About Me

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Antioch, California, United States
John is the under-shepherd of Agape International Church & Ministries Inc, Antioch, California and the President of Agape International Ministries Foundation, Inc (www.agapebfm.net) John has been a Preacher, Bible Teacher, Counselor and a mission-minded servant of God from 1984 till the present time. Married to Alice since 1987, he enjoys being a father to 2 sons and 1 daughter. He is available to preach, participate in evangelistic crusades and revivals, lead or participate in a Marriage Enrichment program internationally. John preaches on a weekly radio broadcast called "KNOW THE TRUTH" (Based on John 8:32)and the broadcast is aired every Sunday at Radio KDIA 1640AM. The broadcast is also accessible through the website of the radio station: www.kdia.com. You can follow him on twitter @agapebfm

Thursday, August 26, 2010

REFUSE TO LET THE DEVIL WIN

REFUSE TO LET THE DEVIL WIN


The devil is busy everyday. He rears his ugly head through every opportunity and means that he gets. 

If someone is not sensitive to his tactics, he or she will fall into the traps of the devil. He can show up in families, in marriages, in friendships, in organizations, in churches and the like. He is known as the father of lies and he wants you to believe his lies. His intent is to delay you from reaching your God-ordained destiny. Apostle John writes in John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.


When I look at most relationships and friendships today, I observed that the devil has sown his seed of discords in them. The result is distrust and paranoid ideation among people who should not have any cause to suspect each other. That is the devil’s modus operandi. In the same vein, misinterpretation of conversational expressions and misunderstanding of simple dialogue often arise when the devil is given a “foothold.”(Ephesians 4:27). When we allow the devil to win in our relationships, we are doing ourselves the worst injustice. Children of God are supposed to rule over Satan and his cohorts. 1 John 5:4 says, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.


What do you do when you sensed that the devil is trying to have a field day in your life? Please consider the following suggestions:


First, Pray. Prayer is the best weapon that a believer has to conquer the devil. Our Lord Jesus Christ says, Luke 10:19…I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.


Second, resist the devil. The Bible says, (James 4:7) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.


Third, refuse to believe the lies of the devil. Remember that the Bible called him a liar and a father of lies. Incidentally, lying is his vernacular. John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Additionally, Satan is a disguiser. Why would anyone disguise from people? It is because they are concealing something from the other person. The person must have realized that revealing his or her true identity will not get them the desired result.  People fall prey of the devil because he is a disguiser. The devil knows that if he reveals his true identity, you will run away from him. Instead, he comes around fully concealed like a masquerade. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.


Fourth, stop giving the devil more credit than he deserves. Instead of blaming everything that happened to you on the devil, re-examine yourself to be sure you are in tune with the Holy Spirit in your walk with God. Ephesians 5:15 “Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise,


Fifth, read the Bible regularly. The Bible provides you necessary information that will help you to expose the frailty and the deception of the devil. When our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted, he repeatedly used scriptures to combat the devil. (Matthew 4:1-11). There is power in the word of God. You can rebuke the devil with the word of God.


Finally, don’t let the devil win this battle. If you are facing challenges now, use godly means to obtain a solution. There is no adversity without an answer. There is no problem without a solution. Never give-in; never give-up. The battle will be fierce. But with your faith in God, you will be victorious in Jesus name. 2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.