Direct Action

Ephesians 6:11 “ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand up against the schemes of the devil.”

Direct means proceeding without interruption in a straight course or line without deviating or swerving: a direct route.
Action is an organized activity to accomplish an objective.

Direct action in the military is a surprise raid on an enemy location where deadly force is used to accomplish the desired outcome. This is a surprise attack or a preemptive strike on a position held by an enemy force with total destruction as the primary goal. Satan uses the direct action mission in his strategy. Satan is actively interested in attacking any believer that is becoming a threat. He saves this type of mission for the Spiritually maturing believer. Satan knows that he can’t get the mature believer with PSYOPS or cutting off his supply lines, so he must resort to direct action.

His objective in the direct action mission is to get the believer to blame God, lose trust in God, and ask God “why”. If Satan can get the believer to accuse God of being unfair, unloving, unable, unaccountable, unapproachable, unconscionable, and unbelievable, then he has succeeded in the direct action mission.

Satan, through his strategy and course of action, will press the attack on the Spiritually maturing believer because they are the most dangerous and most likely to exploit his weaknessand claim daily victory. God’s Word gives us a wonderful example of the Direct Action mission of Satan in the book of Job.

Job 1:13-17“ Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you. “While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

Job was a Spiritually mature believer! God told Satan, “there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Satan understood that Job would not be deceived by psychological operations, nor would he be distracted away from the Word by cutting off his supply lines. Satan was confident in the assumption that if he hit Job hard, fast, and continuous with a flurry of tragedy he would buckle under the pressure. The first thing Satan attacked was Job’s possessions. He wiped out Job’s livestock and servants in a matter of minutes in order to rattle him. In rapid succession, Job’s oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, and employees were taken away. This is a graphic picture of the direct action mission of Satan, but he is not finished with the attack. Satan was just prepping the battlefield.

Job 1:18-19 “While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

Before Job had enough time to react to the news that everything he owned had been literally destroyed, he received news of the death of his children. I can’t even begin to imagine the thoughts and feelings that were running through the mind of Job. This is a full-scale military assault on the life of a mature believer. Who could withstand this barrage of disaster? Guess what? Satan isn’t done yet!!

Job 2:7 “ Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

As if the loss of possessions, servants, and family were not enough, Satan now attacks Job’s health. Talk about a bad day!! What we have to understand is that if Satan requests a direct action mission against us, then we are in for an all-out assault on every aspect of our life. He will hit you not once, not twice, but as many times as it takes to get you to blame God. Job held his ground. Can you? Do you have enough of the Word of God resident in your soul to withstand the direct action mission of Satan? Job 1:22 “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

Satan will do whatever it takes to get you to blame God. Are you prepared? Are you trained, disciplined, and ready? Hopefully by understanding the strategy of Satan, you can make a daily plan to follow God’s plan and counter the “schemes of the devil”! This war is real and the daily battles we face are real. Take up the full armor of God and “stand firm!!”
Next Tuesday we will discuss Satan’s strengths and weaknesses. Don’t miss it!!!

“We have to understand that on the cross Jesus Christ won the strategic victory. But the war is not over, and we are still on the battlefield. Whether we as individuals win the tactical victory will depend on whether we can apply to our lives the things gained through Christ's strategic victory. If we want to win day by day, we have to utilize the assets that God has provided for us and follow the game plan that He lays out for us in the Word. Without a clear and accurate understanding of the Word, it is impossible for any believer to stand up to the strategy of Satan.” Gene Cunningham