Session Four . Under Attack!
Under Attack
Four hundred and nine years before the birth of Jesus, a crucial battle was fought between the Greeks and the Persians upon the plains of Marathon. The battle raged for hours. Finally, the underdogs, the Greeks, managed a tremendous tactical win, but there was a problem. Soon the Senate, twenty-six miles away in Athens, was to vote and ratify a treaty of appeasement. In desperation, the victorious Greeks sent a runner (Pheidippides) to go the 26 miles and 385 yards to tell of the triumph. By the time he got to Athens, the soldier had run a Marathon! He was so exhausted that he literally ran himself to death. In his dying words, he uttered one phrase to the Athenian Senate:
"Rejoice we have the Victory"
The Christian faith is an Easter faith and all around us, we hear the sound of the Hallelujah Chorus ringing in our ears. We have seen the empty tomb. We read that over five hundred people witnessed the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). And now it is time for us to send a message back to the world and send a message to the spiritual powers that attack us. I suggest in this fourth session of Soul Savers that the message is this:
"We may be under attack but, we have the Victory"
Unfortunately, that single truth is not so self-evident to many people today even as it was not manifest to the first-century followers of Jesus. Too often, in our lives, we do not seem to live out Christ’s victory. Basically, we are constantly under attack in little (or big) battles of the day. Battles are fought knowing the Victory is won for us. But the enemy is hell-bent on dragging us away from the truth and power of Christ’s Easter Victory. This session is a challenge to live out the reality of the resurrection when we are under attack.
The bible tells us, "everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4-5). Let’s face it, that is the theory, but how does it seem in real life? Be honest…it’s a struggle. We feel like there is an ongoing wrestling bout because there is a spiritual battle going on and you are the battleground! There are spiritual powers that do not wish you to go on with this Christian life. In our next session, we will look at going on and growing up in the faith. But in this study, we are looking at being ‘under attack.’ We will discover that victory is more about what Christ has done than what we can do or not do.
Nonetheless, the battles that we are in are opportunities to resist the enemy (the Devil) and his troops. It may be to speak out a rebuke of Satan, as Jesus did when he said ‘Away from me Satan!’ (Matthew 4:10). You might as well face it, the Devil will contest every advance you make, and sometimes your faith will be really stretched. But reach out to the Lord and stand strong in Him, as it says in 1 Timothy "fight the good fight of faith." It is in knowing that you are not alone, that Christ is with you always (Matthew 28:20), that he will cause you to triumph. (1 Timothy 6:12). It would be tragic to assume that you will not be tempted, or that you could not fall back into sin. That would also be a ploy of the enemy to lure you into lowering your defences.
Our God is greater than any enemy or crisis that you may face (spiritual or other). He will not let you be tempted more than you can cope with. Through His strength, you can be more than a conqueror. In fact, your trials can be turned into opportunities for real spiritual growth and blessing if you stay close to the Lord.
If, on the other hand, you do give in to temptation, immediately confess it to God, get it dealt with, removed, cleansed, and forgiven. You have an "Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous" (1 John 2:1). Pray as soon as you can, tell the Father you are coming ‘home’, turning away from the sin. You will find He will not only forgive you but he will welcome you with open arms. To wallow for lengthy spells in how bad you’ve been or to continue sinning will spoil your closeness with God. A Christian should not make a practice of sinning nor should we think a particular sin will continue to defeat us throughout our lives(1 John 3:9). “We’re only human” is not the way God equips his people, we can be more than conquerors through Christ. He equips us to stand firm in His righteousness and when we do fail and confess he will forgive us and restore our righteousness. So we have the victory, it is a win-win when we understand forgiveness.
Beginning new life with Jesus is wonderful, but overcoming with Him day by day is even better. You will see His faithfulness demonstrated continually, you will see his patience with you, you experience his ongoing forgiveness and cleansing and you live constantly in the ‘grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 13:14). No matter what comes, His grace is sufficient to handle each and every problem. He is able to supply all your needs "according to His riches in glory" (Philippians 4:19).
God is the reason we can say;
"Rejoice we have the Victory." He reigns in our lives; he reigns in the Spiritual realm and He shall reign forever and ever, King of kings, Forever and ever, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And Lord of lords, Forever and ever Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
So when you feel like you are under attack, be strong, not in your own positive thinking or your own capabilities, but "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10).
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Session 1: Good news, read all about it!
Session 2: Jesus Christ, what a friend.
Session 3: Eternal Life, fact or fiction?
Session 4: Under Atack
Session 5: Becoming more Christ like.
Session 6: Good Christian Habits.
Session 7: Telling others
On with Session Four… same format…. I ask the questions ….you ‘Click and collect’ the answers from the bible. You can use the form below or download the questions to search. All the best.
