We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

   We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

                  Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am your host Dayla Smith. I am so very glad that you could join me today. I am so very excited about this message the Lord has given me. I know we are interrupting our discussion on Ephesians 6:10-18. But, the Lord told me we needed to know this in order to fight victoriously. Are you going through something spiritually where your heart is involved? Take heart. I am, too. And, this message is for you also.

                    It is 2:30 A.M. on a Sunday morning. I absolutely love the fact that He knows He can wake me up any time of night and I am ready to listen to what He has to say to me. Well, I woke up thinking about a situation I am in. I am not feeling very well and am concerned that I won’t be able to be in the house of God at this time. And, this is where my testimony takes off.

                    I have a prodigal I am believing God for. He has made me a promise concerning many prodigals in my life. But, this prodigal is making choices that have hurt my heart. So much so, that my emotions got wrapped up in it. Instead of just being grateful that the prodigal was talking to this person and making right decisions at the moment, I allowed a spirit of jealousy and anger to manipulate me. Don’t get shocked. It happens to the best of us. Even you can allow a spirit to manipulate you.  I became angry at a dear friend, who was only trying to help. I allowed my flesh to jump up and speak instructions to this friend concerning the prodigal. Needless to say, the instructions were of a retaliating and manipulating kind.  As I was intentionally ignoring the Holy Spirit’s direction to stop and stand still, I saw myself spinning like a top, and the enemy was holding a cord that was wrapping around me as I spun. I felt so bound up that I couldn’t move,even in the natural relm. The truth is that this is called witchcraft according to the Lord. 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. How many of us have done this in our own lives?Don’t get discouraged. Because of Jesus Christ of Nazareth there is hope for us all. Why am I telling you this? Because it is the truth that sets you free. Satan and his cohorts want you to hide the truth. This just binds you and your prayers up. How can it do this? The Lord doesn’t answer the prayers of a sinner until that sinner repents according to  2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

                      Well, my friend left. That is when I went to the Lord asking for help. A mighty woman of God had a prophetic word for someone. That someone was me.  Maybe you are that someone also. Remember, it says in Psalm 50:10-12  10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

                    The word started off with this chapter:  Psalm 146 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord. She went on to say that the Lord has a giant blank checkbook with His Name signed on it for each and everyone of us. Today is the day for our breakthrough. That someone was me. It was very encouraging.  But yet, I could tell that the word was constricted. That night, as I was getting ready for bed, I became more and more ill. But the Lord spoke to my heart that I would be better by the morning. This is where things get interesting.

               I woke up at 2:30 A.M. It was then that I began to talk with the Lord. I was feeling terrible. I asked Him to heal me. Gently and lovingly He replied, “I can’t.” “Wait. What? Why not?” Again, He lovingly replied, “Because. You have not repented of your sin.” Remember what 2 Chronicles 7:14 says. “ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” For Him to be able to work miracles in our lives, we can’t have sin in our lives. I had allowed sin to be in my life, therefore; he could not heal me. Not because He didn’t want to, but because He is Holy and Righteous. And according to His Word, He cannot bless mess.

          So, I began to repent of my sin. I asked for His precious forgiveness. Then, I forgave everyone I was angry at. I also forgave myself of my stubborn, rebellious stupidity. Remember, He has given us the emotion of anger. In Ephesians 4:26-32  26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:27 Neither give place to the devil.28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Do you see all the many ways that I allowed the devil to eat my lunch and pop the bag in my face? My sweet Lord! 

                     It is taking real courage to expose my sins. But, I am hoping that you also get on victory ground. I just thank the good and gracious Lord for forgiving me once again. And remember, for His wonderful forgiveness to be activated in our lives, we have to repent. No  longer practice that sin. Hate that sin that we committed. 

                        So, after I repented (turned from my wicked ways),

asked for His forgiveness of my sins, and forgave those who offended me; And then, He encouraged me in how to pray for those around me that had offended me. He was then able to instruct me in His righteousness. How powerful is this?! It gets even better. He told me that my neck situation was a pulled or strained muscle from the house cleaning. I later found out that I came down with COVID and a busted eardrum. Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and make you pay way more than you want to pay.  

          The best part is that after I did all of this, He spoke a scripture in my heart. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV  3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; if you don’t mind, I want to read 2 other translations to you. So that you can get the full picture. 

2 Corinthians (LifeBT ) 10:3-6   Like Paul we are merely humans but do not need to use human plans and methods to win our battles. We can use God’s mighty weapons as we fight against Satan’s strongholds. Christians must choose whose method to use - God’s or the world’s. The world’s weapons include the influence of money, power, status, fame, and coercion. Paul assures us that God’s mighty weapons - the influence of prayer, faith, hope, love, God’s Word, the Holy Spirit - are more powerful and effective (see Ephesians 6:13-18). These weapons can break down the proud arguments people use to rebel against and smash the walls of deceit that Satan builds to keep people from finding God. When dealing with people’s pride and rebellion against Christ, we may be tempted to use our own ideas to fight back. But nothing can break down the barriers like God’s mighty weapons.

2 Corinthians (Jimmy Swaggert’s Expositor’s Study Bible KJV) 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh (refers to the fact that we do not yet have our glorified bodies), we do not war after the flesh (not after our own ability, but by the power of the Holy Spirit). 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (carnal weapons are those which are man devised), but mighty through God (the cross of Christ) to the pulling down of strongholds. 5 Casting down imaginations (philosophical strongholds;every effort man makes outside of the cross of Christ), and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God ( all the pride of the human heart), and bringing into captivity to the obedience of Christ (Can only be done by the believer looking exclusively to the cross, where all victory is found; the Holy Spirit will then perform the task); 

                     Do you see what I have learned in this experience? The funny thing is that my pastor preached a message along these lines. Because of my disobedience, my blank check became tied up. At that point and time, I had to get the sin out of my life for any and all of my prayers to be heard and answered. Many people don’t know this truth, or are oblivious to it. The Lord will not even hear a sinners prayer until he puts away that sin, or those sins. We cannot knowingly practice sin and think that He will hear and answer our prayers. Because of my sin, I allowed the enemy to attack me. But, this is how gracious and good my God is. He couldn’t remove the consequence, but he has helped me recover quickly. And I know now that beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my checks are cashed and on the way. Because He is ever so faithful and true.  Jude 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

             I know that this is a rather short message. If I could tell you just how powerful this experience was for me. Before Jesus came, died, and rose again on the third day, all we had was the Laws of God. 2 Corinthians 3:6-9  6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

                     According to the old testament laws, when you broke one (committed) a sin, the immediate punishment was death. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. But, when Jesus of Nazareth the Christ went to the cross bearing all of the sins of the world, our sin, He created a pardon from the death penalty. He created a way for us to escape sin’s trap. His Word and His precious blood. And, when you ponder all of the torture before and during the road to Calvary’s Hill, that He was beaten and abused so terribly that He didn’t even look like a man at all. That He took our sins and laid them ALL upon Him. This should be our way of escape. This should always turn us away from sin. 

             If you have walked away from the Lord or you do not know him intimately as your Lord and Savior, I’m here to tell you He wants you back in His care and keeping. If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Let me introduce you to Him. It is really simple. First you must acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a savior according to the mirror of the law of the Lord. Ask Him for His forgiveness for all of your sins and call them out to Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Then, forgive those who have sinned or transgressed against you. Then, repent. Repent means to change your mind concerning sinful habits. Change your choice making. Let Him influence your choice making decisions as you get in His Holy Word. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. I want to pray this prayer with you. But, this is just an outline. The real work begins after I pray with you because it is a very personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

                    Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

               I want to welcome you to the family of God. Please find a church you can fellowship in on a continual basis. A translation of the bible that you will read and read it. And, Pray continuously. Remember, Jesus loves you and I love you, too. See you next week at My Little House of Prayer.