Be Wary Of Leviathan

 

"Be Wary Of Leviathan"

Guest post by Troy Goode, Providence, RI

The Leviathan Spirit has many characteristics, but it mainly manifests itself as pride. The very word "Leviathan" means "to twist."

Leviathan is deceptive because it preys upon very real hurts and wrongs that have happened to you.  

Your pain is not imagined; you were actually wronged, but Leviathan is seeking to make you fix your gaze solely on your problem; so you never pull back from how you were wronged and pray the heroic prayer: "Lord, heal ME!" 

This is a season of the great reconstruction. A time when God is building a new force of elite soldiers that will ascend their mountain of culture but also possess the character to stay on top and release God's love and healing in a manner that brings glory to Him.  

God is purposefully poking you where it hurts and forcing you to deal with internal issues you've masqueraded and hid behind for too long.

4 Keys To Confronting Leviathan

1) Come In The Opposite Spirit. At the root of your vulnerability to Leviathan is authentic hurt and anger. The Bible says we are to be angry but not sin.

Here it is critical that we acknowledge our anger but intentionally forgive and not give too much energy to thinking about how we were wronged.

2) Create A Healthy Environment. The old adage is true, "misery loves company," but during these critical times we can't be surrounded by people who will "co-sign" and enable our dysfunction.

We need friends that will hold us accountable and tell us the truth about ourselves even when it hurts. The Bible says the wounds of a friend are faithful. We don't need fans...we need friends.

3) Be Teachable. Leviathan is especially dangerous for leaders and leader-types, because they are so used to having the answers for everyone's problems that they struggle with seeking answers for themselves.

Leaders think they always have to be tough, that they have to appear strong, and those attributes work against them when they are the ones under God's magnifying glass and in need of help themselves.

4. Fixate on God’s Promises. God is always good, and Scripture teaches us everything works together for the good of those that love God and are called according to His purpose.  

We must focus on God's promises to come at the end of all this reconstruction. We can't get sidetracked by the pain or how badly we were wronged.

God is working on us to bring us to a better, more sustainable place. Ultimately He's taking us from glory to glory, and that must be our main focus.

 Excerpt's from the Post by Troy Goode, Senior Pastor
New Dimension Church Providence RI