Transition – Rewards Attract Attack

There are many forms of attack. Attack is designed to prevent you from obtaining a specific outcome in your life. It could be a distraction. It could be physical attack. It could be an attack in your soul. Attacks may have many battles or one decisive battle.

The man was placed in the garden along with his wife, but they were attacked by Satan.

Genesis 3:1-7 NLT
(1) The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
(2) “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
(3) “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
(4) “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
(5) “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
(6) The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
(7) At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Joseph was attacked by Potiphar’s wife.

Genesis 39:5-19 NLT
(5) From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.
(6) So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,
(7) and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.
(8) But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household.
(9) No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
(10) She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.
(11) One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work.
(12) She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.
(13) When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled,
(14) she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed.
(15) When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”
(16) She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home.
(17) Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said.
(18) “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”
(19) Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her.

Daniel went into the lion’s den because of the rewards he earned.

Daniel 6:1-16 NLT
(1) Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province.
(2) The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests.
(3) Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.
(4) Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.
(5) So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”
(6) So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius!
(7) We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions.
(8) And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
(9) So King Darius signed the law.
(10) But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
(11) Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.
(12) So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
(13) Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”
(14) Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.
(15) In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”
(16) So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”

Jesus went to hell for us, but he needed to keep himself under control.
Jesus could have counterattacked, but He resisted deviation from the course He was to travel for us.

Matthew 26:51-53 NLT
(51) But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
(52) “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.
(53) Don’t you realize that I could ask My Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and He would send them instantly?

Each Legion would contain 5200 angels as compared with a typical Roman Legion of the time. This is over 64,000 angels which would be able to decimate the world’s population many times over.

Paul preached in Rome, but he took the really long way there. Paul was beaten, jailed and shipwrecked many times. It seemed as though something was hindering him, but Paul had a message.

Acts 23:11-21 NLT
(11) That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to Me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”
(12) The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
(13) There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.
(14) They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
(15) So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”
(16) But Paul’s nephew—his sister’s son—heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul.
(17) Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.”
(18) So the officer did, explaining, “Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”
(19) The commander took his hand, led him aside, and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”
(20) Paul’s nephew told him, “Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information.
(21) But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.”

Being under attack is not fun, but conquering an attacker brings the spoils of victory (more rewards) to you. The biggest weapon that you have to counter attack is the Word of God. In the Book of James, we are told:

James 1:2-4 NLT
(2) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
(3) For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
(4) So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.