THE SERVING SON'S ENEMY

by Gary Carpenter

The Serving Son had left his Father's house to seek and save the Prodigal. In the vision, I saw that there was an enemy who hated the Father and all of the Father's sons. This enemy had once tried to overthrow the Father and take possession of His goods. He had been defeated and no longer had any way to directly attack the Father.

This enemy hated the Father. He wanted to bring grief to the Father in any way he could. Since He could no longer directly attack the Father, his anger was now directed toward the sons. He revelled in the grieving of the Father over the Prodigal. He wanted that grief to continue. In no wise did he want the Prodigal restored to fellowship with the Father.

The enemy saw that the Serving Son had left the Father's house to seek and save the Prodigal. He was determined to stop this rescue mission at all costs. This enemy had hordes of beings who were his slaves [demons]. He sent waves of them to attack the Serving Son in order to stop the rescue mission.

His tactics were many and varied.

He posted road signs along the way that gave false directions in order to lead the Serving Son in wrong paths.
He saw that the Father was sending supplies to keep the rescue mission stocked with the necessary provisions. He sent some of his hordes to intercept the provisions in order to "starve out" the Serving Son and his servants.
He kept sending false messengers "in the name of the Father" [religion] to discourage the Serving Son. They brought all sorts of evil reports such as:
- The Father has died
- The Father is angry with you.
- The Father has gone broke.
- The Father will no longer supply your needs.
- The Father has cancelled the mission. He has changed His mind about your commission.
The enemy also sent direct attacks against the Serving Son such as:
- He sent sickness and disease.
- He sent diversions in the form of calamity.
- The camels went lame. [car trouble]
- Dust storms, lightning, and floods came.
- Shortages occurred. [equipment failure, lack]
- He sent temptations of pleasure to divert the Son from the Father's rescue mission. ["Eat, drink, be merry. Life is short. Enjoy it!"]
- He sent diversions in the form of "false assignments," saying that the Father wanted him to do these additional things also. [busy work, shadow boxing]
- He sent his hordes to cause envy, jealousy and strife among the servants who went with the Serving Son. He knew that a house divided would not stand.
The enemy sent his hordes into the villages along the way to stir up the people against the Serving Son.
- They said he was a fool to give his life to rescue the Prodigal. After all, the Prodigal had made his choice.
- They said the Serving Son was mistaken concerning the will of the Father. They said the Father only wanted judgment and punishment for the Prodigal.
- They called him arrogant and prideful to think that the Father would supply every need to finance this rescue mission. Who did he think he was anyway?
- They said they knew that the Father did not supply such needs because they had often sent him requests to send longer cars and VCR's to enjoy their own lives ... and the Father had not sent them. [They weren't on the same mission as the Serving Son].
- They said they had learned they could get along just fine by working to supply their own needs to consume on their own lusts. They didn't need the Father. They said the Serving Son should just should just join them and enjoy life.

The Serving Son soon learned that he needed much more than just financial provision in order for his mission to be successful. He sent a messenger back to the Father telling Him of all these attacks by the enemy. The Father was outraged and declared all out war on this enemy whom had already been defeated, but was still attacking anyway.

For teaching purposes, let me say that the Father had a supernatural ally named the Holy Spirit. This ally was invisible, but all powerful. Nothing was impossible for this Holy Spirit. In addition, He had hordes of powerful angels who were available to put down the attacks of the enemy's demons.

The Father said, "I will send my Holy Spirit to be with the Serving Son forever. Anything that is needed in the way of power and anointings will be available to my Serving Son at all times. My Son shall never lack ANY good thing!"

"My Holy Spirit will also be my Serving Son's Counselor. He will only speak the truth. Whenever false reports come, my Serving Son will turn to this Counselor to find out the truth. He will never have to depend on false reports again."

"My Holy Spirit will provide the leadership for my Serving Son. My Serving Son will never have to depend on natural road signs [circumstances] again. My Holy Spirit will lead him by his spirit."

"All of the power to destroy sickness and poverty will be available through my Holy Spirit. No longer will the enemy be able to place disease upon my Serving Son. No longer will the enemy be able to intercept my provisions."

"All that I have is available to my Serving Son. My Holy Spirit will make manifest to him whatever he needs to complete his course with joy. He will be successful."

What joy it was to the Serving Son when the Holy Spirit came to him from the Father. He found that he had received power now that the Holy Spirit had come to him. With the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit, the mission continued with great increase in success.

The enemy did not give up. At first he was completely dumbfounded as to what he might do to disrupt the mission to rescue the Prodigal. He had no power nor authority against this Holy Spirit who had come from the Father. This Holy Spirit could not be tempted, could not be deceived, could not be bribed, could not be overpowered. What to do? As long as the Serving Son stayed in close fellowship with the Holy Spirit, no weapon formed against him could prosper.

The enemy decided he only had one hope. Since this Holy Spirit was invisible, the enemy had to somehow convince the Serving Son that the Holy Spirit had not come to him. His only hope was to get the Serving Son out of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. From that point on the enemy focused all of his strategy on breaking the fellowship, the communication between the Serving Son and the Holy Spirit. If the enemy could somehow break that line of communication, the Serving Son would be cut off from the power and provision of the Father and would be left to continue the mission in his own strength.

In his own strength, he was no match for the enemy.

Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Serving Son is one body, the body of Christ, made up of many members.

1 Cor 12:12-14 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body,being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

Not all have the same "office," but we all have the same call: To seek and save the lost. There are many offices, many jobs to be done in the fulfilling of that mission. You are a member of that body. You have a calling and an office. All are important. All are needed. None are to be despised.

1 Cor 12:15-21 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body.. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

No matter what your office is in the body of Christ, the LIFE of Christ within you is empowered for dominion through the agency of the Holy Spirit which the Father has sent to you. It is to our detriment when we fail to turn to this HELPER Who has come to provide power, dominion, and leadership for us as we sojourn through this life. Few Christians even think of turning to the Holy Spirit to receive wisdom and counsel regarding the financial matters they face. Yet the bible says:

Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

The Holy Spirit understands everything there is to know concerning commerce, investments, finance, and employment that coincides with the mind of Christ for a person's call in the body. It was the wisdom that Solomon received from the Holy Spirit that is recorded for us in the book of Proverbs. By following the counsel he received from the Holy Spirit, Solomon became the richest of all kings. There are no problems, financial or otherwise, for which the Holy Spirit does not already have the answer.

Be sure you stay in close fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit. He has come to enforce the victory of Christ in every area of your life. At all costs, do not forsake your communion with the Holy Spirit.

2 Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

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