Grace Thoughts

Guest (Male): Hello friends, welcome to Grace Thoughts, the radio ministry of Grace Connection Church with Pastor Tim Kelley. Grace Thoughts has been dedicated to preaching a clear gospel of grace for over 20 years. Here is Pastor Kelley.

Tim Kelley: Either I or my brothers or my servants or the men of the guard who follow me, none of us took off our clothes. Each kept his weapon at his right hand. That is quite a way to live. That is warfare. That is being aware there is a work, so we have to build, and there is an enemy, so we have to be ready to battle. He had both hands going. I am going to work with this hand; I am going to battle with this hand.

I want to look a little bit about this opposition, the enemy's devices. The first thing is really opposition from without because that is what we see here initially with Sanballat and Tobiah. Redpath said this, and I meant to highlight this quote, but I never did. He never bothers talking about this passage of scripture and talking about Christians and warfare. He never bothers about half-hearted Christian people, but once you are desperate for God and become burdened for the salvation of men, then all of hell will oppose you.

That is true. If you are not a threat to the kingdom of God, then you are not going to be bothered much. Why bother? You are already a victim to whatever it is. You are already out of the race. You are not a threat to lead anyone to Christ. You are not a threat to impact the kingdom of God. You are not a threat to deepen your own spiritual walk. You are just in spiritual cruise control. I can almost promise you the devil says, "Okay, put him in the 'we got them' category. Don't worry about them. They are no threat."

Somebody who is on his knees saying, "God, make me an evangelist, make me somebody who can lead others to Christ, make me a pure Christian so I can walk my life the way I am supposed to walk my life, make me the husband you want me to be, the wife you want me to be, the father you want me to be," whatever that is, that person will face opposition.

The first thing we are going to settle is simple: who the enemy is and sometimes who he is not. Understanding opposition is almost always demonically instigated but not always demonically recognized. It is instigated demonically most of the time but not always demonically recognized. To break it down even deeper, Satan will use your flesh, your past, your weaknesses, your fears, your insecurities as weapons against you. It is easy that way. He does not have to create anything; he will just use you against yourself.

Often, let us use the area of marriage. My spouse frustrates me. They are wrong. I am a legitimate victim. Maybe you are, and take this in any area of your life. I am just using marriage because it is an easy illustration. Maybe you can validate your victimhood. You are a victim because of this and that. You are right, and they are wrong. You can validate your victimhood. Resentment and bitterness creep in.

The devil embraces that because I have separated that Christian from the word of God. They are now living based upon their wound, unmet needs, insecurities, and fears. They are not living by every word of God; they are living by the word of their own heart, the word of their own life. The devil pounces on that Christian and really has an easy time in a sense devouring him.

We have to know who the enemy is and who the enemy is not. Sometimes we think the enemy in life is a certain person. Not really. The enemy in your life is probably an area where you do not obey the word of God. That is the enemy in your life. It is not that person or that relationship or that situation. Sometimes it can be like that, but oftentimes what I dictate as the enemy is simply a place where I have kept my life for myself and I am living naturally in this area. That is my enemy. I live under the effects of that mentally, emotionally, and physically, and the devil seizes upon it.

There are three areas the devil likes to attack and oppose us. Number one is the world system. Barry Shaeffer calls it the cosmic diabolicus. It is an evil world system that is Antichrist, counterfeit, and anti-truth. The world will always reject, isolate, and scorn those who claim to have the truth. Have we seen it any more evident than today, around the world and in our country, where Christian truth is befuddled and belittled as being ignorant, judgmental, and nontolerant? First John 3:13 says, "Be not surprised, brothers, that the world hates you."

Maybe you can look at the news and you can see the onslaught against Christians in the world. Doesn't anyone see the inequity of justice when it comes to God's people, the Jews? We can see it because we have different eyesight. Those of the household of God can see it, but others cannot. Second Corinthians 4:4 says he has blinded the minds. They cannot see it.

When we light up the White House the colors of the gay and lesbian flag, but we cannot acknowledge Christians being martyred for their faith, there is something pathetically wrong with that society. It barely makes the news while the White House is lit up. He blinds the minds of the ignorant. The world system is a lying system, a counterfeit system that promises fulfillment, acceptance, and meaning, but it cannot deliver on any of those promises. It will keep us at the end of the fishing line with the carrot in front of us, pursuing, living in one "if only" after the next. If only this would change, if only I could have that, if only that did not happen.

The world system has but one purpose, and that is to undermine the kingdom of God. There is no other reason for its existence but to undermine the kingdom of God. We have opposition from the world system, and we have opposition from family, like the neighbors around Jerusalem and Judah. Is that biological family? Sometimes. I am talking more about church family, but it can work in a biological family.

When I got saved at 19 years old, I knew God had called me to preach within the first six months. I sensed in my heart the Lord wanted me to do exactly what I am doing tonight. I remember telling my father, "I am going to go to Bible college and learn the Bible." He said, "I forbid you to go." Dad forbid me. My dad did not talk like that. He told me I was not throwing my life away and used a few extra adjectives. I was taken back. I was not a combative kid at all. I remember not saying much but thinking in my heart that I was going.

I went, and he was fine once I was there. He came to visit. I remember him telling my uncle about ten years later that one son has a lot of money and is successful. His daughter is in a great relationship. But of all the kids, he said Timmy does not have a pot to pee in, but he is the happiest of all of them. I think I was. If I had listened to him, that would have been opposition. I loved my father and he loved me too, but he did not understand what had happened in my heart when I accepted Christ as my savior.

Sometimes we face family opposition. First, I want to make sure that it is opposition and not somebody speaking the truth that I will not embrace. If someone comes to me and tells me they see something private that burdens them in my life, and I go on Facebook to say I cannot believe what someone just said to me, I might be the one in the wrong. If I post it and all my friends get behind me while I am being vague but listing his address and picture, all my friends rally around me. I am feeling really good because I have a crowd patting me on the back, but that person might have been speaking truth to me.

If I was humble enough, I would want to evaluate that. It is not always truth when somebody comes to you that way, but I should hear them out. If somebody who loves you comes to you about yourself, they may see something you do not see. Chances are their nickname is "honey" and you married them. They see something that you do not see. I would be a fool not to listen. If I do not see it, it is a blind spot. I want to make sure that if I think I am being attacked, I am really being attacked. Maybe God is trying to get at me by using somebody else in the body of Christ who loves me.

If you are being confronted with relationship tension on all sides where everyone is against you, you might have an issue. If you go on Facebook to say you are just trying to be faithful despite the assault of people you thought loved you, and all your friends say you are a poor thing, consider the source. If it is always somebody else's fault, you probably have an issue. If you have never owned your own stuff, that blind spot has made you a victim of warfare.

If I can never be convicted or be wrong, I probably have an issue that goes unresolved in my own life. Start looking here before you look out there. Deal with our own stuff because if not, the devil will string you along. You will be a victim for the rest of your life and never find victory.

Nehemiah faced negativity and discouragement from lazy, uncommitted Jews who lived around Jerusalem. They told him he could not do that and shouldn't make waves. They told him God gave him a brain and he had better use it. Those platitudes came from the brethren. They did not see the need. They were doing fine without the walls built. Nehemiah came up and started building the wall, and then everyone was up in arms because people were bringing construction materials through their property and ruining the crops. They wanted him to just be normal.

They asked why he was trying to rebirth a city that had been in ruins for over a hundred years. They asked if God could do this another way if it was really his will. They will spiritualize it. They are quick with pointing out the problems, but they miss God altogether. Like those who love to point out problems, they are very slow with solutions.