Comments on: Prepare for Attacks

By: rusty jarrett

rusty jarrett — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:29:55 +0000

one way I look at it is if your not doing anything for christ then satan and his demons wouldn’t even mess with you. because they would already have you.

By: Avery

Avery — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:44:00 +0000

Reminds me of this 1 Chronicles 21

1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”

Its worth reading the whole chapter …

Satan tempts us when things grow to pride ourselves in numbers, and in our own worth…(comparing ourselves to others)…

When we follow Satan’s kures, we lose a true sense of things, and forget to look at the condition of our hearts and how to hear from God… we start weighin things by our own thoughts, and it has drastic consequences when we fail…

Good reminder, good passage too… everyone should at least take a quick peek at the chapter…

By: danny

danny — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:30:47 +0000

so true….
when you are in a mode of growth and blessing in an area of your life, or even if your whole life is doing great Satan can blindside you. Stay strong, and most of all stay prayed up. I am part of a church plant and we are experinceing blessings and fighting off battles like you are talking about. Sometimes i feel like I am playing dodgeball. God has given me a ball perfect fitting so i can be accurate and strike with a knock out blow. I see my goal and i am about to take it out….then wham I get hit from the otherside of the court…..We as pastors and leaders need to pray that our eyes will see the whole court and not just the blessings that are right in front of us. God will protect us. He will show us the warning signs if we ask. we need to just as Pastor Craig said “Decide you will do whatever it takes not to be another casualty”. God will show us the ball coming at us. Catch it! Make Satan the casualty…..This was my first blog ever so if it is not the way you are supposed to blog feel free to let me know..hahaha..thanks for your insight and time

By: Kevin Lindsay

Kevin Lindsay — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:15:55 +0000

I agree Pastor,
As a person who is being called into ministry and searching for the spot God would ask me fill, I know God has really been teaching me lessons in preparation.
To be keenly aware of honoring God in every area of my life, because the enemy will use any opening even Christian relationships to sneak into your life.
To truly search for Christian products and to not settle and end up setting an example for the believers that might lead them toward secular things. And most of all, when you feel lead to speak out, do not be afraid of your audience. I call this “the invisible violence” Meaning screams from the enemy could never do more damage than being silent when the Holy Spirit has told you to speak.
Please pray that I would have God’s clarity to lead my family as we sell our home and makes adjustments to follow God into …

By: Jared B

Jared B — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:54:08 +0000

Thanks Craig, I really did need this today.

You really helped me realize how I need to pray for help against the devil daily. He attacks me right when I’m on, or right when I’m coming down from a big wave…when I’m still excited…which is exactly what you are saying.

I’m gonna read this a couple more times today! It’s good!

God bless!

By: Lori Biddle

Lori Biddle — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:11:25 +0000

Honestly - I think you should consider writing an article called “Enjoy the Wave” ha ha! We sometimes tip toe through our ministry scared to celebrate anything - we so strongly believe what you have said - to beware of the enemy.

I recently talked to some leaders asking them if they thought the fact that we are always watching for the next bad thing robs us of ever celebrating?

We are in such a time of peace - those who were struggling within our ministry have found 2 men to follow that started their own ministries just a mile from us. This has left us very healthy at the moment.

So what is the balance? I would love to run, laugh and be thankful for God blessings, to truly enjoy the season - not tip toe…

By: Kurt

Kurt — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:24:44 +0000

Good stuff. I’ve been noticing in the gospels the Jesus had seasons of prayer “on the mountain tops” and “in the desolate places”. God seems to call us to another level in the high times and the low times. It’s harder to lean into him in the high times, when the need for dependence isn’t as apparent, but like you are saying, that’s the time to lean in strong. Blessings!

By: Buddy

Buddy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:20:00 +0000

GREAT ADVICE.

Recently heard that 90 percent of pastors will not retire as Pastors.

Sobering.

By: Dave Baldwin

Dave Baldwin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:17:36 +0000

Thank you Craig,
The three bullet points sound on target. I have a son who’s riding the wave in a ministry where the leader has fallen off the wave. The ripple effects through the rest of the team have been brutal. They are still trying to recover. The great thing is the wave is still moving strong.
Thank you so much for these reminders.
Blessings,
Dave

By: Stephen U

Stephen U — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:15:48 +0000

I’m just starting a new plant up in Montana. And of the people that I’ve lead to the Lord or back to the Lord, the one thing that has helped them stay dedicated was the huge warning I shared with them when they got saved.

Rather than tell them everything was now going to be just fine or that all is right with the world, I shared with them to be on the lookout because satan was not going to look to attack them in ways that they hadn’t seen yet. And he did. But they were ready and because of the warning were not knocked off their feet and are still serving God now.

And I agree with the other pastor that said that he watches out for this stuff out of fear. I’m with him. I don’t want to ruin my marriage, ruin my reputation or bring more reproach on the name of Christ so I’m constantly watching out for this stuff.

This is a war and bullets and bombs are constantly flying. We have to make sure we clothe ourselves in the armor of God daily so we can stand and not fall or fail in front of our enemy.

Thank you Craig for this wonderful post and timely reminder. May God continue to bless your ministry and may you continually preach the truth of the Word of God without fear.

By: Daniel Hahn

Daniel Hahn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:36:04 +0000

I seem to be reading a blog post almost every day telling ministers to be careful and not get burned out. Yet so many ministers are leaving the ministry due to that very problem. Is no one paying attention?

By: steven anderson

steven anderson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:44:53 +0000

note to self: hiring fast, plugging new christians into significant roles and working grueling hours away from home doesn’t bring the wave.

By: Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:41:36 +0000

Brandon, Thanks for the prayers.

By: bill (cycleguy)

bill (cycleguy) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:51:08 +0000

Continuing the theme: The riptide that took us out was not a moral one at all. It was something much more insidious: anger and then gossip. Anger that a change was made (that was not good) by one of the staff and then the gossip kicked in. I/we were not prepared for the tsunami that hit. I mean, all was going so well, then it was like a volcano erupted. I know we are all on the lookout for moral falls but keep an eye out for the other junk the enemy baits you with as well.

By: Jenn Cady

Jenn Cady — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:36:20 +0000

KOWABUNGA!!!!!! love this… “Decide you will do whatever it takes”….A”sista” and I were talking at Big Show that Satan only has so many tricks in his bag. As soon as we recognize what they are for us as individuals we can QUICKLY shut “er” down and PRESS ON! He is sneaky but he is also obvious! Kind of Like when you hear the “JAWS music”…you know the Shark is about to bite the smack out of someone. Great Post!

By: Brandon Duff

Brandon Duff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:23:09 +0000

Be on guard! Thanks Craig. Praying for you.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:15:48 +0000

This is one of those areas that just motivates me probably out of fear. As I see and hear of pastors fall, some right in the middle of growth and the wave. I need to be on the watch for the Evil One who is seeking to kill and destroy. Thanks for the reminder because this is of utmost importance.