Don’t Let Satan Block Your Punch

When I was in middle school, Rodney was our neighborhood “Karate Kid.” Although he was only in high school, he held multiple black belts and could work nunchucks like nobody’s business.

I remember asking him to teach me some karate moves. After he agreed, he calmly told me to punch him in the face as fast and hard as I could.

I pretended that I wasn’t going to, and then suddenly I threw my 12-year-old fist of fury right toward his nose.

His arm went up in a flash, and he barely blocked my punch. I missed his face by a mere inch.

Then, like a karate sensei, he leaned in and whispered my first lesson: “Greg, you don’t need to use all your energy to block a punch. You just need to divert it by a few degrees.”

Lesson learned.

SATAN’S SUBTLE DEFLECTIONS

What’s true of karate is true of our attack against the kingdom of darkness.

How much of the church’s punch has been diverted by Satan by a few degrees?

Instead of advancing the Gospel, we advance the latest programs.

Instead of equipping the saints to go and make disciples, we challenge them to go to more meetings.

Instead of intercessory prayer for the lost, we pray only for our own lives, families, and agendas.

Instead of seeking to play our part in the Great Commission, we rely on missionaries to do it for us.

Instead of reaching out to co-workers, neighbors, family, and friends with the Gospel, we meet in small groups to talk about it.

HOW TO FIGHT BACK

We’re not here to just exegete the mission. We’re here to execute it.

We’re here to “equip God’s people for works of service,” which includes evangelism and disciple-making (Ephesians 4:11-12).

We’re here to “punch Satan in the nose” and rescue the lost people all around us that Satan has taken captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26).

Brothers and sisters, don’t let the devil block your punch.

Hit him hard, fast, and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:10-12).

And then be used by God to rescue every lost soul you can (Jude 23)!

Read more from Greg Stier »

This article originally appeared on gregstier.org and is reposted here by permission.

Greg Stier
Greg Stierhttp://Dare2Share.org

Greg Stier is the founder of Dare 2 Share, and has published over 20 books. His upcoming book is Radical Like Jesus: 21 Challenges to Live a Revolutionary Life (Tyndale).

Protecting the Generosity That Fuels the Church

Without strong checks and balances in place, financial teams could be at risk from bad actors who could steal data and potentially even donations.

Alive Church: Keeping Your Focus on the Power of God

During Sunday worship services, the church makes a point to celebrate how many people have been led to Christ.

Ready to Talk: Are Christians Speaking Truth to Our Culture?

It is easy to say our goal is to tell others about Jesus, but we often skip the step of asking God to make this possible.