Are You Ready To Stand In Opposition to Evil?

Based on the growing storms of Evil that are encompassing the world, I find myself wondering how many of us are not only ready, but willing, to see the Evil before us -- and then to take a stand against it? I recognize that Evil in the world is nothing new. The Bible and history record its presence in horrific scenarios from the beginning of time. What we are seeing is actually nothing new in the annals of men. Across the millennia, from World Wars to the Crusades and religious wars; to genocide campaigns in Germany, Cambodia, Africa, Armenia, and more; to the pogroms in Russia ... the Enemy of God and mankind has sought to reduce the human population in his kingdom of darkness.

And now we are experiencing it in our lifetime. But what are we, the Remnant of Jehovah God, the Kingdom Warriors of Jesus Christ, to do in these times of great trouble and sorrow? It should be evident to all who call themselves Christians that we can no longer say that Evil is at our doorstep ... it has already crossed it. But, if it is true that we are truly citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, and are here on earth to manifest the presence of the Kingdom in us and around us, in order that we might battle the darkness of Satan and thereby save souls and transfer lives and territory into the domain of our King... then isn't it time to be bold in our opposition?

I know we are not to have idols in this world, or lift any man above another. But there are times when we will look to the example of righteous men, in order to know the path we are to follow. My friends, that time is now. Our culture is rapidly disintegrating into immoral chaos. There is no mistaking the battle between Good and Evil; between God and Evil. The opposition to Christianity is growing more hostile and more blatant. My spirit is quickly discerning that we must soon decide how far Christians [and the Church] are willing to go to defend God and all that is Good. 

We have gone beyond the need to just stand for Biblical principles. And the Church needs to not only abandon its compromise with our culture's immoral attitudes and lifestyles, but become active in its defense of God's perfect will. I'm afraid we've all played it too safe for too long, folks. Are we walking as men and women who are new creations, unable and unwilling to walk a middle ground? Or are we comfortable with one foot in the evil world, and one foot in the Christian camp?

So, whom might we look towards to see how righteous Christians are to respond? The year 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of the execution of a man who acted responsibly in his faith during one of the most evil times in history. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a deeply religious Lutheran pastor found himself in a dilemma ... when informed of the evil that was Adolph Hitler, and the plan to exterminate the Jews, how far is "too far" to go in order to stop that evil?  When confronted with something so offensive to God, is there ever an excuse for Christians to compromise, capitulate, or raise the white flag? Bonhoeffer didn't think so, and it cost him his life. 

I have chronicled Dietrich Bonhoeffer's story in several posts, and I invite you to not only read my synopsis of his struggle with how to respond within his religious principles (and God's will) to a rapidly deteriorating national culture -- but to contemplate that he was a Kingdom warrior who was not only unafraid to live for what he believed in, but was not afraid to die for it. Writing in 1943, he said,  "The ultimate question for a responsible person [of faith] to ask is not how he is to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation is to live." And he will forever be immortalized with his convicting words, "Silence in the face of evil, is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act".  

Isn't it time we -- and the Church -- searched our hearts, as he did? How are we going to leave this world for the next generation? Have we already relinquished their ability to live a principled Christian life by compromising and weakening our faith? In an effort to show our tolerance, have we allowed those who oppose our faith to become more intolerant? Have we been silent when they should have heard us roar? Like Bonhoeffer, do we have the courage of our faith and convictions -- or will we stay in the shadows, afraid to call attention to ourselves and to whom we serve?

That has largely been my struggle with the institutionalized Church. Sadly, I hear it giving lip service to the saving of souls, and the raising of a new generation of Christians, but it seems [to me, at least] that their efforts are often looking inward; being mindful to take care of "their own", creating a comfortable atmosphere in which to isolate and insulate its members from the darkness on the outside. But by creating a safe place for the Light to shine, aren't they allowing the Darkness on the outside to grow and perpetuate; swallowing up souls and strengthening agents of evil without any opposition from bold and unrelenting Kingdom warriors, willing to sacrifice themselves for God's cause?

We hear on the nightly news that our military is struggling to meet its recruitment numbers; that it might be impossible to put an adequate army in the field to battle against the forces threatening to come against us. That is in the physical, my friends. Can you even imagine what the spiritual war is looking like? I have total confidence in God's army of angels, because I know who their Commander-in-Chief is. I would like to feel just as secure in knowing that my Christian brethren are as ready to go into battle with them. We are not to sit back and let them do the fighting for us. We are not to expect that we can just rest on our title of "Christian" and escape the coming hordes of evil that Satan has been preparing in his quest to dominate the world.

The Church teaches that the devil knows he's defeated and we know we win in the end. But that doesn't mean we will not be overcome in this physical life; or that we won't become entrapped within the system of the Evil One. Look at history! Millions upon millions of innocent (and God-loving) people have been killed knowing those same truths -- his defeat and our victory. So, it's time to decide! Are we, as individual born-again, new-creation Christians going to stay passive and sit on the sidelines, waiting for God's angelic army to rescue us? Or are we going to put on our armor, sign up for the spiritual war, and obediently follow God's orders? Not to act for the Kingdom of God, is [unfortunately] to act for ourselves.

#resistevil #resistthedevil #evilintheworld #Godsremnant #kindomwarriors #thechurchversusevil #goodversusevil #christiansoldiers #spiritualwarfare #thecompromisingchurch #Godsbattleplan #Godversussatan #jesuschristourcommanderinchief #Godsarmy #dietrichbonhoeffer

Isaiah 59:19     So shall they fear The Name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.    

"Resist The Devil"... Do Not Be Fearful or Deceived! Take A Stand!

How many times have you heard that when we are struggling in this world, we are to just "resist the devil and he will flee from you"? But are you ever told what that means and how to do it? More often than not, in the churches I have attended, I heard James 4:7 quoted over and over, but never received Biblical instruction on what that looked like. Instead, I often heard that we have nothing to fear from the devil because he "is bound and chained" until Jesus returns to destroy him forever in the Lake of Fire. 

But that leaves a lot of details out, and if you seriously study the Bible, the timeline of events just doesn't jive with that explanation. And how are we to reconcile the Scripture that says "our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour"? Furthermore, how do you explain away the fact that so many Christians are struggling with sin and demonic attacks? And whether the Church wants to admit it or not, the attacks are real and they are demonic.

As hard as it is to contemplate, it all adds up to deception because Christians are confused and ignorant of the ways in which Satan works in the world and in the lives of Believers. I can't tell you how many wonderfully saved Believers we have seen in our ministry who had no idea that Satan was behind all the sorrow and struggles in their lives. They were more likely to believe that God "allowed" their struggles. That is a lie from the pit of hell, and it is shameful that our seminaries have failed to correct that misconception. Instead of teaching church leaders how to Biblically "resist" our Enemy, they usually preach the message to try and "ignore" the devil and "hope" he will flee.

In addition to the denial of the truth that resisting the devil is anchored in spiritual warfare [another subject matter that has been neglected in the curriculum in our seminaries], we find that the understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit in us has also been undervalued. Believers must come to realize that just because you have been Saved, it does not mean that the devil will quit trying to stalk you. Salvation does not guarantee a devil-free life. You are not transported into the magic Kingdom of God, where the devil has no access. 

On the contrary, you are now behind enemy lines, because "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19).  In fact, you can expect that you have become an even bigger target for him, and he will use all the tricks and schemes that worked before you accepted Christ to cause a crack in that new foundation. What's more he will lie to you and tell you that you are still that sinful, evil person. And because you haven't been equipped to recognize the power of the Spirit or that the weapons of spiritual warfare can defeat the devil, you will struggle to remember and declare that you are a NEW creation! 

Do you know that resisting the devil means "to stand firmly against"; to "withstand"; to "oppose, battle against; fend off, and stand up to"? The Western religious system has done a wonderful job in understanding the fundamentals of how to preach Salvation. But it does not do well when it comes to protecting the flocks from the schemes and deceptions of the devil. How many times, growing up in the Church, did you hear sermons on the strategies of Satan in the world, or how to defeat the demonic strongholds in your life? 

It's sad to say this, but the Western Church has largely ignored the very real presence of Satan and his tactics in our culture and in our nation. And we are even unawares that the ancient deceptive gods of Egypt and Babylon have been resurrected and are flourishing on their altars across our land. By now I'm sure you have heard about the Navy Reserve Officer, Michael Cassidy who decapitated the statue of Satan erected by The Satanic Temple in the Iowa State Capitol building. Citing "righteous indignation" and "Christian civil disobedience", he stated he was offended that this blasphemy was allowed to be displayed. And I found it interesting that his lawyer stated the primary reason our laws don't stop this kind of irreverence against the Lord, is because "they fear taking a stand against Evil". 

So, as we have seen time and time again, our government has NOT resisted the devil and his efforts to corrupt not only our nation, but our faith. It makes me sad to say this, but the Church has not done much better in taking a stand against Evil. In fact, it has compromised with it, instead of resisting it. Can we say that the Church has taken a definitive stand against adultery, fornication, sodomy, idolatry, murder -- because taking a stand is what "resisting the devil" would mean? Or have we trivialized our sins by resorting to deceptive lies and softened the significance of these sins by calling them "an affair"; "safe sex"; "gay love"; "veneration"; and "pro-choice"? Sounds like the Church also has a healthy fear of taking a stand against Evil.

But it's far beyond the time to recognize that we can no longer play it safe in this war we are in between Good and Evil! And yes, we are in a war for our nation and our faith! We are in a spiritual war, fighting with God's angelic army against the angelic forces of Satan in the spiritual realms. We are in an informational war with the media sources and financial backers of the godless world elite. And we are in a very real earthly military war between the world's super powers. The question is, who are you listening to and following? Do you recognize that Satan and his demons are not myths? Do you understand the truth of the Bible that depicts a battle between God and Satan -- between Good and Evil -- from the serpent in the Garden in Genesis, all the way through the Bible to Revelation, when Jesus throws His Enemy in the Lake of Fire? That's the tension that runs throughout the entire Word of God, and it's the same tension that is at war this very day!

It's time that we see that Jesus is not only the Lord and power behind our Salvation experience, but He is also the Lord over our nation, our culture, our faith, our families and everything in our lives. He is the Lord over the spiritual battles -- and the war of words/information -- and the military conflicts that are threatening to topple this world. But we also need to see that Satan is active in all these realms, too. And we need to grasp the truth that it is our responsibility and duty, as obedient followers of Christ, to resist our Enemy's advances. And having no fear, we are to go forth in defense of God's Truth, His Goodness, and His Sovereignty! Amen!

#deceptioninthechurch #satansdeception #falseteaching #warbetweengoodandevil #evilinourmidst #resistthedevil #thedevilwillflee #thedevilsliesanddeception #james4:7 #spiritualwarfare #demonicstrongholds #jesusversussatan

2 Corinthians 11:3       But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.