The Wolves are Raiding the Flock!

Right now it's 3:30 AM and I'm at my dad's.  He took me to see a doctor yesterday and today I have to go to the hospital for my infusion of Remicade.  Today is the last day of the loading dose.....and my dosing will either be every month or every two months....depending on what my doctor decides is necessary.  That is why Remicade is good....It has flexible dosing so the med can be tailored to the needs of the patient. And factors like weight also will affect the dose.

In March or April  I will be having surgery on my fused ankle, to take out the hardware. I am hoping that this will greatly reduce the amount of pain I have in my ankle.  However the surgeon said she thinks that it is just the PsA causing all this pain. That would be very bad news and leads me to ask "Why did I go through the immensely painful surgery a year and a half ago---if the ankle was just going to keep on hurting?"  My other ankle is also crying out for help.  But I will not have it fused. That just was NOT a good solution.

I went to church last Sunday...It was the first time in three months that I'd felt well enough to go.As I sat there...I looked around the room at the faces of this faith family, whom I love. I saw such pain....angry, hurting, sad faces.  Some people I know what they have been struggling with.  With others it is just a mystery.  But the truth was that there was heavy oppression in that room.  I could not hear the sermon, I could not sing...all I could do was lift up these people to the Father. Because I had not been attending , this level of pain took me by surprise.   And  my heart broke for my pastor because he truly loves the Lord and has poured himself out in service to our congregation.  And it has been a time of great difficulty for him.  Struggling with resistance from the enemy and the self-ness of people; with apathy and coldness of heart.  I am glad I attended...It was a wake up call to me.  Our church is not healthy.  There is dire danger.  The enemy has more than a toe hold and I fear that pastor's energy and encouragement will fail.  I have promised the pastor, myself, and the Lord that I will begin to take the task of warfare more seriously.  I will also attempt to fast.

Something has  got to give way. 
Mt 11:12 ISV

“From the days of John the Baptist until the present, the kingdom from heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people have been attacking it,

 

That verse can be understood in two manners, both of them true.  When the Kingdom advances there are violent beings - both human and spiritual- whose goal it is is to steal, kill, and destroy God's Kingdom and these forces must be resisted on the same plane as from which they have been waging war against God's people. That means that spiritual beings must be fought "with weapons not made by hands" but by prayer, intercession, Spiritual battle and fasting.

And the other manner in which this verse is true is this:

AMPC

And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].

 

And this means basically that anything worth having in a spiritual sense must be obtained by an effort of energy extended in that direction. And because there are powerful beings OPPOSED to your effort to obtain heavenly bounty, it takes energy and yes, violence, to wrest this from the enemy and to capture and protect the spiritual blessings that God desires his Church to own as a spiritual possession.  

Jesus said :I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

 Mt 16:19

 We hold the keys. As any psych patient can tell you, the thing that separates "us" from "them" are the collection of keys worn on the belt of the staff.   Keys denote authority and also freedom. We have heavenly authority.  But we will never use it in a beneficial manner until we begin to understand what is at risk.  The enemy plays for keeps...so must we.  The enemy's onslaught never takes  a rest.  Neither must we.  The thing is that we are "playing keeps" for something that is already ours." Y'shua already has paid for and purchased these blessings and rights to the Kingdom...however should our grip loosen; Should our eyes droop and our attention flag, the enemy is right there-moving in and stealing what is not his.  He is ready and willing to take it by violent force.  

Wake up, Church!!  Get broken before the Lord...confess your sins and your lethargy.  Pray for strength in battle.  You intercessors, this is a a wake up call.  The fox is in the vineyard.  The false shepherd and the wolf are raiding the flock. 

Call on the Shepherd and then pick up the weapons God has given you and join the battle!