“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” 1 John 4:1-6, NIV

Know God.

Know the Enemy.

To know is to be prepared for invasions by the Enemy who seeks to distract, deceive, deconstruct our lives with the intent to destroy our faith, hope, love and assurance in God alone.

Know that God wins against the Enemy.  Greater is HE than the Enemy.

Lately God has been moving in powerful, miraculous, in astonishing ways in the church that we have been attending and contributing to these past few years. We can try to explain but most times the extreme growth in numbers and in the found learning and growing in Christ is all God and cannot be explained in human terms.  Yes, our pastor is compassionate, caring, and speaks Jesus!  The staff agrees that their mission from God is to build a community of believers who come from all walks of life.  All nations are welcome. All generations are encouraged.  All economies are included. We are the Body of Christ who seek Jesus as King, the Lord of our lives as well as the Savior of our souls for eternity.  Though we have not arrived at perfection; we know full well we need forgiveness—accepted from God and extended to others.  These are the benefits of God moving in our midst; but it is God who is on the move and we are along for the ride of our lives as we believe, follow, trust, and obey God.  Going from a population of around five hundred people about three years ago to over a thousand 1000 who outgrew a rented facility, moved to a remodeled abandoned grocery store which became immediately crowded with suddenly to 2500 people seeking Jesus to last Sunday with over 100 baptisms with 2900 people seeking Jesus—unexplainable in human terms. Only God!  Over 500 people in the last year represents changed lives from death to new life in Jesus.  But what is completely refreshing is that discipleship of these new believers is of paramount importance and God has given our pastor and many other leaders to ability to engage hundreds in the teaching of what is means to follow Jesus—not the leaders—but Jesus!

People are drawn to Jesus because of obedient leaders. Our pastor is a teacher of Jesus’ words. He reveres and respects the Word of God to all.  He prays before teaching all in attendance, asking the Holy Spirit to convict him and us with Truth as the Spirit corrects all of us with Truth.  He prays for those to be comforted who seek peace. He closes this pray in Jesus Name for all of us, including himself to be compelled to trust and obey God’s Word to us.  Our pastor’s humility before the Lord, knowing it is not about him, but all about God speaking to us and acting within us, knowing the Holy Spirit is doing all the heavy lifting is refreshing in this world of not knowing who to trust—even in some churches who speak mostly what the world wants to hear.  

But in all of God’s goodness to rescue us and set us free from our sins and teach us how to walk humbly with Him; the Enemy lies in wait to invade, looking for the weaknesses in our faith. The Enemy will use marginal believers who know enough of God to be dangerous! The enemy will invade the thoughts of pride filled people and use them to criticize and even slander those whose hearts are committed and in whom God is giving success.  God’s church from pastor to staff to volunteers to attenders is not without attacks from those who do not truly believe in what God is doing.  They might know of God but do not let go of self to really KNOW GOD. 

Remember with grateful hearts of praise: Our war is not with flesh and blood even though we might feel like it when they are in our face with hateful words. No, our war is with the one Jesus calls Liar, Deceiver and later Destroyer.  This battle has already been won by Jesus, Himself, when he rose from the grave! He is our final Victory over the Enemy.

Just ask Hezekiah!  The Enemy of God hates believers on their knees calling on God in Jesus’ Name to help them in the invasion of evil.  Look at the words Hezekiah used to encourage all with, “there is a greater power with us than with him”.

We can be encouraged by our Overcomer, says John, beloved disciple of Jesus, for “greater is HE that is in us than he that is in the world!”  Oh, how I love God’s Word that never contradicts but always speaks Truth!

2 Chronicles 32

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. ² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, ³ he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. ⁴ They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. ⁵ Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields.

⁶ He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: ⁷ “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

⁹ Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

¹⁰ “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? ¹¹ When Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. ¹² Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

¹³ “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? ¹⁴ Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? ¹⁵ Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

¹⁶ Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” ¹⁸ Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. ¹⁹ They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. ²¹ And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.

²² So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. ²³ Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.

Hezekiah’s Pride, Success and Death

²⁴ In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. ²⁵ But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.

²⁷ Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. ²⁸ He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. ²⁹ He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.

³⁰ It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. ³¹ But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.

³² The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

KNOW GOD; God’s Word teaches us to be still, let go, and learn from Him.

KNOW THE ENEMY; Jesus who fought and won tells us how to guard our hearts, minds and souls who love Him with extreme, powerful help of His Holy Spirit.

BE A DISCIPLE (one who learns) of JESUS who is the Overcomer. God never fails.  Cling the One who gives Hope of eternal life.  Surrendering to God daily improves our listening and learning from Him. (Romans12:1-2)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”—Jesus, John 16:33

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, transform our behaviors so we will be more like you every day.  Refresh our souls with your new mercies each day. Continually restore the joy of you in us and us in you—the work of your hands, to help us overcome the enemy.  Help us all to judge less and love more—like you love us.

In Jesus Name, Amen