IT'S TIME TO PICK A FIGHT
by Marilyn Conrad

In John 10:10 we are given the devil's job description. He comes to "steal, to kill & to destroy." Although we need to understand Satan's tactics (2 Cor. 2:11) we need not be afraid of him. 2 Timothy 1:7 says that "…God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power & of love & of a sound mind." According to Col. 2:15 Jesus "disarmed principalities & powers & made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them." Because of this we are "more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (Rom. 8:37)

Even though the victory has already been won through Jesus Christ we must learn to appropriate through spiritual warfare what has already been accomplished by His death, burial & resurrection. The Lord desires to teach us spiritual warfare. "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war & my fingers to fight." (Ps. 144:1) According to Jer. 51:20 we are God's battle ax & weapons of war against the enemy. Ps. 18:34 says, "He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms."

The Full Armor

We are at war, but many Christians do not know this. However, because the Christian life is a warfare, a spiritual conflict, we are told, first of all, to put on the full armor of God so that we "may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." (Eph. 6:11)

We put on armor because we are in real battle against a real enemy. Spiritual warfare is serious business and the Lord does not want us to be defeated. Trying to fight life's daily battles without putting on the full armor of God will bring defeat & discouragement in our lives & we will not last long in the battle.

According to Eph. 6:14-18 we are to, "gird our loins about with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, take the helmet of salvation & the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God & pray at all times in the Spirit."

Without God's armor we will be defeated & not be successful in causing salvation & deliverance to come to our loved ones & others for whom God has called us to intercede.

The Enemy

It is important to understand who our enemy is. Our enemy is not our mate or someone they are having an affair with. Our enemy is spiritual. These spirits (rulers & powers & spiritual forces) construct strongholds over our loved ones & others we are praying for, that put them into bondage. Behind all evil there are evil spirits operating. "For our struggle is not against flesh & blood (our mates), but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6:12)

My main purpose for writing this article is to help us understand that we are not fighting flesh & blood. When I first began standing for my marriage I was warned not to pray against people because this could actually be the same as witchcraft.

However, as I read & reread the Psalms, I saw that David was a man of war & he would call down the wrath of God against his enemies. I have come to realize that David's natural enemies represent our spiritual enemies. The Old Testament saints were under the law & in the flesh. Because we are not under the law but grace & because we have a new & better covenant, we have the ability to walk in the Spirit & battle in the Spirit.

Push Back Darkness

Whenever I am confronted with a problem I first pray the following warfare scriptures & push back the powers of darkness over the situation & then I find I can hear clearly from the Lord how to pray specifically & which spirits to bind. Remember, our job is to do warfare against Satan & his demons, not against a person. Listed below are warfare scriptures to pray against Satan & his forces of darkness. Ps. 101:8, "Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked of the land; I will cut off every evil doer from the city of the Lord." There are many other scriptures in Psalms & Job to pray also. Ask the Lord to enlighten you & give you revelation about which scriptures to pray.

Warfare Scriptures

We do not want to waste time dealing with symptoms. Our goal is to get to the root of the problem. Matt. 12.29 says, "How can one enter into a strongman's house & spoil his goods, except he first bind the strongman? And then He will spoil his house." Ask God to give you the names of the strongmen over your area, city & family.

Bind the Strongman: Psalm 76:12, Psalm 83:11-17, Psalm 149:8

Loose Confusion on the Enemy: Matthew 12:25, Judges 7:21-22, Psalm 55:9, Psalm 70:2-3, Psalm 109:29

Loosing the Whirlwind of the Lord upon Demons: Jeremiah 23:19, Nahum 1:3, Isaiah 40:24, Isaiah 41:16

Army of God

Covenant Keepers has become an army across this nation, fighting real battles against real enemies: "The evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world, & against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world." (Eph. 6:12 TLB) God has given us His armor to wear and the sword of the spirit which is His Word. Therefore, "be ye strong and let not your hands be weak; for your work shall be rewarded." (2 Chron. 15:7)

"Prepare for war, wake up the mighty men." (Joel 3:6)

Seventh Year Harvest

by Dennis Patterson

I clearly remember the turning point in my life. I was reminiscing, sitting in a coffee bar inside the club where I was employed as a musician. To the observer my life may have appeared to be exciting. I had fulfilled a boyhood dream to be a professional musician and was now working with the country's leading pop and rock stars. Every night was soaked with fast music, bright lights, large crowds, and generous sums of money. I may have been the envy of many young people, but despite my seemingly exciting life style, inside I was slowly sinking. I was struggling with loneliness and emptiness that life in the fast lane could not satisfy.

As I sipped coffee, I must have appeared a lonely figure in the dim light. Two years had passed since my marriage had hopelessly broken down. My thoughts turned to the Sunday night I returned home from the band to find a heart-breaking note from my wife that spoke of her despair and inability to carry on as a wife and mother. My two little girls had been left sleeping in their room, unaware of the pain and hardship that would lay ahead for us all. Joy had called a close friend to watch the children until I had returned from work. My thoughts drifted to the nights of dragging myself up the stairs in the wee hours of the morning, carrying my young daughters from the baby sitters. I knew that this life style was not in their best interest. I loved them deeply. They were all I had.

I thought of the lonely months after our marriage had ended and how I had searched for companionship in other relationships. I was beginning to realize that all this was contributing to my guilt and confusion. As I sat in the coffee bar that night, I tried to prepare myself for another night of performing, yet I was deeply troubled by thoughts of how things used to be. I drifted to the days of my youth when I attended a church youth group program on Friday nights... and to how, at 12, I went forward one night at a youth rally in Sydney's Town Hall. England's best batsman, Rev. David Shepherd spoke about knowing Jesus Christ as a friend and savior. I thought of the fun, joy and innocence of those days. As I reflected on all this, a dull ache came into my heart to return to that boyhood relationship that I had had with Jesus.

As I looked up and around there was a sea of faces, the noise of poker machines, and that ever present smell of smoke and spilt alcohol. The turmoil inside of me was more than I could bear. I finally stood up, walked to the foyer and telephoned an old Christian friend.

"Could you come to church with me tonight? I really want to go to church . . . can you meet me?" As I drove away from the club, I remember feeling a strong beckoning in my heart. Nothing could have stopped me or convinced me to turn back. I was going to church and I felt as if God was drawing me.

As I walked down the aisle, people were singing loud praises to God. The preacher beamed a smile at me. There was warmth all around and my spirit was immediately lifted. It felt like a joyous home coming. I was ready to give everything over to God. I knelt down and prayed, "Dear Lord Jesus, forgive me for running my own life. I just want to return to the relationship I had with you. I don't care what it takes, but I am now willing to do things your way, if you would only put my life back together." The prodigal had come home.

From that night things changed. I tendered my resignation from the band the next day. Within a week I had agreed for a pastor and his wife to begin a Bible study in my house. I invited a group of young teens from a rock group I had been managing to come. The next week we all went to hear Billy Graham speak and the entire band accepted Christ as their Savior. I began to attend church and to read the Bible again on a regular basis and as the months passed, I became stronger in my spirit. There were days where I fell back, but it seemed for every step backward, God would take me two steps forward.

Around this time I was in a relationship with another Christian girl and friends were encouraging me to consider remarrying. But I felt God was speaking to me to restore my relationship with my wife, Joy. So I broke off the relationship and decided to remain unattached. God was giving me a vision to pray for healing and restoration for the wife of my youth.

Once I left professional playing, I diverted my energies to my two daughters and a music teaching position I had taken up at a local high school. Through the school Christian fellowship I began to share my love and enthusiasm for Jesus and several of my students found their own personal relationship with Christ.

God was also blessing my work at the school. A musical I had written and produced was gaining national media attention and many prominent musicians and educators came to visit my school music programs.

However, there were still many lonely days when I would watch the sun go down, feeling a chill in my soul. My daughters and I kept praying for Joy and we regularly wrote to her. I was now missing her terribly. On several occasions I felt an overwhelming need to find her. And so I would set out to drive interstate, not knowing exactly where to locate her. Miraculously God would bring her across my path. Once we stopped opposite one another at the same traffic lights on a busy highway in Queensland. When this was repeated six months later at the same traffic lights, I knew God was dramatically answering our prayers.

One Christmas eve I drove with a friend to Queensland in search of Joy. I was hardly prepared for the amazing encounter that was about to unfold. On the first night, as we arrived at the main gates of a Gold Coast camping ground, I became very restless, jumped from the car and set off to find a telephone. Perhaps I was thinking that my children, now in the care of my mother, may be in special need. Several people were waiting to use the phone. I was about to turn back when someone came out of the phone booth and looked at me strangely - as if he recognized me. Instinctively, I followed him. But after turning down two streets I lost him in the dark. In the fading light I could see a motor vehicle parked in the driveway near to where I was standing. A tree had partially blocked it's view. My heart was pounding as I read the number plate and realized that this was my wife's car.

Many other equally miraculous encounters followed over the years. It seemed like every six months God would unsettle me and challenge me to find Joy. The circumstances were way beyond coincidence. To this day Joy and I marvel at how God did it.

In 1983 I was awarded an overseas scholarship to study music at an American university. Nearly seven years had now passed since my wife and I had separated. I managed to find her again in Queensland to gain clearance so my daughters could travel with me to the US. In August of 1983 we boarded a jet and left Australia.

Life in the USA was wonderful. I managed to enroll at a Christian university in Cedarville, Ohio, and we made many new friends. My daughters attended a nearby school and God provided a house for us to live in. Though many years had now passed, my daughters and I regularly prayed together for their mother. In late October of 1983, the entire university came together for a half day of prayer. Many people prayed for Joy and my family on that day. I didn't know at that very moment God was bringing Joy to a point of conversion.

Two weeks later we made our way down to Virginia for our first southern style Thanksgiving meal. We attended a little country church for a special Thanksgiving service where Jim, the friend we were traveling with, shared his concern for my estranged wife. He broke down and wept as he asked the church to pray for my family. I was somewhat surprised by his compassion which resulted in the entire church earnestly praying for Joy. The next day was Thanksgiving - a time when Americans traditionally celebrate God's goodness in giving them a harvest. As we prepared for the meal a telephone call came for me from Australia. When I picked up the telephone, I heard Joy's voice, "Dennis," she said, "I have found the Lord!" I had never heard her sound so joyously happy. The tremendous significance of this moment overwhelmed me. We both wept in joy as she related all that had happened. After seven years of rebellion, God had lovingly, gently turned Joy around, just as He had done to me. Joy was now ready to come home.

During those lonely years my daughters and I often comforted one another with our favorite family verse - Psalm 126 - which says, "Those who sow tears shall reap joy. Yes they that go out weeping, carrying seed for sowing will return singing carrying their harvest with them." The Thanksgiving meal that followed took on new meaning to us. That afternoon my daughters and I walked among the harvest leaves of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, shouting praises to God.

Four weeks later, on the eve of Christmas, during a heavy snow storm, I met Joy at the Kansas City Airport with a warm coat and a dozen roses. We were both ready in God's strength to rebuild our lives together.

Joy's testimony will be posted next month.