Diabolical - Agenda # 3 - Intimidate and Isolate, Part 1

Where are you most afraid today what has you untied inside what causes you to have great concern about the future is a job loss is your mate walked out on one your kids going south don't know what to do. You wonder how you can pay the bills. Did you get a biopsy report or someone you love got one you don't know what's can happen. Fear is a very powerful emotion that can paralyze your soul want to know how to break out of state with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. The mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians, the Bible, thanks for joining us as we continue our series. Diabolical Satan's agenda for planet Earth, including you. By focusing on the why this particular tactic so effective and discouraging and disrupting our faith.

If you have your Bible, let's dive into this important subject's trip with this message, intimidate and isolate from PACs. Chapter 8 the roar of a lion can be heard for over 5 miles.

That same more 30 yards from your car or truck rattle metal there's three reasons that lines were number one is territorial proclamation they war over what they rule. Second is to communicate with other liens. And third, they war when their angry in my research I found personally done studies on lines in Africa and he said his war is an awesome message of power that he is Lord and Master of all that he surveys, and so it seems fitting that the Holy Spirit would lead Peter to describe our enemy the devil Satan is a roaring lion.

He writes be self-controlled and alert.

Your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour your response resistant stand firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering, by and large, Satan likes to be covert.

He likes to be under the radar.

He would rather use lies and deception, getting us divided with one another tradition he likes to get us moving in ways were convinced things are right we have, you know, we don't even think he really exists and all the while subtly having us completely off course, but when a group of people or an individual begins to get in line with God's will and you begin to expose him for who he is and you begin to take the word of God into the lives of other people and you begin to grow and God begins to use your life for a groups life's tactics change sometimes subtlety doesn't work and when subtlety doesn't work.

He uses intimidation and isolation he goes frontal gears, intimidation, Webster says it's to make fearful what he wants to do to compel or deter by acts or threats. Literally the enemy wants to terrorize you causing alarm fright or dread with the apprehension of violence or injury or death to intimidate needs to cause to fear to have a sense of inferiority to bully to cow, resulting in a broken spirit or loss of courage. Sometimes he does that zero biopsy report sometimes rejection interrelationship. Sometimes you lose your job or your in bankruptcy. Sometimes you you take a step and everything falls apart at work.

Sometimes you just alone and you find yourself taking a step that you never dreamed you could take and you fail at all. This fear and all this condemnation and the fear is to immobilize and then to paralyze isolate lines don't roar when the attack they war to create fear when a line wants to attack itself.

If that Orion outline will not attack until it's within 10 to 20 m of its prey, and unlike other animals who wait for the week or the sickly and wait for that week or sickly animal get off to the side that somehow liens were they stealthily move and they go for that which is unaware it can be strong, it can be sick.

It can be week.

It doesn't matter, but when they get within about 10 m.

They're extremely fast for 10 to 20 to 40 m, but they have very little endurance. And when God's word says your enemy is a roaring lion.

He wants to create tremendous fear to get you isolated in your isolation and self-condemnation and withdraw from people and withdraw from God's word and matter how weak or how strong a Christian. The attack will come when you're alone and when you're vulnerable. And he wants to isolate that means to cut off to seclude to get you away in order to kill and steal and destroy your life, your relationships, the work of God in you and the work of God through you and it's real and it is serious. But Peter gives us two things. One, he gives us a warning the Devils a roaring lion but notice at the bottom of the page he finishes with the promise and the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ after you have suffered for a little there are wounds universal battle.

Tough things happens, the people of God.

After you have suffered for a little. He will himself restore you, make you strong firm and steadfast to him be the power for ever and ever. His war is fearful and certain his attack is predictable and the only question is how do you respond what's in God's answer to the tactic of intimidation and isolation and the answer is in acts chapter 8 open your Bibles if you will.

Acts chapter 8 or open up your mobile device member started out subtly try to divide the church chapter 6 chapter 7.

They were wrapped in this tradition will now chapter 7 at the end ends with the bartering of Stephen they stoned and if you're a follower of Jesus. Now it is a bad person to be in there fleeing for their life there leaving their homes there leaving their businesses there fleeing to Samaria summer hunkered down in Jerusalem and we pick up the story. The beginning of chapter 8.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. All except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, godly men buried Stephen and mourn for him deeply, but Saul began to destroy the church going from house to house. He dragged them often put them in jail you might circle that little word. The word destroy here no use. Nowhere else in the New Testament means with hatred or cruelty its use in other Greek literature for when Boris come in. If you've ever seen a wild boar route up things and completely destroy things. It's with a vengeance. Paul somewhere between 24 to 40 years old. He probably late 20s. At this point in his life and he is a zealous over-the-top thinking he's doing God's will to kill all these Christians mean that's the environment it's frontal, it's intimidation is going from house to house Dragon out of the house thrown in prison.

But God often does what I call spiritual judo, he takes the evil comes at you and by grace. If you cooperate with them. He flips it and he brings something really good out of things that were designed to be really bad. Look at verse four. Those who been scattered, preach the word wherever they went member. One of the seven Philip went down to the city and Samaria, and he proclaimed Christ there when the crowds heard Philip and Saul, the miraculous signs that the did they all paid close attention to what he said in a notice the results with shrieks, evil spirits came out of many in many paralytic sin cripples were healed.

So there was great joy in that city now to get the context to really get what's going on you need understand that member Jews hates Americans. It goes back hundreds of years. The Samaritans were in mixed marriages so their part Jewish and part other people and the Jews in Jerusalem were were hundred percent Jewish, not only in culture but in genetics, and these were the half breeds. But now the running for the life and it's a running for their life. All the sudden their people being rejected in the Samaritans. What anyone lost my home of lost this of loss that a run for my life and in the midst of their worst time, they begin to share with them. I found life in the story of Jesus and the love of Christ and in Philip says there's power here would have to be afraid of death anymore and he begins to preach and God begins to work in miracles occur in people were healed and all the sudden amazing things are happening.

The year of acts chapter 2 is about A.D. 33 acts chapter 8 is two years later, A.D. 35. This is two years. All the Christians in your reading about are two years old and the Lord now if you look at your notice. Let's summarize saving strategy is to destroy through intimidation and isolation. You see that in the first day versus hey it's true here. It's true for you through for me. He wants to take the issues in your life and make you fearful.

This marriage will never work out my son or daughter will never come around this helpless you will never go away on never find a job on never break this addiction in their sphere will always be single notice.

However, God's purpose is to deploy through suffering and proclamation.

You're not a means to suffer. I'm not immune to suffer. It's a fallen world.

He never promised back. He said in the world will have tribulation or suffering, but he takes the suffering and as we suffer. He can use it to do really really great things. It's not a wasted suffering.

The truth is sometimes our worst times are God's best times to use our lives trying to think about and sometimes when you're going through the bankruptcy when you're reeling from losing your job when your house is upside down and you just think, oh God, you're so fearful he says I want to come close to you and I don't promise to wave a magic wand and make everything wonderful overnight but all go through what ever the most difficult, painful issue is in your life and I will be with you and let me tell you this as I'm with you is how you respond and migrates in you in the midst of that may be the greatest platform for me using you that is ever happened in your life you call it back to the Old Testament, the principal shows up early in Joseph's life. He's what rejected by his brother, sold into slavery falsely accused left in prison for 13 years suffering. Suffering. Suffering. Suffering on all the while, God had a plan and at the end of that plan.

He becomes the head of all of Egypt and he would say to his brothers, you meant it for evil but God meant it for good to bring about this present result, he saved the entire nation. You may have a boss you have an X mate you have a health issue you may have a rebellious child.

You have out for lunch parents. They actually may need it for evil but God means for good if you cooperate with and here's the application. The application is fear not preach the word, did you notice that his preaching is not the apostles it's not the pros. It's not the professionals.

These are two-year-old Christians you know they were regular people just like us on the persecution happening Christians. We were running for lives and one for other countries and your homes are gone, your money's gone your bank account, 401(k)s, or I mean they're not there 01 case you got nothing going and how you respond. You cling to God and as you wait, you preached and told people about your hope in Christ. That's what's happening here in a revolution is occurring member Jesus said this gospel go to begin right you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and uttermost parts of the world will after two years. Guess how far the church made it been everything out of Jerusalem. God actually allows this persecution to occur. To begin to fulfill and break the cultural barriers and now here's what we see amazing things happening with the group that they used to hate now they come to Christ, not Italian. What I just shared is really true it's right theology and unknown in my head a long time but now and then God gives you a little opportunity to sort of get it from your head to your heart and I think he brings fear in the areas that your most vulnerable.

I was a younger pastor in Santa Cruz. We been there about five or six years and all I can tell you is it was one of those windows in your life work was just the hand of God. There is a movement of God was 100s of people come to Christ and churches were working together and all of a sudden we had to build some buildings and there's times where people would line up after every service 10 or 15 or 20 that all were brand-new Christians in all this attending worship and weird stuff was happening and there was this movement of God in every Sunday afternoons were to blow off steam.

Get out and play basketball some friends and it was a little bit rainy. One day, so I thought well if we play outside might slip and get hurt.

So, that of the Bethany College to play and had a good buddy there and so I can still remember driven down the middle and the guy was cut into the corner.

I was thrown off the ball pass like this and then I record my eye. I realize this guy sees it, so I reared back to give it a bunch and I went well. You notice where my body is I you return your ankle. I twisted my knee like this with all my weight and I tore my ACL my MCL all the cartilage and it just went down to know the personality is warped as I am. I mean, my mom, my knees, dangling, and I get up and I say I think I can play one more cave and there's a there's a football coach there. He looked in the stupid just sit health well you know when you get refreshed by something that's physical like that just with my makeup putting me on crutches and having to go to physical therapy three days a week were in the middle of a capital campaign. All these things are happening. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm an incredible pressure. The one little window was work out a couple times like that. So I go to the physical therapist and as a young gal who was set as a small child in his divorce was abandoned and was pretty bitter and she let me know early on. Her father was an atheist, that she's in line with her father and what he believes in. The only people that she's really more mad at them. God are people from church following what you do and I thought yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I make a very long story short, little by little she began to share her story having to share mine and she was not open to hearing from me and I said I will have you ever you know if you ever just even explored who Jesus is and know I really have a nice it will just I mean you killing my body three times a week here. Would you just like read John chapter 1 and maybe just me just I don't believe in the Bible. I said, you have to believe in it.

It's okay. Just you want to be educated just to know what it says but will okay. God's word never returns void and it was a long rehab and God miraculously brought that young woman to Christ, and she began to grow is a neat story to the story gets better than we we moved to Atlanta and then about a year after that are two years. They asked me to come back and speak in Santa Cruz, which is kinda cool and I let him know what was going on, and so I came back and I never forget it can member what I spoke on but she was in the second row and now that little girl when I first met her.

56 years ago or more. Was sort of the bigger girl and I never forget I came down the steps and she just came right around tears flowing down her face and arms wrapped like this little girl. She gave me a big hug and she just Jesus is so real, I'm so glad thank you so much I want you to meet my little girl. I'm reading Bible stories to her and and I thought you know what I want out the side door and I thought that's worth in the that's worth. For me that's more the bankruptcy that's more the unfair getting fire. That's where someone walks out on what difficult situation. Do you have in your life right now that makes you just want to get focused and isolated and fearful could be the greatest opportunity that not every gives you preach the and I don't mean just with your life. We got to get beyond that Hebrews 412 putting a note this is the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing is a far division of soul and spirit, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. It wasn't but I was convincing with this woman.

It was that she for the first time explored the living word of God. Your neighbors don't have to believe it. Your claim people in your hobbies. The people in your car. They would have to believe it. But God calls us regular, normal people to preach the word nonjudgmentally not were better than when suddenly lovingly sharing our life are testimony and inviting them to explore what it says.

This revival occurs and after this. Now there's sort of a battle between good and evil because the Samaritans had been hoodwinked by some demonic activity. We pick up the story in verse nine and verse nine says now for some time.

A man named Simon practiced sorcery in the city any amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great and all the people both high and low gave him your attention and explain this man is the divine power known as the great power he actually was claiming deity.

They followed him because he amazed them for a long time with his magic word magic in the word sorcery same root word that has the idea of the manifestation of supernatural things to demonic power and a look at verse 12, but when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized and he followed Philip everywhere astonished by the great signs and miracles that he saw when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them when they arrived they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them, they simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now this big confrontation good and evil.

If you summarize that Simon is intimidating through demonic sorcery.

People are scared we we experience a lot of this in Santa Cruz. I've seen it in Haiti when I was in India parts of Africa. I mean there are people all around the world.

You know where were we come to think little more sophisticated mad scene people of South Africa pull up in Mercedes who have great jobs live in a first world country and with the demonic issues they have put money and food on an open grave so the demons representing their dead parents don't terrify the men the world is in the lap of the evil one is real stuff, but Philip liberates how through the word of God and so what we need to understand is the gospel goes from the Jews, then it goes to the Samaritans and then it goes to the Gentiles, and every time that happens, the spirit of God and the wisdom of God the father and Jesus is he wants to make sure these groups that unified remember when they were just all Jews, but they spoke two different languages member the division Greek speaking Jews in the Hebrew speaking to me.

That was a problem will not you got Samaritans where most of people in Jerusalem to think if you say all the Samaritans are now Christ followers on the way and so God doesn't baptize them in the Holy Spirit onwards that external manifestation. It doesn't say here, but I would assume because it's visible and you can see, it is probably the same as asked to.

They spoke in other languages. There was a manifestation of God's power got spirit with Peter and John came and so what they did is they wanted to authenticate to keep the unity of the church you know it happens different ways racks and so they go in a cell. It's for real. They receive the word. I mean all of Peter's and John's prejudices are going out the window. They pray for them and the boom now the rod into the body of Christ.

You see the same thing happened next 10 little bit later. So God keeps the preservation of the unity but the real issue going on here is between evil and good. The people following after Simon or now it's the truth of the word of God. Here's the truth I want you to get the power is in the message. Not in the messenger.

The powers in the message, not in the messenger. These people make a living. Christians two years Philip Solomon, a Christian two years or less. If you would go through it be interesting in my Bible every time preach or proclaim. II highlighted.

This is normal, ordinary regular people running for their life and every time you see the yellow what it is, is the word of God is going out to the path. It's not you don't know enough, it's not.

You're not bold enough. It's not known whatever believe you, it's not that they can ask questions, you can't respond to power is in the message not in us. Messengers.

But here's here's the deal. When you begin to share that message Satan's tactics will go from division and subtlety, often frontal, we saw that in Santa Cruz and it was crazy the first couple years there. We experience things that I thought only happen in books, but we saw hundreds of people come to Christ and there's all these Satan worshipers and all this weird stuff and got frontal and what I want you know you have to be afraid you'll have to be afraid, but I will tithers all, Christians it you start growing. You start sharing, you start living as you press against things you'll experience in frontal attack and guess what the goal is to get you to buy slaves LOL that's for someone else. Here's the application. Fear not greater is he that is in you than he. It's in the world evidencing we say that in its appearance, nodding here is not about boldness is not power anything like conviction. They knew that there is nothing more powerful than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just let loose. God works through his word, but we we we we know that greater is he that is in me, but down the bottom will join us here is more about the jokester. Just a quick reminder you've been listening to his series diabolical. Satan's agenda for planet Earth, including you.

Many Christians are naïve to sickness teams and head into their day-to-day lives, unprepared and unprotected, but in reality Satan does his best work in subtle ways and unassuming attraction a little doubt here a little cynicism there or a calendar loaded down with religious activity. These are dangerous and defective floors and were all vulnerable because were all targets of Satan's agenda chip chart for this series is to open your eyes to the doubles truly diabolical plots both confrontational and unseen as you listen to the series. We hope you'll feel properly equipped to defend yourself and your family for all the information and resources for diabolical including chip special cards on spiritual warfare visit LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 83336003 trips going to be back in just a second to talk more about these cards that have been such a helpful resource for so many people, just a quick reminder. You'll find them@livingontheedge.org app listeners tap special offers which of you know, as we talk about sickness diabolical plans. Some people think, demons cause anything and everything that's negative and then there's others who just completely denied any thought of demonic activity. How do you answer those extremes day that is such a great question. As CS Lewis rightly pointed out the two great errors that the enemy wants us to believe is that he's behind everything or he's not a part of anything. What these spiritual warfare cards do is first.

I go through in about five or six cards give you the basic principles of spiritual warfare.

All through Scripture. Then I go through and through the names of Satan you can understand what his tactics are so you can identify all this really is from the enemy out know this happened because I made a bad decision or I send her I just got mad and that's on me. I think it's important to have a resource we can discern what spiritual warfare and what's not and that's why we've created these cards we wanted to be simple, clear, reviewable, and something that people could do in you know three or four minutes before they go to bed each night so they begin to renew their mind and prepare themselves for the battles that we go through day in and day out. Satan doesn't take vacations. He comes at us in very subtle ways, and the armor of God is really about preparing your mind, your heart and your soul to be aware in the know how to respond when he comes at us. That's a great reminder chip.

Thanks. If you're looking for spiritual victory in your life. Let me encourage you to order this resource. These spiritual warfare cards will equip you to defend yourself against Satan's attacks with the power of God's word. So whether these cards are for you or a gift to encourage someone else. I hope you pick up a sitter to while supplies last. To order chips, spiritual warfare cards just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or call AAA 83336003 app listeners tap special offers on the chipping map as we close today's program. I want to remind you of a very very powerful but unpopular truth.

And here it is sometimes our worst times are God's best times to use our life limit. Let me say that again. Sometimes our worst times when were going through the most difficult, painful, fearful, uncertain, oh God, take this away time. Sometimes that's when he can use our life deeper and greater ways never before.

Now let me tell you I don't like those times you don't like those times. Joseph didn't like those times, but it's in those times that God has your attention like never before. And when you get to where I mean you say I can't do anything about this cancer I can't do anything about the job that I don't have. I can't do anything about my mates attitude. I can't do anything about what's happening at work. I mean it's terrible and you cry out to God, you are in a position to receive grace like never before.

He wants to come through. He wants to use you.

But here's the key. You can't bail out of the process you need to come to him and say Lord I can't but you can through me, Lord, I'm afraid, but I want the courage in this moment to be all that you want me to be so do anything and everything you want to do in me, and then do exactly what you want to do through me had a lady come up and she just tears rolling down her cheeks as I finish this message and she gave me a big hug and she said chip I see it now, and that she was a lady who got conned, put her entire life savings. She's in her probably mid 60s put her entire life savings in some sort of Ponzi scheme lost all of it ended up having to move back to the Midwest to help her mother. Her mother gets sick as she ends up dying. She buries her here she comes back now, and instead of having this great job is working in a in a funeral home were all these people coming through in their grief and she finds it because of her pain and her loss. She's lost everything she has. She lost her mom. God gives her a sensitivity and she's being used in ways beyond her wildest dreams and she came up to me. Tears down her face and she goes I see it, it's been incredibly hard.

The Atty. Gen. is now going to prosecute these people. I don't expect to get anything back but all I can tell you is the Jesus that I worship now the comfort I've experienced in the love I have for people is beyond anything in my wildest dreams. I'm not saying it's easy but I want to remind you today that God loves you. He's for you and that sometimes the worst times that we go through our God's best times to use our lives.

Don't give up. Don't give in, cry out, he hears your voice just before we close.

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We'd love to have you with us will be with us again next time. And until then, this is Dave Drewry saying thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge