Keep Pressing Ahead - Facing Personal Attack, Part 2

If you're in the middle of a tough situation. I mean a very difficult time in your life and you realize this is getting more personal by the day you need to listen to today's broadcast working to uncover the enemies ways that he discourages you and give you the battle ready tools to defeat stay with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping group Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of shipping vapor and friendship series. Keep pressing ahead with us for our previous program chip sure the first two tactics, he typically uses to get us down. Our focus off center discouragement or opposition will is weapons of choice are usually deception condemnation powerful and effective means, therefore not paying attention. If you have a Bible open to Nehemiah chapter 6 let's join chip for part two of his message using personal attack on and forget they are probably the hardest time for me. I was in the midst of a big transition and you know how transitions go and it was a with the organization and I was on my way out and you know like every organization we Lotta good things that happen in a few not so good things that happen and I one of the not so good things that happen not as I had to take credit for a lot of the not so good things happen, but this happened be one of things that I shouldn't get credit for.

If you know what I mean and so I had a board member. You know email me and then call me and say now just in this meeting and this this guy who's the a part of this group came in and said ABC in the end that it's your fault and you did this this and this and said these two things are true, and he goes on I know that's not true, but I need to ask you about it constantly. Are you kidding me well with my personality and I was livid. I mean I just I know I can sleep like three days. I can't believe that Kai did the actually that was his responsibility and he's covering his rear me.

I mean you you everything you know I wanted to hold ways. I got the documentation on that and everything in the I just talked to I can prove this and I can prove that all noon and I had had lunch with a guy named Bill.

Bill D is in the real estate area and does what's called a high-tech breakfast where they invite people in the tech world to hear a speaker and just amazing guy heart for people. And we were having lunch and I begin I said is like three days after the development you just cannot believe what happened the other day and he visit a friend and a confidant and I started to explain and he literally he might put his hands on my hands on the unit.

I talked with my hands he's like grab them and put on the table is I don't hearing more what you mean I don't hearing more about past does matter what is the building is I don't hearing more.

Look, don't defend yourself.

It's energy that's wasted. It doesn't matter if it's a guy telling the truth know is it true know so you really just concerned about your reputation is wrapped around your ego right. Yeah, he said right now in your life 100% of your energy needs to be forward focused on the dream got put in your heart you want to see Romans 12 Christians here there and everywhere right yeah that's being launched right right need to find a platform. The home base right okay get your energy there.

Get off that and I just got a tell you it was so hard to let go. You know even the guy that did that what the apostle Paul would say he's probably a wounded guy. He was fearful he was making report to the board, he probably slanted some of the stuff in his own mind he probably justified it in the apostle Paul would lean back and say my battles not against flesh and blood is not that guy.

It's not that supervisor is not what your mate said is not what when your kids you know what unit is behind and start connecting the dots.

The enemy is using some people that don't like you very much. Some people are jealous of you and some people actually love you very much to coordinate messages, condemnation, and your temptation is to spend your energy justifying improving how okay you are. Jesus said, wisdom would be vindicated and her children knowing that my that basically it all come out and wash out the worst things I've ever been through and at times by the grace of God were not defended myself. I now have I I have my 2 to 3 year rule you just wait two or three years and when people lie. Your people do this or this or that. Guess what you not the first person they did that to interior three years that'll probably become evident in about two or three years if you were correct.

It'll come out as well. And if you weren't it'll come out as well. The condemnations powerful enemy uses sometimes get paralyzed third tactic. If those two don't work as doubt did God really say you start to doubt what God told you you doubt the ministry did you doubt the direction you get.

Doubt is this the right marriage doubt.

Should I even be in this relationship you doubt all kind of stuff and on really really bad days. You can even doubt that you maybe I'm not a Christian on really really really bad that maybe God doesn't even exist before we go on, get this, clearly ready condemnation is general.

It'll make you feel bad about you and like you want to run away from God because your terrible person. That's the enemy conviction is clear, very specific and it will be an action. It won't be like you messed up. In general, your bad dad or in my case I was a bad dad a bad pastor a bad husband, you name it and I just felt overwhelmed. It was general and it took me about three hours to figure out this is the enemy. You think I'd be smarter than that. But when the Holy Spirit convicts its specific you can respond to it and the goal is because God wants to restore you back close to himself. So when I'm convicted by God instead of your bad terrible that it's you haven't talked to one your sons and two weeks he was traveling you were traveling take the initiative conviction. I wrote a note and then I called him see the difference. That's different than that's right I'm a terrible father and then what happens in the enemy brings all these things. Anything that is a father you have to know what I bet when he was 11.

You know I didn't go that one ballgame you know I don't think he really loves me. I noticed when we were on vacation, look at me funny and I could like goes on and on and on and is morally from the enemy. You start believing the stuff I will tell you it will take you down and so here's what's really happening. Okay your Nehemiah. I mean it's been rough.

The walls almost done. It's just about done the gates you ready to drop by me. That's a big victory.

You're this close. That got me breaking through in getting it done and pretty soon you get this message. They want to talk you see through that one man, you know, there's this threat.

This emotional blackmail. You see through this one, but I mean you got to trust somebody in the skies, a man of God when the properties a priest is a means I'm having. If you can't trust a priest in a property to trust and so he says you know I'm shot and I've got issues on, under attack from from these terrible people come to my house on the clock username I he stopped working and he goes over this guy's house is shut in and goes there to kill you there going to kill you tonight. God's revealed to me. So here's the plan.

Let's you and I will go to the temple is the law states clearly no one can be killed inside the temple, but the law also clearly stated that only a priest could go into the part of the temple he's talking about and Nehemiah knew God's word and he knew that would be sin, and because he knew God's word and he knew that he wasn't allowed in their the recommendation that someone acting as though he were his friend.

He realized the smells the sin from God said not God's will to flee is not God's will to quit is not God's will. The cave-in is never God's will for someone my role to go into the temple, but that the temptation is to doubt about you ever have someone who out of their genuine concern actually tells you the exact opposite thing to do is this a scriptural about Peter, do you think Peter really cared about Jesus and loved him a lot when Jesus sent him to go to the crossmember.

What he say all I don't think it's good plan. I care too much about you and does not go with that one. And remember what Jesus words were back to Peter on that one, get behind me Satan see here's what you got understand this whole spiritual warfare stuff is way less spooky than you think. And it's way more about lies and doubt and deception, and it can come through people that are hostile to you, they can come to people and have no idea they're being used by the enemy and can even come to people that they're actually thinking there helping you and it's out of concern where they tell you the exact opposite things you do, but calls into question. I mean when someone with spiritual authority says something.

Go ahead and do that and you really want to do it anyway but down deep.

You know what's wrong sometimes you need to ask discerning is this from God. Resist from the enemy. And so here the biblical command is have your feet shod with the gospel that protects us from doubt and when the apostle Paul describes that the Romans during that time the picture they would have the sandals and they would go up to about here. They would wrap around with leather and Alexander the great made these famous is they would put nails in the bottom of their sandals. So when they thought they had they had stable footing as the landscape would be really different. Alexander is recorded that he felt like his armies, one many many battles because they had sure footing. The apostle Paul takes a picture and says you are established in the gospel of grace. In other words, Christ died for you, your sins are forgiven you been justified.

You been taken out of the kingdom of darkness of the kingdom of light is Spirit lives in you.

You been adopted. He has a plan for you. He loves you, he will keep his promises. He gives you a calling as you go, it will be hard to be a battle I'll never leave you or forsake you what he saying is your doubts have to go back to your position in Christ and what is true objectively, not what you feel this day, or what a friend says her summer calls into question or circumstances that make it hard you got to go back to what is true, not what you feel and that's rooted in grace that's rooted in what Christ has done for you. What happens is when we don't lose doubts come to me. I've had doubts when I've gotten really discouraging for me all believe a lie than the condemnation comes in.

Now start is not smart but forgive me, but also get it for a while and I'll be thinking I'm really really really really terrible person and then I start doubting. And I guess well you know there's no you see the God never use me anyway. I don't think this probably work and maybe editing and hear God's voice and what was I thinking who I think I am in any of you ever have those thoughts. See that's real and you know what I learned that spiritual opposition and you need to fight you.

Flee from lust. You fight the enemy you realize and what that's not true that's a lie that's condemnation, that's not God, I'm open if there's some I need to hear someone done wrong, you show me all alone. It will confess it will get right with you and will get back on track. That's doubt you called me to do this you save me you put this desire in my heart I know from your word you want to help those people you want to help those on what mothers you want to help those people in the inner city you and help those people in our neighborhood. You want me to lead the small group you want to go on missions trip you want me to work this marriage out you want to be patient with my son. It's the will of God and all the stuff comes in.

The temptation is to give in, give up or opt out will he's not done the final want to steer because he is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour is on the last one verse 17, 18, 19, just notice how this is an ongoing issue.

Also, in those days, many letters went from the nobles of Judah to Tobiah notice nobles. These are leaders. This is a disloyal faction. These are people day in and day out for people with money and power and position in the letters are coming in and the letters are coming out and he's the governor for many and Judah were bound by oath to him Tobiah because he was the son-in-law of Chuck and I the son of a raw and his son Jehovah Hahn had married the daughter of a shoe them, the son of Eric Kia. Moreover, they were speaking about his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him, but you get the picture here. I mean the. The interwoven political junk that's against Nehemiah's God-given assignment and so every day he keeps in hit. All the wonderful things about Tobiah and he he has a private conversation and pretty soon it shown up on someone else's email minutes right up there on YouTube is gone. I cannot believe that someone put that up there and notice the whole reason behind it all.

Tobiah sent letters to frightened me you a little Bible study. In each one of these sections will find the word frightened, frightened, frightened, frightened, make us afraid or plan to harm. Fear is a powerful thing. The temptation is to lose heart.

I just can't take this anymore. Notice it's is, never ending, in those days many letters, nobles, plural is just like wave after wave after wave. It just never seems to stop get spiritually exhausted is I've seen of that unit in your head before he said I just can't take this anymore. In the New Testament commands to take up the shield of faith and his response is discernment and perseverance to get the two things he discerns what's going on. He presses ahead discerns what's going on presses ahead. The apostle Paul gives us a picture. These are darts. These darts of doubt, these darts of condemnation. These dark to fear these dark suits when the apostle Paul is describing for the Ephesian church about how to handle this. He talks about the shield of faith and there's two different words for a shield. One of those round shields, like the gladiators do the round ones like this right the others were about 4' x 2.5'. They had a metal frame and then they they had's space and then they would put cotton in after the cotton they would put leather so there would be a spot for the 6 inch space between the frame and outer part of the shield on the shields then they would have hooks and when a Roman legion was going to go into battle and often was against the city and people were in towers and the people and towers actually had machines they could shoot multiple arrows just like in the movies. That's actually true or they would dip them in pitching fire as they were coming. So what they would do if they would they would lock their shields and then when they saw him come they would go down on one knee and put shields up just it's actually reported 11 fella came back in Greek literature. He had 200 arrows in the shield.

Now listen to what he saying therefore taking up the shield of faith. Faith here is not yourselves a thick believing faith for salvation.

This is the faith and belief that victory is assured that God will keep his promises that he loves you that you're on the right track and he will provide everything that you need in the way you do. That is when doubts come the shield of faith, notice with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God and so I'm condemned. Last Saturday I get three hours I'm in the tank and I'm realizing on believing lies and so I have to I start quoting Scripture about who I am in Christ about. There's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

Romans chapter 8 I start saying them out loud and I verbally rebuke the demonic spirits and trying to discourage and depressed me because I said God searched my heart a minute, there's something wrong.

Show me up on the worst dad in the world show me like individually all alone.

It is on the worst husband and so one by one and is still I struggled and struggled and struggled in and so often there's this powerful thing that God's given us that when you praise God. And when you think God and when you put that to music. There's something member when Saul was had the demonic spirits what that he asked for. Find someone who plays the harp, have them come and David came in he saying any saying truth and so when I put some worship music on my iPod and I stuck it my ears and I found a place where people can hear me and I didn't feel like singing I sing praises to God, I got a breakthrough, but a spiritual warfare. Here's what I want you to get eight fight discern. Be honest. Check your heart and then step up and fight, but to give you three specific ways to take this message with you. Number one recognize the source of opposition.

Your battle is not against flesh and blood. Let those people go, don't tag it on your wife your husband your son your friend your small group leader. Your supervisor thereupon in the hand of the enemy doesn't mean let them on their stuff, but realize when all this stuff happening. There's times there's someone behind.

Second, remember who's in you is greater that he is in the world. You just gotta remember, your victory will fight for victory to fight from victory.

The Spirit of God lives in you. If you're a Christ follower the spirit that raised Christ from the dead is inside your mortal body you have the word of God and the truth set you free. You need to know it. Claimant live it, verbalize it and fight because greater is the one that's in you than he that is in the world but will you can't. You can't just all poor me, self-pity on discourage nothing ever works blame other people's death and then third. The only way to lose is to give up the absolute only way you ever lose if you stop pressing ahead. We started the series with the verse for you have need of endurance, so that once you've done the will of God. You may receive what is promised. Cut cut a great plan for you. Do not bail out will be right back just quickly this message facing personal attack is from his series, keep pressing ahead using key chapters from the book of Nehemiah chip explains the truth about adversity where it comes from what to do when it threatens to bring you down and then how to keep pressing ahead no matter what Scripture calls Christians over comers but for many of us that just sounds like religious talk like spin too hard or too painful and we don't see how it's possible to rise above our circumstances which it reminds us with God nothing is impossible whether your adversity comes from circumstances, people, or even yourself with this series you will be encouraged to remember there's always hope to check out your resource options for keep pressing ahead. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org or tap special offers, discounts are available for a limited time will now here's trip with a quick thought. I want to take just a few minutes to talk about something really important and I hope especially for those of you that are regular listeners you will agree God is been using the ministry of Living on the Edge in incredible ways we been growing and reaching folks like never before and you're an important part of that. Your gifts to Living on the Edge make it possible for us to be present in places that without you. We simply couldn't be many of these places are extremely dangerous to proclaim the name of Christ in your gifts make it possible for us to reach people in desperate situations, you know right here in the United States.

I can't tell you how many emails and letters I received it somewhere in that letter or email. It's like I was on my way to the abortion clinic or I was planning to end my life for was about to give up on my married your I was giving up on God because of something terrible that happened to me but then I started listening to my drive to work or my neighbor gave me this book or I found your happen you know this series on overcoming emotions or whatever it was God's catalyst to begin a total transformation my life. These things aren't happening because of Chip Ingram or even Living on the Edge there happening because God is working in and through those who by faith respond and obey him. You know we can't do anything alone is because it's not God's plan for any of us. We are in this together and Living on the Edge as God's ministry is about you and me doing exactly what God calls us to do and so I would ask you first. Would you really pray for the ministry. And second, would you pray specifically about partnering at a deeper level and partnering with us financially.

Do whatever God leads you to do and let me say in advance. Let's keep pressing ahead and thank you very much as you prayerfully consider your role with this ministry. I want to remind you that when you partner with Living on the Edge.

Every gift is significant ministering together, resources are multiplied in ways that only God can do to send a gift Donate, click the donate button@livingontheedge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003. Your partnership is a great encouragement as we close today's program. I just want to remind you of three things. Number one recognize the source of the opposition. It's not flesh and blood.

It's not your boss is not your mate is not your kids.

It's not the economy. There is an enemy that once you give up on the things that matter most. Number two. Remember he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world cry out to him take a walk just God. I mean, from the heart of hearts of where you're at, cry out to God, the one who is in you is greater than the one that's in the world. And finally, the only way to really lose is give up. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give in. Don't don't quit on that marriage don't quit on that kid don't quit on yourself. Father I pray right now in Jesus name you would give my brothers and sisters. The strength and the courage and the will. Maybe just today to open their Bible to Psalm 37 or Psalm 34 and just read it out loud and pray it back to you and know that the God of the universe will give them everything they need just for the day to hang tough to hang in there and see you work in Christ's name meant just before we close, I ask that you pray for those who are responding to trips encouragement today. There's always a battle when we feel prompted to draw near to God, thanks for taking a minute to do that. What hope you'll join us again next time.

As Chip continues his series. Keep pressing ahead so Bevis is favorably saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge