I want you to see something. There is Jesus Christ who is the king of kings and the lord of lords. And then there is the devil who is the father of lies, the master of evil.
There are angels. Angels that protect. Angels that minister.
Angels that simply praise God. But there are also demons, demonic powers that seek to hinder the work of God. And to take it a step further, there are people who are used by God, genuine servants of God's kingdom, men and women who proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And equally, the devil will have his own agents, men and women, who are driven by demonic spirits. Now, I came across a video from a man named James Kernney. And in this clip, he talks about the reality of spiritual warfare.
They did some deliverance work, and I would think that they helped someone come out of witchcraft and come to Christ. And it's only after this that an entire group of witches came after this pastor. We need to learn this lesson.
The devil will never come after you until you start doing God's work. It's when you begin to preach to others or to minister to others and impact the lives of other people. Only then will Satan see you as a real threat, which is what happened here.
And this is where we need to wake up. Just because you don't see it or even hear about it, it doesn't mean it's not happening. The devil is at work.
But don't fear or be discouraged because God is also at work protecting and defending his children. Now for many people this can be shocking to hear but what we need to know is that the Bible warns us repeatedly about the wickedness of the devil. The Bible tells us that he comes only to do three things because in John 10:10 it says the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
In 1 Peter chapter 5, we're then told that your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Dear listener, I'm bringing this to your attention not so that you can be afraid and shaken, but so that you would awaken to the reality of evil in this world. Jesus Christ in Matthew 16:8 says, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
" This is something to declare, to confess, and proclaim. The gates of hell shall not prevail in this home. The gates of hell shall not prevail in my children's lives.
The gates of hell shall not prevail in my marriage. The gates of hell shall not prevail and take my life. This is a bold declaration.
These are fighting words to the devil. You're telling him directly that whatever it is he had in mind, that plan is destroyed in Jesus' name. Whatever scheme or plot that he had planned for my life, it's rendered useless by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the word of God, and by the word of my testimony.
I want to encourage you not to fear. Isaiah 54:17 says, "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.
" This is a wonderful verse that we as believers need to speak over ourselves and declare that no weapon formed against me shall prosper and every tongue which rises against me in judgment I shall condemn. This is the heritage that I have from the Lord. This passage of scripture, it confirms that Jesus Christ is our protector.
He causes that which was meant for evil to turn to good. He reverses every curse. He blocks every spell and negative word spoken over your life.
He charts your course. Jesus will take your enemies and use them as a foottool to elevate you. No weapon formed against me shall prosper.
I say amen to that. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. I say let this be so in my life, Lord.
No weapon formed against me shall prosper. I say that I am in complete agreement with this word Lord Jesus. Saints, this is a promise that should be etched on our hearts.
The world can be a very scary place without God. And people people can be hurtful whether you have God or not. But with that said, I simply want to uplift you to bolster your faith.
Do not fear. No weapon in the form of words, no weapon in the form of action, no weapon in any form will prosper. It is important to remember that this promise does not mean that we will never face trials or difficulties.
We will still encounter adversity in this life. We'll encounter enemies. But when we trust in the Lord, we are protected and we can face these challenges with confidence and peace.
The world around us may be chaotic and unpredictable, but we can trust that God is in control. He is the ultimate source of our protection and nothing can stand against his power. The Bible tells us that the name of the Lord is a strong tower.
The righteous run to it and are safe. When we run to God for protection, we are sheltered from the storms of life. One of the most powerful examples of God's protection can be found in the story of Daniel in the lion's den.
Despite the king's decree that anyone who prayed to anyone other than him would be thrown to the lions, Daniel continued to pray to God three times a day. When the king discovered this, he had no choice but to throw Daniel into the den of lions. But God protected Daniel, and the lions did not harm him.
When the king came back to check on him the next morning, he was amazed to find Daniel alive and well. This is a testament to the power of God's protection and it is a reminder that we too can trust in his divine care. God's protection is supernatural and it is not limited by our human limitations.
When we put our trust in him, we are putting our trust in the almighty, all powerful God. Dear friend, I encourage you to meditate on these words. No weapon formed against me shall prosper.
The scripture should give us great comfort and reassurance that God is our divine protector. It doesn't matter what the weapon is, be it physical or spiritual. But let me tell you that you can withstand the storm.
You can outlast trouble. You can endure the fire if you stand in Jesus Christ. And so I encourage you to believe that God's promises are true and meant for you.
The Bible tells us that he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. The way we beat the devil is not by being stronger, smarter, or faster than him. The way we beat the devil is by calling upon the name he cannot stand, the name of Jesus.
Jesus is the light that drives out the darkness. At the name of Jesus, Satan has to flee, demons have to tremble, and nature has to bow down. Christ alone has ultimate authority over all creation and he has promised to be with us in every struggle.
Sometimes sometimes we can avoid passing through the waters of life. Sometimes we may be surrounded by evil on all sides. We may not be able to change our circumstances.
But if we can only walk by faith, not by sight, we will see the hand of God moving and protecting us from harm. He has already declared that no weapon formed against us shall stand. And if he is for us, who can be against us?
Let us pray. Father, I pray that we as your children would be sensitive to the unseen battle before us. Let us not be complacent.
Let us not procrastinate. Let us not fall asleep in this war, but instead fight in prayer. May we fight with divine power that comes only from you.
I bless your name and I am grateful that you are a God who hears the prayers of your children. May you increase my knowledge of your ways and your will for my life. May you increase my wisdom and understanding.
Teach me how to walk with the eyes of faith and discernment. Open our eyes of discernment and expose the traps set by the devil wherever he may be hiding. Pour out your spirit over our lives, Lord, and teach us how to apply your word in everyday life.
I pray that you would open my eyes to see your power, to see the truth that is in your word. Your word in Hosea 4:6 says that my people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. I pray that I would not be in this category.
Lord, I pray that all the schemes of the devil will be exposed by divine revelations from you. Remove the scales from my eyes so that I may become wise to the tricks and the deception of this world. Lord, help me to never conform to the wicked ways of this world, their way of living.
It leads to death and destruction. But your way leads to everlasting life. I may have to endure ridicule and mockery in this life or put myself in an uncomfortable position, but I know that my reward in heaven will be so much greater.
Father, help me to be on guard against worldly traps. Don't let me fall into habits that grieve your Holy Spirit. Don't let me start acting in ways that harm my witness for Christ.
So often Satan disguises sin as something good and desirable. Lord, help me not to only recognize these works of darkness, but also to expose them and warn those around me so that they won't be caught unaware. Give me the courage and strength to stand up against evil whenever I see it.
Build within me a character that is fully equipped and emboldened to stand for the gospel. For the gospel is the only thing with the power to transform lives and hearts in this dark and sinful world. Lord, let that transformation begin in my own mind.
change my desires so that I no longer think or act like the world, but instead imitate the example of Christ in all of my conduct. Instead of bitterness, fill me with love. Instead of jealousy, fill me with gratitude.
Break me of every habit and attitude that resembles the world and teach me to obey you instead. May your Holy Spirit fill me and help me to discern your perfect will for my life. Lord Jesus, I pray that you would give me the gift of discernment so that I can be sober, vigilant, and watchful.
May the Holy Spirit open my ears and open my eyes that I may see the tricks and traps of the enemy. Your word says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. " The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Give me a heart that is sensitive to your voice. I pray that you would give me ears to hear you always. I bless your name for hearing this prayer.
Be glorified and magnified in my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 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.
Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.
In Psalm 34:15 to18, the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
