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Resist the devil and he will flee

One of the strongest attacks from the enemy (also known as Satan) is the constant condemnation and accusation he brings to  your life. Whether you’re a Christian or not, Satan doesn’t discriminate, he’s always ready to accuse you. Thankfully there is a way to stop these thoughts. Jesus has set us free through the redemption of His perfect sacrifice on the cross. Due to this, we now have the power through Jesus to cover ourselves with His precious blood. “Now there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who not not after the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1

There is a grave danger when we allow ourselves to dwell in the past, our uncertain future, or on what could have been. These are tactics the enemy uses to ensure that you don’t move forward. The devil gets a foothold if we give it to him. Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated nor taunted by the devil. Propose it to yourself to not allow Satan to play with your emotions, you’re not his puppet. I believe that part of the reason why we allow these thoughts of condemnation to filter through our mind and spirit, is the lack of self-dominion. We do not know how to stop these thoughts and we entertain them. We have the Holy Spirit talking to us, but instead, we choose to ignore that still small voice. So how do we choose to stop these thoughts? Below are a few tips on how to do this effectively.

#1 Remember that you’re in control. God’s word says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and sound mind.” – 2 Tim 1:7.  This means you have the fruits of the Holy Spirit and one of those fruits is self-control. Believe that you are equipped to stop those fiery darts with the shield of faith. You can lift that shield and cover your mind with the word of God. This will counter those lying words.

#2 You have been set free. The word of God says that “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” – John 8:36. You’ve been forgiven, redeemed, and purchased at a price. Nothing that you did in the past is unforgivable, Jesus already paid the price for your sins. Your past is “finished” and so are you sins. You’re no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to Christ. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” That word gives me a lot of hope. To know that if you’ve sincerely repented to God about what you’ve done…mercy is sure to follow. God’s mercy is indeed new every morning. Let your soul and your mind rest in the Spirit of the Lord. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!

#3 Look ahead. The greatest weapon you have against the enemy is the present and the plans that God has for you. While we shouldn’t boast about tomorrow, God is the one who decides where we go, if we do this and that. Those days are filled with hope and desire…days of prosperity. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” Don’t look behind, the past is considered garbage, whether good or bad, you’ve gained Christ now. Have hope in your heart that all will be well and God does not remember your sin. He’s that kind and generous. His desire for you is to move forward in Him, remain in Him, and He will make His home in you.

God bless.

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Satan doesn’t want you physically & spiritually active!!

I know this sounds peculiar, perhaps even ridiculous… but I’m here to expose the truth of Satan’s schemes. While this may seem like yet another Christian pointing the blame at Satan for something that we should be doing; God has been revealing to me why Satan puts so many obstacles for us to be physically and spiritually active. During my walk with Christ, I always notice that Satan attacks me in the area of my health. Whenever I am fully committed to working out, suddenly I get stricken with a really bad flu and my energy is gone. Thus, if you don’t have strength, it causes you to pause your fasting and pretty much everything else follows.

Enough is enough. If you’re a Christian, by no means should we be complacent or negligent with our health and prayer life. We cannot be sedentary and think that our health will always remain. Satan really is looking to destroy us, one way or the other. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” If we’re distracted by our busy schedule, we can easily not find time to exercise.

Here are some of the schemes Satan uses:

#1 Distraction – This is probably one of Satan’s favorite strategies. We’re not ignorant to His schemes, we just need to be alert. If we allow distraction to take over our lives, we lose focus and forget our priorities in life. If our time with God suffers, everything else will be out of order. The same with our physical activity, we cannot let our bodies perish.  “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” 1 Corinth 6:19

#2 Complacency – If we remain complacent about where we are…we don’t grow. Neither do we grow physically nor mentally. Satan loves to keep us from the vision. This is why God says in Habakkuk 2:2 – “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”

#3 Negligence – If you’re not alert, you’re not protecting what is yours. If you allow yourself to be negligent, Satan will easily turn this around and accuse you of being negligent. This is where the self-condemnation begins. Sometimes all of this begins with you and it’s important that we have the mind of Christ and that we renew our minds daily. If you don’t pray, you become numb to God’s voice and you won’t recognize it. Your relationship with Him will suffer. The same is with exercise, if you don’t exercise, a slew of diseases will come and apathy will take over your spiritual life.

The human body needs a certain amount of physical movement to remain healthy. The same is with our spiritual health. The sedentary Christian will never know God if he or she does not seek His face. 1 Timothy 4:8 – “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” Don’t get this confused, Paul is not saying that exercise is not important… he’s just referencing the importance of keeping your spiritual life up to par. Romans 12:11 – Don’t let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor.”

The physical and the spiritual are interconnected. We cannot neglect one and expect to be strong in the other. If we neglect the spiritual, our bodies reap the consequences. Depression sets in, lack of identity, disorder, lack of spiritual discernment, zeal, self-condemnation, and the list goes on. If we neglect the physical, we are easily wearied and lose heart. We won’t have discipline in our lives and everything else will be affected by that lack of discipline.

Remember – “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.” – Proverbs 24:34 

I’ve taken this message to heart and I thank God for it. Be wise and keep a balance in your life. I hope it motivates you to crush the enemy in his face. God bless!