Defeating The Devil and his Demons
Text: Judges 7:13-15 (NIV)13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”
1. -Gideon went down to the enemy’s camp and the
enemy was having a nightmare about Gideon.
SONG: "I Went To The Enemy’s Camp And I Took Back What He Stole From Me" HALLELUJAH!
2. We have been positioned to charge the gates of hell
and shake them off of their hinges.
3. The church is supposed to be the devil’s arch enemy.
God with us! We know that he is going to hell, God’s
Word promises that OPENLY! I belive that our job is to
torment him until he gets there...thrown into the lake
of fire!
4. We need is a manifestation of God’s fire and power in
our lives...our church...city...state...country...the
promoting The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
5. More than just the talk...WE GOTTA WALK THE WALK!
6. We are more than conquorers through Christ!
7. other things in our lives gets us excited, passionate,
and ready to move BUT it seems that when and when
we get in the real battles of life we are defeated.
a. -Know who we are
b. -Know who we are in Christ
c. -Know who Christ is in us
d. -Know we are called to a Purpose - GOOD NEWS
e. -Know what GOD calls us to do
- AND BELIEVE IT! DODGE THE DEVIL...and his DEMONS!
- DODGE HIS DEVICES...there are many of them
- GOTTA STAY WISE TO HIM!
1. Don’t Stray Away From God
A. ---Don’t Stray from The Word (put it in) (what
- comes out in a pinch, when needed)
“Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against God”
B.---Don’t stray from God’s Will
Hebrews 10:36 (NLT) “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s Will”
C. Put GOD first in your life! Constantly ask God what he would have you do..and that you will live a life that HONORS GOD
2. Don’t Strut Your Stuff!
A. You cannot be too sure of yourself and boast and
carry on or be all about you
Proverbs 16:1 (NKJV) “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall”
B. -Don’t strut Your Talent around...THE Lord GAVE
IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!
C. Put faith in Him – through Him you have the gift,
talent to use FOR HIM! As HE wills...stop acting
like you are all that and a bag of chips...AND a
pickle on the side!!!
D. Don’t sell out – you cannot walk with God if you
are holding hands with the Devil! Use talents and
gifts for God’s Glory and look to him for direction.
E. Never be too sure of yourself! be sure of HIM and
HE THAT IS WITHIN YOU ENABLING YOU TO DO
WHAT YOU DO!
F. Don’t Strut What You Do For The Lord!
“Not of works lest any man should boast”
G. Love God, serve and work for HIM ---not for
reward or attention
Psalm 143:2 (NKJV) “For in Your Sight NO ONE living is righteous---“NOT WITHOUT JESUS!
H. He will reward you openly...things done in secret
You don’t need your head patted! Just do it and
Praise Him all the way while you do it for Him! It is
for His Glory...stop wanting it for yourself
I.--- Don’t strut Your Tithes and offerings
Malachi 3:8 (NKJV) “the tithe is holy”
“what is done in secret, He will reward openly”
•J. 10% required by God
• K. Be a cheerful giver – give over and above – you
will be blessed
L. Tithing is a way to worship, honor and OBEY GOD!
Just Do IT
M. Be a giver...it is more blessed to give than receive
It all belongs to Him anyway!
--- Don’t strut Your Time You Spend
James 4:14 (NKJV) “You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
• You gotta be willing to Work for God…”Be His hands and feet”
• Spread The Good News
• Have balance
• “do all as unto The Lord”
N. We are to bloom where we are planted! DON’T get
cocky and strut your branch! Be humble and Christ-
minded----He is The Root that keeps you green and
fruitful…do not forget that!
3. Don’t Compromise!
2 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV) “Come out from among them and be separate, says The Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you”
A. WE MUST KEEP SIN OUT OF OUR LIVES! DON’T SELL
OUT TO SATAN!
B. WHEN WE CONTINUALLY SIN AND DO WHAT WE
KNOW WE SHOULD NOT DO…OR FAIL TO DO WHAT
WE KNOW WE SHOULD DO ----THEN WE ARE SERVING
SATAN!
• 1. SATAN WILL USES US AGAINST OURSELVES
• 2. SATAN WILL USES US AGAINST EACH OTHER
•3. SATAN USES US AGAINST THE WORD (WHEN WE DO
NOT KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS AND WORDS)
c. BE WISE! PAY ATTENTION! BE ON GUARD! BE ON YOUR TOES ---PUT THE DEVIL UNDER YOUR FEET--- THEN YOU WILL BE MUFFLING HIS VOICE AND YOU CANNOT HEAR HIS NONSENSE!
Ecclesiastes 5:5 (NKJV) “it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay”
1. Have integrity – do what you say you will do
2. Stick to what you know is right and stand on it ---
THE WORD of GOD
3. Set goals and strive to meet them – Holy Spirit as
guide
4. “don’t be tossed to and fro with every wind of
doctrine”
5. “don’t be overcome of evil, but overcome evil
with good”
4. DON’T STOP...EVER!!! In Jesus Name!
Matthew 10:22 (NKJV) “but he that endures to the end shall be saved”
---the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy
A. Some have had a great start coming out of the gate
but have come to a quick and terrible end in their
Christian Walk...
1. many leaders in churches do not express the
importance in getting in the word right away!
pray! stay faithful!
• 2. Keep the faith
• 3. Don’t stop working for God ----get busy!
B. Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts
will be established...He will keep you under
control/just keep your eyes on him...let Him take
care of things before you mess up!
1. Commit means to roll----roll your cares onto Jesus
and He will do the rest ---you gotta build relation-
ship with Him and Trust Him
2. • Don’t stop witnessing! “cover the earth with His
Glory”
3.. Don’t stop walking with God! Walk in love! Talk to
him!
4. • Don’t stop fighting the enemy and his devices!
5. • Read God’s word and ask for wisdom
6. • Worship and praise God!
C. Don’t give in! Don’t throw in the towel…don’t lie
down and take it…FIGHT !!!
KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST! ACT LIKE A CHILD OF THE KING AND BELIEVE HIS PROMISES!
In Judges, Chapter 7 (read it later)
D. God told Gideon to assemble an army. He found
Gideon hiding in a cave.
1. The angel of the Lord was commissioned to call
Gideon A MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR.
2. You are who God says you are!
3. Begin to think it to be so! Look like it! Act like it ! BELIVE IT!
4. You are not labeled by your problems...STOP ACTING LIKE IT!
E. You are who God says you are. “I am the head not
the tail… ABOVE ALWAYS, and not beneath”
IN other words GOD SEES SOMETHING IN YOU
THAT YOU DON’T SEE IN YOURSELF!
1. Be wise to this: The Devil will always challenge
you over what heaven has called you to be and
what you are to do!
2. A voice spoke from heaven and said in Matthew 4,
“This is my beloved son in whom I am well
pleased.”
The Devil and Hell’s angels showed up with in
seconds and challenged what heaven had called
Jesus.
F. If God is putting something in your spirit (Make sure it
is God) about your life, listen to it...believe it!
1. AND be persistent...be determined about it. It will be like GOD says it will be.
2. Fight for it! The Devil is a liar! Stop listening to the snake and listen to The Savior!!!
G. He said ---Gideon you are a mighty man of Valor. So he
began to believe what God said about him and he arose
and did what God told him to do------
1. He ASSEMBLED AN ARMY! 32,000 showed up. God
told him tell all who are afraid to GO HOME
“FEAR IS A DARK ROOM WHERE PEOPLE DEVELOP
THEIR NEGATIVES.”
2. Fear will paralyze you from doing impossibilities for
God. God said – send the people who are afraid
away – send them home! Sometimes it takes more
FAITH to stay than it does to leave.
3. I believe sometimes people walk away from great
ministries, great miracles great breakthroughs
simply because they are willing to stick it out.
4. When God said send the fearful away - 22,000
went home and only 10, 000 stayed (over ½
of the people left!)
H.The next test was …
God said to take them down to the river---give them a drink
Whoever cups their hands to drink---I will use them.
Why would he use them?
Two things about the cupped hands
1. they were clean hands
2. they were empty hands.
IE: Moses, throw down your rod.
They had to lay aside their carnal weapons in order to cup their hands.
What God is saying in this hour? He is saying…
I AM MORE INTO CHARACTER THAN I AM INTO TALENT
Are you in it for the entertainment or the empowerment?
It’s not your natural abilities or carnal weapons that will win the battles. Lean on God’s power. On God’s wisdom, on God’s strength.
The Power of The Holy Ghost!
You may feel like you have empty hands but if you have empty hands and clean hands God is going to use you in a mighty big way...but we must be willing! be open! stay focused! and pay attention...God may be talking to you right now but you are not listening!
Gideon still needed to be prompted. So God told him to take a friend and sneak down to the enemy’s camp and listen to what the enemy is saying about him. It was midnight and a Midianite was having a dream (vs. 13-15). Another Midianite was interpreting the dream.
Barley cake is what the poor people ate. God is saying I will take your poverty and turn it into power. I will take your weakness and make it great strength.
The bread represents the word of God. If you get a word from God that’s all you need...God’s Word a right now word...a rhema word! What power there is in that...start listening and THEN YOU GOTTA GET UP AND DO WHAT GOD IS ASKING YOU TO DO!
While Gideon was thinking there was nobody inside, he is hearing his enemy say in secret that the barley cake is Gideon and his army and they are going to wipe us out.
THE WORST NIGHTMARE FOR THE DEVIL IS THAT YOU WILL DISCOVER WHO YOU REALLY ARE IN CHRIST. YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS!
HELL’S ANGEL’S WORST NIGHTMARE IS THAT YOU WILL WAKE UP AND BELIEVE WHAT GOD IS SAYING YOU ARE...WHAT YOU CAN DO...AND ACTUALLY WALK IN VICTORY IN JESUS NAME...DOING THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY OF JESUS AND DOING WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO!
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
”Greater is he who is in me than he that is in the world”
”No weapon formed against me shall prosper”
“head and not the tail, above always and not beneath”
”I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus”
"I was once bound but now I am free”
There is a place in God where you can get and it is a place of walking in power and victory. Believe who God says you are!
Believe “I can and I will do and I will stay in His Will!”
Three Keys to Putting The Devil under your feet…
You dodge The Devil’S Devices by doing this:
1. Praise & Worship
2. Prayer
3. Reading/Studying/Knowing God’s Word
4. Obedience to God (the key that unlocks every
door)
Without these things being consistently active in our lives we will not be effective or overcomers!
CONCLUSION:
1. How has the devil and his devices…his tools…his dirty schemes –how have they been affecting your life for Christ?
2. What are you willing to do to change it?
3. What are you going to do to change it? “seek first the kingdom…”
4. Are you truly following God ALL OF THEM TIME or just some of the time?
5. Are you willing to change your path? DO IT RIGHT NOW!
PUT THE ENEMY UNDER YOUR FEET TONIGHT
AND KEEP HIM THERE!
Tks to Jennifer Mears for parts of this sermon.
