Atack, Attack!

By Author: Terry Dashner
Total Articles: 105
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Attack, attack!

Terry Dashner..Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013

Introduction:
General Ulysses S. Grant was badly beaten in the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee. General James McPherson, his aide, reported the loss of half of the Union artillery and almost one-third of the troops during the bloody conflict.

Retreat was Grant's only option, or so it seemed. Against all odds Grant ordered, Reform the lines and we will attack at dawn. We will take them by surprise. By nine o'clock the next morning the South's troops were being routed by the surprise attack from the weary Union troops. It seems that the confederates had felt so secure in the previous day's victory that they failed to stay alert, thus giving up their blood-soaked and hallowed ground.

Someone once said that Christians are most vulnerable to the enemy's attack after a great victory. Why is this? Because there is a real tendency among victors to rest on their laurels after victory, instead of securing their lines in vigilance. Complacency kills.

The Essence of this document:
There is ...
... a real danger in the body of Christ to become complacent after battles have been fought and won. And this should not be. May I ask you a question? Are you alert to the enemy's schemes against you? Or does complacency define your disposition?

This morning I want to share with you three reasons why complacency makes the child of God vulnerable to the enemy's attacks. Knowing why complacency happens can help us safe-guard ourselves against it. At all costs the Christian should remain vigilant throughout her spiritual journey.

Body of document:I
There are several reasons for complacency after a spiritual victory. For one, complacency happens when the one in charge fails to recognize her advantage. The one in charge must see the benefit in regrouping and attacking until the enemy is utterly destroyed. Once you win a spiritual battle don't fold-up shop and retire. Attack! Okay, so you've won a battle, pursue the enemy until you've won the war. In spiritual warfare there are no retreats or awards banquets, only attack. Don't wait for the enemy to hit you, press into the kingdom of darkness and fight with the Light!

In 1863 President Lincoln was downcast beyond words when General Lee retreated from Gettysburg. In deep despair he penned these words to General George G. Meade of the Union Army: my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely. The letter was never sent.

General George G. Meade failed, in the words of Lincoln, to appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. Because Meade let Lee cross the Potomac, between July 4 to July 15, 1863, Lee accomplished the impossible and was able to fight again, prolonging the war. During this short time, Lee established field hospitals to care for the 8500 sick and wounded evacuees he brought back with him, many of whom would heal and return to service. He salvaged most of his artillery, returning 6000 wagons and between 30,000 and 40,000 horses and mules. He also brought back 30,000 cattle and 25,000 sheep and thousands of hogs. Whereas this army had been on the verge of starvation two months before Gettysburg, he had succeeded in getting supplies enough for the war to go on many more months, despite manpower losses. Had Meade crushed Lee's army in the Potomac (flood stage delayed the crossing), the war would have ended earlier. As it turns out, the war continued for another two years with thousands, upon thousands of war casualties.

Remember this point to safe-guard yourself against complacency:
After your spar with the enemies of darkness, keep attacking until the Lord directs you to a new campaign. Never retreat and never allow complacency to enter your relationship with the Lord. Press the point. Follow through. Take it all the way!

II
Secondly, complacency comes when we elect to build a port folio, instead of sounding a bugle's charge. Many in the body of Christ are content to relive their past events of victory, instead of forgetting those things which are behind and pressing ahead. If you find your conversations about God in the past tense, you need to repent of complacency and get in the fight of faith.

May I share with you a secret to success for your spiritual progress? It is this: keep moving. Progress along. Don't stop, and certainly don't retreat.

Forward movement for the believer is permanent. The story is told about the great Reformer, Martin Luther. One day his son came home from school skipping and singing. Why are you so happy? Luther asked him. Today we finished the catechism, answered his son. My, but you are far ahead of me, said Luther. I've been studying the catechism all my life, and I haven't finished it yet.

Forward movement for the believer is perseverance. When Daniel Webster was a young lawyer he took a case for a fee of $20.00. It was a difficult case and in preparing for it he had to make a trip to Boston, which in itself cost more than he was getting as a fee. He was determined to do a thorough job on the case and win it, which he did. Many years later a big company wanted him at short notice to undertake a case for what was in those days a fabulous fee. Webster looked over the case and found it was almost identical with the one he had researched and won 20 years before! Although it took 20 years to turn profit, his perseverance paid off.

Remember this point to safe-guard yourself against complacency:
Resist the temptation to rest on your laurels and live in the past. Keep yourself moving forward in the Kingdom of God. Steadfastness has its rewards in time.

III.
Thirdly, complacency comes when we lose focus. The object of our faith is Christ alone. Christ is our focus.

There are two ways to see something. I can see an object with my eyes. But, I can also see an object with the eyes of my spirit. One of the greatest gifts God has given man is to visualize something internally. I can't see Jesus with my physical eyes. But, I can see the Bible. I can read the Bible. And as I read the Bible, I begin to visualize internally what Jesus is like. In fact, the Holy Spirit is sent for this very purpose—to help us maintain our focus on Christ. As our focus is maintained, we become changed in to His likeness.

Many people today fall to complacency because they take their eyes off the Word of God. They simply lose focus. They place their focus on other things. Before long they become transformed by the things of this world. The things of this world become their focus and then their god.
With your eyes on Jesus, you avoid misdirection in life. The best way to hit a bull's-eye every time you throw a dart is to throw your dart at a blank target. Wherever the dart strikes, select that spot as the bull's-eye and draw concentric circles around it.

Crazy, you say? No more absurd than an aimless person who stumbles into one day after another, setting today's goal on the basis of yesterday's deed. Wouldn't you agree? A steadfast gaze upon the Master will direct you on a straight pathway.

With your eyes on Jesus, you can see what He's up to. Isa. 45:11 tells us to ask God about the things to come. I can tell you this. Jesus is up to something big! In fact it wouldn't surprise me if He's no longer seated, but standing before the Father and ready to carry out this order, My Son, it's time. Go and gather up your bride. I'm calling them home.

Remember this point to safe-guard yourself against complacency:
Stay focused on the Word. Stay in fellowship with your Christian brothers and sisters. Keep communicating with the Lord—pray without ceasing!

Concluding remarks:
I have shared with you the danger of complacency. Be very cautious after great victories. To let down your guard and revel in the victory is to invite disaster. Stay alerted to the advantage you have when the enemy is on the run. Pursue the darkness, and crush it with the light of Jesus! Resist the temptation to live in your past accomplishments. Keep moving forward. And above all, keep your eyes on Jesus. Stay alerted to what the Spirit of Grace is doing around you. Don't miss the move of God in this latter day.

What about you? Has complacency slipped into your relationship with God? Are you distant and needing a change? May I re-introduce you to the solution? His name is Jesus. The Bible says that there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. The name Jesus is greater than the name, complacency. Just as light overcomes darkness by driving it away, so does the name Jesus when spoken with meaning from the heart, overcomes and drives away all the uncertainty about your eternal future.

You see God has provided you an eternal home in Heaven, but you must ask Him for it. And when you call upon God's Son to save you, the Bible says that He will save you to the uttermost. He will name you as one of His own. He will nurture you and care for you in your relationship with Him. And then one day, He will call for you and carry you home. I must say though, heaven is not a place for the complacent. It is not a place for the lovers of this world. Heaven is home to those only who love God, who want to serve God, and who can stand in His courts of praise forever and ever, rejoicing with the saints.

Only Jesus makes this happen. Call upon His name—JESUS.

Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming soon.

Pastor T.

About the Author Pastor's a small church in Broken Arrow, OK. U.S. Navy veteran and retired police officer with the city of Tulsa. Father of three grown children and grandfather of two grandchildren--Brynn and London who rests with Jesus in heaven.