The word of God, the incorruptible seed.
Luke 10:19 Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on [a]serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.
I watched a docuseries over the weekend. Many people had different perspectives on this fascinating series about the war between the two nations. It took years to gain intel on the insane enterprise and funding of this terrorist. There were many failed missions along the way before the assassination of the mastermind behind the attacks. My takeaway was how to recognize and strategize to assinate the enemies from within.
In the docuseries, both countries researched and strategized to pursue justice and capture their nations. It came at a high cost and with the loss of lives, yet they were determined to see their mission succeed. It took time, resources, and alliances to gather the information needed to locate the enemy in hiding. We have such an enemy who hopes to see us fail. He is the mastermind behind the attacks from without. He has a mission and a team studying patterns to trip us up.
Today, I want us to look at the posture of our hearts that drives us to conclude that it is our purpose in life to harm others. Hatred is the force behind wars. It comes from the indoctrination of racism, jealousy, brokenness, and rejection. Without Christ, it is challenging to receive the truth that exposes the enemy within us—unrepentant sin, bitterness, and unforgiveness influence acts of war.
Matthew 25:38And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40The King will answer and say to them, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it for Me.’
Understanding your enemy has always been at the heart of God. Ephesians 6:12 tells us we do not fight against people. We are wired to look at external enemies, but not many pay close attention to the Goliath within. I announce to us that Matthew 7:5 tells us to look at the enemy from within before we zero in on the enemy coming against us.
I wonder what we will discover when we take time to gain insight into our thoughts and actions? On our quest to identify the enemies around us, we miss the first enemy, ourselves. Internal battles are often projected externally. It is the war within that propels us to draw our sword in defense. We will be surprised to find out that we are our worst enemies. The hate we project on others is influenced by the hate we have for some area of ourselves.
We are amiss when we ask the Lord to do what He has anointed us to do. Instead, we should focus on doing what He has instructed. In my last few posts, the Holy Spirit led me to share warfare and the kingdom of God. Without the knowledge of God, His will, and heart, we will continue to engage in wars that only play into the hands of the real enemy, who desires to keep souls entrapped with issues of the heart.
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
In the kingdom, we are governed by a different set of rules from the world. Our weapons of warfare, according to Galatians 5:22, are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against those qualities, there is no law. We fight faith, hope, and love. We fight to win souls for the kingdom and to depopulate hell. We fight to bring people to the knowledge of God and to mend the broken hearts. Our mandate is to make disciples of all men, not enemies.
The most complex concept for us to grasp is that our weapons are not carnal. They are spiritual. Our weapons win spiritual battles. We have been graced to bring people out of darkness by introducing them to light. We come bearing good news. Renewing our minds has transformed us from the inside out. We do not hate people to death, we love them to life. We embrace people and hate the sin that seeks to destroy them. Jesus did the legwork. We help people escape the penalty of sin and introduce them to the King of glory.
Whatever presence we acknowledge more in our lives will be magnified. If we are more aware of the presence of evil, we are making the works of darkness grow. We must be careful not to magnify the devil when troubles present themselves. Think of the presence of God. It is not how long and powerful you can pray that causes demons to flee; it is the presence of God that you acknowledge in your life.
2 Peter 3:9 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The law of Christ is love. Perfect love casts away hate, fear, and selfish ambitions. Children of God do not cover evil; we oppose evil. We dislike injustice and redirect people to God. We do not take revenge on those who hurt us. We understand God fights for us. We cling to what is good. The Spirit of God empowers us to be courageous in the face of persecution. We do not fear what can hurt our bodies, but can’t touch our soul and spirit. The fate of our kingdom's citizenship is sealed. Violence is not God’s way of winning battles.
Child of God, what we sow grows. In the realm of the spirit, money is the lowest seed we can sow. The word of God is the most potent seed. It is the incorruptible seed. The time we invest in learning the word of God yields a plentiful harvest in every area of our lives. When you understand that you have access to the power of God through the Holy Spirit, you will speak the word and know it is done.
God’s word is His law. The word is transformative. When God’s word is written on our hearts, we see fruit—our behavior changes. Our minds sync with the mind of Christ—the things we like become distasteful. God’s word activates our belief. His word causes addicts to vanish. We love people rather than push them away. The closer we get to God, the less angry and revengeful we will be.
Romans 3:22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
It took me some time to get this revelation: our problem is not the devil. Upon salvation, we got a benefits package. Authority over the enemy is one of the benefits. The law of liberty is the word of God. It sets us free from any form of bondage. It is impossible to say we are in God and not experience freedom from the penalty of sin. Sin has no power over those who are in Christ.
People who have experienced God’s love and freedom have compassion and the desire to see others set free as well. We fight right. We fight to help others experience the goodness of God. God’s love transcends culture, color, and denomination. Ministry is not just standing on the pulpit; it is a call to love as God loves, forgive, and express the image of God in the way we live.
The world fights wars to kill people. We are not of this world, and we understand souls are more precious than anything money can buy. Learn from the God of War. Jesus faced off with the devil and took back authority to save us when we were deep in sin. He gave us the assignment to continue the work He started.
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.
I trust you all sense the heart of God through these paragraphs. James 1:25 instructs us not to be just hearers, but to persevere in it. Mercy is available to everyone. It is a precious gift from God. Saints, everything in this world will fade away. Only what we do for the Lord remains. With a grateful heart, let us extend grace and mercy to others.
Let us purpose in our hearts to do good to those who are too hurt to see clearly. Love those whose hearts are poisoned and need healing. May we extend grace to people whose minds are bound and need renewing. Moving forward, let us sit in the presence of the Lord long enough to receive the oil that neutralizes the wars from within.
Healed people act differently. They see things through the lens of Yeshua. My prayer for us all this week is that we do the will of God with gladness. That we see beyond each other's imperfections, even when the external wars are pointed at us. As Jesus said, we will turn the other cheek. May we lead by example and walk in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus. We do as we see our Father do and say what he says.
Call to action:
Set aside time each day to memorize a verse of scripture.
Ask the Lord to send someone you can be a blessing to this week.
Spend time in the presence of the Lord to allow Him to help us expose and refine areas of our lives that do not reflect him.
Add someone new to your prayer list to cover in prayer.
Let us pray:
Father, I thank you for ministering to our hearts today. We welcome your Spirit to do the work in our hearts to reflect your glory. May choose to imitate you in everything we do. Teach us to love as you love and to forgive quickly. Help us not to be offended when attacks come, but use it as an opportunity to pray for those who are too weak to pray for themselves. We love you and thank you, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
