The time for "Mamby-Pamby" faith has come to an end. God once winked at ignorance but no more.
In Revelation 12:12, the Spirit says, "Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short."
You've heard of "wax off, wax on"? Well, this is "WAX WORSE, WAX COLD!". As we just read, the Bible talks of "evil men and seducers". How do you know if someone is a seducer? Matthew 7:16 tells us. It reads, "By their fruit, you shall know them." Now, just because your friends or neighbors are hard to get along with, that doesn't make them your enemies. And even if they were, the Bible tells us, "bless your enemies" and to "love your neighbor as yourself." The only way you can win the war against evil is to fight against the "source" of evil itself, and that is, the devil. Some teachers teach, if you just ignore the devil, he will go away.
"Awwwmmm", you know that's not right!
Some hold to the belief that "ignorance is bliss" and that we are responsible for every word we hear, so, they choose to be ignorant rather than to be responsible.
What does the word "responsible" mean? It means that you have the ability to respond. Listen, God doesn't tell you to do anything in his Word without first giving you the ability to respond to his Word.
But you must be willing to do so. God does not want you to be ignorant. Ignorance, willing or otherwise, is darkness and darkness is ruled by the rulers of the darkness of this world, and that is, the devil.
Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is destruction for Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. What is ignorance? It is a lack of knowledge concerning God's word. We need to weaponize our faith in God. Why? Because we are in the greatest spiritual battle of our lives. It is a battle of good versus evil, right versus wrong and the outcome of this battle can determine whether you live a life of blessing on earth or a life of cursing and it can determine whether you spend an eternity in heaven or an eternity in hell.
How do we weaponize our faith? The first way to weaponize your faith is "to be forewarned". There are many places in the Word where God is trying to warn his people of things that are to come on the earth. There is a saying and even though it is not found in scripture, it is no less true, and that is "To be forewarned is to be forearmed." In order for us to live a life of victory and blessing in God, we must be forewarned. 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 11 reads, "we are not ignorant of his devices (speaking of the devil). The devil has been around for thousands upon thousands of years and he has had plenty of time to hone his skills and to perfect his weapons against us, but Thank God!, we have a promise found in Isaiah 54:17, that "No weapon being formed against us shall prosper".
God has given us everything we need to fight this battle, and fight we must if we want to win the war.
Ephesians 6:11-13 reads in the Amplified Bible, "be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]."
Once we have been forewarned, we must then be forearmed with the authority that Christ alone has given, over all the power of the enemy. Jesus told his disciples, which we are, in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." The devil wants to hurt you. And not only that. He wants to destroy your life. That is why 1 Peter 5:8 warns, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." He wants to devour you. The word "devour" means: to gorge on, to eat quickly, and to consume destructively. Listen, he's not playing around. He means business and he is enraged for he knows his time is short. And guess what? You don't have time to play around either and you must mean business, where it comes to the things of God for our time, is short as well. The next thing we need to be armed with is the baptism and the subsequent gifts of the Holy Spirit. Just as the different branches of the military have special forces, we who are baptized in the Holy Spirit have been given special gifts, severally as God wills to perform the work of Christ on the earth.
What is the work of Christ? It is to bring the message of salvation to the whole world. It is to reconcile man back to God and to restore us back to a place of fellowship with Him. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 16:15 just before he ascended into heaven, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved and he that doesn't believe shall be damned." And he goes on in the next verse and says, "These signs shall follow those who believe: In my name, they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."
Friend, it is my prayer that this message will begin to build your faith so you too can be an overcomer in every area of your life. I have one more verse to share with you and I encourage you to read as you have the time, this whole chapter and it is found in James, chapter 4 and verse 7, "Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you."
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