12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12
Ann and I were watching a Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn video the other day where Jonathan was talking about resisting the fear of the our enemy and continuing on with what God has asked you to do. Ann told me, “Mark, you can’t let the enemy make you feel stupid, or intimidate you when you make a mistake. We’re not perfect. Only Jesus is perfect. We’re going to make mistakes…probably even today or tonight. That’s part of life.”
This is a perfect example of how Ann and I minister to each other as husband and wife. We test the spirit behind any and all thoughts and act accordingly. We stir up the gifts of God in our lives and stand on the truths found in His Word, the Bible.
Don’t give satan your attention. Don’t draw back because of the devil’s lies.
Soon after Ann told me this it occurred to me that anything we give our attention to that’s attempting to steal, kill and destroy what God’s doing in our lives in an idol – it’s instead of God, it’s taking His place in our life, even if only for a short time. These idols (complacency, deception, etc.) are trying to take the place of God’s truth in our lives. The devil wants our attention and he’ll do anything he can to take our minds off God’s Word/work in us. God’s changing us from glory to glory. The devil will try to stop this progression. He’ll use any means (he usually uses the same old lie since he knows it worked in the past) to derail us from continuing on in God. Satan wants us to bow down to him, his lies and deception.
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn encourages us to stand strong and fight the fight against the false gods or idols in our lives…
The above youtube video isn’t the video Ann and were listening to earlier, but Jonathan’s talk is SO good in the above video regarding the idols we’re not even aware of that are trying to get us to bow down to them. I hope you’ll take 4 minutes and listen to it – It’s that good. There’s SO much liberty in what he’s sharing here.
Per Jonathan in the above video, as Christians, we don’t ever need to bow down to the idols of fear, worry, temptation, political correctness, depression, discouragement, shame, our past…None of these! God’s telling us not to bow the knee to them just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t in Daniel 3.
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3:16-18
God had them stand and showed them His salvation. Whether we live or die, because we’ve taken a stand for God, we win!
33 These things I (Jesus) have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
This is so powerful!
God bless,
Mark