It seems like lately I cannot get away from discouragement. I know the truth of God's Word, I try my best to stand up in faith - but every time I feel like I am getting out of it, something happens and I am struggling all over again.
I am reading Church Planting Landmines by Tom Nebel and Gary Rohrmayer for a class on church planting from Rockbridge Seminary. This weekend I read the chapter about Landmine #8: Underestimating Spiritual Warfare. I have to admit that while I know there is a battle, I have underestimated the enemy and the attacks. Here is a quote from the book that helped me identify the spiritual warfare in my life:
Gary and I have been around church planters most of our adult lives, and we've lived in that world ourselves. And as we've tried to get a handle on spiritual warfare as it is levied against church planter and their new churches, we've observed that most of it can be placed into one of three categories: discouragement, distractions, or disqualifications.
They go on to write specifically about discouragement, physical hardship, emotional hardship, and fear. As I read these sections it is like a light came on. I and my family is enduring spiritual warfare! I think for too long, although I have known about it, I have treated spiritual warfare as a fictional area in my life. But now that I have identified it, the battle is on. But how, and what do I do? We will discuss this throughout the week.
I know you may not be a church planter, but I wonder how many people are facing discouragement and distractions in their lives. Could it be spiritual warfare? Begin to ask God to show you if it is so that you too can battle the enemy rather than succumb to his evil schemes.
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