Countering the Enemy’s Offensive (Part 2): Let God War and Work

Your fasting and prayer are making a difference, upsetting power structures, and effecting the outcome of spiritual battles. Fasting puts the power of God at work. It agitates Satan and demon spirits.

Therefore, as was discussed in Part One of this post, the enemy is going to launch an attack against you. Powers of darkness will go on the offensive against you.

Opposition to Samuel and the Israelites’s Fast

Samuel gathered the people of Israel together at Mizpah to seek God through fasting and prayer—to return to the LORD, repent of their sin, rid themselves of foreign gods, and commit to serve the LORD only.

⁶…On that day they fasted and there they confessed, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. (1 Samuel 7:6 NIV)

When the Philistines heard about the revival taking place in Israel—that they were gathered at Mizpah to seek God and fast—they attacked them.

⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them.

The Message says, “the Philistine leaders went on the offensive” (v.7). 

Beloved, as you are returning to God through fasting, repenting of your sin, ridding yourself of idolatries, and committing yourself to serve the LORD only, enemy forces are launching an offensive against you.

This sounds discouraging—like things are doomed and hopeless—but notice what God does in response:

“¹⁰While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way…” (1 Samuel 7:10-11, NIV).

God moved when they weren’t expecting it and gave Israel a dramatic victory.

God Will Give You the Same Victory

Jehovah thundered from heaven! Not with mediocre thunder, but with loud thunder, throwing Israel’s enemies into absolute panic!  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He did for the Israelites, He will do for you!

“But the LORD answered [Samuel’s] prayer and made thunder crash all around [the enemy]. The Philistines panicked and ran away” (1 Samuel 7:10 CEV).

The Israelites didn’t just stand and watch; they seized the turn in their favor:

“The Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and they were thrown into confusion, and the Israelis routed them, and chased them… killing them all along the way” (v. 10 TLB).

The Israelites were so glad God intervened that they jumped on the chance to do damage to the enemy!

God gave the victory; the Israelites received it. Receiving victory doesn’t always mean sitting still and watching God work. Sometimes it means letting God work and war through you. (See On the Attack to read more about Samuel and the Israelites’ fast and the incredible victory God gave them.)

Let God Work and War Through You

Would you like to do as the Israelites did, and not just stand and watch God thunder, you’d like to seize the opportunity to do damage to the enemy? If so, then let God work and war through you!

In God’s Chosen Fast, Arthur Wallis writes:

You should expect that a season of fasting would prove to be for you, as it was for your Master, a time of conflict with the powers of darkness. Satan will often try to take advantage of your physical condition to launch an attack. Discouragement is one of his weapons. Guard against it by maintaining a spirit of praise.

Read through Ephesians chapter six and avail yourself of the whole armor of God, then you will be invulnerable to Satan’s devices. Make use especially of the shield of faith to quench all his flaming darts. In hand-to-hand encounter use the sword of the Spirit, and tell Satan, “It is written….” Declare the victory of your great Captain over every principality and power. [1]

In light of Arthur Wallis’s advice, there are three simple steps to letting God war and work through you:

1. Expect conflict with powers of darkness. Keep fasting and don’t stop prematurely.
2. Praise God—it will help you guard against the enemy’s weapon of discouragement.
3. Put on the whole armor of God—Use the shield of faith to quench the enemy’s darts, and the sword of the Spirit to tell Satan, “It is written ….”

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Tweetables

• God gave Israel a dramatic victory against their enemy as they fasted. He’ll do the same for you! Tweet
• Receiving victory doesn’t always mean watching God work. Sometimes it means letting God work and war through you.  Tweet
• Satan will often try to take advantage of your physical condition to launch an attack during a fast.  Tweet
• Discouragement is one of Satan’s weapons. Guard against it on your fast by maintaining a spirit of praise.  Tweet

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Questions:

• In what ways has the enemy gone on the offensive against you?
• How are you letting God war and work through you?
• Are you maintaining an attitude of praise, using the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit?

OTHER POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

• Countering the Enemy’s Offensive, Part One: Don’t Stop Your Fast Prematurely

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES:

The “Praise Series”—a powerful aid for step #2 above, maintaining a spirit of praise:

• Praise You, Jesus: Alphabet of Praise, Part 1
• Praise You Jesus: Alphabet of Praise, Part 2
• My God Is: Names of God
• 300+ Names, Titles, and Attributes of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• The I Am … For Your Every Need (1): In Christ Is …
• The I Am … For Your Every Need (2): Praise Party
• The I Am … For Your Every Need (3): Action Point

FROM THE FASTING ARCHIVES:

• Fasting Day 5: Six Encouraging Reminders
• Fasting Day 5: Renewal in the Desert
• Fasting Day 5: Expecting Anointing, Part 1
• Fasting Day 5: New Anointing
• Fasting Day 6: On The Attack (More about Samuel and the Israelites’ victory)

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[1] Arthur Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 1968), 109