Growing with Jesus

Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Knowing the Enemy, the Battlefield, and the Victory 1. Understand Your Opponent A good general studies his opponent. He knows how the enemy thinks and how he operates. However, this does not mean we study what Satan has written or immerse ourselves in deception. You do not learn truth by reading lies. The Word of God already tells us everything we need to know about our enemy and his tactics. A word of caution: do not let this step become your focus. Studying the enemy beyond what Scripture reveals can become counterproductive. Jesus Christ must always be our focus, not Satan. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8, KJV) Scripture teaches us how to test what we hear and discern truth from deception. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, KJV) We tes...

When Forgiveness and Justice Meet We all deal with human emotions every day. Our feelings get hurt. Pride creeps in. Sometimes we are wrong, and sometimes we feel the desire for revenge. But are these reactions truly what God would have us to do? I don’t know everything. I have been wrong many times and have made plenty of mistakes. We are human, and because of that, we must always be growing in the Lord—remaining humble, teachable, and willing to be corrected. God Is Just, Even When We Must Wait Jesus reminds us in Luke 18:7–8 : “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” God is a God of justice. He sees what we cannot see and knows what we do not know. He is not blind to wrongdoing, and He does not ignore the cries of His people. Vengeance belongs to Him—not to us. Forgiveness Does Not Mean Denying Harm...