KEY SCRIPTURE: Luke 10:19 KJV “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

We continue with our study on the mind or attitude of Jesus towards the devil. This time we study that the Lord Jesus had the mind that Satan was a defective enemy. Jesus never fought the devil as we understand two people fighting. His fight with the devil was to keep holding unto the truth and keep Himself from sin. Satan’s victory over any man is when he succeeds in taking you from your union with the Father, either through unbelief or sin. Our fight as Christians against Satan is on this level. Eph 6:13 KJV” Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The Lord always demonstrated that Satan was a defeated enemy. The devils also knew Jesus was greater and superior to them. They always shouted when they had a confrontation with Jesus, saying, do not torment us before the time. Mat 8:29 KJV” And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Jesus continually made a mess of the devil anytime He encountered them.

Since the Lord knew, the devil was eternally defeated, nothing about the devil threatened Him. When he was on the ship with His disciples, He slept calmly, knowing that, the threats and tantrums of Satan would not amount to anything. It was His disciples who were fearful and worried that came to him crying, Lord don’t you care that we perish? Mark 4:38 KJV “And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? ” The state of His disciples is the very condition most men find themselves. They allow the threats of Satan to overwhelm them such that, they conclude Satan has succeeded in achieving his ambition. Jesus maintained His conception that the devil is forever the loser, and under no condition would he become Lord. This faith of Jesus kept Satan eternally defeated before Him.

CONFESSION

THE devil is eternally defeated. I refuse to fall into his lies and deceptions. I keep my grounds by staying in the word and rejoicing in the victory of Jesus my Lord. I win over the devil in every contest. Glory be to God.

THOUGHT: SATAN IS ETERNALLY DEFEATED. KEEP FAITH IN THE WORD TO KEEP HIM DEFEATED IN YOUR LIFE

FURTHER STUDIES

Eph 6:13 KJV” Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Luke 10:18 KJV” And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:40 KJV” And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”

We would consider the mind of Jesus concerning prayer. The Lord Jesus gave so much of His time to pray. His disciples saw Him pray so much that, they asked Him to teach them to pray. Luke 11:1.

He expressed His attitude to prayer through the many statements He made about prayer. He taught that prayer is indispensable and that men should not stop praying. Luke 18:1 KJV “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

The Lord showed that praying can keep us from getting into temptation. What did He mean by temptation in the context of what He was saying? The Lord demonstrated this as He prayed fervently just before His arrest and subsequent suffering. He endured the challenge that came His way. From this event, we see temptation as a condition that overwhelms you. The scripture said an angel came to strengthen Him.

The Lord also demonstrated that before one takes a major decision, especially concerning choosing among a number of people to undertake a particular role with you, you have to spend a great deal of time praying in order to receive God’s will concerning the right person to choose. Luke 6:12 KJV “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Are you a leader

Prayer was the life of Christ. He always kept communication lines with the Father. Remember, prayer is not a one-way affair. It is a dialogue between man and God our father.

PRAYER

Father, you are the source of my life, as well as my true dependence. Through prayer, I receive guidance and provisions for what I cannot do or get by my effort. Thanks for your love and your ears that are ever ready to hear me.

THOUGHT: PRAYING IS YOUR LIFE, FOR GOD IS YOUR SOURCE AND DEPENDENCE.

FURTHER STUDIES

Psalms 34:15 KJV “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

1Thess 5:17 KJV “Pray without ceasing.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:24 “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,”

In our key scripture, the bible said Jesus did not commit himself to men because he knew all men. By not committing himself to men, it meant he did not allow men to influence Him or coerce Him.

The question is what is in men? A man without the Lordship of God over him is spiritually lost. (Rom 3:23). The Bible reveals the following about the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9 ” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The Lord committed himself to the father who had sent him. He did not allow the praises of men to influence Him. There were times when the crowds came looking for him yet He left for another town to continue preaching to them too, in order to fulfill the father’s mission.

In spite of these shortcomings about men, Jesus loved all men so much as to give His life for men. How do we explain this paradox? All that the Lord teaches us by His example is to put God first. Relate with men on the bases of God’s word, and always see men through God’s eyes. God unconditionally loves all men. This must be your attitude to men. No man should cause you to act against God.

Please get this once and for all, no matter the status of a man, he has the potential to yield to the devil or yield to God. Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Like Jesus, always take sides with God. If the individual acts in honour unto God just go along with him or her. If he acts against the way of God, then you stay away from that path. Your policy is simple, put God first, yet you sincerely love all men.

Note this point, you as a child of God must not be torn between good and evil. You must believe and accept that you would always act righteously. LET THIS BE YOUR BELIEF AND CONFESSION.

CONFESSION

Men may act in their own light yet I am committed first to God. I live to please Him in all I do whiles I sincerely love and appreciate all men, by showing them the love of the father. I always live and act to honor God.

THOUGHT: ALWAYS PLACE GOD FIRST AS YOU LOVE ALL MEN.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 3:16” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

Jeremiah 17:5 “Thus saith the LORD; cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:27 “Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury”.

Our Lord Jesus the creator of all things understood the great importance of money. He, therefore, had a lot to say about the right attitude and how to make your money grow.

The Lord saw poverty which, also could mean lack of money as something that a man needs liberation from. Luke 4:18a “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;”

In our opening scripture, the Lord Jesus taught that money must grow. It grows by investment. Jesus said, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Besides giving offerings and tithes, one must also look out for the best ways to invest his or her money, to see it grow. This calls for tactfulness. Remember He expresses the desire to see the poor come out of poverty.

The Lord teaches us that one must first put his or her pursuit of God first then, the others, like money, follow suit. Matt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.

Money is good but the desire and longing for it must be seen through the eyes of God.IT MUST NOT COMPETE FOR A PLACE IN OUR HEARTS WITH GOD. Matthew 6:24,  ” No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon”. This scripture does not in any way say money is evil but simply says God must solely rule our hearts then we can rightly know how to pursue after money and use money. Anything besides God that takes first place in our life becomes an idol and that would be a snare unto us. (Duet 7:25)

When a man has placed money in its proper place in respect to God then can he grow his money to whatever level and it can never be a snare unto Him.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you are the sole Lord over my life. You have given me the power to get wealth in order to fulfill the covenant you made with the fathers. I am making great strides in my finances to your glory.

THOUGHT: GOD GIVES US THE POWER TO GET WEALTH

FURTHER STUDIES:

Luke 16:9 “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you”

Deuteronomy 8:18 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 9:4 ” I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work”.

We would consider our Lord Jesus’ attitude to work.

The Lord Jesus was a hard worker. In our opening scripture, He reveals that there is no bargaining to any task the father gives. He used a compulsive word; I MUST WORK.

Jesus believed that success in life or fulfillment of one’s mission was directly related to his total commitment to the given task.

Jesus fully accepted the task; the father had given to Him and He unconditionally obeyed this work. He called it the father’s business. Luke 2:49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? “Businesses are executed to make a profit. The father’s business must be done that way. It, therefore, needs one’s full attention. He tirelessly preached across the whole region. For the three and a half years of His ministry, our Lord never went on leave. It was not surprising He raised men who turned their world upside down.

We ought to approach every work that way. Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”. God is telling us to see every engagement as His duty, primarily, and not just unto men. He admonishes us to do our work very heartily. Doing it heartily means doing it out of your soul or your life. It means to involve your whole being in what you are doing. Our Lord was an extremely successful man. The simple description of The Lord’s attitude to work is diligence. Proverbs 10:4 “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich”. Get diligent with whatever you are doing and poverty would be far from you.

CONFESSION

I see every responsibility as work given to me by God. Every work I do for others is a seed for my own promotion and delivery of my own heritage into my hands.

THOUGHT: SEE EVERY WORK AS A RESPONSIBILITY GIVEN TO YOU BY GOD.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Luke 16:12 “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”

Proverbs 12:24 ” The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 2:16″ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ”

For our next series of teachings, we would consider the mind of Christ as related to various topics.

We would consider the mind of Christ as related to sin, our master was tested on all points yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15b”……; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”

When the Lord was tried Pilate declared, I find no fault with Him. Luke 23:4 “Then said Pilate to the chief Priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man”. Jesus declared Satan had nothing in him.

What made the master lead such an outstanding life although when he was on earth He lived as a Son of man? Jesus knew He came from heaven and allowed the Father to control Him. John 6:57 ” As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me”.

What is the Lord talking about? He meant I am on a mission and I live according to the power and ability of Him who sent me. We also have the mind of Christ according to our opening scripture and must live with His mind.

He did not live by His natural being, but He lived by the supernatural life. This is exactly what Rom 8:10 says.  “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness”. (We were crucified with Jesus).

Sin simply means living by the flesh and righteousness is living by the Spirit. Rom 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”. The power of sin over a man is a mind dominated by the flesh. Gal 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Turn your mind from yourself and focus on the power of the Spirit by focusing on the word of God. Live by the word for this is peace, power, and prosperity

CONFESSION

I am of God and I live by the power and ability of the Holy Spirit. I am crucified with Jesus and do not live by my flesh. I live by the word. I have peace power and prosperity in all I do.

THOUGHT: LIVE BY THE WORD, FOR THIS IS PEACE POWER, AND PROSPERITY.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Romans 8:4 “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 37:4 “Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD”.

The prophet Ezekiel was carried in the realm of the Spirit into a valley of dry bones scattered all over. The Spirit of the lord inspired him to prophesy over these dry bones and indeed as he obeyed, flesh came over the bones, life came into them and they became a mighty army.

In our lives as children of God we can employ this same principle to see impossible situations turn positive.

Our Lord Jesus on a lot of occasions spoke to inanimate things and they responded to His declarations. He spoke to the fig tree, in Mark 11:14 “And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it”. Indeed, the fig tree dried from its root. (Mark 11:20) He did the same to the ranging storms and it stilled up (Mark 4:39).

Instead of complaining about how deplorable things have become prophesy to the situation. It may be an inanimate thing like your business, bank accounts, your health or anything at all. Your children may not be performing well at school, place your hand on them and prophesy over them.

In the prophet Ezekiel’s case he received instructions from the Lord. You may receive inspiration from studying the word of God. This comes through meditation on the word and then personalizing the word for yourself, and then speak to the condition or thing to line up in the way you want it.

Another way to receive an inspiration to make prophetic prayers or declarations is when you have spent some moments praying in tongues. After such time of prayer, you can then go ahead to make prophetic declarations about something you want changed.

One main condition about such a declaration is to believe that what you said has been settled. (Mark 11:23)

CONFESSION

The word of God says, God has ordained power in my mouth. As I prophesy to various situations they align according to my expectations. I am seeing great successes all around me. Nothing is impossible to me in Jesus’ name.

THOUGHT: YOU ARE THE PROPHET OF YOUR LIFE, SO PROPHECY TO YOUR SITUATIONS.

FURTHER STUDIES

Mark 11:23  “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”.

Psalms 8:2 “Out of the mouth of babes and suckling’s hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 12:5 “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him”.

In our key scripture Peter was apprehended by King Herod and was placed in the guard of sixteen soldiers, who watched from various levels in the prison. His escape meant they were to lose their lives. Peter’s deliverance was therefore an impossibility.

The only thing that could save Peter from this situation was a miracle. This is where, a travailing prayer comes into play. When an impossible situation must be changed. Remember James had been slaughtered by the same man.

Our key scripture said, Peter was held in prison but, prayer was made WITHOUT CEASING BY THE CHURCH UNTO GOD for him.

Please listen to what the Lord says in Psalms 50:15 ” And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me”. In the day of trouble call upon the Lord. Please note what Psalm 50:14, says offer unto the Lord thanksgiving and pay thine vows. What is the Lord saying? Maintain your fellowship with the Lord always. Take away everything that mares your relationship and fellowship with Him. In this way you can always stand confidently in faith before Him. Many Christians do not keep a close relationship with the Lord. It is when crises come that they want to hurriedly raise their confidence in the Lord. These things does not work out that way. Always maintain good fellowship with the Lord. Do not cut yourself from fellowshipping with the brethren. These are all your vows. Pay your vows. Keep every commitment to the Lord.

The brethren in Acts 12 prayed without ceasing, till, the answer came. Is there any impossible situation you want to see changed? Stop crying or worrying, and get into prayer. You may add fasting and according to God’s word you would see a change.

CONFESSION

I am ever ready to stand in the presence of God, because I come in His righteousness and I maintain my fellowship with the Spirit. Nothing takes me unawares as I take it to the Lord in prayer.

THOUGHT: STILL KEEP PRAYING TILL SOMETHING

FURTHER STUDIES

James 5:16-17 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months”.

Hebrews 5:7 “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared”;

KEY SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 66:8 “Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children”.

The key scripture is a question referring to something which has been said earlier. That is in verse 7. Isaiah 66:7 “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child”.

These two verses are only establishing the fact that, to give birth to something new, there is the need for travailing. Without a travail no mother gives birth. This is the kind of prayer that changes situations. Be reminded it is not tea party business. No travailing is easy and pleasant, yet the ultimate is joy galore.

This is when you do not take no for an answer, knowing very well what God has revealed. Out of this form of prayer is the word PUSH, which is abbreviated form of the statement, Pray until Something Happens.

Many children of God are living far below divine provisions which they could have taken advantage of, only, if they had been a little persistent in their praying. Certain churches would have known greater victories if they had employed this form of praying. Remember what the Lord said in Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. Our Lord Jesus has determined the church as the ultimate winner. This can only happen on the grounds that we do not stop praying aggressively to see a breakthrough in every area of our lives. That word meant the gates of hell is seeking to prevail, and so we must hold our grounds and advance through travailing, prevailing prayer.

A mother shared the following testimony at church. The son who is just about a year and a few months stood with her by the roadside. Another lady passed by who said, I see your son is walking but my child who is older than your son can’t walk. Just after she said this and passed on, this sister’s son started going down and could not walk any longer. She said, ‘no way, Satan can’t destroy my boy’. She got into persistent prayer, and after two days the son got well and started walking again.

PRAYER

Dear heavenly father, as I hold my grounds on your word, praying through various issues, nothing would be withheld from me in Jesus’ name.

THOUGHT: PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS

FURTHER STUDIES

Galatians 4:19 “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you”.

1 Timothy 1:18 ” This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightiest war a good warfare”;

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 18:19 ” Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven”.

The prayer of agreement is one of the most positive privileges God has made available to the Christian.

Our key scripture is so explicit. It reads, if two of you shall agree as touching anything on earth that, they shall ask in Jesus name it shall be granted.

The word states the conditions for results in this type of prayer.

1.            You need to have another person with you on this earth.

2.            Agree on the issue you want to see come to pass.

3.            Present the request to the Father.

4.            Make the request in the name of the Lord Jesus.

If you obey the above conditions then there is no way you should not have your answer. You should not worry about faith for the answers. So long as you have observed these conditions just expect your answer.

The Lord gives us a certain assurance in the next verse Matt 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.

Dear beloved brother or sister anytime you decide to agree on an issue and subsequently make a request unto the Lord be fully assured that Jesus is present with you. The father would definitely honour the request made in the name of the Son. If it is something you want changed, He (Jesus) says He would do it. (John 14: 13&14)

In the light of the great potency of this kind of prayer, when you have an urgent issue to handle just look for a brother or sister who you know can agree with you and then make the request together. Marriage couples are one of the best people to see great impact in this area. Unfortunately, a lot of couples don’t agree on very simple issues. Couples must see the head of the enemy in their disunity and quickly kick him out, to see great results in their prayers.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the privilege of the prayer of agreement. I know that whatever request we make in the name of Jesus, you would always answer.

THOUGHT: AGREE WITH OTHERS IN PRAYER AND GET YOUR RESULTS

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 18:18-20 “Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.

John 14:14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”.