To Defeat Your Enemy, You Must Know Him

Do you know that you have an enemy? It's true. In fact, we all have an enemy — the devil — and it's very important for us to understand who he is, or we will be defeated in life.

I went to church for years and didn't know the devil was real; I thought he was just a cartoon character in a red outfit with a pitchfork. I never heard a message about the devil and how we can have authority over him. I did get a good foundation of what salvation is, and I'm very thankful for that. But I wasn't living a victorious life in Christ because I didn't understand who the enemy is, that he is the author of my problems, and that I need to aggressively resist him.

If you're thinking, "Joyce, I don't want to talk about the devil," I understand. But the devil has strategies and plans to come against you, so the worst thing you can do is ignore him. That's why I want to help you get informed about who he is so you can know how to recognize when he's at work in your life and how to defeat him.

Because the good news is, through Christ, you can be more than a conqueror and overcome the attacks of the enemy (Romans 8:37).

We're in a Spiritual War

In 2 Corinthians 10:4 (AMPC), the Bible says, "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."

This verse makes it clear that our battle is not against flesh and blood.

In other words, people are not the source of our problems. People can create problems, but we need to realize that the enemy works through people, and if we just deal with them, we're not getting to the root cause of the issues in our lives.

Now, there are several reasons why we have trouble: We live in a fallen world and experience the effects of sin; we disobey God and make poor choices; and we are directly attacked by the devil. I want to focus on the ways and reasons why the enemy brings trouble into our lives.

It's His Nature

The Bible teaches that Satan (another name for the devil), was formerly called Lucifer. He was created by God as an angel with a free will. He was an archangel and had great power and responsibility. Some biblical scholars believe he was the angel in charge of worship.

Ezekiel 28:13-15 says he was covered with precious stones, he was the anointed cherub and he was blameless in his ways from the day he was created until he turned against God (AMPC).

Isaiah 14:12-15 explains that he is fallen from heaven because he said in his heart: "I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High" (AMPC).

He used his free will to try and be like God, yet he was brought down by Him.

When Satan fell from heaven, he took a third of the angels with him; therefore, the devil and his demonic hosts are alive in the earth today. They are the evil in this world, and we can't be lazy Christians and expect to overcome them.

Keys to Defeating Your Enemy

The devil has power, but Jesus came to put him in his place and deliver us from the power of the enemy.

First John 3:8 (NKJV) says, "… For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."

When we accept Christ as our Savior and come into a personal relationship with Him, we gain access to the authority and power of God in our lives.

John 10:10 says that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life — abundant life! And John 8:32 says God's truth sets us free. See, when we know the Word and who we are in Christ, then we can recognize the lies of the enemy and how he is trying to work in our lives. We can stand our ground by faith in God, submit ourselves to Him completely and resist the devil, and the enemy must flee! (See James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9.)

There are so many scriptures that help us know how to overcome evil in the world and live victoriously over sin and the enemy.

For example, Romans 12:21 says we overcome evil with good; 1 John 4:4 reminds us that Christ, who lives in us, is greater than the enemy in the world; and Colossians 1:13-14 (NKJV) says God "has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

Here's some more truth for you: God loves you and He has plans for your life that are good … that will prosper you and give you hope. Make a determined decision to aggressively pursue your relationship with God in prayer and through studying His Word. By God's grace, you can defeat the attacks of the enemy and have the victorious, more-than-a-conqueror life Jesus died to give you!

About The Author

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 90 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Do Yourself a Favor…Forgive (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.

© 2015 Printed with permission of Joyce Meyer Ministries

Source: CP

ARTICLE: You Can't Change How You Feel, but You Can Change How You Act

I remember years ago when I was young in the ministry and a woman came to me for counseling. She had recently accepted Christ as her Savior, and while she was talking, it became clear to me that she was living with her boyfriend.

I was just waiting for her to finish talking so I could tell her that was wrong, but God stopped me. He spoke very clearly to my heart and said, "No, you're not going to do that. I will tell her at the right time, when she's ready to hear it."

This was a powerful lesson for me because it helped me understand that people have to be grounded in God long enough, and love Him enough, that they are willing to give up the things that are wrong for them. And a religious attitude that is judgmental and critical toward others can be worse than the issue we feel we need to "correct."

First Samuel 16:7 (NLT) says, "… The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

The truth is God cares most about what's going on in my heart — why I do what I do — more than anything else. And the best thing I can do is keep my focus on Him and make sure my heart is right with Him.

Understanding Your Inner Life and Your Outer Life

We have two lives — an inner life and an outer life. The inner life is what we think and feel and the attitude we choose to have. It's our soul, which is our mind, will and emotions. Our outer life is what we see on the outside — the way we look, what we have, what we do. Both are important, but God is more concerned with our inner life and why we do what we do. He is looking at our hearts.

As believers in Christ, we belong to God; His Spirit lives in us and works in us to make us more like Jesus. When the changes in our heart show in the way we live, we're living from the inside out. That's when others can see the righteousness, peace and joy that we have in Christ operating in our lives.

Romans 14:17 (AMPC) says, "(After all) the kingdom of God … is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

God wants us to enjoy our everyday lives, even the ordinary, sometimes mundane daily routines that we can become tired of doing. And a religious, judgmental attitude — like the one I had toward the woman who came to me for counseling — only steals our joy and peace.

Going Through the Process

We have to learn how to live this way, and the first thing God wants to change in us is the way we think. He wants us to learn to think the way He thinks.

Romans 12:2 says we will know "what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" when we've been "transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind" (AMPC).

Transformation takes time and is a process that happens gradually. God is still working in my life to transform me into His image, but I know I've made progress because I recognize more quickly now when I have "stinkin' thinkin'."

I can feel it inside … something isn't right and I've lost my peace and joy. That's when I need to stop and think about what I'm thinking about and what I'm talking about. I've gotten to the point where I was in the middle of a conversation and God brought conviction to my heart because I was saying something I shouldn't. So I stopped myself, apologized and said, "God just corrected me. I shouldn't be talking about this."

 

The way we think and speak determines our reality. If we want to live for God — with righteousness, peace and joy — we need to adjust our attitude when it's not good. I know there are times when we want to say, "Well, I can't help the way I feel." But we can help the way we think and talk, and we can choose our attitude.

Feelings are fickle and most people live by the way they feel too much of the time. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves: I can't always help how I feel, but I don't have to act according to my feelings. God created us with a free will, and we can choose to do what's right as we trust Him for the grace and strength to do it. We may not be able to choose how we feel all the time, but we can decide not to let our feelings determine how we will live our lives.

This is the key to overcoming the things that steal our joy in everyday life, like a critical, judgmental attitude. I want to encourage you to make a determined decision to live for God and make it your number one priority to have a right heart with Him. Then, even when your circumstances aren't joyful and peaceful, you can have joy and peace because they are in your heart. When you have life in Christ, it's so wonderful to live from the inside out!
 

  Source: Joyce Meyer , Christian Post Guest Columnist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 90 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Do Yourself a Favor…Forgive (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.

ARTICLE: Finding Total Restoration in Christ

God is in the business of restoration, and as believers in Christ, He wants to make us whole in every area of our lives. This process transforms us into the new creation that 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMPC) describes as "(a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away …."

I remember when I desperately needed to recover from the abuse in my past. I had thought that when I was old enough to leave home, I would leave the pain behind, but the problem was in my soul — my thinking and emotions. I needed healing and restoration so I wouldn't continue to be poisoned by things that had happened to me all those years growing up.

I came to this realization after a woman came to speak at our church and shared her testimony of how she had been abused and God had healed her. My husband, Dave, bought her book for me, and when I started to read it, it was so painful that I threw it across the room and refused to pick it up.

But then I clearly heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, "It's time, Joyce."

God had a much better life for me than what I had known up to that point, and He wanted to restore my soul so I could experience it.

Double for Your Trouble

Isaiah 61:7 (AMPC) says, "Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor and reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy shall be theirs."

This scripture shows us that God can completely restore us — no matter what we've done or been through. And He wants to bring us to a position that's better than we would have been in if we had never gone through the messes in our lives. He wants to give us double for our trouble!




Notice the phrase "instead of your former shame." Do you know what it's like to have shame in your life? I had a shame-based nature for many years because of the abuse I experienced from my father. It made me feel like something must be wrong with me for him to do the things he had done to me.

But the first thing Jesus gives us through our relationship with Him is righteousness, or right standing with God (2 Corinthians 5:21). It's so important for us to get this, because the enemy wants us to think about everything that's wrong with us so we'll focus on our faults. And when we do this, it just gives our problems more strength over us.

We need to learn how to "walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]," because then we "will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)" (Galatians 5:16 AMPC). This is what it means to be transformed into the image of Christ. And while it's not an easy process, we can do it with God's help.

The Process of Restoration
Think about it like this: When a person restores a used-up, beat-up piece of furniture, the first thing they do is strip off the old layers of paint or varnish.

We all have things that need to be stripped away in our lives. Maybe it's old attitudes and mindsets that don't line up with the way God thinks and acts … or unhealthy relationships that are holding you back from God's purpose and plans for you. Whatever it is, you can pray, "Lord, strip me of everything that's not good for me, and everything that's hindering my walk with You. Do what You need to do to get it out of my life."

Sanding is another step in the process. Is there anyone in your life whose personality just grates on you? They're like sandpaper, and God uses them to get the rough edges off of us so the good things He has put in us can be developed and demonstrated in the way we live.

And after the sanding, there is sealing. For us, that means we're sealed with the Holy Spirit, "marked, branded as God's own, secured" (Ephesians 4:30 AMPC).

 
 


After all this, the furniture must be dusted and polished from time to time. I feel like God is always polishing my life in some area. Our walk with Christ is a lifelong journey that brings us closer to Him and makes us more like Him. That's why we should be thankful when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, or the mistakes we make; it's how He's polishing us to help us stay in God's will for our lives.

Wherever you are in the restoration process, I want to encourage you to set your mind today that God is healing you, and stay focused on following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Trust God to lead you in the way that's right for you, bringing you to wholeness in Christ in every area of your life!
 

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 90 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Do Yourself a Favor…Forgive (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.

Printed with permission of Joyce Meyer Ministries.

Source: CP