Never, Never, Never, Give Up!
Yesterday morning, I received a vision in response to my prayer. And, I must say, God is so faithful! Have you ever had a difficult situation, when you really needed to hear from God? Well one evening this past week, was such a time for me. That evening, we had prayed for two wonderful people for a variety of seemingly impossible situations. Afterwards, I was criticized for praying too long, and "taking over," the prayer time. I know that the enemy wants to stir up trouble when it comes to prayer, so even though I should have been on my guard, this situation took me quite by surprise.
After retracing the events of the evening over and over in my mind, I realized there was no way to justify the situation from my point of view or from the other person's point of view. I felt that I was between a rock and a hard place. I wanted to be lead by the Spirit, and to pray on behalf of others, to help them receive peace, healing, provision, and salvation. Yet I should respect the views of others. However, the criticism seemed petty. Yet, the circumstance continued to bother me so, that most of the night I couldn't fall asleep. Much of the night was spent praying and reviewing the conversation and prayer time over and over. After much prayer, God gave me the vision that changed everything for me.
God showed me a long neck mounted to a plaque on the wall. The head was not visible, since it was outside the field of view. I am so thankful that God hid the face from my sight. This is something that the Lord does for me - he never offends me, or frightens me with the visions. Instead, he uses images that tell a story or paint a picture to reveal his message.
I am so thankful and blessed that the Lord is gentle. I knew that the neck mounted to the plaque, was the neck of a serpent, representing a demonic power. The face was hidden so as not to frighten me. He can give me a strong message, but never offends me with the visual images. The Lord told me once to "Look for my signature." This is one of his signature traits.
What does this vision mean? God was showing me that when we prayed for those two individuals, that there was a battle going on in the heavenlies, and we were on the winning side! We were victors in Christ! Through our prayers God cut off the head of the enemy!
In the Biblical account of David and Goliath, David tells Saul that when he was a young boy, God delivered a lion and a bear into his hands. He was able to convince Saul that he would be able to defeat Goliath, not by placing his confidence in himself, but placing his confidence for victory in God alone.
"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the Living God?" 1 Samuel 17:26
To Goliath he called out, "You come at me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head." 1 Samuel 17:45-46
As you remember, with a single stone David took down Goliath. And to show everyone watching, that he was finished, he took Goliath's sword from its sheath and cut off his head. He held it up in victory, for all to see. At the sight of Goliath's head, the Philistines took flight, for their champion, in whom they placed their trust was dead.
God was showing me that even well-meaning Spirit-filled individuals can be used by the wicked one. That means you and I, and those in the church can be an instrument in the hands of the enemy. He uses our human weaknesses: pride, jealousy, and envy, the fear of man, and the desire to control, to wreck havoc in the body of Christ. The very members of the Church can be used to cause conflict, offense, discouragement and division.
We must be on our guard against the plans of the wicked one. "For we are not unaware of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:11
Prayer, worship and evangelism are three primary areas the wicked one would love to stop. He will use anyone and anything to cause suspicion, confusion, upset and disunity. The devil's purpose as Jesus describes it, is to kill, steal and destroy. In the church and elsewhere the devil's goal is to "divide and conquer."
One scripture says, "I will strike the shepherd and the flock will scatter." Mark 14:27 We need to especially pray for our leaders, our pastors, and those in authority. They are a prime target of the devil, as well as their families.
But we are not alone in our conflicts. The Lord fights for us, "For the battle is not yours, but God's" 2 Chronicles 20:15 Jesus wants us to partner with him in resisting the devil. He tells us to "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7 Jesus will use anyone who chooses to be available to engage the enemy. It is through unyielding and persevering prayer that the enemy is brought down. Not by our power, for we have none of our own. "Apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
But with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26
The outcome of the battle waged that night? Well, God was the victor! Our great and awesome God cut off the enemy's head and mounted it on the wall for us to see. I can hardly wait to hear the testimonies of these two precious people.
What have we learned? it is our job to protect unity, to forgive one another, and "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18
And, secondly, in spite of road blocks and hinderences, we keep moving forward, taking back ground from Satan.
I want to say, "Thank you Jesus!! When we become discouraged, you lift our heads. Praise your mighty name!"
Here is an expression from the past that we should live by: "Keep on keeping on!" Or as Winston Churchill said, "Never, never, never give up!"
