"NOW THE serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, Except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity. And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate." -The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
One of the enemy's greatest weapons is suggestion.
God told Adam and Eve, if you preserve the center of everything in your life for Me, the planet is yours.
Then Satan makes a suggestion to Eve that contradicts the Word of God that is already in her life (and mouth.) And she makes a decision to question God because of a simple seed or thought planted by the enemy that God's Word was not true.
God unveils a very important revelation here: Our mind is the door to our spirit.
The only way the enemy will ever have influence and access into our lives is through our mind.
When things like sickness, marital distress, family dysfunction, financial lack and disappointment intrude our lives, the enemy desires to bring negative thoughts to our mind: Thoughts of depression, fear, anger, rejection, pride, frustration, distrust, insecurity, suspicion, doubt and hopelessness to our mind.
Once you begin to think the devil's thoughts instead of God's thoughts you are in a bad (and dangerous) place.
Every living thing has an enemy. If a dream is still alive in your heart, it has an enemy; if that marriage is still alive it has an enemy; if your family, church, business and promise are still alive, they have an enemy. Even when natural enemies surface, rest assured there is a spirit (a spiritual one) behind it.
But we learn in the Psalms that King David crushed the enemy's plan with skillfulness that controlled his hands and prophetic insights, songs and prayers that routed the enemy.
Several weeks ago, we introduced our issue on "Weapons of Confession." And I don't know about you, but since I have begun this new season of confession, unexpected blessing has come; but at the same time, all hell has broken loose and the enemy has tried to silence me with negative thoughts through the intensity of opposition.
But remember what Paul said in 2 Cor. 10:4-6: "For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; AND WE LEAD EVERY THOUGHT AND PURPOSE AWAY CAPTIVE into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Being in readiness to punish EVERY [INSUBORDINATE FOR HIS] DISOBEDIENCE, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete."
We must refute arguments that destroy the integrity of God's Word in our life.
We must lead every proud, lofty, rebellious thought and purpose in our mind AWAY CAPTIVE into the obedience of Christ-THE WORD. But leading every thought captive requires a decision to fight. The Word of God, as a weapon, is deadly only when it is used with precision and often.
No war is won in a day.
Our warfare is engaged in by three things:
- Confessing God's Word - OUR WEAPON
- The Power of the Holy Spirit - OUR MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
- The Authority of the Name of Jesus - OUR STRATEGY AND SECRET WEAPON.
The Word of God, like Calvary, is a place of exchange. It is a place where I exchange (or replace) my thoughts about my life WITH HIS THOUGHTS; A place where my thoughts that say, "I am a failure; I will never amount to anything; I am poor, unloved and rejected," are replaced by His thoughts THAT SAY:
- I am rich. I am ABOVE ONLY (single, one of its kind), not beneath.
- I am more than a Conqueror through Christ Who loved me
- I am accepted in the Beloved
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
If there is no exchange of thoughts, the enemy will disarm, defeat and impoverish me.
Paul wrote: "We are not ignorant of the enemy's hidden wiles or devices; His tricks, traps, snares, plans, assignment and strategies." We know his devices; he comes down the same road and ties his strategy to our areas of weakness, bondage and defeat.
But we have weapons.
Refuse to surrender your job to him. Refuse to surrender your family to him. Refuse to surrender your marriage, health, dream and anointing to him.
You are delivered from EVERY SNARE of the fowler (a fowler is a hunter that sets traps for its prey.) The Seed in your heart can crush the head of your enemy. Whenever something was bound or captive, God used a Seed to liberate it.
What is your promised Seed?
We have been implanted with an inherent Seed of promised potential, call, purpose and destiny designed to crush the enemy of our age (and generation.) At the root of every fulfilled promise or dream, there LIES a Seed.
What is yours?
Today, you must sow it into what has not yet been released out of you. If your business or ministry is still in you, you must sow into it. If bestsellers are still in you, you must sow into it. If business and ministry ideas are still in you, you must sow into them; if anointed songs or music are still in you, you must sow into them.
When your seed becomes stronger (financially, spiritually, etc.), your enemy will become weaker.
David refused to turn until every enemy was consumed and destroyed (Ps. 18:37-40.) His victories produced peace for his son (Solomon.) You see, the only reason the enemy fights us from using our weapons is because he knows that Champions that emerge victorious in warfare produce peace (security, safety, harmony and prosperity) for their household and the next generation.
Every war demands a strategy.
WHAT WILL YOURS PRODUCE?
