Greetings Leaders and welcome to today's edition of ...
Learn and Grow with Jesus EVERYDAY.
Today's Topic is: Keeping the Devil OUT
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021
Bible Reading: Luke 11:24-26 NKJV
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24-26 NKJV
Discussion Topic: How do I keep the enemy out of my life?
Today's bible reading scared me to the marrow of my bones years ago after I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In those days, the ministry of deliverance was booming. Everybody was being delivered from one spirit or the other. I recall how sad and depressed I was when I was first told I was possessed and needed urgent deliverance prayers. I was like, "why me?" Why did the devil pick me out of all the crazy people around he could easily have without them minding? Yet, I humbly acceded and was "delivered". Then they read this scripture to us, warning us that the evil spirit can come back with worse demons if we were not careful.
My greatest confusion then was that I didn't even know what I did in the first place that made me so attractive and irresistible to the devil for possession. For months, I wallowed in fear with no real mentorship or guidance or relief. However, I was determined that if any spirit was going to have me, it had to be one from God's camp.
I then began a laborious search of the bible to find answers and learn exactly what to do to avert the worst from happening. As I fed on His Word, His light and illumination began to dispel every fear and darkness in me. The more I dug in, the happier and joyful I became. I purchased some books by Bishop David Oyedepo, TD Jakes, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Derek Prince, Oral Roberts etc to help me with my understanding of key scriptures and mysteries in the Bible. In those days, we didn't have the luxury of the internet in Nigeria, much less Google. To help me water down the word of God I was feeding on daily, I purchased a lot of Praise and Worship songs, and played them constantly. I was saturating my spirit with God's word, praise and worship to the point that I became "too hot" for any devil to come close to me, much less possess me.
When I read "Good Morning Holy Spirit " by Benny Hinn, it opened my eyes to the importance of the Holy Spirit to every child of God. My burning desire became to be baptized in the Holy Spirit so I could be endued with power from on high for a victorious christian living. That was when God sent our own Leader Nkiru to help me. On that beautiful day, we gathered, and as she began to sing, the atmosphere was changed and charged with the presence of the Holy Spirit, and just like that, God blessed me with His Spirit and the gift of speaking in tongues.
In my experience, the best deliverance is saturating yourself with God. The closer you get to God, the more uncomfortable anything that is not of God in you will be, and will eventually run for their lives. Recall the story of Paul's voyage to Malta in the book of Acts 28. The bible said that as Paul gathered a pile of brushwood sat by the fire to warm up from cold, behold a viper driven out by the heat fastened itself on his hand, and Paul shook it off into the fire. The viper was hiding in the wood all along, very comfortable until the heat of the fire became unbearable for it. When you sustain enough fire in you by seeking God and spending time with in His Presence, you can never be the same.
There are things that aren't supposed to be happening in your life, but they are because your environment is still delicious and comfortable to the enemy. You really don't need anyone to pray deliverance prayer for you, though that is very good, but if you intentionally apply and commit yourself to seek God and know Him, you will not only find Him, you will be engulfed by His consuming fire which no evil can withstand.
It's your choice really. It is either you keep running from one pastor to the other asking for prayers or you change your ways, make God a priority in your life and become the priest of your destiny. There is so much a pastor can do for you but God's preference is that you be yielded and be submitted to Him. Is He not a consuming fire? Nothing can stand the heat of His glory much less His consuming fire.
The Holy Spirit is a vital necessity for a victorious christian living. When Jesus was about to go up to heaven, He told his disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit and power from on high. Serving God will always be a painful struggle without the Holy Spirit. He is the Power and Might of God. Nothing moves or works in the Kingdom of God without Him. You need the Holy Spirit more than the desert needs the rain.
If you are interested in receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, inbox me, and we can set up a time to pray together. You will be amazed how your life will be transformed for good.
Stay uplifted in Christ always and live cheerfully everyday.
Leader Chinedu Nicholas Obodo for EXOLOM Fellowship.
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