Enemy – Tannika Nikeya

Originally Posted October 3, 2016 via fruitufulandfabulous.wordpress.com

From the Howling Man episode/Twilight Zone

Open Your Eyes

It is often said “when people show you themselves, believe them”. But what if they disguised themselves and if you, like Mr. Ellington, didn’t recognize the signs of whom the person really was?

“I-I didn’t believe you. I saw him and didn’t recognize him,” gasps Mr. Ellington. “That is man’s weakness…and Satan’s strength,” stresses Brother Jerome.

How many times has the devil disguised himself or you failed to recognize what he was doing before it was too late?

How well can you recognize him, his work, and why can’t we recognize him?

Twilight Zone

I have always loved watching reruns of the Twilight Zone. One of my favorite episodes is called The Howling Man. On a rainy, stormy day, David Ellington recalls of another rainy, stormy day he endured. Déjà vu or not? That day he was wearied, lost and had stumbled across a place of refuge. He needed help. Mr. Ellington pleads with the strange man who answers the door to let him in. After being let in and waiting for further approval to speak with the leader about resting there for the night, Mr. Ellington collapses from sheer exhaustion.

The men at this sanctuary reluctantly give Mr. Ellington shelter to rest. However, Mr. Ellington discovers where the howling he had been hearing, since he arrived there, is coming from. No one acknowledges at first his discovery. But throughout the night, the howling continues to capture his attention. Behind the bars is a homely man with a gentle appeal for freedom from the men who have imprisoned him. The man behind the door pleads for help. He tries to warn Ellington also that the men are not who they say there are.

“They’re mad, Mister Ellington. All of them, raving mad. Listen. I was in the village in Schwartzof. I was walking in the street with my woman. We paused to rest by a tree. And we kissed. Is it wrong to kiss? Tell me,” begs the man.

He Let Him Loose, Ya’ll

To make a long story short, Mr. Ellington sets the man free, only to discover he had been tricked. He had let loose the devil and had to spend years and years chasing him to bind him again. Now Ellington has captured him, has him bound and is sharing his account of when he let him loose. But will that person fall for the devil’s tricks; will that person doubt who the devil really is, only to let him out again?

“I know. It’s –it’s an incredible story. I, of all people, know this. And you won’t believe me. No, not at first. But I’m going to tell you the whole thing. Then, you will believe, because you must. You must believe.”

As I watched this, I thought, if I was in Ellington’s shoes, “Would I recognize the devil for what he is?” Would I trust what the brothers were telling me? Would the devil appeal to my flesh, my emotions, etc. to deceive me into letting him go? How many times has he deceived me already?

Father of Lies

The devil is a deceiver. In fact, he is the father of all lies. He can masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). In the appearance of man, a homely one, the devil appears even as a victim, falsely accused while accusing the brothers to Mr. Ellington. He draws Ellington’s curiosity and appeals to his emotions as well as sows seeds of doubt into his heart. And he does it at such an opportune time, when Ellington is weary, exhausted and in the midst of a storm. Not saying the devil doesn’t come at other times to distract us, deceive us, and let loose in our lives, but he seems to come and have his way the most during tests and trials as well as when we are unarmed and feeling weak.

So how aren’t we recognizing him?

We aren’t consistently in the Word of God. “Truth is dogma. We believe it to be man’s greatest weapon against the devil, who is the father of lies,” says Brother Jerome.
We are building our doubt and not our faith. Doubt means to lack confidence, to consider unlikely, to distrust.
We are being led by our flesh, emotions, etc. and not by the Spirit of God.
We are not putting on the armor of God. Ephesians 6:13-17
We forget that there is a spiritual war going on. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12
We are not fixing our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2
We are in a spiritual state of slumber. We are not growing in our walk; our prayer lives are dull; our hearts are numb and our appetites and pursuit of God and godly things are growing cold. 1 John 2:28

So, I encourage you to not be deceived by the enemy and let him loose in your life.

Seek God first, pursue God greatly and nurture your relationship with God intimately daily.
Saturate in the Word of God daily. Ellington asks, “But if he’s the devil, how do you keep him locked up?’ Brother Jerome responds, “with the staff of Truth!” Read it, obey it, use it, speak it, and believe it!
Pray. Pray for God’s discernment and help. He knows everything and has already overcome the enemy and the world. He knows what the devil has planned and can protect you from his deception and attacks.
Build your faith and not your doubt. Faith comes by hearing by and hearing by the Word. Trust God and believe Him at His Word.
Know and believe that God has good intentions towards you.
Pray for wisdom and revelation; and when the Holy Spirit gives you insight into where the devil is at in your life and what he’s doing, call the enemy out on it in the name of Jesus. I know, Lord, the devil is trying to distract me and I rebuke these distractions in Jesus’ name. I pray I will fix my eyes on You, Lord, for You are the author and perfecter of my faith.
Check the condition of your heart and check unchecked sin and repent wholeheartedly. James 4:7-8

M.I.A

The M.I.A (Most Important Accessory) that a Christian should have in their possession is The Holy Spirit & The Word of God. They are something we don’t hang up or sport from time to time, but something we must wear daily, second by second, minute by minute. It is through His Word and through the Holy Spirit we can stay alert to the devil’s schemes.

–Written by Tannika Moore

Check out The Howling Man: click on link below.

The Howling Man

Yesterday, I had another Saturday, home, resting and healing from a recent accident. I had to also watch my youngest nephew for a little more than a few hours. I was able to keep him still just for a bit while we watched movies, as he ate snacks and lunch, and he took a nap. Thank God because my nephew is one busy toddler, lol!

But it was one movie that we watched, moreso myself, that I got another eye opener. I have watched this movie several times but this time I got a ping from the Holy Spirit with a word.

Spoiler Alert below.

I was watching The Hand That Rocks The Cradle where a pregnant mom gets molested by her doctor. She comes forward to expose him, he takes his life and his widow realizes not only is his life over but hers is collapsing also. She goes into labor prematurely and the baby doesn’t survive. She is in the hospital recovering after such loss of her child and I believe she also had an emergency hysterectomy done. She sees the victim of her husband on tv and this is where the grief and anger surfaces as well as the evil wheels get to spinning.

Six months later, the lady, Claire, who was molested by the doctor has given birth to her second child and he is now three months. The widow of the doctor, Peyton, meets Claire. She is applying for the nanny job and Claire and her husband approves of her. Peyton moves in with them to begin her duties. They do not know who she is and she is not going to reveal it.

After Peyton moves in, all hell breaks loose. I am not going to tell you all the things that happened but Peyton was behind them all. And it was how she did everything. The light bulb went on and I’m like man, this lady is crazy and evil, and her schemes were working at first.

Peyton caused chaos, confusion and strife. And how did she? By sowing seeds of doubt. Sowing seeds of doubt about Claire’s family handyman’s interaction with her daughter who was totally innocent. By sowing seeds of doubt about her husband and his faithfulness. By sowing seeds of doubt about her competency as a mother. She did more stuff but you have to watch or rewatch the movie if you have seen it before.

And that is what the enemy does. He sows seeds of doubt. According to the Idioms – Free Dictionary.com, sowing seeds of doubt is To cause someone to have doubts, worries, or concerns (about something); to introduce someone to a doubtful or worrisome idea. He plants seeds of doubt and causes strife and confusion and everything in between.

Now Peyton came in the door winning everyone over. She was supportive and a great help to the family but slowly turning the household upside down. Sounds familiar?

What helped them realize at first something was wrong although they couldn’t put their finger on it fully? There was too much disorder and confusion. Claire was falling apart at the seams. She couldn’t as she said go on like that. There was no peace or little peace.

And Peyton seemed to be at the source of it all.

Peyton even tries to seduce Claire’s husband. But love was stronger, boundaries were set. He looked like he may have been wrestling a bit in his head but he clearly respected his wife and marriage and didn’t take the bate.

So, realize the enemy comes in to sow seeds of doubt. He may not send a Peyton but he may send something or someone else and in a different way. And we must do the following to overcome:

Be alert. Know the spiritual climate of your home and when something is off, seek God’s wisdom and address it. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38
Guard your heart. Guard it with the Truth of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Saturate in the Word of God. Ask God to cleanse it and to heal any areas of it that need healing. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).
Ask God for wisdom to discern the enemy’s lies. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5).
Set boundaries and enforce them. Set standards and keep them. Setting boundaries protects you and others. It enforces self control and it draws the line with disrespect, unhealthy or ungodly intrusion. It show people how to respect you and treat you. For scriptures regarding boundaries, I will just include the link here. https://www.openbible.info/topics/boundaries
Know your enemy. Even if he disguises himself, we should be able to recognize his tactics, his M.O, his ways, etc. And remember we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). For knowing your enemy, I will include more scriptures regarding such here. https://www.openbible.info/topics/knowing_your_enemy
Trust God and know that His love is unfailing. He will win and help you overcome. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses (Proverbs 10:12). So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

Claire and her husband’s love won and in the end they trusted one another and came together to protect their family.

Whew, we don’t always see the enemy coming nor realize that he has been either invited in, has crept in, or finessed his way in, but I pray we realize more and more his tactics and lies. And I pray we replace his lies with the Truth of the Lord. That is what Jesus did. He fought the enemy with the Word of God, the Truth, and His commitment to the Father didn’t wane. Sidebar: He also knew His own identity and He knew His opponent. Knowing who you are as well as knowing and receiving God’s love and purpose for you are so crucial in our walk of life and continual fight for our destinies, souls, and families. We are in this fight whether we want to be in it or not.

Moreover, be alert as best as you can. Allow God to remove the distractions, heal you where needed, and to see things the way He does. We need His insight, wisdom like never before in these times. I pray peace for all over our homes, the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding and that peace only comes from Jesus.