And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
Observation
What triggers demonic attacks against you, your dream, your vision, your calling, your business, your family, your church, or your ministry? What makes the devil so upset that he rises up to resist you and your efforts? If God chose you and He sends you out, why do you experience so many difficulties along the way to your goal of fulfilling all He has called you to do? This was the very expereince of the Korean mission team, wasn't it?
In 2 Timothy 2:11-12, Paul gives us incredible insight into what triggers a demonic attack.
The word suffer is the Greek word pascho, and first and foremost it means to suffer as a result of outside
forces or outside circumstances. It could include physical suffering due to persecution; mental suffering due to outside pressures; financial suffering due to monetary hardships; or any inconvenience that stems from something outside of oneself or outside of one's control. Thus, the word pascho would depict any suffering or inconvenience due to forces beyond oneself.
When Paul wrote this verse, he was in Rome, sitting in a prison cell, awaiting his own execution, and being accused of crimes that he had not committed. Because Satan couldn't find a way to personally destroy Paul because God had a hedge around him, the enemy was manipulating outside forces against Paul and his ministry. The apostle's situation had been created by outside pressures that had nothing to do with himself but that the devil had orchestrated to use against him.
Satan was terrified of Paul's calling! The reason Paul was recurrently attacked is that the devil was fearful of the enormous progress Paul would make if he didn't face opposition. Paul let us know that his anointing, his calling, and his potential were the factors that triggered these demonic attacks. It's almost as though Paul was saying, Do you want to know why I've suffered so many crazy things during the course of my ministry? Because I am appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
The reason Paul was never defeated by these attacks is that he had made a decision. He decided he would not stop or give up until he completed all that God has given him to do. Likewise, the only way we will be able to resist the devil's attacks and successfully achieve all God has called us to do is by determining never to stop until we have accomplished our divine assignment. Jesus taught that those who endure to the end are the ones who will receive the prize. (Matthew 24:3)
Application
This morning the Straits Times reported the release of the 12 of the 19 Korean hostages by the Taliban. This was after the Korean government had made negotiations with the Taleban to not allow missionary activity in Afghanistan anymore! But the newspaper reported the Church in South Korea saying this:
"South Korean Protestant organisations hinted that missionary activities would go on even as they supported the deal.
'We respect the government's agreement with the Taleban and will devise more effective and safer ways to carry out missionary activities abroad,' said the Korea National Council of Churches in a statement."
If you want to overcome all the attacks the devil tries to wage against you through outside forces, you will have to be determined to outlast every attack! Determination is a key factor in finishing one's race of faith.
Of course, no one can successfully resist the devil's attacks without the power of the Holy Spirit, but neither is the power of the Holy Spirit enough by itself. For that power to be effective, it must work in a committed, determined people. God's power works in people who have a resolve. It works proficiently through people who have decided they will never turn back until the assignment is finished. God delights in using people who are steadfast and unmoving in their conviction, tenacious and diehard in their commitment. He takes pleasure in those who have stamina, spunk, and a dogged determination to hold on to the vision He put in their hearts.
The most common reason people don't make it all the way to the end is that they weren't totally committed to completing the task assigned to them. Maybe they tried it or gave it a shot, but their commitment wasn't strong enough, and that's why they didn't make it.
There are many things Satan can do to try to elbow us out of the race, but the only one who can decide to quit is you or me. Satan can't make us quit. That choice lies in our hands alone.
If you make the decision to stay in faith and slug it out with the power of God at your side, you can do exactly what God called you to do. But you must begin with a rock-solid, hard-core decision to do it, do it, and keep doing it until it's done. Make any lesser choice, and you will never fulfill your God-given purpose.
Bravo to the Korean Church!
Prayer
Lord, help me stay focused on my calling and remain determined to do what You've told me to do, even if I am assaulted by outside forces that seem to be beyond my control. I know the devil hopes to slow me down or even to stop me by orchestrating outside pressures to come against me. But I also know that Your Spirit works mightily in me, giving me all the power I need to resist every assault the devil tries to bring against me. Help me to be completely determined and committed to keep pushing ahead and to never let go until I've accomplished my God-given mission!
I pray this in Jesus' name!
