Know yourself, know your enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories. - Sun Tzu
One of the most important key to winning battles is intelligence. That’s why a lot of money is voted towards intelligence. Intelligence agencies like Mossad, CIA, MI5 really spend a lot of money in espionage because lack of knowledge will ultimately mean defeat in the hands of your enemies.
In today’s topic, we will look at one of the ways the enemy wages war against us. If we don't know the devices of our enemy he is going to take advantage of us.
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. - 2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV)
For a little background on this subject let’s read:
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, - Revelation 4:8-9 (KJV)
God’s throne room is surrounded by the twenty four elders and His throne itself comprise of these four beasts. You can see that these four beasts constantly and all day long offer praise and worship to God as it is one of their job descriptions.
When Moses built the Tabernacle, he was instructed to carve out two Cherubims on top of the Ark which is representative of God’s throne which comprise of four Cherubims with interlinked wings. Ezekiel chapters 1 and 2 paints the picture of the throne of God and how they move.
satan was a cherubim, he was a member of the four beasts that make up God’s throne. When he was Lucifer he used to lead worship in heaven, Ezekiel chapter 28 gives us insight into how he was created to perform this function:
You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. - Ezekiel 28:13 (NKJV)
He had embedded in his body musical instruments. He didn’t play the instruments, he was the only instruments. In case you wondered where he carried out this ministry, and if he was a cherubim, the next verse sheds light on this:
“You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. - Ezekiel 28:14 (NKJV)
He was consumed with self that he wanted to receive the praise he offered for himself and that resulted in his fall and he was throw out in a flash from God’s throne:
“By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones. - Ezekiel 28:16 (NKJV)
Isaiah 14 gives us better insight on why and how Lucifer fell from glory:
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’ - Isaiah 14:12-14 (NKJV)
From these scriptures you will discover that satan didn’t want to overthrow God, he knows that is not possible. Rather he wanted to join the Trinity to receive praise and worship from men and angels thus making them a quadruplet.
He gave God praise until he felt he deserves some praise for himself. And of course you know what happened to him, he fell like lightening as Jesus informed us:
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. - Luke 10:18 (NKJV)
The Westminster Shorter Catechism, first question is
Q: What is the Chief end of Man?
A: Man’s Chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
The reason why God created man is to have fellowship with us. And this includes worship and praise to Him. satan detests this because it reminds him of his fall. Whenever we praise God we set off the explosion that occurred to him which transformed him from Lucifer into satan:
Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. - Ezekiel 28:18 (NKJV)
(Read Job 41 for a description of how he looks now)
One of the enemy’s devices, is to stop us from praising God. The Bible says in Nehemiah that our Joy is Strength. When the Joy of the Lord floods your soul, it results in praise and worship to God. This strengthens our faith and resolve against the enemy.
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. - Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV)
Joy is a Force!
Faith is a Force!
Praise is a Force!
Jesus responding to the Pharisee’s accusation after the people praised and worshipped him when He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey quoted the book of Psalms to them:
And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? - Matthew 21:16 (KJV)
When you look at the record in Psalms, it appears as if Jesus flipped a word.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength. - Psalms 8:2 (KJV)
Jesus flipped the word ‘strength’ into ‘praise’. This supports the scripture I quoted earlier in Nehemiah.
Your joy, your praise, your worship is STRENGTH!
Back to the scripture in Psalms,
What is the reason for your praise?
What does your praise do to the enemy?
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies,
that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. - Psalms 8:2 (KJV)
The reason why your praise is your strength is because of the enemy.
Your praise stills him, quietens him, stops him!
Your praise stills, quietens, stops the avenger.
This strength is not for the matured praise or worship leader alone, the baby Christian‘s praise is equally strong.
Some examples of men that used praise to defeat the enemy are Paul and Silas in jail, King Jehoshaphat when he faced the armies from three nations in 2 Chronicles 20. He set the battle in array not with seasoned fighters but with praise singers. The bible recorded that the enemies drew their swords against each other and delivered victory to the children of Israel without anyone raising a sword in battle and they gathered spoils for several days.
2 Chronicles 20:21-25 (NKJV)
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.”
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.
The fallout of your praise isn’t only the defeat of your enemies but prosperity and success. They spent three days gathering wealth they got from the enemy.
Wow!!!!
I want to draw your attention to an interesting list Paul made for Timothy. A list of the different kinds of people we will see these last days in the church (because at the end of the list he said these people have a form of godliness).
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. - 2 Timothy 3:1-9 (NKJV)
Did you notice the underlined attribute? Listed amongst vile characters is THE UNTHANKFUL.
When you let your problems overwhelm you to the extent it steals your praise and joy away from you, you become unthankful who end up like the rest:
but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. - 2 Timothy 3:9 (NKJV)
They will not make progress in life. They will be unsuccessful, that’s what satan wants. This is one of his devices to stop your success. When you realise this:
You'd rather lose count when counting my blessings than lose my blessings when counting my problems. Murmuring & Complaining EVICTED.
The greatest show of Faith is Thanksgiving, praises and worship to God: Abraham stepped into thanksgiving just before his son was born:
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, - Romans 4:20 (NKJV)
When you thank God and praise Him, you focus on God. What the mind focuses on, grows.
What do you have in your hands? I ask you as God asked Moses at the bank of the Red Sea.
There’s something you have.
Your lips for praise. Just like the sing which asks:
🎵What shall I render x2
What shall I render to you O Lord🎶
Praise!!!
You have your praise!
When life beats you up with challenges, troubles and trials, it is time to Adapt to Overcome (⇠ click on 'Adapt to Overcome and 'Improvise' to listen ⇢) Improvise, make the best use of the situation by praising through it with praise. Adapt through praise and step into your victory.
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. - Psalms 22:3 (KJV)
A woman barren for several years felt the leading in her heart to start offering praise and thanksgiving to God for everything and everybody in her life instead of complaint and murmuring against God.
So she requested from her pastor for an opportunity to do family thanksgiving and her request was granted. Some after that, she took in and had a baby. The baby got sick and died.
She came back to her pastor and requested for an opportunity to thank God despite all she is going through, the pastor agreed and after her thanksgiving, she took in again, the baby I believe was still born at delivery. The funeral procession was involved in an accident as well and in all of these she asked her pastor for an opportunity to do yet another thanksgiving. Her pastor though a bit reluctant give her the opportunity to thank God.
After this God blessed her with twin boys which are alive too this day.
What an awesome testimony of how relentless gratitude puts the enemy to shame.
I end with this Quote: “when you have praise well, you have prayed well”
💗
See you at the next one!
Comentarios