Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13.
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:1-3.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Perseverance wins the prize. In the parable My Son told of the sower sowing the Word, it was the ones who persevered and would not give up the Word no matter what came against them or pulled at them who had the harvest.
“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” Luke 18:15.
And that is today’s life lesson in our lessons on what to do when Satan attacks: “Perseverance wins the Prize.” What is the prize? The fulfillment of the promise, and I mean all My magnificent promises as many as they be, but at each given moment it is the promise that answers your need. Such as healing if you are attacked with illness or pain, provision if you are in need of funds or resources, or a multitude of other promises that give grace to help just when you need it. Do not let Satan rob you of your prize. “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:11-12.
And besides all the blessings and benefits I give you in Christ, I also give you a mission to complete, a high calling in Christ. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14.
I have given you everything in Jesus, blessed you with every spiritual blessing in Heaven, given you all you need for life and godliness, given you the victory, healed all your ills and pains and forgiven all your sins. “For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ Jesus they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20.
But, though I have given you all these things in Jesus and supplied for all your needs according to My riches in glory in Christ Jesus, Satan will try to take these away from you, and if he wears you down until you start doubting that My promise really works for you, he will get you to draw back and fall short of obtaining the harvest. Perseverance means to stand on the promise and never back down.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done My will, you may receive what was promised. “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But you are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Hebrews 10:36-39.
If you stand long enough you will get through anything. But I mean a certain kind of standing, the stance of victory and the stance of battle—ready to defend your Kingdom rights and recover all that is yours that the devil has carried off because you did not stand your ground. Like David at Ziklag.
The Amalekites came and raided his town when he and all the men were not there. They returned to find their goods, their wives and children, and everything that was theirs gone and the town burned with fire. It looked so impossible to recover their goods or ever see their families again, that they all just threw themselves on the ground and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. And the men began blaming David for the predicament. But suddenly David remembered Me and encouraged himself in Me by remembering all I had promised him and all I had done for him in miraculously giving him victory in every battle he had ever fought. And then he did what you all should do when trouble hits, and you must do it first and immediately so you will stand and not fall on the ground weeping until you have no more strength to weep, he turned to Me and asked what he should do to rectify the situation and get his goods and family back. And then I could tell him the first step of what he should do to win over the enemy who had carried it off while he was not guarding it and RECOVER ALL. And just as it will be with you, it started with the Word of what to do first, and once he did that, the directions flowed along the path I had headed him upon. And he not only recovered all that the enemy stole from him and his men, but MORE besides, all that the enemy had stolen from others! He had so much he shared it with those it had been taken from. And what started out looking like the worst day of his life became the best day of his life because he turned to Me and asked what to do to have My promises fulfilled in his life and the life of his men.
David won that time over the enemy, but Satan kept returning for another round. He does not stop playing rounds because he is out to win the tournament. But you can win every round. Be innocent as doves but clever as snakes.
And chess is a board game between only two players, the devil comes out to take what is yours, and he watches to use the moves that the person he is playing is susceptible to get trapped by, but when he comes against you, whether it is a direct barrage of flaming arrows of tormenting thoughts and influences, or through the offenses, abuse, and actions of other people, you must know how to respond to check him, keep the check on, and win the round. Even if he takes from you by a few moves that catch you off guard, like he did with David and his men lying on the ground crying and then seeking to stone David, you can recover and win. David got up, inquired of Me, got the strategy from Me, and recovered all his pieces and took all the devil’s pieces (chessmen) as well.
When Satan attacks, if you want to come out the winner, that is, if you want to outsmart him and keep him from taking what My Son died to give you, you must be firmly established in My Word, but to persevere on My Word with no wavering, no matter how you must be immovable, you must have heard from Me on what to do to know the exact move appropriate in that situation to win, like David at Ziklag and like Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus. Do not get so agitated like David did, My Son never did get agitated because He knew Me. And that is the key, when you know I am for you, who can be against you? Nothing and no one. And when you have that confidence, nothing the devil does can move you off your stand in Me. Do not let go of your confidence, it has great reward.
And that is where meditating on My Word day and night comes in so that you make your way prosperous and successful. If you ponder in your heart about how forgiven, cleansed, holy, lovely, sanctified, redeemed, saved, healed, and loved you are by Me, then you become bold for established in righteousness you are far from oppression and fear. When you begin to see the extent of what I did for you in Christ, that I have made you a new creation with the past no more against you and your future filled with newness of life and the amazing life of good deeds I prepared for you in Him in advance, your heart will overflow with the peace and joy that surpass all understanding.
You must come to the point where you know that I am on your side, that I will fight with you and for you, and that I want you to win every time and will make sure you do if you listen to Me. Then, at that point, full of My love, you will run to Me in prayer at the first attack, even if you have fallen into that trap, to get free and to recover all. And I will free your feet from the snare and help you to recover all. I go before you, am with you, and am your rear guard. Use Me as your resource, firmly rooted and grounded in Christ, draw up all you need right when you need it, for in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and in Him I make you complete.
Ask Me and I will tell you what to pray and what to say. And it could be as simple as the prayer Jesus said at the tomb of Lazarus, “Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me.” And then I told Him what to say, “He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” John 11:41-43. And you know the result, Lazarus rose up from the dead and came out of the tomb. I told Jesus what to pray and what to say and Satan did not get to cut the life of Lazarus short.
If you stand long enough you will get through anything. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Through all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:10-19.
Take your stand on My Word and refuse to be moved off it no matter what it looks like around you and in you. And you cannot help but to win. I will see to that. There is great joy and peace in believing. And My joy is your strength. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:1-5.
I love you. If you take your stand on My Word and you refuse to let go of your confession of My Word, you will see it come to pass. Guaranteed. The promise comes through perseverance, like the farmer who has planted seed. It is a process. But remember, always ask Me for the strategy when the temptation, attack, or storm starts and then stand, and if you have the Word from Me, it will shorten the time from when the seed is planted to harvest. “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved. Also I will restore the captivity of My people and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit.” Amos 9:13-14. And when does this happen? “In that day I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old.” Amos 9:11. When you raise up the tabernacle of praise. Perseverance filled with joyful songs of praise brings the prize.