The Next Step

Spiritual Warfare While Under Siege

 

Ezekiel 4:1-8

 "You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem.

2 Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around.

3 Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

4 "Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.

5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

6 And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.

7 "Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it.

8 And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.

 

 

Restrain; Merriam-Webster

 

restrain, check, curb, bridle mean to hold back from or control in doing something. restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes. Restrained

 

Definition of restrain

transitive verb

 

1a: to prevent from doing, exhibiting, or expressing something

restrained the child from jumping

b: to limit, restrict, or keep under control

try to restrain your anger

2: to moderate or limit the force, effect, development, or full exercise of

restrain trade

3: to deprive of liberty

especially : to place under arrest or restraint

 

8oz of bread and 16oz of water in portions per day.

 

To limit your intake or your own movement.

 

Self-restraint: Merriam-Webster

 - restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires : self-control.

 

Control over your own actions or feelings that keeps you from doing things you want to do but should not do.

 

Instructions when you are under siege and being tempted to give into sin.

 

Matthew 26:41

41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

 

 

 

Luke 8:13

13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

 

Luke 8:4-15

4 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:

5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.

6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.

8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"

10 And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.'

11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

Jeremiah 4:3

3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.

 

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

 

James 1:12-15

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

 

“Just in case you didn’t know, the next step is to boldly go!”