Do you feel ambushed?  Does it seem that suddenly, the enemy has come out from behind the bushes and hit you from all directions?  If so, you are not alone.  Every direction I turn, I hear a similar story.

Just in the past week, my car died (and I mean died!), I had a gallbladder attack that will most likely lead to surgery, every known problem that you can have while remodeling a bathroom has occurred, and every time I answer my phone or email, I hear a similar story from my family.

Marriages are under attack, health issues are taking place from the young to the old, financial difficulties, job loss, etc.  What is going on?

It is always darkest before the dawn!  Whenever the heat has been turned up you can safely know that breakthrough is right around the corner.  Satan wants you to give up before it occurs.  If he hasn’t gotten you to give up yet, he is making one last super push to derail you!  He can see around the corner.  He knows it is coming.  He doesn’t want any of us to fulfill our purpose, to live our dream, to have breakthrough in our finances, relationships, or health.  If he can keep our mind occupied with difficulties, he can succeed at blocking our victory.

How do you combat the enemy? 

Step 1 – With the Word of God!  Begin speaking the truth!  What does God say about your circumstance?  By His stripes you ARE healed! Jesus has come that you may have life and have it more abundantly!  Pull out your sword and use it!  A weapon does no good if you don’t use it!  Consider a soldier in battle that keeps his rifle thrown over his shoulder but yet fails to aim it and pull the trigger.  Did this weapon profit him?  Pull the Bible off the shelf, blow the dust off, and aim it at the enemy.  Speak it!

Step 2 – Praise God for what He has done and is doing!  Praise Him no matter the circumstances.  He is bigger than your circumstances.  Praise Him for breakthrough – because breakthrough IS coming.  Praise Him for restored relationships, financial breakthrough, healing, whatever you are waiting for.  Praise breaks the chains.  Praise Him when you don’t feel like it.

Step 3 – Action!  Begin to move towards your purpose!  It will meet you!  God created you for a particular purpose, He made you with all of the talents and gifts you need in order for you to fulfill it, and He is waiting to empower you to achieve it!  But you must act!  You must exercise your faith in the One who created you.  Do you believe Him or not?  I call this truth in action!  If you believe He is truth, then act!

When you begin to tell yourself that you are the only one that is having these problems, look around!  Take focus off self and put it where it belongs.  On God!  Do you remember the song “He’s got the whole world in His hands…♫”?  Do you believe it or was it just a cute song you sang when you were a kid?  If you believe it, then your problems certainly didn’t knock God off the throne.  He is bigger than all of the problems that Satan is throwing at you.  You just have to remember that!  Satan wants to get your attention diverted to stuff!  If he can keep you from following the 3 steps I listed, he has achieved his goal of  preventing your breakthrough.  No vision, no purpose…just you, beaten down and defeated!  Don’t give Satan a reason to rejoice!

Hang on!

“You’re closer than you think”!