Satan Can Have No Power Over You - Zac Poonen

entire Christian world knows that Christ died for our sins but what is not so well-known is what it says in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 8 the Son of God appeared for this purpose that he might destroy the works of the devil there are two things mentioned here in 1 John chapter 3 verse 5 he appeared to take away sin and secondly Mercedes peered to destroy the works of the devil now if you know only half the truth you experience only half a salvation and that's the problem with a lot of Christians they know that he came to take away sin but they don't know that he came to destroy the works of the devil and if I were to ask you those who are really born again do you believe that Jesus Christ has removed the guilt of every sin you committed in the past you believe that his blood has cleansed you completely from all sin you know him is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is you taking away your sin I think those of you who are born again will say yes I ask you is that about maybe 10% left of your past sins or 1% you'd say no okay because you know the truth there are lots of people in the world who still live with a sense of guilt even though they've confessed their sin because they don't know the truth that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin they don't know the truth that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all sin and all unrighteousness to forgive us then why is it when it comes to the second part of what he has done on the cross destroying the works of the devil if I were to ask you do you believe that Jesus has jesus destroyed all the works of the devil in your life you're not sure you saved most of it the the truth that he just came to destroy the works of the devil is not sufficiently being preached and Christendom that's why most Christians allow the devil's work still to be in their life in their home met church and lots of Christians live lives where they're scared of the devil it's almost as the devil is more powerful than them see one of the great truths that John wanted to emphasize was that because Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil and 1 John 4:4 the one who lives in you is greater than the one who's in the world I know this because in my own life because as a young Christian nobody taught me that Satan's works were destroyed I'll tell you honestly I lived in fear of the devil I thought he could do a lot of things to mess up my life to mess up my home can't do it anymore he has absolutely no right to touch me my family my children my home my finance is nothing you know the truth the truth will set you free you don't know the truth you remain in bondage you remain always afraid always trying to resist the devil rebuke the devil rebuke the devil Jesus didn't spend his lifetime rebuking the devil rebuking the devil rebuking the devil all the time now like a lot of Christians do he didn't spend his time finding Satan binding Satan binding Satan know there was a dignity about the way he lived his life on earth Satan couldn't touch him Satan was scared of him Demon's fled wherever Jesus came and it says in 1 John chapter 4 verse 17 as Jesus is so am I in this world most Christians don't believe I didn't believe for so many years it's only after Jesus baptized me in the Holy Spirit and fire and I really knew what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit that the truth these truths became real to me see most Christians know nothing about the spirit world where the devil operates we live in a world we only see the visible world and think of a baby that's in the mother's womb they can't even see the visible world that baby lives in a little compartment it's all darkness can't see the world we're saying but one day when it's born it sees a whole lot of things in this world it's like that when God fills us with the Holy Spirit he opens our eyes to see things in the spirit world which most people are completely ignorant on most people don't even know there's a spirit world just like that baby in the womb it doesn't know that there's another world outside that baby in the womb thinks the whole world is here inside my mother's womb and a lot of Christians the only world they know is the thing they see around them they try to live a good life and they come to church and what they hear in church is a pep talk you know like coaches give pep talks to their team before they go out to play a game it lasts for a few hours the pep talk then they need to hear another one and this how christians are they come to hear a pep talk on sunday they get all stirred up and try to live out that life they need to hear another one otherwise they'll backslide pretty quickly this is how it was in the Old Testament they used to come every Saturday to listen to the priest give him a pep talk in it that pep talk would last till next Saturday and then they needed to come again but all that changed on the day of Pentecost it's another type of life God called us to live to be filled with the Holy Spirit continuously and I'm I tell you it's a tremendous work Satan is done by getting one group of Christians taken up with counterfeit experiences of the Holy Spirit and all types of counterfeits and then got a whole lot of other Christians backed away from that and see always scared of that we don't want all that we wanna live don't ever talk about the Holy Spirit what I work the devil's done he's got a whole lot of people fallin over one cliff others backing away from them falling over the other cliff and very few who go to the scriptures and say how does Jesus how did Jesus live on the earth he didn't have the counterfeit give to the Holy Spirit and he didn't back away from it saying I don't want the Holy Spirit at all if you make Jesus your example you find that balance life where we understand the power of the Holy Spirit is the only power that can help us to destroy the works of the devil there's a lot of work of the devil on the earth potentially they were all destroyed on the cross and I believe that God has called Christians especially when they come together as a church to register the victory of Calvary wherever they go I certainly see that as my calling ever since I got filled with the Holy Spirit that wherever I go I have to bring that victory of Calvary to reality in the lives of people who encounter me not just to give not just to give them some information about the Bible there's a lot more in Christian ministry than that and I want to say to all of you dear brothers and sisters the church is not to be just a nice little club where we care for one another we love one another help one another them umpteen clubs in the world that do that you know there are many many cult groups that care for one another like that the Freemasons there are tremendous at helping each other probably better than a lot of Christians but that's not our calling primarily our primary calling is to register the victory of the Cross against the forces of darkness everywhere we go when Jesus spoke about the church in Matthew 16 see what he said in Matthew 16 he said I will build my church Matthew 16:18 and once the church is going to do it's going to fight against the gates of hell that's the very first thing he said it's about the only thing he said he didn't say I'll build my church in you'll all care for one another and do a lot of good to each other he's I built my church and that church is gonna destroy the gates of Hell the forces of spiritual death the gates of Hell speak about death spiritual death and the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church now many Christians have got the in the picture in their mind is that the church is like a fortress you know where as somehow hanging on till Jesus comes and the Devils are attacking us on all sides here and there and here and there there are songs that Christians sing hold the fort for I'm coming and somehow I'm trying to hold a fort till Jesus coming I don't believe that I believe the devil's inside is for when it says the gates of hell where's the fort it's not the gates of the church it's the gates of Hades picture this in your mind the gates of Hades won't prevail against the church that's attacking it who's attacking read that verse carefully and see who's attacking is the church attacking the gates of Hades or is it hell attacking the gates of the church so I don't believe I'm sitting here in some fort surrounded by the devil all round arms about a somehow hold the fort until Jesus comes so much of wrong theologies got into our head because of wrong because of musicians who did not know the Bible who wrote hymns which Christians who don't study the Bible keep singing emptily and blindly and we sing it so often that it becomes our theology that's why I say when you read the scriptures you got to come with an open mind and get rid of all these traditions hold the fort for I'm coming is a tradition it's a tradition of men you never find it in Scripture it's the gates of hell the church is attacking the gates of hell do you see yourself as someone who's always on the defense always on the defense the devil attacking here there and everywhere most Christians are like that somehow surviving I hope I will survive without sinking till Jesus comes it's not to be like that if you did Jesus didn't live like that on earth not at all so many Christians are their whole attitude towards the Christian life is survival somehow survive with my children and it's all the difficulties in the financial recession and all that if I can survive and make it through till Jesus comes again it'll be great that's not how Jesus lived there was such a triumphant spirit about Jesus Christ throughout his life and do you know my brothers and sisters the Holy Spirit has come to give us that same life it's been a tremendous encouragement to me to know that the one who the Spirit of God that lives in me is the same Holy Spirit that lived in Jesus and the demos blinded Christians to this truth we haven't valued the Holy Spirit enough we're trying to make it on our own with our pep talks that we keep hearing or one new message or something that stirs us up dear brothers sister you need the power of the Holy Spirit it'll change you completely you change you completely and the devil very scared I believe that that's the type of life every Christian should live it'll make us recognize and value one another because Jesus said that when it comes to fighting against the forces of darkness we need at least two I can't do it on my own I can personally overcome temptation on my own if it's just a matter of temptation I don't need anybody else I just need the Holy Spirit filled with the Holy Spirit temptation can come and I can overcome I don't believe that there's a single temptation that we cannot overcome now tell you why because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 the God will never allow us to be tempted beyond our ability he never allow us to face a test or a trial that's beyond our ability so if I fall in any temptation it's not because it was beyond my ability it's because I did not seek God's power to overcome it if I face a particular test in my life and I see oh this is becoming too much for me he's God a liar did he become unfaithful at that moment to give you a test with just too much for you it's never happened to me I've been a Christian 52 years it's never happened to me once that God sent me a trial it was too much for me to bear he's a he's faithful he's the devil who keeps telling you that God is a liar and so many Christians voice the words of the devil you know every time you say oh this is becoming too much for me you're just listening to the devil God is unfaithful he's sending a trial into my life that's too much for me these people are troubling me in that circumstance is troubling me the devil and as if Almighty God is not in control I'm absolutely convinced that most Christians live with a concept that the devil is all-powerful he can give them this trial in that trial and this problem that problem and they got a wee teeny-weeny helpless Jesus who can't help them at all what a work the devil is done to make people think like that I mean John had to write to Christians in his day remember the one who lives in you is greater than the one who's in the world that reality of Christ living in us I feel it's not grip Christians sufficiently and the reason is they have not opened their life to the Holy Spirit there's no way that we can know the reality of Christ living in us it apart from the Holy Spirit because jesus said that when the Holy Spirit has come he will glorify me he will take all the things of mine and show it to you I know in my life that's exam being like that that's why urge you my dear brothers and sisters learn to value and honor the Holy Spirit stay away from charismatic Pentecostal stuff and lead you astray you don't have to go to meetings or any such thing you just got to get down and kneel down in your room and seek God on your own and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit you don't need any man to lay his hands on your head you need to just go to Jesus and ask him to lay his nail pierced and on your head and fill you and continuously and say Lord make yourself real to me every day help me to experience the reality of that word which says as Jesus is so am I in this world Jesus was scared of nothing absolutely nothing and think what it says in 1 John chapter 4 with that verse we read as Jesus is so am I in this world there was no circumstance that Christ could face which is too much for him oh how can I handle this nothing the only thing he ever struggled with was when he had to bear our sin there he struggled and struggled and struggled and struggled because it meant being separated from his father man you and I will never have to face that so we need never have to face that struggle because there he was alone he died alone for the sins of the world that's the only time I say Jesus struggling with something and that's a struggle you and as I said we'll never have to face because we don't even have to bear our own sin leave alone other people's sins but apart from that I never see Jesus at anytime in a panic or depressed or I never see him in a bad mood I never see Jesus in facing a situation where he doesn't know what to do - doesn't know how to handle this situation I see it triumphant spirit in him all the time and it says Paul's Paul experienced that second Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 14 he said thanks be to God 2nd corinthians 2:14 who always I like the word always wherever it comes in the New Testament I'll encourage you to read it and study it always he always leads us in his triumph in Christ there's a triumph in Christ in which the Holy Spirit wants to lead us always 24 hours a day and if you have faith for it if you can believe that this is God's Word we believe so many things written in the newspapers we believe news that we read on the Internet and a lot of it may be false it may be manipulated by journalists to make you think in a certain way amazing how Christians can believe all this and not believe scripture scripture says thanks be to God who can always leads us in his triumph in Christ so when it comes to personal life I can overcome Satan on my own but when it comes to building the church I need at least another brother because jesus said in Matthew chapter 18 when he speaks about binding these the influence of Satan on the earth that's so important to do it if you want to bind the influence of Satan in your home do it along with your wife don't try to do it alone I showed you here whatever you bind on this earth will be bound in the heavens and it's not speaking about the third heaven where God dwells nothing has to be bound there but in the second heaven who has Satan dwells the heavenlies Satan's not in Hell he's in the heavenlies and if you want to bind his activities there you can bind it here on earth and you can lose people here on earth from the influence of Satan in the heavenlies but it requires two people verse 19 you cannot do it on your own Matthew 18 verse 19 when it comes to this type of binding there must be at least two and not just any two who call themselves believers but two people who are totally one in their spirit that's the meaning of agreed agreed doesn't mean that we agree in every doctrine it's not agreement in the mind the mind is not so important in the Christian life is this heart the spirit agreed in their spirit 100% that means they have no tension no division no strife no conflict no nothing unconfessed between them and God in between them and one another then they have authority over Satan and I want to tell you that's the reason why Satan tries his best always to bring division between husband and wife between brother and brother I've seen it all over Christendom it's believe it or not it's almost impossible to find a Christian family we're husband and wife remain united every single day of the year one year it's very difficult imagine not being able to stay United for one year where in the world are we going to live triumphantly year after year after year after year on this earth so many little things disturb us one of the things that the Lord's shown me which has brought great rest into my life is the only thing serious is sin and I decided years ago that I will never allow anything to disturb me but sin I thought of that when this mic was not working actually doesn't matter it doesn't matter even if this one doesn't work the only thing here is is sin I will never allow anything but sin to disturb me or bring unrest into my mind let everything pack up sin is the only issue that series I've sometimes given a job to somebody in the church to do it say hey can you do this within the next one week or so and you know but I might come back some work for the church and then to comfort him I tell him listen if you mess it up don't worry the only things here is the same so don't be so disturbed water brother Zack say if this thing is not done properly I won't see anything as long as you don't sing if you mess up some earthly work it's not serious we must recognize sin is the only thing that's serious and we have a whole lot of Christians or worried about so many other things something goes wrong in the house they can all worried about some earthly thing something lost something broken and they're not worried about sin that's the whole idea of the devil get you worried about all types of other things and not about sin I don't have time to be worried about other things because I want to take sin seriously and you can't take too many things seriously I mean if you take so many other things the world series he won't take sin seriously sin is the only thing that's serious I'll tell you that make sure that there's no sin in your life that's unconfessed make sin no ensure there's no nothing that disturbs you in your relationship with your marriage partner you ask yourself for example let's see I mean as far as back you can remember if you can remember one week or one month or one year can you look back and see the things that are brought conflict between you and your wife for you and your husband I can guarantee almost 100% of those things were earthly things yeah all the conflict is about some earthly thing there's never about spiritual things and that's the work of the devil he wants you to get so occupied with these worthless earthly things it doesn't matter if it's if it was not done right it doesn't matter if that thing didn't work out the way you anticipated it to work and so what it's gonna have no value in eternity I often mask myself and something goes wrong what am I going to think about this 2,000 years from now I don't think I mean bother about it why am I bothered about it now but sin if I allow sin in my life it's going to have an effect on me 2,000 years from now sure so that's why it's important to preserve unity so much of God's work is hindered because God God's people are not united to be able to drive safe now so if two of your agree that applies in a church and in a home then they can ask for something they can ask for the father to come and do something in this situation and he will do it why because when two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst that's a that's a definition of the church do a three gather together by the Holy Spirit in Jesus name that means for the glory of God's name there's a lot of things in that one verse it's not me gathering myself with other people it's being gathered together that's a real translation there with two or three have been gathered together by the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus means for the glory of God's name not for the glory of my church or my name or any such thing for the glory of God's name Jesus is in their midst and there's authority in that church like we read in Matthew 16:18 the gates of Hades will not prevail against it we must never accept Satan coming and messing up anything in our church or in our home lying down because we're not supposed to be a defeated people in the Old Testament you know Israel was defeated wholly when they dishonored God when they disobeyed God you never find a single instance in the Old Testament not even one instance where they honored God and they trusted him and Israel was defeated not even once and that's written for my instruction that I'm not supposed to be defeated once in my life or in my home or in the church if I honor God and I trusted I don't believe that it got it's God's will that one of our children go astray whether you have two children or tension and not one of them he's supposed to go astray why should the devil get ahold of one of my children I'm surprised that so many believers just accepted they accept the fact what to do brother children are different what do you mean children are different do you know what Moses said to Pharaoh and Pharaoh there is a picture of the devil when he wanted to get God's people out Moses said God said Pharaoh said to Moses okay you that our men go and serve the Lord leave your children here and today's Christians would say okay we leave our children with the devil we'll go and serve the Lord not Moses Moses said nothing doing we're not only getting it get our children out of here we're going to get a cattle out of you're not even gonna leave one hoof behind where where do we find Christians who have that attitude to say I'm not going to let one of my children get into the hands of the devil no I'm not going to let one of my children live for the world not one I don't want 80% of my children or 90% of my children to live for God 100 percent not one bit and not even my property I'm not going to let the devil hold one bit of my property or my finances or anything Moses was an Old Covenant man and that man understood that nothing that belonged to God should be left behind in Egypt we need to have that take that position as Christians I've often said in our church I say I don't want back in our church in Bangalore I say I don't want any of the children in this church to be lost I'm not gonna let Pharaoh take any one of our children here I'm gonna do my best I mean I can't do it all because it all depends on how those how you parents bring up your children I mean you can negate everything I try to do by your worldliness in your home we try our best to bring all our children out of Egypt into the world and you go and let them watch r-rated movies at home and mess them up give them a little of the world's poison and destroy them then I can't do anything they'll go to hell but you'll be responsible for that because you were more interested in watching some r-rated movie than in seeking to glorify God in your home well then you will be answerable to God one day for that don't be surprised if your children finally go to hell and God asks you why you did that but I said in my church I said I'm gonna do my best to make sure that none of our children go to hell that we'd only one child be hired in Egypt the gates of Hell will not prevail if we can have a few more brothers and sisters who take that position say Lord the most important thing for me in life is to be filled with the Holy Spirit it's not just to live a comfortable life on earth or to live a high standard of life or any such thing is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to register the victory of Christ in the territory of the devil to register the victory of Christ on the cross in the territory of the devil and that's why he places us as Christians on this earth that's why he's placed churches on the earth to register the victory of Christ in the territory of the devil what we got to do our part you know the God doesn't make us like robots he could have made Adam like a robot and then there would have been no disobedience in Eden like the planets think of the planets of oh babe God every single second for thousands of years no disobedience they just go in their orbits that's because they don't have free will they don't have a conscience when God didn't want to make Adam like that you know like a computerized robot automatically obeying he gave us free will because he wants obedience that comes out of choice and even after we are born again he doesn't take away our freewill he still wants obedience that comes out of choice and even after you're filled with the Holy Spirit he doesn't take away your freewill he wants obedience that comes out of choice and you can choose to feed your children with poison to feed your own mind with poison pornography on the Internet and dirty movies and dirty pictures and a lot of things like that you give room to the devil it's not just in those areas you know when you think of how Satan became Satan he became Satan primarily true being discontent with the way God had made him and appointed him God made Lucifer we don't know his actual name Lucifer is a Latin word which means Morningstar something like that we don't know his name and but the head of the Angels he was made head of the Angels he was given tremendous wisdom more than everyone all the other angels he was more good-looking and attractive than all the other angels and he had the highest position now think if you were in the highest position and the most attractive of all human beings and the wisest of all human beings you you you think you'd be satisfied no the race of Adam will not be satisfied because Satan when he was there before he became the devil he was not satisfied he was discontent with the way God had made him and what God had given him he'd got it given him beauty wisdom position more than anybody else and he was not happy he wanted more there was only one person higher than him that was God and even wanted to be like him so remember that sin came into the world through discontentment that's why grumbling is such a serious sin in God's eyes murmuring is a very serious sin in God's eyes now most Christians don't even think murmuring and grumbling is serious that's the sad state of Christendom that even those who stop seeing dirty filthy pictures they still think mummering and grumbling are not so bad there's no difference to me between grumbling and murmuring and internet pornography you don't watch Internet pornography but you grumble and murmur at home you're just as bad as them don't glory in the fact that you don't see dirty movies you grumble you murmur it says in second Corinthians sorry 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 10 don't grumble we read this verse don't grumble 1 Corinthians 10 10 like some of those Israelites did and they were destroyed by the destroyer they were not destroyed because they were watching pornography they were destroyed because they grumbled in the wilderness and you know what they grumbled about God's only giving us bread he's not giving us non-vegetarian meat I mean they were surviving in the desert the clothes never wore out their sandals never wore out they got bread every day from heaven they got water from a rock but they grumbled and while them and God gave them God gave them the quails you know it says he gave them their requests but he sent leanness into their souls and they were destroyed by the destroyer thousands of them died because of grumbling and then it says in the next verse that's written as an example for us they were discontent discontentment is the origin of sin in this universe they were diskant the head of the Angels was discontent with his position he wanted something more wherever there's discontentment there will always be the devil and satan will get power over the church wherever he can get few people to be discontent and to grumble and murmur and complain now see what it says in Philippians in Chapter Philippians chapter 2 we know this wonderful verse which probably you know work out your salvation with fear and trembling in verse 12 the last part work out your salvation he's talking about salvation from sin work out your salvation from sin with fear and trembling we need to be we need to really seek to be free from sin with a fear and trembling and God is at work in your heart to help you in that I like that I don't have to it's not I'm not doing it alone God's gonna help me to be free from sin he works inside me through the Holy Spirit wherever in the Bible he speaks about God working inside us that's always the Holy Spirit he's talking about the Ministry of the Holy Spirit if you allow yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit God will work inside you to desire his will and to do his will that's the meaning of the will and to work for his good pleasure that's the meaning of the new covenant promise I will write my laws in their mind and in their heart that's true the Holy Spirit was the finger of God writing his laws in my mind and in my heart making me desire his will and do his will and what is the first area where we need to work out our salvation can you tell me just read the next verse grumbling and complaining that's it not pornography grumbling and complaining you'll get deliverance from a hundred and one other things when you get rid of this first how do I get rid of grumbling and complaining how do I get rid of discontent in my life there's hardly a Christian home withers which is free from grumbling and complaining there's hardly a Christian family that doesn't grumble or complain are you serious about following the Lord let me encourage you my brothers and sisters to get rid of one thing from your life grumbling and complaining in your home start on that let's do it let's do some ABC first before we go to physics and geography and history and all ABC that is grumbling and complaining get rid of that some of us are trying to advance to higher things before we have eliminated this simple thing called grumbling and complaining in our home it's very serious they were destroyed by the destroyer God works in us work out your salvation from grumbling and complaining in Matthew chapter 12 Jesus said verse 43 Matthew 12:43 when the unclean spirit goes out of a man who goes through waterless places seeking rest and does not find it Matthew 12:43 and then that spirit that let's look at this unclean spirit as it could apply to a hundred and one things let's look at it as the spirit of grumbling and complaining you decided today to get rid of it and it goes out of your life and his wanting to come back oh yeah every evil that you get rid of from your life wants to come back I know of people who when they were first converted they really got rid of watching dirty movies but after of some years it came back there are habits that they got rid of which came back it's a familiar story this unclean spirit leaves and then it's waiting for an opportunity to come back and when it comes looks around he finds hey this guy's heart is empty he drove me out but he didn't replace it with anything it's a very dangerous thing when you drive out something from your heart and you don't replace that space with something else he came back and he found them house is empty unoccupied verse 44 and then he goes around called his friends seven other spirits and say hey let's go back into this man and the last state of that man verse 45 becomes worse than the first I've seen believers like that they were far better believers one week after they were converted then 15 years later 15 years later they're back sliders one week after they were converted they were more serious they read the Bible they prayed they cut out unnecessary things from their life they didn't watch so much television watch them 15 years later thorough backsliders no time to read the Bible no time to pray to God the latter state is worse than the first because this evil spirit found their heart enoki unoccupied and Peter refers to that in second Peter in chapter 2 he says you know if a man second Peter 2:20 if there escaped the defilement of the world there's a lot of defilement in the world grumbling and complaining is a part of it and sexual evil is another part of it hatred bitterness all types of things are part of this defilement of the world and maybe you came to Christ and you were born again and you escaped that by the knowing Jesus as your Savior and then after a while 2nd Peter 2:20 you get entangled in the same old things again 7 times worse than before in your overcome and he quotes the same word that Jesus quoted in Matthew 12 that we just read his last state is worse than his first it was better for him and he was unconverted what is his first state unconverted is it possible that a born-again believer can finally come to a place where his condition is worse than his unconverted days according to God's Word yes unless you don't believe the Bible his last state is worse than the first what is the first when he was in tank when he was in the midst of the defilements of the world but he escaped that and then became worse than the first state dear brothers and sisters I believe we frustrate God's purposes so much in our life by allowing the devil to get a hold of so many areas of our life I'm challenged by the words of Jesus in John 14 verse 30 in John 14 verse 30 he said the ruler of this world is coming Satan to kill him physically but he's got nothing inside me he read that verse he can do so many things to my body but he's got nothing inside me the ruler of this world is coming John 14:30 he's got nothing inside me anyone who says he's a Christian must walk as Jesus walked and the way I see that is Lord I want to walk in this world where I can be able to say Satan is coming against me he can attack me on the outside he can do so many things to me maybe he may even kill me one day so why he killed all the early apostles he'd find nothing inside me that should be our testimony but he may be able to harass you in so many ways in your place of work maybe with difficult relatives or a difficult situation in your home or whatever it is or in your business but you find nothing inside you that means when he looks inside there's none of that spirit that he had that pushed him out of heaven the spirit of discontent grumbling complaining about something on earth grumbling like Adam did Adam even you know as soon as the devil got a foothold in Adam in the Garden of Eden you see how he grumbled against his wife it's one of the first things he did when God asked him did you eat of the tree that I gave you you know what he said do you remember what he said more than that woman this woman what's the rest of it whom you gave me Lord I'm fed up with the type of woman you gave me have you ever said that about your wife or your husband this woman this man whom you gave me grumbling started right there how shall we eliminate it don't keep the house unoccupied that's a solution and that means what is the opposite of grumbling and complaining giving thanks there are many areas where we don't know the will of God but there's one area where the will of God is clear 1 John 5 the 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks because this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus there's one place where it said this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus there may be a hundred and one areas where you don't know God's will but in one area it's written plainly in everything give thanks I've asked people this question have you ever knelt down by your bed all by yourself and said lord thank you for the wife you gave me thank you for the husband you gave me I mean if you pray in her presence that maybe just to please her but when you pray alone you mean it when you're alone you're praying say Lord I'm so thankful for the wife you gave me or the husband you gave me for this child in that child thank you for this job in the house you really learn to thank God and in everything you give thanks that demon comes and finds hey this house is occupied we've got no place here that's the way to keep otherwise you've got to keep constantly fighting the demon of grumbling here this situation that's situation the other situation this person that person you're fighting grumbling and complaining all the time keep the house occupied you'll find the battle much easier there's no place for him to get in because you've developed the spirit of thankfulness for everything thank you it's the opposite of that spirit that the angel had that made him a devil if something goes wrong which is not in your control see that's fine Lord I'm gonna give you things because what can I do about that wasn't my fault I believe that you will make it work for my good so I give thanks if you believe Romans 8:28 you will never grumble or complain about anything that ever happens in your life or your home the gates of Hell will not prevail against you I tell you the devil scared of a Christian who has learned to give thanks in everything he's scared of him and he'll try his level best to make sure that you never become a Christian like that he's scared of a home where a husband and wife have learned to give thanks for everything and for each other and don't find fault with this and that you didn't do it right and you didn't do it right you didn't do this right you didn't do that right oh that devil loves such homes you're gonna make the devil happy you're gonna make Jesus happy in your home or in a church grumble against the elders and complain about this and that this person that person the other person you're going to make yourself miserable you won't hinder the work of a strong church I mean I've seen in our church some people who've not been freed from the spirit of grumbling but they couldn't they couldn't harm the church no they could not because right at the center of the church was a leadership that was powerful enough that these attacks of the devil that came through so-called believers who came to the Church of the spirit of grumbling and complaining they could not defile the church because at the center of that church was a core of leadership that could stand against that and what happened to these people some of them left the church and went away others got converted and got rid of the spirit of grumbling that's what God does so the church can never be destroyed if a God can have in the center of a church a core of leadership - is it - you know I mean that's how we found it not Church to her enough because what - are united like this the gates of Hell will not prevail against because I'm in the midst the Lord says so you don't need 200 or 300 you need just husband and wife you just need to elder's in a church who are totally united the devil cannot enter that church I can tell you that from 35 years of experience let him try he will not succeed but you got to eliminate grumbling and complaining against each other completely and keep the heart occupied with the spirit of thankfulness let's bow our heads in prayer dear brothers and sisters I did not give you a pep talk to stir you up for a few days the Holy Spirit is trying to do something in your wife in your life that's permanent he wants to fill your life he wants to lift you a hundred miles above the level in which you're living right right now to a life of constant victory if you will believe that you can come to a life where you never grumble or complain about anything don't condemn yourself over your past failures confess them and the condemnation is from the devil the Holy Spirit urges you to confess your failure say Lord I'm sorry forgive me cleanse me and destroy this work of the devil in my life I want to walk as Jesus walked on this earth but never grumbled about anything Heavenly Father I just want to thank you with all of my heart thank you for the opportunity to share the word pray that the Word of God will go to everyone's heart and bring eternal fruit you ask in Jesus name Amen

Channel: CFC India

Views: 55,294

Rating: 4.8288159 out of 5

Keywords: Satan, Can, Have, No, Power, Over, You

Id: XYA9irsY0so

Length: 53min 7sec (3187 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 19 2011