Defeating Your Enemy

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Defeating Your Enemy
Words of Wisdom from
Adrian Rogers
How to Break Satan’s Strongholds in Your Life … 3
How to Overcome satan, the Evil One … 8
What You Need to Know About the Devil … 12
The Judas of the Old Testament … 19
Don’t Be Defeated by Your Victories … 25
Birthmarks of a True Believer … 30
Credit: Love Worth Finding (https://www.lwf.org/)
https://www.gracegems.org/30/short_pithy_gems_from_adrian_rogers.htm
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How to Break Satan’s Strongholds in Your Life
Ephesians 4:27, 30
I know there are many Christians who have a satanic stronghold in
their life. It’s harming them, wrecking their spiritual life,
contaminating the life of their family and church. The devil has found
an unclean place within and built a foul nest, a beachhead, a stronghold
there. And he uses that stronghold to war against God and His work.
Ephesians 4 says, 27 Neither give place to the devil… 30 and grieve not the Holy
Spirit of God. We should sit up and take notice: on the one hand we could
give place to the devil and on the other grieve the Holy Spirit. Either one
should be unthinkable.
What does it mean to “give place to the devil”? Let’s say you own 50
acres of land, and I want one acre right in the middle of it. You sell it to
me. Now I have the right to go into and out of your property at will, to
get to my one acre. Supposed I start throwing trash around and paying
loud music all hours of the night. I’m desecrating your property, but
there’s nothing you can do—you’ve given me access. You try to make me
leave, and I say, “I’m not going, and you can’t make me go. I’ve got a
legal right to it. If you don’t like it, tough luck.” You wouldn’t be able to
move me out because you gave me a place there.
Some of you have done the same thing for Satan! You can’t dislodge
him unless you dislodge him legally because you’ve given him a place. He
owns some strongholds in your life.
Here’s what you must do to dislodge the devil and break his
strongholds. Three things:
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REPENT
Just before “Neither give place to the devil,” Paul says: 22 …put off concerning the
former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”
Be done with it, confess it, forsake it—there’s no other way to deal with
sin. Repent—turn 180 0 and walk the other way.
What gives place to the devil? 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every
man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry,
and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
From Lying
If you’re a liar, you’ve created a climate where the devil feels welcome.
Lying is the devil’s nature. Jesus said, “The devil is a liar and the father
of it” (John 8:44). He is the prince of darkness. God’s kingdom is built
on truth. If there’s an area of dishonesty in your life, that will be the
devil’s campground.
From Stealing
If you would steal so much as a fifteen cent pencil, you’ve made a place
for the devil. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that
which is much and he that is unfaithful in that which is least is unfaithful also in
that which is much” (Luke 16:10). Not may be, but is. With God, thievery is
thievery. It makes no difference. You’re a thief.
Filthy speech
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
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5:4 And neither filthiness nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not
convenient but rather giving of thanks. The devil is filthy. Do you gossip,
assassinate character, and steal somebody’s reputation to make you feel
better by trying to put them down? You’re a thief.
If you have a filthy mouth, it’s because you have a filthy heart. “Out of the
abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Satan incubates and
dwells in a filthy heart. You’ve given it to him and he’s going to make a
stronghold out of it.
From Bitterness
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put
away from you, with all malice:
If you’re bitter, you’re like the devil. He loves to find that kind of heart.
If you’re bitter, you’ve got no joy, no victory, your prayers are not getting
through to God. You’re ruining your own life and the lives around you,
and contaminating the life of your church.
But the devil is not finished yet. Bitterness often leads to slander. The
word devil literally means “Slanderer.” If you are a slanderer, a gossip,
if you are speaking evil, you’re doing the devil’s work.
Your bitterness soon turns to wrath, burning on the inside—internal
heat, like smoldering rags in an attic or closet. Then those smoldering
rags burst into flames. That which is internal becomes external. But the
devil is not finished yet. That anger then turns to clamor (shouting).
Clamor turns to evil speaking. You start to say things you don’t mean,
and now you’re out of control.
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But you opened the door. The devil can take no place except what you
gave him, and the Holy Spirit is weeping, heart broken.
Did you know you can break the heart of God? Can you imagine being
saved, bought with the blood of Jesus, and this purchased temple has
become a nest of Satan, and you opened the door. The dear Spirit of
God is weeping and Satan is laughing, making a mockery of the things
of God.
You gave him a place in your life. You’re not going to get that place back
until you repent. Repentance is not just being broken over your sin, it is
being broken from your sin. The Bible says put it away, be done with it.
RESIST
Even after you repent, the devil is not going to walk out. After
repentance there must be resistance.
27 Neither give place to the devil.
James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” What you gave
him, you must take back. But you can never take it back until you take
away his legal authority.
If there is sin in your life, every area where there is unconfessed sin is
legal ground for Satan. Until you confess it and come for cleansing,
Satan has every right to set up camp there. He’s not going to walk out.
You’re going to have to run him out.
Even if you repent, you’ve still got to clean house. Go in there with a
power of attorney, which is the name of Jesus, then take the blood of
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Jesus Christ as your authority, and you can say to him in no uncertain
terms:
“Satan, I’ve given you a place, but I take it back in the name and the
authority of Jesus. I clean it out, I repent of the sin, I cancel the debt, it’s
all done. Devil, you have no more right, you have no more legal
authority. Satan, I don’t shout at you. I don’t plead with you. I don’t
argue with you. I don’t beg you. I bring Jesus Christ against you. You
have no right, you have no authority. This body of mine is the temple of
the Holy Spirit of God. You are trespassing on my Father’s property and
in the name of Jesus whose I am and whom I serve, be gone.”
The Bible says he will flee from you. But if you try to resist the devil
with unconfessed sin in your life, he will laugh in your face. He’ll say,
“You gave me this piece of property and I am not moving out.” There
must be repentance, then there can be resistance.
RENEWAL
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness
It’s not enough to put off the old man; you must put on the new man.
“And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit”
Ephesians 5:18.
To be “filled with the Spirit” means there’s not one room in your temple
where God is shut out, not one closet He doesn’t have a key to. In your
sex life, family life, business life, political life, church life, social life—
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in your money, your exercise, your sleep, your eating, “in my lying
down, in my waking up, Jesus, I give you the keys to it all.” 30 And grieve
not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
You have a choice; you can grieve the Spirit of God and be filled with the
devil or you can put the devil out and be filled with the Spirit of God.
You’re never going to cease grieving the Holy Spirit, you’re never going
to expunge Satan from your life, until you choose against Satan and
yield to God’s Holy Spirit. Take those three steps, repentance,
resistance and renewal.
How to Overcome satan, the Evil One
Winning the Victory over the Devil
After this manner, therefore, pray ye, “Our Father Which art in Heaven, hallowed
be Thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, In earth as it is in
Heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts as we
forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew
6:9-13).
Verse 13 may rightly be translated: "Deliver us from the Evil One."
When you were saved, you were brought into a battle. Not to a religious
playground, or a Sunday School picnic, but to a no-holds- barred fight
to the finish against a sinister enemy. We are up against the demonized,
mobilized hosts and forces of Hell.
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As a matter of fact, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One Who loves us so
much, was so aware of the power of the devil that when He taught us to
pray, He warned every one of us to pray, “And, Lord, deliver us from the
Evil One."
Why do we need deliverance? Because he is so powerful. The devil is a
supernatural individual with dark, unholy, chilling, supernatural
power.
But we also must understand that when Jesus taught us to pray, "And
deliver us from the Evil One," He followed that immediately with, “For Thine
is the kingdom, and Thine is the power, and Thine is the glory forever." The devil
may be powerful, but God is ALL -powerful.
The kingdom does not belong to Satan ultimately. It belongs to the Lord
Jesus Christ. And those who follow Satan are going to end up where
Satan ends up, for Hell is “prepared for the devil and his angels.”
How You Overcome the Evil One
Three cords run through the Bible:
• The dark, somber cord of Satan's revolt.
• The crimson cord of blood redemption.
• The golden cord of the second coming of Jesus Christ.
It’s not “mastery over the devil” you need. It is the Master of the devil,
the Lord Jesus Christ. You must know Christ. You must know the Master
of the devil if you would overcome the devil. And you can know Him.
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BY THE BLOOD
When Jesus Christ went to the cross, He said, speaking of Satan, "Now is
the prince of this world cast out." Revelation 12:11 says, “And they [the
saints] overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony."
Are your sins under the blood of Christ? Are you saved by the power of
the blood? Jesus breaks the power of cancelled sin, as the hymn says.
“He sets the prisoner free. His blood can make the foulest clean. His
blood availed for me.”
BY THE WORD OF YOUR TESTIMONY
These overcoming believers were not ashamed to confess Christ openly
and publicly, saying, “I believe Christ is the Son of God.” Verse 11
continues, “And they loved not their lives unto the death.” That is, they said,
“As much as is in me, I'm going with God, and I'm going for God with
every inch, every ounce, every nerve, every fiber!” They laid it all on the
line.
BY PUTTING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD
We overcome the devil when we who have received Christ as Lord and
Savior take up and put on the whole armor of God.
You know this: Before any pilot—commercial, private, or Air Force
fighter jet—takes off, he runs through a checklist. Here is your
checklist! Are you wearing each piece of this armor?
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.
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12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Are you saved? Then you need not fear! You need not flee! You can
stand in the name of Jesus. But you're not going to stand apart from
prayer.
This is not a message about the devil—it’s a message about prayer,
because it’s through Jesus Christ and PRAYER that we overcome him.
Sidlow Baxter said, “Surely the devil must say to his demons, ‘Boys,
keep them from prayer! Because if we can keep them from praying, we
can beat them every time. But if they pray, they'll beat us every time’”
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Paul says in verse 13, “and having done all, to stand.” And how do we
stand? He runs down the checklist of the armor. Then he says, “Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with
all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
The battle is won through the blood of the Lamb, the word of your
testimony, and prayer.
You cannot pray, "Lord, deliver us from evil," unless you can pray, "Our
Father." Is he your Father? Have you been born again? When God is not
your Father, Christ is not your Savior, and Satan is your master. But he
is a defeated foe. For to God belongs the Kingdom, the power, the glory
forever. Do you know Him? Is Jesus Christ real to you?
What You Need to Know About the Devil
WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT SATAN
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13).
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, part of that prayer was to
ask, “Deliver us from the Evil One.”
Military officers know you cannot fight your enemy—much less defeat
him—if you do not know who he is.
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Satan knows you must recognize your enemy or you’ll be unprepared.
It’s always been his plan to pull the veil of darkness across his kingdom
so we'll not understand who he is.
SATAN IS A DECIDED FACT
Some people believe the devil is just a bit of fiction, a cartoon character
dressed in red with a pitchfork and tail. But Scripture is clear:
"Be sober [serious minded, vigilant], for your adversary [you have an
adversary] the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking-whom he
may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
HIS PERSONALITY
He is the bitterest enemy of God and His people. If you want a blessing,
think of the names of Jesus. If you want a warning, look at the Bible’s
names for the devil: deceiver, destroyer, liar, murderer, accuser of the
brethren, tempter, prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and
the evil one.
HIS POSITION
The devil is called “the God of this Age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). At one time
he was “Lucifer, son of the morning,” the most glorious angel ever
created. Heaven was his dwelling place, serving God as an archangel.
What happened? Isaiah tells us:
How art thou fallen from Heaven, Oh Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou
cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations, for thou hast said in thine
heart, 'I will ascend into Heaven. I will exhalt my throne above the stars of God. I
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will sit also upon the mount of the congregation; in the sides of the north, I will be
like the most High God.’ Isaiah 14:12-14
“I will be like God!” His heart was lifted up with pride. No sooner was
that challenge uttered than the thunder of God's wrath rolled down the
corridors of Heaven, and he was banished. No longer “Lucifer, son of
the morning,” he became Satan, father of the night. He took one-third
of the angels with him. Today we call them demons, and Satan is lord of
them. Ephesians 6:12 describes his malevolent force:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.
The Amplified says it this way:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical
opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces
of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
heavenly [supernatural] places.”
No wonder then he’s also called “the Prince of the Power of the Air.” The
Contemporary English Version is even more specific:
We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities
and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.
The battle may be within man, but it's never between men. The devil may
have a thousand heads, but he has one heart. Through his demon
spirits, he not only controls individuals, but literally controls nations.
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So often at the UN, at the negotiating table, the devil is an unseen
presence. Demon spirits are influencing leaders all over this world.
Your enemy is not a human being. It’s not the Republicans, the
Democrats or the Independents.
HIS CHIEF PURPOSE
Before he fell, as Ryrie says, “Satan was the consummation of
perfection in his original wisdom and beauty.” Now his unholy ambition
is to pull God from His throne, to literally overthrow God, a rebel in
revolt against Almighty God. Ezekiel 28:11-19 explains that his wisdom
was corrupted because of his pride.
HIS CHIEF WEAPON
Deception. It’s been that way since the Garden of Eden, when he
deceived Eve.
HIS MODE OF OPERATION
Jesus described it: Speaking to the Pharisees who wanted nothing more
than to kill the Lord Jesus, he said,
“You are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He [the
devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there's no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a
liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44
In that salient verse, our Lord tells us two things about the devil:
• His motive is murder.
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• His method is the lie. He deceives that he might deprave, destroy,
and damn.
To overcome his plan and methods, the Bible says,
“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of
the devil.” Ephesians 6:11
“Wiles” is the word we get our English word “methods” from. The devil
is methodical. He's willing to wait. He'll let you succeed, that you might
further fall. He will let you get away with sin, that sin might greatly
entrap and then snare you. He is quite content to be patient. The apostle
Paul said,
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2
Corinthians 2:11
But many today are ignorant of the devil’s devices!
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken
captive by him at his will. 2 Timothy 2:26
Put those words together—wiles, devices, snares—that’s the enemy we
have.
SATAN IS A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE
Jesus taught us to pray, “Lord, deliver us.” When you think of
deliverance, you think of danger. We must understand just how
dangerous our enemy is!
In the last days there will be a resurgence of demonic power, the Bible
teaches, destroying civilization as we know it. I believe the world is
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about to enter into the Great Tribulation after the Rapture of the
church. The Bible describes the sins of the Great Tribulation:
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their
fornication, nor of their thefts. Revelation 9:21
The big four in the Tribulation will be murder, sorcery,
fornication, and thievery.
Murder—look at the unrepentant abortion rate and the violence in our
streets.
Sorcery—(in Greek, pharmakia, meaning “an enchanter with drugs.”)
We have exponential use of drugs today. It is a form of synthetic
salvation, drugs producing instant “heaven” leading to eternal Hell.
Fornication— Satan is a destructive force through all forms of the
media and the internet. Sexual sin is in music, movies and on TV in
unrestrained display. Almost all sex on television is outside of
marriage. Much of rock music glorifies drugs, sex, and even devil
worship. As “Prince of the Power of the Air,” he knows how to use these
things.
Did you know that the devil by his very nature is a musical being? In
Ezekiel we read that before he fell, when Lucifer would speak, it would
be like great music (Ezekiel 23:13). He sounded like a pipe organ when
he spoke. His very name, Lucifer, means “Lightbearer.”
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 2
Corinthians 11:14
Taken together, this tells me the devil is a master of media.
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Thievery—graft, greed, corruption, bribery—run the gamut from
politicians and corporate titans down to the smallest embezzlement
from an employer.
Satan is also a destructive force through false doctrine.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirit and doctrines of demons.” 1 Timothy 4:3
When you look for the devil, never fail to look in the pulpit. “Satan
himself is transformed as an angel of light.” The apostle John in
Revelation calls some churches "synagogues of Satan." Satan has his
ministers. They preach another Christ than the Christ of the Bible. We
see that today in the compromising of the Gospel. The devil has warped
and twisted the minds of people as he has denied, perverted and
twisted the Word of God.
BUT SATAN IS A DEFEATED FOE
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The Judas of the Old Testament
The Judas of the Old Testament
1 Kings 2:5-6
In the life of the man who was the Judas of the Old Testament, there’s a
warning for everyone. Outwardly, he was a man among men
formidable. He would have gone to the top in any profession. If you ever
needed a man on your side, you would have wanted him.
He had daring, strength, courage and cunning. A formidable warrior.
Right after David was crowned king, he conquered a stronghold no one
had ever been able to conquer. He became King David’s commander-inchief—his
right-hand man.
Outwardly he seemedloyal to David. He spent his life serving David, yet
he never truly loved him.
Who am I talking about? Joab. And at the last, he ended up under the
judgment and wrath of David. It’s a tragic story.
The only thing sadder would be for a modern-day Christian to work in
the church, admire Jesus, respect Jesus, fight for Jesus, serve Jesus, then
die and go to hell under the wrath of Jesus. Some will.
You may be like him, so pay close attention to someone who was loyal
but lost.
David is an Old Testament type—a prophetic picture of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Both David and Jesus are of the tribe of Judah. Both were God’s
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anointed king. Both were first rejected, then enthroned. Several of the
Psalms David wrote (Psalm 22, for example) apply to David but are
prophetic of Jesus, the coming Messiah.
LOYAL BUT LOST
If you were to ask anybody back then, “Who is David’s right-hand
man?” all would have answered, “Joab’s the man.” He was loyal to
David, but he never really opened his heart to David.
Joab had family loyalty. He was David’s nephew Joab knew
from his mother’s knee that his uncle was destined to be king. He was
raised to love and honor David—just like many raised in church are
taught that Jesus is King. But is that church upbringing enough?
Joab had fundamental loyalty.
Joab knew David was the nation’s God-anointed savior. He believed
the right things. He knew David was sovereign. David’s kingship was
God-ordained and fought for it. He knew David was sufficient. He had
been around David enough to know how remarkable David was, who
had single-handedly united the twelve tribes of Israel, bringing peace,
prosperity and unity. David was the embodiment of all of Israel’s
ideals: shepherd and soldier, king and prophet, musician and poet,
diplomat and administrator, friend and hero. What more could you
want?
He had fighting loyalty. On the battlefield risking his life, Joab
was David’s most courageous soldier.
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But something was missing—there was a fatal flaw. Joab was lost!
Somehow he never really gave his heart to David. He fought for David,
yet he never surrendered to David.
Throughout the story, Joab never had the mind of David. In direct
opposition to what David wanted, Joab stabbed to death a man (Abner)
David had just forgiven.
He’s like many who occupy church pews. As children they were raised to
have family loyalty. They’ve heard so much Bible, they have
fundamental loyalty. They’ve worked so hard for the Lord they have
fighting loyalty. Yet they’ve never really been saved. They’re going to die
and go to hell because there’s something missing in their relationship
with the King of kings.
RELIGIOUS BUT LOST
Then why would David, at the end of his life, tell his son Solomon to
make sure to bring judgment upon Joab? What happened?
In all the biblical record, you can never find a place where Joab truly
from his heart loved David, and in the end, he led an insurrection
against him.
Joab loved the kingdom without loving the king. He loved the power but
not the Person. He loved the glory but not God’s anointed. Joab never really
had the heartbeat of the King.
Joab disdained David’s mind.
Repeatedly, Joab went around the king’s back and murdered those
David had forgiven. When David extended forgiveness to Abner, a
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former enemy, Joab sneaked this man off and stabbed him in the back!
Joab represents those who claim to know and love the Lord Jesus, yet
never have the mind of Christ, never deal properly with those Jesus has
forgiven. They cannot understand someone who’s been forgiven and
made right with God. They bear resentments and grudges. If you’re
knifing those Jesus loves, you haven’t been saved. He did not have the
mind of David.
Joab distressed David’s heart.
David wanted to forgive Absalom, his rebellious son. David loved him
so much he would have died for him, just as Jesus died for us. What a
picture of the love of God. After David commanded Joab to “deal
gently” with Absalom, Joab stabbed Absalom three times in the heart.
The acid test of being a Christian is not whether you’re loyal. It’s Do you
love as Jesus loves? Joab could not handle those David had forgiven and
wanted to forgive. He could not love as Jesus or David loved.
I want to ask, no matter if you’ve joined the church, sing in the choir, or
work in missions: Do you love those Jesus loves—the lost, the rebels? If
not, you’re in Joab’s crowd, and you’re going to receive the wrath of
Jesus.
Joab disobeyed David’s will.
It was David’s sovereign will that Solomon become king after him, but
in the endJoab fought to install someone else on David’s throne—while
David was still alive. Joab was like so many who say, “Yes, I belong to
Jesus Christ, but I know my rights. I have my own desires.” He never
really brought his will under the kingship of David.
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Some of you are going to be just like Joab. You’re going to receive the
judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ because outwardly you’re loyal, but
inwardly you’re lost. You have never truly given your heart to Jesus
Christ.
You’re not saved by the doctrine you can rattle off or by serving or
fighting. As a matter of fact, a lot of Joabs have wrecked a lot of
churches in the name of their king, but they’ve never had the heart of
their king. They don’t deal with other people as Jesus would. They don’t
forgive as Jesus forgives. They never seek rebels as Jesus seeks rebels.
They know nothing about the sovereign will of our great God.
Do you have the heart of Jesus Christ? Do you love like Jesus? Do you
have the mind of Christ? Are you submitted to the will of Christ? You
may be outwardly loyal, but inwardly lost—religious but lost. These are
the least likely to realize they need to be saved.
Jesus gave this solemn warning: “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out demons,
and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto
them, ‘Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity; I never knew you.’” (Matthew
7:22)
What a tragedy—Joab fought alongside David, then received David’s
wrath. A greater tragedy would be for you to be a busy beaver in church,
only to hear the Lord say one day, “Depart…I never knew you.”
Many are going to die and go to hell surrounded by baptismal
certificates, church offering receipts, and Sunday school attendance
awards because they never received Christ as their personal Savior and
Lord.
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Are you sure you’re saved? Does God’s Spirit bear witness with your
spirit that you are a child of God? I’m not trying to make you doubt it,
but 2 Peter 1:10 says, “Wherefore, brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure.”
“Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
When I’m trying to discern if someone is a Christian, I look for a
genuine love for Jesus. Do you have the mind of Christ? Do you have the
heart of Christ? Are you submitted to the will of Christ? Do you want
His will rather than your own? If so, you can say you’re saved. If not,
you have no right to.
If you want to be saved, pray a prayer like this:
“Dear God, I’m a sinner. I’m lost. I need to be saved, and I want to be
saved. Lord Jesus, You died for me. Come into my heart, forgive my sin,
and save me. Save me. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for what You’re doing in
my heart. Amen.”
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Don’t Be Defeated by Your Victories
Don’t Be Defeated by Your Victories
1 Samuel 17:45-54
If you’re not careful, a victory you’ve won could turn around and defeat
you. It can happen if you don’t learn how to handle victory.
The life of David makes this clear.
When as a shepherd boy David defeated Goliath, it was miraculous. But
David would have been defeated by this very victory if he had handled it
wrong.
And it can happen to you if you’re not careful. David’s encounter with
Goliath sets up a situation to show us how to handle victory when it
comes our way.
To start with, David won the victory by three principles:
• Purpose. He said, “I will,” in spite of the distain of others.
• Progression. He said to Goliath, “I slew a lion and a bear, and I’ll
get you, too.” Since he had been faithful in that which was least, he
was also faithful in much. He went from victory to victory.
• Power. David said to the Philistines, “…I come to you in the name of
the LORD of hosts.…the LORD saveth not with sword and spear; for the
battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands” (17:46-47).
David knew the power was really God’s. Don’t forget: the battle is
the LORD’S.
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FOUR IMMEDIATE REACTION’S TO DAVID’S VICTORY
1. Jonathan reacted with partnership.
And Jonathan stripped himself out of the robe that was upon him…” 1 Samuel
18:4.
Little David, a nobody shepherd boy, has won the battle, meets Saul’s
son, Jonathan, and the two enter into a lifelong covenant.
Jonathan is one of the finest men in the Bible. Not a hint of jealousy in
Him. It’s obvious early on that Jonathan, heir to the throne, will not
become king. David will. If anyone had a right to be jealous, it was
Jonathan. Yet he has no envy. He sees God give a mighty victory to David
and enters into partnership with him as if to say, “I want to share in
your victories. I’m so grateful for what God is doing with you and
through you. We’re members one of another. Your blessing is my
blessing.”
Friend, that’s a wonderful way to be, selflessly rejoicing in God’s
blessings on another person’s victory. I want to be that way.
Believers are in blood covenant one with another. When one member
suffers, every member suffers. When one rejoices, everyone should
rejoice. When God is blessing you, I want to rejoice and get in on it.
2. The women reacted with misdirected praise.
“…the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing…and said, “Saul
hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (18:6 and 7).
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This might sound good, but I don’t believe it was pleasing to God. They
were glorifying men rather God for this miraculous victory.
Did David kill Goliath? Outwardly, yes. But David himself said in 17:47,
“…for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands.” It wasn’t
David, it was God.
You know how to lose your next victory? Fail to give God the proper
praise for this one.
Remember Jericho? Great victory! Israel went in with the Lord’s battle
cry and won. But the next place—the little city of Ai—they were
soundly defeated. Many died. An Israelite named Achan had taken
some gold, silver and fancy garments from Jericho for himself, hiding
them under his tent. God had already told Joshua, “All the gold, silver,
iron, and brass is to be dedicated to the treasury of the Lord.” Since the battle
was His, the spoils belonged to Him—their way of saying, “Lord, we
recognize we didn’t gain this victory; You did.”
Suppose you enter into some spiritual endeavor for the Lord, God
blesses, and gives you the victory. Someone says, “You did a great job,”
and you receive that praise all to yourself. You just did the same thing
Achan did: taking the spoils of battle for yourself. Your next battle is
going to see you ignominiously defeated.
When we praise an individual instead of praising God, we’re on
dangerous ground. And the one who receives it is on doubly-dangerous
ground. That praise must pass through and go right up to Him. I’m glad
David didn’t listen to the misdirected praise, or he would have lost his
victory.
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3. Saul reacted with pride.
“And Saul was very wroth [angry], and the saying displeased him. (18:8).
When the women praised David, Saul was suspiciously jealous of David
from that day forward. And because he was filled with pride—and had
refused to obey the hand of the Lord (chapter 15)—God rejected him as
king.
James 4:6 says, “God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble.” He
could not bear David’s victory. He felt David’s gain was somehow his
loss. Saul became an utter failure. He received the judgment of turning
from God. At the moment you, like Saul, start disliking the person who
succeeds, you become a failure.
The marks of pride in Saul were his anger (v. 8), his jealousy (v. 9), and
his fear. “And Saul was afraid of David…” (v. 12). Why was Saul afraid of
David? Because Saul was a phony. Every person who’s real makes every
phony look unreal.
That’s why some people can’t stand to be around others who are living
victoriously in Christ when they themselves are phonies filled with
pride. They get angry if your life is blessed. They see you as the enemy.
Do not have the spirit of Saul who thought somebody else’s gain
somehow diminished him.
4. David reacted with prudence.
And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with
him. (v.14).
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When you receive praise, it does something to you, either good or bad.
Your reaction is either going to reveal the dross in your life or the gold
and silver. David knew how to handle victory. Look at Psalm 131.
“LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself
in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted
myself as a child that is weaned of his mother; my soul is even as a weaned child.
Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and forever.”
No wonder God called David “a man after My own heart.” Think about
it. Yesterday he was a shepherd boy no one thought of, and today he’s
the king’s bodyguard with hundreds of men beneath him. Women come
out with tambourines singing his praises. Yet David just says, “Lord, You
know who I am. I’m still David. That’s all.”
See David’s spirit. When Saul says, “I’m going to make you my son-inlaw,”
David responds, “Who am I that I should be son-in-law to the
king?” He never really took it to heart. He always realized the battle was
the Lord’s. That’s why God could bless David and use him.
You know, some people are impossible to get along with because they
think they’re impossible to get along without. Have you ever been
around people who had a personal victory, then all they do is brag about
it? David wasn’t that guy.
When we learn the battle is the Lord’s and the glory belongs to Him,
we’ll not be defeated by our victories. We’ll learn how to receive victory,
saying, “Thank You, Lord. As You keep pouring the victory on, we’ll keep
sending the praise up. We’ll keep saying, ‘To God be the glory; great
things He has done.’”
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BirthMarks of a True Believer
When you were saved, you became a child of God, and He gave you
permanent birthmarks to show you are His. I call them “birthmarks of
the believer.” If you don’t have them, you should ask, “Have I ever
really been saved?” It’s one thing to talk religion; it’s another to actually
be a child of God.
God doesn’t mince words. The Apostle John said, “If you claim to be a
Jesus-follower and don’t keep His commandments—you’re a liar” (1
John 2:4).
John didn’t sugar-coat it. He targeted phonies who talk a good game but
had little to back it up.
So how can you know you’re not one of them?
Three “birthmarks” of someone who’s really saved:
1. You submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
No one can be saved without first receiving Christ as Lord. You don’t
say “I’ll take Jesus as my Savior—forget the Lord part.” If you say He’s
your Lord but don’t live by His Word, your life is a sham.
If He is your Lord, you keep His commandments
That doesn’t mean we’re saved by our works. You can’t do everything
perfectly. No one but Jesus could. It doesn’t mean you’ll never get
blown off course. When you treasure God’s commands and steer your
life by them, you can say, “Yes, I know the Lord.”
If He is not your Lord, then you are not on your way to Heaven.
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That’s not legalism; it’s love. You keep His commandments because you
love Him. If you don’t really love Him, put a big question mark over
that thing you call “salvation.”
2. You want to live as Jesus lived.
• Honestly
Honest with God, yourself, and others (1:6-7). If not, don’t call yourself
a child of God.
• Purely
“Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is
pure” (3:3).
If you love pornography, if you’re full of lust, you need to get saved. I’m
not saying you can’t slip into sin, but if this is your way of life, you’re
not living like Jesus.
• Righteously
Righteousness isn’t passive (“I’ll just sit here and be sure I’m not doing
anything wrong.”) Righteousness is actively doing good, just as Jesus
did.
Sounds like a tall order. How will you do this?
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you’re the branches. He that abideth in Me
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without Me you
can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Supernatural reliance on Jesus.
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Rely on Jesus the same way He relied on His Father. Jesus said, “What
the Father says, I say. What I see the Father do, I do.” You can walk as
He walked only when you rely fully on Him.
3. You show and share His love.
When Jesus knelt and washed His disciples’ feet that included Judas. He
said, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another. By
this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to
another” (John 1:34-35). Jesus loves each one, not because we’re lovely;
He just loves us.
RECAP— the birthmarks you’re looking for:
You submit to His Lordship.
You seek His lifestyle.
You share His love.
If you’re saved, it’s going to show through a life controlled by the Lord
Jesus.
If your religion hasn’t changed your life, you need to change your
religion. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Credit: Love Worth Finding (https://www.lwf.org/)
GraceGems.org
CTL.Today
https://www.gracegems.org/30/short_pithy_gems_from_adrian_rogers.htm
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