Watch Out! You Might be the Target!
There is much evil going on in the world today, and sometimes it's easy for Christians to become complacent if they have not yet been affected by it. However, just because some evil has not touched you does not mean that you are not the target of that same evil. In fact, you may just be the real target. As Christians, we need to be aware of the value of constantly hiding in the Lord and learn how to wage spiritual warfare.
In the Bible, we see examples of this in the story of Moses and Jesus. When God chose Moses and Jesus for specific great purposes on earth, Satan knew about it well in advance of the people and set his machinery for destruction into motion. In both cases, for instance, we see Satan setting up events that lead to the massacre of many innocent babies. Pharaoh made a decree that all Hebrew male babies were to be put to death, but the target of the spiritual warfare going on behind the scenes was actually Moses. In Jesus' case, King Herod made an effort to have Him killed by ordering the massacre of the babies in Bethlehem.
Christians should be aware that evil forces are always at work, seeking to bring destruction and devastation to the lives of God's people. That is why it is so important to learn how to hide in the Lord and use spiritual warfare tools at all times. We must be alert and concerned whenever we see great evils in the world around us, even if those evils have not yet come near us. In fact, we should really question why our lives have been preserved from the evil that is befalling everyone else around us. Such a diligent and prayerful inquiry ought to lead us to the discerning of our purpose. I believe that both Moses and Jesus arrived at a clear understanding of their calling and purpose by making such prayerful inquiry. We too should seek the Lord in order to gain clarity regarding our personal mission.
This is critical because Satan's strategy is either to destroy the missionary or the mission field. There are many ways that Satan can use to distract or destroy the missionary but, like Job, he usually has a "hedge of protection" and so the enemy moves on to target their mission field. He tries to destroy the mission field before the missionary clarifies his calling and purpose. We must be wary of such schemes and use spiritual warfare tools to protect both our mission and our mission field. We must stand in the gap through prayer and fasting, binding up the powers of evil that are attempting to wreak havoc on the body of Christ and on its mission. As we do this, God will give us the strength to persevere and ultimately triumph against the enemy.
When we see wickedness coming over a city, nation or the world, we ought to be aware that God's people and their mission are the targets. The examples of Moses and Jesus show us that the devil can, for instance, cast a spell of illness over an entire city if that's the only way he can get to stop a certain preacher's voice. He can cast the spell of drug abuse and addiction over another city if that's what it takes to stop one teenager, a potential modern-day Daniel or Joseph, from clarifying their calling and purpose. The devil can cast a spell that sends multitudes of fathers to prison if that's what it takes to stop an entire generation from understanding what God means when He calls Himself our Father.
Therefore, let us learn what spiritual warfare is and use it to fight the good fight against evil forces. Let us be vigilant and alert, looking beyond the physical and temporal into the spiritual realm. Let us recognize and understand what is really going on in our mission field so that we can take full action against the enemy and his schemes. By doing this, we will be assured of victory!
May God bless us all as we fight the good fight against evil forces. Amen!