The Enemy Is Within

     It has been said that a country cannot fall unless it is destroyed from within.  I think we can see that happening, but there is also another verse to that song.  A person cannot fall unless he is destroyed from within.  It was not until this last year that I realized that every enemy we will ever fight is inside of us.  These enemies cause us to fix our eyes on "self" and they cause us to turn our heart from God.  These are the enemies, the ones that are inside of us, that we have to fight if we are to make it in the coming days.
     I am going to start by naming a few of them.  This list is not comprehesive, but you can get an idea about what we are up against:  anger, depression, fear, jealousy, greed, unforgiveness, revenge, pride, anxieties, lust, perversion, rebellion, control, self-pity, self-condemnation, selfish ambition, (anything with self in front of it), insecurities, rejection, abandonment, feelings of worthlessness, inadequacies, addictions, and the list goes on.  These are the things we have to fight.  In the past we thought that the forces that were against us were external, but they are not.  The people and circumstances in our lives are only there to expose what is inside.  Once exposed, we can deal with them, but as long as it is hidden, it has free reign to lie and to deceive our hearts.  When we believe the lie, sin enters, and when we focus on the lie, it becomes a stronghold.  The time has come for us to go in and take possession of the "Promised Land" (our heart).  I know there are giants in the land, but our God is so much bigger than the giants, we just have to let Him in. 
    So, when I go back to Leviticus 26, I see that when we allow any of these enemies in, God has to send consequences:  terror, wasting disease, fever, blindness, sorrow of heart, pockets with holes in them.  If you see any of these things in your life, chances are that there is sin in your life.  You may not know it, but God wants us to reveal the sin to you so that you can turn from it.  Now this is a "spiritual battle", and it can only be fought in the "spirit".  If you think that you can say, "I'll do better. I can take care of this on my own," you are sadly mistaken.  You cannot overcome the sin in your heart, only Jesus can, so we have to call on Him for help.  So how do we do this?
      First, we have to call on the name of Jesus.  It is written that "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."  It is only through Him that we will find salvation.  Then we have to open our heart wide and let the LORD come in.  In Psalm 24 it says, "Open up you gates (my heart), you everlasting doors and let the King of Glory come in.  Open up you gates, you everlasting doors and let the King of Glory come in, and who is the King of Glory, THE LORD OF HEAVEN'S ARMIES, THE LORD MIGHTY IN BATTLE, He is the King of glory."  Ok, so when we command our heart to open - speak it outloud - our Savior and all the hosts of Heaven come in to fight for us.  Then Psalm 139:24-25 says, "Search my heart O God and know me.  Try my anxious thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in paths of life everlasting."  Then we invite the LORD in to search and expose any enemy that is within.  He will then bring things to our remembrance.  Once that happens, we have to ...
     Accept our guilt.  I know that we will be able to point the finger at someone else, and what they have done.  This is not about them, this is about us.  We have to accept our guilt.  I held unforgiveness in my heart, I am so sorry, LORD.  Please forgive me.  Now I ask that You would forgive this person.  Release them from this sin.  Bless them.  Pour Your Spirit on them.  Give them peace and safety.  And LORD, forgive me for condemning my self.  I am so sorry.  I have been believing a lie.  You said, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk after the spirit and not the flesh."  You don't condemn me, so please forgive me for condemning my self.  Now, LORD, see if there is anything else inside of me that offends You.  Bring it to the surface.  I ask this in Jesus' name.
    The LORD said that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  As far as the east is from the west, our sins are from us, never to be remembered any longer, so if you confess your sins, you have to trust this because another enemy that will try to attack is "guilt" and "condemnation", and you have to make sure that you "forgive yourself".  Put this under the blood.  If any of these three try to attack you, confess them as sins (we are not believing and trusting God).  Once we have put all our sins "under the blood", peace enters our heart.  Read Psalm 32 (in the New Living Translation if possible).  Wow!  The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!
     This is our warfare.  We know the enemy, and we know how to fight.  But before we can begin, we have to want to.  God will not come to us until we want Him to.  That's where the consequences come in.  When it gets bad enough, call upon His name.  He will be there to rescue you.  May the LORD say to us like He said to Leia, "I will not relent, my child, until your heart and My heart are one."

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