APOSTOLIC ACTING OUT
AFRAID TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY
EXODUS 23:22 - 22 “But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.”
LUKE 10:19 - 19 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
When I was in Afghanistan, there was a day that I was on gate guard and we had to close the gate because one of the search dogs had sniffed something hot on one of the trucks that we were searching. Everyone that was outside of the gate had to stay behind a stop sign that we had set out a certain distance away from the gate behind several barricades. We had the gate closed so that no one could drive through the gate. We were ordered to stay away from the gate away from the vehicle that was hot just in case it exploded. If anyone from outside of the gate tried to get in, we would have to back them up behind the stop sign and barricades. After a while, a truck came up to the gate and stopped. I was the closest to that gate so I went to confront the vehicle and get it back behind the stop sign. I remembered my Rules Of Engagement and I tried to follow them. I first started waving them to go back, they did not move. I then began to yell and wave, they were still not moving. The whole time I was doing this I was walking closer to them. I then got my weapon and pointed it up and yelled and waved them back, they still did not move. By this time I was only about 20 yards away, well within my shooting range. So then, regrettably, I pointed my weapon at them. They still did not move. I then chambered a round and then aimed my weapon at them. They still did not move. I then showed them that I was putting my weapon from safe to semi and then pointed it at them. I got nervous that time when I aimed my weapon at them that time. They then finally backed up in a hurry.
What was bad was not that they were so hesitant to back up. What was bad was that I was afraid to engage the enemy. I did not show it at that point, because I was running on anger because they were not listening to me and I had received from the Sergeant of the Guard orders to back them up no matter what it takes and to shoot them if I have to, but deep inside of me I was afraid to engage. In the Army, we cannot hesitate when the enemy is at hand. We cannot run on our emotions of human life. We have to focus on the enemy and the cause that we have to destroy the enemy. We have got to be instant and take the enemy out as quick as possible.
Now what we have to realize first of all is that God is powerful. We need to realize how powerful God really is. God is not a man that he should lie. God is the omnipotent God. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all present. God is everywhere at the same time.
John 14:13-14 - 13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
Those that ask in the name of Jesus Christ, it will be done. We can engage the enemy using the name of Jesus Christ. No other name will work. No other power will work. No other weapon will work.
ISAIAH 54:17 - 17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;”
No matter what the enemy tries to come against us with, if we have the Holy Ghost and fire and it is burning inside of us, then we have the power to engage the enemy.
ACTS 1:8 – “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:”
When we get the opportunity to engage the enemy, we cannot wait. The enemy takes advantage of every opportunity he has to bring us down. He takes every opportunity to tempt us and makes it worth the while. Therefore, when we get the opportunity to bring the enemy down, we have to do it. We cannot wait.
We cannot hesitate when we have our target set on the enemy. Hesitation will open the door for the enemy to sneak in an attack. We have to be instant. Don’t hesitate.
The wait is over. Our opportunity is now. We have been praying for the opportunity to get back at the devil, now is our chance. It is our time. It is time to realize that God is on our side. It is time to realize that the enemy belongs under our feet.
When we realize that the wait is over, that our time to engage the enemy is now, that we cannot be afraid to engage the enemy, then we will experience a thunder rolling, lightning crashing, Earth quaking, fire burning, flood rising revival. It is not going to be a measly little yippee move of God. We are going to experience a life changing situation because when we realize that we have the power and the ability to punch the devil in the face, we personally are going to catch on fire.
Only a small spark starts an unquenchable fire. Did you know that the devil is afraid of fire?
Hebrews 12:29 – “29For our God is a consuming fire.”
Why do you think the devil is trying so hard to get you down and out? It is because, when it is all over with, and the final day has come, and Judgment Day is past; Lucifer, Satan, the old devil, whatever you want to call him, is going to be cast into the eternal lake of fire and burn forever.
Satan does not want to be alone.
Satan is afraid of fire, and our God is a consuming fire. Some people think that the devil is already down in hell fire. He is actually roaming to and fro in the earth trying to deceive this world.
When Jesus died and was buried, before He rose again, He took the keys of death, hell, and the grave.
He will give those keys to an angel as it says in Revelation 20:1-3 – “1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
Then in Revelation 20:7, 10 – “7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Engage the enemy with constant, effectual, fervent, fire burning prayer. Somebody asked me what fervent means. Fervent is defined in the dictionary as having or showing warmth or intensity of feeling; hot; glowing; or ardent. The definition of the word ardent is characterized by intense feeling; fervent; fiercely bright; fiery; and hot.
If we’ve got the power through prayer to engage the enemy with that fervent, ardent prayer, then what other weapon can overcome us?
2 CORINTHIANS 10:4 - 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
What would we do if we knew that God would back us up? How hard would we pray if we knew that the devil that is in our life would flee when we speak the name of Jesus? Do you know why devils flee when we speak the name of Jesus?
JAMES 2:19 - 19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
We say that there is one God, the devils tremble. We say His name is Jesus, Satan flees.
So do we want to engage the enemy and just see him trembling, or do we want to engage him and destroy him and make Satan flee?
Then we need to speak by faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and rebuke that demon out of our life and we need to quit being afraid to engage the enemy and get some guts and stand up for ourselves in the time of trials and tribulations and temptations and take the enemy out with the power of the Holy Ghost and fire.
ROMANS 8:31 - 31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
If God be for us, then who can be against us? We need to stop worrying about how much power we think that the enemy has. Stop giving so much credit to the devil. The devil does not have any power over us. If God is for us, how in the world can anything that is against us succeed? Do we realize the power of God? God is so powerful; if He wanted to He could blow up everything that has ever existed in a flash. He is the One who created that enemy we are facing. How can the created beat the Creator? It won’t happen. Either we are too vague to realize how powerful God is and how awesome the name of Jesus works in every situation, or we like being in that pit that we always seem to find ourselves in. We need to stop being afraid to engage the enemy and get our prayer lives back on track, get our two-edged sword out and start fighting with that Word of God, and take the enemy out.
We cannot get distracted. We have to focus. We need tunnel vision. If we are facing the enemy, we need to stop looking around at all of the other things that look pretty. When we turn aside is when the enemy is going to pick us off. We have got to press on. Keep pressing, go on, and go forward.
We need to engage temptations by finding the way of escape that God has set for us with every temptation that we face. How can I do that? Diligently seek the face of God and stay sensitive to the Holy Ghost. Acquire the fire that quenches the fiery darts of the wicked and press on.
We need to engage the spirit of doubt by convincing ourselves that God is on our side and He will never leave us nor forsake us. God will not sit back and watch us loose. We have to call upon His name and He will fight for us. If we doubt then we don’t have any faith in God’s ability to help us overcome the enemy and we will stay in that pit that the devil owns us in for the rest of our lives. Let’s get our faith back in action, move that mountain of doubt out of the way, and engage that dumb devil.
We need to engage the spirit of fear by telling the devil where he needs to go.
GENESIS 3:14-15 – “14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Devil, you are going down under my feet to stay because I have the power to really hurt you and engage you.
We need to engage the spirit of worry with the confidence that no matter what happens, no matter how hard I may fall, the enemy is going to lose in the end.
MICAH 7:8 – “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise;”
Guess what is going to happen after I arise. I am going to get in the devil’s face and say, “Guess what, devil? I am bought with the blood of Jesus and you cannot touch me because the power of the name of Jesus Christ and the mention of that name is going to cast you out.”
We need to stop worrying about the “what if it doesn’t work” mentality. I got an answer for that. What if it does work? What if the God that we put our trust in actually intervenes for us and kicks the devil’s tail? We have to engage that spirit of worry and start working on the confidence that God is on our side.
There are two kinds of anger. One is good and one is bad. When we have a fleshly anger, we get mad and start getting into trouble and we need to engage that spirit of anger with the spirit of gladness and joy and the goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives.
The other kind of anger is the anger when we get mad and our adrenaline flows because an enemy has harmed us or someone that we love and we need to give him payback. That is the kind of anger we need in this spiritual war.
That is the reason why I joined the army after I graduated from High School because of the anger that was still kindled inside of me against those evil terrorists that rocked our country’s life on September 11, 2001. I got a chance to take my anger out on a cause when in April of 2004 I got the opportunity to go the place where all of those terrorists resided.
When we get mad at the devil, we need to go behind enemy lines in his front yard and take care of business. We need to stop waiting for him to come to us and torment us to deal with him, because then it will be too late. We need to stop being afraid to engage the enemy and charge him with all that we have and take him down.
We need to engage the spirit of depression. If God is in our lives, there is no reason for us to be depressed. If God is not in our lives, we have the opportunity today to have Him come into our lives, give us the power of the Holy Ghost, and the weapons to engage that spirit of depression and turn our sorrow into joy. It does not matter what we have been through in our past. God is about to change our life. It does not matter how bad we think we have been. Paul was a murderer until he became the most prolific author and apostle in the New Testament. We do not get good to get God, we get God to get good, and I know that we have probably heard that before but it still needs to sink in. God is the one who changes us, we are not the ones that changes our lives.
So if you are on the bottom, in that pit of depression, you don’t have to stay there. Your life does not have to end there. God has a whole new life waiting for you, and it is not just some little thing that is told to you that you are saved, shake some preachers hand, sign a card, and now all of a sudden your life has changed because of what someone has told you.
This is a supernatural experience that is so powerful it’ll knock your socks off. This is an earth shattering affect in your personal life that when God hits you with His Holy Ghost and fire and your tongue starts going a million miles an hour out of control and you feel like you have fell into some other dimension of the universe, then you can say that God saved you and not some preacher with a nice tie.
Once you catch on fire, you will find out how you can engage that enemy, the devil, that is been pestering you and tormenting you your whole life. You will have the power to stomp on his head and tell him to keep eating that dirt because he belongs under your feet. Not in your home, your family, your job, your school, your free time. Under your feet.
So don’t be afraid to engage the enemy.
LUKE 10:19 - 19 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
When I was in Afghanistan, there was a day that I was on gate guard and we had to close the gate because one of the search dogs had sniffed something hot on one of the trucks that we were searching. Everyone that was outside of the gate had to stay behind a stop sign that we had set out a certain distance away from the gate behind several barricades. We had the gate closed so that no one could drive through the gate. We were ordered to stay away from the gate away from the vehicle that was hot just in case it exploded. If anyone from outside of the gate tried to get in, we would have to back them up behind the stop sign and barricades. After a while, a truck came up to the gate and stopped. I was the closest to that gate so I went to confront the vehicle and get it back behind the stop sign. I remembered my Rules Of Engagement and I tried to follow them. I first started waving them to go back, they did not move. I then began to yell and wave, they were still not moving. The whole time I was doing this I was walking closer to them. I then got my weapon and pointed it up and yelled and waved them back, they still did not move. By this time I was only about 20 yards away, well within my shooting range. So then, regrettably, I pointed my weapon at them. They still did not move. I then chambered a round and then aimed my weapon at them. They still did not move. I then showed them that I was putting my weapon from safe to semi and then pointed it at them. I got nervous that time when I aimed my weapon at them that time. They then finally backed up in a hurry.
What was bad was not that they were so hesitant to back up. What was bad was that I was afraid to engage the enemy. I did not show it at that point, because I was running on anger because they were not listening to me and I had received from the Sergeant of the Guard orders to back them up no matter what it takes and to shoot them if I have to, but deep inside of me I was afraid to engage. In the Army, we cannot hesitate when the enemy is at hand. We cannot run on our emotions of human life. We have to focus on the enemy and the cause that we have to destroy the enemy. We have got to be instant and take the enemy out as quick as possible.
Now what we have to realize first of all is that God is powerful. We need to realize how powerful God really is. God is not a man that he should lie. God is the omnipotent God. God is all powerful, all knowing, and all present. God is everywhere at the same time.
John 14:13-14 - 13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
Those that ask in the name of Jesus Christ, it will be done. We can engage the enemy using the name of Jesus Christ. No other name will work. No other power will work. No other weapon will work.
ISAIAH 54:17 - 17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;”
No matter what the enemy tries to come against us with, if we have the Holy Ghost and fire and it is burning inside of us, then we have the power to engage the enemy.
ACTS 1:8 – “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:”
When we get the opportunity to engage the enemy, we cannot wait. The enemy takes advantage of every opportunity he has to bring us down. He takes every opportunity to tempt us and makes it worth the while. Therefore, when we get the opportunity to bring the enemy down, we have to do it. We cannot wait.
We cannot hesitate when we have our target set on the enemy. Hesitation will open the door for the enemy to sneak in an attack. We have to be instant. Don’t hesitate.
The wait is over. Our opportunity is now. We have been praying for the opportunity to get back at the devil, now is our chance. It is our time. It is time to realize that God is on our side. It is time to realize that the enemy belongs under our feet.
When we realize that the wait is over, that our time to engage the enemy is now, that we cannot be afraid to engage the enemy, then we will experience a thunder rolling, lightning crashing, Earth quaking, fire burning, flood rising revival. It is not going to be a measly little yippee move of God. We are going to experience a life changing situation because when we realize that we have the power and the ability to punch the devil in the face, we personally are going to catch on fire.
Only a small spark starts an unquenchable fire. Did you know that the devil is afraid of fire?
Hebrews 12:29 – “29For our God is a consuming fire.”
Why do you think the devil is trying so hard to get you down and out? It is because, when it is all over with, and the final day has come, and Judgment Day is past; Lucifer, Satan, the old devil, whatever you want to call him, is going to be cast into the eternal lake of fire and burn forever.
Satan does not want to be alone.
Satan is afraid of fire, and our God is a consuming fire. Some people think that the devil is already down in hell fire. He is actually roaming to and fro in the earth trying to deceive this world.
When Jesus died and was buried, before He rose again, He took the keys of death, hell, and the grave.
He will give those keys to an angel as it says in Revelation 20:1-3 – “1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
Then in Revelation 20:7, 10 – “7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Engage the enemy with constant, effectual, fervent, fire burning prayer. Somebody asked me what fervent means. Fervent is defined in the dictionary as having or showing warmth or intensity of feeling; hot; glowing; or ardent. The definition of the word ardent is characterized by intense feeling; fervent; fiercely bright; fiery; and hot.
If we’ve got the power through prayer to engage the enemy with that fervent, ardent prayer, then what other weapon can overcome us?
2 CORINTHIANS 10:4 - 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
What would we do if we knew that God would back us up? How hard would we pray if we knew that the devil that is in our life would flee when we speak the name of Jesus? Do you know why devils flee when we speak the name of Jesus?
JAMES 2:19 - 19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
We say that there is one God, the devils tremble. We say His name is Jesus, Satan flees.
So do we want to engage the enemy and just see him trembling, or do we want to engage him and destroy him and make Satan flee?
Then we need to speak by faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and rebuke that demon out of our life and we need to quit being afraid to engage the enemy and get some guts and stand up for ourselves in the time of trials and tribulations and temptations and take the enemy out with the power of the Holy Ghost and fire.
ROMANS 8:31 - 31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
If God be for us, then who can be against us? We need to stop worrying about how much power we think that the enemy has. Stop giving so much credit to the devil. The devil does not have any power over us. If God is for us, how in the world can anything that is against us succeed? Do we realize the power of God? God is so powerful; if He wanted to He could blow up everything that has ever existed in a flash. He is the One who created that enemy we are facing. How can the created beat the Creator? It won’t happen. Either we are too vague to realize how powerful God is and how awesome the name of Jesus works in every situation, or we like being in that pit that we always seem to find ourselves in. We need to stop being afraid to engage the enemy and get our prayer lives back on track, get our two-edged sword out and start fighting with that Word of God, and take the enemy out.
We cannot get distracted. We have to focus. We need tunnel vision. If we are facing the enemy, we need to stop looking around at all of the other things that look pretty. When we turn aside is when the enemy is going to pick us off. We have got to press on. Keep pressing, go on, and go forward.
We need to engage temptations by finding the way of escape that God has set for us with every temptation that we face. How can I do that? Diligently seek the face of God and stay sensitive to the Holy Ghost. Acquire the fire that quenches the fiery darts of the wicked and press on.
We need to engage the spirit of doubt by convincing ourselves that God is on our side and He will never leave us nor forsake us. God will not sit back and watch us loose. We have to call upon His name and He will fight for us. If we doubt then we don’t have any faith in God’s ability to help us overcome the enemy and we will stay in that pit that the devil owns us in for the rest of our lives. Let’s get our faith back in action, move that mountain of doubt out of the way, and engage that dumb devil.
We need to engage the spirit of fear by telling the devil where he needs to go.
GENESIS 3:14-15 – “14And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Devil, you are going down under my feet to stay because I have the power to really hurt you and engage you.
We need to engage the spirit of worry with the confidence that no matter what happens, no matter how hard I may fall, the enemy is going to lose in the end.
MICAH 7:8 – “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise;”
Guess what is going to happen after I arise. I am going to get in the devil’s face and say, “Guess what, devil? I am bought with the blood of Jesus and you cannot touch me because the power of the name of Jesus Christ and the mention of that name is going to cast you out.”
We need to stop worrying about the “what if it doesn’t work” mentality. I got an answer for that. What if it does work? What if the God that we put our trust in actually intervenes for us and kicks the devil’s tail? We have to engage that spirit of worry and start working on the confidence that God is on our side.
There are two kinds of anger. One is good and one is bad. When we have a fleshly anger, we get mad and start getting into trouble and we need to engage that spirit of anger with the spirit of gladness and joy and the goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives.
The other kind of anger is the anger when we get mad and our adrenaline flows because an enemy has harmed us or someone that we love and we need to give him payback. That is the kind of anger we need in this spiritual war.
That is the reason why I joined the army after I graduated from High School because of the anger that was still kindled inside of me against those evil terrorists that rocked our country’s life on September 11, 2001. I got a chance to take my anger out on a cause when in April of 2004 I got the opportunity to go the place where all of those terrorists resided.
When we get mad at the devil, we need to go behind enemy lines in his front yard and take care of business. We need to stop waiting for him to come to us and torment us to deal with him, because then it will be too late. We need to stop being afraid to engage the enemy and charge him with all that we have and take him down.
We need to engage the spirit of depression. If God is in our lives, there is no reason for us to be depressed. If God is not in our lives, we have the opportunity today to have Him come into our lives, give us the power of the Holy Ghost, and the weapons to engage that spirit of depression and turn our sorrow into joy. It does not matter what we have been through in our past. God is about to change our life. It does not matter how bad we think we have been. Paul was a murderer until he became the most prolific author and apostle in the New Testament. We do not get good to get God, we get God to get good, and I know that we have probably heard that before but it still needs to sink in. God is the one who changes us, we are not the ones that changes our lives.
So if you are on the bottom, in that pit of depression, you don’t have to stay there. Your life does not have to end there. God has a whole new life waiting for you, and it is not just some little thing that is told to you that you are saved, shake some preachers hand, sign a card, and now all of a sudden your life has changed because of what someone has told you.
This is a supernatural experience that is so powerful it’ll knock your socks off. This is an earth shattering affect in your personal life that when God hits you with His Holy Ghost and fire and your tongue starts going a million miles an hour out of control and you feel like you have fell into some other dimension of the universe, then you can say that God saved you and not some preacher with a nice tie.
Once you catch on fire, you will find out how you can engage that enemy, the devil, that is been pestering you and tormenting you your whole life. You will have the power to stomp on his head and tell him to keep eating that dirt because he belongs under your feet. Not in your home, your family, your job, your school, your free time. Under your feet.
So don’t be afraid to engage the enemy.
