Chapter 4

ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE

Aren't the crazy thoughts that pop into my head just my old nature wreaking havoc on me? Maybe not! Look at what Romans 7:17 says:
So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.
The Apostle Paul made this statement in the context of expressing his frustration with the inner war:
But I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Romans 7:23
This war is between what I want to do as a true believer and what sin (Satan, his demons, or my flesh) wants me to do. Despite the fact that a fight is going on in my mind, I may be just an innocent bystander and not the culprit! Romans 7:20 is much like verse 17, but it goes a bit further to give us a different slant on the inner battle:
But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
How can we distinguish the difference between when it's us producing stinkin' thinkin' or when it's sin (Satan or a demon) attacking us? Most of the time sinful thoughts appear to be of our own doing, but that's not what the verses in Romans chapter seven are pointing out.

It seems like me.
I'm the one with the feelings!
I'm the one with the stirring inside.
Isn't it me?
Not if my spirit truly doesn't want the sinful thoughts!
Is there a part of you that wants to be holy? Do you want to please the Lord? Do you want to get the victory over sin? I'm not talking about remorse. Even criminals feel remorse, remorse that they got caught. If you truly feel bad about improper responses, not just that you got caught, but that you even had the bad thoughts, then it's not you!
Look at Romans 6:6 & 7
Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
Here's where we must go by the fact of God's Word rather than our feelings. This will probably be the hardest thing for you to believe! We must consider or reckon God's Word to be true even if our flesh says something different. This is the fight of faith and it's not always pleasant because our flesh demands that we take it seriously. But, praise God...
WE ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION
TO TAKE THE FLESH
AND SINFUL THOUGHTS SERIOUSLY!
Read Romans 6:11 & 12
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts.
Why would the Lord tell us to "consider" ourselves dead to sin? Is this because our old nature is really still alive and we must pretend it's dead, or is it because our old nature truly is dead, but our mind has been fooled into thinking it's still alive?
And in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:10-14
Jesus removed the body of your flesh! How, then, do you suppose the Father sees you? As a failure, a sinner, or as complete in Christ?
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. Eph 2:1-6
What a picture God has given us concerning "where" we are right now—seated with Christ in heavenly places! The Holy Spirit wants us to see ourselves as surrounded with God's sufficiency, and the devil wants us to imagine ourselves as defeated and in hopeless ruts of failure. The big question is, who's picture will you take?
These verses are making a strong faith statement about who we are in Jesus. God wants us to act as though the old person (who we were) is dead and gone! When "who we are in Christ" gets through to our mind, we'll enjoy greater freedom and power over sin. If, because of feelings and devil-generated stinkin' thinkin', we hang on to old failure pictures, we will, in essence, negate the Word of God. Many defeated Christians are slapping the Lord in the face because they believe their feelings more than they believe His Word and the finished facts of redemption purchased at the cross!
Our enemy's whole battle plan is to trick us into believing that we're alive to sin. Our born again spirit hates sin, but the liar is telling us we really love it. If we're unaware of what's going on, we'll think we're going crazy, and we'll probably give up and get choked out by the weed-seed of life. The devil's propaganda is aimed at telling us we love sin—over and over, day in, day out! He says, "I'm the problem, I'm a mess, I'm a sinner..."

WHO'S PUSHING WHOM?

STRONG FEELINGS

Let's look at how emotions or feelings can captivate our faith:
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:14,15
When, according to James, does the temptation turn into sin? Only after lust has conceived! Do you suppose it's possible to "feel" like we've blown it, and yet, have not passed over the fine line of actually sinning? Sure. I think this happens all the time. We throw in the towel too soon. We feel the pull to sin, so we say, "Oh well, I thought it, I might as well do it!" Hey, wait a minute. Resist the feelings and win!
Satan threw feelings of hunger at Jesus, but He didn't give in to them, or even acknowledge them. Jesus said that it's not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out. Therefore, we're not defiled until we "act" upon the enemy's input!
"What's the big deal about determining who's putting the gross thoughts in our mind? If they're gross, then we must resist them anyway, so why worry about who put them there? What difference does it make?"
If you take the enemy's assaults personal, you will develop a terrible self-image. You can be tricked into spending much time beating on yourself, and it will be a fairly simple matter for him to trick you into giving up the war as hopeless. He will even put suicide in front of you as the only option for dealing with such a crummy person—an obvious mistake of God—the whole time you are a...
Born again, new creature in Christ;
a victorious saint,
created in the image of God;
made complete in Christ!
Yes, it's tremendously important that you discover what Paul found to be the simple truth:
So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. Romans 7:17
But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. Romans 7:20
When we see the negative feelings, the stinkin' thinkin', the destructive reasoning, as none other than the enemy trying to come through our flesh-door, we'll get mad enough to do something about it! Like the angry Russians that revolted against the domination of cruel, wicked Communism, we too will start pushing back and using our God-given authority to clean up the area around us!
CAUTION: Never forget that there are two responses required of us:
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7
We must first submit to God! We were made by Him and for Him. He designed us to accomplish His will, not the other way around! By submitting to the Lord first, we close any doors of opportunity to the enemy that we may have inadvertently opened by rebellion or ignorantly "doing our own thing."
Secondly, after we check in with Father God, take aim at the intruder! The wicked, aggressive enemy that wants to kill, steal and destroy, poses as US! He paints the word "Enemy" on our back! He slaps these phoney signs on others. Soon, we're all taking cheap shots at each other, and he slithers off to cause more havoc elsewhere. Are you tired of this?
I've said it before and I'll say it again and again. Once you've accepted his weed-seed, the sin is yours! We can't point to our pile of sin and say "the devil made me do it" and walk away. Once we've been suckered into taking his bait, we must confess the sin as ours and make proper restitution! My hope is that we will spot the enemy's trap before we fall into it! I want us to stop beating on others who have taken his bait, and ourselves, and vent the whole of our frustration and anger on him—the accuser of the brethren!

SEVEN SIGNS THAT IT'S NOT YOU THINKING STINKY

1. Is there a two-sided tug-of-war in your mind? Romans 7:20 Is there a part that doesn't want the sin? Then, it's not you!
2. Does the thought seem to come out of nowhere?
3. Does the thought or feeling repulse you? Romans 7:20 If you don't want it, it's not you!!!
4. Is there a strong sense of urgency? The devil wants us to act before we think!
5. Is there a building of pressure (anger, lust, fear, etc.), like someone's egging you on? This is weed-seed growing!
6. Is there a deep inner check that this is wrong? This is the Holy Spirit warning us. Our Guide will always give us a warning!
7. Is something telling you that you deserve this, or that you'll show somebody a thing or two, or a similar justification?
Did you notice how I referred to Romans 7:20 twice in these seven signs? It's because this verse is the key to the whole battle strategy! If you truly and totally want to sin, then you need to do something quickly! You need to be born again! But, if there is a "new you" deep inside that is sick of sin and frustrated with failure, then praise God, you are a new creature in Christ; the old things have passed away and new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Your enemy has been defeated by King Jesus and it's your job to tell him so (Ephesians 3:8-10)! If that new part is not there, then please turn to the Appendix in the back of this book, read, heed and ask Jesus to become your Lord and Savior!
I've been pushing faith pretty hard because it is our only line of defense as well as offense. When we come to an awesome verse like Romans 7:20, it takes faith to apply it to ourselves! What about you? Is your faith strong enough to step over the barricade of feelings when temptations assail you?
Will you raise your voice above the wicked-one's and say with Paul, "I don't want this evil thing, therefore it's not me, but Sin himself! Away from me you foul tempter"?

AN UNANSWERABLE PRAYER
God cannot answer the prayer that pleads for no more bad thoughts to come into the mind. We would be in heaven then! We'd be un-testable! What God does answer is the prayer that asks for wisdom and skill to combat the enemy! We can't say, "Lord, take away my free will to choose to sin." We can pray, "Lord, help me catch temptation thoughts sooner!"

REVIEW
We can actually lock up enemy agents that are harassing us, but first we must be convinced that the debris that pops into our head is from them, and not of our own doing. Our biggest stumbling block to believing this is what we "feel." The enemy tells us his lies over and over until we start to believe them. As we begin to receive his lies, he throws in a bunch of feelings as collaborating evidence. Negative-faith, combined with feelings, pressure us to act. This process produces very strong impulses and feelings! But, it's not our sin until we act accordingly. To turn this process around, we must believe God's Word more than the enemy's evidence. Sounds simple, right?

THIS IS THE BATTLE LINE!

Chapter 5
YOU'RE NOT CRAZY,
YOU JUST HAVE A CRAZY ENEMY

Sin is aggressive! Notice below what God told Cain. His brother, Abel, offered animal sacrifices, just as God had directed. Because this pleased God, He demonstrated His pleasure by blessing Abel. Cain did just the opposite by insisting on offering what he wanted to offer, not what God asked for. God showed His displeasure by ignoring Cain's offerings. Cain was steamed. Then the Lord said:
If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it. Genesis 4:7
This is a very important truth that God shared with Cain, and we are on our way to victory when it finally gets through to us . . .
Humans have an aggressive foe who is trying to trick them
into using their will against themselves!
Satan's desire is to consume us, but we must master him. It's a war and it's literally a matter of kill or be killed. Genesis 4:7 says "sin" is what is trying to get us. This is an euphemism for the devil. Jesus said the devil is the father of lies and the first murderer (John 8:44); therefore, this "sin" that was crouching at Cain's door was none other than Satan! The devil tricked Cain into using his will to murder Abel!
In the story of Cain and Abel, a spirit of jealousy and a spirit of murder were working behind the scenes. They were literally crouching at Cain's door. He lost the inner war by opening the door to them. He responded to the thoughts these spirits put into his mind as though they were his own thoughts, even after God told him that an outside force called sin was trying to master him!
Revelation 12:9 describes Satan as the one who "deceives the whole world." Our enemy does not have the authority to storm into our lives and destroy us. He must deceive us into using our will against ourselves—we must give him our authority.
...and do not give the devil an opportunity. Ephesians 4:27
When God said sin was crouching at Cain's door, He used the word "door" as a symbol for Cain's will. Jesus used a similar figure of speech in Revelation 3:20, when He said He is at our door, knocking, waiting for us to open up to Him. We must use our free will to open to either the Lord or to the enemy.
Satan couldn't force Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. He couldn't threaten them with bodily harm if they didn't get out or pull a sword on them and demand they leave. However, all he had to do was to get them to use their will for his purposes. Satan's goal was accomplished smoothly and almost without effort by simply getting Eve to use her will to obey him and disobey Father God. His plan of attack has not changed much in the last 6,000 years. He must trick us into action that is illegal, and such action begins with simple thoughts. He told Eve, in so many words, "You can't live without this forbidden fruit." She believed him and got into big trouble.
See if you can catch any thoughts popping into your head in the next couple of days that are telling you that you really must have something illegal...you owe it to yourself to indulge in something wrong. I'm hoping that you will get in touch with the kinds of thoughts that run around in your head, and deal with them quickly and decisively.
Detecting the enemy's lies is made more difficult by poor thinking habits. Our fleshly mind is very self-protective and self-centered and, therefore, very susceptible to the twisted thoughts that our enemy throws at us. When he appeals to our selfish flesh, he gets our attention! His "words of wisdom" make flesh-sense and they promise to feel so-o-o-o good!


DESIGNER SINS


The enemy has a full range of thoughts to trap us, depending upon our particular weaknesses. For the strong, there are pride thoughts: blow your own horn, and push your way to the top and step on whoever you must. For the weak, there is fear and laziness. For the curious, gossip. Something for everyone! Temptation thoughts have an appearance of wisdom, but they are a fleshly means to attain what we think we want or need and they lead to bondage. The enemy can't hook everybody with violent, selfish behavior, so he cooked up false humility and a legalism that takes away everything fun! He destroys others with thoughts that they are too stupid, too ugly, too fat, too old, too young, too...
On one hand is the lure to power and wealth, and on the other hand is false humility, asceticism and legalism. Our persistent enemy will use whatever it takes to try to sneak one over on us. He may use opposite tactics back to back. One minute you may be tempted to feel that you can do anything, the next minute, your feelings are telling you that you are and always have been a failure! The bottom line is that it will take work to renew our thinking processes if we are going to win each confrontation.Our will is very sacred to God. He won't force us to do something against our will (generally speaking); and our enemy is limited to tricking us into abusing it. Life is a long string of opportunities to use our will for God's glory, to say by our actions that we love Him! When our ways please God, we're blessed. When we obey sin's impulses, we're locked into a downward spiral of misery. No wonder our enemy is out gunning for us!

THE LURE OF LUST
This inner war can also be compared to the power struggle of espionage. Most spy stories have a handsome, good-guy agent who is seduced by an irresistibly beautiful opponent. She steals his affection, much like Delilah won Samson's heart. Satan uses the emotional pull of the love of this world and the lust for other things to invade, bind and conquer. He can come at us fighting, swinging, flinging missiles of violence, or charming us into a compromising situation. Both are deadly, but, please catch this, in both cases he must trick us into using our will against ourself! He is not given the authority to break into our lives; we must open the door for him!
The devil comes on to us many times like a harlot. The power of a harlot requires that her victims must believe that they need what she has to sell. If a man's heart belongs to another and his needs are amply taken care of, she cannot make a sale. We could say this woman of ill repute depends upon customers that are convinced they "need" what she has to sell.
Sin must evoke a response from us. If we agree with it, believe it, love it, chase after it, then something is born in us—death! Two parents are required if there is to be a birth, and so it is with sin. We could say the devil is the father, offering to us a seed-thought, and we are the prospective mother!
Contrary to this, the Lord wants us to obey Him and bear the fruit of the Spirit. Whomever our mind gets involved with will be the father of our baby! But, it will be our baby—our responsibility!
Keep in mind that it's not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted, but won each scrimmage! Praise God, we can too! We know Jesus "felt" the first temptation, where Satan suggested He make bread from stones. Jesus had gone 40 days without food and the Bible said He was hungry. When the devil said the word "bread," Jesus felt the hunger pains all the more! Just because we "feel" the temptation thought doesn't mean we've sinned! It just means that the temptation is real!

MORE EVIDENCE
And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:6
Our very own tongue, like a gun, is pointed back at us! Ponder James 3:2-5. The tongue is mighty important; no wonder hell's out to commandeer it! Look at what the enemy is trying to sell us:
This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. James 3:15
The demonic wisdom this verse mentions is the logic our foe uses to trick us into believing his input. You may feel led to say, when tempted, "That was just me," but the chances are, if it was negative, it was demonic wisdom! The following verse is from the New International Version (NIV):
The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Timothy 4:1
How do demons teach? They don't have mouths, so how do they speak? We humans need to have a mouth in order to speak, and we need ears if we're going to hear. No, spirits don't speak out loud. Spirits communicate with thoughts, not vocal cords. That's why we must take every "thought" captive to Christ! Why would we be told to take every thought captive to Christ unless each thought could possibly be contaminated by the enemy?
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4,5
Speculations could be the "What if..." thoughts that can trick us into being double-minded or fuss over things that may never come to pass. The lofty thoughts against God probably include pious comments such as, "Oh, God is surely too busy to bother with my insignificant needs."
Try to analyze your thoughts from time to time to see if you can spot the enemy's input that could be categorized under either of these two headings: speculations and lofty thoughts against the knowledge of God.
One particularly common trick of our foe is to suggest, after you have messed up, that you'd better wait a while before you strike up a relationship again with God. No, after we sin is when we'd better seek the Father as quickly as possible! The reason we got into trouble in the first place was because our relationship with God was slipping!

WHO'S THE BAD GUY?
Maybe, just maybe, we're not the big bad-guy we thought we were. Maybe we're not the "mess" the devil's been telling us we are! Have you ever heard someone say that they are their own worst enemy? Maybe they're wrong!
Here's an interesting story. One day Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" After the disciples gave Him the latest Gallup Poll results, Peter made the famous statement, "You are the Christ, the son of the Living God!" Jesus said that Peter did not think this up on his own, but that the Father had revealed it to him. H-m-m-m. No credit for Peter. Then, after Jesus shared that He would have to be crucified, Peter said,
...God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You. Matthew 16:22
Notice how Jesus responded to Peter:
But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Matthew 16:23
Who did Jesus blame for the wrong response? Peter? After all, Peter is the one who spoke. No, the true source was none other than the old serpent!
I imagine Peter was a bit red-faced. What had actually taken place? Satan stuck a thought in Peter's mind and Peter, without knowing what was going on, blabbed it out.
We can get into big trouble if we feel we need to "tell others what we're feeling" if the input, the feelings, are from the enemy! This is where "communication" and "expressing yourself" calls for some serious understanding and insight! If we share our perspectives with others, and these "insights" are the result of enemy input, we will find ourself in a mess similar to Willy and Barb, and Peter! They thought that they owed it to themselves to express what they felt, when the thoughts and feelings were being generated by an evil, outside force!
Do you frequently experience pressure to share what you're feeling? Please put the brakes on and whisper a prayer first! The pressure to share could be part of the devil's temptation package...critical insights of others' shortcomings, plus an urgent push to set them straight! Wow! This is the very stuff that family fights and church splits are made of.
We see the first couple in the Bible, Adam and Eve, tricked out of Eden by listening to the devil's lies. The first sibling, Cain, killed his brother, even after God clearly told him of the invisible war going on for his mind! Peter was embarrassed in front of the disciples because he was unaware of the source of his "insights." And, then there was Ananias.
When Ananias lied to the church in Acts chapter five, notice what Peter said (He probably reflected back on his own experience):
But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?" Acts 5:1-3
Who filled Ananias' heart to lie? Wasn't this his own plan? Maybe it was his "retirement fund" he had been working on for years. Who could blame him for not wanting to give it all away? The bottom line, according to the Holy Spirit, was that Satan filled Ananias' heart with this wicked deception. Perhaps the man was not so evil as was the source of his thoughts, and his failure to detect the source led to an untimely death!
The demonic wisdom that assails us continually "makes sense." Our problems are started, maintained, pressurized, increased, etc., by our enemy! He coaxes us into sin (like with Cain, Genesis 4:7), and does everything he can to convince us to stay there! He wants us to develop ruts (which makes his job easier), and if possible, to get an appetite for the particular sin, sick as this may seem.

BUT WHO GETS IN TROUBLE?
Just because the devil tricks us into sinning, doesn't get us off the hook after we do it! Once I (ignorantly or knowingly) obey the outside impulse to sin, I'm the one in trouble and I'd better repent as soon as possible and get right with God and those I've hurt! The faster the better! But, let's work on stopping the process before the chickens get loose!
There is a double whammy when we obey Satan's impulses. We not only fall into sin; something else takes place. According to Romans 6:16, we become the servant of the one we obey. I don't believe that obeying one simple devil-given thought puts us into heinous bondage; however, after years of repeated obedience to his twisted logic, we find ourselves trapped in deep ruts. We have to get out of the rut the same way we got in—obedience! As we take every thought captive to Christ, we are obeying the Lord, and thus are His servant!
Sometimes it appears that the enemy really has our best in mind, and that God just wants to spoil our fun. That's the line he used with Adam and Eve, and it's his major approach to our modern, self-centered society. If I've learned anything, it's that God is the only one without selfish or evil motives. Even the best of humans has mixed motives. God tells us over and over in His love letter to us how to maximize life, find fulfillment and overflow with joy.
Learn to question every thought that comes into your mind. The ones that are obviously good and righteous, go with. Thoughts that smack of self-protection, self-righteousness, anger, lust, pride, self-destruction, self-abasement, judgmentalism, the easy way, laziness, fear, worry, etc., resist in the name of Jesus! And don't forget, we're only responsible for the thoughts we take!
The next chapter is about good and bad faith. Once we see how our faith has worked against us, it's easier to use it to work for us to move mountains!Chapter 6

INCREASING YOUR BEATING AVERAGE

Is the title of this chapter a typographical error? Not this time. I'm concerned about one of the enemy's slick techniques—discouragement! His bag of tricks is limited, and the more we know how he works, the better advantage we'll have—the easier it will be to increase our beating average, our wins!
Basically, he tells us that we are not presently batting a thousand so, we'd better quit. When you slip up and allow some of his missiles to get by and perhaps blow up at someone, or pamper your flesh, his troublemaker simply says, "You'd better give up. You'll never make it. Save your energy." I'm sure you have experienced this temptation—all or nothing. Of course he wants us to take this bait because no human can bat a thousand.
Have you noticed how the enemy avoids you when you're hot, but when your resistance is low, he gets all his buddies to "jump you"? What do you expect? He's in this thing to win (he still thinks he can!). Fully expect his worst attacks when you're down—flu, headache, low on the Word, surrounded by mean people, etc. And, as soon as you succumb to his harassment, expect to hear him start singing, "You Ain't Never Gonna' Make It," followed by a chorus of, "You Might As Well Quit Now, You Imperfect Old Thing You!" Ugly songs indeed!
The good news is, we're not going by our perfection, but Jesus' perfection! And, we're here to improve our beating average! In this classroom of life, it's not how perfect I am (for none of us are), but am I growing? What steps am I taking to grow? Am I trying to learn? We've won some of the fights before; we'll beat him again!
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14
God sees us through the eyes of faith (Romans 4:17)! This should give us the confidence to relax and let the Holy Spirit guide us through the landmines of life, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Developer of our faith.

INCREASING YOUR BEATING AVERAGE
The title of this chapter is a play on the familiar phrase, "Improving your batting average." I could care less how many times you strike out when you're playing baseball, but, I truly care how frequently you beat up our common foe! What our enemy fails to tell us when he says we're not batting a thousand, is that even major league ball players don't bat a thousand! They don't even come close! Imagine, these guys get paid millions of dollars to strike out most of the time! You do at least that good with the enemy, right?
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Proverbs 24:16
Don't listen to the accuser when he tells you you're never going to make it; rather, quote this verse:
Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me. Micah 7:8
We learn little by our successes. We're prone to believe that we've made it by some inherent goodness of our own, or because we're from good stock, etc. But, when we mess up, if we learn why we messed up, correct the situation, and then succeed, we're more humble and prone to give God the glory—plus, we've grown!
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18a
This life is all about growth; about learning! We can learn before we mess up (hallelujah) or after (hopefully)! The more we meditate on the Word of God, the faster our growth, and the greater our beating average!
Have you been more concerned with a perfect beating average or growth?
I'm positive that a shift in focus from perfect success to growth will improve your attitude as well as your beating average.

SOME TRICKS OF THE TRADE
An illustration I've used before when talking with folks who feel abused by the devil, is about a car parked on a hill. Let's say it's your car, and you happen to leave it unlocked. The enemy, prowling around seeking someone to harass, reaches in to your car, takes it out of gear, and releases the emergency brake. Whee! Down the hill your precious car accelerates! If no one is able to jump in and apply the brakes, then rest assured, there is always a bottom to every hill! Hey, what's a little fender damage? Hopefully, no one was at home when the car crashed in through the front window!
My point is, you may apply the insights from these chapters too late! If you bind the enemy after he's done his dirty work, you may miss him! He's probably long gone, and the momentum of his temptation will carry the event until it crashes. We can't wait until we hit the wall and then go to binding or loosing. Most of that kind of authority will fall to the ground. The thief is probably not within earshot!
Meditating on the Word, praying in the Spirit and constantly praising the Lord, keeps your car locked! When you feel the slightest slipping, immediately bind the one playing with your brake! If you wait too long and get into trouble, don't give up! Redouble your efforts for the next time.
Here's what I think takes place too frequently when believers first get into spiritual warfare. They catch the enemy's trick too late, so when they bind him, and nothing happens, they conclude that it doesn't work to bind the harassing spirits. How many times have I gotten mad with a manufacterer because I didn't take time to follow his directions? Too many!

PUSH-UPS?
We can learn something from the world of professional sports where only the best win. If you want to be a winner, stay in shape! The pros can goof off and beat the average Joe Smedly, but if they want to beat the best, they pay a big price! They watch their diet, exercise, study their competition and get all the advice they can from the best trainers! Can we do less for the prize of the high calling in Christ? Isn't our prize worth more than theirs (1 Corinthians 9:25)?
Being part of an active church family and support group can stimulate your faith and pick you up when you're not feeling your best. We're not competing against other believers; they're on our team! Practice together and share insights and new techniques. It will improve everybody's beating average.

PRACTICE EVERY CHANCE YOU GET
For the pros there's batting cages, simulators, driving ranges, and even video assessment. For the believer, there's physical symptoms, feelings, and people! Some of the harassing situations of life are really putting greens in disguise!
Physical infirmities, disasters and irritations, are allowed by God, I believe, to be a proving grounds for miracles by maturing our faith. The mountains are in our path to make us strong (Matthew 17:20), not to mock us. The enemy derides us with, "That mountain will never move." He's right if we stop. But, if we keep pressing in, keep sharpening our faith-skills, the mountain will be moved, even if merely shovelful by shovelful!
Physical sickness is against us. It's our adversary. Therefore, when you experience the slightest twinge of pain or even a remote hint of sickness, turn your faith guns on the one who wants to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10a). More likely than not, someone delivered the symptoms; so send the delivery boy to jail! If you win an instant victory, hallelujah! Sing and shout and give God the glory. If not, stay in attack mode, beef up your artillery and send for reinforcements! The battle's not over until the fat boy burns (Revelation 20:10)!
You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him. Acts 10:38
Who, according to this verse, did Jesus heal? We know He healed all manner of sickness and disease. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus healed people who were oppressed by the devil. How much of our sickness and disease today is oppression by the devil? I don't know, but I suspicion that far more is than most folks would imagine.
Here's an experiment you can try to increase your beating average. When physical symptoms of sickness or disease (or fear thoughts concerning them) first appear, go through the steps to bind and lock up the enemy. Remember to draw near to the Lord our healer. If you short circuit even one bout with sickness, you've increased your beating average a hundred percent (and saved some money too!). If, after a reasonable amount of time, you do not sense that anything has improved, check with your doctor. The medical profession, after all, is pulling for us, not against us. The devil double-teams us; doctors help us double-team him.
I don't want anyone to avoid getting proper medical treatment when they need it, but I do suggest this first response. The symptoms of sickness may be none other than harassment, and a first strike approach of binding the spirit that put the symptom on you should yield fast relief. If so, praise the Lord! Your beating average has just improved! If the symptoms do not suddenly disappear, spend some quality time drawing near to God, seeking His direction for your next course of action. He may direct you to a doctor or counselor, or He may want you to press in for further instructions!
If our first response to physical aliments is to immediately run to a doctor, we may be guilty of putting the medical practioner on a pedistle. If we make an idol out of medicne, we'll get into big trouble with Father God. The simple way to prevent this is to take the steps we've listed—seek the Lord first, resist the devil second, and utilize doctors if the problem persists. Doctors are on our side!
Some believers are drawn into controversy about whether sickness is of God or the devil. Don't waste your time arguing about this one. Read John 10:10 and Revelation chapters 21 and 22. Who wants to kill and who wants to do away with sickness? And, Who allowed His back to be ripped open for your healing (1 Peter 2:24)? Remember Acts 10:38? Who healed and who oppressed?
Sickness has two major values for believers:
1. As a warning - 1 Corinthians 11:29-32; Hebrews 12:1-13
2. And to refine our faith - 1 Peter 1:6,7; James 1:2-4;
Don't let the accuser put condemnation on you for any sickness that isn't healed or any mountain that won't move. Improve your beating average! If you can't get the sickness healed, you can at least lock up every demon that tries to put condemnation on you concerning the sickness! That could amount to quite a few in a days time! Watch for spirits of discouragement, doubt, resentment, anger, hopelessness, etc.
It's hard to keep the balance concerning growing in faith (increasing your beating average), and "results." We are a society that virtually worships results. The problem is that many of our spiritual victories are in a realm that flesh and blood can't see. The person who outwardly doesn't get their healing, but inwardly continues to walk in faith, is one of God's heros.
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised. Hebrews 11:39
Consistency, faithfulness and being diligent with the small things makes us approved in God's book. I can't help but believe that as we grow in faithfulness, our outward manifestations will increase. But, regardless, we will please Father God when we walk in faith (Hebrews 11:6).

STRESS: THE ONLY MUSCLE BUILDER


The world sure has been harping about stress. They call it a killer, a robber, etc., and even try to pin down the causes. But, I have yet to read the first article that pins the rap on our ugly enemy!
There is good stress. In fact, God intends all stress to be good. If we refuse to be anxious about anything, and instead cast all of our cares on Jesus, we will grow! Read Psalm 1:1-3 and notice what it is that keeps the tree from withering when the strong desert winds (stress) blow:
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3
Stress and frustration builds when you face demands that surpass your resources. Prayer helps keep this in balance (see Philippians 4:6,7). Add to the stressful situation, harassing comments from the enemy directly in your mind or via "helpful" people around you. Escalation!
Proper warfare can quickly reduce the stress by reducing its source—our foe. After all the dust has settled in the seminars designed to help people cope with stress, if they haven't bound the source of agitation, they still have a problem on their hands. The peace solution Jesus offers to our world is one where the trouble maker is stomped under foot. Now that's a great stress reducer!

STRESS, OUR FRIEND

The fastest way to build muscles is with resistance exercises—stress! Progressive weight lifting or exercise equipment causes stimulation of muscle fibers; the result is growth. God has designed our spirits so that when we tackle problems with faith, our inner person grows strong. He doesn't want life's difficulties to crush us but to build us up.
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6,7
When you sense stress building up, you need a plan. First, draw near to God. Yield up the entire situation to Him. If you are in a mess that you ought not be in, confess that as sin and seek His grace to get out.
Secondly, bind and cast out the trouble maker, as you've come to perceive him. Then, with your focus back on the All-wise Lord, seek for His help in solving the dilemma. We are far more creative when the monkey is off our back. Also, praise releases special power that can dissolve most stressful situations faster than a dozen nervous breakdowns! Frustration builds stress and anger and shuts down the brain. Praise stimulates creativity!

STAY TEACHABLE


If life is a classroom, then keep learning. Learn from your enemies, from your friends, learn from the world by constant dialogue with the Holy Spirit. Learn. When you're successful, ask the Lord why. When you miss the target, ask the Lord why.
When seasons of refreshment come and the enemy slips in one of his, "Oh, think you're special, getting this fine treatment when poor people are starving in Somalia," pull out your bat and improve your swing. When he tells you that something bad must be coming your way, because things have been going too smoothly, see him as a golf ball and knock him into the (black) hole (abyss)!
When you hear of some new research on the causes or cures for a disease, ponder with the Paraclete (a name for the Holy Spirit) to see if there is a parallel in the spirit realm. Try to make everything in your life bend around the Word of God, rather than the other way around. When science suggests something contrary to the Word, reaffirm what the Bible is saying. In the rare moments when the world's system agrees with the Scriptures, give all the glory to God. Because life is a classroom, make everything teach you something!

RESULTS

As your beating average increases and you clean up the atmosphere around you by locking up enemy snipers, you will notice:
1. Longer seasons of peace without mental and emotional hassles.
2.The enemy will get more subtle. Where he once used straight fear, now he may resort to logic. Self-righteous thoughts may replace old self-hate and pity-poor-me thoughts. Don't be fooled. If it's negative; if it takes your mind off the Spirit, blast it away!
3. You will no doubt let your guard down after a while and you'll wake up to the same old attacks! I don't believe these are the old demons free on bail, but new ones that must be dealt with quickly and decisively.
In the spirit realm we may have "kick me" signs on us that tell the foe that we have particular ruts. Maybe a running file is kept by the enemy on each person so new recruits from hell can pick up where the old ones left off. Who knows? They are at least as smart as flesh and blood enemies!
4. Demonic spirits are very limited as to how they can harass us if we are saved, walk in holiness, and if we act in firm, decisive faith (2 Timothy 4:18). They know if we're walking the fence, if we're feeding our fleshly lusts, if we're double-minded, and if we're not sure we have any business binding them. [See the story in Acts 19:13-17]
5. It may seem like a lot of work to take every negative thought (and its sender) captive, but you will enjoy the fruit very soon! Dealing with the little foxes will allow the vine to produce tremendous fruit (Song of Solomon 2:15).
6. For serious mental confusion and depression that does not respond to binding and loosing, see a Christian counselor or pastor. But first, make sure you're honestly and sincerely following the steps outlined in each chapter.
7. The healthiest mind is one filled with the Word of God, thankfulness and continual communion with the Lord Jesus. Positive praise breeds joy!
I'm talking about a mind ruled by love, flowing with mercy and operating in faith! Such a continual flow will wash out all alien intruders immediately, and not even miss a lick. Because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), we'll stay clean. We'll get hooked on holiness and eating the fruit of righteousness. What a way to go! We'll be blessed and a blessing to others.
Every day I'm flabbergasted to catch even deeper feelings that are merely temptation thoughts from the enemy! The feelings say they are me, that I want them, that I'm helpless to escape them, yet they vanish so quickly when I go through the steps outlined in this material. Hallelujah! Jesus is alive!

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