The Enemy At The Gate: Unlocked

Get behind "the Gate" with the lessons and messages that made this series.

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We've spent the last several weeks taking an in-depth look at the spiritual battle playing our over Shane and Oliver's lives. While we traced that intricate narrative, there were a plethora of lessons and messages worth extracting and revisiting.

Here's what we learned...

About The Enemy

The enemy attacks at the point of victory (blessing). It was Shane and Oliver's kiss that attracted the spiritual battle to begin with. You are always most vulnerable after reaching a new level in your spiritual, relational or any other type of growth.

Keep alert after victory (blessing) as before. Steve has always had a mixed agenda, so it would have behooved Shane and Oliver to be openly suspicious of Steve when they encountered him again, particularly after having just shared their first kiss. Instead, their behavior confirmed they'd forgotten to stay alert, with devastating consequences. Remember, you may have achieved a victory, but that doesn't mean you exercise less discernment or let your guard down. The enemy is waiting for such times to breach your defenses. Shane and Oliver learned this the hard way.

After the blessing, before the storm.

It is what it is, but it might not be what it seems. The enemy will use Steve's and general chaos or discord in your world to get to you and disrupt your peace. When things begin to look like they're falling apart or not going your way, or a friend or family member comes to you in crisis, beware that the enemy might be using the situation to get to you. Commit that situation, friend, or family member to God in prayer. Address the situation to the best of your ability, and show what support you can to those who need it---but don't forget to guard your heart, too.

Check your blind spots. As we saw with Shane and Oliver, the enemy won't hesitate to press blind spots and underdeveloped areas in us, and in our relationships. Consider it a blessing when the enemy tries to hit these areas because you can know it's the same thing God is looking to correct or develop in you. His goal is always to make you more complete and whole as an individual. Each time you're confronted with a problem area it's a chance to make a new choice. I believe when we make new choices, it's how we "graduate" to the next stage in our development and growth in God. The more complete and sturdy our spiritual armor, the better prepared we are the next time the enemy tries to start a war.

A Dead DLO? Well, it kind of was in Higher Ground. Another thing we can learn from Oliver's faulty faith formula is how it made him completely ineffective in his calling. By setting him off course, the enemy rendered Oliver ineffective in doing God's work. One need only look at the piles of undelivered letters and packages to see that Divine Delivery Theory went by the wayside. Even Norman and Rita were only able to focus on Gabe's letter for all that time. As for Shane, she ended up applying her gifts in the context of cyber warfare instead of in pursuit of delivering dead letters. A purpose applied in the wrong context is just as ineffective as if were never applied at all. It's easy to forget that other people are dependent on our destiny and doing what God called us to do---people we know, and, like all those undelivered letters, people we don't.

Destiny delayed.

The enemy wants you disconnected from God.
When they started out, Shane and Oliver were "perfectly situated" in their faith, and therefore perfectly connected to God:

God → Faith → Confidence in what we hope for → assurance of what is not seen

It wasn't until the enemy began attacking their vulnerabilities that they became disconnected from God by the faults in their faith formulas and their inability to refocus on Him, which looked like this:

Faith → Confidence in what [Oliver] hopes for → comes from controlling what he can see/outcomes [Oliver’s standard of assurance]

Faith ←→ Sight

Notice God is completely removed from both of these formulas. It's because when you focus on "sight" you forsake "faith" and "faith" is where God lives. Any circumstance that tries to fix your focus on what you can see is most definitely the enemy. BEWARE.

Sometimes the enemy at the gate is YOU (and your faulty faith formula). Like many things, faith is a choice. You have to choose to stay in faith, you have to choose to have confidence in what you hope for, choose to be sure of what you cannot see. (Heb 11:1) As Shane and Oliver discovered, it's easy to get off track. But even when you get off track, you always have the choice to turn back to God and get your formula right. God is so much nearer than you think.

That time the enemy screwed up.

The enemy will always screw up and reveal himself. If you're alert, and willing to interrogate anything that comes at you that contradicts what you know in your heart, you can catch the enemy in the act. When Shane became aware of possible deceit, she didn't hesitate to interrogate Steve. We should test every thought and every message that is spoken over us against what God says about us and our situations---and it's best if we do it first thing. If what you're experiencing or what you're being told doesn't mesh with God's Word or what you know in your heart is right, it's probably the enemy.

Scripture implores us to be aware of how the enemy operates, “to keep [the enemy] from taking advantage of us, for we are not [to be] ignorant of his schemes.” (2 Cor 2:11) Now that you're equipped and informed about how the enemy operates, you can test it against what you know about God and His Character.

About God

God can't work if you don't invite Him to. Shane will probably never realize this, but the best thing she could have possibly done was question God's Will. Merely mention of His Name invited Him into the situation, and, as we witnessed, to participate in the conversation. God couldn't have "told" Shane and Oliver about their connection if Shane hadn't questioned if "[it] was crazy." The moment not only proved that God is always right there waiting to be acknowledged, but that when He's called on, He intends to show you something if you'll pay close enough attention to see or hear it.

Just The Facts. God makes sure you have all the facts when making a decision. Shane and Oliver's moment outside the Ephlat Lounge was His attempt to make sure the couple knew everything they needed to know about their bond before the enemy attacked it, knowledge contained in that kiss. It didn't necessarily help them make any better choices, but it stands in stark contrast to Steve's vague and incomplete request. The enemy would prefer you weren't so discerning as to realize the incompleteness of his approach. God is always clear and forthcoming.

Promises alert the enemy. When God brings a promise into the world, He does so quietly so as not to alert the enemy. This allows God the time and space to build the proper foundation before He reveals what He's built to the world, therefore exposing it to the enemy. That said, God keeps quietly building until the work He's completing is ready or prepared to learn how to withstand attack. God had been quietly building Shane and Oliver's bond for this moment when the enemy was about to attack. By connecting them to each other and to Him in the unseen realm, God established something the enemy ultimately couldn't destroy despite his efforts to. At the same time, God used the enemy's energy to create situations through which Shane and Oliver learned to recognize and protect their bond.

A special bond.

Get Grounded. If the enemy wants you disconnected from God, then the best thing you can do is get grounded in Him. Shane and Oliver both tried to power their faith formulas apart from God, only to short-circuit and exhaust themselves. God is a steady, never-ending supply of everything you need---connect to Him. Prayer is a great place to start.

Know Your Way Out. "...God is faithful; and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (2 Cor 10:13) One of the greatest lessons from Shane's wilderness journey is how, for every way the enemy attempted to lure her into old habits and other temptations, there was always a way out. When Steve tried to slander Oliver, we can assume Shane stood up for him. When Steve tried to touch her, she guarded her heart with an extra layer of wardrobe. For the majority of the enemy's attacks, Shane combated their effects in the form of letter writing. In each instance she was equipped with what she needed to combat the onslaught. God was faithful to provide every method and tool of resistance, which Shane diligently chose to embrace.

Re-Loaded. The Bible says "No weapon formed against you shall prosper..." (Isaiah 54:17) In Higher Ground, the enemy used Shane and Oliver's "blind spots" as a weapon to tear them apart. But, as the sole steward of their "unseen" bond, God fashioned enemy's weapon meant for evil to do an immeasurable amount of good, growing Shane and Oliver so that they might be prepared to experience the blessing set before them in all its fullness when the time came.

Permanent GPS (God Positioning System). God will meet you where you are, but He won't leave you where---or how---He finds you. The greatest illustration of this is Oliver's trek to Langley after Shane. He made sure Oliver received the message he needed from Norman, which positioned him to go after Shane. Grace was Oliver, in spite of himself, turning around to level with Shane, using his hypothetical to reveal the truth she needed to get perspective on her situation, a choice which eventually facilitated her return home, positioning her to once again receive the blessing they had both walked away from months before.

Consult the Author. He is the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb 12:2) If God put it in you, He intends to see it through to completion. Just as God authored Shane and Oliver's connection, He was faithful to see it through til they were back together and, more importantly, had their faith formulas restored. God will do the same with you.

About The Wilderness

Free Will Agreement. In the beginning, man had free will. In the Garden of Eden, I am convinced that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil existed so that Adam and Eve would actually have a choice to follow God or not. Free will implies choice. This is why, despite having His Hand on their relationship, God didn't prevent Shane and Oliver from being separated---they made choices of which their separation was a consequence. Like faith, being in agreement with God is a choice that has to be made. God cannot and, more importantly, WILL NOT force you to do anything, nor will He create situations where you think you have no choice. You ALWAYS have a choice with God.

All-Terrain Grace. God gives grace for the wilderness, even if you chose it. Remember how Shane demonstrated grace to Oliver, filtering the message through Gabe and Hattie's situation, that Oliver "not be too hard on himself" for not fighting for her, that "[Shane] knew that [Oliver] loved her...she knew." God even made sure Shane told Oliver she would be back, knowing He would eventually bring them back together. It wasn't in God's character to let them go, even though they walked away from the gift with which He was trying to bless them. Instead, being a steady, unchanging God, He was faithful to complete what he started.

Permanently Protected (physically and spiritually). While in the wilderness, God not only protected Shane in a spiritual sense, He also did so physically. The enemy bombarded Shane spiritually with wave after wave of temptation and testing, which God protected Shane from by providing the tools she needed to endure the temptation and resist. But he also did so physically when an actual bomb hit near the compound where Shane was working. It was a literal illustration for the spiritual war Shane was experiencing. From it we can assert the truth that what---and whom---God has His hand on, nothing can destroy. Psalm 91:10-11 says, "...no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." Take comfort that if God did it for Shane, He would do it for you, too.

Got Community? If there's one thing Shane and Oliver's wilderness journeys highlighted, it's the function of faith in community. For Oliver, community was the bumper between him and total despair, whether he realized it or not. Poker night and gardening with his father were the mechanisms through which he learned the things he needed to make new choices and move forward. His experience also highlighted how, even in a community, one can be experiencing a wilderness.

Wilderness without community can look a lot like what happened to Shane. Without feedback mechanisms, Shane was stuck in her own head, a prisoner to her faulty faith formula until Oliver came to confront her complacency and "wake her up."

If you're not in community---find one. They will make sure you get focused on what---and more importantly, Whom---your eyes should be fixed. I hear the crowd that hangs around A&D is a pretty supportive bunch! And if you're surrounded by people, but feel like you're still in the wilderness, have a new perspective and see if you've missed people reaching out. You might be surprised to find that your way out of the wilderness you've been wandering in is right there in front of you.

What lessons did you take away from The Enemy At The Gate series? Has God shown you anything you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments---I'd love to hear all about it. Inspired to write a Living Letter about it? Email me here.

Processing,
~C

The Enemy At The Gate: The Setup | Insanity Cycle | Breaking The Cycle | Letters From War | The Choice | A Promise Made | A Promise Fulfilled | Unlocked