In the More...Know Your Enemy

A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy John 10:10a

It's football season! That means if the Saints, LSU or which ever high school team you root for is playing - people are tailgating, cheering and watching. The coaches and players have spent hours scouting, practicing and knowing their opposition. Hours of video has been viewed and will be viewed to ready the team against their opponents. Every aspect of the other teams plays must be known and anticipated in order for the win to occur!

As ministry women, You and I know that we have an enemy. Just to clarify - he is not the enemy sitting in the pew or having the preacher for lunch. He is our enemy of old. The one that came hissing at Eve in the garden. He is no fool. He is very methodical and he desires you to doubt God's goodness in your life and for your life. He wants us as ministry wives to come to place of such forlorn hopelessness in our calling that we will just stop. Stop praying. Stop reading/teaching. Stop seeking. Stop believing. Stop encouraging. Stop leading. Stop letting the Spirit live through our lives. He would like us to sit down on our laurels and just believe that God may have called us at one time but He has left us behind and frankly we are tired in the journey. We are disillusioned with the journey. And the journey hasn't turned out exactly as we thought it would.

In her book, "There's Gotta Be More", Donna Gaines writes, "The Bible uses many different descriptions and names for him (the words below are from the NASB):

He is crafty- Gen 3:1
He is a deceiver - 2 Cor. 11:3
He is the tempter - Matt. 4;3; 1 Thess. 3:5
He is the ruler of the demons, Beelzebul - Matt 12:24
He is a murder - John 8:44
He is a liar & the father of lies - John 8:44
He is the evil one - John 17:15
He is the god of this world - 2 Cor.4:4
He sometimes disguises himself as an
angel of light- 2 Cor. 11:14
He is the prince of the power of the air - Eph. 2:2
He is Satan - Mark 1:13
He is the dragon - Rev. 12:7-9
He is the accuser - Rev. 12:10

This is not even an exhaustive list."

Do you see? You and I must be aware of his schemes and his methods. Yes I said METHODS. My husband has a phrase, "Spiritual activity breeds spiritual activity." When God is at work then our greatest enemy will and does create activity to counter act the work of God. You and I must be about the business of knowing the methods of this great serpent. Beth Moore in her book, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things," states: "The most obvious word found in the greek is method. If we could only understand that the devil does not work haphazardly but carefully, methodically, weaving and spinning and watching for just the right time. He truly has a method to his madness. He draws out plans and executes them very carefully. He carefully sets traps for the express purpose of wreacking destruction in the lives of the saints".

Most reading will agree, you and I through prayer, must put on the armor every day. Recently, I was introduced to some teaching that very simply taught that it was unnecessary to put on the armor of God. The teacher said that this was metaphorical and was used as descriptive language concerning the battle that you and are in. I sat in disbelief as to what I was hearing. Could it be that in the American church today we have so educated ourselves to the place where we can now dismiss what scripture clearly teaches concerning our greatest foe? Could we in ministry so come to a place of super knowledge that we believe that we can control our own ministries and their success? I thought for a moment.......then it hit me....."What a scheme! What a method! What a plan! Just get the leadership to think that the devil is not that important and then there will be no biblical teaching on the devil or war we engage. Just get the leadership to dismiss the methods that he uses and then there will be no preparation or discernment as to the root of the battle. Keep the leadership and members undressed for battle and then they will be completely unprepared for the war!"

I wanted to stand to my feet and cry, "The battle is upon us! Put on your armor and stand!" I didn't. I wanted to but I held my tongue and listened to a key reason I believe there is much defeat in ministry. God has given us the armor that you and I might stand firm and resist this evil enemy. So, how do we do it. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 from The Message translation. We live in a battle zone. This world is not our home and we can't live like we will never engage in battle. The battle is all around us. We have three choices according to Donna Gaines:

Option 1: We can hide behind unbelief and denial
Option 2: We can grit our teeth and try to utilize our own resources

For Option 3 and page 2 click here.
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Diane Nix is director and founder of Contagious Joy. She is the spiritual mom of two grown daughters. (Kasia 32 & Courtney 30) The birth mom of two miracle daughters - one college freshman Rebekah (Go NGU) and one 15 going on 20 sophomore Rachel. She and her professor/pastor husband, Dr. Preston Nix, have served in ministry for 30 years August 2013. She speaks and teaches whenever the Lord gives her opportunity. Gratefully acknowledging that He has plucked her out of her birth family mire in order to share HIS LOVE!

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How are you going to love is a question I asked myself as I was writing my Level Paths Bible study. Sometimes showing love exposes our vulnerability and frailties. I don't know where you are at this moment. Maybe you are walking through the hardest time in your life, poised to receive a miracle. You may be on the other side of "something" still feeling a bit shattered. My friends, this I do know - LOVE ALWAYS WINS. God's love never fails. Invite your friends to spend six incredible weeks walking together on Level Paths at www.compassionthatcompels.org. Listen to stories of other women who've journeyed through a valley to the mountaintop, then click on CLASS INFO and begin your heart changing journey! Agape, Kristianne

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Okay, I'm really about to impress you. Hold the applause...bring on the honorary doctorate of theology...wait for it...wait for it...I'm going to use Pixar's "Turbo the Snail" as an analogy of the Israelites! And I can do that because I have small children! You see, God can speak to you anywhere, even in the movie theater watching a children's movie.

Priscilla Shirer's Gideon opens in week one with the Israelites and the Promised Land. Settling too soon, the Israelites became so comfortable and complacent that they thought some of the Promised Land was better than fighting for all of it. You see, their weapons were primitive against their enemies' iron chariots.

Turbo the snail wanted to be a race car driver and win the Indy 500. Only problem - he was a snail! And, well, race car drivers have fancy race cars - not shells. Turbo's own brother Chet told him, "the sooner you accept the dull, miserable nature of your existence, the happier you'll be." When Turbo did get to race in the Indy 500, he broke his shell during the race. His biggest supporter and manager told him that he had gotten far, should be proud, and it was "good enough." Turbo knew he was created for more and won the race! He didn't give up!

The Israelites could have taken a lesson or two from Turbo!

We, as Christians, settle far too often and miss God's

Check out this study!

blessings. And sometimes as Priscilla states we "spoil paradise and ruin God's abundant blessing. And the quickest, most surefire way to do it is to forget the One who gave us the blessing and the victory in the first place."

Gideon is a story that shows us how God can use our weakness. Have you ever felt inexperienced or not good enough? Intimidated or scared? Does life seem overwhelming? Do you feel too old or too young? Do you feel too inexperienced for ministry? This study can help guide you to use your weakness for Christ. What are your iron chariots in life that hold you back?

Ladies, start your engines! This is one race we can all win!

I'm in the Race!
Kristi Cook

Kristi is Women's Ministry Coordinator and the Director of Children's Ministries at First Baptist Church of Pascagoula, MS, where her husband (Jay) serves as Pastor. She began her career as an elementary school teacher until God blessed her and Jay with two wonderful children; Kristi knew that God was guiding her to stay at home with her children during their early years, and she soon discovered that this enabled her to give even more attention to what God wanted her to do through His church.

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