I have a 97 Honda Accord. It’s paid for, gets good mileage, and most of the paint is still stuck to the body. It runs good and the insurance is cheap. But, I think the front end may need to be aligned. It tends to drift to the right instead of staying in the center of the lane. One or both front wheels have turned a few degrees from the factory settings.
I also live in West Texas which is the galactic center of pickup-world. Most of the pickups are new and shiny and pricy but a few are beat up, rusty, and old enough to smoke. Occasionally you will see one of these “classics” running down the road with one front wheel pointing at a 45 degree angle from the other. That is seriously out of alignment. When that is going on the front end shakes, the tires get exceptionally hot and the tread wears off like a pencil eraser in the hands of a five year old. At any speed, these pickup trucks put everyone around them in danger and may be life threatening to those actually along for the ride. In the automotive world, alignment is important. Both front wheels need to track together and need to be set to the “specs” of the one who designed it.
In the arena of spiritual warfare, alignment is even more critical. Spiritual alignment is the metric that tells us whether of not we are tracking with God. When our lives begin to diverge from the track God that has laid out for us, shaking occurs, friction increases, and control becomes an issue. If not corrected, we will end up in the ditch and probably take others with us. The primary strategy of the enemy is to get us out of alignment with God. This strategy appeared first in the Garden when Satan convinced Adam and Eve to alter their view of God and, in doing so, they altered their alignment. Rather than tracking with God they began to track with Satan. In some ways it was a subtle realignment. It was just a question of whether God was being totally fair with them or whether he could always be trusted to have their best interest at heart.
God had given them a clear commandment to steer away from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil but they began to steer toward the tree as they came into agreement with Satan about God’s commands and character. God had said that eating the fruit of that tree would be disastrous. Satan said it would be liberating and enlightening. God had said that the fruit would leave them impoverished and touched by death. God said the barriers he had erected around that tree were for their safety. Satan said the barriers were there to keep them away from the best things in life and that God was only bluffing about the death thing. We all know the rest of the story.
By coming into agreement with Satan while rejecting the word of God, Adam surrendered the glory and dominion that God had given him. Adam and Even had been given dominion (authority) over all of God’s works on the earth. When Adam aligned himself with Satan, and chose to act from that place, he forfeited his dominion and gave his authority over the earth to Satan – who then became the “prince of this world.”
The Old Testament prophet put is this way. “How can two walk together unless they be agreed?” The corollary could be stated, “If two are agreed, then they end up walking together.” This verse implies equality, but Satan never grants equality to anyone. He is determined to rule. If we align ourselves with Satan, then he will eventually exercise his dominion and control over us.
Jesus, has taken away all of Satan’s rightful dominion over those who are in Christ. But we, like Adam, can give Satan dominion over a piece of real estate in our own lives when we come into agreement with him about that slice of our life. When we refuse to repent of a persistent sin, refuse to acknowledge our responsibility, when we refuse to forgive, or when we put an ungodly relationship ahead of God, we give Satan authority in that part of our life. From that position, he can create havoc in all kinds of ways.
To confess is to agree with God. It is to say what God says about Christ or a sin or any other truth that God has declared. In the arena of spiritual warfare, we need to be sure that we stay in alignment with the Father. We need to be careful to say what he says about Jesus, about life, and about ourselves. Declarations from our mouths that are contrary to God’s word begin to move us from an aligned position with Christ toward a position aligned with Satan. Sometimes, the misalignment is just a few degrees. Then that minor vibration becomes the norm. We don’t even notice it anymore. Then a few more degrees of departure may occur, and then a few more. Before we know it, we have given authority to Satan to have access to our lives and family, and we are headed for the ditch.
The solution is always careful realignment based on a Holy Spirit scan that tells you where adjustments need to be made. A life of saying what God says about everything and quick repentance when we notice our misalignment disarms the enemy and restores our authority in Christ. Watch for spiritual vibrations, shaking, and wobbling or persistent pulls to the left or right. Alignment or agreement with God in every area of your life, thoughts and words is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of divine weapons God has given you.
