Completely Remove the Enemies from your “land”
First of all we must be reminded that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through the pulling down of strongholds….
2 Cor. 10:
[3] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
[4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
[5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
The biggest battle we will have on a daily basis, will be the strongholds of our own mind, the perceptions that we have gathered throughout the years, and worst of all, the traditions of men that we fondly tuck away into the corner closets of our mind. Should we observe ANY thing that diminishes from those traditions, the castle gates go up, the battlements are prepared, and we are so sorely offended.
We must go to the WORD of GOD to check ourselves daily. We must bring every thought under subjection of the obedience of JESUS, for we are not our own, we have been bought with a price, the precious blood of a spotless sacrifice!!
There came a call one day in the natural realms…GOD was calling upon king Saul of the young Israeli kingdom, to go and utterly destroy the Amelekites:
I Sam:
15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
Saul did not follow the commandments of the LORD completely. I never understood why he would want to keep the enemy king alive. His greed was the cause of the sheep and oxen not being killed, but the enemy king? His archenemy? The one who wanted to overcome Israel?
15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
What Saul did was not only disobedience toward GOD, but it was also a challenge to GOD’S people later on. His lack of desire to UTTERLY destroy that which was not like GOD, not only cost him his kingdom, but in years to come the Israelites would have to again face the enemy called Agag….(agag means ” I will overtop you” or “I will conquer you” in the Hebrew).
That is the way it is with the enemy of our souls…If we allow actions, thoughts, attitudes that are not under the obedience of CHRIST in our lives, they have a way of conquering our minds and setting up strongholds that will seek to destroy us!
Looking ahead in the history of the Israeli people in the book of Esther we find Esther in the fight of her life, and for the existence of her people!
Esther 3:10 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.
A descendant of Agag was missed in the original order to remove all the Amelekites from the land, and later the enemy came with his curse to “conquer you” to the Israelites again. We know the story how that Haman the Agagite, sought to destroy all of the Jews. GOD used a little maiden who was a willing vessel in the MASTERS hand to finally overthrow a “curse” in the history of Israel. Because of Saul’s disobedience, it not only affected his life, but the life of so many others in the years that followed.
The lessons for us to acknowledge is when GOD directs us to remove things from our life that is unlike HIM, it is for a reason. “Agag” of the enemy still desires to overthrow your new kingdom man and creation in CHRIST JESUS! The strongholds of our minds have to be renewed daily. We must utterly cast down every thought, idea, tradition, and attitude to the OBEDIENCE of JESUS CHRIST. We must look to HIM and HIS WORD to find the ways of GOD. Our lack of desire to utterly keep down every thought, imagination, and attitude unlike HIM, is not only being disobedient, but will cost you an additional struggle later on in your spiritual journey! Utterly destroy the things unlike JESUS or they will conquer your thoughts and build strongholds of deceit, anger, bitterness, and all of those things that are unlike our LORD.
Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The firstfruits of our righteousness is found in the Lord Jesus Christ! He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin! He is touched with the “feelings” of our infirmities! It is in the feelings of our minds that we must be careful, for wrong feelings that arise when we are going through struggles will cause us to lose the battle that is before us! Jesus went through the same mental struggles of the mind, when the scriptures tell us that he was tempted in all points as we are! Yet he was without sin! He did not allow the feelings of his thoughts and mind which were unlike his Father, to bring him into sinful thoughts of doubts and wrath! He was the sinless sacrifice, not only in his body, but also in the strongholds of his mind! And as he was holy, we are also called to be holy as he is!
Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit (JESUS) be holy, the lump (you and me) is also holy: and if the root (JESUS) be holy, so are the branches.(you and me!)
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Ephesians 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Follow after the LORD JESUS CHRIST, Be Blessed in HIS SPIRIT, and read HIS WORD!
Pastor Stephen