Taking Authority (Part 1)

This is a message from leading the way with Dr. Michael. You sat we pray that it will encourage you in your walk of faith. If you would like to learn more about Dr. you Seth for leading the way, please visit LTW.don't think the Roosevelt in anyone's mind, but we'll see the evil one, beginning to unleash his most venomous effects.

We are seeing this globally. There is hardly a corner of the globe that is not been touched by threats and fears and devastations locally where there's evils of drugs and pornography unfaithfulness in marriage and dishonesty in business. To mention just a few of the rampant spread of his venomous attack even among those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Some young and some old have surrendered to his vicious attack and my primary concern in this series of three messages entitled taking authority is to show Christians both old and young. How not to surrender to the confusion of the age and be defeated but take authority over the enemy, but I want to tell you right at the outset, 90% of the secret for victory is understanding that we are in a state of skirmishers in the war and the reason I say skirmishers because the absolute truth is that the battle has already been one on the cross but we are in the skirmishers of war, of which the apostle Paul said were not against war is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces in the heavenly places, and that is the most important thing I could tell you.

Just remember that that we are in a constant state of the skirmishers in war that we do not have a peace treaty with the enemy of our soul that we cannot let our guard down. Not for a moment and once you get that you got 90% of the way and if I learned anything in the last 40 years of ministry.

I learned this that for most people when they come under the enemy's attack is that they are the loved ones they immediately want people to pray for them as a Michael you pray for me I'm under attack of the devil and not protect the enemy and I understand that they got everybody. Even those who don't have a prayer and asked him to pray. So far so good. Then God comes and intervenes through his abundance of grace and mercy. He responds to the prayer of the righteous, and he intervenes and he delivers them from whatever it is they're going to what should happen right at that moment of deliverance. Once at that moment of victory is that that person needs to take stock of their spiritual walk.

They need to stop at that moment and ask very significant questions. Have I intentionally or unintentionally open the door to the enemy to come in and harass me what got me into this low spiritual state what area my life did not allow the evil one to come in and set up a stronghold in my life and then after asking these questions the person should begin to put guards on the life so that they will not be spiritually vulnerable again in the next attack, and the next attack will come.

Make no mistake about it, and when the next attack comes, the difference between those who are victims and those who are victors are the ones worth taking stock of their spiritual life and it began to close and shut those doors in their life. But what happens most often what happens is a person's is all I dodge this bullet and they go back into the spiritual slumber.

They go back into the spiritual state of record to go back to the life as usual. They got back to living their guards down.

They go back to open windows and doors in the lives for the enemy to come in and harass pleasingly right. This is important because the next time that happens, the difference between the victor and the victim is who has kept the door open and who hasn't his affect every subsequent attack that comes in as a result of letting that window open with the door open. Allow the enemy to come in, it becomes doubly harder than the previous one. In fact, is a principal, the Lord Jesus Christ here teaches us after he delivered a demon possessed man in Matthew 1243 44 and 45 I give you the summary of the Lord Jesus is saying when that evil spirit leaves was a result of deliverance is relative.

Prayer result of repentance result of faith, whatever it is, and is gone he goes away and then he keeps looking back at his old place, and if that place had not been filled by the Holy Spirit of God being filled, and moment by moment in life is not filled by the word of God saturating a mind of the heart. If that space stays empty. He comes back, but not alone. He brings seven more nominal Christians will come to Christ and the saved and they begin the Christian life that way, as if there low spiritual warfare and they try to live the Christian life by their strength.

They tried to overcome by their human effort. They say I can do that and then when they want to spiritualize a little bit those through Christ who strengthens me.

Kind of like an afterthought.

Meanwhile the demon that has left the place of harassment is constantly rolling around. Peter said that he is like a lion just roaming around all the time looking for something he just isn't forever going looking coming back looking results place is like a virus and there were and it would hit hard and they looking for that window they're looking for that opportunity.

They're looking for you to just say okay, and then and then moving was seven more in the check yourself what I've got to try to have the next time.

I've got more counseling. I've got 100 or more groups. I've gotta get more support groups are wonderful as these things might be in on the plane down. They really are, but they will not give you the ultimate victory. Meanwhile, that miserable demon is watching.

He's watching that space is not filled moment by moment, day by day, by the power of the Holy Spirit in the word of God and he keeps looking back at that space at the left is that space is not filled is to avoid still empty the still trying to do it in the flash drive toward your own strength; the guys doing his best sure that's a problem that's a problem. Our best will never give us complete victory and finally that miserable Roscoe sends out engraved invitation to seven others, and this is just dirty miserable Roscoe invite you to join him to come to this empty space because is not been filled by the Holy Spirit of God on a daily basis, talk about salvation now talk about harassment for the believers like hillbillies, they move in our possession on not talk about the believer can never be possessed. Talk about harassment now wish I could tell you that I have never seen this was never experienced people who have done this. I wish I could say that, but I have too many times material aspect of religious legalism is always gets progressively worse from generation to generation.

I thank God for all the programs are designed to help people overcome the demons of addictions and I am here to tell you on the authority of the word of God that there is greater power that is greater deliverer that is a greater cleanser, there is a greater over, that is a great authority of all the harassing demons that there are, and his name is the spirit of Jesus. If the devil can get you busy with life busy with sports busy with social activities.

If you can get you busy, not praying, and not being continuously filled with the power of the Holy Spirit of God if he can get you busy not saturating your mind with the word of God. The next time he comes to harass you, he's not going to show up alone and that is why we need to learn how did Jesus take authority over Satan because in group 91.

He said I gave you that are far he has given us that authority must look at how Jesus exercise his authority over Satan. Matthew 412 11 and will be going through this in the next two messages I wanted tell you something about those three temptations that Satan came in tempted the Lord Jesus with those three temptations.

They summarize and codify all temptations that you and I have ever experienced. All the come under the three categories. If you examine whatever temptation that is nipping at your heel and you go down and you gonna discover it's going to be one of those three categories. It comes under one of those three headings either pledge or popularity or power. Think of one. Pick one and you will find it comes under one of those three categories, and that is why we need to learn how Jesus took authority over the enemy and defeated him so that we must do the same. The first temptation of pleasure comes right at the very end of this fast. We are not could be minutes or could be moments could be hours. 40 days is been fasting while Jesus fasting and praying about obviously was doing this fast in obedience to the father. He did everything in obedience to the father but the question must've been should I do it my way.

All my father's way. You see him struggling with that same question 3+ years later, in the garden of Gethsemane.

My will. Your will. Should I follow the father's plan or should I find some shortcut should I glorify my father alone only. Should I continue to place the father's business ahead of mind, should I serve the father's purpose or mine brother listen to me you are not a faceless temptation every single day, every single guy with a set temptation and is one thing you got understand about the devil. He is never crass is never classy.

He's very subtle manipulator.

He he chooses this time very, very carefully, and he aims his arrows very thoughtfully because he doesn't want to miss. Sometimes he uses people. Other times he attacks on mind.

Above all, he plays on the victim's mentality as soonest you start saying poor me. Watch out.

He loves that is going to come and implode to a spouse who would come and say oh you not loved by your spouse the way you should be loved. Your spouse is not fulfilling you as you should be fulfilled. Very sympathetic. You see your spouse is not really meeting your needs and your spouse should be meeting you need for you to got to listen and you fall. The next step that that your marriage for kids. Say your parents don't understand you the way you need to be understood all of your friends are having fun and you are missing out what kind of parents or even God who does not understand that you really need some harmless fun in your life and then get you hooked on pornography.

Get your talk on substance abuse and get you become addicted and he tells lost part of growing up. When you listen and you fall when is bringing seven with the harass you will come to a person who wants to be a genuine steward will come to your city. You have so many needs. God doesn't really need your money. You've got better things to do with your money to give it to God. So you go along with that lie the deception and before you know it your finances are attacked in this all when he came to Jesus after almost almost every significant word almost 40 days are over, fasting and praying to tempt.

He was tempting him to take short cuts, shortcuts why way just those few more minutes will forever however the time was doing just go ahead and call upon the stones into bread I you will be able you can do it come to you, the son of God unto manifest your power. Use your power to serve yourself what's the devil doing listen to me very carefully. Please, the devil is trying to put a wedge between God the father and God the son is obese under his son put a wedge. He said why, in order that he might create to God's not one. Remember this targeting your brain. Don't forget divisions and dissension and strife are always the devils work always whether he uses envy and hatred or whatever, he uses whatever it is to create all that and the sooner you wake up to that the sooner you spell yourself a lot of grief. Why is the devil trying to put a wedge between God the father and God the son.

He's trying to get Jesus to do what he himself did long time ago when he rebelled against God in the courts of heaven and God had to throw him in third of the angelic being out of heaven by appealing to Jesus.

This desire for food to feel his physical hunger. He wanted him to fall in the same trap that he himself committed 11 listen to me whenever you are offered shortcuts whether be in the business with a review in your work will be in your finances over the your marriage. Whatever your family relationship with schoolwork. You should know exactly where it's coming from the always gives you shortcuts Jesus said, my food is doing the will of the father who sent me to accomplish his work and Satan didn't like that he wanted to creat the division had Satan succeeded in getting Jesus to place his physical needs above the father's will. The whole plan of redemption would be thwarted.

Think about that. After all, Jesus could've done that right. He actually could've pricked his finger in the stones will become hard bread easy. But listen, because you can do something doesn't mean that you should not remember back in the days when Bill Clinton was doing. Whatever is doing and messing around them and I remember all these experts were coming on television and you know why is he doing this and why is this and why is that a member of a big-name psychiatrist. He said it's very simple. He did this because he could because he could yeah we could do a whole lot of things that we absolutely should not do. Because of the horrible consequences. Thank God. Jesus taught us how to take authority when we are tempted and when Satan tried to set the traps for us. He has taught us how to take authority to do that which we can do but must live a do how the Jesus exercise authority over Satan. This is important.

Listen carefully first by trusting the father and obeying the father no matter what and chapter 4 of Matthew C. Repeated three times. It is written, it is written, it is written, and here he said that agronomy 83 it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. From his boyhood. Jesus knew the word of God. He saturated his mind with the word of God.

At the age of 12 he was found teaching man four times his age. The word of God, and you can get a guaranteed victory, every time you're tempted when you take the sword of the word of God and you wave at the devil's face.

Jesus memorize the word quoted the word he reflected on the word. He upheld the authority of the work Jesus defended the truth of the word of God. Why, because he knew there is power in the what is God.

No wonder most preachers today do not believe the truth of the word of God. Certainly they do not live under its authority that undermined his truths house thinking about how believers who would say yeah.

I believe the word of God is the thought if I believe all this, and yet they have time for everything else in the thick to saturate the mind on the word of God not thought about a story a true story about a young preacher who was heading for Europe to study for two years is an advanced degree in theology, and his father was so deeply concerned because that school was renowned for being so liberal and so apostate in their outlook and and how they undermined the authority of the Scripture. And I don't believe the word of God in size.

Father kept saying to him, don't let them take Jonah from you.

Don't let them take Jonah from you what he meant.

Of course, his be careful of the deception of these unbelieving professors who gonna tell you that Jonah is a myth in the flood them and never happened and all of the rest of it and the young man went along, and two years later he came back and his father said to him, he said, do you still have Jonah in your Bible young man laughed and said a hog dad.

Jonah is not even in your Bible, and he wasn't technically my golf courses in my Bible is or show it to me. Father goes and grabs his Bible and fumbled through and trying to find the book of Jonah. And he couldn't find it goes back to the table of contents find what page he goes to that page and goes back to his Bible and sure enough, the book of Jonah was not there was nothing in his Bible and finally the son said to him that.

What is the difference between losing the book of Jonah.

By studying under unbelieving professors or losing it through neglect. Beloved, the average Christian home summoned by priests. We have spent very little time studying it, reading it, political correctness, rebuke us, strengthen us, empower us, so I want to tell your beloved parents and grandparents. Our children when news the spiritual battle pot watching us with that sword. The word of God and how we use up sure to win unless the word is deeply entrenched in us sooner or later gonna find ourselves as victims in the victors.

Spurgeon said the Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who's not Jesus's authority was God's word, and so must be ours what is Jesus saying to the devil in response to this first temptation he was saying to him Satan. I believe my father's word Satan. I fully trust in my father's promises Satan.

I am guided by my father's words, Satan will obey my father's word about my desire even my desperate need of the Jesus mean that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of his mouth is what he meant.

Listen carefully is saying that the word of God will feed my soul when I'm hungry, that the word of God will sustain me when I'm faint that the word of God will lift me up when I'm down that the word of God will give me power to say no to temptation that the word of God will give me strength to stand alone. If I have to let the word of God will carry me when no one else can. The word of God will satisfy my deepest longing and desire for ministers who were discussing which one of the Bible translation that is really best for their favorite in the first one said. My favorite is King James version because of its poetic old English.

I love that second person said I love the living Bible for its relevance in the first one said are you like the new American standard translation because it's accurate and the fourth one was silent for a moment and then he said the best translation the best paraphrased addition is my dad's. He lived it and fed upon it and experience its power. He is the most powerful translation. Beloved, the way you and I and our children will be able to take authority over Satan is by unleashing the word of God in our lives.

So on the way is Jesus's way, shall we pray father I am so grateful to you that you teachers from your word day after day. The power of that word for generations. Nearly 2000 years of even before that, with the Old Testament people have tried to destroy the word, but father through your sovereign plan you preserve that word for us to this day so that we would know I'm using know that the its power and its authority. Father, we know that as the enemy unleashes his worst venom we can unleash the word of God and have victory in our lives in the name of Jesus. Father I pray that you use for your power, destroy strongholds and fill those places as beginning today and every day and every moment of every day with the power of the spirit in the power of the word of God. I think your faithfulness. I think your grace and I think your mercy, I think you father in Jesus name