Tuesday, November 15, 2011

You MUST Be Strong!

God is Calling You to Rebuild the Walls

Too many Christians are struggling with an attitude of defeat in their Christian walk, unable to gain the victory over the enemy in areas where Jesus tells us that we have already been given the victory!

The following message is from Min. Eric Ludy entitled. "A Man of White Knuckles".

He is speaking about the prophet Nehemiah and how the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem reflects the rebuilding many Christians must still do to shore up the temple of their bodies.  That sermon is followed by an examination of the Hebrew war cry "Rak Chazak".

If you listen and really take heed to this message, it will change your life.
  • Only a moment of yielding to the flesh can result in dullness & weakness of the spirit.
  • You cannot afford to accept dimnishment of your spiritual life.  If you ever feel that dimness of your spiritual heart, you grip your sword harder and refuse to let go until it passes.
  • The enemy is monitoring your soul, looking for a breach in the wall in which to take advantage of it.
  • Your body is the temple of the Lord, but if there is not a wall built up around your temple (as in Nehemiah), the enemy will make your temple miserable.
  • If you are still vulnerable to the enemy in areas of sin in spite of having a relationship with God, it is because there is a breach in your soul which needs to be fixed.
  • God desires to see peace brought to your body with all enemy factions defeated.  Nothing of the enemy should be allowed to stick up its head and we should not show hospitality to any of it.
  • While we may not always do this to perfection, we have been given everything needed to do this with perfection.
  • We are not dependent upon our own natural strength, which is limiting.  But in the Christian life, we are cultivating God's strength.
  • The sign that our walls are broken down is that we don't have the heart of God as seen in a disciplined commitment to what concerns God.
  • Do we care about the welfare of God's people and the glory of our King?
  • When you rise up to stand for Jesus, you allow your heart to be changed to fit God's heart.  Only then will you have the courage to seek God's glory, even at the risk of your own life.  Only then will you become a threat to the enemy.
  • Most Christians have spent most of their lives being soft and are therefore unprepared to lead God's people. 
  • In the book of Nehemiah, God is exposing the tactics of the enemy. Satan's strategies have not changed and always follow along the following lines (lies):

    • The First Lie: It is impossible; the wall can never be built.  (Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; Luke 18:27)  
    • The Second Lie: You are too weak, after all, don’t you realize that you are in captivity? (Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:26, 31, 37)
    • The Third Lie: All this work is for nothing; the progress you have made is not real. There is no real strength in your wall; even the slightest breeze from the enemy will knock it down. You cannot take the rubbish of your inner life and expect to revive what has already been burned. (Philippians 1:6)
    • The Fourth Lie: You are too tired to continue; You need your sleep, God knows you need your sleep. (2 Corinthians 4:1; Galatians 6:9)
    • The Fifth Lie: I have the power to sneak up upon you when you least expect it and wipe out everything you have done; all the spiritual steps you have taken will mean nothing when I come in the night to slay you. (James 4:7; Eph 6:13,16)
    • The Sixth Lie: You are currently under enemy siege; you’d better stop working and protect yourself. (Matthew 6:33; 2 Timothy 4:18)
    • The Seventh Lie: You are building this wall for your own blessing, to be your own king, to rule for your own glory. You should stop working on such a vain self-aggrandizing project. (Matthew 6:13)
    • The Eighth Lie: Meet me for a coffee in Ono. I’m concerned for your well-being, and I might be of some help in your current endeavors. I know of things that you aren’t privy to know. If you listen to my counsel it will make your work go a lot smoother.  (Proverbs 8:14; 2 Corinthians 10:5)
    • The Ninth Lie: You need to consider your own protection. I know of dangerous things that loom on the horizon, large enemy forces are gathering together to come against you. Go and hide.  For if you don’t concern yourself with your own safety soon, it might be too late. Listen to my counsel and you just might escape this whole matter alive. (Psalm 56:4; Psalm 118:6; Hebrews 13:6)

  • The enemy is scared to death, but he doesn't want you to know that. 
  • God is giving you a test that is personalized for you so that you are prepared to overcome & prosper against the battle before you.
  • The enemy has no real power over you.  It is all "black magic".  The only power he has is if you believe and kowtow to his bluff, and the result is that you will not progress.
  • When you disobey the word of God, you give the enemy legal access to your soul; he cannot take over your soul, but he has access and can harass you. 
  • Your job is to believe and to keep moving forward, in spite of the noisy distractions of the enemy.
  • Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ is the equivalent of putting a watchman on the wall.
  • American Christianity is so disempowered because we erroneously think that we are at a time of peace.
  • You have the authority by the blood of Jesus to hit the enemy, not to simply sit back and take his hits.
  • Wall builders are also active warriors who are always dressed, on guard and ready for battle.
  • Are you prepared for the all out attack of the enemy when you determine to do what God calls you to do?

6 comments:

  1. Such a refreshing dissection on the book of Nehemiah! As we go through we MUST hold on to our sword even after our knuckles turn white. Be courageous in the Lord. :)

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  2. This is an amazing post! Everything my therapist has been saying is all in this post. How refreshing and soul-uplifting it is to read such words of TRUTH and Stature! God has blessed this information and it truly IS lifechanging! Amen and Blessings to whomever created this post.

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  3. I am so blessed to have found this, I actually searched out the word Rak Chazak, what I found through this website is soooo awesome, don't ever stop preaching and teaching like that, it is a gem that all Christians need to find.

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  4. hello to you Sister, in listening to A Man Of White Knuckles Mr Ludy said black magic is an illusion it only comes to pass if we believe in it, is that actually true, these happenings in my life right now is all because I believe it into reality?
    I am examining myself to God's word and I don't see me believing the devil illusions, these things are just happening and I am doing the mechanics as Pastor Price says
    there are so many different understandings of the spirit world and I would like to know the truth
    apart though this message has truly bless me
    you and yours also Sister be bless

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    Replies
    1. Hi Christhinker,

      I have to say that when i first saw your post, I thought, "I don't remember hearing that." Yet even as I look at my notes above, I see a similar reference:

      "The enemy has no real power over you. It is all "black magic". The only power he has is if you believe and kowtow to his bluff, and the result is that you will not progress."

      I don't remember him saying this is an illusion and, if that is what he said, I certainly do not agree with that. The Scriptures are clear that Satan has supernatural powers and they are real.

      Although I haven't gone back to look at the message, what I get from my notes is something similar to what is found here: Don't Believe the Devil

      Essentially, those who belong to the Lord have a hedge of protection around them so Satan cannot just do what he pleases with us. Read through the book of Job. Satan had to ask permission to attack Job, and even then, he could only do what God allowed.

      Think of what Jesus told Peter, "Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat" (Luke 22:31). That is a similar principle. While it doesn't say so explicitly, I believe that Satan also had to get permission from God to be able to test Peter. And apparently, God allowed it (Luke 22:32).

      This is the thing. We belong to the Lord. We are HIS! That is not just words or nice sayings. It is a powerful statement with muscle behind it. God is a jealous God over that which belongs to Him. He is not going to just let others have their way with us. While the Lord might use the devil (and even the world) to grow up His children or even to show us open doors in our lives to the devil which need to be closed, we must never cower under such attacks because if God is allowing us to go through it, then He has already provided the strength, the answer, and the way of escape to get through it.

      When we experience fear at these times, God is showing us that we have some unbelief in our soul. There is something in us preventing us from believing His word, and we should pray for Him to help us with our unbelief and show us how to erase it. Consider this as well, our faith will never grow unless it is tested. God wants to expose our areas of fear, weakness, and unbelief so that we can grow stronger.

      So while the devil's power is not an illusion, the people of God have been given power over the devil (Mark 16:17-20).

      Much love in Christ Sister!

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