Whenever God moves, Satan is always close by. John 10:10 records Jesus saying: “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Satan and his demonic realm want to steal your freedom putting you in slavery to sin and killing your potential so that you aspire for average and never fully follow Christ in every area of your life. As the church was forming shortly after Jesus ascension, Satan was attempting to silence believers so they would stop making disciples. It didn’t work. The Holy Spirit continued to stir hearts motivating believers to destroy their old way of life so they could embrace their new faith. Their lives would never be the same. Luke writes: “18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (Acts 19:18-20). You can’t follow Christ with your whole heart if you keep secrets. This is how you can break free from your past behaviors and step into a closer relationship with Jesus, here’s how. First, repent. What is it that you need to repent from? Porn, drugs, alcohol, addiction to whatever? Bad Netflix shows? The list of things that mess up our relationship with God is extensive so I suggest whatever God puts on your heart you deal with. Second, clean your house of ungodly things. Don’t convince yourself that you should try to sell or use these things until they’re gone; just destroy it and get it off your property or out of your presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to shine in every area of your house. Third, believe that God has a better plan for you. Believe that God wants to fill your life with goodness and joy. Believe that God will meet all of your needs. Peter writes: “8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 Satan and his demonic realm are a believer’s real enemy. You might not be able to identify Satan in a crowd, but he is a real, viable, cruel, supernatural enemy that seeks to destroy you by leading his demons in attacks against you. His intent is to steal, kill, and destroy. He’s Powerful, but God is more powerful and Christians can tap into the power of God to fight against the enemy. Jesus was resurrected from the dead to prove that God is more powerful than Satan. The empty cross is an eternal reminder that God has more power than Satan, but that doesn’t mean he won’t put up a fight. Your best defense is to clean house and don’t let Satan get a foothold in any area of your life. If you need to repent, repent. Then remove what needs to be removed and believe that God’s way is the best way. You will be glad you did.
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