The Message is Getting Stronger Part 4 – The Devil’s Scheme

If you have not followed the crisis in my church, I guess it is not important to understand in detail what happened. It is important to understand the devil’s scheme.

It is written in John 10:10
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The enemy comes to STEAL our focus from God, it takes away our joy when we hear of our loved ones suffering (one after another), STEALs our time from God to fix problems in church, STEALs our time from God to care for the sick, KILLs whether physically or spiritually and DESTROYs unity when we have in-fighting.

And like cancer spreading to every part of me, the “cancer” also spreads from one person’s disobedience to the entire church! You see, church is not a building. Church is the family of believers, they are people like you and me. You look at me and you may think that I am hardly disobedient but if you have read my blog from the beginning, you can see I have taken my focus away from God. If everyone does that, are you surprised that our church is lukewarm?

Maybe it is clearer if I explain it in a cell group context.

After CCF, things weren’t going so well in our cell group. It is encouraging to see one cell member increase in faith every year and this brought encouragement to us but we were never “on fire” TOGETHER. Spiritually, we took turns to grow and backslide. We would have an additional member or two but loose them along the way. Some days, we are unable to meet because the children fall sick. Last Friday, we are unable to meet because three kids from three families were unwell. Some days, the adults fall sick or are away. We push prayer to the last and then hope that a leader can pray for all our needs rather than to break up into smaller groups to pray. As leaders, we get discouraged but persevere on. I was unaware that I was ministering wrongly. I was taking disappointments and burden upon myself unknowingly. Although we lift our cares to God, our prayers seem powerless. We lack the confidence of what He can do in our lives.

That’s because the enemy destroys our faith in God, destroys our understanding that we are actually very powerful for those who believe. We must understand the reality of the devil’s scheme. Once we have understood the reality of attacks from the enemy and turn our focus to God and seek forgiveness for NOT PUTTING HIM FIRST, we must also realize this….It is not our battle. The battle belongs to God.

In 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17, it is written:
15 He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.
17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'

On 7 July 2009, I wrote in my journal. “Prayed - God revealed Ephesians and James.” I knew about Ephesians 6 but it didn’t sink in. Like most of us, it just passes over our head. Last Saturday, Tammy and Richard shared that God’s word for me is Eph 6, James 4:7 and Matthew 4: 1-11. Their message to me really woke me up.

During this journey, I can feel the devil attacking me with lies after lies, putting doubts into me, giving me fear. Now, I am wiser as I know fear is not from God. Thankfully also, with King Wai and Hamir’s advise, I quickly grab the bible to read His word again. It is good to keep it somewhere easily accessible at all times. I normally go to Psalms first. Like Hamir said, “Isn’t it amazing how when you read God’s promises they are all positive and when you get feedback from the world about your condition, it is negative.” Even during the prayer sessions, I saw a flashing silhouette of witchcraft three times. There was a man next to me was crying aloud for me out of compassion. He later told me he cries when he sees “dirty things”. Another prayer session, Barnabas told me he saw the devil say “Don’t move!”. During Tammy’s prayer for me, she started to speak in tongues and later she related that normally it would not sound so warfare like. After Tammy and Richard’s sharing, I was quite afraid but all they told me is TO STAND FIRM and PUT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD. The battle belongs to God. Once we have done everything, we are to stand firm with the armor of God. Isn’t that reassuring. Ethan loves wearing his knight gear. At the CCF camp recently he surprised Brandon that he could name all the gears. The children did a craft on the armor of God and now I have it stuck on my fridge door to remind me daily.

Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Tammy also shared the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4: 1-11 and James 7. She said “Did you know why the devil stopped tempting Jesus after only 3 trials. The devil could go on and on. The reason is because THE DEVIL WAS DEFEATED! Each time, Jesus just answered back with the word of God.

Three times he rebuked the devil and referred to the bible
"It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
"It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
“For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.

No wonder every time I feel doubtful, I find so much comfort from reading His word. The devil knows and FLEAS immediately.

James 4: 7
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.


Jesus has overcome the world by his death on the cross. The devil cannot touch us. It can only hurl lies and doubts at us. Hamir taught me to cover my ears now and then and to pray, “Protect my mind and cover it with fire to burn up all the lies of the devil so that I can only hear God’s words”.

Neil Andersen once asked us to imagine us walking on a straight path to God and to imagine a row of shops on the left and right of us. We are walking towards God and the devil hurls lies at us from afar, from the shop house window. Friends, we only need to walk straight.

Proverbs 3: 6 says:
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

This is only my cell group experience. If most of our cell groups experience the same struggle, aren’t we like cancer, building up burdens and disappointments, saying prayers but not with confidence as we have lost our understanding that our God is a living God. He wants us to return to Him and he will give us life, HEALING WILL QUICKLY COME. We will cry to him, and He will hear us. Stop the cancer spreading, turn to God, fall on your knees. Let the devil flea immediately.