John 16:33 “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”
There are three different battles that we constantly struggle with – the desires of our flesh, worldly pride, prominence and possessions and demonic attacks. We cannot blame the devil when we fall into the lust of the flesh or puffed up with arrogance of position or prosperity. James 1:14 each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. The tug of war within us is an attack on the flesh and not a demonic attack. However when we feed the hunger of the flesh or overfeed our ego, we are opening the door for the demonic to take control of our lives. King Saul opened the door to the demonic by feeding the wrong fox. Envy and ego were the two wolves that took control of his life and ultimately devoured his legitimacy and legacy. His carnal desire of jealousy and worldly attraction of power and position enmeshed him with fear, insecurity and rejection. His weakness made him vulnerable to the demonic and turned a ruler into a demon possessed murderer.
Temptation or traumatic experiences and the test of the cheap worldly pleasures are the doors to demonic attacks.
Three ways to handle the attack on the flesh, fortune and the ferocity of the demonic:
1. Flesh: We have to put the carnal desires to death. Saying “no” to the temptation is the only way to overcome the flesh. Restrictions cannot stop us from sinning only repentance will. Put a filter over your eyes, plug your ears and close your mouth with a mouth guard. There are music, movies, moods and motives that attract the demonic. The vocabulary of our tongue can attack the angelic or the demonic beings. Kill anger, arrogance and astringency; starve ego, endorsements and envy. Romans 6:11 Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Crucify egotism.
2. World: It is not bad to have wealth but wealth must not have us. It is prestigious to have worldly possessions, positions and prominence but when it translates into pride, our state becomes pitiful. Saul who became the greatest evangelist, teacher and apologist for Jesus gave up a lucrative political and religious position in the Sanhedrin for the sake of the gospel. Philippians 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. He gave up everything that hindered his spiritual growth. Power, property and prosperity must build God’s kingdom not ours. Kill worldly obsessions .
3. Devil: Do not entertain or ignore the devil, actively resist him. When depressive, negative and destructive thoughts drop into your mind, oppose it and reverse it. Disturbing dreams are demonic attacks, contest and conquer by invalidating the nightmare. Break pessimistic, disparaging and hostile thought patterns and speak the promise of God out loud. Actively sever the string of negativity. Be alert, active, agile and vigilantly guard your mind. When the cloud of darkness settles over your mind, clear it immediately. When distress or disgust suppresses, play worship music and sing along. Demons hate praise and worship. James 4:7 But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Resist the demonic.
Win the tug of war with the flesh by crucifying your ego. Win the worldly attractions by starving worldly fascinations and resist the devil aggressively and he will flee from you.
Galatians 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, empower us to overcome the flesh, equip us to conquer worldly obsessions and encircle us to resist demonic attacks. Amen
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