IT WON'T WORK Author:  Min. Michele Cunningham The other day I watched an action packed movie in which the villain and the hero had a showdown in the final scene. It was such an intense struggle, and I hung on to the edge of my seat waiting for the outcome. Suddenly, the hero tripped and the villain took advantage of the situation and began to beat him. After the hero is thoroughly beaten, the villain takes the hero's gun and points it at his head. I thought. "Oh no, what a horrible ending to this movie! He's going to die." I just knew that it was over and that the leading man would surely be killed. Finally, the villain takes the pistol and places it at the temple of the hero and slowly squeezes the trigger. I hid my face in my hands to keep from seeing the gruesome scene, and suddenly heard a faint click. I peaked between my fingers only to find out that It didn't work! The movie's villain had intended to kill the hero, but was unable to because the pistol wasn't loaded. The fifty-fourth chapter of Isaiah tells of a similar situation where God promises His children that the weapons of the enemy will not work against them. 14 In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake. 16 "Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the re, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy. 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD. -Isaiah 54: 14-17 In the above scripture, we find God giving comfort to the people of Israel. He speaks hope to a group of people that are in the midst of a very turbulent time in their lives. When this word comes to them, they have been deported into a foreign land and are living in captivity. The Lord offers them the hope of restoration and peace in the midst of their feelings of abandonment and frustration (Is 49:14). He very lovingly presents them with the joy of their future: prosperity, freedom, and peace. In times like these characterized by terrorism, war, poor economic development, crime and disease this powerful promise of peace and restoration transcends time and offers hope to our nation. It presents us with the timeless love and kindness of The Lord and His awesome power to restore and grant peace. Reading these few verses of scriptures causes ones focus to shift away from the uncertainty that they may be currently experiencing to the very certain promise of God's word. Nestled in the midst of this great declaration of peace and restoration, we find a wonderful pledge of God's protection. He says that, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper". He is essentially telling us that no instrument or device designed for our destruction will be able to flourish, become successful, or overcome us. Unfortunately, weapons will be formed against us, but the word of the Lord is that they will not be successful at overcoming you! Not one weapon in the enemy's arsenal will be able to prosper, no matter what it is! Simply stated, IT WON'T WORK! To further emphasize His point the Lord states, "Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy. He reassures us that no weapon will prosper against us by reminding us of His Divine person and sovereignty. The Lord declared that He created the creator of any weapon that could ever possibly used against us. Therefore, He is well able to control His creations. Today as you read this, I confess that I don't know where you are or what you may be facing. However I would like to encourage you that whatever weapon(s) that the enemy has formed against you to destroy you will NOT work! No matter how big or terrible the issue that you face, please know that It Won't Work! We have this present promise of God's protection from the entire arsenal of Satan. So whether the enemy has formed a weapon to destroy your mind, finances, family, body, spirit or reputation please know that it will not be successful! That's right, IT WON'T WORK! As a matter of fact, everyone reading this right now testifies that every weapon that the enemy has launched against you thus far has not worked! This issue will not succeed at overcoming you either. So be encouraged and know that IT WON'T WORK!