Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Today is an awesome day! Why you ask? Because God only creates and gives good and perfect gifts (James 1:17) and He tempts no man (through trials, tribulations, afflictions, persecutions, etc.)(James 1:13). And, as a Believer, God has promised, if you believe and confess it, to increase you more and more, you and your children (Psalm 115:14), spiritually, materially, and physically (III John 2). And, this is just some of the appetizer. This is not even the main course or dessert. Praise God for His goodness!
Now, it is important for us to understand that God, and therefore, we, being Children of the Most High and Ancient of days, and joint-heirs with Jesus the Anointed Redeemer, have an enemy. Satan and his fallen angels oppose God and His Children every opportunity they can do so. Jesus made this very clear to us while He was yet still on this earth.
John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
In John 16:33 and several other verses, Jesus makes it clear Believers are going to be opposed by Satan and his demonic forces. What do I mean by opposed? Sickness, financial struggles, relationship issues, job issues, business struggles, etc. BUT, don’t fear, don’t be afraid, don’t fret, don’t have anxiety, don’t give up, don’t be concerned, don’t lose sleep – be of good cheer because I have taken back the dominion of the earth and given to My joint-heirs, the Believers (Revelation 1:18; Daniel 7:14).
What is “cheer?” Webster’s defines it as follows:
1. To salute with shouts of joy, or cheers.
2. To dispel gloom, sorrow, silence or apathy; to cause to rejoice; to gladden; to make cheerful.
3. To infuse life; spirit, animation; to incite; to encourage.
So, you say to me, “ok Larry, I hear what you’re saying, but you just don’t understand my situation or the problem I’m facing, right now.” You’re right, I may not understand your situation or the problem, but I ABSOLUTELY DO KNOW THE ANSWER to your situation or problem. The Word of God. It is the ONLY ANSWER for a Believer. Else, the Believer will rely on his/her wisdom or the wisdom of the world. God’s Word makes it VERY CLEAR to rely on man’s wisdom is what a fool does.
I Corinthians 3:19-20
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain [empty].
An important lesson for another email is this. If you walk too close to the world, it will put your spiritual eyes out, just as happened to Samson by the Philistines (Philistines are a symbol for the corrupted world). Yes, Samson also had his physical eyes put out; but more importantly, for a time, his spiritual eyes were put out prior to him losing his physical eyes. Had Samson not been too close to the world, his spiritual eyes would not have been put out, and he would not have lost his physical eyes and eventually his life. Without your spiritual eyes, you lose revelation. When you lose revelation, you lose faith and become like the world – powerless and helpless in the face of the destroyer.
When Jesus was confronted by Satan, how did Jesus respond or battle with him? One way ONLY. By the Word of God. In Luke 4, after Jesus receiving the Holy Ghost baptism and being given “dunamis” power, He is in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. Satan tempted Jesus three times. And every time Jesus ONLY spoke God’s Word to Satan. Each time Jesus confessed the Word of God to Satan. And what was the result with Satan? Luke 4:13 says the devil ended the temptation and departed from Him for a season (three-four months). When we use the Word of God against Satan and his forces with conviction, with faith, it bruises and crushes Satan. He has to leave you because he would destroy himself if he stayed under the Word.
What we don’t see Jesus do when He is confronted by Satan is cry out to the Father, moan and groan over the situation, try to reason with Satan, give in to Satan’s demands, cry “woe is me, how could God let me end up with this,” etc. Jesus, in complete faith, speaks ONLY the Word of God to Satan. Satan CANNOT stand the Word of God. Why do you think he is working so hard to take it out of our government, our schools, businesses, families, out of churches and denominations (very, very sad when even supposed Believers are diluting or refuting the Word of God), etc.?
We, as Believers, have to know our enemy. Sun Tzu, a Chinese General and Philosopher, from the 6th century, said one has to know himself and to know the enemy. Even though this is secular in nature, it is derived from a spiritual principle. I John 2:16 tells us about the evil in this world perpetrated by Satan.
I John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Ok, so we know anything that is not of the Father God is of Satan. It is one or the other – there is no “another.” And, if you will read Luke 4’s account of the temptation of Christ, you will see Satan use each of the three temptations of I John 2:16:
Luke 4:3 turn stones into bread – lust of the flesh.
Luke 4:5-7 worship Satan and receive the kingdoms of the world – lust of the eyes.
Luke 4:9-11 cast thyself down from the top of the temple – pride of life.
There is nothing new about Satan. He is not an originalist. He is a perverter, a liar, the destroyer, a thief, a deceiver. Use the Word of God against Satan, and he will show his true colors – that of a coward.
God makes it very clear to us – BECAUSE HE LOVES US MORE THAN WE COULD EVER, EVER IMAGINE – to choose our thoughts, our words carefully. Words have value – life or death, blessing or cursing (Deuteronomy 30:19). I’ve had some Believers, Believers now mind you, who have laugh or scoff at the thought of ALL words, idle or God’s, having value and either blessing or cursing you. This is a Word created creation. God is so serious about the value of words that He said this:
Psalm 89:34
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.
Notice God says that He will “not alter the thing that is gone out of His lips.” This means God never says anything He does not want to have happen. And, if we speak anything, as Believers, that is not in line with what God has said about us, then we are speaking “idle words.”
Matthew 12:36-37
36But I [Jesus Christ] say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
For the unsaved person, when they stand before God in the Great White Throne Judgment, they will give account of every word they’ve spoken in their lifetime. And, every word they’ve spoken will be an idle word that condemns them.
For the Believer, there is no judgment because Jesus Christ took our judgment for us at the cross. However, any words spoken on this earth by the Believer will either bring them blessings or bring them curses. In other words, if I keep saying “my family has a history of cancer or heart attacks or diabetes or the like,” I’m cursing myself and increasing the likelihood I will have cancer, a heart attack, or diabetes. However, if I speak what God’s Word says about diseases, sicknesses, plaques, infirmities over myself and my family, God’s Word will ensure the terror, oppression, and weapon from the enemy cannot come near to my family or me or prosper against me (Isaiah 54:14, 17). I choose what my destiny is going to be by the words I speak over my family and myself throughout each day.
Lastly, if you now accept the Truth that God’s Word is always the victory, then how do you know what to say and when to say it? This is summed up very nicely by the Holy Spirit in three verses which I’ve shared any times with you in the past:
II Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
II Timothy 3:16-17
16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
You can fight a war of Words if you aren’t well armed. Our battle is a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12) fought in the battlefield of our minds and hearts and won or lost by our words. Make spending time in your Father’s Word your priority. I promise you this. If you put God’s Word first every day, everything else in your life will supernaturally fall into order with plenty of time to do it.
In Christ,
Larry