STANDING IN THE MIDST OF THE BATTLE

Many times in our walk with the Lord, we will go through battles, Especially when we decide to step out for the Lord. Satan attacks us on every side to see if he can “discourage us, make us sit down on our calling, quit serving God or even go as far as cursing God.”
I have been through the worst battles of my life since I have decided to step out and preach Gods word. Satan has attacked on every side. I have tried to stay joyful, but I did cry a couple of days. Then I realized this is theLords battle and not mine. I have to realize that I MUST AND FIRST OBEY God in all things. Sure this is hard, I am human, but God ministered to me and said that the press was on. As the press is getting tighter and tighter. MY WILL has to die. It is not my will to stand up here and preach. Sure, I love the Lord with all my heart; but my will is to have a personal relationship with the Lord, praying,reading His word, coming to church and being with fellow believers. BUT NOT TO PREACH. THIS IS GODS WILL FOR MY LIFE. And believe me, as a few of you already know, my flesh is screaming out. The gates of hell have been opened against me over the past couple of weeks, but God gave me Isaiah 59:19 “... When the enemy shall come in a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”
What exactly does that mean, we know what it means when the enemy comes in like a flood, one thing after another, and before you are though one, here comes more, but what is that standard that God will raise upagainst him?
The Hebrew word for standard is pronounced noose, meaning to vanish away, subside, escape, impel, deliver,be displayed, Make to flee, put to flight.
When I saw the word noose, I thought of the nooses that people used to hang criminals, that is what the Lord is doing to satan, he is making him to leave me alone. So , when we see that we are going to do or are doing Gods work, and satan tries to send all his powers from hell, then we know that God will make a way for us to go on and obey Him.
So, then we can begin rejoicing in the trial that is set before us.
1Pe:4:13-14: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy .If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye;for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified .
WHAT, you are telling me that I need to rejoice in the Battle? Nope, I am not, but the Lord is. When we rejoice, we make the devil really mad.

1Pe:5:8-10: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. There are several points that the Lord wants to bring out.

POINT ONE (1)

Be sober, be vigilant; what is that? to be sober means to be discrete,watch, be not drunk with wine,
vigilant means to keep awake, watch.
So,we know that we are to keep awake or be aware of the enemy, we are to watch

1Thessalonians 5:6-8 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

1Peter 1:13: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

POINT TWO (2)

We know that satan goes about seeking whom he may devour. he watches our lives, he knows the work you and I are doing for God and cant stand it,so he is coming to see if he can devour you, BUT, he has to ask God first,--

Job:1:6-12: Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

See satan has to go through God to test and try you. he can not do anything to you, that God does not feel that you are able to indure.

1Corinthians 10:13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

POINT 3
Resist: One thing happened after another to Job

Job:1:13-19: And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Job resisted satan and bowed down to worship God Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

That is the key, what Job did, when you are going through the battle, don't blame the Lord for it!! Praise the Lord that you have been found worthy to face that trial, remember that satan has to ask the Lord for permission, isnt that wonderful, satan has to have permission from our father to try us, and God us sitting up there saying Look at __________ she is serving me with all her heart and might, I am so proud of her relationship with me, she loves to come to my house, pray and read her word, and satan does not like that at all, so he goes to God and says I want to try that person you think so much of. You will see, let me have them, so God says you can try them, but keep your hands off their life!!! Glory doesn’t that make you look at the battle different now? It sure did me.

POINT 4 -

Know that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren -----
when we face a trial, no matter what kind, someone has already walked through it before you, and God took care of them. What he done for one,he can do for another, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, I remember when I had my accident, I had such a peace bout it, God put Chris before me. God showed me what he did for Chris that he could do for me too. God is no respecter of persons. That is why it so important for us to testify ,

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

By listening to others testimonies, we are able to see how God moved in their lives and when we go through the same thing, we can hold on to the fact that what God done for that one, He will do for me.

Ac:10:34: Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

POINT 5, --

after we have come through, we will be made perfect, stablished, strengthen, and settled.
a.perfect means-- to complete thoroughly,repair, adjust, fit, frame, mend,restore,

b. establish means --- to set fast , to turn resolutely in a certain direction,or to conform, strengthen

c. strengthen mean --- to confirm in spiritual knowledge and power

d. settle means-- foundation, lay a basis for

When Job stood against satan, when his wife and friends wanted him to curse God, he stood firm!! And the Lord restored.

Job:42:10-15: And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep,and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters.: And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

So, when the battle is raging don’t think it is strange, keep on going forward for the Lord, Keep on doing Gods work, keep going to the enemies camp and taking back what satan has stole from you. That is why he is so mad, he has been found out and has to repay. If you are depressed, take your joy back, If you are discouraged, take your encouragement back, if you are being slowful in your walk with the Lord, take your desire back, if your marriage is in trouble, take it back, if your finances are in trouble, take them back, Satan has no control over us. We have 2 choices when the battle hits us, we can either realize that we need to take it joyful and praise the Lord and continue doing Gods work, or we can sit down and dry up.Personally, as Carmen sings “ I want to be one of those Christians that hell warns people about.” When I lived the life of a sinner, I really lived it, Now that I am a Christian, I want to do all that I can for the Lord. I am not saying that I am perfect, for I have faults too, but I know where I have been, where I am and where I am headed. We can either choose to understand what we are going through and get through it, or we can turn a deaf ear to it. It is up to you. You need to put all your faith and trust in the Lord and HE will help you through it.