“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
August 3, 2020
Suppose you own a piece of property, and right in the middle of it you sell me an acre, and I have access in and out. Let’s suppose all night long I’m playing loud music, I throw trash around, I desecrate your property. After a while, you say “I want you out of there. Move out. You’re defiling my land.”
But I say, “I’m not going; you can’t make me go. You sold me this piece of property; I’ve got a legal right to it and I’m not moving.” Dear friend, you would not be able to move me out, because you sold it to me.
Some of you have done almost the same thing with Satan. Certain things in your life have become strongholds, and you have given a place to the devil. You cannot dislodge him unless you legally dislodge him. How can you do that?
Even after you repent from sin, the devil isn’t just going to walk out. You’re going to have to run him out. You still have to clean house. You have to say, “Satan, I’ve given you a place, but I take it back in the name and the authority of Jesus. Satan, I don’t shout at you, I don’t plead with you, I don’t argue with you, I don’t beg you. I bring Jesus Christ against you. You have no right here, no authority here. This body of mine is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. You are trespassing on my Father’s property, and in the name of Jesus, Whose I am and Whom I serve, be gone!” He will flee from you.
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”