DURING A BATTLE
* The enemy will try and penetrate you by:
1) going over your wall
2) going through your wall
3) going under your wall
4) getting through your gates
5) using deception (a “spiritual” Trojan horse)
* When under attack to keep you from doing a work, just go ahead and do it anyway and don’t be distracted. Speed up and don’t slow down (like Nehemiah and the walls of Jerusalem; Zerubbabel and the rebuilding the Temple-Ezra 5.1-5) and more Bible, more prayer, study and action
* Do the things that you are being kept from doing, stay on schedule and keep standing. *Never put yourself in a position to lose the battle
* Don’t be stiff, formal, or use formulas (like at Aphek and the Ark-2 Sam 4.1-22; spiritual “magic” is manipulation of the supernatural, like “positive confession” in the faith movement) and is in much that we see today, and these are works of ignorance. Don’t act like the next guy and be yourself; think and plan according to your attack and who is attacking you
* Don’t replace the Scriptures with “the Spirit.” If the two conflict, go with the Scriptures because if something is of the Holy Spirit it will never conflict with the Scriptures. That is why people don’t know if the Lord is speaking or not. To the extent that they know the Scriptures, it is to that same extent that they will know the voice of God
* When being attacked:
1) pray and know your source of strength
2) have the attitude that you won’t back down
3) do something, know your attacker, his strategy, his strength, his plans, his weapons
4) know your foundation and heritage and why the battle is being fought
* Don’t be a “crusader”-study, learn, pray and move when God tells you. Many become new believers and then think they have to find a “spiritual cause” to be involved with “for the Lord.” The problem is they don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to the Lord and they get defeated. A new believer should find a good teacher or source material and study, study and study until they can show themselves approved before God and man
* Devices of protection cannot be a hindrance, streamline your “armor.” The Crusaders were defeated by Saladin because their armor was too hot for the desert and Saladin lit fires to make it even hotter, and they lost battles. David didn’t use Saul’s armor because it didn’t fit and it would have hindered him from using the weapon he was most effective with, the sling
* Don’t ignore the minor offenses when battling the major attack. Battering rams at the front gate doesn’t mean you ignore the ladders at the back gate
* When being attacked, don’t talk back or respond
* During the battle, find a place to rest. You can’t fight and fight and fight. Retreat for awhile and rest. Talking about the battle too much will drain you and you can’t hear from the Lord
* Spiritual battles don’t need to be centered in reason or logic
* Don’t be surprised when those close to you join in the fight against you
* The enemy cannot sustain an attack or a siege forever. Hang tough and keep going. Use whatever means you can to hold on (wait) and be confident
* Be flexible and know when to pull back and when to attack
* Watch the “tunnels” (posterns) coming out of the enemy city to undermine you. Use these “tunnels” against the city by coming back through these tunnels yourself when you discover where they are (David did this when taking Jerusalem-2 Sam 5)
* Protect your water source during a siege (your source of true teaching, don’t neglect it)
* If you are in a siege, don’t let the enemy “draw you out” like Joshua did at Ai. Here is how this happens. People will be in a group (city, congregation) and on fire for the Lord, learning the Hebraic way to look at the Scriptures and seeing things in the Scriptures the way the Lord intended. Then they move away for a better job, or leave the group because they are “led of the Lord” and “have a peace about it.” They are really going against what God has revealed to them, and they say they are being “led by the Spirit” when it really isn’t. It is a trap. Soon they are cutoff from a good “city” (group, congregation), good people and from the source of their studies. If you think the Lord is moving you, and he does, then make sure he is speaking to you
* How do you know when the Lord speaks?
1) Does it line up with the Scriptures
2) you ask for a sign and it happens (Gideon)
3) Here is how NOT to put out a “fleece” (sign)
“I want to____________ and if you want me to do this, then______________
4) Here is how to put out a “fleece” (sign)
God speaks to you and you are not sure. You want it confirmed, then you send out your fleece (sign) by saying,
“If you are speaking with me about this, then_____________
Many “fleece” their own thoughts, but if the Lord is in it, he is not ashamed to confirm it
* The enemy will try to “thin you out” so don’t have too many “irons in the fire.”
* What do you do when you haven’t heard from the Lord? You wait, study, grow and learn. How does the Lord speak?
1) audible voice called a “bat kol”
2) messengers, teachers, donkeys, unbelievers, media, etc
3) Scriptures
4) circumstances (but this can be dangerous and a trap)
5) prophecies, but most prophecies today are not from God and there are no true prophets today. We have a teaching on this subject on this site called “Are There True Prophets Today”, but that doesn’t mean the Lord can’t speak through someone
6) the still, small voice
7) dreams, visions, “mind” flashes
8) dark speech, puns and parables
In Spiritual Warfare-Review, Applications and Additional Notes V, we will begin with what to do when attacking and what to do after a victory.
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