Be on the Offensive with the Devil

Sunday 11 October
READ: Prov. 28: 1
MORE LESSON: Jam. 4: 7

The Bible says, the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion: Prov. 28:1(NKJV). You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus ( 2 Cor. 5: 21) and the devil is that wicked one (Matt 13: 38). So you should be the one standing boldly while the devil should be the one fleeing. Many believers run around because of the devil, which is a situation that contravenes scriptures. You are not to play a defensive game against the devil; get offensive while he runs around trying to defend himself from you.

The following are ways to get on the offensive against the devil:

1. Use the force of prayer. A man of fervent prayers will always put the devil on the run but a prayerless Christian is prey for the devil. Resist the devil steadfastly in the place of strong prayers; and get your victory.

2. Take steps of faith. Faith is your victory weapon over the world and the devil. (1 John 5:4 ). Don't stay in one place cowering in fear; take giant steps that will put the devil on the run. Act on the Word and do things that will challenge and silence the devil. Show him by your actions that you are seated in heavenly places in Christ, far above him.

3. Make prophetic utterances. The place of making declarations in putting the devil to run cannot be overemphasized . Intimidate the devil by making mighty confessions and declarations that are based on the Word of God. No matter what happens, never allow the devil to have the final say in any matter concerning you. As soon as the devil says one word, reply him with three, which must be backed by scriptures.

4. Live your life rebuking fear and discouragement. Fear is the devil's weapons, do not allow it in your heart. As soon as you sense fear coming into your heart, rebuke it in Jesus’ name.

5. Don't ever meditate on a negative word. When the devil sees that he cannot find an entrance into your heart, he looks for a negative word or thought to use as an entry point. This word or thought can be introduced by a person, media, or any other source. When such a thought comes, you have to erase it from your mind immediately and refocus your heart to meditate on the Word of God (Phil. 4: 8).

6. Don't rebel against God: make sure your life is in the will of God and that you are in submission to Him at all times. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you: James 4:7. Rebellion and disobedience will give the devil a legal foothold on a man's life. When you are totally yielded to God, you put the devil on the run.

Have a victory filled day!

Prayer/Action
* Command Satan to loose his hold over you right now, in the name of Jesus.
* Command every arrow of fear shot at you to go back to sender, in the name of Jesus.
* Plead the blood of Jesus over your spirit, soul and body now.
* Say, “Satan, get lost; I am seated far above you in Christ Jesus”.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I am redeemed, never to be a slave of sin anymore, and my eternity is sure with God, in the name of Jesus.

The mighty One IV

Saturday 10 October
READ: Judg. 6:14-16
MORE LESSON: Job 8:7

Mighty men are known by the kind of vision they have. In our study of Gideon and his dialogue with the angel, I discovered that he was a man of vision with a purpose in his life. When he asked why things were happening to Israel contrary to the stories they were told by their fathers, he was bringing forth a vision and purpose of how things should be for his people. He was in a way saying that things ought not to be the way they were. Gideon seemed to be saying, “We ought to be enjoying here with the Medianites under us and not the other way round. The plan of God for us is that every nation should be under Israel, not Israel serving as slaves to any nation”. That was the vision the angel saw when he concluded that Gideon was a mighty man. A visionary man has a clear understanding of what the future should be.

Why don't you ask God about a life that is full of vision, a life that is teachable, submissive, dedicated to the study of God's Word and determined to get results. These make you a mighty man of valour. There is no man that God cannot make mighty. You don't have to be born great to die great. Take a decision to become something in life and work towards it. From today’s text, you will see the record of the mighty men of David who were nonentity before. When Saul had problems with David and David ran away to the forest, these people left their fathers' houses and followed David. David began to train, teach, build and develop them until they became commanders of the army and were called the mighty men of David. Stop running your destiny down, you can be mighty.

Stop thinking you are a nobody; God did not create you a nobody; He made you somebody. Start today by looking inwards for what God has put inside you for you to get to where you are supposed to be in life. Build it, develop it, work at it. Don't let the pain of yesterday stop your tomorrow. Though your beginning is small, yet shall your latter end greatly increase-financially, materially, spiritually, physically, academically, maritally and all- round.

Say to yourself, “I will be mighty. My destiny will not be small. I am going somewhere”, and under the directive of the Holy Spirit, work towards realising your dream. You will make it. Don't only dream or talk, work the talk. Though there is nothing wrong in being small, don't remain small.

Prayer/Action
* Pray for the spiritual understanding of what you need to do to attain your might.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you on the path of realising your dreams.
* Ask God to give you great visions and great accomplishments in destiny.
* Rebuke every medianite hindering your well-being in life. 
* Change your negative mindset about who you are.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I declare that nothing in the present world will take heaven from me; I shall not end my sojourn in hell, in the name of Jesus.

The mighty One III

Friday 9 October
READ: Judg. 6:14-16
MORE LESSON: Lk. 10:38-42

The encounter between Gideon and God's angel in our main text remains one of the strength building passages in the Bible. Among other things, that angelic visitation tells us how deeply God is interested in getting us out of our trouble zones. Israel was under constant raid by the Medianites and just when it looked like God had forgotten about them, He showed up. In the midst of your troubles, don't ever think that God has forgotten you. The Bible says that He is close to the broken hearted.

On your own part, remain conversant with the Word. In verse 13 of our main text, Gideon asked a great question,… did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt but now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of Medianites. Here Gideon was exhibiting spiritual capabilities based on his understanding of spiritual things. An understanding of spiritual things makes a man mighty. He was invariably saying that if God was with Israel in those years that their fathers told them about, why did God abandon them to the dictates of the Medianites?

He had clarity of what relationship Israel had with God before and what God did compared to what was happening in his days. Out of that understanding arose in Gideon the burden for a change.

A lot of people want to be mighty but they lack spiritual understanding of what to do. The problem of finance in the church for instance, is not about money but rather it is about people who lack the understanding of what God wants to use money for in His vineyard. Mighty men are men who have spiritual understanding of how things work. Gideon had an understanding of how things work in the spiritual. In verse 14 the Lord looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might. The angel said to him when he finished his submission, you are correct and loaded with enough information as source of strength, so go in that might and perform the dictates of God. The same way as the angel listened to Gideon, God is always eager to listen to your prayers. The angel gave Gideon instructions to go and act and with that Gideon stopped the argument and began to obey the angel.

One of the secrets of mighty people is that they are teachable. A man that cannot be taught can never be mighty. Be teachable. Don't confront your teacher, or whoever is leading you. Spiritual mentors are to be obeyed in all godly instructions. Because Gideon was teachable, at the end of his life, he was a mighty man. May you be teachable and be mighty in the vineyard of the Lord.

Prayer/Action
* Ask for a clearer spiritual understanding of issues about your life and destiny.
* Pray that you will be teachable even in times of pain and anxiety.
* Ask God to help you obey your spiritual mentors in all godly leadings.
* Prophesy that you will not remain a weakling in the things of God.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I’m blessed and highly favoured, always abounding in good things, victorious in every battle, in Jesus’ mighty name

The mighty One II

Thursday 8 October
READ: Judg. 6:13
MORE LESSON: Psa. 119:165-167

Becoming a mighty man goes with a lot of responsibilities. The Bible personalities who were mighty did not become so by sleeping all the days of their lives. They had an intimate relationship with God and they also kept the commandments and instructions of God and of God's prophets. They studied the Word of God and applied it to their situations
. 
When I hear people say the grace of God is upon them, I ask how much of the Bible they have read. I do not have respect for church titles without evidence. I do not celebrate people who are church leaders but refuse to master the assignment in their hands even from the point of knowledge. If as an ordained minister you cannot sit down to learn under others, you won't last. The ordination would become a reproach because the man who is too proud to learn will fall suddenly.

There is no way a man can come to church only on Sundays and be a strong man in God. This way, you may be mighty in other areas but definitely not in the things of God. Break with everything that limits your knowledge of God because it reduces your strength daily. Sit down with the things of God like Bible studies, quiet time with God, fellowship attendance, evangelism and the likes. Every Bible study you miss in 52 weeks of the year reduces the strength of your destiny. Every time you refuse to sit down and do quiet time, you grow less in strength and risk the danger that the day brings your way. Gideon said, “God cannot be with me and this thing will happen”. In other words, when God is with a man, he is a winner. This much knowledge was in Gideon.

In verse 13, Gideon made an observation about what Israel was going through and wondered where all the miracles were, about which their fathers told them. Gideon was making reference to events in the past that made Israel great and wished such could be repeated so that Israel would triumph over the Medianites and regain their might. Gideon knew God's Word when he said their fathers told them about the miracles in Egypt on to Canaan. Because Gideon had the right and correct knowledge, the angel marked him down as the man needed for the assignment at hand. Gideon knew what God did before, which He could do again.

How much of God's Word have you stored in your spirit? Joshua was advised to hold onto the Word of God day and night and thereafter, he would experience good success. You should do same.

Prayer/Action
* Pray for divine visitation in times of depression for added strength.
* Connect to the miracles of the past and ask God for more today.
* Declare yourself one of the mighty men of your generation, in Jesus’ name.
Determine to reignite your commitment to the study of the Bible and prayer.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, lines shall fall for me in pleasant places and I shall have a godly heritage, in the name of Jesus.