Gain Through Loss: An "Impossible" Directive

Session 6 on James 1 directive to rejoice in tough times. We are looking at the sources of adversity, cocvering 1) our own doing;
2) God's discipline;
3) God's refining process; and today:

4. Satan – A Source for sorrow

From First Peter 5 we read: ⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

And in Ephesians 6:10-18 we observe: A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we^[c] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere

We don’t look for a demon under every bush, nor do ignore this ruler of the spirit world. For he seeks to devour.and destroy us. At times the conflict can be severe.

It happened when I was teaching a Bible class on the three most important issues in life – know God, know self; and know about the enemy. I was to teach the following day on knowing about satan. Here is the story:

Saturday night, My first wife Ann and I were praying and singing All of a sudden her nose began to bleed – profusley. I couldn’t recall the last time she had a nose bleed. The bleeding wouldn’t stop. Rushed her to the hospital emergency. The doctor cauterized a vessel in her nose, saying it was probably a seasonal reaction. Drove the 25 miles back home. Got home and the bleeding started again. Ann said, “I never have nose bleeds. Something is up.” As we talked and prayed it came to us that this could be a work of satan to discourage us in the teaching about him in the morning. We prayed against him and the bleeding stopped, never to return, ever.
Satan can be a source of adversity personally or as Christians desiring to share the Good News of Jesus, corporately. In business the best marketing plan is a happy and content consumer who spreads the word about the product’s virtues. So also with evangelism. Pre-christians respond more to the Living Word than the spoken word. A joy filled Christian who is expeirencing “trials and temptations of various kinds” is a powerful witness in the promotion of a walk with Christ. It is also a great threat to the opposition’s game plan, a plan described in the Ephesians 6 passage we just observed. Our warfare with the evil one.

I believe that one of Satan’s greatest tools of weaponery is “entitlement“ “You don’t deserve what you’re going through. As a Christian you ought to have much better than that. You are being cheated.You deserve more.”

If a person listens to that voice and the outcome is not the desired one the result is often discouragment, frustration and a squelching of the Holy Spirit’s work within. A marring of fellowship wth God.

            Satan’s victory. Our defeat, until repentance which leads to restoration of fellowship with God.
            Have a peek in my kitchen window. Insomnia has always been a problem for me, hightened now by Parkinson’s disease. I’ve commited this challenge to God. People have prayed for me. Zip. Nada. I searched the Scripture for answers. Many passages referred to sleep. LikePsalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe. Proverbs 3:24 You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.
Psalm 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
But the passage that hit my cynical button was Psalm 127:2. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones.
            God gives rest to his loved ones. Does my lack of rest mean I’m not one of His loved ones?. I tried all the tricks proposed by man to get a good night’s sleep.. I tried high powered sleep medication. It would work for a few days and back to the sleeplessness. I prayed. Nothing. I became angry with God and grew cynical about prayer. My wife would want to pray for my sleep befor we would go to bed. I told her God wasn’t interested in my sleep. “Don’t waste your breath.” My frustration added to the sleep problem. Fellowship with God was at best fragile.
            After wrestling with this for years, I was finally able to give up the entitlement of a good sleep and accept the adversity. And now I’m working at the rejoicing challenge of James one.