Spiritual warfare Lesson #7 Demonic attacks that backfire. None of satans attempts to destroy the Church have ever succeeded. If you study Church history, each attempted that satan has tried to destroy the Church has done nothing but further the cause of Jesus Christ. Two thousand years of experience tells us that satan has no winning strategy. He simply does not know how to win. By having Paul thrown in prison for his faith, The devil thought that he could destroy Paul's ministry. This was not a winning strategy at all. By having Paul thrown in prison, The devil made a horrible mistake. He put Paul in a situation that he had nothing but time on his hands. Therefore Paul had plenty of time to listen to The Holy Spirit. During Paul's time in Prison, he received some awesome revelations from the Lord. Paul wrote The book of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 2nd Timothy and Philemon. All of these were a result of time spent in prison. Satan is to stupid to realize that when he attacks us, It doesn't do anything but cause us to go running into our Lords arms. Therefore we draw closer to and we learn to trust our Lord. Had Paul never went to prison, he may have never written these vital books of the New Testament. Paul spent his time building new Churches, teaching new Christians, and correcting problems in the local Church. Outside those prison walls, Paul's ministry was driving the devil crazy. So the devil figured if he could lock Paul away then he could stop him from converting new believers. Satan made a big mistake. Praise the Lord!!!! Another big mistake satan made was having John imprisoned on the isle of Patmos. By putting John on this isle out in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, He thought he could destroy John's effectiveness in the ministry. This was yet another horrible mistake. By isolating John on the isle of Patmos, the devil positioned John to receive the book of Revelation!!! So the next time satan tries to attack you or your ministry, family, or friends, thank God for His Holy Word. Romans 8:28 says that, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. This Scripture applies not only to the good things that happen in your life, but the bad things as well. Everything that happens to you whether it is good or bad, you must remember that God has a purpose and a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Lets take a look at this same Scripture in the Living Bible. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. |