What are You Prepared To Do?

There is a movie called "The Untouchables".  It is a crime drama set in the early part of the 20th century about Al Capone and Eliott Ness' efforts to bring him to justice.  One thing you have to remember about powerful thugs like Capone, John Dillinger, etc., is that they were not above killing even cops or anyone else.  Several times during the film, Sean Connery's character continually asks Ness, "What are you prepared to do?".  What does this have to do with anything?  I'm about to tell you.
Through out your lives keep in mind that we can do nothing without the Authority of God.  In all things exalt and glorify Him.  Many Christians have no idea the war that is going on around them.  It involves them, everyone they know, Jesus, and of course Satan.  I know from personal experience, as well as the stories that I have heard, That Satan and his cohorts are not above killing someone if that is what it takes to keep them away from Christ.  If you have never heard this before, I'm telling you now.  Mankind is in a WAR!  What are you prepared to do?  It started at creation, and has continued since.  This is not a war of people against people.  We do not war against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
Lucifer was actually an archangel of God.  He became jealous at God's love for mankind.  His rebellion and pride kicked off the beginning of his doom.  Now, even to this day, we are under attack daily from him.  If you are wondering how he is attacking us, ever heard of a Ouija board (that's just one way)?  People willingly bring that kind of thing into their houses.  Some weird, freaky crap starts going down and they wonder why.  I have a close family member that had one in their house.  They threw it in the garbage.  It wound up in their house again.  They threw it in the dumpster at the end of the street, back it came.  They even went as far as to burn the thing.  Still it, wound up back inside.  What happened there?  I do not know.  What I do know is that there are spiritual forces at play.  Another example is more recently.  There is a film that was released nationwide called The Conjuring.  After watching this film, some of the viewers experience less than desirable occurrences.  So much so that the theater had a priest standing by for "spiritual support".  We have to be on our guard with what we bring into our homes and what we expose ourselves to when not in our homes.
Now I ask you what are you prepared to do?  The devil roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  If he has to look for the ones that can be devoured, then there must be some that are not.  Point in that statement: STAY AWAY FROM THAT LION!  He's roaring and stuff, he shouldn't be that hard to spot.
What about the people that are around you that you do not like or they do not like you?  Are they any less God's children, His magnificent creation in His image?  No.  They are deserving of love as much as you are.  You do not have to hang out together, but you do have to respect the image of Almighty God in them.  Jesus said to love them as you love yourself.  If they disrespect you, pray for them fervently.  Be kind to them, even if they are rude to you.  Stand your ground with them if you must, but do it respectfully.  How much would the Kingdom of God spread if we were able to really love our enemies?  We really have no right to be anything but loving and kind to them.  Jesus showed mercy to the people who killed Him and His best friends that deserted Him in His time of need.
Speaking of Jesus and His death.  His example of dealing with Satan is pretty cool.  (This is a figurative way of looking at this, and I find it rather useful and entertaining.)  Satan saw what Jesus was doing and threw everything at Him that he could.  Satan tempted Him, had people reject Him, had his best friends in the whole world desert Him.  Satan even went as far as to kill Jesus.  What more can you do to a man?  After that, you can imagine Jesus going up to Satan and saying, "Boy, is that all you got? Death?  I'll tell you what I'm gonna do.  I'm gonna cook breakfast on the beach for those guys who deserted me, and I'm not even gonna bring their sin up."  Let's face it, Being mean and hateful towards the people that wrong us is exactly what Satan wants.  That kind of stuff spreads.  The more it spreads, the faster it will kill a church body or drive away anyone that you may be ministering to.  What are you prepared to do?  Suck it up for the fulfillment of His kingdom and kill the seeds of division.
Now lets talk about the people that do not have a relationship with Christ.  I do have friends that are not followers of Christ.  Ever noticed how much their life seems to come into trouble?  It's not always a spiritual attack, but sometimes it is.  Whatever their reason is, God can handle it.  He will deal with their heart, you just be the vessel through which they see what He looks like.  Compassion, love, grace, and mercy is that image that they should be seeing.  Paul wrote that he died daily to himself.  We need to do the same thing.  Our flesh is deceitful and crazy.  It wants nothing to do with God.  Don't believe me?  Try loving on someone who "doesn't deserve it".  Your flesh goes nuts!  What are you prepared to do about it.
Last thing is this:  from what I can see, the average american church is dying.  I know of a very large church with thousands of members and only a handful, literally 10-15 are actually there with a servant's heart.  Their members are hiding inside the masses.  That is not just one but many, many churches across this country, if not the world.  There is no fight in them.  Me, them, and everybody else sees people dying in droves.  If they are not dying physically, they are dying spiritually.  The bible is loaded with the thought of warring for the weak until they can learn to war for themselves.  I can tell you from personal experience, if you are faint hearted and do not have any fight in you: 1. you will not survive this fight 2. you need to find someone that does and learn from them.  Satan is not going to take it easy on anybody.  One way that we love one another is using our authority from God to fight spiritual battles on their behalf and teach them to fight themselves.  Another interesting line from The Untouchables is this: "If he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."  Do not back off from this fight.  Use every measure in your arsenal (Ephesians 6:13-19) to defend yourself, your family and those around you.  There is one offensive weapon in that arsenal: The Word of God.  What are you prepared to do?  Can we tell our children that they can't have something when they don't need it?  Or can we tell them no when what they are asking for some thing that will compromise the integrity of your house?  Pray over your entire house hold.  Destroy anything that might be a doorway into your house for the enemy.  The fastest way to destroy a stronghold in your house is the Word of God spoken in and over it every day.  For this fight you have to have the mind of a savage berserker warrior.  If God is for you, who can stand against you?  What are you prepared to do?
Keep this mind in you, that God delights in the well being of His children and that he detests anything coming against that.  Satan will lose.  There are places that he was once having success and now the people of that place have kicked him out.  My house is one of them.  Keep your trust in Jesus and he will show you how to put a boot on the throat of any principality that comes your way.  We have not been given a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power love and a sound mind.  Grace and Peace be with you Always.