Alright, please forgive me in advance for an illustration I am about to use. If it strikes you as crass, I’m sorry. I could think of no other that fit what I was thinking like this one.

When my brothers (seven of us) and I were just young boys, we would occasionally all be sitting around the television watching a favorite television show. Suddenly there would be a smell that was so foul and wicked that we’d all begin to moan at once. “All right – who did it? Who let one loose?” (Sorry gals, I know this is such a guy thing!) Everyone would quickly blame each other.

From the beginning in the Garden of Eden, the blame game would be a product of sin and man’s scarce inability to take responsibility for his wrong actions. Gen 3:11-12 “And God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” Adam said, “The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Maybe you have noticed that just because you love Jesus, everything does not go smoothly in life. To the contrary, Satan hates God’s children more than anyone. He knows Christians have authority over him and that if we find that out, we will be a danger and threat to opposing his evil in this earth. This is why he loves when Christians don’t learn their bible and don’t know of God’s promises.

God says through Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Hosea 4:6
God doesn’t want Christians ignorant of His love, promises, and protection. It would be like you as a parent not warning your small children to stay out of the street. Training and instructing is an act of love.

I have made an observation over my 24 years of ministry that seems to very much hold true. I have noticed that when Christians start experiencing some kind of hardship – sickness, or financial setback, problems in the job or livelihood or whatever – they often forget that this is an attack of the enemy and don’t fight back. When it goes on for an extended period of time, the discouragement leads them to blame God. They may not actually say, “God what is happening? I have done all I know to do and this is still happening, why don’t you do something?” They may not say it but they might somehow begin to think it. The blame game is on with God and it is the strategy of the devil to cause a Christian to give up their faith and give up on God.

Again they may not blame God with words but they suddenly stop going to church or being involved in serving at church. They stop fellowshipping with other Christians and soon stop reading their Bible. Prayer becomes a hopeless, faithless exercise if they continue praying at all. When this happens, the devil is succeeding as that is his plan.

People don’t realize they are blaming God but their lives display it in the fact that they stop living for Him. What is really funny is they only quit things revolving around God. They don’t stop watching television. They don’t stop eating too much. They continue on in things that their flesh loves but their spiritual lives plummet into despair. That is blaming God.

The Apostle Paul tells us we fight a war against Satan and his demonic forces. Eph 6:10-13 says, “A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.” He then says, “Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Today’s Fresh Manna verse instructs us not to go backwards when hardship comes against us. God instructs us to fight back. Press into Him. Live more for Him. Pray and proclaim God’s victory in your life. Take authority over, resist, and cast on the demonic forces coming against your life. That is what is meant by Heb 10:38-39. “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”

Know today that I am standing with you for God’s best in every area of your life in my prayers for you. Win the fight in the spirit. God will instruct you daily how to walk out your victory in Him. Don’t shrink back- draw closer to God as we are instructed to in James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

In closing, lift your head and proclaim in faith: “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psa 9:9-10

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt http://www.freshmanna.org/

Published by Pastor Tim BurtCopyright©