[x_custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″]The Bible makes it very clear that we have an adversary, and this adversary brings various tests and trials and battles against our lives.[/x_custom_headline]
[x_blockquote cite=”1 Peter 5:8 KJV” type=”left”]“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”[/x_blockquote]
I am sure if you have been a Christian for very long, that you already realize this, so this isn’t new information for you. However, even though the great majority of Christians already know that the devil is their adversary, and that it is he who is attacking their lives, most of them will still mishandle the battles they face, and often blame God for them, and usually their pastor, too. That is exactly what the children of Israel did with Moses, and I’ve noticed in my nearly forty years of ministry that things haven’t changed much.
[x_blockquote cite=”Numbers 14:2 KJV” type=”left”]“And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!”[/x_blockquote]
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when you are in a battle is start pointing fingers and looking for other people to blame. Yet this is exactly what many people do. Because battles are painful experiences, it is easy to look for others to blame for that pain. And oddly enough, most people begin by blaming God for it. And they do this because they falsely believe that although He may not have caused their problems, He should have stopped them from ever occurring.
Somehow all of these believers must have missed the many scriptures that tell them to resist the devil, to use the armor of God and the weapons of warfare the Lord has provided for them to be able to withstand the devil. Perhaps they thought all of these verses that made it abundantly clear that every single individual believer is personally responsible to take a stand against the devil, are verses that were placed in the Bible to simply take up space. But this is just not so.
Just think about this for a moment: How can God be to blame, when He didn’t cause or create your battle, and fully equipped you with everything it would take to defeat the enemy? Blaming God just makes no sense at all.
The next thing that often occurs when people are in a battle is that the pastor and the local church take the hit. What I mean is, because people often make the mistake of blaming God for their problems, they have to take it out on someone they can see in the natural. So since the church is His House, and the pastor represents Him, they stop attending church, or working in the ministry of helps, or they stop tithing and giving offerings. Some even go so far as to verbally attack their own pastor, as if he somehow caused their battles. However, in doing these things, all they ever do is exacerbate their problems. Because doing any of these things are ways people mishandle their battles.
But these aren’t the only ways that believers mishandle the battles they are in. Another way is by speaking words that are in agreement with what the devil is doing, instead of proclaiming the promises of God’s Word. And this error brings defeat to many believers.
[x_blockquote cite=”Proverbs 18:21 KJV” type=”left”]“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”[/x_blockquote]
When the devil is already trying to destroy you, don’t add your agreement to his activities by using the power of your tongue to speak more death, defeat, and destruction over yourself. Your words matter all of the time but especially when you are in the heat of the battle. So don’t use that time to speak against your health, your marriage, your money, and your future.
Another area I have witnessed Christians mishandle the tough spot they are dealing with is in their love walk. Battles seem to only heighten one’s emotions. So the enemy usually takes advantage of this, and lays before us plenty of opportunities to become offended and get out of love with others.
[x_blockquote cite=”1 John 2:10 KJV” type=”left”]“He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.”[/x_blockquote]
The devil is fully aware that if he can get you to step out of love, then he has got you into the dark where you will trip and stumble during the battle. Walking in love and being quick to forgive the offenses of others, is a key to winning every battle that you face.
I realize, of course, that in this short space I didn’t cover every issue about mishandling battles. But the few nuggets you can glean here will assist you in staying on track, and keep you from shooting yourself in the foot while your adversary is launching his attacks against you at the same time. Because if you do things God’s way, you will overcome the devil, and you will win!