Topic: Defend the Title
Text: 2 Corinthians 10:4
Key verse: We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments
In our preparation to reign as champions in life over every battle of the mind, we will continue to reflect on worldly weapons and how they manifest, so we can outwit the devil in his own game. In Eve’s encounter in the garden we see another missile the devil fashioned against her, the weapon of Half-truths.
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The devil boldly assured her she will not die, that\’s a half-truth. Spiritually she died even though she was still alive. Secondly, the serpent told her … “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
Remember, God already made man in his image and likeness, the breath of the almighty was already in him, he was already like God!. Eating the fruit was not going to make them like God, but was going to open them up to the evil that God had shielded them from.
They became aware of sin which produced shame and fear in them. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness
9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” Disobedience to any word of God produces fear and shame. The devil will not tell you all the consequences of your action but will tell you what will feed your lust and skip the rest.
It is not every true statement that is good for you. Eve fell for the serpent\’s half-truths when she started to look for justification for her action. Take note of the words highlighted in the text: The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.
In the mind battle, you seek superior opinion, wisdom, and self-gratification. All of these are available in human reasoning. Eve looked for these things and she found them. She saw the fruit was beautiful to behold( lust of the eyes), it looked delicious to taste ( lust of the flesh), and she wanted its wisdom( pride of life). Everything man will ever want outside of God falls in these three categories.
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. 1 John 2:16
When you engage in a spiritual battle with the devil and you want to use the worldly weapon of human reasoning, you will fall flat. The wisdom of God is far superior and is revealed only in the Word, not in logic, human experience, or culture.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. James 3:17
Divine wisdom is identified by the outcome it produces. Everything Eve was looking for was already within her reach, she just needed to ask God for more. She looked in the wrong place because the devil had already succeeded in planting the seed of mistrust against God in her heart. She now thought God was wicked by denying her access to what will make her superior.
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3
These are the same things Lucifer wanted in heaven and lost out, it is the same ideas that he offers to a man in all the lies he tells in the form of half-truths. In the battle against sexual sins, you win or lose in the mind first before the actual act takes place. The promise of pleasure is true, but the sting of shame, fear, unwanted pregnancy, STDs, betrayal, scandal, and a broken marriage is the part of the facts he will never tell you.
We are champions already, the battle has been won by Jesus, the championship belt has been given to you, all you have to do is defend the title. There is nothing the devil has to offer God has not already given you, just wait for the appropriate time and place to receive it. Delayed gratification is not denial, it is love that makes you give age-appropriate gifts. No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37
Relying on half-truths to enter relationships, will require more lies to sustain them. Abraham’s half-truth about Sarah’s identity twice brought only shame. Jacob’s lie as he took his brother’s place cost him a lot of shame, pain, and fear.
We cannot use the devil’s weapon against him, we use God’s mighty weapon of truth to counter every half-truth.
Examine your belief system, are there half-truths you have allowed to take the place of the word of God in your life? People say ” the end justifies the means” that’s a half-truth. Your negative experience is also a half-truth, only the word of God is truth, The word is a Person.
Jesus overcame doubt with the word, crushed half-truths (lies) with the word, and nailed lust with …it is written “
You can only defend your title with the truth! Not fasting or prayer, going to the mountain or Holy land. What you need is to engage the enemy with the Word!
Identify one area of warfare in your life, make a list of all the things you find difficult in that challenge that has kept you stuck, on the other side make a list of God’s promises from the word that say the opposite thing. Those are the weapons you will use to defend our title. Get ready for battle.!
Roses&Thorns