944 The Ultimate Comeback

God is working in you. No doubt he is in the details of your life, orchestrating all things to come together for the goodness he has planned. And where God is working, the enemy is poking. And you’ve felt those pokes, haven’t you? Clouded in confusion, lurking in dark corners of desperation, hiding out in the chaos, there is the devil and his legion of demons just poking at the work God is doing. His intentions are to undermine what God is doing in and through us. His goal is to kill, steal and destroy. The enemy is constantly scheming, studying your weakness, searching for cracks, ready to pounce when you are vulnerable. My sister, he is real. His demons are real. His attacks are real. And we are in a real spiritual battle. Your entire family is under attack. Your future is threatened. Your potential is held hostage. And if you sit there and do nothing, much will be lost. The enemy can poke away at you creating gaping holes of destruction, leaving you with doubts, fears, insecurities, and overwhelm. You’re in the battle whether you want to be or not … decide now, you’re fighting back! Ephesians 6:12 “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.” This is who we are fighting. He is the source of this chaos and destruction. He is behind every attack. He’s a coward so he hides in the crowd, but he is responsible for this. In this battle we must know our enemy and fight with the full armor of God. This full armor is listed in the next 4 verses after defining the evil powers we’re really struggling against. Verse 13-17: “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.” Each piece of your armor is priceless. Each one protecting you so make sure you put it on in this battle you’re in. But today, I will focus on the one thing you have been given to fight. Everything else is defense, but one thing is offense. You have been given a weapon to fight back. You fight with your sword. This is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The more you learn to listen to the Spirit of God dwelling within you, the more you are strengthened for battle with God’s word. Scriptures come to mind and you are strengthened with God’s promises. These promises are a sword that cut through the attacks of the enemy and take him down. Some scholars have counted the promises held within the bible and have numbered them to be 7,147 promises. These are guarantees of God’s provision, God’s protection, God’s grace and mercy, God’s love, God’s guidance, God’s strength and power. This is what we fight with my sisters. Don’t sit there and take it. And certainly don’t co-sign the attack. We come back at the lies of the enemy, the low blows and mistruths, the twisted deception and mass chaos, the attacks of division and blame, and we cut them down with our sword. Yes, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We remember what God has promised and we claim it as ours. If you’re under attack, feeling the pokes of the enemy that rock your peace and steal your joy, held back in darkness where he whispers despair in your ear … it’s time to come out fighting!