It has been a strange blessing to me to discover the predictability of some of the adversary's weapons, his "firey darts".... his "schemes." Furthermore, the more I have come to understand the purpose of a weapon, I can actually overcome it more easily and more quickly. In fact, over time, those weapons will not come against me anymore because I will have proven them unable to slow me down, unable to deter me from standing firm on the Rock of God's Word and moving forward.
RETALIATIONS:
A test will sometimes deliver to you the opposite of what you have just prayed, because if you walk by sight and not by faith, that will be enough to make you think that your prayer was not effective. We know from the angel who was sent to answer Daniel's prayer that our prayers (if they are in line with scripture) are answered immediately though there is a time period between the prayer and the answer. In that wait time, you are vulnerable to what you experience, because you are hoping for what God's Word promised you. You are having to hold on in faith though you have not seen the result yet. Just a little bit of pressure might make you question whether God's Word is true. This is a perfect time for you to be tested, the enemy knows. The test is an assault on your senses to fill your eyes and ears with the OPPOSITE of what God's Word says is true; the opposite of what God's Word says BELONG to you. It is literally a challenge to your faith. "Is God's Word true?" You are challenged. If you give up on the word, you will cancel your prayer, no longer asking for what you previously asked. "It's okay," you'll say. "I guess it wasn't meant to be."
So seeing the opposite, then, can help us know that we are on the right track! I have seen this over and over.
- A friend who began to believe that God had not withdrawn his favor on her in her job and began to believe that he WAS helping her, woke up to an alarm that did not go off the next morning. Her circumstances said, "You aren't going to start having any more success at work! Are you kidding! Look! You just slept in! They're going to be mad; you're going to be behind and stay behind! See, TODAY IS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DAY!" Of course, she went on and saw a miraculous increase in her job that month!!
- A friend (whose wife quit her job by faith to stay home with her child) hurt his foot the night before the first big job that the Lord provided which was going to cover their mortgage. His circumstances said, "What are you gonna do now? There's no guarentee. Just because God provides a job doesn't mean it's all gonna work out now, does it? She shouldn't have quit her job. You're gonna sink. See, today is just another set of problems ...and you can't count on God's automatic success! You never know what's around the corner!"
- A friend who spent the weekend praying about a relationship that she felt was from the Lord got an email that weekend from a guy telling her that he would be showing up at church with another girl. He just wanted to let her know. Her circumstances said, "Whatever! You prayed and look, he's got A GIRLFRIEND!"
- A friend who had prayed about a chance to move to New York got a phone call the next morning from her landlord saying that he was going to move into her place and she had 30 days to move out! Of course, two weeks later, she got the opportunity to go spend 2 weeks in New York to get a job!
coming
HINDRANCES:
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