This Is How I Fight My Battles (cont'd)

Just operate like Jesus. Say, Lord, everywhere I go, whatever is needed there, I'm a vessel you can use.

I don't have my own agenda. I want to do your will. That's how God will bless you. Do the will of God. Commit to doing the will of God everywhere you are. The minute you decide to do God's will, the enemy will show up and try to stop you. Hello and thanks for being here for today's Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor of Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

For the past few weeks we've been studying the life of Elisha, the Old Testament prophet. It's been a great journey and it continues today as Pastor Paul shows us how to find victory in our spiritual war against the powers of darkness. Stay with us now or visit pastorpaul.net where you can listen to today's message or any recent message on demand. That's pastorpaul.net.

Now, here is Pastor Paul with today's Destined for Victory message, This is How I Fight My Battles. Years ago, I was at a meeting. This is my first pastorate. I was at a meeting and I was very frustrated with the worship life of my church, very frustrated. It was growing and all the good things were happening, but I was frustrated. I have a certain palette for worship and I don't like worship that comes far short of that. And I was going through a real season of struggle with that particular area of our ministry, despite the growth that was beginning to happen.

This was the late 90s. And I went to a meeting and one night there was a pastor who has a strong prophetic gift and so he preached the word and then afterwards he said, I want to minister to all the pastors who are here. And he had us stand along the front of the church and he stood one by one in front of each of us and began to give the word of the Lord. And when he got to me, I had never met him. When he got to me, I had my hands up, my eyes closed. I was just waiting to see whatever the Lord was going to say to me as he was speaking to the other pastors about the circumstances in their lives. And he said, you are very frustrated about worship at your church. My eyes popped open.

Who told that man this? I did. I stopped closing my eyes. After that, I just looked at him. I was like, okay, what you're reading from?

What is this? I mean, he just knew exactly. The night before, because this church where he was ministering has strong praise and worship and he was the second night speaker. First night I was there and the worship was so powerful and I went back to my hotel mad. I said, God, that's what I want.

I can't have that. And the second night, this man looks at me and says, you are very frustrated about worship in your church. He said, but God is teaching you how to love people in spite of. He's teaching you how to be a shepherd who can handle that level of disappointment. And he started talking and I just spoke right into that thing.

I said, my goodness. Listen, word of knowledge is real. It's one of the gifts in the body of Christ. Some prophetic people can just speak right. And that same prophet that night, he looked at one pastor. He said, I hear you having a conversation in which you are saying. And he told him about this conversation. And the pastor started laughing.

And he said, I just had that conversation earlier in the week. And God had given it to a prophet. So y'all who don't believe in the current expression of sign gifts like word of knowledge and all that, don't believe in them. You won't get a word. Don't worry about it. You won't get one.

But I'm here to tell you there is a gift thing some people in the body of Christ can be given and God will give them very clear details. Because spiritual warfare is real. And it's part of how we fight our battles. So point number one was acquaint yourself with the enemy. Point number two is disrupt the enemy's plans as much as possible.

Disrupt the enemy's plans as much as possible. I'm talking about Elisha. Elisha knew his job was to do damage to what the enemy wanted to do against the people of God. And so this gifting, see God doesn't gift you so that you can be special. God gifts you so that you can be a blessing. That's the only kind of gifting God approves when he makes you a blessing to other people. You who are stuck up because of your gifts, you don't get it. The gifts are for other people.

The gifts are for you. They flow through you to bless other people. And so quit tripping because God used you. Humble yourself. Say, Lord, thank you that you count me worthy to be a vessel that you can use.

And so disrupt the enemy's plans as much as possible. That's your job. Whatever gifting you are, whatever gifting you have, in any way that you're gifted by God, use it to advance the kingdom of God. Use it to bless other people, both people in the church and people outside of the church. God will use you and your spiritual and natural gifts to bless people who aren't saved.

Why? Because how are they going to know the goodness of God unless somebody is good to them? Just understand this.

It's all strategic. The goodness of God leads people to repentance. So what good are you doing to help people in the name of the Lord? If you're sitting around on your blessed assurance, you're not helping nobody. So you got to get out there and bless somebody, help somebody. Meet their need.

Well, they're not saved. Well, as you meet the need, perhaps the Lord will give you an opportunity to share with them who the Lord is. But you got to understand we are gifted in order to be a blessing. And so anything the enemy wants, he comes to kill, steal, and destroy, then you've got to work exactly against that. And you've got to give life and you've got to bless and enhance and strengthen and encourage.

None of those things will ever be done by the enemy. So whatever the devil wants, you say, well, how do I know how God wants to use me? Just look at what the devil's doing around you and do the opposite. Say, Lord, give me strength.

Give me gifting. Sometimes God will use you in a gif in a single session that you never are used in again. Just because it's not a resident gifting you doesn't mean God can't use you to do it. I don't flow in gifts of knowledge all the time, but I've had several instances where I gave somebody a word of knowledge and I didn't even know that was coming. And they say, who told you that?

I say, I don't know. But after a while, I came to realize I do know God did it, and he knew you would be here where I would speak this word and that it would be just for you. And so you've got to be ready to disrupt the enemy's plans as much as possible. When you see the spirit of heaviness, you need to bring levity. Just because I'm countering what the enemy's doing, you see sorrow, you want to bring joy. You've seen confusion, you want to bring peace.

Don't jump into confusion and make it worse. You're there to influence people for Christ. He was a man of peace. He was a man that didn't bring judgment. He brought solutions, and look at how Jesus operated and operate like that.

You say, I want to be used in some of these signed gifts. Just operate like Jesus. Say, Lord, everywhere I go, whatever is needed there, I'm a vessel you can use.

I don't have my own agenda. I want to do your will. That's how God will bless you. Do the will of God. Commit to doing the will of God everywhere you are.

I want to be like Jesus. You remember when he met that woman at the well, and he started talking to her, talk about word of knowledge? He said, go get your husband. She said, I don't have one. He said, yeah, you're right.

You've had five men, and the one you're with now is not yours. What a word of knowledge. So you got to understand even about the way Jesus operated on earth. He was God in the flesh, but when he operated in his ministry, he didn't operate from divinity.

He operated as an example to us. That's why he prayed a lot, to get the Father to give him all the downloads he needed. And that's the same kind of download God can give you talking to somebody. And she said, I perceive that you are a prophet.

Well, yeah, now that I done called out your six men. And then they went on to have a talk, then she got religious. Well, our fathers worshiped on this mountain. And, you know, y'all have read John 4. You know, he said the day is coming.

In fact, it's here now when those who worship God won't be about a mountain where you are. You got to worship him in spirit and in truth. And he ministered to her, and by the time she went down off that hill, her life had been changed. And when the disciples came back, they came back because they knew that food was needed, and they came back thinking they're going to feed Jesus, and he's already acting strong.

And he says, where you get food? And he said, my meat is to do the will of him who sent me. Sometimes you can operate in an anointing that will give you strength just because you're letting God use you.

Now, that strength, you're going to have to eat because that strength goes away. Sometimes I preach powerfully on the anointing, and then after a while, like, where's the food, y'all? But you got to learn how to operate in the blessing of God.

Use the giftings that he's given you. Make a difference. Disrupt the enemy's plans. This week and in the rest of this month, the rest of this year, I want you to commit, God, I'm going to be involved in spiritual warfare by acquainting myself with what the enemy's doing. I'm going to pray against it, and I'm going to be disruptive every chance I get. If he's bringing hate, I'm bringing love. If he's bringing sorrow, I'm bringing joy. If he's bringing confusion, I'm bringing peace. I'm going to be a disruptive force everywhere I go. That's how you fight your battles.

You acquaint yourself with the enemy, and you disrupt the enemy's plans. All right, one more point, and I'm going to let you go. Look at verse 13. Go find where this prophet is, because the king said, okay, so a prophet's the one that's blowing my cover, so go find him, and I will send men to catch him. And they found out he's in Dothan. And look at verse 14.

He sent horses, chariots, a strong force there. If you've never had to keep living, if you get the enemy mad enough, he's going to send strong forces against you. But don't be afraid. Pastor Paul Shepherd will be right back with the second half of today's Destined for Victory message, entitled, This is How I Fight My Battles. Listen to the broadcasts on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net, and there you'll find a host of great resources as well at our online store. You can also listen on your mobile device by downloading our free Destined for Victory mobile app. Just search Destined for Victory in your app store and listen to Pastor Paul wherever you go. All believers in Christ are in a spiritual battle against an unseen enemy, but our faith and our focus should be on someone else. Here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's message, This is How I Fight My Battles.

Read the rest of this passage. They came by night, surrounded the city. They're setting up an attack.

Came at night, surrounding the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning, this is Gehazi, an army with horses and chariots have surrounded the city. Oh, no, my Lord, what shall we do? Gehazi asked. Look at verse 16.

Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And you know Gehazi said, Oh, he's finally gone over the hill.

Poor fellow. But look at verse 17. Elisha saw that the problem was Gehazi only saw what he saw. He said, so he prayed, Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.

Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Last point. Not only get acquainted with the enemy, not only disrupt what the enemy is doing, but point three, see beyond what the enemy is doing. Disrupt his plans, but now you got to see beyond what the enemy is doing.

You see that? So Aram's army now has surrounded this region of Dothan because they're not going to let Elisha escape. And Gehazi gets up early in the morning, opens the blinds, maybe whatever he did, saw all that, went outside, Oh, my goodness, they're getting ready to get us. And he said, Oh, what are we going to do? And a smile breaks out on Elisha's face. He's like, I enjoy a joke just like you do.

I don't see nothing funny here. And he said, that's because you don't see everything. Lord opened his eyes. I want to tell you to see beyond what the enemy's doing because beyond what the enemy's doing, God is at work. Yes, the enemy's doing what he's doing, but you see beyond it the provision of God. I see how the devil's trying to come against me, but what I got to see in the Spirit is what God's going to do about it. When we talk about living by faith, that's part of it.

God will show you what you can't see in the natural. I don't know if you remember in Acts 18, Paul on his missionary journey, this second missionary journey, and one of the places he covers in that journey is Corinth. And Corinth, we know it ended up being a place where God's people lived. Paul wrote two letters to them in the New Testament eventually. But in Acts 18, nobody's saved in Corinth but Paul and the team that go to town. And they begin ministering there. Well, long story short, read it when you get a chance.

The enemies, the people who resisted the message of Jesus Christ came against them and persecuted them, and they were just causing trouble for them. And Paul's thinking about leaving town because he's ministering in various regions. He said, I don't have to stay here. I'm leaving.

I've given them the Word of God, and life's difficult for me. I'm going to just get ready to leave. And before he concludes he's going to leave, God gives him a vision. And in the vision, the Lord says, Don't leave. Stay here. Don't be afraid.

I know they're coming against you, but don't be afraid. Then he gave him what I'm talking about here. He said, Because I have many people in this city. God saw many people in Corinth when none of them were saved.

You know why? Corinth was an ungodly city, but it was also a religious city, and they combined both. They combined the ungodliness and the religion. In Corinth, there were at least 12 temples, none of them to Jehovah, but to various so-called deities.

The most infamous of the city's temples was dedicated to the goddess of love. It featured 1,000 prostitutes. Imagine you're going to, quote, unquote, worship, and the prostitutes are the ushers. This is the world the church was born in. That's why I'm trying to help Christians today who are all troubled, because America's no longer a Christian nation, and I'm trying to help them.

Bless your heart. It was never a Christian nation. All the founders were deist and theist. They certainly honored deity and that sort of thing, but this wasn't founded on Jesus, and so now you're all troubled. Oh, we're lost, and we're lost.

No. This is the same kind of world Paul and them came to. We're back to first century AD. I know you don't want to be, but we're there. Heathens everywhere. Come on, somebody. Heathens everywhere. Guess what? That's why you're there.

Ain't nobody save on my job. Good, you're going to start the revival. You got to understand, God has us strategically placed for such a time as this. 1,000 prostitutes in the temple to the goddess of love, so you go there and worship and have sex.

You understand what I'm saying? And that's the city Paul was sent to. There was another temple dedicated to Apollo, the Greek god Apollo, and then at this temple in Corinth, there were young men whose job was to fulfill the sexual desires of both male and female worshipers. That's Corinth. So the city, it came to be known for its immorality. They were notorious for that, so much so that a Greek verb was coined to Corinthianize.

That meant buck wild. We're going to Corinthianize tonight. The Greek philosopher Plato referred to a prostitute by using the term Corinthian girl.

Plato, write in your books. When he talked about a loose girl, he called her a Corinthian. So that's the city Paul's thinking about leaving. God says, stay here, keep preaching.

I'm not going to let anybody harm you in this city because I have many people here and you've got to take them the word. God looks at a bunch of show-nuff heathens and says, I got a lot of my people in here. God's looking at them.

He look at your family. You know all them Corinthians in your family. God said, oh, yeah, I got some folk in there. Y'all, come on now, you got Corinthians on your job. You got Corinthians in your family, your family reunion, all that stuff.

God said, that's why I have you here. Quit decrying the darkness and turn on the light. Quit telling people they're going to hell and tell them about Jesus. Well, what if they don't receive it?

Not everybody's going to receive it, but that doesn't mean you don't bring them the light and not only preach, love them. I can't stand being right on that weed. Just make sure you don't stay where you can get a contact. You got to be a little wise with it. Bottom line is God has us in strategic warfare, and this is how I fight my battles. I become acquainted with the enemy. I disrupt his plans every chance I get, and I make sure that I am going to also see beyond. Don't just look at what you see. Look at what's past what you see. Say, Lord, open my eyes. Let me see what you see.

Sometimes you got to pray over your kids like that. Lord, I see what I want to knock upside the head, but help me to see what you see. Some days, Lord, I feel like almost catching the case, some of y'all would say, but help me to see what you see. And help me to operate in your love because you have given me victory in warfare, and I want to fight the good fight of faith. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. If you are in a battle today and you can't see what God is doing, be thankful because that's when you have an opportunity to demonstrate your faith. Thanks so much for being here for today's Destined for Victory message, This is How I Fight My Battles. Look for any of Pastor Paul's recent messages online on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. All of us at Destined for Victory believe in the power of prayer, and today we'd like to pray for you. So if you're in need of prayer, visit pastorpaul.net and use the contact feature at the top of the home page to share your request with us. And while you're there, be sure to ask for Pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement, yours at no cost or obligation.

Here's something else for you. In appreciation of your generous gift today, Pastor Paul will send you his booklet, Caregivers Need Care Too. Some people are so busy caring for other people, their children, their older parents perhaps, a friend in need, that they sometimes lose sight of the fact that they need a little help themselves from time to time. This booklet is a welcome reminder that people like that need our assistance and our care. Again, that's Caregivers Need Care Too, a booklet from Pastor Paul and our gift to you this month by request for your generous gift to Destined for Victory. Call 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.

You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538. When you're in spiritual warfare and the devil knows he was defeated on Calvary, doesn't mean he's not going to be coming for you all the way to the grave. I need you to understand that because he can't cut off your walk with the Lord, but he can sure try to make you miserable on your way to Heaven. That's next time when Pastor Paul Shepherd shares his message when the battle rages on. But until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ you are Destined for Victory.