(Ep32) Looking For an Opening

In this episode, we want to talk about how believers can identify and exploit openings in spiritual warfare by being proactive, turning the enemy's overreach into opportunity, and using both hasty and deliberate actions guided by the Holy Spirit. Drawing on military tactics and scripture, we are going to show you how traits like vigilance, boldness, resilience, and coordination equip Christians to advance God's mission rather than merely defend against attacks.

Transcript

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Hey guys, and welcome to Joining the Fight episode 32. If you're new to our series or coming back, we really appreciate you being here, and we hope that all we have to talk about opens your eyes to the realities of spiritual warfare and helps you execute better in that environment. I'm Kyle Clark from Standing Word Ministries, a Christ-centered ministry dedicated to equipping believers with solid biblical truth and practical training. We create scripture-based resources like our workbook Joining the Fight to strengthen discipleship, deepen our understanding of the Word to follow Jesus, and to help every one of us live with purpose as we stand firm in the truth and carry the message of Christ forward. If you want to explore more teachings or grab this workbook, head over to standingword.com. So as we've looked at our offensive operations the last several episodes, we've talked about We've talked about shifting our mindset from the defensive to the offensive. We've looked at those basic characteristics that every offense has to have, those six characteristics. We've looked at how we plan the mission, how we execute the mission, and what kind of mindset we have while we're engaging the enemy. Now, there's a critical moment in a battle when windows of opportunity open up. If you're well trained, you're well prepared, and you meet the enemy in his places of weakness, then he is going to provide you an opening that you can exploit. And so we're going to go back to some of the characteristics that we talked about while planning the mission. When it comes to our timing, so we're going to look at how being proactive, exploiting the enemy's overreach or his aggression, and how to seize an opening when given are the ways that we overcome the enemy in those offensive operations. Now we're going to look back at two elements in our basic characteristics and our planning. So in our planning and the execution of a plan, we had two types of timing, hasty and deliberate. So when we look for that opening, when we seize that moment, we're going to talk more about those hasty and deliberate actions. And this whole episode is trying to answer the question: how do we actually find and step into the openings God gives us when we are on the offensive and the enemy is engaged with us? Every time we move forward, it's like testing the enemy's defenses in a game of chess. It was the same in real combat. It was a cat and mouse game with the enemy. It was a game of wits, of chess, of aggression. We watch for gaps. Sometimes the enemy's own movements, his own aggressive tactics created openings. But in spiritual warfare, those openings will only become clear when we resist the devil, when we stay vigilant, and we lean heavily upon God and the Holy Spirit. We don't react in fear. We move with proactive boldness and we turn his overreach into our advance. Because the devil always wants more. And yet his aggression and the way he acted played into God's plan that allowed Christ to be resurrected. And this was a part of his undoing, setting the final stage for the Lord returning and restoring all creation back to God. So here is the full map that we look at to see exactly where we're going and how the timing of the exploiting and opening flows. Now, our first point, being proactive, creating openings. We create openings with our own vigilance and boldness. Think back to those six characteristics audacity, initiative, tempo, all of these things play in to this engagement and allow us to be proactive, ready for when those openings appear. We're not called to sit in a bunker waiting for the next attack. Being proactive means we stand in the authority Jesus has already given us and we stay alert. Paul told the church to forgive the repentant sinner so Satan wouldn't outwit them. For we are not unaware of his schemes, like he said in 2 Corinthians. That's vigilance. When we pray, like Ephesians 6.18 says, on all occasions with all kinds of prayers, and when we live boldly like lights on a hill, talked about in Matthew 5.16, we start creating openings around us. The enemy hates a unified praying, bold in Jesus' church. That's why the gaps appear in his defenses. Think about it like this: in those hasty moments on the battlefield, we don't have time to overthink. We resist, we forgive fast, we pray on the spot, we speak truth and love. That's using focus and a security-mindedness in real time. And that opens doors we don't even know we're there. That creates openings. When we choose to forgive quickly instead of nursing offense, we shut the door the enemy's trying to wedge open during our attacks. When we pray right there in the middle of the pressure, instead of waiting until we feel spiritual, we're creating an opening for God to move in that place. And when we live boldly, not loud and arrogant, but steady and unashamed, we disrupt what the enemy thought was his territory. That's proactivity. That's how we start seeing gaps in the enemy's defense. And once we live proactively, we wait to exploit the enemy's overreach. We turn his aggression into an opportunity. Here's the beautiful part of that. The enemy always overreaches. He always pushes too hard, lies too loudly, or brings trials that feel like they'll break us. But Romans 828 is still true to God. Still true today. God works all things for the good of those who love him. What he meant for harm becomes a testimony. And when we stand on the belt of truth and we speak what God says instead of what the enemy whispers, those lies start to fall apart. Jesus called him the father of lies for a reason. Our job isn't to argue with every lie, it's to plant the truth right where the lie is, sitting and watch God do the rest. That is our deliberate action when it comes to the enemy's overreach. We don't rush in swinging wildly. We coordinate with the Spirit and the surgical precision that only the Holy Spirit can have, to support one another in truth and let resilience carry us with the light that exposes the darkness around us. That's when real openings appear. Not because we forced them, but because we stood where God told us to stand to see them. I've seen this in my own life, in the lives of my brothers and sisters that I've walked with. The very thing the enemy used to try and crush us became the platform God used to bring freedom to someone else. The persecution we experienced when we endured and glorified God and remained boldly in step with Him, our endurance, our trial revealed God's truth to someone who had been blind. The severity of what we went through opens the eyes of others around us. The trial we thought that would destroy our faith became the story that strengthened someone else's. That's what happens when we refuse to panic and instead look for how God is turning the enemy's aggression into an opening for his glory. And so, how does this actually work on the ground in real life? How do we seize those opportunities, those hasty and deliberate ones? And how do the six basic characteristics apply? Now, an opening appears suddenly, a conversation, a crisis, a moment of conviction. We use hasty action, resisting the devil, drawing into God, speaking in truth that we already know, and that helps us focus and have a security mindset in action, in this action, in this moment. But when we have time to prepare, study, praying strategically, building relationships, we use deliberate action so we're ready when the bigger openings come. That's where our direction, our coordination, and our support play out. So again, as we live our life, as we live proactively, as we let the enemy's overreach turn into opportunity, when we see those small openings appear, we use hasty action. Our timing is immediate, so we can resist the devil right there. We can draw others near to God right then and there, and we can speak truth that we already know because we are focused and we are guarding our hearts and minds and helping others to build up in strength. That's what we do when it's hasty. But when we see an opportunity open up far in the future, and we study and we pray and we build relationships and we gather resources, well, that's when we take deliberate action against that opening the devil has allowed. An opportunity in a far-off mission field, a new ministry that can start and support and help others in the immediate area. Those are those deliberate actions we take. The enemies, damage, and destruction in an area has opened up a huge window for us to exploit. And so we plan and we take it. And through all of this, resilience keeps us moving even when the cost feels high. Because of Revelation 12, 11. It says that we have overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. So we don't love our lives so much to shrink away from what this world is threatening us with. That's the heart of being a hard target, like we've talked about in defense, so that when we see an opening, we can walk through it and exploit the enemy's weaknesses for God's glory. Deliberate actions prepare us for the really big ones. The six characteristics keep us steady, focused, and moving as one as we push towards that objective, so that when we actually step through the door that God opens, we take full advantage of all that He has planned. Focus helps us to spot those gaps, whether they are hasty or deliberate, for those openings that we take advantage of. And direction keeps us aimed at the overall mission. Coordination and support mean that we move together. Resilience keeps us from quitting when the opening costs something, which openings usually do cost something. That's another spiritual reality that we must face, that as we're pushing forward, the devil's not going to give up ground easily. He's going to make us pay for it. But that's how we fight. We're not lone rangers. We are a unified body in Christ Jesus that knows how to move when the commander opens the way, when he orders us forward, when he points out the target and says, Here, these people need rescuing. We go, we do, and we execute a plan that he guides us in. We maintain a mindset that he desires us to have, and we wait for that opening the enemy has given us. Now as we wrap up, let's close in prayer. Father, thank you that we don't fight alone and that we don't fight in our own strength. Teach us to resist the devil and watch for the openings you create. Give us vigilance to forgive fast and discernment to see clearly. Give us bold hearts to pray and live as lights to your gospel. Turn every trial the enemy sends into a testimony of your faithfulness. Expose every lie with your truth. Help us use hasty and deliberate actions wisely, and strengthen those six characteristics in us as we stay focused, steady, and moving forward. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. So here's the rhythm going forward the rest of this week. Resist, watch, and move. When the enemy overreaches, we don't panic. We look for the opening God is already creating. We stay proactive with vigilance and bold living. We turn trials into triumphs, lies into truth, and we use both hasty and deliberate actions held together by those six characteristics, so we're ready when the door opens. We fight from the victory Jesus has already won, so we don't shrink back, we step through the gap. Now before we go, take a quiet moment with us to review and reflect on what we've talked about today. When it comes to being proactive, where has the enemy been overreaching in your life and your family right now? When it comes to exploiting the enemy's overreach, what hasty or deliberate step is God asking you to take this week to create or walk through an opening? And when it comes to seizing our opportunities, which of the six characteristics do you need the Holy Spirit to strengthen in you so you don't miss that opportunity? Thank you so much for being with us today. Keep your eyes open, your armor on, and remember, we're not just surviving this fight. We're looking for those openings and we're advancing. You're not alone. We're in this together. And next time we're going to talk about what it really means to walk in victory through the endurance that God has built within us. Until then, stay vigilant, stay bold, and keep joining the fight. See you next time. God bless.