Three of our enemy’s primary tactics against us are temptation, accusation, and distraction. To defeat temptation, we must be fully surrendered to God and keep our bodies under subjection. (1 Corinthians 9:27) Defeating accusation is accomplished by trusting that the glory of the Lord is your rear guard. (Isaiah 52:12 & 58:8) Distractions are defeated by making certain that our words and actions measure up to our calling. (Ephesians 4:1) All of that equals confidence, but not in the flesh.
I have experienced that all temptations begin with some variation of, “Has God indeed said…” followed by a lie. All temptations should be countered with praise for all that God has provided. Satan and the world system has nothing to offer greater than what God provides.
I have learned that I cannot waste time defending myself against accusations. Besides, some of them are not false, but they are well in the past and under the blood. All of them are aimed at your heart through your back. My defense is God who will reward the wicked according to their works.
Finally, I have learned that all distractions are not wrong because they are evil works. Most of them are wrong because I was not called to be involved. Someone else who is not called to preach can coach the little league baseball team. It is an honorable endeavor, but I must obey my calling.
I consider false accusations the most troubling. Ministers of God’s word have the most important calling on this earth. We were not called to be benign parsons who agree with everyone and stand for nothing, who fear to preach the truth boldly, and avoid controversy. Yes, such a one is the darling of the city or village, and well-spoken of by all. God’s word says, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26) If you are truly called of God, your reputation is protected in heaven and impugned on earth.
When people speak ill of the politician, he or she says, “I’m okay as long as they can’t prove it.” The God-called man or woman says, “I’m okay because God has proven me.” The Greek word for “prove” in this tense is dokimazo, which means; “to test, examine, prove, scrutinize, to see if a thing is genuine or not, to deem worthy.” If we are not proven, we will be reproved. But once He has proven you, you can say with the Apostle Paul, “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17)
Some of the worst rumors spread about me were from people I tried to help or trusted as a friend. Don’t be depressed when it happens to you. The day you said, “I will” to God’s will, you became a target. Did you expect the enemy to congratulate you? But here’s the steel in your resolve. You’ve been tested. When I am countering the insults and slander of the enemy, I don’t consider my good works, but the trials I have been through. (When measured against the suffering of Christ, I have nothing to boast of.)
God has stored every tear, recorded every time you sacrificed, that your heart was broken, that you endured injustice, ingratitude, rejection and abandonment, loneliness, and sense of worthlessness. He has recorded every battle you have fought, with fear and doubt, over financial needs, and observing other people driving new cars, living in nice homes, while you struggle to maintain. None of that was trash—it was gold. Never look at it as the bad in your past, but a golden foundation for your present and future. With all honesty and firmness, as bad as Cheryl and I have suffered in the past, there is not enough wealth on this earth to pay me for the benefits of being proven.
So, rage on O devil and your storm! My God is faithful who will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able to bear! The way of escape that He has prepared is the door of complete trust in Him! I may go down before I go up, but I will go up! (Shout here!) I look back over the battlefield of my past and I do not see my body lying there! I do see the rubble of the weapons of Satan that did not prosper! I look to my future and I see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! I will see the King of Glory! The greatest word I long to hear, and it will resonate throughout heaven, is “faithful”. Faithful, faithful, faithful! If you are thus proven, you will be victorious!
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” – Revelation 17:14
I have not been on the “front lines’ like you, C.H., but I have come late to the battle. The very best thing I can be is an “alert” warrior who picks the right battles to fight for the Lord and can lay down at night with a clear conscience.(we truly can have that peace if we remember to repent regularly and keep oil in our lamps). I am far from where I think I should be but I keep pressing on and try to get better for Christ. The devil wants us to shut up and be politically correct. We must be battle-ready at all times, willing to earnestly contend for the faith, to fight the “good fight”. No wavering and shrinking back to perdition. Until He comes or our physical life is martyred in his service. Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted WORTHY to escape all the things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. In my opinion, Luke 21 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible for a Christian to understand RIGHTLY in the last hours before hell breaks loose on earth. I have a teaching on it on YouTube. Search Kenneth Hall When Shall These Things Be if interested….ken hall