is also so unavoidable in this world of pain, sorrow, suffering and sin. Not that this idea would justify “intentionally” harming a child, but even when you do your best to protect your children, painful and difficult things are bound to happen! I know for me that the things that I endured as a child were very hard and painful but I wouldn’t change a thing because those circumstances have made me who I am today! And God uses those childhood and life experiences to be able to help and minister to others who are going through those very same things. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Tom had a great analogy and visual regarding that and said we see a child as pure and perfect when they are born and we feel like it is such a violation to see them get hurt or to suffer, but they are very much like a piece of steel, unaltered and unshaped. But, if you want the steel to become something useful, it will need to be shaped and molded through the forging process to become the tool that God designed it to be. Our pain and suffering needs to begin early in life, as children, not just in adulthood, in order for this “steel” to be correctly forged. Wow. That was such a mind tweak for me but it was GOOD! There is NO separation between a child and an adult and God is a part of everything that happens during every stage of life. And He always turns what the enemy means for harm, into something good for HIS Kingdom purposes. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm …” Joel 2:25

And then I flashed on the movie “The Passion” and all the suffering that Jesus endured and I was emotionally impacted by that again. I was an absolute wreck after watching that movie… I was sobbing so hard I couldn’t leave the theater for about 15 minutes. If God can allow Jesus to go through that kind of suffering, then why not us? While the enemy felt like he had the upper hand and was doing damage to God’s plan, God USED Satan for HIS purpose and plan and turned Jesus’ suffering into the redemption of mankind! And I KNOW the same goes for us too! Our suffering and pain in NOT wasted and God does amazing things with it! While it all looks “bad” and sometimes horrific, God’s plan is very GOOD and He knows what He is doing! I know I have had this thought MANY times before but this time it seemed to go down to a deeper level and a greater revelation and understanding. Again, redefining the words “good and bad” in the eternal perspective! Tom brought up the scripture of God turning the ashes to beauty which is what inspired the name of this blog:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:1-3

And after reading this again, it has an even deeper meaning now! And the other scripture he brought up was:

“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!” Matthew 18:6-7

The emphasis for me was on “Such things MUST come…”!!! What things must come? Harm to little ones and causing them to sin. This IS HIS plan and His purpose and while it is painful to see and go through, God uses all of this pain and suffering (or refining purposes) to make us amazing tools for His Kingdom… and this all starts as children. Thank you Lord for helping me to see this!

Another movie I watched recently had a similar message (I found Pure Flix FREE Christian movies on YouTube! Woot!). This movie was about the difficulty that war veterans have in re-interring civilian life and suffering from PTSD, nightmares, depression and suicide. At the end of the movie, after God brought together a wonderful community of people, who had been through similar suffering, to help the main character in his healing journey, a good point was brought up. One of the people mentioned that, “Even though there are different genders, ethnic groups and walks of life represented in this group, we are all able to connect on one particular level…” When they said that, my first thought was “It is their ‘pain’ they connect to”, but they said “their scars”… which I think both are true! Then one of the other people said he just had a greater understanding of the pain and torment that Jesus went through. He said that because of His pain and our pain, His scars and our scars, we can connect on a deeper level than if we had never had the pain and suffering! A friend just told me about this song and it is perfect for what I am talking about: I am They - Scars (Thankful for the Scars) (Please listen to this song!) I love how God pulls all these things together.

On another note, in that same conversation Tom brought up another forging analogy regarding marriage. He said that when two people are working through marriage issues, we sort of represent two different types of steel, as husband and wife, and when God forges us together (when two become one) we become “Damascus” steel, which is when two or more different types of steel are used to create strength, sharpness and flexibility. The mixing of these different steels, when they are heated and folded, heated and folded again several times, creates an amazing pattern and when it is etched in acid (ouch), the pattern shows up and it is beautiful! Doesn’t our marriage journey feel just like that… heated, folded, pounded, heated, folded, pounded, repeat, right!!?? Hahahahah! But in the end we are so much stronger together than we were before as separate people and in this process, we develop more strength and flexibility as well as beauty! God is SO COOL!

Along those same lines, Tom and I were watching a video on how to make a knife and he mentioned to me something he read about Jay Neilson, one of the judges on Forged in Fire. He said the tests that he does on the show are the same tests he does on his own knifes (which are brutal and often damaging!). He says you have to wreck a knife in hard tests in order to learn how to make them stronger and better. Just as in life, you have to wreck a life to make it stronger and better! Not easy or comfortable, but if we allow God to do His perfect work in us, everything will be redeemed and WE will be BETTER for it… and this all begins in childhood!

Thank you Lord for this deeper lesson and insight! I don’t think I will magically be “ok” with children suffering but I thank you for this perspective and deeper understanding into your eternal perspective and purposes. It does help me to trust you with even this difficult topic. Thank you for redeeming what the “locust have eaten” in my life, and others, and making us into the tool that YOU have designed for Your Kingdom purposes! I am so thankful for my pain and my scars!

Fight the Good Fight...

"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 

After reading this devotion I got the idea for this blog: The Struggle - Devotion by Ray Stedman

This devotion stirred up in me some questions about what exactly the Ephesians 6:10-18 scripture means?? It is often taught that we need to fight the enemy, to battle against the spiritual realm, and in a way we do but NOT in the way we think. And this scripture is often used to back that up but, it doesn't actually say that...! Ray says in the devotional that "Through Him deliverance is obtained. Through the amazing mystery of the cross and the resurrection, Jesus has broken the power and bondage of Satan over human lives. Those who individually receive and acknowledge this are set free to live in the freedom and liberty of the children of God."

So, what are we "fighting" against if Jesus has broken the power and bondage of Satan? He then says: 

"They are not set free to live unto themselves. They are set free in order to battle. That is the call that comes to all Christians. We are not set free in order to enjoy ourselves. We are set free to do battle, to engage in the fight, to overcome in our own lives, and to become the channels by which others are set free."

Again, what are we fighting and overcoming in our lives? It is sometimes taught, and sometimes we assume, that we are to engage in a war or battle that Jesus already won... If HE is the victor, what are we fighting and battling against and for?? Ray is not real clear on this.

I have come to believe that our circumstances are designed and orchestrated by God for our good and his glory, to refine, shape and mold us, so if we aren’t fighting our circumstances, that isn’t it. And I don't believe that WE "save" anyone because that is GOD's job. So we aren’t fighting for others salvation because Jesus already bought and paid for that and all we have to do is accept it. He calls us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER, so that others will know that we are HIS disciples, revealing HIS love for people which changes hearts and transforms lives... so no fighting is involved in witnessing/loving each other either.

In talking with Tom about this he brought up the Revelation 12:10 scripture "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down." Satan is called “the accuser” in this scripture and Jesus calls him the "father of lies" in John 8:44 and in the Garden of Eden he LIED to Eve... He is a deceiver first and foremost trying to derail us from the truth, so we HAVE to know the TRUTH (who is a Person, btw). And the only way we can do that is to SPEND TIME WITH HIM.

Let's read the Ephesians scripture again, without the doctrinal filters:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:10-18

He tells us that our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. But his instructions are for us to STAND and to STAND FIRM. He doesn't tell us to fight... He says to STAND against the "devil's schemes" which are LIES and deception. We are standing and believing in the TRUTH of what Jesus did for us, which is that He has won our salvation and the victory over the evil one and not to believe the lies, which are the enemy’s greatest weapons. The armor is a protection and a "defensive" tool with the pieces protecting us with the REMINDERS of who we are and what Jesus did for us! The belt of the TRUTH of what Jesus did for us, the breastplate of God's righteousness which we have been given, our feet shod with the readiness to proclaim the gospel of PEACE (not war or fighting), the shield of FAITH extinguishing the flaming arrows of LIES from the evil one, and the helmet of Salvation, protecting our minds from doubt and fear that come from the lies. And the Sword which is the word of God, which reminds us of God’s truth and keeps us from believing the lies that are spoken all around us. Which is what Jesus did when Satan tried to tempt Him in the desert in Luke 4:3-13.

And then the Ephesian scripture ends in telling us to PRAY in the spirit on ALL occasions and praying for all of the saints (not the world or unbelievers), that they will stand strong in the TRUTH and not succumb to the lies, falling prey to the fiery darts of deception. And this, my friends, is an important thing for us to do for our HUSBANDS (speaking to all the ladies out there). Our job as wives is to PRAY for them to resist the lies of the enemy and instead believe the TRUTH of who they are in Christ.

Again, one of our favorite Oswald-ism says "The enemy of our faith is not sin, but the good that is not the BEST". I think one of the many things we can get distracted with, and the enemy is probably behind this lie, is the idea that we need to fight Satan! And that it is our job to "save" people... instead of doing what is BEST and focusing on our relationship with the Lord and allowing Him to transform us! And praying for each other. And when we are praying, we are with HIM, allowing Him to speak to our hearts, for ourselves and for others.

Another great Oswald-ism is "When we have the right relationship with God, our ministry to Him comes as naturally as breathing"!! HIM first at all times and THEN He can work through us without us even having to think about it!!

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" Matthew 6:33

With all of this churning in my mind, I decided to do a search for the word "fight" in the New Testament and these were the ones I found... This was really enlightening to me!!

"Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

Paul is talking about fighting his own body to make it obey! Which reminds me of the scripture in Romans 7; "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do..." Romans 7:15. So, we are fighting against our own sin nature forcing it to conform to the "Kingdom" ways and not the worlds ways. It also reminds me of the “plank” in my eye verses the “splinter” in my brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5)... I need to work on ME first, to remove the plank in my own eye, and trust God with everyone else’s splinter. So, since I am the only one I can change, I fight to focus on ME and not trying to fix everyone else around me (Sheesh… SO hard to do that!).

"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 

In this scripture Paul is making a clear point that we aren't waging war as the world does! How does the world wage war?? With aggression, hate, bombs, guns, knives, domination... But instead he says, we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God!! I believe this scripture is talking about our MINDS, and fighting against anything that would set itself against the knowledge of God... demolishing strongholds which I believe are the LIES we have believed about who God is and who we are in Him! Rooting out the lies and taking captive every THOUGHT making it obedient to Christ and His TRUTH! He is saying the battle is in our MINDS here. This is a "mind game" not a war with guns and bombs...

"Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." 1 Timothy 1:18-19 

In this scripture he is talking about fighting to hold onto the FAITH! Again, not believing lies that would derail you from the Truth of who God is, shaking your faith and trust in Him. And when we hold on to our faith we can hold onto our good conscience as well.

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12 

And what does Jesus say eternal life is? “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3. With that knowledge of God, and having faith and trust in Him we are holding onto the "eternal life" for which we were called.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8 

So basically, the battle is in our hearts and minds, and the sin nature, fighting against the lies that set themselves against the knowledge of God, the Truth, our faith, and trust which leads to eternal life.

These scriptures ring true with what Jesus did and taught as well. The disciples were convinced that Jesus was going to "do battle" and "fight a war" to take over the throne and become a King on earth. They didn't understand Him or His purpose in that He came to DIE, and not to make war and do battle... He came to "seek and save what was lost" (Luke 19:10) but not to defeat the Romans. He came to LOVE them and die for them so that He could be their “eternal” King. He never planned to "fight" the way the world fights, or the way the disciples thought, but to fight with the heart and mind, in Love, grace, kindness, compassion... and THAT is how He won the battle against the enemy!

The second part of the Revelation 12 scripture after it says; “For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down” is:

"...they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..." Revelation 12:11 

This scriptures says another way we battle and defeat the enemy is with our testimony. There is power in the truth of what God has done in our hearts, our life, our marriages, and whatever and wherever there are miracles of transformation. The TRUTH, God's Truth, is more powerful than anything the world can come up with and that is what we do battle with! Replacing lies with the Truth in our hearts and minds and then when God transforms us, we share our testimony with others, love them and then people are inspired and motivated to know this God who loves them enough to die for them.

I am discovering more and more that most of what God does is so counter intuitive so you HAVE to work and fight for it, moving past our own understanding and common sense to understand His “eternal purpose” and His ways, or it just won't happen. So, we don’t fight the enemy in the world’s way, but in GOD’S way, which is very different! We keep trying to fit Him in the temporal world’s box and ways and He just doesn't fit!

​"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6