Paul had to deal with a man who was in the congregation and was in sin. The man had to be rebuked for his sin and he responded through repentance. Once he repented the congregation needed to forgive him and no longer allow unforgiveness to cause separation. Spiritual warfare it not restricted to the unsaved but includes those believers who are being deceived by the adversary’s cunning devices and schemes.
Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians chapter 2:
11 so that we would not be exploited by the adversary, Satan, for we know his clever schemes.
The adversary will use unforgiveness as a wedge to keep us from walking in unity. Moses wrote by THE SPIRIT in Leviticus chapter 17:
15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
17 ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
Paul was well aware of the above passage and he reaffirmed FATHER’S Divine Intent toward the brother who strayed from the Word. We must always be in the restoration business rather than judging others ourselves.
We are in the latter days referred to in the Book of Daniel where The Holy Spirit revealed in chapter 8:
23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
Having fierce features,
Who understands sinister schemes.
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully,
And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the Holy people.
25 “Through his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;
But he shall be broken without human means.
26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future.”
We see the rise of the cunningness of the adversary in these days. Jesus referred to this time in Mark 13 when He spoke the following:
14 “When you witness what Daniel prophesied, ‘the disgusting destroyer,’ standing where it must not be[Let the reader learn what it means]”
We must not disregard or underestimate the cunningness of the devil as we walk out our lives. If we fail to pay attention to the warnings of Jesus, we will not walk in full victory.
Jesus spoke the above when He was counseling the disciples earlier in this chapter:
3 Later, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the temple, his disciples, Peter, Jacob, John, and Andrew, came to Him privately where He was sitting and said, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what supernatural sign should we expect to signal Your coming and the completion of this age?”
5 Jesus answered, “At that time deception will run rampant. So beware that you’re not fooled! 6 For many will appear on the scene claiming my authority or saying about themselves, ‘I am God’s Anointed,’ and they will lead many astray. 7 You will hear rumors of wars nearby, with more rumors of wars to come. Make sure that you are not thrown into a panic or give in to your fears, for these things are destined to happen. Prepare for it, but still the end is not yet. 8 For nations will go to war against each other and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be terrible earthquakes in place after place—seismic events of epic proportion. And there will be famines and riots. This is how the first contractions and birth pains of the new age will begin.”
9 “Be on your guard! For they will repeatedly hand you over to the ruling councils, and you will be beaten in public gatherings. And you will stand trial before kings and high-ranking governmental leaders as an opportunity to testify to them on My behalf. 10 But prior to the end of the age, the hope of the Gospel must first be preached to all nations.
11 “So when they put you under arrest and hand you over for trial, don’t even give one thought about what you will say. Simply speak what the Holy Spirit gives you at that very moment. And realize that it won’t be you speaking but the Holy Spirit repeatedly speaking through you.”
We must heed the Words of Jesus: Be prepared, be on guard, and don’t be fooled. These writings focused on spiritual warfare are given to us by The Holy Spirit as a confirmation of what Jesus is saying concerning the time we are now in. The swamp has been drained and the spirit of deception has been exposed. What happens when such exposure occurs? Jesus revealed it in the above passage. Fear not! Be led by The Holy Spirit and He will navigate you through this time in history. The spirit of deception is no match for The Holy Spirit!
We must understand that there will be immature believers who aren’t equipped to deal with such deception. As stated previously, deception in its purest form is when a person doesn’t know he or she is deceived. The mature Sons and Daughters will expose such deception as led by The Holy Spirit. We must rebuke the person in Agape Love and forgive him or her when he or she responds through repentance. We are to promote unity when given the opportunity.
As stated in Psalm 91, those of us who walk in Agape Love will always be shielded from harm. This is why I believe it is imperative to walk in the fullness of revelation concerning Agape Love. Paul knew this when he wrote of the preeminence of Agape Love in 1st Corinthians chapter 13. Jesus expressed the importance of Love in John chapter 14:
23 Jesus replied, “Loving Me empowers you to obey My Word. And My Father will Love you so deeply that We will come to you and make you Our dwelling place. 24 But those who don’t Love Me will not obey My Words. The Father did not send Me to speak My own revelation, but the Words of my Father.”
We will be fully prepared to deal with the cunning devices and schemes of the adversary as we walk fully in Agape Love!