American Under Siege-On the Offense Pt 2

AMERICAN UNDER SIEGE

Going on the Offensive - Part II

“I Have the Full Armor of God – Now What?”

(Please note: There is no ‘shortcut’, no easy 1-2-3, to defeating our enemy. It takes discipline and training and preparation. You need to read, study, pray and prepare. And, you cannot get the complete detail or a complete understanding of the steps we can and must take, unless you read the related links on each of these pages)

A war to resist and overcome the evils enveloping America and the world can be fought in three basic ways: (1). Conventional or guerilla warfare, using conventional weapons of war, economic weapons, psychological warfare, the weapons of the media; (2). Political weapons; (3) Changing and winning the hearts and minds of the people through Spiritual Warfare.

The first two methods have been in use since creation and have had brought only temporary periods of peace or limited prosperity for the few. But, the “unsaved” people among us who are share our Christian ideals, but have not received Christ as their Lord and Savior, are still our allies and co- conspirators, and they will continue to wage war against our enemy using traditional methods. However, we have been fighting wars throughout our history, which have murdered billions of people and cause destruction at unimaginable costs in dollars and human suffering, so the first two methods have not brought any measure of lasting peace or prosperity, except to a few.

The last method mentioned, Spiritual Warfare, the spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the pulling down and destroying the strongholds of rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, is the only way to defeat and eradicate evil and usher in worldwide lasting peace and prosperity.

Spiritual Warfare and spreading the Gospel is the method, mission and ministry to which God has called us. It is through Spiritual Warfare, that, in the end, God will judge the entire world, defeat the forces of evil in the bloodiest of all battles. It is through this warfare that Satan and the Anti-Christ will be cast in the lake of fire for all eternity.)

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple. And you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

Engaging in the Spiritual War raging across America and the world, requires that you know Jesus as your Lord and knowing what He requires of His disciples (a.k.a., Christians). It is the indwelling presence of God that enables you to understand what God is saying and to gain the wisdom and abilities to fight this war.

Our relationship with God requires more than just knowing about Him. We must know Him, believe Him and we must follow Him, which requires our FAITH in ACTION.

Pastor and author Henry Blackaby points out, in his study “The 7 Realities For Experiencing God”, what we should know about God’s ways, His plans and His purposes. It illustrates how we can follow Him. :

1. God is always at work around you.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
  1. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
  2. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
  3. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
  4. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
  5. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.

I. JESUS’ MINISTRY IS OUR MINISTRY

Our relationship with Jesus is more than ‘Just Knowing’; it requires Believing and Doing. Jesus has

(a) The plan for us to follow,

(b) The purpose which becomes our purpose, and

For example, in Matthew 10:2, we are told that “Jesus sent these twelve out after (a) instructing them (b) He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to
heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
“Heal the sick,
raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers,
cast out demons.
Freely you received, freely give.
“Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.
“And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. “As you enter the house, give it your greeting. “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.
“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

II. JESUS’ MISSION IS OUR MISSION

After Jesus’ death and resurrection and just before His ascension, He said:

Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

o, Jesus was sent by His Father and was on The Mission of His Father. If you are a disciple of Jesus (His follower) this is your mission, and He will do this work through you.

III. JESUS’ PURPOSE IS OUR PURPOSE

1 John 3:8 “The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.”

These are the WORKS of the devil, the thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY (John 10:10)

The devil is the accuser, a liar, a thief, a murderer, the author of disease, pain, despair, loss, lack, fear, hopelessness and the like.

IV. JESUS’ METHOD IS OUR METHOD

Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (the devil) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word (logos) of their testimony (Maturia -> Martus), and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

Here is how Jesus destroyed the works of the devil. And, how He will continue to destroy the works of the devil, through His yielded and obedient disciple:

Condemns a Fig Tree Matthew 21:17-22
Feeds More than Four-Thousand People Matthew 15:32-39
Stills the Storm
The Catch of Fish
The Second Catch of Fish
The Temple Tax Money Obtained from a Fish’s Mouth
Walks Upon Lake Galilee
Water Converted Into WineCleanses the Leper
Cures a Man With Dropsy
Cures the Woman With the Issue of Blood
Healing of the Immobile Man
Heals a Demoniac
Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law
Heals the Daughter of the Non-Jewish, Syro-Phoenician Woman
Heals the Demoniac
Heals the Ear of Malchus
Heals the Epileptic Boy
Heals the Nobleman’s Son
Heals the Paralyzed Man
Heals the Woman With the Spirit of Infirmity
Opens the Eyes of a Man Born Blind
Restores a Blind Man
Restores Sight to Two Blind Men Near Jericho
Restores the Centurion’s Servant
Restores the Deaf-Mute Man
Restores Two Blind Men to Sight
Restoring the Withered Hand
Throws Demons out of Two Men of Gadara (Gerasa)
DEFEATED DEATH
Raises Lazarus from the Dead
Raises the Daughter of Jairus from the Dead
Raises the Widow’s Son to Life at the Village of Nain
“Miracles in the Name of Christ”

V. OUR THREE-FOLD RESPONSE & OUR MISSION

1. Philippians 2:5 says we are to "Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus."

2. John 14:12 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father."

3. Matthew 28:18 says, "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

When you ‘hear His Voice’, submit yourself to Him, obey and spring into action!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Go to Next Episode: Going on the Offense, Part III

Previous Episodes: Going on the Offensive, Part I