"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
Not everything bad that happens to us is due to spiritual attack, but certainly some of it is! It is important that we are on our toes when it comes to spiritual things. As we look through the Book of Acts together we see a church that is plagued by spiritual opposition in the midst of a time of real effectiveness in sharing the Gospel. This week we look at Stephen, the first Martyr of the church, who lost his life while declaring Jesus as Lord.
I think that it is important that we expect Satan, the author of lies, to mount strong attacks against us at two crucial times in our Christian walk: 1. when we first come to faith; and 2. when we look to be moving towards greater effectiveness in our witness. At these times it is crucial that we are walking alongside one another; speaking words of life and truth into hard circumstances; sharing together in the real challenges and concerns that we face. It is also important that we are developing good personal habits in our devotional life: studying the Bible; exploring God's truth through His word; being purposeful in our prayer lives etc.
One of our church members wrote me an email this week and said in it, "I really believe that the Lord is stirring things up in the church" - I agree. And when the Lord is at work, the evil one seeks to undermine and destroy all that God is doing - and he targets us at our weakest points.
Let us stand together as God's people. Let us rely on the goodness of God. Let us face the challenges that come our way in the power of the Holy Spirit!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 (the Armour of God: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, Salvation, the Word of God)
Grace and Peace,
Pastor David Auty
Not everything bad that happens to us is due to spiritual attack, but certainly some of it is! It is important that we are on our toes when it comes to spiritual things. As we look through the Book of Acts together we see a church that is plagued by spiritual opposition in the midst of a time of real effectiveness in sharing the Gospel. This week we look at Stephen, the first Martyr of the church, who lost his life while declaring Jesus as Lord.
I think that it is important that we expect Satan, the author of lies, to mount strong attacks against us at two crucial times in our Christian walk: 1. when we first come to faith; and 2. when we look to be moving towards greater effectiveness in our witness. At these times it is crucial that we are walking alongside one another; speaking words of life and truth into hard circumstances; sharing together in the real challenges and concerns that we face. It is also important that we are developing good personal habits in our devotional life: studying the Bible; exploring God's truth through His word; being purposeful in our prayer lives etc.
One of our church members wrote me an email this week and said in it, "I really believe that the Lord is stirring things up in the church" - I agree. And when the Lord is at work, the evil one seeks to undermine and destroy all that God is doing - and he targets us at our weakest points.
Let us stand together as God's people. Let us rely on the goodness of God. Let us face the challenges that come our way in the power of the Holy Spirit!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 (the Armour of God: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, Salvation, the Word of God)
Grace and Peace,
Pastor David Auty
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