There are enemies of your Soul~
The Scripture tells us
7 Monsters - Every Child of God Faces
The Bible teaches that Satan is the enemy of God and our enemy.
He and the fallen angels (demons) with him have a single task:
There’s a spiritual host of Wickedness
Ephesians 6:12 – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”
John 10:10 The thief look
“steal and kill and destroy”~
Through general deception in our culture,
And the threat of demonic torment,
We are put in a battlefield every day.
The Battlefield effects your not only your Mind, but your Soul,
your Emotion~
and even you Physical life!
We might call them moods, traits, or pressures.
But They are the monsters of our Old nature inspired and influenced by the Devil!
To taunt our old fallen nature
Fear, Anger, Shame, Apathy, Greed, Loneliness, and Pride.
However~
Romans 8:37 “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”
2 Pet. 1:3 You have ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO life &
Godliness-
eWe have the proper equipment to Overcome-
We also know that these monsters gain strength and grow from a pack of lies~
They suggest we are unworthy to think we can do anything about our lives~
YOUR GUILT Hurt & pain HAS TO LEAVE HERE TODAY!
God’s Word tells how to fight against these monsters...
And to Overcome Them-
Monster #1: Fear
1 Tim. 1:7 God has Not given us a spirit of Fear~
Fear is a monster that feeds off our imaginations:
Fear.
Fear gains it’s power by getting us to focus on what might happen-
Rather than what is happening.
Walking in the Day… See Everything-
Walking At Night… Shadows-
That’s when fear creeps in.
The goal of fear is to Take control of our imagination
whisper the lie, “You are not safe.”
The more you imagine what could be in the darkness,
the more you become convinced it’s real.
Fear is a Bully-
And it needs to be Hit in the Face with the Word Of God!
WE are Not called to walk in Fear But Authority~
1 Tim. 1:7 God has NOT given us a spirit of Fear~
1 Jn. 4:8 Fear brings Torment~
Prov. 29:35 Fear Brings Bondage~
Prov. 29:25 Fear Brings a Snare~
The Devil, the Media, the Naysayers in your life want to strike Fear into your Lives-
Fear is the enemy of Faith and it will keep you from prospering~
All of the sudden you lose control and start running away from a danger that isn’t even there!
2 Timothy 1:7, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Notice the connection between
fear and self-control.
This is what makes fear so dangerous that it causes us to lose control and-
- react foolishly to things that aren’t true.
How do we gain control?
2 Cor. 10:5 casting down Imagination-
and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ!
By fixing our mind on the truth of God’s Word!
Isaiah 41:10.
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
We Must Focus in FAITH
Monster #2: Anger
James 1:20
Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
Anger IS a Villain who fills hearts with HATE!
Anger.
Anger is an expert at changing the way we see people and problems, and getting us to fix our frustrations on the wrong things...
We all experience things that bother us.
The question is:
Do we forgive, and let these things go, or do we hold grudges, and give room for hate?
Ephesians 4:31-32; "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Think about the last time someone really got under your skin.
How did you deal with that offense?
If you turned the other person into a villain and assumed the worst about them,
it’s likely you were Driven By Anger.
Anger always lies to us saying that people are the problem.
In any conflict, the real issue is spiritual, not physical.
If we get angry and make another person into a villain,
our problem will never get solved.
You must take pity and pray-
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
1 John 4:20
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Why~ Because as long as you hang on to the past you can’t go forward!
..
You are called as a child of God to put away ALL Anger...
Monster #3: Shame
Shame On You No Shame Off You
We now come to a monster many know,
but few will talk about: Shame.
Shame is a master of deception.
It takes things, jumbles them up in our hearts,
and then leads us to draw the wrong (and very hurtful) conclusions.
” We must be very careful to protect our hearts from The Lies Of Shame.
Maybe you heard shame whisper some of the following lies to you:
“What you did makes you a terrible person.”
“You failed and now no one will ever love you.”
“Nobody wants you around now that they know your secret.”
“God is so unhappy with you because of your bad choice.”
One of the amazing things about God is that he knows our every sin, and yet he still loves us.
As A New Creation IN Christ!~
Every Sin You have ever committed past present or Future
God SAYS
NOT GUILTY!
The Blood of Jesus cleanses you of ALL SIN!
God deeply wants to be a part of our lives.
Romans 5:8, “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
Just think about that!
God knew your sins Past Present and Future and still and HE WENT YO THE CROSS FOR YOU-
And Not only That But Wash You Clean! FOREVER!
And through the sacrifice of Jesus, you can be forever free from sin, guilt, and shame.
This is What Makes The Gospel GOOD NEWS
The Gospel is not just for the Lost-
But for you The Saved!!
You are NOW A New Creation In Christ-
Is 61:7
Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
Psalm 103:10-12.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us
13 As a father pities his children,So the Lord pitiy those who fear Him.
14 For He [a]knows our frame
He remembers that we are dust.
Shame will focus you on yourself & others and not on Christ!
God does not say SHAME ON YOU
HE SAYS SHAME OFF YOU!!!
HE TOOK THE GUILT THE HURT OF THAT BAD DECISION AND GIVES YOU A NEW DAY ANOTHER CHANCE-
Shame off you-
If you could get this you could be free
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
God says By the Power of The BLOOD-
The Body torn & afflicted, bruised beaten-
Shame Off Of You Right Now IN Jesus Name!
Monster #4: Apathy
Romans 12:11
Honor one another above yourselves.
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
The monster that often goes unnoticed: apathy.
The monster of apathy may have a strange name, but he is easy to find.
When people are in need, apathy looks the other way
Apathy steals from us—
it steals our ability to connect with God and others through our emotions.
When they call out for help apathy responds, “I don’t care.”
Because CARE ACTUALLY has compassio...
People are Lost and people can change.
This monster loves to deceive us, and give us reasons not to get involved.
Sitting on the sidelines of life-
Not defending the unborn
Not defending the Fatherless
Not defending the Hurting
Not defending the Poor
Crying about social injustice but NOT DOING THING ABOUT IT-
Praising politicians who never have or ever will deliver you from anything-
They can’t change the climate
They can’t change the economy
They can’t stop racism
They can’t change or stop anything-
Psalm 24:1-2
The Earth IS the Lords-
And the fullness there of-
Why do the Nations Rage-
Why do people imagine a vain thing-
Only THE LORD CAN SAVE YOU,
THIS NATION AND THIS WORLD AND HE SAID ITS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE...
Changed Hearts Is What Makes A Changed Life~
It’s apathy when you put your trust in Humanity to bring the solutions this World Needs-
It’s THE LOVE OF GOD POURED OUT THROUGH HIS PEOPLE THAT WILL CHANGE A CITY, A COUNTY A STATE AND A COUNTRY-
But NO-
Turning to HATE, DESTRUCTION, BLAMING THE PAST FOR YOUR LIFE OR LACK THEREOF
IS APTHY!!
But each of these lies is an excuse the enemy uses to destroy God’s mission for our lives.
How many of apathy’s lies do you recognize?
“You are too busy.”
“Someone else will come along.”
“You’ll get stuck here and miss out on so much fun.”
“You have more important things to do.”
“What are other people going to think if you do this?”
Standing up for The Love Of God-
The tricky thing about apathy is that we don’t even see the things God wants us to do.
The Bible tells us in
Proverbs 20:12, “Ears to hear and eyes to see – both are gifts from the LORD.”
If you have been focused on yourself lately ask God to open your eyes and ears to see and hear the needs of the people he has placed around you.
You will be amazed at how God answers this prayer.
Mark 10:43-45. What does Jesus say makes a great leader?
How did Jesus use his life to help you?
“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” –
No out let-
Dead Sea-
Monster #5: Greed
Corinthians 9:7,
“God loves a cheerful giver.”
The ugly monster of greed.
Greed is a monster that takes control of our eyes giving us an uncontrollable desire to have everything we see.
And here is why we need to take this monster seriously:
Greed lies to us -
It takes instead of gives, It refuses to bless others by only thinking of itself.
It’s anti-Christ-
But generosity is something that God values very much.
In fact, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7,
“God loves a cheerful giver.”
Luke 12:15 Jesus says life isn’t measured by what we own.
How do you think God measures life?
“Beware!
Guard against every kind of greed.
Life is not measured by how much you own.” –
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in yo
– Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
– Proverbs 21:26
The righteous give without sparing.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. –
– 2 Corinthians 9:10
Now he who supplies seed to the sower …
Well I don’t have it- it’s because you don’t sow it-
And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
Genesis 14:19–20
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. –
– Exodus 35:22
All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings ornaments.
They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord.
– Leviticus 27:30
A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
– 2 Chronicles 31:12
God’s people faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts.
Jesus Said more blessed to give-
Monster #6: Loneliness
This Monster tries to keep us from what we need most:
Love, Friendship, and Fellowship.
Proverbs 18:1
A person who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all wise judgment.
People are not made to be alone.
The devil in these last days has worked overtime in isolating our Youth-
Keeping their faces locked on a computer screen for gaming, controlling adds
Say What You Want It IS Demonic in it origins ~
This is the devil who comes in to divide & conquer-
You don’t Run From you Face It Head On In The name Of Jesus!!!!
When loneliness creeps his way into our hearts we begin to doubt that we are loved by others.
We start to feel like we don’t have true friends.
And we can even believe that God has left us.
Loneliness can cause deep feelings of sadness in our hearts.
But like all the monsters we have looked at, the power of loneliness is built on a lie.
Deuteronomy 31:6’
“the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Psalm 27:10 when he said: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.”
Romans 8:38-39
nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. –
Psalm 84- How lovely is your dwelling place …no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless
Heb.10:25 forsake not the assembling of ourselves-
Monster #7: Pride
Proverbs 16:18 which says: “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”
Brace yourselves!
The very worst monster on our journey has been saved for last:
Pride.
Pride is the most dangerous of all because the lies he tells are the most destructive.
Pride turns everything in our hearts upside down.
It convinces us that we desire is most important,
even more important than the things God has revealed to us in his word.
Consumed with
Self - Righteousness-
It’s saying to your creator
“I don’t need you.”
That’s what is happing in the World Today-
Proverbs 16:18 which says: “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”
When the monster of pride gets a hold of our hearts only one thing can come next…destruction.
So how do we fight this beast?
With a powerful thing there Bible calls humility.
Humility is when we submit our hearts to God believing what he says and doing what he asks.
It’s Putting Others NEEDS above Our Own~~
With this attitude in our hearts, we never see ourselves as more important than God, or anyone else.
And We pull the GOD CARD To justify ourselves~
Philippians 2:5-11
Let This Mind That was in Christ Jesus be also in you~
Though He was God, and He thought it not robbery to be equal with God…
Instead, He gave up His Divine privileges;
He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Humble yourselves in the Site of God AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP!