Loved and Protected

I recently heard an interesting teaching by Prophetic Teacher Perry Stone who said that our enemy, Satan, who hates the church of Jesus Christ, is doing all he can to destroy it. He says that in a last ditch effort the devil has actually orchestrated a plan, assigning individual principalities and powers, specific types of demon spirits, to target Christian marriages and Christian pastors, those who preach the life-changing Word of God.

He said he has never in his life seen so many Christian marriages in shambles, where couples divorce leaving their children especially devastated.

And families aren’t the only victims of this deadly plot. As most of us know when a truly godly pastor falls, his church is torn apart and many people begin to doubt the effectiveness of the gospel. Devisive and painful church splits often begin this way.

The point I’m making here is, it’s not God’s idea or His will for these things to happen. His heart is broken for those He loves who fall victim.

The thing I’ve seen is that you and I are in a position to change these things if we can hear the heart of God on these issues and begin to reach out in love and pray the covering and protection of the blood of Jesus over those in the line of fire.

That means you and me. We are in the line of fire. If we are spreading the gospel in any form we are targets. If we have strong Christian marriages, we are targets. If we are pastors or in any kind of Christian ministries, we are targets. And lest we believe otherwise, this is a bloody, to-the-death battle that we absolutely must win. The problem is that we often think it’s just a normal thing when our marriages have trouble and fall apart, ending in divorce. But believe me when I say that’s a lie of the devil and a very powerful one at that.

Perry Stone went on to explain that the devil loves to magnify and deceive people making them believe their marital problems are much more serious and complex than they really are–that they are truly irreconcilable. His deceiving spirits echo those lies repeatedly trying to convince us we should give up, that we don’t love each other the way we used to. And the sad thing is, his plan is working.

In our own lives, you and I must guard our relationships, love our spouses, even when things aren’t always smooth sailing. We must commit ourselves to living in the center of God’s will, with nothing wavering, so that we may stand when the pressure is on. We must tell ourselves the truth–that those tough, discouraging moments are not just normal struggles, but part of Satan’s strategic plan, and we dare not entertain his ideas even for a moment, but get into prayer (especially praying in the spirit) because once we entertain them, they take root and bear fruit for our enemy, derailing God’s plans entirely and rendering us powerless.

This is where the term ”purpose-driven life” is really appropriate. For if we truly say and believe, “For me to live is Christ,” then we dare not allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity, but pick ourselves up and dump all our heartache at Jesus’ feet, where there is hope to not only survive but to thrive, and not just as believers but as loving couples, (a type of Christ and His bride.)

And I believe the deeper issue is this: if we as the Body of Christ have no more hope for our marriages and our churches than those who don’t know Jesus, what does that say about the gospel message? We make it of no effect if we allow ourselves to be taken in by the enemy’s wiles.  

A few days ago I also heard Wendy Alec (she and her husband, Rory own GodTV), say that in her vision called, Journal of the Unknown Prophet, she saw God desperately weeping over these things, watching as Satan amassed huge numbers of demon spirits, whom he had armed for the final attack against the church of Jesus Christ. And though it’s true that because his time is short Satan is unleashing his most powerful strategies to defeat God’s people, if we are in the Word, falling in love with Jesus, staying in the center of His will, He will help us love each other in spite of our struggles. Our victory is guaranteed if we do not veer from the narrow way.

God has recently shown me something else very powerful. You and I who know and love Jesus aren’t just here to take up space on Planet Earth. In fact, He has equipped us to war in the spirit, to win incredibly fearsome battles fought in the heavenlies for the very hearts of mankind. He sends His angels the instant we pray, but only when we pray. Did you hear that? Let me say it again. 

God only moves according to the effective, fervent prayers of His people. So the question now is: Are we praying? Let us not take lightly the assignment that will determine the eternal destiny for those God loves.

Let’s get on our knees and change the course of history.

Because of His great love,

Nancy

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