Prevention, Cure, And Maintenance
Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”
In most industries, several procedures are set in place to ensure that operations are correctly carried out to achieve the desired objective(s). Changing or disrupting these procedures can slow down or even completely disrupt production to the point where it can come to a standstill. The business can be made to fail, to the point where it becomes no longer efficient or effective. Jobs can be lost, products removed from inventory, and finances destroyed.
Whilst in many cases the competition is good for all concerned, where personal gain is the objective, there will be casualties and, usually, the instigator has an ulterior motive, which is to destroy their competition entirely to the point of death, as it were. This is very much so in “industrial warfare”, yet the tactics and intents are no different to actual warfare.
In warfare, establishing a foothold or beachhead is usually one of the primary objectives of any attacking force. And, whether or not you like it, we are at war with Satan! He will seek everything about you that he can by watching you closely and he will gather that information to attack you when he sees any and every opportunity to do so.
Just take a moment and read the story of Rourke’s Drift. It is a fascinating true story in itself, which illustrates Satan’s most vulnerable attribute. Learning about this is key to victory over Satan and his dominions.
When you receive the absolute truth about something, you simply have to have the faith to use it, and then you are no longer ignorant –Satan wants you to live in ignorance. But, once you understand that you do not have to live there, you are an overcomer. You truly become a warrior – which is one thing that Satan does not want you to become.
Knowing answers is great, but what are you going to do with them? How do you accomplish this overcoming? Stopping something harmful or detrimental to you is a smart idea. But, what is not always obvious is how to go about achieving this.
To begin with, let’s clearly define what we mean by each of the parts of this title (above) and then combine these to produce a standard procedure which can be used to overcome most problems.
In industry, or wherever something is produced, manufactured, or created, there is a need to ensure that whatever that product or required outcome is, it usually becomes something that requires ongoing attention, through vigilance, to preserve it and keep it in the best working order. Rather like replenishing or changing the oil in your vehicle. Eventually, the oil can deteriorate causing a breakdown in the engine and preventing you from having the use of your vehicle.
Prevention
It is simply stopping something that is anticipated to take place or, allowing something from progressing any further than the existing situation.
Prevention can result from previous experience or observation of an existing situation. Previous experience (you could call this wisdom) can enable foresight into a potentially dangerous situation or problem arresting it from happening before it even starts – Prevention.
Cure
To cure something is the action of correcting, or providing a complete remedy to a given situation or problem. Providing a solution to eliminate, eradicate, or purge a negative from that situation so that the intended result can come about.
Maintenance
Maintenance of anything involves continual vigilance to ensure that nothing goes wrong. It is the “oiling of the wheels” to make sure that they run smoothly. In days gone by railroad engineers continuously oiled the wheels of the locomotive engine, making sure that they ran smoothly and efficiently. Maintenance is simply the upkeep of something.
So what does this have to do with you as a Christian?
The answer to this is simply the fact that you are a Christian!
Something that you have to accept is the fact that Satan hates you. Satan hates God and because you are a child of God, he hates you too. So, he will take every opportunity that he can to hurt you, but targeting God. Who wouldn’t be hurt if their child is hurt?
To reiterate, if you have not already done so, please read or listen to the lesson entitled Rourke’s Drift. It truly will reveal to you how to fight Satan and gain victory using his main weakness. To understand and combat his tactics. And he doesn’t have that many!
Jesus warned us that Satan’s purpose is to either steal from us, kill us, or destroy us. (John 10:10) He told us to keep guard to Prevent Satan from harming us:
(1Peter 5:8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
(James 4:7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
But, Jesus also told us how great our lives can be even if Satan does come against us. To have access to the Cure for any harm done to us.
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 – second part of the verse)
The Secret to Defeating Satan
The secret to defeating Satan is to employ the same weapon that Jesus used against him. When the Holy Spirit had taken our Lord into the wilderness where He stayed for 40 days.
Let’s just review how Jesus did this:
Please take the time to read through the Scripture. Matthew chapter four verses 1 through 11.
It is here, in these verses, that the only weapon that you need to defeat Satan is revealed:
- Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
- And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
- And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
- But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
- Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
- And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
- Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
- Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
- And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
- Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
- Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
The weapon that Jesus used on Satan each time the devil tried to tempt him, which was an attack on his sovereignty and Lordship, was the Word of God!
Each time Satan tempted Jesus. He replied, using (and this is how you use it as well), the three little words “it is written!” followed by a specific Scripture. And it is important to understand that the Scripture used by the Lord was one relevant to the attack from Satan.
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Verses 3+4)
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written*, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
*Note here that Satan even tried to mimic Jesus by using Scripture, but his words were twisted scriptures. Just as some people will try and twist your words! (Satan is not righteous!) (Verses 5-7)
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Verses 9+10)
The Concluding Part
Maintenance is the concluding part of this lesson. But once we enter into this phase. it is not something that will ever be completed.
The word maintenance is a noun and is defined as:
And the opposite is given as Neglect and Breakdown. Failure to upkeep.
Success against our enemies will always be easier when we are not ignorant of our enemy’s devices and tactics. (Remember the Zulus tactics of the water buffalo as shown in the Rourke’s Drift teaching.)
When we believe in the weapons and the armour of God that He has provided for our warfare against Satan and learn how to effectively use them we will overcome and defeat him. The victory is not always immediate but how many fights or wars are? Plus, when we employ the use of continued personal and, collective, fervent prayer and personal study of the Word we are bombarding Satan.
(James 4:7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Prevention is the weapon we use to stop Satan from even beginning to commence an attack!
Cure is the healing or repair of hurt, harm, or loss through employing specific Scriptures to overcome this kind of attack.
Maintenance is the ongoing care of ourselves through continuous study and use of the Word of God.
When you enroll in our Systematic Discipleship Program, you will learn how to use the weapons of our warfare even better. We teach you how to understand what these weapons are, how to use them, and when to use them.
Once you achieve this, your life will become more successful, less stressed and, you will be able to teach others how to overcome in the way you will be overcoming.
When others see your successes and how you have overcome things, they will ask you how you have achieved this. And, this is your opportunity to witness to them and obey the Lord’s commandment to go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel. Overcoming is preaching the Gospel because it is the preaching of the Word of God.
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