When The Going Gets Tough - Just Quit!
When you are having a bad day and it appears that nothing is going right, don't you think about throwing in the towel and quitting? When people lie and say things about you or your family that stirs a
rage and anger that causes your blood to boil, why not quit? When your
employer, family, or friends seem to take you for granted, just quit trying,
right? When roadblocks appear for no
logical reason, and appear too difficult to proceed, why not throw in the towel
and choose another direction? You can insert your own personal struggle
here, as attacks are very personalized and satan knows where to hit you. The
form and type of attack can hit anyone from any direction, and at anytime,
usually the worst time possible, right? So
I'll circle back and ask you the question, why not just quit?
I believe the enemy can be companies, individuals,
satan (he doesn’t deserve a capital “S”), or a combination of such, or as much
as we would hate to admit it, it can even be ourselves. Those that are jealous or envious of you, or what you have, will do all they can to break you down.
We all have choices when under attack. You can cower in a corner, cover
your head or cry out "poor me" or "why me?" You can
shut down any ministry work in the hopes that the enemy will withdraw from
attacking you. You can stop being kind to people, stop helping them, and become
a recluse so that nobody can hurt you any longer. You can quit your job,
switch companies, or come up with something very clever to escape the pain.
You can give up on whatever you are doing that might be causing the pain
and attacks, so the enemy stops the attacks.
Or, you can go on the offensive. I think going on the offensive is the
best choice, although I will firmly state it is the most difficult one. Not
giving up and not allowing the enemy to rob you from your joy is challenging on
many levels, but it is the right course of action.
This could play out several ways depending on the nature of the
attack. One thing that works for any kind of attack is wielding your sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God. "And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." (Ephesians
6:17-18)
Declare God's Word and his promises over your life. Assert who you are
in Christ because of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross and what He did for
us, all of us. Confidently, although difficult in the middle of your storm, proclaim
that; "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue
which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn." (Isaiah 54:17)
Also, if you are under attack, you need the closeness and presence of
the Lord even more than ever. It’s my opinion that you get closer through
prayer, talking to God. I believe that
the power of prayer is greatly underestimated; so increasing your prayer and
praise time is a huge weapon to use during the storm and attack. Prayer is such a powerful weapon, that I want
to share a few versus that clearly demonstrate why prayer should always be
used, before, during, and after the attack.
Jesus prayed alone, with others, for others, in a residence and outside
in nature. He prayed consistently and
persistently, and prayed with expectation. You don’t need fancy words or speak eloquently
in order to pray; just talk to God like you would anyone else. Jesus knew that not all prayers would be
answered in the format or way that He wanted.
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe
that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Matthew 21:22 - And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you
have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig
tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the
sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you
have faith.”
In John 4:24 Jesus said, "God is spirit, and His
worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." He also said, "the
truth will set you free" (John 8:32), underscoring the importance of truth
in the life of Jesus and, in turn, our lives.
Colossians 4:2 - Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it
with thanksgiving.
John 15:7 - If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
You can also listen to worship music, sing to the Lord, bless and pray
for your family and friends. Speak out
loud to the enemy and demand him to leave you alone, and that he has no right
or power over you. Tell the enemy that he has no dominion over you and by the power of the blood of Jesus, he must vacate your life immediately. Anything that allows your joy to be seen and felt, disturbs and discourages the enemy!
One of the most difficult, and courageous things to do regarding
prayer, is to pray for your enemies. I
am not saying pray for satan, but pray for those who have caused you pain. Pray that they open their heart to God, and
pray for them for healing. Matthew 5:44
says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you.”
It becomes a little easier to pray for your enemies when you
see if Jesus did this, and if so, how? "But I tell you who hear Me:
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:27-28).
Jesus, who told us to love and pray for our enemies,
demonstrated the ultimate gift of love while hanging on the cross:
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"
(Luke 23:34a).
Jesus prayed for His enemies…how can we do less? I will be the first to raise my hand
and say that this isn’t something I like, nor desire to do. I do pray for those who hurt me, but I’m not
100% sure it’s the most sincere prayer, and ironically, I pray to God to help
me with this.
Have confidence and knowledge that you have the greatest potential for
spiritual growth while you are under attack. Read that sentence again, I believe it is so
crucial to know, understand, and keep at the front of your mind. This is something I personally struggle with
and think, “Isn’t there an easier way?”
However, the more struggles you endure, with God’s help, the more you can
grow to full maturity. In the meanwhile, continue to pursue closeness with
Jesus; He is our only true place of immunity.
The enemy is also going to intensely and aggressively attack anyone
who is a threat to him, or who may effectively advance the kingdom of God. The
higher the calling from God, the more satan will press in, the more roadblocks,
the more issues, the more doubts and fears you will have.
If you are prone to addiction, the enemy will often times use drugs or
alcohol to get you off course. If your
joy comes from people, then expect him to charge at you with relationship
issues. If you are happily married, he
will do all he can to put a wedge between you and your spouse.
The enemy knows your weakness, regardless if anyone else does, and he
will aim directly for the center of them.
Unfortunately satan isn’t dumb, he knows exactly where to hit you. He knows what can stop you in your tracks, or
at least derail you long enough to cause you pain, anguish, and force you to
NOT focus on what you were doing in the first place to get him involved.
I believe that if we confidently
proclaim that; "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every
tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall
condemn." (Isaiah 54:17)
In closing, just know that when you are being attacked, the choice is to
not give up, but to press forward with what you feel God is guiding you to
do. Know that it isn’t going to be the
easy way, but with God’s help and strength, you will overcome the enemy. You obtain further strength and help through
prayer, sincere prayer. It's awesome to have others pray for you and they won’t even need to know the details, as God
already does.
Know the more devoted and harder you work to carry out God’s work, the more attacks you will face and the devil must work harder. Know that if you aren’t being attacked, then
likely and possible, you aren’t doing anything that the devil is worried about.
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will
make your paths straight.
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