The Rules of Engagement

The Rules of Engagement

to move out of a higher level of operating in the spirit to a lower, inferior state of existence. (See Jeremiah 3:6–14; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3.) B ad R eputations In Philemon 1:10–11, Paul makes an appeal on behalf of a brother who appar ently had a bad reputation. A reputation is the value, assessment, or a kind of social rating placed upon a person based on the perception of their character, image, and activities. The Bible clearly states, “Man looketh on the outward appearance” (1 Sam. 16:7). We can have good reputations or bad reputations. Another person’s assessment of us can be accurate or inaccurate. Perception is reality to the person perceiving. The enemy uses this fact to twist and distort our perceptions. B ands In the Bible days, a band was a thin strip of flexible material used for encircling and binding one object to another, or to hold a number of objects together. Using this analogy, bands can therefore be referred to as satanic restraining devices that prohibit progress, growth, and development by causing a person to be bound to situations, circumstances, conditions, people, habits, thought and behavior patterns, activities, and substances. Bands can be physical, psychological, or emotional. (See Leviticus 26:13; Isaiah 52:2; 58:6.) B esetting S in According to Hebrews 12:1, a besetting sin would be any hindrance that Satan uses to thwart the progress of a believer so that he cannot finish a particular course of action. B etrayal Betrayal is a powerful weapon that robs a person of his or her trust in some thing or someone through the violation of covenant, contracts, or verbal agreements. This weapon causes intense grief of the soul. There are two pieces of advice I want to give you if you have been betrayed. First, never allow yourself to take on the role of a victim. And second, do not give your personal power away. Remember, you have a God who will never betray you.

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