22ND FEBRUARY, 2023
PASTOR OLUBI JOHNSON
KEEPING SATAN OUT
Acts 20:28,31 NIV
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
We diligently keep Satan out by:
1. Keeping our hearts with all diligence (Prov. 4:23-27).
2. Praying without ceasing (1Thess. 5:17).
How do we keep our hearts with all diligence?
Our hearts here refers to our souls: the mind, will and emotions.
We keep our hearts with all diligence by vigilantly keeping our thoughts, words and what we eat in line with the Word of God.
Proverbs 4:23 GNB
Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.
We must be vigilant in our thought life: it is not just what we think, but what we think or meditate on! (Phil. 4:8)
All kinds of thoughts come to everybody; however, it is only those thoughts you accept as an act of your will and so begin to meditate on and so desire, that develop into imaginations and subsequently, into actions that create strongholds (2Cor. 10:4-5).
So, the Scripture says ‘…as a man thinks (or wills: thoughts he accepts as an act of his will and consequently desires) so is he.’ (Prov. 23:7)
For instance, David decided to build a temple for God, and God rewarded him for this thought of his heart that he had not even performed, because David willed and desired to do it (2Sam. 7:1-17).
The Lord Jesus said the same thing about adultery: if you look with the will and desire to do it, you have done it (Matt. 5:28).
So, as far as God is concerned, a thought in your mind that you have willed and desired is as good as done, and those thoughts reflect who you really are.
So when a thought contrary to the Word of God comes to your mind, cast it down: do not accept it with your will or desires.
It takes the generating (by praying in the Spirit with all types of prayer and travail), releasing (by confessing the Word and praying in tongues), and receiving (by frequently acknowledging the Lord for mercy, praying in tongues and acting on the Word), of the power of the Holy Spirit in sufficient measure in your mind, to be able to do this diligently.
Observe that your tongue controls what you say, while your mouth determines what you eat (Prov. 21:23).
So what you say and what you eat affect your soul: mind, will and emotions (Luke 21:34).
So we should not speak words contrary to the Word of God, as such words will give Satan place in our hearts.
Our eating habits and diet also affect our hearts: overeating or, eating the wrong things, can be a drain of spiritual power from our souls and injure our health.
So while in the New Testament, it is lawful to eat anything, it is spiritually expedient to allow the Holy Spirit to control what, when and how much you eat, so your eating will not drain the power of the Holy Spirit from your mind and feelings, and so give place to Satan through them (1Tim. 4:3-5; 1Cor. 6:12-13).
For more on today’s study visit:
https://bit.ly/41k5rh1
Follow Pastor Olubi Johnson on Twitter, Facebook, IG, and YouTube: spcconlineoj
Web: www.spcconline.org
Get the new SPCC Mobile app on Android, IOS, Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku – https://get.theapp.co/nx25
Listen to our podcasts on any of your favourite podcast app: search for Olubi Johnson