Introduction The desire and plan of God, for each of us, is that we would have a real daily fellowship with Him; and that we will live a victoriously productive life for His kingdom. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3 Jesus has given us this prayer as a powerful tool to accomplish His purpose in us. Are we using it daily?
Matthew 6:9-15
But deliver us from the evil one.
The evil one The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 Satan has plans, schemes and traps to captivate us; draw us away from God; make us ineffective for God; and lead us into physical and spiritual death. (Romans 6:16, 2 Timothy 2:26, Ephesians 6:11, 2 Corinthians 2:11)
Jesus offers Deliverance! The name Jesus literally means Savior and Deliverer! By His death and resurrection, Jesus completely defeated the power and authority of satan over the children of God! The Spirit anointed Jesus to proclaim freedom for any prisoner and to release the captives. Jesus has made available to us; a life of victory and authority over every work of satan against us. (Luke 10:19) Are you walking in your deliverance from the evil one today and everyday? Let s look to Jesus to see how we can apply this in our daily lives.
Matthew 4:1-11
1. Fellowship with Holy Spirit Jesus was led into the wilderness to overcome satan by the Holy Spirit. Just before this, He was baptized and the Spirit descended on Him and remained. (John 1:33) Jesus was walking in step with the Spirit as we are commanded to do in Galatians 5:25, Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. And the Spirit led Him into victory over the plans of satan. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17. Are you experiencing this freedom in your life?
1. Fellowship with Holy Spirit How do I develop a genuine daily fellowship with Holy Spirit? It begins with a genuine relationship with a person. Acknowledge that Holy Spirit is a person (fully God) that the Father wants you to experience and to know. (Luke 11:13) Get to know Him by reading the truths of God s word about the Holy Spirit and partnering with Him to do God s will on the earth. Learn from your successes and failures. Submit to His leadership in every aspect of your life and ask Him for help. Repent every time you grieve Him and value His presence.
2. Know God s Word When satan came to defeat Jesus in the wilderness, He responded with Scripture by the leadership of the Spirit. The combination of the power of God s Word and the power of God s Spirit is an unstoppable one-two punch! Jesus used specific applications of Scripture to combat each unique temptation that satan attempted. If we want to use the Sword of the Spirit, we have to know God s Word - read it, study it, meditate on it.
2. Know God s Word The Bible promises that Holy Spirit will bring Jesus words to our memory when we need them. (John 14:26) But how can we remember what we ve never known? Unfortunately, many Christians stay in a place of defeat and bondage, simply because they have entered into a spiritual sword fight only to find that all they can produce is a tooth pick of Scripture in their time of need. How about you? How are you consuming God s Word so that He can use it to deliver you from the evil one.
3. Speak with Authority Jesus was led by the Spirit, knew the Scriptures, and spoke them with authority to totally defeat satan. According to the Bible, our words have much more importance than we given them in our culture. In fact, Jesus said that we will be acquitted or condemned by our words; and that we will give an account for every careless word we have spoken. (Matthew 12:36-37) From the fruit of his mouth a man s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, Proverbs 18:20-21
3. Speak with Authority It is crucial that the people of God become more aware and diligent with our words. They have great ability to build up and give life or to tear down and destroy. We have the ability to use the power of God s word as our words to destroy the schemes and plans of satan. As Jesus modeled, we must speak them out loud and believe them with conviction. Satan is a defeated enemy and he knows it. But he s always testing us to see if we know it and will agree with God about it. We fight from victory not to victory, it s our battle to lose. G. Cooke
3. Speak with Authority Do you know God s Word and declare it with authority when satan comes to tempt you, lie to you, or frustrate you? Are you walking with the Spirit and speaking the truth of God s Word over yourself, your spouse, your children, and people in your sphere of influence? Why not? God has given us everything we need to be delivered from the evil one. Let s take a hold of what He has made available and start using it to defeat the enemy and advance God s kingdom until Jesus comes!