
(1) KNOW the ENEMY - 1 November 2017 - WE NEED KNOWLEDGE to FIGHT the ENEMY:
We - as believers in Messiah Yahshua are all soldiers in HIS ARMY - but HOW could we then FIGHT in HIS ARMY if we DO NOT HAVE ANY or ENOUGH TRAINING and KNOWLEDGE of the ENEMY'S PLANS, STRATEGIES, CAMPAIGNS, TRICKS, METHODS, WAYS, TOOLS, MANEUVERS, SCHEMES AND PLOTS?
The apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that we should not be IGNORANT OF SATAN'S (WILES) TRICKS, GUILES, DECEITS, HOAXES, PLOTS, PLANS, STUNTS, SCAMS, DECEPTIONS, CHEATINGS, DUPLICITIES AND INTENTIONS - HIS PURPOSES, AIMS, INTENTS, GOALS, TARGETS, OBJECTIVES AND PLANS which is ALL for OUR DESTRUCTION.
YAHWEH GAVE US HIS WORD that IS HIS SON:
YAHWEH GOD has GIVEN US ALL we NEED to be ABLE TO FIGHT and STAND IN FAITH (HIS WORD - that IS HIS SON - John 1:1 "IN the BEGINNING BEFORE ALL TIME WAS the WORD (CHRIST MESSIAH), and THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, and the WORD WAS GOD HIMSELF.")
John 1:1 (as above) states that MESSIAH was IN THE BEGINNING - WITH GOD - AND the WORD WAS GOD HIMSELF - which means that MESSIAH YAHSHUA WAS THERE when the UNIVERSE WAS CREATED - HE WAS THERE WHEN ADAM AND EVE WAS MADE - HE WAS THERE WITH THE ISRAELITES in the DESERT - HE WAS THERE when DAVID LIVED AND ALL THE PROPHETS LIVED - GIVING US WORD - HIS WORD - HIS COMMANDS/COMMANDMENTS - and then GIVING HIMSELF on the HILL OF GOLGOTHA to SAVE US!
Many Christians would state: "The Old Testament is ONLY HISTORY - we are NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS" but HOW ARE we going to KNOW GOD - really really KNOW HIM - to be ENABLED TO WALK in AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM - BEING ENABLED by HIS HOLY SPIRIT to FIGHT the GOOD FIGHT AGAINST ALL EVILNESS, if we IGNORE the WORD in the Old Testament?
It is through the Old Testament (Old Covenant) pages that we COME TO KNOW GOD - REALLY REALLY KNOW HIM - and when we come to the New Testament (New Covenant) HE SPILL OVER into BEING OUR SAVIOR - TEACHING HIS DISCIPLES (AND US) HOW TO LIVE a GODLY LIFE UNTIL HE COMES TO FETCH US to LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER.
With the WORD - the WHOLE WORD (Old and New Testaments - Old and New Covenants) come a KNOWLEDGE of GOD AND the EVIL ONE as well - spilling over from the Old Testament into the New Testament.
Old Testament:
Gen. 3:1;4-5 "Now the SERPENT WAS MORE CRAFTY THAN ANY of the WILD ANIMALS the LORD G-D HAD MADE. ... You will CERTAINLY NOT DIE, the SERPENT said to the woman. For GOD KNOWS that when you eat from it your EYES WILL BE OPENED, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL" - (The devil/serpent addressed Eve with a DISTORTED TRUTH that brought DOUBT into her mind - DOUBT EXPLODED into DISOBEDIENCE).
Zech. 3:1-2 "Then the guiding angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord (Messiah), and SATAN STANDING AT HIS RIGHT SIDE to be his ADVERSARY to ACCUSE him. The LORD said to SATAN, "THE LORD REBUKE YOU, SATAN! The LORD, Who has CHOSEN Jerusalem, REBUKE YOU! Is not this man a BURNING STICK SNATCHED from the FIRE?" (Jude 9)
Job 1:1 "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was BLAMELESS AND URIGHT, and one who [reverently] FEARD YHWH G-D and ABSTAINED from and SHUNNED EVIL [because it was wrong.] :6 Now there was a day when the ANGELS of YHWH G-D CAME to PRESENT THEMSELVES BEFORE the LORD, and SATAN - the ADVERSARY AND ACCUSER ALSO CAME AMONG THEM ... :7 And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, FROM GOING TO AND FRO ON THE EARTH AND FROM WALKING UP AND DOWN ON IT." (Satan the adversary and accuser of mankind is still going to and fro, walking up and down on the earth seeking destruction upon mankind)
Job. 2:1-2 "Again there was a day when the ANGELS of the YAHWEH G-D CAME to PRESENT THEMSELVES before the Lord, and Satan, the ADVERSARY AND ACCUSER CAME ALSO among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? And Satan the ADVERSARY AND ACCUSER answered the Lord, From GOING TO AND FRO on the EARTH and from WALKING UP AND DOWN ON IT."
:3 "And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is NONE LIKE him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who REVERENTLY FEARS YHWH GOD and ABSTAINS FROM and SHUNS ALL EVIL because it is WRONG? And STILL HOLDS FAST HIS INTEGRITY, ALTHOUGH YOU MOVED ME AGAINST him to DESTOY HIM WITHOUT CAUSE. (Job 1:13-22 Job said :21-22 "NAKED (without possessions came I into this world from my mother's womb, and NAKED (without possessions) SHALL I DEPART. The LORD GAVE AND THE LORD HAS TAKEN AWAY; BLESSED, (PRAISED AND MAGNIFIED in WORSHIP) be the NAME of the LORD! IN ALL THIS JOB SINNED NOT NOR CHARGED YAHWEH FOOLISH").
:4-5 Then SATAN ANSWERED the LORD, SKIN FOR SKIN! YES, ALL THAT A MAN HAS WILL HE GIVE FOR HIS LIFE. But PUT FORTH Your HAND now and TOUCH HIS BONE AND HIS FLESH, and HE WILL CURSE AND RENOUNCE YOU to YOUR FACE. :6 And YAHWEH said to Satan, ... he is IN YOUR HAND; ONLY SPARE HIS LIFE."
New Testament:
Luke 22:3 "Then SATAN ENTERED JUDAS, CALLED ISCARIOT, one of the Twelve."
2 Cor. 2:9-11 "Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would STAND the TEST and BE OBEDIENT in EVERYTHING. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive ... I have forgiven in the sight of CHRIST for YOUR SAKE, in ORDER THAT SATAN MIGHT NOT OUTWIT US. FOR WE ARE NOT UNAWARE OF HIS SCHEMES."
Rev. 2:9 "I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, BUT ARE A SYNAGOGUE of SATAN.:10 Do not be afraid ... I tell you, the DEVIL will PUT SOME OF YOU IN PRISON to TEST YOU ... :12 To the angel of the assembly in Perganum write: These are the words of Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. :13 I Know where you live - where SATAN HAS HIS THRONE. Yet you REMAIN TRUE to MY NAME. ..."
2 Thes 2:9 "The coming of the lawless one will be IN ACCORDANCE WITH HOW SATAN WORKS. He will use ALL SORTS OF DISPLAYS OF POWER THROUGH SIGNS AND WONDERS that SERVE the LIE :10 and all the ways that WICKEDNESS DECEIVES THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING..."
Rev. 20:1-2 "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the KEY TO THE ABYSS AND HOLDING IN HIS HAND a great chain. He SEIZED the DRAGON, that ANCIENT SERPENT, WHO IS THE DEVIL, or SATAN ..."
1 Pet. 5:8-9 "BE ALERT AND OF SOBER MIND. Your ENEMY the DEVIL PROWLS AROUND LIKE A ROARING LION LOOKING for SOMEONE to DEVOUR. RESIST him, STANDING FIRM in the FAITH, BECAUSE you KNOW that the FAMILY OF BELIEVERS THROUGHOUT the WORLD is UNDERGOING the SAME KIND OF SUFFERINGS."
1 Cor. 7:5 "... devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that SATAN WILL NOT TEMPT YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR LACK OF SELF-CONTROL."
1 John 3:8 "The one who does what is SINFUL IS OF THE DEVIL, BECAUSE the DEVIL HAS BEEN SINNING FROM THE BEGINNING. The REASON the SON OF YHWH God APPEARED WAS TO DESTROY the DEVIL'S WORK."
2 Cor. 11:3 "But I am afraid that just as Eve was DECEIVED by the SERPENT'S CUNNING, YOUR MINDS MAY SOMEHOW BE LED ASTRAY from your SINCERE AND PURE DEVOTION to CHRIST."
Acts. 5:3 "Then Peter said, "Ananias, HOW IS IT THAT SATAN HAS SO FILLED YOUR HEART that YOU HAVE LIED to the HOLY SPIRIT ..."
John 8:44 "You BELONG to YOUR FATHER, THE DEVIL, and you want to CARRY OUT YOUR FATHER'S DESIRES. He was a MURDERER from the BEGINNING, NOT HOLDING to the TRUTH, for there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he LIES, he SPEAKS HIS NATIVE LANGUAGE, for HE IS A LIAR and the FATHER OF LIES."
John 10:10 "The THIEF comes ONLY to STEAL AND KILL AND DESTROY; I HAVE COME that they may HAVE LIFE, and HAVE IT TO THE FULL."
James 4:7 "SUBMIT yourselves then to GOD, RESIST the DEVIL ..."
YAHSHUA TEMPTED EXCEEDINGLY:
The VERY FIRST THING that HAPPENED AFTER YAHSHUA'S BAPTISM (when HE WAS FULL AND CONTROLLED by the HOLY SPIRIT) - was that HE WAS TEMPTED, TESTED and TRIED EXCEEDINGLY by the DEVIL! (Luke 4:2 - AMP) - Satan would do the SAME WITH US SEDUCING TEMPTING and TRYING US to GET US AWAY from GOD and HE WOULD USE ANYONE AND ANYTHING to OBTAIN HIS GOAL and that is why GOD GAVE US THE SPIRITUAL ARMOR - that IS HIS SON - to ENABLE us TO STAND IN FAITH - our EYES FOCUSSED ON THE KING of kings
With LACK OF KNOWLEDGE of the evil one and his kingdom, the majority of the Christians today walk in BONDAGES. They have no KNOWLEDGE of how to fight and to DISCERN with what they are dealing with. Yes, the "FLESH" does play a HUGE ROLE but the ENTICEMENT COMES FROM ANOTHER PLACE.
Eph. 6:10-11 "...PUT ON YAHWEH G-D'S WHOLE ARMOR [the ARMOR of a HEAVY ARMED SOLDIER which YAHWEH G-D SUPPLIES] - that YOU MAY BE ABLE to STAND UP AGAINST ALL the STRATEGIES AND DECEITS of the DEVIL.
:12 For we are NOT WRESTLING with FLESH AND BLOOD [CONTENDING ONLY WITH PHYSICAL OPPONENTS], but AGAINST the DESPOTISMS, AGAINST the POWERS, AGAINST [the MASTER SPIRITS WHO ARE] the WORLD RULERS of THIS PRESENT DARKNESS, AGAINST the SPIRIT FORCES OF WICKEDNESS in the HEAVENLY SUPERNATURAL SPHERE.
:13 Therefore PUT ON YAHWEH'S COMPLETE ARMOR, that you MAY BE ABLE TO RESIST AND STAND YOUR GROUND on the EVIL DAY OF DANGER, and, HAVING DONE ALL THE CRISIS DEMANDS, to STAND FIRMLY IN YOUR PLACE."
Abba thank YOU FOR YOUR WORD. Thank YOU FOR YOUR SON - Thank YOU FOR YOUR SPIRIT - You are our GREAT AND AWESOME YAHWEH GOD - our STRENGTH and our SAVIOR. Help us Father to HAVE A HUNGER for YOUR WORD OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS so that we CAN KNOW YOU - KNOW YOUR HEART - KNOW the RHYTHM of YOUR HEARTBEAT - KNOW YOUR LOVE - REALLY REALLY KNOW YOU - Help us to WALK and TALK and DO what YOUR SON DID - Help us to STAND especially in the DIFFICULT TIMES that are AHEAD when the ENEMY is SUITING UP for WAR. Help us to DAILY CLOTHE OURSELVES WITH YOUR ARMOUR - the COMPLETE ARMOUR - to CLOTHE OURSELVES WITH YAHSHUA MESSIAH - COVERED BY HIS BLOOD. GIVE US INSIGHT AND UNDERSTANDING and DISCERNMENT Father to KNOW the ENEMY and HIS DEVICES - TO BE READY for BATTLE on the BATTLEFIELD OF FAITH. Thank You for being our PROTECTION - our ROCK - our HIDING PLACE - our PEACE. In Christ Messiah's name. Amen.