A CHESS GAME WITH THE DEVIL

• A CHESS GAME WITH THE DEVIL
• By
• Bryan Hupperts.

A senior pastor was sent a challenge to play a game of chess.

The anonymous note said, "Victorious One: You are an undisputed Grandmaster. You've beaten your fellow servants frequently. You Played against other senior pastors and won.  Now, come beat me."

Game day came and the senior pastor found himself seated Across a chess board from none other than Satan himself. In this Knockout tournament, the pastor drew white winning the right to Begin first. The devil grabbed the white piece from him and said Arrogantly, "I always move first."

Each set up their pieces and began to formulate strategy. The Senior pastor was nervous but confident and declared to the Enemy, "I will win. I have the mind of Christ." Then the devil smiled A devilish smile and said, glancing at the senior pastor's side of The board, "I cannot outwit the mind of Christ but you I will easily beat."

The first match was on. Satan played with cunning and strategy And it became quickly clear the senior pastor was outgunned.

Satan moved a pawn in gambit striking from the flank and taking An unguarded rook. Loss piled upon loss. No matter how valiantly He tried to respond, no matter if his moves were rooted in sacrifice Or power, the senior pastor blundered. Every move he made Seemed to benefit the adversary.

The chessboard carnage was brutal and the senior pastor was Finally humbled to desperate prayer. The devil laughed as he cried Out, "Lord, I need wisdom. I have your mind yet I am being Outplayed, outmaneuvered, and beaten at every  turn. Why, Lord?

Why?"

They played to endgame and the dreaded word was pronounced:

Checkmate.

The stunned senior pastor watched his king fall as he listened to The enemy's taunts and, though he felt he had failed God, he Humbled himself further crying  out all the more for wisdom. How Do you beat a master tactician and swindler like the devil? When The 2 minute warning sounded, he began to reset his side  of the Board for the next round. He was weighed down by a sickening Dread when suddenly the Holy Spirit of God came upon him and Said: "Review the board."

The senior pastor looked at the enemy's pieces: pawns aligned on The front row with rooks, knights, bishops, queen and king in the Back. Everything was in  perfect military precision waiting for the Strategic battle to commence.

The senior pastor then looked at his side of the board. He had the Same pieces:  pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, queen and king.

He noticed, as if for the first  time, that things were askew.

Mentally reviewing the rules of engagement, he  realized he had Placed a pawn where a rook should be, a knight in the place of a Bishop and, as he thought back on the failures of the first round, He saw  that even the queen was occasionally out of place taking Over the king's role. These foolish blunders were done at his Command.

And the senior pastor had an epiphany. He had all the right pieces But many were serving in the wrong place on the board in roles They were not empowered to  play. "I have played like a fool," he Said aloud. "I am only a servant and not the Master of the game."

He began to rearrange the board setting the pieces, kingside and Queenside, into their rightful places. And the chessboard Transformed into a battlefield.

The devil looked at the repositioned board in alarm. His eyes Narrowed and he said slyly, "Perhaps, senior pastor, your first Strategy was right. Move those pieces any way you wish. After all, You're in charge, right? I must have gotten lucky the first round; that's all it was, just dumb luck. You've played your brothers in Christ and beaten them all."

The pastor knew his cagey opponent was only seeking for an Opportunity to devour him again, and replied, "I did beat my fellow Servants and I was wrong to do so. Today, I repent. Devil, you did Not defeat the mind of Christ. You only defeated me. I see now it Is not mine to tell a piece how to serve not is it mine to dictate anyone's destiny or calling. My role is to help all to work together In their unique giftings for the advancement the kingdom of God."

The devil's face went ashen and he said, tempting the pastor to Pride, "You are the Grandmaster, the senior pastor. You decide What people should do and be!"

The servant pastor smiled humbly as he placed the last pawn in Correct position. "It occurs to me now that to have the mind of Christ in operation in my life and ministry, He must be the senior pastor and I must be the undershepherd. I will rely on his leadings to beat you. And, as you yourself so wisely said, you cannot beat the mind of Christ."

The devil began to panic and said, "No, go back to your nepotism.

Your church has always been run like a family business with you, your family, and your friends in charge. This could go badly for you.

You will no longer be the senior pastor. Why give up your power?"

And the undershepherd servant pastor said meekly, "Christ alone is the senior pastor and it was never mine to dictate who serves where or how. Each piece must move in the light it is called to just as He himself is in the light. It is his kingdom, not mine."

He continued, "The board was out of order. I was out of order.

Christ is now our Senior Pastor and divine order has been re-established. I neither submitted myself to God nor did I resist you at first play which gave you first-move advantage. I will not be so foolish again. And now," he said, redirecting his attention to the strategically placed pieces on the board, "let us pray for guidance as we play for victory. Christ himself will lead us as our senior pastor and Grandmaster! "

This match was to be played to sudden death. The devil raged for he now knew his time was short. And the battle was on.

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THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

The Weapons Of Our Warfare 

Commenting On Today's Hard Pressing Issues From Biblical Perspectives

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh

How does one explain the Satanic unleashing of terror, hatred, murder, lies and injustice that is going on in our society today, how can a person pick up some pieces of old life after the hurt and loose such a person might have endured over the years?

We are sometimes flabbergasted over the things that have happened to us and over the things we ourselves have done.

We are threatened with boisterous obscenity and Satan inspired minds, who believe that with terror, suicide bombing and religious expansionism they can exterminate humanity and bring the weak to their knees to obey what they believe and teach.

The civilized world now sleep with one eye open, children are been thought that to see real peace and tranquility, the Jews, the Americans, the Europeans and Christians alike must be wiped off the surface of the earth, in reality the world now lives with fear and uncertainty.

The question at hand is; how on earth can we stop this before it gets out of hand?

Trillions of dollars have been spent over the past few years combating terrorism, but to no avail we are not seeing any significant change, things get worst as the days go by, the more you fight terrorism, the more it increases to a more monstrous and repulsive degree.

The reason to this fatal failure by man to combat terrorism, rebellion and other society threatening elements is because, man has been using over the centuries the weapons of the flesh which does not benefit the user but disappoint at the time most needed.

There is only one group of people who has the real weapon to defeat the Devil and his cohorts.

These people are ordinary folks in the society, they are not recognized by the powers of this world, they are considered as the most miserable and outdated people in the society, they are oftentimes called, intolerants, stubborn headed, failures, uncivilized, non conformists, but these people over the centuries have in one way or the other transformed their generation, wrought wonders and left indelible marks on the annals of history.

These people have a weapon that surpasses atomic bombs, nuclear warheads, and other inventions of man, these people, any where they gather things begin to happen, when they speak the earth trembles, they are ordinary people serving an extraordinary God, they are called Christians.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.

Can you say amen to that child of God, these weapons are made of God, renewed each moment, and ready to explode any time it is been triggered, God's people over the years have triumphed over the principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness that have hidden behind darkened minds to pour out their venoms over humanity.

Listen, don't think that you are too small to be used of God to destabilize the strongholds of the enemy, God is calling His people every where to pray, we are the ones who have the solution to terrorism, hunger, epidemic, disease, war and vice-versa, prayer is our weapon, it surpasses other weapons invented by man or the Devil, when we pray, the atmosphere changes.

These weapons are extraordinary, because they are been formed by an extraordinary God, given to extraordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Dear child of God, stop believing the lies, we have the secret, God has given us a weapon that no power can withstand, rise up where ever you are and begin to pray, begin taking authority over the principalities and powers that are raising their ugly heads against your city, your children, your household, your nation, call upon the Lord in sincerity, use the word of God which is the sword of the Spirit to shut up every demonic argument and refusal over your life.

Come on child of God, candidate of heaven, begin pleading the blood of Jesus, stand your ground and resist every power trying to bury you, your destiny, marriage, success, ministry, etc.

If the situation demands fasting, no qualms, you should not sit down there and let things go you by, pick up your sword once again, climb to your watch tower and vigil with the Lord, go in the spirit of might, power and sound mind and begin casting down imaginations, bring every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God down to the waste bin and take into captivity every demonic thought to the obedience of Jesus, come on do it now, arise in anger.

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (King James Version)

Are you ready? I know you do, your obedience can only be fulfilled when you humbly go to God and in prayers and ask Him to equip you, stop relying on your strength and wisdom, don't do that, it would fail you, we don't have the strength of our own, we are weak, but He is strong.

Let me share a testimony with you, I have a sister who was tied down by evil powers that she should never get married in her life, but when I visited home, I we went into agreement and aggressive prayers, four months after that, she got married at the age of thirty-six.

Can you see what prayers can do, not only that, one of our brothers who ran away for almost two years came back, child of God, your destiny is in your hands, if you pray God will make it shine.

Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant, Jeremiah 1:9-10.

Come on, speak the word, I say, speak the word, stopping crying and complaining the word is in your mouth, the angels are waiting for you to give a command and they will go on your behalf.

Don't tell me how the problem has afflicted you for years, now is the time to know whom you serve, if your God cannot answer your prayers, He is not worth serving, but thanks be to Him, He answers us any time we call upon Him, we are the ones delaying ourselves.

As terrorism is raising it's ugly head, we on our side must raise up holy hands unto heaven and call upon Him who sits upon the throne, whose glory fills the whole earth, who commands and controls every that goes on in human life and affairs, His name is Yeshua Hama-Shiach.

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth, Isaiah 62:6-7 .

Beloved you are the watchman, you must not keep silent, don't give the Lord a breathing space, disturb Him, cry out to Him, pour your heart before Him, continue troubling, He has no other option than to do for you what you requested of Him, take Him by His words.

If you can shout, shout, if you can cry, then cry, wet your prayers with tears and you will see JEHOVAH in action, smashing to pieces all that trouble you, because you have troubled Him.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, (Philippians 4:6-7).

Let's forget about the problem, let's forget about the sorrow, let's forget about the fear, fix your eyes on Jesus Christ who cares for you, bring the burden to Him through prayers, dumb them there at calvary, petition all your troubles before the court of heaven, and great will be your joy.

God bless you real good as you pray.