when people would have their guard down

 There was a criminal who was being interrogated by the police after a string of robberies. He spoke honestly  about how he would find and approach his targets. He spoke about how he would first watch. He would look for people who had their wealth on display. He would look for the designer bags, the jewelry, and expensive watches. He would look for the house with the expensive cars on the drive. And all of this would inform his decision about who to target. The second thing he would do is wait for an opportune time. He would wait for a time or season when people would have their guard down. Summer was always his favorite season. People would often leave windows wide open because of the heat. More than likely he would find that the front door is not locked at night because people forgot to check their doors before bed. Now you can learn two things from this. For a moment consider the Bible describes the devil as a thief. A thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. We're also told that the devil roams to and fro looking. He is actively looking for targets, for people to devour. So let's draw up some similarities between the thief's confession and the devil's approach.   

¹ Firstly, a thief doesn't break into an empty house and neither does the devil. They don't. There's nothing of value in a house that's empty. There's nothing to steal. But when you find the devil trying to break into your life, it's because he  knows. He knows what's inside you. He knows the heights you can reach as a  child of God. He knows the value, the gift inside of you. 

² Secondly, the devil targets believers. He targets those who are trying to do right, to live right to walk before God according to biblical standards and  here's why Satan will target a Christian who is striving to be Christlike, because he does not want you to be effective. He doesn't want you to grow into your calling so he'll try to rob you he will try to rob you of your joy. He will rob you of your focus. He will rob you of your peace. He will do all that he can to steal, kill, and destroy. And so often times, a lot of us don't know why the devil is fighting us. But he is fighting us because of what God has placed within us. In one way or another, you are gifted. And the thing about gifts is that you can be incredibly gifted, you can be incredibly anointed in a specific area but unless you identify your gift, your calling, unless you identify it, then that gift will remain ineffective and hidden. Now understand that most people associate gifts with fame. They associate gifts with money and success but we need to understand that your gift is unique to you. You may perceive your gift or your role to be small or insignificant in the kingdom of God. But believe me, every gift has a purpose. We all have a purpose. Never wish or rather never envy another person's gift. You have no idea the load they carry. You have no idea what it takes to carry that gift, what it takes to have a voice like that, to have skills like that, or to be able to write or lead like that. I say that because in as much as we all have unique gifts, each unique gift comes with its own set of unique battles.  There are evil forces that come against you specifically to try and delay the cultivation of your gift. They come against you to stop the realization of your gift or to simply distract you. So the first sign that you are gifted is opposition. When you are under spiritual attack that's almost always a sign. A strong sign that you're doing something right. It means you're on the right side. Darkness is in opposition to light. Evil is in opposition to good. Fear is in opposition to faith. And likewise when you're a child of God when you're living and breathing  for God. You're in opposition to the devil. So expect opposition now because you're living for Christ. You wil inevitably grow in him. And the more you mature, the more you develop in your relationship with him, the more the devil will realize that you are edging closer and closer to your calling. And so this is one of the  primary reasons you'll begin to experience spiritual warfare and people will often begin to react emotionally. But God why is this happening? I'm strong in my prayer life. I'm not entertaining any kind of habitual sin. Why is this happening? And a lot of Christians will really get in a bother, scratching their heads. As to why they're under so many discern that the devil is trying to throw hell and the kitchen sink your way. All because he is in fact, weary and afraid about what you would achieve for God if you realized that you were gifted, if you realized that your knowledge in business can in fact be used to grow the church, if you realize that your gift as a pianist could lead so many people to worship in a mighty way. The devil is afraid of you realizing that you're not just a choir member in a small local church but you are in fact a vessel in God's orchestra, being used to usher in his presence to people who so desperately need it. He's afraid of how much more you would be willing to do the things of God so he's going to fight you. He's going to try and scare you. He's going to try and distract you so that you never come to realize that the very thing that you love to do but see as insignificant is the very thing that will cause damage in his kingdom. So I pray that God will open your eyes, so that you can see the gifts inside you. And make no mistake, your gift will make room for you. So I pray that God not only reveals the treasure talents and gifts inside of you but I pray that you would use your gifts to God's glory. I pray that you would not forget to thank the one who gave them to you. And most importantly I pray that the enemy would not discourage you or make you think that there is no place for your gifts to be of service because that is not true. God has definitely created you with a purpose. In James 1:17 says "Every good gift, every perfect gift is from above; comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Many times, during the course of our lives, we don't know why the devil is fighting us. We'll pray and ask God, why me? Why now? We'll scratch our head and think "was it something I did?" 

But let me tell you something. The reason why the devil fights