Spiritual Warfare - Fact or Fiction? Part Six

Good Morning to Everyone!

What a blessing to have you all here today!

And what a precious gift, we have been given..

"This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24

Amen?

AMEN! AMEN!

Before we begin, I want to quickly recap what we have studied previously, to bring us up-to-date, for those who may be here for the first time or for those of us who have a little trouble remembering... And I'm going to try my best to wrap this series up today.

First Season of Temptation takes place immediately after conversion. .

Second Season of Temptation takes place when the pain of life settles in on us. . .

Third Season of Temptation takes place when we are about to embark on some great victory. . .

Fourth Season of Temptation will take place when the devil puts objects near us that will cause us to fall. . .

Then the Fifth Season of Temptation will take place after we have received the great grace and mercy of God.

The Fifth Season—After Receiving Great Grace

You may refer to this also as the Ai Principle.
Ai, basically means to Uphold high standards of excellence.
To be accountable.
To be beneficial.

After you have experienced a great demonstration of the love of God, the grace of God, and the power of God in your life, the devil will come to attack with fierce temptations.

I have found that more saints find themselves in a place of spiritual relaxation after having received great grace and mercy!

In his book, The Christian in Complete Armour,
William Gurnall wrote:
"If God smile and open himself a little familiar to us, then we are prone to grow high and wanton; if he frown, then we sink as much in our faith. Thus the one, like fair weather and warm gleams, brings up weeds of corruption; and the other, like sharp frosts, nips and even kills the flowers of grace."

Look at the life of Peter in Matthew 16. One minute he has received grand revelation and the next minute the Lord is calling him the devil.

Look at Joseph in Genesis. One moment he is flushed with the pride of his father’s love as he wears his coat and the next moment, he is sold off by his jealous brothers.

Look at the children of Israel, collapsing the walls of Jericho and then days later, rattled in Ai by a much lesser opponent.

Look at Moses receiving the Law on the mountain in the thickness of God’s glory and then shortly smashing it to the ground because of idolatry at the foot of the mountain.

The Sixth Season—At the Moment of Death

The Sixth Season of Temptation will take place when we are in the hour of death.

When a saint of God is down to his last moments of life, he may feel stricken in body by pain and the loss of strength may discourage him. Then the cowardly tempter assails him one last time!

This is the fear that Bunyan described in Pilgrim’s Progress when Christian has to swim across the river to go to the Celestial City.

He saw the brightness of the Heavenly City but the challenge was the deep, swiftly flowing river that was between him and the City.

But there can be a rising confidence in knowing that we may look back at our lives and realize that it has not been wasted if it has been faithfully lived out for the Lord.

In closing.... I AM NOW READY TO BE OFFERED!

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
2 Timothy 4:6-8

One last thing about temptation, you can overcome and need not fall..

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
1 Corinthians 10:13

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11

"Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."
James 5:11

And now may the the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

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