When Everything Is
Against You!

       Don't Take This
     
         Lying Down!

       I don’t know if you grew up hearing the phrase, Beat the dickens out of it!  Dickens is a euphemism meaning the devil.  So spiritually speaking when we say beat the dickens out of something, that means we’re going to beat the devil out of our circumstances.  We are determined to make him get out and win over him.

       One day, a minister was asked to say an opening prayer before a football game.  It was a major game in Texas where football is a big-time sport.  It so happened that the minister was a big fan of the University of Texas who was competing against Texas A&M that day.  So when he got to the mic to say the blessing, he shocked thousands of people in the stadium.  At the end of his prayer, he said, “Lord, we are here to beat the dickens out of those guys from Texas A&M.  Amen.”

       He couldn’t resist the temptation!  He so much wanted to win that game, that he got his word in to God against the opposition.  But that’s what we need to do!  Get our word in to God concerning the opposition.  “Lord, I’m here to beat the dickens out of this.  I’m not going to take it lying down.”  Tell Him!  Tell Him how determined you are that when everything is against you, you won’t take it lying down.

       “God, I’m going to beat the dickens out of this affliction.  It will not grip my body.  I win over what is opposing me in my job.  I beat this temptation that is haunting me.  I beat this addiction, this depression.  I get victory over what’s trying to stop my progress.”  You refuse to accept what’s happening without opposing it.  You won’t take it lying down.

       Now for those of you who may think those words, “I’m going to beat the dickens out of this,” are rough sounding, let me tell you, we shouldn’t think because we’re Christians that we can’t talk aggressively in a spiritual way.  It’s either beat what’s coming against you or be beaten.

       When things are against you is not the time to be passive.  It’s the time to be aggressive against the spirit forces opposing you.  We need to make sure we’re not more willing to fight in a sports game to see our team win than we are to fight for the miracles of God to come to us.  We have to fight for victory.  Get some of that spiritual aggression going inside you so the enemy knows that no matter how much he sends to oppose you, he will not ultimately win.

       Get into God’s Word and read some of the aggressive Spirit-inspired words.  Passages such as Psalm 118.  This was written by a person who was surrounded by their enemies trying to destroy him.  But he decided he was not going to take it because he knew Who was for him.  And He was greater than those against him.

       So the writer said, Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide open spaces, He answered.  God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me?  God’s my strong champion; I flick off my enemies like flies.  Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, they hemmed me in; in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt (Psalm 118 MSG).

       You’re pushed to the wall.  Everything is against you.  Circumstances are around you like swarming bees.  But do you take it?  Or do you remember God is on your side so you don’t have to be afraid.  He’s your strong champion.

       You can flick off your enemies as if they’re flies.  When they swarm around you as bees, they will be extinguished.  The Lord is on your side and takes your part.  So in Him you can trust and take refuge.

       Now that doesn’t sound as if it’s someone who is accepting what’s come against them.  They recognize how weak conditions are when God is on our side.  We can beat the dickens out of them.  As that scripture said, we rub their faces in the dirt.  Those evil spirit forces cannot lay a hand on us to defeat us because God is on our side.

       In Him you have your power.  The enemy will have to stand aside and watch as one by one each thing that has opposed you has to admit defeat and go away.  You have the voice of rejoicing.

       When he sends so many things against you at once, he thinks for sure he has you.  But it’s just not going to work.  He can hem you in as if he has sent a swarm of bees around you.  But that scripture said those bees, his efforts, will blaze up.  They’ll be extinguished (AMPC).

       The hand of God is with you to beat the opposition.  You can beat the dickens out of the circumstances.  God has determined salvation for you.  And that’s what His hand will move to give you as you go to Him as your refuge.

A Spiritual Powerline to say out loud:
“I BEAT THE DICKENS OUT OF THIS!”

  Here is a powerful prayer
              to say out loud:               

       Oh God, I am not going to take this lying down.  I know now that I can beat the dickens out of this difficulty and problem.  I’m going to rub the devil’s face in the dirt for doing this to me.  So, in the name of Jesus, I raise my voice of rejoicing and praise You.  Amen and amen.