We’ve been taught that, “When it rains, it pours.”  We’ve been taught to expect the worst and to often lay down and take it when the enemy attacks.  We’ve been taught to turn and run when darkness comes and to look away when injustice strikes.  But when will we believe God and stand up?  When will we say like those Hebrew young men to King Nebuchadnezzar after he threatened to have them burned alive, “…We don’t need to defend ourselves.  The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace.  But even if He doesn’t, we still won’t worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18). When we say, “Whether God delivers only my soul or both soul and body… we are believing what the Word says, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper…." (Isaiah 54:17)

The truth is, the verse is written with the assumption that if you are walking in the will of God, that there will be weapons formed against you. You will fight obstacles. You will have to overcome darkness. I am a living witness to this! In the middle of this unprecedented time in The Sanctuary, I have had  many arrows and  fiery darts thrown to discourage and numerous snares set to destroy.  If we had nothing happening in The Sanctuary right now, it wouldn’t make sense. But, we’re advancing with a fury that is transforming lives. You will not face opposition if you’re heading in the opposite direction of the enemy. If you’re not a threat, you’re not a target.

So, what do you do when attacked?

• Be thankful. It means you're doing something right. Otherwise, you're not a threat.
  
• Look for the lesson in the attack.
  
• Stand. 
  
• Pray for reinforcements.
• Know that no weapon formed against you shall remain.
  
• Get your Worship and Praise on…it will confuse the enemy.

But importantly remember that, "Our Father is not a man that should lie, if He said it, it will come to pass" (Numbers 23:19). So don't be afraid and don't you shrink back, you stand your ground because no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises up against you, He shall condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)

This month has been quite interesting. It has been one of revelation not just for me, but for those close to me.  As I write, some conversations and dealings come to mind that have removed the scales from my eyes and that have opened my ears to the true character and nature of those that have been entrusted with my heart. We all know what happens when the covers are removed from those who have operated in deceptive practices. There comes a swell of emotions. The feelings of hurt, betrayal, anger and most of all rejection surface and sometimes take over. 

Everyone wants to feel accepted and valued. We can pretend that we don't need or want validation from anyone. But on some level we all do. And it's perfectly normal if you do. It's natural to want to be a part of something or to know that we are loved. God created us this way. So when we are not valued, accepted or made to feel as though we are not loved we tend to make decisions and choices in life that sends us on a destructive path. We loose focus of what we are called and purpose to be and we began to seek validation instead of seeking purpose. 

I know this to be true because I have been there. Yes, I allowed my desire to be valued make me a victim; a victim to toxic relationships, situations and thoughts. Thoughts that I wasn't good enough, smart enough, eloquent enough created insecurities within me about my God given talents and gifts haunted me. And whenever I came in contact with someone who criticized or manipulated me for their own selfish gain, it would send me into a place of depression and self-loathing. That's when the feelings of inadequacy would come in and I would loose my focus. It was a vicious cycle that I repeated for a long time. But today I can emphatically say that after a lot of God searching, praying and being honest about myself and those close to me, my vision became crystal clear! The more I allowed myself to get caught up in this destructive cycle the more I was hindering myself! I had to first realize and know my worth and know that I matter. If I cannot value myself, how can I expect anyone else to value me! Then I had to realize that my validation does not need to come from man but God. I accepted the gifts he blessed me with the gift to create, inspire and encourage. Really, that's what truly matter - the calling and purpose on our lives.  Nothing else matters! And the most important lesson of all is that I could no longer give anyone that kind of power over my life. I gave their maltreatment of me meaning. 

I want to encourage you that if no one else values you and the contributions that you have made in this life, know this, our Father values you. You are important. You matter to Him. You are special and unique and he knows the greatness and purpose in you. Why? Because He created you and He created you with a divine purpose. Cast down the fears, and insecurities. Don't allow the dark cloud of the circumstances or the revelation of the true relationship to blind you anymore! The light has shown through the darkness and every obstacle and hinderance has been revealed! He has allowed you to see clearly the blue sky of your destiny. Don't you look back, only ahead to fulfill it.

In the days and times in which we are living, there are people who are in the business of pronouncing curses over the lives of others for selfish reasons. I have been on the other side of a few curses. But I have learned through the Word that what the LORD has blessed, no man can curse. We find this to truth in scripture when the man of God, the prophet Balaam was hired to curse Israel, by Balak, the king of Moab. You see King Balak was in a panic because he had heard about the powerful army of Israelites that was approaching the promise land and his kingdom was in the pathway to promise and the King was afraid of losing his power. God warned the prophet Balaam to not pronounce a curse upon them. Eventually, he and his temporary business partners learned that whom God has blessed no man can curse. Everytime he tried to declare a curse, a blessing flowed from his lips and he cursed Moab. (Num 22:1 – 24:25)  God loves to turn the plans and works of the wicked upside down – on their own heads (Ps 9:16-17). 

This is what I want you to know today as Believers, we will encounter unfortunate events in life, traps and snares, but we must always remember we serve an almighty Savior that has overcome everything in this world and He has all victory and power! (John 16:33) And as we trust Him through hard times, we through Christ, receive strength and victory! (Philippians 4:13) If the storms in life seem like they are at their strongest, full of chaos and uncertainty you must remember what Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:  'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit'" (Galatians 3:13-14). This is the assurance we have as believers is that the curse of sin and death has been removed from us through the death of Christ in our place.  Therefore, we aren't afraid, worried, nor stressed because we know who is in control and as a contemporary song declares, "When Jesus Says Yes, Nobody Can Say No!". 

How many times have we quoted the scripture at Ephesians 6:12, to ourselves or someone else?  "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

And how many times did we follow it up by saying, "Satan stays busy. Hmph!" Well it's true, Satan has a superb work ethic. He shows up early, puts in overtime and takes on extra projects whenever we make them available, but what this scripture aims to make us aware of is much, much deeper than that.

As we go about our daily lives as Christians in this "wicked world" (Galatians 1:4), we are fighting for our very lives against mighty powers, evil spirits and authorities of an unseen, dark world. Yes! There is a spiritual warfare of darkness going on every day so we need to be less cavalier about this particular statement and really hone in and understand what is at stake--our very lives.

How do we combat the spirit of darkness? We can only overcome darkness with light (John 1:5). We know that it is not natural light but a spiritual light, right? How do escape from the darkness and live in the light?

If we examine Galatians 5:19-21, a clear picture is painted as to what the dark, unseen world has to offer.

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21 MSG)

Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it. We come across these things every day and we can do little more than shake our heads or tell ourselves to pray for those living this sad existence, do we not? Well, we honestly need to be doing much more than praying. We We need to BE an example of light--a sharp contrast to what is going on around us. We need to BE distinctly different. We need to BE spiritual.

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. (Galatians 5:22, 23 MSG)

Notice that all the fruits of the spirit in this version of the text are communicated as actionable attributes--stated as things we should be doing or being not just as adjectives. God's spirit should move us to want to shut out the darkness of this world and be a light in our own lives and the lives of others. Let's no longer think of the fruits of God's spirit as things but rather as things we need to be; exhibit; live.