Friday, December 9, 2011

Praying Against the Devil

Another message in Min. David Pawson's series on prayer.  This message deals with praying against the devil.
  • Sometimes it is harder to pray as a Christian than as an unbeliever.
  • Satan hates Christian prayer because that is what affects him.
  • Don't underestimate the devil and don't treat him as a joke.
  • Never pray against people because we war not against flesh & blood.
  • The Bible does not portray the devil as a horned creature with a forked tail.
  • The Bible portrays the devil as a real person with a heart, mind, and will; he is not simply a generic force of evil.
  • Every rebellion against God can be traced back to one motive: the desire to say "mine" (of ourselves) instead of "Thine" (of God). 
  • Satan is the god of this world, and he is the one most people in the world worship...whether they know it or not.
  • God allows Satan to be the god of this world., because He gives His creation freedom to rebel.
  • A true Christian takes the devil very seriously.
  • The two books of the Bible the devil hates most are Genesis (which describes his devices) & Revelation (which describes his doom).
  • Satan is already a defeated foe.  If he gets hold of you, call his bluff!
  • Satan's territory lies between me & Heaven and I have to break through enemy territory to communicate.  So the devil will try to either stop you or spoil your prayer.
  • Prayer is often the power of mind over mattress.
  • The most valuable prayer can be when you don't "feel" like it, when you're having to battle to do it, or when your mind is confused.
  • Satan will even try to spoil your prayer once you have started by getting you unbalanced in your prayer life. 
  • We can lay the devil flat in prayer.  We are commanded in the New Testament to take the initiative against him.
  • Jesus told us to pray about the devil every day by asking the Father to deliver us from the evil one.
  • The devil can do the following to man, but prayer can deliver men from these devices:
    • Bind people's bodies in sickness.
    • Blind people's minds.
    • Can capture the spirits of men and imprison them in religion.
  • By prayer and through the blood of Jesus we can bind the strongman and then spoil his goods.
  • Prayer is a battle to get to the front line.  It is like wrestling and at times may feel like a hand to hand combat where evil is so close you can almost touch it.
  • In prayer, a Christian must be properly dressed in the whole armor of God.
  • The sword of the Spirit is not the whole Bible, but is the word which God's Spirit puts in your mouth to speak (a rhema word) in specific situations.
  • More than anything else, Satan hates the name of Jesus because it is the name above all names.
  • Pray that the blood of Jesus will protect and enlarge the work of the church globally to the glory of God.  Pray against Satan who is attacking members of the church to try and lay them low, confuse their minds, or give them a substitute of religion.  And pray that God deliver us from the evil one.

7 comments:

  1. This is absolutely great! May we all remain fervent in our prayers, casting down EVERYTHING that attempts to exalt itself above our God! Thanks for sharing! You're such a blessing to me!

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  2. Hi Zeal for Christ,

    It is you sister who are a blessing, and others in God's Body with whom we can grow and fellowship. In spite of our imperfections, God is able to make of His people one Body who can sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron, and edify each other in brotherly love. I thank God for His wisdom and provisions in this area!

    Much love to you always!

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  3. I couldn't have said it better. Great analogy on prayer.

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  4. Praise our Lord and King! What a timely message for me. Like you said since I laid it all down for Our Lord and made Him Lord of my heart, mind, soul and being the wrestling has been very real. In these last days as we look forward to His appearing with that mighty trump calling us home the battles are happening with frequency and intensity. But God's miracles and blessings are much more than I could ever ask or imagine. My brother-in-law committed his life to Jesus this past Saturday. That was something my husband and I have been in intense prayer and longing for. What the Lord has done in the past few weeks in the family regarding strongholds and pure evil has been amazing. All glory to our God!!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Irene,

      Praise God indeed! He is true to His word and faithful. Your is not the first story I have heard this year about prayers for the salvation of loved ones being answered. Many who have withstood the Lord all of their lives are being drawn into the faith.

      The battles are intensifying Sister. It almost seems incredible to be able to stand in the midst of them, but great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He has already promised us the victory if we but stand with Him. Our foes will be defeated as God fulfills His purposes in us.

      Thank you so much for sharing your witness and encouragement. I too see the light at the end of the tunnel as things pick up and the return of the Lord is hastened.

      God Bless!

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    2. Thanks for writing back! I don't often post but when I do I usually don't get a reply (other sites) So, thanks! Blessings to you!

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  5. It's a wake up call for some Christians.
    We need more sermons like this.
    Thank you. May God Bless you and your family.

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