THIS IS WHY MANY CAN’T RESIST THE DEVIL

Dear Folks,

It was late at night or very early in the morning, probably 1:0oam, I just discovered the truth about the believer in a new way. ‘RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU.’ James 4:7. Imagine my joy. Hulala! Suddenly I became a little taller, I felt like a giant – in fact like a bulldozer – ready to bulldoze the devil not only from my life, and ministry but if possible from the world.

So I began to exercise the word of God in prayer – ‘devil get out of my ministry, you have no permission in my spirit, soul and body…I began to blow tongues…common now’. After staying in prayer battling with God’s word for like an hour. I heard the spirit say to me, ‘READ THAT VERSE AGAIN’. Why? I mean by now I can quote it. When He kept pressing me, I read it, and then it was the same. ‘Resist the devil, and He will flee from you’.

By now I was familiar with that verse. But how many times have we missed out on God’s mind, treasure and revelation because we are used to that verse? So, He said, ‘the whole verse’. Then I saw it… ‘SUBMIT YOURSELVES THEREFORE TO GOD. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. James 4:7. THEN I SAW IT. FIRST, YOU MUST SUBMIT TO GOD! Immediately I stopped praying – I was on to something new – Rev!

Many times, believers are exercising so much energy resisting the devil, and you can see for yourself that instead of the devil fleeing, he is building strongholds and pavilions around you. We must learn to do the first thing first, which is to submit to God – then resisting the devil will be like a stroll in the park. But we must learn to do the first thing first – the first thing is not resisting the devil, it is submitting to God. God doesn’t help you to submit, it is you that submit – ‘submit yourselves’ – it’s a decision you must make. No need to be spiritual about that.

THEREFORE SUBMIT TO GOD! The reason the devil has given Christians so much hell, is because most Christians are not submitted to God.

The question I asked which you should ask is how do I submit to God? Especially a God I cannot see, and I cannot walk to His office to take order? THE WAY THAT YOU SUBMIT TO GOD IS BY BEING SUBMITTED TO HIS WORD, because God and His word are one. This means that if you submit yourselves to the Word, then and only then can you have the right to resist the devil. The Bible does not say fight him. It says resist him. And the Bible says, he will flee from you. So you are in a faith fight – but that fight is dependent on submission to God’s word.

The Greek word submit ishupotasso. The hupo means "under" and the tasso means "to arrange." This word and a root of it are also translated by the words subject and subjection. The word's full meaning is "to obey, put under, be subject to, submit oneself unto, put in subjection under or be under obedience or obedient to." The word was used as a military term meaning "to arrange troop divisions in a military fashion under the command of a leader." 

In order to resist the devil therefore you must put yourself under the Word of God. The word of God is the leader and you must obey it. You must be subjected fully to God’s word – in complete obedience! IF (note the word IF) you live such a word controlled and dominated life, then you will resist the devil and he will flee.

The devil is not as powerful as he seems, it is just that we have refused to live in subjection to God’s word. The Bible says concerning Jesus, ‘WITH BURNT OFFERINGS AND SIN OFFERINGS YOU WERE NOT PLEASED. THEN I SAID, ‘HERE I AM—IT IS WRITTEN ABOUT ME IN THE SCROLL. I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL, MY GOD’. Hebrews 10:6-7. He was submitted to doing what was written concerning him in the scroll. We also must stand and be committed to that which is written in the eternal scroll of God – His word!

Again submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will be on the highway – fleeing! Be sure to keep the devil at bay – keep him fleeing by submitting to God’s word, THEN RESIST HIM. Amen!

Your Greatness is Assured!

FA

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

Twitter: @fisayospeaks

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SPIRITUAL SNAG - OF SPIRIT AND RULES

Dear Folks,

Some years ago, I experienced a barrier in my spiritual walk. It was like I was walking endlessly in an arid land. No spring, no water, no avalanche. Praying in tongues was no longer refreshing, bible reading became a real struggle. Folks, I was only 2 years in the Christian walk, yet I was in a snag. I couldn’t understand it. And I had no clue how to get out of it.

I don’t know whether you have been in a spiritual snag before, if you have or you are in one right now. Praise God, that only means you are human and much more, you are sincere. But God doesn’t want us in snags. He wants us progressing, increasing in knowledge, and refreshed at all times.

In the midst of my experience, grew an awakening to the person of the Holy Spirit. I wanted to know why I was in a snag, and much more, I wanted to get out of it – I discovered it was because of my rules and routines. I got bored! I got tired! Yes, I was spiritual but I was also human. And every human get tired of routine. So I learnt of new ways to do spiritual things.  In Isaiah 29:13, ‘the Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. THEIR WORSHIP OF ME IS BASED ON MERELY HUMAN RULES THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT’. (Emphasis mine). Absolute truism!

Sometimes we get into a snag like I did, because of rules, either self-imposed or taught. So, I tossed the rules (you must do the same), because my relationship and fellowship with God is a life I am called to live and not rules I must obey. The moment I did, the shackles were broken, freedom came, and instead of pressure I had joy. Learn to live and walk by the Spirit. Follow His leading, even in fellowship. So I junked my boring routines and rules and I followed the Spirit.

I learnt to write a Psalm. I thought if David wrote one, then I could.

I sang new songs to God - Yes, my voice will not pass any earthly test, but in the heavens and to my Father, it was sonorous.

I began to fellowship with other believers. Truly Iron sharpens Iron. I listened and I learned.

I wrote Him many poems. To right about Him, you must think deeply about Him. That made Him real to me. I connected with Him in my soul and mind.

I began to dance without music. It brought some needed energy to my paleness in fellowship.

I began to meditate while walking. I couldn’t limit God to my room and I shouldn’t box him up in a flat. He is everywhere!

I began to pray everywhere. I didn’t have to face the yellow painted wall every time.

I want to encourage you to let the Spirit lead you endlessly to new frontiers and greater heights. The answer many times is not in the complicated and complex, it is in simple things. 

Remember, ‘For even young people tire and drop out, young folks in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind’. Isaiah 40:31 (The Message).

Get fresh strength as you depend on the Spirit and not rules.

Your Greatness is Assured!

FA

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

Twitter: @fisayospeaks

Facebook: Fisayo.Adeniyi

Whatsapp: +234-909-0518-35

fisayoadeniyi@gmail.com

 

 

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STOP THIS, ‘I WISH…’

If there is one thing common to all men, it is that we all, without fail, have gifts. God has equipped you as a solution for certain things on the earth.  We all carry on our insides, treasures, untold assets capable of building us to significance. We all are moving masses of precious things.

However, not everyone is aware of and appreciates their gift. Today I seek to encourage and enlighten you to discover your treasure house. We live in a world where many people are satisfied with ‘Oohing’, and ‘Aahing’ at the gift of others, while inside of them are much more awesome treasures. You are uniquely designed of God to stand out. There is something you have, a precious thing that you trivialize and make common, but which amazingly is unique to you. If well polished, it could be your way maker, your ground breaker and your key to significance. Some people write effortlessly, I have seen people compose songs without breaking a sweat, I have seen people dance as if they were made in that part of heaven where the only thing they do is dance… need I continue?

It is therefore worrisome to note that many people are lost in the land of ‘I wish’. They wish they could be the other person; they wish they had another talent or ability. Stop wishing you were someone else, and start celebrating who you are! God doesn’t make a mistake; He purposely designed you as you are for a reason. He has given you all that you will ever need to make a difference. But until you look deeply within, until you appreciate who you are, until your attitude towards yourself is right, you will continue a mediocre. You life begins with you! 

‘A gift is a precious stone in the eyes of the possessor: whithersoever it turneth it prospereth’. Pro 17:8. 

The verse shares a timeless truth, which is that until you see your gift as a precious stone, it will be worth nothing to you. It is first about the possessor of the gift. Those we salute and celebrate are not super humans; they are folks who have an understanding of how special their gifts (of management, leadership, innovation, help etc) are; therefore they deploy their gifts and their prosperity is assured.

How then do you see you? How special do you think your gifts and abilities are? If you think they are ordinary, then you will deal with them without due diligence, but if you know they are precious stones, then you will do all you can to diligently polish them.

There is only one you, and the world needs your answers. We need your solutions, ways, innovation, grace, care, help, art, skill, leadership etc. You matter to the world. You have within you, the precious stone that shall be the foundation for new frontiers. We need you to release your potential, to polish the gem, to unlock the treasure house that is in you.

My heartfelt desire is that you find grace as you unwrap and polish the REAL YOU.

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

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A LITTLE YEAST

Recently, a microbiology student I know was doing a study on yeast. I was amazed at the multi- types of yeast existing and their varied uses. More astounding is the almost ubiquitous nature of yeast and the fact that it is so important to our survival and nature. The study of yeast has therefore become an important area of discourse to researchers and teachers. The bible also speaks of the yeast.

“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9. That statement is so obviously true. You don’t need much yeast to see its effect on bread; just a little will do the work. But the Bible is not a book for the baker’s son; it is a book for the King’s sons. God must therefore be referring to something that has great significant in our lives, other than mere bread. God has a way of teaching us life lessons from the common things that can easily be understood.

In Galatians 5, Paul started this section of his letter by imploring believers to ‘Stand Fast…”. It is a call to stand firm in Christ’s entire true message; a call also to resist the deceit and the fraud of the enemy. It is in this light that he further said a little yeast is enough to influence the whole bread. The message of Christ does not need much error to be messed up, it only needs a little yeast – little deception, dark revelation, fake doctrines and prophecies.

As believers, we must understand that just a little stain makes us impure. It is Christ or nothing else, the word of God or the devil’s, Grace or Works, Light or Darkness. The Christian race is not an ‘Afro-Christo religion’ or a ‘Christo-Americana religion’. It is completely Christ. You can’t add to it or remove from it. You can’t combine it with religion, tradition or your cultural standards. If it’s God, then it must be completely God. You can’t make a little allowance for deception, lie, re-adjustment of standards, or leaving the ways of God. Your walk with God must be pure and undefiled. You can’t afford to add little drugs, a little booze, a little voodoo, a little bribe, a little sin, a little giving of your body to gain favour, a little lie, a little heresy etc. For just a little of these things will completely ruin your Christian testimony. I remember a song we use to sing a long time ago: ‘God will never readjust the standard of righteousness to the level of man’.

Today, decide and make a commitment to be careful of strange yeast that threatens to derail you from your walk with God and soil your Christian testimony. Christ warned His disciples of certain deceptive doctrines, “Jesus warned, "Be very careful. Keep a sharp eye out for the contaminating yeast of Pharisees and the followers of Herod." Mark 8:15 (The Message).

Brethren God is for us, His teaching grace is available to guide us against error…

Have you ever watched anyone bake with yeast? The just add in a little yeast. At no time do they pray or speak in tongues that the flour may rise. It is just natural; once the yeast gets in, the flour rises. That is how easy and how natural it is for strange doctrines, and error to mix with the pure treasures of God on our inside. My sincere prayer for you today is that you may run well, being unhindered and completely obeying the grace of God.

Fisayo Adeniyi

Pursuing Purpose...

Twitter: @fisayospeaks

Facebook: Fisayo.Adeniyi

fisayoadeniyi@gmail.com

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