Deadly Viper Character Assassins

September 22, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

The dictionary defines an assassin as “one who murders by surprise attack.” No assassin worth his/her salt sends you an announcement to say, “I’ll be stopping by your office tomorrow morning to kill you. If that’s not a convenient time for you, please let me know.” Of course not! Assassins never tell you that they’re coming.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”

So a “character assassin” is something that sneaks up and takes out the essential factor that could have made us successful and effective in life. This is why Deadly Viper Character Assassins is such a vital resource.

Here are the two pulls in my life:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour [assassinate]. (1 Peter 5:8)

You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

If I keep our character intact, I’ve developed a foundation that will sustain me for the long haul. In my experience, here’s what I’ve done to keep developing my character:

  1. Be more concerned about my character than my popularity.
  2. Regularly look myself in the mirror of God’s Word to see chinks in my armor.
  3. Make myself accountable to godly friends.

Don’t wait until the assassin has already taken a shot at your character, but begin to protect yourself now. Continue to grow in the character Jesus Christ exhibited for us.

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We’re Under Attack!

July 22, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

As Betsy and I pray together for our family and friends, we’ve noticed a disturbing trend in our prayer time. Our prayer list is filling up with dear friends whose marriages are under attack…

  • Overwhelming financial pressures
  • Legal concerns
  • Drug problems
  • Questions about the future
  • Feelings of a loss of connection

These problems pile up and cause tremendous strain on marriages. It’s not surprising that marriages are under attack. Since the intimacy between husband and wife is the relationship God repeatedly uses to show the relationship He wants to have with humanity, it’s understandable why the enemy would attack marriages. If marriage is seen as unfulfilling, an intimate relationship with God seems undesirable.

The definition of strategy boils down to the big picture plan that’s put into place before the battle begins. Make no mistake about it, even if your marriage seems carefree now, it will be under attack in the future. Here are a few thoughts on forming a pre-battle strategy.

1.  Spend lots of time together. In the military platoons eat together, hike together, sleep together, practice together. They are getting to know both their craft and their team. Your spouse should be your best friend, not just your roommate. And you get to best-friend status by spending lots of time together.

  • Eat at least one meal together everyday … at the table, without the TV on.
  • Go for a walk … hold hands.
  • If you enjoy exercise, sweat together … then shower together.
  • Plan regular date nights … no kids, just the two of you.
  • Occasionally getaway for a romantic weekend.

2.  Continue to flirt with each other. You did a lot of special things for each other while you dating. So keep on letting your spouse know how special he/she is to you.

  • Send an e-card to his/her work email address.
  • Buy him his favorite candy bar and tape it to a note telling him how sweet he is.
  • Send her a flirty text message while she’s out with friends.
  • Come home with flowers.
  • Whisper sweet-nothings in each other’s ear.

3.  Pray together. There is no more intimate thing you can do than keep God a part of your marriage. After all, He is the One who said, “Let husband and wife be one flesh.” He is for your marriage—He wants it to be successful and fulfilling.

  • Pick a regular time to pray together every day.
  • Pray when you feel pressures beginning to press on you.

4.  Develop a support team. Don’t wait until the assault on your marriage is bearing down on you before you seek help. Put things in place now.

  • Read a book together about healthy marriages. (Tomorrow I will post a list of good marriage-building books.)
  • Hang out with other couples who have healthy marriages.
  • Go to church together.

Next to my relationship with Jesus (and because of my relationship with Jesus), my relationship with Betsy is the most fulfilling relationship I have. She is my best friend. The attacks have come against us too, but having a strategy in place ahead of time has been invaluable.

It’s never too late—or too early—to form a strategy for a successful, fulfilling marriage. When you repel the assault on your marriage, you will find an even greater appreciation for and intimacy with your spouse. A good marriage is so worth the effort!

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Beat Up

July 2, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Some snippets from a few conversations I have had the past week—

  • “What’s the point?”
  • “My life doesn’t make sense.”
  • “I probably deserve this.”
  • “I don’t know how I got here … I don’t know how to get out of here.”
  • “Why me?”
  • “I feel beat up.”

C.S. Lewis got it exactly right when he wrote, “If satan’s arsenal of weapons were restricted to a single one, it would be discouragement.”

Have you ever worked with someone whose attitude changed after giving his 2-week notice? His job performance slips … his attitude stinks … he does things against company policy … and he justifies it all by saying, “What are they going to do, fire me?” He’s got nothing to lose by acting like a complete jerk!

satan has already been “fired”—he knows he’s got a terrible end coming. And all he wants to do is make other people feel rotten … beat up … discouraged … defeated. He wants to take you down. He’s a jerk!

Did you know that the word devil means slanderer? By his very nature, he only tells lies. Everything he says is intended to harm you. He slings mud at your character, tries to get you thinking you’re no good, turns your attention to anything that’s dark, picks on your faults, jumps on your weaknesses. Like a jerk, he beats you up and beats you down until you start believing his lies.

He is a LIAR!

You are invaluable.

You are a masterpiece.

You are desperately loved by God.

You are integral to God’s plan.

I know you may want to ignore satan’s slandering, to tune out his lies, but can I suggest something else? Listen to them. Listen very carefully. If you are listening closely, you will be able to identify the lies and then demolish them. satan is hoping you will simply accept what he’s saying without analyzing it.

Here’s the next step. After you’ve identified the lies, you have to speak the truth OUT LOUD that contradicts those lies. The Bible says that we defeat satan’s slander by the power of Jesus AND the true words from our mouth. If you’re not sure what biblical truth counteracts the lies that are discouraging you, email me and I’d be happy to help you.

You are so very valuable! There’s a bully who wants to intimidate you, but your Big Brother Jesus is ready to take care of him!

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