Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
The passages above tell us beyond the shadow of a doubt that we are all involved in a war; not merely against fellow mortals like ourselves, but more so against principalities and powers, and the forces of darkness which do strive for the supremacy in our minds.
Too often we find ourselves focusing our attention upon the human agent, when indeed, it is the many invisible forces we wrestle against, that are causing the problems and challenges we encounter on our journey towards God’s kingdom.
In fact, this reality is something that persons must be reconciled to, in that each step of advance in the right direction would be challenged by the forces of darkness, and therefore, a person should not expect only smooth sailing in his/her Christian experience.
There will be times when we will have to do mortal battle against internal and external foes, of whom the internal foes are the most dangerous. However, Christ has promised us grace that will rise with the emergency, so that folks need not fear, nor buckle under the heavy load of discouragement whenever the enemy comes in like a flood.
Jesus, who has trod this way before, had to endure multiple assaults by the enemy of souls, who was a relentless, and a determined foe that Christ had to meet, and conquer each day, during His sojourn on this earth.
The word Christian means little Christ and therefore, we who believe in Jesus, and follow Him, must also expect to encounter malice, revenge, oppositions, turmoil, and hardships of various sorts, intertwined with the sunny days, and mountaintop experiences that the straight and narrow path affords. Let’s read:
John 16: 33 These things I 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.
2nd Timothy 3: 11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
[LTSM 7, MS 24, 1892 Par. 22] Remember that every soul striving to advance in the divine life, finds every inch of ground disputed by an antagonistic force and he must gird himself for the conflict by earnest prayer, and fight the good fight of faith.
[LTSM 17, Lt 67, 1902 Par. 53] The Christian warfare is an individual warfare. Satan will contest every inch of the way, but press forward. The strength and courage necessary for the conflict will be given you.
Our interpretation of adverse events.
One of the issues that we will be lazar focused on in this presentation, is how to interpret adverse events as they occur in our life experience for we’ll discover that whenever the adversary of souls goes on the offensive against the Christian, we often make the mistake of misinterpreting events as they unfold.
At such times we will discover that the Christian is often tempted to believe that God has forsaken him or her, and it’s at these moments when our faith can be severely shaken. But, the truth about the matter is that if one is sincerely trying to walk in harmony with all the light given, adverse circumstances are often a harbinger of good things to come.
In other words, whenever God determines to bless His people, we should expect the forces of darkness to launch an offensive, and if and when it ensues, it is to be interpreted as a herald of something bigger, and better, that is already on the way.
In the spirit world there are those who stake out an offensive position, while on the other hand, we will find that God often plays defense. This is a fact that we must understand moving forward, for very often we might expect God to go on the offensive, against the forces of darkness that are arrayed against our souls.
There are times when God goes on the offensive but this is more the exception than the rule, because His nature of loving-kindness does not generally move Him to offer offense. Whenever God does go on the offensive, it is usually in response to continued, and prolonged provocation, or determined resistance or persecution against His own people.
Therefore, when we pray, we should do so with the understanding, that God, as a general rule, is not in the business of walking around with a baseball bat, seeking to pick a fight with men or demons. His own nature consists of love, peace, harmony, kindness, and every good, and upright characteristic that can be found, written of Him in His word. Let’s read:
1st John 5: 8 He that loveth not knows not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Lamentations 3:21 This I recall to my mind therefore have I hope.
22 It is because of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Psalms 103: 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger forever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
So, let’s repeat so that this sacred truth may sink in deep into our consciousness: God is love, and He is not in the business of going on the offensive under normal conditions.
On the contrary, the forces of darkness often go on the offensive, always seeking to pick a fight with God, holy angels or with the Christian. Unprovoked, man’s nemesis will target an unsuspecting believer, and if granted permission, he will cause distresses and hardships, difficulties and a host of problems the saint in question may not be catering for.
Thus, the Bible teaches us, in no uncertain terms, that in the spirit world it is the adversary of God and man who stakes out offensive positions, for this is who he is at his very core. His nature drives him to take offensive actions against the good, the bad and the in between.
Persons are never to be deceived into thinking that if they were to cozy up to the devil that he will leave them alone. This is an absolute misunderstanding, for he will target even his most ardent followers, the same way he goes after the Christian. The reason is that going on the offensive is a natural byproduct of his nature as the Bible declares. Let’s read:
Revelation 12: 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath because he knows that he hath but a short time.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
1st Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel.
After David was anointed as king of Israel, and satan got wind of it, he then went on the offensive to try if possible, to thwart the good God had intended to do for his people. Numerous assaults were launched from strategic positions, and in each and every case God adopted a defensive position, protecting David from the malice of the prince of darkness.
One day, as David was singing his songs of praise in the king’s court, the prince of darkness moved upon Saul to hurl a javelin at the musician, with the hope that it would pin him to the wall. This happened on more than one occasion, but in each instance, God played defense in behalf of his servant. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 16: 7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.
Again, Saul was moved upon by invisible forces to go on the offensive after David, for the king had spent many sleepless days and nights, hunting down David like a wild beast in the forests and wilderness. Saul refused to let go of his purpose to strangle David with his own hands. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 24:2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
1st Samuel 26: 2 Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.
12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.
We observed that God’s actions against Saul are all defensive in nature, for it is not the nature of God to go on the offensive against human beings. Christ has come to save men’s lives, not to destroy, and thus, if and whenever He can, God avoids resorting to brute force to compel persons to comply with His will.
These determined attacks against David continued to weigh on his mind, for at every turn, he found himself having to look over his shoulder, lest some sudden attack from the spirit world, through human agencies, should snuff out his life prematurely, as he then thought.
According to the scripture, the prolonged incursions against his soul and his person, finally took a toll on David, for he began to interpret the events as being a harbinger of bad things to come, instead of being heralds of the good God that was going to do. His interpretations and conclusions are expressed in David’s own words of anguish and despair. Let’s read:
David’s Interpretation of Events.
1st Samuel 20:3 And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord lives, and as thy soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.
Again, after God revealed the fact that He was going to do great things through young Joseph, the forces of darkness staked out an offensive position, and as usual, they chose the medium of human agencies to carry out their diabolical plans.
Joseph was first cast into the pit, and then sold as a slave into a foreign country, where he would now be tasked with learning a new language in a hurry. And as he saw his father’s tents fading in the distance he shed many bitter tears, thinking that this has to be the end of his dreams.
His interpretation of events.
[Patriarchs and prophets pp 213] With a trembling heart he looked forward to the future. What a change in situation—from the tenderly cherished son to the despised and helpless slave! Alone and friendless, what would be his lot in the strange land to which he was going? For a time Joseph gave himself up to uncontrolled grief and terror.
But throughout that entire episode, we do not find God going on the offensive to prevent the malice of his brothers. Instead, The Lord takes up a defensive stance, and protects Joseph through all the ups and downs of his experiences in Egypt, until The Lord’s purposes for him would be fulfilled in due season.
In his own words, Joseph later informed his brothers in retrospect, about the correct understanding, and interpretation of the events that had transpired. He attributed his success to the defensive role God had played in his capture, and consequent exaltation in Egypt, in so much that Joseph didn’t even credit his brothers with the chain of circumstances. Let’s read:
Genesis 45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the forces of darkness went on the offensive, for the conversation of that fateful day was begun by man’s nemesis, not Eve. It’s true that their power of choice was used for the wrong reason by our first parents, but the offensive came from the serpent.
When God had determined to free His people from Egyptian bondage, He spoke to pharaoh first, to let His people go. Many of us, if we had been in God’s shoes, would not have condescended to speak to a poor mortal like pharaoh, especially, if we were to consider the omnipotence God has at His disposal.
Yet God addresses pharaoh in a non-confrontational manner, that he should let the people go. And, even after the multiple requests had been made by God, and denied by that stubborn king, God did not at once bring upon the Egyptians the last plague that did them in.
He waited and waited, He pleaded and pleaded, and each successive plague was mingled with mercy, for God takes no pleasure in the destruction of human life. But stubbornness on the part of the king caused The Lord to tighten down the screws with increasing pressure, until He had no choice but to turn up the heat several notches so that pharaoh would listen.
But, had it not been for the fool-hardiness of the king, we would never have read of a single plague upon Egypt. That is because God, as a general rule, does not stake out offensive positions when dealing with the human family.
God is not confrontational or offensive in nature for He much rather prefers those peaceable and kindly solutions to problems that are in harmony with His word, when dealing with humanity. In other words, He is not a bully God, but instead always seeks out the most peaceable route at first, as He did with old pharaoh. Let’s read:
Exodus 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus, saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
Instead of acquiescing to God’s word, pharaoh, who was under the direct influence of demons stakes out an offensive position in the narrative for in response to God’s overtures he increases the burdens of the people, and, like the invisible master under whose control he now is, he proceeds to harass and torture the Hebrews as he goes on the offensive. Let’s read:
Exodus 5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
7 Ye shall no more, give the people straw to make
brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore, have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?
Their interpretation of events?
Exodus 5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:
21 And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
Several judgments against Egypt ensued, with each one becoming severer, until the episode culminated in the demise of every firstborn of man and beast in the kingdom. One would think that pharaoh would have learned his lessons well, but again, urged on by the prince of darkness, the king again goes on the offensive. Let’s read:
Exodus 14: 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea ….
10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
Their Interpretation of Events?
Exodus 14: 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
There are critically important lessons for us to take away from the experiences of those who have gone before. Their interpretations of adverse events are pregnant with instruction, for those of us who are living in an environment where things are becoming more and more volatile by the day.
[1] For starters, in our interaction with our fellow mortals like ourselves, we too should follow God’s lead in avoiding going on the offensive, nor should we expect The Lord to always take offensive actions in the protection His people.
Too often, we find ourselves following the dictates of fallen human nature, in clamoring for revenge or justice as the case might be. But those who spend time beholding the character of Christ, would avoid confrontation as much as possible, and would rather prefer peaceable solutions to any volatile situations, if, and whenever this is possible. Let’s read:
Romans 12: 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
[2] Another important lesson for us to consider and learn from the experiences of God’s people in times past, is that whenever we may attempt to do things that are good or right, we should expect some level of resistance from the prince of darkness.
But his offensives are not to be viewed as negatives to the good purposes intended, because, as we have discovered in the several examples given, God’s own defensive actions in our behalf often uses the ploys of demons to facilitate the outworking of His grand purposes in behalf of His people.
Thus, whenever we may experience offensives, and oppositions from the spirit world, when trying to do that which is good and upright, these events should be understood and interpreted as harbingers of the good that is to follow, and we would be encouraged greatly in thus bearing patiently, the assaults of our invisible foes. Let’s read:
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
[3] There is a book called “Last Day Events” which outlines in graphic detail the perils of the last days. The information that is found therein is not to be understood as scaremongering. Instead, the info is a herald of the morning, and therefore, when we read it we must look beyond what is seen to that which is eternal.
In other words, some of the bad news that is found therein is actually good news for the Christian, for God’s word certifies that all offensives coming from men and demons will soon come crashing down and persons who at that time remain faithful will see in real time The Day Star arising in their hearts.
And, we have the assurance that God would be with us, mostly in a defensive position, so that whenever we pass through the fire or the flood, His presence will always be there to guide, encourage, strengthen and cheer, so that persons would not be engulfed by the forces of darkness who are on the prowl.
Thus, in all of the vicissitudes of life, in all of those adverse circumstances and offensives that come our way from time to time, let it be settled once and for all in our hearts, that God often turns the negatives into positives, and if we were to hang in there by His grace, we will often discover that our latter end will be better than at the first.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which should help us to understand and interpret events in our lives correctly, and may God grant us grace to bear, the various offensives coming from the spirit world in the interim. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him …..
God Bless!