Satan’s weapon for trying to stop the move of the Holy Spirit

Messages for June 2018: Our Month of the Holy Spirit

Message for Wednesday 20^th June, 2018

Theme: Understanding the Ministry and Gift of the Holy Spirit

Topic: Satan’s weapon for trying to stop the move of the Holy Spirit

Introduction: So far we have been learning a lot from this great theme of understanding the ministry and gift of the Holy Spirit. We have seen why the Holy Spirit came and who He is and how we can take advantage of this great blessing of God to us. However, this series would be incomplete without looking at this great topic which has a potential to waste all of our efforts to fulfil God’s plan for our lives if we do not understand and address it.

We have seen different moves of God being arrested or stopped altogether by this evil distraction of the devil. I want to call it Satan’s triplet weapon against the Church; they are slander, gossip and offense. He is able to do this if he can get carnal believers in the Church to provoke strife and if the elders do not arrest the strife in time, he could introduce envy and when strife and envy get married, their children are confusion and every evil work. When these are in place, the Holy Spirit will have to leave otherwise His continued presence there would result in incidence like the Ananias and Sapphira one in Acts 5.

Strife:  what does strife mean? Strife is defined as exertion or contention for superiority; lack of agreement or harmony; bitter conflict. From these definitions, we can see that strife is manifested in competition usually about vain glory. Anywhere you have strife, you cannot have peace because of the discord that exists there.

What the bible says about strife: 

The first account of strife in the bible was about Abraham and Lot’s herd men. This happened in a family as you would observe. Gen.13:6-8. We learn a lesson from Abraham here when he told Lot that there should be no strife between them. He instead took the high way of letting Lot win the fight by telling him to choose where he wanted to relocate to before he made his choice. As soon as Lot left God came down to speak with Abraham. See Gen.14:13-18. This was where Lot truncated his destiny. The end of Lot was the destruction of the land he chose and incest resulting in him fathering his daughters’ children. There is no future for a person holding on to strife. Abraham on the other hand immediately heard God’s voice giving him clear direction for his life again. He moved on with God and Lot lost God’s presence forever.

Strife cost Moses his place in being able to enter the Promised Land because the strife made him disobey God when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it at Meribah. See Num.27:12-14 and Ps.106:32.

There is the strife of tongues: When there is this kind of issue, we are taught in the bible to pray that God will protect us from the strife of tongues. Ps.31:20 – the reason for this is that when we speak ill of others we are killing them with our tongues. Thus anyone who has been speaking ill of others have blood in their hands just like a murderer has especially if those contents being spoken or spread are lies. As a matter of fact when the words are lies, the person speaking such things have entered willingly into the thresh hold of witchcraft. This explains what Apostle Paul was saying in Gal.5:18-20 that people who live like this have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God and Christ.

When we strive, our enemies rejoice because they laugh among themselves in mockery of us knowing that that strife has made us like them [Ps.80:6]. This is why it is honorable that we take the first step to stop the strife so that we can walk in the footsteps of our father Abraham like God tells us to do in Isa.51:1-2. See Prov.20:3. He is the only person God tells us to look up to. The other person we are to look up to is Jesus Christ [Heb.12:2]. When His disciples strove among themselves as to who souls be the greatest in the Kingdom, He gracefully told them about His servant leadership. When James and John tried to display power just like the power displayed by Elijah in calling fire down on people, He told them that that was not the manner of spirit of which they were made. In other words, even when people strive with you, do not react in strive, respond in love because the Son of man came not to destroy men’s lives, He came to seek and save that which was lost. See Lk.9:51-56 and Lk.19:10.

At the root of strife is hatred: The antidote for this kind is to walk in love because love covers all sins. See Prov.10:12 and Jn.13:34-35; 15:16-21 and 1Jn.2:9-11. How do you walk in love? 1Cor.13:4-8 tells us in the amplified bible translation. Until we bear the fruit of love, our faith in God is really questionable.

Strife is a work of the flesh and proof of an unbroken life: The problem with strife is that if it is not arrested in time, it will result in envy and where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. In essence, strife gives Satan the legal access into people’s lives. It has the ability of wrecking families and institutions. It is a no good to any people at any level of life. See Gal.5:19-20 and 1Cor.3:3

Strife is stirred up by pride: Pride is what makes people compete with each other to outdo each other. The result is that it magnets envy into the life of those who would not let go of it and where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Prov.28:25; Isa.58:4 and Jas.3:13-18; 4:1-17.  

Result of strife:

1.     Spiritual blindness: Strife is a proof of hatred existing in the heart of another person. The bible teaches in 1Jn.2:10-11 that anyone who hates his brother is blind and cannot see afar off. Such a person does not even know God. Thus any hatred that resides in a person’s heart towards anyone makes that person culpable and the next thing it would result in is that the person will always strive with whoever they hate. This is however without prejudice to a person making effort to live in peace by avoiding the person stirring up strife. This is the example Abraham left us in the matter of Lot in Gen.13. Just in the previous chapter they started to take the journey together but the next chapter; as soon as Lot got some financial prosperity, he began to strive with Abraham. To avoid this, Abraham had to put Lot away and the strife ceased. See Prv.22:10 and 24:9.

2.     Attracts envy: When envy mixes with strife, confusion and every evil work is born into the situation and this is particularly dangerous especially for people handling any kind of leadership responsibility because it can create roots of bitterness that has the potential of defiling many people. Jas.3:14-16; Heb.12:14-17.

3.     It can result in the abortion of destiny: One of the evil work brought about by strife is slander and this is spread by gossip resulting in offence of the injured party. Many occasions where slander is spread, they are not true; even if there were some truths in what is said, they are distorted to suit the intent of the person from which the slander is originating and this is actually murder taking place and there are dire consequences for this. Some people never find their places in destiny as a result. See the account of Amnon, Absalom and Tamar in 2Sam.13. Amnon was the heir apparent but could not handle the issue of lust for his sister Tamar so Satan sent Jonadab his cousin to encourage the lust in the unhealthiest manner and the end was the death of Amnon, Absalom, and desolation of Tamar.   

4.     It can result in unfruitfulness: As long as one is walking in strife, the devil has access to their lives and the end is that he will get them involved in the unfruitful works of darkness and this will bring about their inability to become like Christ unless they repent sincerely and begin to walk in the word otherwise they would end up being judgmental and farther and farther away from God until the little image of Christ they had would be sunctured out of their lives and you do not want this. See the account of the tower of Babel where God frustrated rebellious man Himself in Gen.11:1-9.

5.     In extreme cases, it results in murder: This could be as a result of strife degerating to physical combats that may result in mortal injuries. Some husbands have killed their wives this way without meaning to do so. Some wives have poisoned their husbands to death without meaning to do so because of strife. In some other cases some people end up becoming suicidal like the case of Ahitophel See 2Sam.13; Prv.26:20-28.

6.     If not handled in love, it can create anger and bitterness: The only way to handle strife in love is to stop the strife, forgive, avoid the source of strife and move on.  

Solution to strife:

1.     Walk in love – Love is not easily angered so you can be patient enough to give another person a chance of being fairly heard. Fair hearing can really change a lot of things. It takes patience to hear another especially when you are offended already. See Jn.17:20-23; Jn.15:17-19; 1Cor.13:4-8 amp and Gal.5:16-22.

2.     Avoid divisive people – Apostle Paul says to mark those who cause division among us and avoid them. Rm.16:17-20; Philip.3:17-21.

3.     Do not be friends with people who strive – the bible tells us not to be deceived to think that we can still maintain our purity being friends with bad people. See 1Cor.15:33; Prv.13:20 and Ps.1:1-3

4.     Do not encourage gossip: When people bring you stories even of those who hurt you, even if you have to respond, do it with God’s perspective. This would not be easy, this is the reason you need to be prayerful. In the place of prayer, you draw strength from God called grace. Then you meditate on the word of God teaching us love. Prov.22:10 and 26:20

5.     Organize your life around God’s purpose: Follow God’s word and ways every day and you would just find out that people who bring contention would begin to avoid you. They are usually people not going anywhere. So you would be good company for them when you are not going anywhere. If they bring you any tale, call the person being slandered and let them repeat what they are accusing you of in their presence. If they refuse, tell them not to visit you again but you can still greet with them along the way but never have any relationship with them close enough for them to defile you again with their lies. See Prov.29:18

6.     Avoid slanderers: The reason is that tale bearers can separate chief friends and friendship that is productive is of God. Check the people you call your friends; to what extent are they encouraging you to be productive. Also check yourself; to what extent are you making others around you to be productive?

7.     Become a disciple of Jesus Christ: Only disciples can bear the fruit of the spirit because until a corn of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone. When you learn to live the crucified life, you will bear much fruit and glorify God thereby. The demands of discipleship is spelt out by the Lord in Lk.9:23-26 and Jn.12:24-26.

We shall draw the curtain here for today. The conclusion of this message is that we become genuine followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. To become a true follower we have to start with the new birth and then a commitment to discipleship to become more like Jesus Christ by the day. You can start the journey by saying the following prayer out loud in faith and the Holy Spirit will come to help you:

Heavenly Father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Congratulations! For more information and resources that would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl www.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter. Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily email:  jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.