Contrary winds (1)

When you set out to do anything for God, the enemy will make sure you encounter “contrary winds.” In fact, if you’re not sailing against the wind, chances are you’re headed in the wrong direction! The Bible says Jesus was “tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Satan never let up, including the night before Jesus was crucified when “Satan entered into Judas…one of the twelve” (Luke 22:3 NLT). Reimar Schultze said, “Wherever you go today, Satan will…try to get you at some street corner, at the office, or in the field. He will make you fall if you leave home without your spiritual armour on; if you leave your belt of truth…in the closet, your breastplate of righteousness…by the door, your gospel shoes under your bed, or if you leave your shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit and the helmet of salvation behind you…If you say at daybreak, ‘I will pray whenever I get a chance today,’ you just gave away your victory. Before long the wrong words will come out of your mouth, you will look at forbidden fruits and display an improper attitude. The most foolish thing [you] can do is to leave home unarmed and spiritually naked. A fool says, ‘I have no time to pray,’ but later…he finds all kinds of time to attempt to repair the damage prayerlessness…produced….Following Jesus is not a walk in the park…Every good thing in the kingdom…from Adam on has come to us through men and women who stuck it out when the going got tough. The biblical history of the church ends with [these victorious words]… ‘and so we came to Rome’” (Acts 28:14 NLT).