October 4th, 2020
Sunday AM
1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Pride is the only thing the devil will not convict you of. He is the epitome of pride, and we do not want to be like him. Humble yourself!
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
He cannot devour you without your permission. The devil knows you have authority over him as a believer. He is scared of you! Satan has studied mankind for 6 thousand years. He has a working knowledge of how humans operate. He has studied you. He knows your weaknesses. What appeals to you and what doesn’t. He knows what will trip you up. The only people that fear the devil, are those who don’t know they have authority over him. Fear is a lie! It’s paying on a note that might not ever come due! It’s an imagination! It’s backed up by feelings not truth. We are God’s people! Everything in our life belongs to Him. He has purchased us spirit, soul, and body. The devil has no right to us, nor any part of our family. We have authority over that whole realm, given to us by God. If you believe that God really cares for you, you should know that nothing will bring any damage to you. Why? Because you know God cares for you! We need to have a better understanding of how much God loves us and cares for us.
So, what gives him permission? What makes us devourable?
Deceit – He likes to cause harm without you knowing it is him. If you don’t know its him, you can’t resist him. He wants you to think its “normal.” This is why the verse says, “be sober, be vigilant…” We must be on top of our game! When you have dark thoughts, we must rise up and recognize where it is coming from. Do not dwell on it, or it will only become bigger. This is the kind of thing that he uses to devour you! It’s subtle. He uses deceit to do things in your life without you recognizing it is him. He will turn you on yourself instead of having you focused on the real problem. Which is him.
If the devil is attacking you in your thoughts, it does not mean you are a bad person or that you’re on the wrong track. Most of the time it means you’re on the right one!
The cares of this life - All of us have everyday responsibilities. The enemy will use these things to weigh us down! It will weigh on you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Yes, you have to work and provide for your family. But he will use those very cares to overload you. If it’s not dealt with, it will put you at risk of a breakdown. A nervous breakdown is not of God. It doesn’t make you a bad person! But you have to recognize it as him! Because if you don’t, he will continue to pile on the “cares.” Cares = anxieties. God does not want you to have a bad day! He knows NO defeat! He doesn’t want us living in fear and oppression! Panic attacks are demonic spirits attacking you! God wants you free from it! But, you’ll have to have a working knowledge of the enemy and how he works! You have to resist the devil! God cannot do it for you! RISE UP!
The devil cannot read your mind. He cannot know your thoughts. But what he does, is send demon spirits to shout things at you. When they do this, they watch for your reaction. They watch your physical reaction or words you say! Whatever you give words to, it gives the enemy a look at what is going on inside of you. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
Psalm 27:11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Hebrews says it like this, “… because of the ones who observe me.”
Worrying is a sin! It will break you down! God never intended for you to worry! There are things the enemy will load you down with that you aren’t built or designed to carry! Do not let him deceive you! God has MORE than enough to take care of you! Cast those things upon the Lord!
God ordained a day of rest. The sabbath! Rest is IMPORTANT! It will renew you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually! If you don’t voluntarily rest yourself, you will be forced to do so later in life.
Find yourself in an anxious spot, carrying the cares of this world? When you recognize the enemy trying to weigh you down, Stop everything and pray in the spirit. When you pray in the spirit, you are building yourself up on your most holy faith! You are building up the part of you, that you believe in God with. Your spirit! Not your mind or flesh! Peace will start to come. Hurl those cares upon God. A sound mind is a mind that knows what God has said. Take on the mind of Christ!
Psalm 95