 I want to talk to that believer who's agonizing, who is frustrated, who feels hopeless because of some sinful habit that they just can't overcome. Maybe you've tried prayer, you've tried fasting, you've tried disciplining yourself to read the word consistently, and perhaps you've run into a wall, perhaps you've found yourself in a situation that doesn't seem to be changing, and no matter what you do, you just can't overcome that sinful habit. You just can't overcome a certain behavior, a certain mindset, a certain attitude, something that has to do with the flesh that's lingering, you want to be rid of it, you want to overcome it, you just don't know how. I also want to talk to that believer who maybe is walking in victory, but wants to know how to remain in that victory, who wants to know how to walk in the victory for which God designed you. Here's what I want you to do, by faith, leave a simple comment, enough is enough. Write those three simple words in the comment section right now, whether you're watching live or on the replay, I want you to write that in, enough is enough. And I don't want you just to say that, I don't want you just to type that. I want you to put your faith behind those words. I want you to believe that, get your hopes up. I know it's been disappointing to not be set free. I know perhaps you've tried so many things and you feel hopeless. You're tired of seeing your hopes rise, only to see them come crashing down. Get your hopes up. This is going to be a time of victory. You will overcome this. You will be set free. You will not have to struggle with this. Some believers, the entirety of their Christian life has become all about overcoming sin. The entirety of their Christian walk has become about overcoming some habit or breaking some cycle, but there is so much more to our walk with God than simply not sinning. There is so much more to the presence of God, to the power of God, to our relationship with God than just not sinning. Sometimes I imagine that the believer just has this list before them where they see all of the things written that they should not do and then they focus their entire lives on just not doing those things. You ought to live holy, yes. I'm not saying you shouldn't live holy. You ought to live holy. But if the entirety of your Christian life is all about not sinning, you're missing something. It's time to go to higher places. Look, I'm gonna give you some harsh truths today, but I'm gonna give you truths that will set you free. If you are bound, remember this, if you are bound, then there's a truth that you've not yet allowed yourself to believe. Jesus said, you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free. So if you're bound, there's a truth that you need to embrace. And there's a lie that you need to be rid of. All deception, all temptation, all sinful habits are rooted ultimately in a lie. Something that we believe that just isn't so. God did not create you to live in defeat. God did not create you to just struggle with sin. God did not create you to be tormented by your wrongdoing. There's more to your life. There's more to your purpose. There's more to your calling than just being frustrated with yourself. It's time, as I said, to go to higher places. Enough is enough. Now first, we have to look at the fact that really you have two enemies battling against you. There are two primary enemies to your spiritual life. That's Satan and self. Now the reason why many believers find themselves stuck in cycles, stuck in habits, stuck in bondage really is precisely because they don't understand that there are in fact two different enemies. Some believers, they know how to discipline self but they're not aware of the spiritual battle in which they are engaged. They're not aware of their spiritual enemy. They're not aware of the demonic realm. They're not aware of the tactics of the enemy that are used against them. And so they just battle self but never Satan. Other believers are so focused on Satan that they blame everything on demons and they never deal with the problem of self. You have to address both enemies and both enemies are addressed differently. This is why many remain bound. So very clearly in scripture we see that there is the battle with Satan. Ephesians chapter six verse 12. And when I say Satan I'm not talking about the idea that you personally as an individual are actually going directly against Satan himself. When I talk about Satan I'm talking about his influence as a whole. And this can be a battle with a demonic being who's been assigned to you but not necessarily Satan himself because Satan is not omnipresent. Remember in the book of Job when the sons of God came to present themselves to God Satan was among them. This means that he had traveled there and when asked what he was doing he talked about the fact that he was traveling the world. Well if you can travel then by definition you can't be omnipresent because to be omnipresent means you're everywhere at all times so you can never really travel anywhere. So Satan is not omnipresent. You're not facing Satan directly but you are battling the influence of hell through the minions that he has assigned to you to come against you, to attack your spiritual life, to cause doubt where there should be faith, to cause chaos where there should be clarity, to cause confusion where you should know truth, to cause sin where there should be holiness. Ephesians 6-12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. A quick breakdown of that for you. Principalities are not demonic beings. Now in the Christian world sometimes we use lingo that isn't exactly 100% accurate. So if you use the word principality to describe a strong demon, you're not speaking heresy, it's not something that is so off that it's gonna destroy your entire view of the spiritual realm. But I like to be very clear for the sake of clarity and because I'm committed to communicating biblical truths with clarity. So I'm not trying to nitpick here but principalities are not strong demons. Principalities are the regions controlled by the strong demons and this is why we refer to demons who control principalities as prince demons. The prince demons are the actual demonic forces, the principalities are the regions under their control. Against powers, here the Bible is talking about the structures of hell. Just like we talk about the powers that be or you can say the government. When you say the government, you may not be referring to one individual in particular but rather you're referring to the entire infrastructure, the system by which the government functions in the same way. When the Bible talks about the fact that we go against powers, it's talking about the structures of the demonic realm and not necessarily demonic beings themselves. So principalities are regions against powers, these are the structures of hell and the systems of hell against the rulers of darkness of this world. This right here is talking about the demonic beings themselves and then against spiritual wickedness in high places. This can be referring to demonic beings who have a higher rank in the realm of the spirit. It can also be a reference to fallen angels who are different than demons but that's a different lesson for a different time. But here in Ephesians 6, 12, we see very clearly that we are engaged in a battle with the enemy that the enemy does in fact attack us. He does come against us. Now I can give you maybe at some other point to break down of Ephesians chapter six wherein we see that ultimately against the believer the enemy uses deception and ultimately the armor of God is all about truth and believing that truth which is why I say that spiritual warfare in its simplest definition is simply the fight to believe God's truth over the enemy's lies. But again, clearly we see and the point I'm trying to establish here from Ephesians 6, 12 is the simple fact that we are engaged with the very real enemy from a different realm. This is the reference to demonic beings to Satan to the kingdom of hell and so forth. Now watch 1 Peter 5, 8. Look at this. Stay alert, watch out for your enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Now again, we acknowledge that Satan is not omnipresent and again we acknowledge that Satan may not be attacking you individually. It may not be Satan himself attacking you like I hear from people all the time saying Satan himself came to me. I said, well, I think Satan himself would probably be more focused on some of the higher ranking individuals in society, maybe in government, maybe who have influence over regions, that would make more sense. Is it possible some of these people have seen Satan face to face? Possibly, but I think that it's more unlikely than not. Now, stay alert, watch out for your enemy, your great enemy, the devil. So here the Bible is warning us to be alert. There are two extremes when it comes to approaching spiritual warfare. Some are on the extreme of saying nothing is a demon. Others are on the extreme of saying everything is a demon. One side is apathetic toward the kingdom of hell and therefore they leave themselves wide open to demonic attack. And the other side is so obsessed with demonic power that they actually sometimes make it sound as though that demonic power is much more powerful than the Holy Spirit's power. So we have to find the balance. Here the Bible says stay alert. Does it say stay paranoid? No. Does it say stay frightened? No, stay alert, be vigilant. There's a big difference between paranoia and vigilance. Vigilance is based on wisdom, paranoia is based on fear. Watch out for your great enemy. So here the Bible talks about the fact that the enemy is quite powerful. He's not some weak being. Now, when we're filled with the Holy Spirit, walking as we should, when the Holy Spirit is working in our lives and we've aligned ourselves with the Word and the will of God, then of course we need not worry about demonic beings or demonic beings cannot swim in the depths of God. There's no devil who can walk on your level when you're walking in the glory of God. So the Holy Spirit's power is greater than any power, but still we must be vigilant, not paranoid, vigilant. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. So Ephesians 6-12, 1 Peter 5-8, both make it very clear that we're engaged in a spiritual battle and that to some degree, the enemy can affect believers, okay? So there is an effect that the enemy can have on you. This is influence, this is not ownership, this is not possession, this is influence. And I've been very clear on this and I wanna stay consistent and clear on this matter to make sure that you're not being too apathetic and to make sure you're not being too paranoid. The enemy can bring influence in your life, but he can never own you. That's again, another lesson for another time. I'm talking here specifically about overcoming sin. Now let's look at this other enemy that the Bible talks about. We also have a battle against self. Here's what Galatians 5-17 says in the King James Version. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, meaning the desires of the flesh are opposite of the desires of the spirit. And here spirit is capitalized, talking about the Holy Spirit in us. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him, so the Holy Spirit's desires in us are like our desires in us because we are one in the spirit. And the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. That's Galatians 5-17. Now some might look at this and say, wait a minute, that seems like a contradiction because Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 very clearly says that we're not battling against flesh and blood enemies, but then here in Galatians chapter 5 verse 17, it says that we are in fact battling against the flesh. Well, this is to misunderstand the use of the word flesh in both contexts. If you think there's a contradiction, there's something about one of the verses that's not being fully understood and this happens. This is okay, but we have to make sure we're attentive and that we're studying these matters and not just dismissing them as contradiction. So let's take Ephesians 6-12 for a moment. When the Bible talks about the fact that we're not wrestling against flesh and blood enemies, the Bible is not saying that there's no problem with the sin nature. Rather, Ephesians 6 is talking about a war and in this war, the primary enemy is the devil. It is a spiritual battle. So ultimately, we're not fighting with actual weapons. We're not carrying actual shields. We don't have to walk around wearing actual armor. We don't have to look around the physical realm to make sure that we're not being attacked by the enemy. So Ephesians 6-12 is simply talking about the reality of the spiritual realm and emphasizing the fact that the actual battle, that spiritual battle is not engaged upon or not engaged with in this realm. Now, Galatians 5-17 is talking about the reality of the sin nature. And this is important to remember as well. Whenever the Bible uses the word flesh, sometimes that word flesh means physical body. Other times that word flesh means the sin nature. In order to know what the Bible is talking about at any given moment, simply look at the context for context will dictate the meaning. So flesh can mean sin nature or flesh can mean the physical body. So Ephesians 6-12 and Galatians 5-17 are not contradictions to one another. Ephesians isn't saying that the physical body is never a problem. It's simply saying that the battle described specifically in Ephesians chapter six is not one of physical warring but one of spiritual warring. But Galatians 5-17 makes it clear that there's also another enemy. Get this clear because some people are under the impression that when they're battling sin, that it's entirely the enemy's fault. And so they say, well, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, they misquote Ephesians chapter six verse 12 to make it seem as though there's nothing naturally within us that has come about as the result of the fall of man that would work against our spiritual nature. But in fact, there is something in us that sin nature and it's not necessarily a part of who we actually are but it's still a very real thing against which we must resist. Now, this is not a contradiction, this is describing two different kinds of battles. So Satan is defeated by truth and self is defeated by discipline and self control. First Corinthians chapter nine verse 27 says, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway or be a castaway. Now this is a very, I don't wanna use the word frightening but it is frightening in one sense. The fact that Paul the apostle writes, I don't wanna be a castaway myself. So Paul the apostle understood that if he didn't discipline his body, that he himself could become a castaway. Now, it's important to note here that when Paul the apostle talks about disciplining his body, he's talking about the fact that sometimes the physical body can be used to fulfill the desires of the sin nature but they're not one in the same. The sin nature can influence the physical body but the sin nature is not the physical body. In fact, the Bible makes it very clear that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so it can't be evil unto itself. Your body is neutral. It can be used for holiness or for sin. It can be used under the control of the sin nature or it can fall under the influence of the Holy Spirit. So when Paul writes about keeping his physical body subjected, he is indirectly talking about the influence of the sin nature on the body. He is not saying that the body is itself evil. So he keeps the flesh under subjection. He disciplines himself to choose to live according to the will of God. So the Bible says in Galatians 5.16, so I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. Very clearly here we see that the key to overcoming sin is to walk by the Holy Spirit. How do you do this? Because how many times have you heard something like that said? Well, if you want to overcome sin, you just have to give it to Jesus. How do I give it to Jesus? If you wanna overcome sin, you just need to turn to the Lord. How do I turn to the Lord? You wanna overcome sin? Just make sure you're surrendered to the Holy Spirit. Tell me how do I surrender to the Holy Spirit? But before we get into that, make sure we understand the deceptive nature of sin. Sin is rooted in lies. Let me give you some of the big lies that get you to sin. When you're tempted with the sin, pay attention to what's happening there. When you're tempted with a sin that's before you, this could be sexual in nature. This could be something that's monetary, like something that incites your greed. This could be wanting to respond to your anger. This could be wanting to hold on to your pride or to bitterness or to unforgiveness. This could be being tempted to gossip and so forth. All of the sins that we commit, all of these things that are contrary to the nature of God are ultimately rooted in deception. Now, there are sins of commission, which are sins that we commit by acting out in a certain way or thinking in a certain way or speaking in a certain way. And then there are sins of omission. These are things that we don't do, that we know that we should. He that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. That's what the Bible says. So there are sins of commission, omission, and then there are sinful states of being. Sinful states of being are like pride, bitterness, jealousy. These aren't necessarily things that we're acting out, but rather they're states of being in the mind and emotions. So all of these, categorically speaking, though any sin out there ultimately, you're gonna see a lie behind that sin that's tempting you. You are tempted because you are deceived and that deception is based on a lie. Watch this now. Here are some examples of how this deception might work. Here's one lie the enemy will tell you. This sin will fulfill you. How many times have you gone back again and again to doing something that you thought would fulfill you? Minutes later, hours later, days later, you suddenly realized that didn't fulfill me. I got nothing out of that, but regret and guilt and shame and frustration and this sense of a distance from God. That is because it's based on a lie. The lie being that this will fulfill you. The other lie is this sin is worth it. So maybe we recognize that we won't necessarily be completely fulfilled by the sin, but we think that the trade-off might be good, but the trade-off is never worth it. There's nothing that you could ever give up for sin that would be worth the trade. It's better just to have nothing and be holy than to have everything and be sinful because you're tormented inwardly. So this sin is worth it, that's another lie. Here's another big one. This sin will be more fulfilling than God's presence. How many times? That's a big one. This sin will be more fulfilling than God's presence. How many times have you been tempted with a sin and then also realized maybe I should pray instead? Maybe I should read the word instead. Maybe I should worship instead and ultimately you get pulled back into that sin because the lie deep down that you believe is that this sin will be more fulfilling than God's presence. What a lie indeed. Now you may say, I don't believe that. That's not what I think. But our actions reveal more about what we believe than our words and even our thoughts. This sin has no consequence. That's a big one where the enemy says there's no real consequence to this. This isn't hurting anyone maybe or the enemy will say something like, you know, you've been doing so good. God understands and if you commit this now it's not necessarily a lifestyle of sin. It's just a one time thing and then you can repent. God will forgive you. Yeah, it's true, God will forgive you but this is to fall for the trap for the belief that there is no consequence for the sin that you're committing. Look, even if you never get caught in a sin even if it never affects the people around you directly something happens in you when you disobey the word of God and when you choose sin over holiness something begins to take place in you that that mars the image of Jesus in you and that is something that is of huge consequence because then that sin, especially if it's a secret one begins to fester in your heart begins to cause you to think a certain way and fill a certain way and that ultimately changes the way that you treat people. It changes the way that you see people. It changes the way that you see life and the blessings of God and the church and so many other things. Sin impacts everything about you. There is no such thing as a sin with no consequence and this is why we mustn't fall for that deceptive nature of sin. Look here in Genesis chapter three. I'm gonna show you something that's quite interesting. Genesis chapter three, I'm gonna read verses one through seven. I'm reading out of the MLT. Genesis three, one through seven. If this is helping you, let me know in the comment right now live or replay. Okay, Genesis three, one through seven. The serpent was the shrewtice of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? Of course we may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden, the woman replied. It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said you must not eat it or even touch it. If you do, you will die. Now watch this, the enemy contradicts. You won't die, the serpent replied to the woman. God knows that your eyes will be open as soon as you eat it and you will be like God. What a liar. Knowing both good and evil. The woman was convinced. So you see that deception came before giving into temptation. The woman was convinced. The lie came before the sin. The deception came before the response. The belief came before the action. The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. There's a lot here guys. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it too. At that moment, their eyes were open and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness so they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Now watch this. It wasn't until she was convinced of the lie that the fruit started to look good. Look at what the scripture says. It says the woman was convinced. After she was convinced we see she saw the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious. In other words, the lie that the enemy had convinced her of intensified the craving for what she desired. Let's say that again. The lie that the enemy convinced her of intensified the desire for what she was craving. That is how temptation works. It's first rooted in a lie. Now notice something here. A lot of people will point out to you that Satan contradicted the word. You won't die, he says. But not only did Satan contradict the word, he did something else before he straight out told her, you won't die. Look back just a little bit and he asks her a question. Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? So what happens here? First, he questions the word and then he contradicts it. So first he questions the word, then he contradicts the word, then you're convinced of the lie and once you're convinced of the lie, the craving for that sinful pleasure is intensified and you're overcome and then you lose that battle with temptation. Think about this. We're exposing the enemy right now. So first he questions the word. You see, had the enemy come out right and contradicted the word first, that would have caused Eve possibly, I'm theorizing this and I'm certain this is true in the application of our everyday lives, but let's take Genesis three for example. Had Satan just questioned or contradicted the word right at the beginning? Had Satan just said from the very start, this is not what God said, well that contradiction would have been jarring. Maybe Eve would have pushed back a little bit on that, say wait a minute, no, he did say that. So what does he get Eve to do before he can contradict what God says? Before he can contradict what God says, he has to question it. So he will add doubt before there is deception. Doubt is the pathway to deception. Doubt is the pathway to deception. So before he can convince you of the lie, the outright lie, he must first plant that seed of doubt. Before he can deceive you, he will try to confuse you. Confusion precedes deception and he causes confusion by questioning. Did God really say it? Is that what the Bible says? Because most of us, if the enemy were to lie to us and say, well the sin has no consequence, you'd say no it does have consequence. So he gets you to question, well is there gonna be a major consequence that's gonna affect me immediately? Is this gonna become a habit? Is this really gonna destroy me long term? Or maybe even lies to you and tells you, you're only gonna do this one more time and then after that you're gonna be done with it. And we believe that, that subtle questioning before the contradiction and so the enemy will cause confusion to bring deception, he'll cause doubt to bring deception. Once you've been under the power of that deception, that deception produces in you an intensified craving for what you desire under that temptation and then you fall and then instead of addressing the lie behind why you fell, you address the behavior. And this is why so many of you are frustrated because you're trying to discipline alone. And it's discipline alone that is your part but you have to remember, there's also the aid of the Holy Spirit. This is also a spiritual battle, you're battling self and Satan. And so we have to learn to come under the truth and come into agreement with the truth and we have to learn to identify those lies because if you don't identify the lie, you'll do good for a week or a month or even six months and then find yourself right back where you started because instead of addressing the root cause which was the deception, you went right for the exterior which was the action of the manifestation and ultimately it's fruitless and maybe I shouldn't say ultimately it's fruitless, it's fruitful maybe for a season but if you don't address the ultimate lie, it's not going to actually have a lasting effect. First John 2.16 says this, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. So there, first John 2.16 very clearly tells us of the three different aspects of temptation. She saw that's the lust of the eyes. She looked at the fruit and the fruit looked delicious. She was craving it, that's the lust of the flesh. She wanted the wisdom so she could be like God that was the pride of life. Jesus himself by the way was tempted in all three of these points. Look at the temptation of Christ. This is going to be a very revealing portion of scripture right here. So we saw how Eve fell for this strategy of the enemy and she failed at the point of temptation. So did Adam by the way but then we look at the temptation of Christ and this is where redemption begins. You see Adam, the first Adam falls into sin because he gave way to temptation. Christ begins that path to redemption by overcoming temptation in Matthew chapter four. So where Adam and Eve failed, Christ succeeded. It was the same strategy. The enemy what was coming against them in the same way. Now watch this. Do you notice, and I'm gonna show you this in Matthew four. I'll paraphrase this real briefly and then we're gonna get into Matthew four in just a moment. But notice something in Matthew chapter four that Jesus was first tempted with bread. He was tempted with food. Well, Eve was tempted with fruit. We don't know which fruit it was but she was tempted with the fruit. So both of them were first tempted in their cravings. Now had Eve overcome the temptation to eat that fruit, I'm positive there were two other temptations coming her way. I'm positive there were two other strategies that the enemy was going to use. Imagine had Adam and Eve overcome those temptations all three points, how would God have rewarded them and how might he have punished permanently the deceiver? So again, looking at first John 2.16, three components of temptation, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life, all three of those components are present at the first temptation in Genesis chapter three and all three of these components are also present at the temptation of Christ in Matthew chapter four. Matthew four verses one through 11 then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. So here he's entering into this place where he will be tempted now. For 40 days and 40 nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, if you are the son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread. But Jesus told him, no, the scriptures say, people do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Camerot is a little distracting. Every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city Jerusalem to the highest point of the temple and said, if you are the son of God, jump off. Interesting, he's being tempted to jump off. Why? Because he's wanting to prove something or he wants him to try to prove his identity. For the scriptures say, he will order his angels to protect you and they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. Jesus responded, the scriptures also say, you must not test the Lord your God. Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. I will give it all to you, he said. If you will kneel down and worship me. Now Jesus didn't deny that it was in the power of Satan to give him the kingdoms of the world because at that time, Satan had influence in the world that he doesn't have today. He still has some influence but not the same as back then. Get out of here Satan, Jesus told him. For the scriptures say, you must worship the Lord your God and serve only him. Then the devil went away and angels came and took care of Jesus. That's Matthew four verses one through 11. Now there are actually four attacks that the enemy uses here and they're very, well, three of them are very obvious, one of them a little more subtle. Now again, there are the three components of temptation found in Matthew chapter four, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. So Jesus was first tempted with hunger. If you are the son of God, turn these stones into bread. What does he resist that with? Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So he overcomes there the cravings of the flesh. How do you overcome the cravings of the flesh by being filled with the word? So any sin that falls under the category of the lust of the flesh, like gluttony, like lust, like drug use, like alcoholism, that's the craving of the flesh. Those can be overcome by being filled with the word. You may say, I already tried that. Well, that God be true in every man a liar. If we do fill ourselves with the word daily, consistently, eventually over time, we will see spiritual strength come to our lives to where we're able to overcome the cravings of the flesh. More on that in a little bit. Now let's look at the next one here, the pride of life. He says, cast yourself down, jump off this building. Why? Because he wanted Jesus to prove himself. He's saying, show that you are the son of God and everyone will see that the Lord protects you. Everyone's gonna see the angels catch you. This was the pride of life. And Jesus overcomes this too. Also by saying it is written or coming at him against him, he's coming against him with the written word. You mustn't tempt the Lord your God. How does he overcome the pride of life? Any sin that falls under the category of the pride of life is battled or defeated by humility. Jesus demonstrates humility by saying that you must not tempt the Lord your God. Then the enemy takes him to a high place. Watch this now. Takes him to a high place, shows him all the kingdoms of the world, all the glory that the world has to offer. And he says, I'll give this to you. What is happening here? Jesus is looking at what the enemy is tempting him with. That's the lust of the eyes by what you see. So lust of the flesh, pride of life, lust of the eyes, all of these make up all of the components of temptation. Every sin that's ever committed will fall under one of these three categories. Again, the lust of the flesh, Jesus overcame by knowing the word, by being filled with the word, being filled with the word, does away with the cravings of the sin nature, the pride of life. Jesus chooses humility, the lust of the eyes. Jesus chooses worship. You must serve the Lord your God only. And he's demonstrating this for you and I. Now the fourth attack was very subtle. And this is actually where the enemy attacks you and you may not even recognize it. The fourth attack came in the challenge of his identity. The fourth attack came by him trying to bring doubt or raise doubt on the issue of who he was. If you are the son of God, Jesus had nothing to prove. But if he had any insecurity in that area, somebody else in that situation perhaps, their insecurity would want to prove something. And so because Jesus was fully convinced of his identity and who he is, he was able to overcome these attacks. Basically, the enemy comes out and with deception, Jesus fights back with the word and when the enemy challenged his identity, this is so incredible. When the enemy challenged his identity, he said time and time again, it is written, it is written, it is written. Wait a minute, wait a minute. How come Jesus didn't use his experience? Well, think about it. If I were Jesus, I would have said Satan, weren't you there at the Jordan River? Weren't you there when I was baptized? Didn't you see the dove descending upon me, the Holy Spirit? Didn't you hear my father's voice boom across the waters declaring, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased? Weren't you there Satan? When I was declared to be the beloved son of God, Jesus could have done that. In fact, it was just days before that that had occurred. So when Satan says, if you are the son of God, Jesus could have said, weren't you there at the river? Didn't you see at my baptism? I was pretty much endorsed by a heavenly voice that should prove it. No, not even Jesus in that scenario used his experience. What did he use, the written word? Far too many believers imagine that it is their experience that helps them to overcome the enemy, it's not. It is not your experience that helps you to overcome the enemy. The enemy does not, I'm so tired of Christians being puffed up with ego, especially in this area. We say things like, well, you know, the demons are attacking me because they know my spiritual rank, your spiritual rank. The only authority that any of us have over demonic power comes from Christ directly. And his is the highest rank you can get. Well, you know, the enemy knows I'm a threat to him. Well, the Holy Spirit in you is the threat. The Holy Spirit is the one who destroys demonic power, not us, we rely on that power. And I understand we have our identities in him. We're one with Christ and so forth, we're spirit beings. I get all that. But ultimately, we are reflections of a marvelous light, not the source of it. And so this idea, this notion, this prideful way of seeing it, that it is my spiritual rank that does away with demonic power. It's my experience. It's how much I know about demons in the spiritual realm. I understand, I have revelation. I have experience that's pride and pride goes before the fall. If anybody could have used experience, it was Jesus. Jesus didn't say, well, you know, I've been in ministry for 30 years. Jesus didn't say, well, you know, I can perform miracles. You know, demons tremble. No, no, no, what he said was it is written. And this is what we need to get back to as the body of Christ, back to the written word, back to recognizing the authority. I understand, yes, we believe in healing the sick. We believe in casting out devils. We believe in prophesying. We believe in winning souls. We believe in doing ministry. But your ministry effectiveness has nothing to do with your ability to overcome sin, which is why some people can be very effective in ministry, but failing privately. So here we see the Lord comes against the attack of the enemy, the challenge to his identity by what he declares it is written. Now, we must come into agreement with what is written. And this is so key, and I don't think most believers understand this. Psalm 119.11 says this, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Now, it's a common point I make, I make it often that the word helps to give you power against the sin nature. And you may say, well, yeah, I believe the word. You may say, well, yeah, I know the truth that I'm the righteousness of Christ. Yeah, I know the truth that sin destroys. Yeah, I know the truth that sin doesn't fulfill. You may know it intellectually, but has it become a revelation to you? Has it become so a part of your being that that truth is lived? Because it's one thing to know a truth. It's another thing to live it. You see, when Jesus said, you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free. He was talking about a deeper knowing. He was talking about a belief so powerful that it actually produced action. Same thing as saving faith. When we believe on Jesus, when we believe on his sacrifice, when we believe on the gospel or in the gospel, well, then we are saved, but that true belief will always produce something. So it's the same thing here. Many times we say, yeah, you know, I know the word. And many people have memorized scripture, but they still don't know the truth. And when I say know the truth, I mean, they haven't allowed that truth to be absorbed into their being. And I'm gonna talk a little bit about what that looks like and exactly how this might play out. But here's the reality. Some don't want to be free from sin. They just want to be free from the consequences of sin. I'm gonna say that again. Write that in the chat. Some don't want to be free from sin. Rather, they want to be free from the consequences of sin. They wanna keep the pleasure, but they don't want the guilt. They wanna keep the pleasure, but they don't want the shame. They wanna keep the pleasure, but they don't want the consequences of how it begins to destroy their lives. This is why many believers mistake regret for repentance. Never mistake regret for repentance. Now I know some might say, well, regret can lead to repentance. I understand that Godly sorrow work with repentance, but regret, though it can lead to repentance, is not in and of itself the same thing as repentance. Regret can be a part of repentance. Regret can cause repentance, but regret itself is not repentance. What is repentance? Well, think about what the Greek word means. The Greek word, the original language, the Greek word for repentance literally means a change of mind. Now some might say, brother David, no, it's more than that. It's to turn from sin. Yes, it is. But in the biblical application of that term, a change of mind literally means a change of mind that results in a turning from sin. In other words, I've changed my mind about something. What did I change my mind about? I changed my mind about my sin. I've changed my mind about my identity. I've changed my mind about how the world works. I've changed my mind and I've come into agreement with God. That's what repentance is. And so when the Bible says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you, that's a very real thing that actually begins to transform you. Not I've memorized tons of scripture. Not I hear the scripture often. Not I listen to the scripture on audio book. Rather, I've hidden your word in my heart. It's become a part of me. I'm not just memorizing scripture. I'm not just quoting scripture. I don't just acknowledge the things that the Bible says, but rather I have absorbed that truth into the very core of who I am. And that knowing of the truth, that deep inner witness of the truth is what ultimately begins to produce that freedom. Now, this is why I say regret is not repentance because some people will sin, feel bad, ask for forgiveness because they don't wanna feel bad again and then go right back to their sin because they repented not to be free from sin but to be free from feeling bad, to get rid of that shame. So, this is not just an intellectual acknowledgement of the word, it is a deep knowing that actually begins to affect your intentions. This is how tricky the flesh is. This is what I mean. So then to repent, it's not just, oh Lord, I'm sorry I did that, help me not to do it again and then get all superstitious, cross your fingers, knock on wood, help me out next time. Hopefully I get this right. And then we throw ourselves pity parties. Oh, God doesn't hear me. Oh, I've tried so many times and really let me just be real with you. I told you we're gonna get some harsh truths and I say this because I love you. You are lying to yourself. If you say that you've tried to overcome sin with God's help but you can't, that is a lie. Why? Because the Bible says let God be true in every man a liar and we are lying to ourselves. I can't tell you how many times I've counseled people who say I wanna overcome this one sin. For example, let's say someone who wants to overcome drinking and then they come to me and say I wanna stop being a drunkard as the Bible commands me to stop being a drunkard. And I say okay, well then get rid of it from your house. Start going to Christian counseling. Pray fast, get in the word, get around Godly people. And then they do all that and then they'll say well I went, I fell again. Brother David I fell, I fell, I fell. And I say okay, how did this happen? They say well I went to a party. I didn't think I was gonna actually drink but then everyone was drinking around me so I started drinking and I fell right back into it I've been drinking the last few days. I say wait a minute, back up, back up, back up, back up. What made you think you can go into that party without falling into that sin in your vulnerable state at this moment? And they'll say well you know I didn't intend to do it. I said you are lying to yourself. You maybe in the conscious part of who you are were telling yourself I'm not going in there to drink but in the back of your mind you knew why you were going to that party. It's the same thing for Christians who tell me they keep sleeping around and they can't help it. I said well did you go to her house? Yeah you drove there how long did they take? Took me a couple hours to drive there. So the whole car ride there, you're going to her house, no one's home, you're alone, you're telling me that the whole time your plan, your intention was to not do anything at all. They say yeah well I don't believe that. I believe that you told yourself that so you wouldn't fill the guilt that led up to the sin and in the back of your mind really you were saying maybe just a little. And you lied to yourself again when you said that you could control it. I told you these are harsh truths. Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't have compassion for people who are struggling. We all struggle and I don't want this to come across as legalism. Don't confuse holiness for legalism. Legalism is the attempt at salvation under your own power and work. So that's not what I'm talking about here. Rather I'm saying that we lie to ourselves and we have to get honest about that. We'll tell ourselves out loud I'm not going to do anything or I'm only going to go so far or I can control this but in the back of your mind deep in the inner core of that flesh that said nature you know what your intentions are. You know what you're going to do. And so we put ourselves in these situations lying to ourselves and this is why I say I've hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. You have to actually absorb this truth. You have to actually be convinced of what God says. So then repentance isn't just Lord I'm sorry I did it again I feel bad. Better luck next time. Forgive me though because I don't want to fill this way. That's not repentance. That's manipulation. That's called lying to yourself. That's self deception. You know what repentance sounds like? Repentance is okay God. I agree that what I did was wrong. And I agree that it's not up to your standard. And I agree that I should never allow this back into my life. And I agree that I should intend to never do this again. Not just for the next few days. Not just until the guilt wears off. Not just until I feel better. But I will never allow this back in my life again. And that is my actual intention. I'm not just saying that so I can be forgiven. And then in a few weeks when temptation gets really hard I'll do it again. That's not what repentance is. Repentance is saying God I agree this doesn't belong in my life. And it's not something I plan on getting rid of years from now. It's not something I plan on getting rid of in a decade. It's not something I plan on getting rid of in six months. It's something I am so committed to getting rid of now. And I don't want it in my life in any form. I don't want it in a so-called smaller form. I don't want it in little bits of compromises. I'm not gonna be constantly asking Lord how far, how close can I get to that sin without actually going over the line? But I'm saying how far can I get from this? And not just remove yourself from the sin but remove yourself from the temptation. If you have a lust problem you need to delete Instagram. If you have a lust problem you should not be sleeping with your phone by your bed at night. If you have a lust problem you should not be watching certain programs. I mean that goes for every believer and certain programs of course. But I'm talking about putting yourself in certain situations. If you have trouble with alcoholism stay away from the parties, stay away from the bars, stay away from the family gatherings where they're serving until you come to the place where you know that you can at least have some strength in some scenarios. And it won't always be that way. But it is to come into agreement and say God this is so wrong. It will affect me, it is affecting me, it's breaking your heart. I do not want this in at all. And that right there your flesh will not like that because your flesh likes the false repentance. Your flesh likes the superficial one. Oh, I felt bad. Okay Lord, I'm not gonna do it. And then meanwhile it's plotting. Okay, we won't do it. But if I get a really strong craving we'll go right back to it. That's the difference between living in the truth. I've hidden your word in my heart versus a false repentance. Versus, okay, I kind of feel bad. That's actually coming into agreement with God. That's actually saying Lord this has to go now in every form and permanently from here on out, period. That's how serious you have to get with this. And it can't be this sense of oh, you know, and we do this with the grace of God. We say, oh, you know, he's working with me. He's working with me. But do you realize that that's another thing we take advantage of sometimes? We need to have an urgency about the sin in our lives. An urgency that says I can't allow this because I will not have control over this. That's what we have to do. Now, again, this is not a message of condemnation. You know I preach grace. You know I preach forgiveness. You know I preach identity and the fact that the Holy Spirit's not going to abandon you. But you know what, this is true too. And this is the type of truth that we need if we want to get serious about overcoming some of these deeper issues. So we have to come into agreement with God. Now I'm going to talk to you here about how to resist the devil and how to keep the flesh under the power of the spirit. But before I do that, make sure you leave a like right now. Look, people need to hear this message. Do your part. Many others are leaving likes right now. Do your part, leave a like so that this video can be spread far and wide. It's not about numbers. Well, it is about numbers in the sense that numbers represent people. But it's not like I'm saying, oh, look how many likes we have. We're so cool. No, when you like it, it does something in the algorithm that releases it to other people and shows it to other people. So leave a like. And if you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV. Don't miss anything. Right now, we're getting roughly about 1,000 subs a day. And there's a reason for that. It's because the Holy Spirit is moving through this channel. It's his, not mine. It's his channel. And I want you to be a part of that as well. Make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV on YouTube. And don't forget to click that notification bell when you do subscribe so that you don't miss any content. Okay, now I want to talk to you real briefly about resisting the devil and keeping the flesh subjective. But first, Steve, let's very briefly check in with the chat. Hey, chat, you've been doing amazing. I see your comments. I see your notes. And I see you praying for each other, which is really, really cool to see. So let's keep it up, chat. Continue to just talk, put your notes in the chat. We love to see that here on viral revival. Matthew 6, 13. And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Or, as the King James version puts it, I believe, deliver us from the evil one. This is deliverance that applies to Christians. But notice it's not deliverance from oppression. It's not deliverance from possession. It's not deliverance from a curse. It's deliverance from temptation. That's what Jesus is talking about here in Matthew 6, 13. So demons are like salespeople. They sell the sin and they put it on display. And they say, look how wonderful this is. Look how fulfilling this will be. If sin were a product, demons would be salesmen and they do a very good job at it. And it's a rip-off. Sin is a rip-off when you purchase it with your free will. And so in order to overcome the devil, you must resist him. James 4, 7 says, so humble yourselves before God. There again, that's a call back to Matthew chapter four where Jesus, in order to overcome, at least one part of his temptation chose the route of humility. Humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Okay, okay. This is gonna set someone free right here. Remember I talked about the fact that there's two different enemies you're battling, self and Satan. Well, you have to fight them in the way that's effective. You can't fight yourself the way you fight Satan. Like you can't cast you out of you. You can't rebuke yourself. You're still gonna be there when you wake up in the morning, okay? So you can't rebuke yourself. You can't cast you out of you. You can be transformed as you surrender to the Holy Spirit which I'm gonna show you in the next point. But the way you defeat the devil is through resisting. Now, here's the problem. Far too many believers don't know the difference between defeating self and Satan. When you resist the devil, he flees. Period. We saw it in the garden in Matthew four. Now, the enemy tried a few times, didn't he? He tried like three different things. Each time Jesus resisted him, how did he resist him? With the word, with the word, with the word, and finally, the enemy fled. In order to resist the devil, you have to be prepared with the word and the Holy Spirit will bring the word to your remembrance. Now, 2 Timothy 2, 22 says, run from anything that stimulates your youthful lusts. Run from anything or flee. So in order to resist the devil, you must resist him with the word and on top of this, you must resist him immediately. Avoid what I call the debate with the devil. The moment you begin to debate with the devil, you've already lost. Here's how that looks. Using lust as an example. Look, guys, I'm using lust as an example throughout this teaching, but really, any sin can work in this way and these principles will work against all temptation. I'm just talking about lust because it's probably the biggest one. I get more messages about lust than I do about any other sin. People messaging me, please, I need deliverance. Please, I need help. Please, I can't overcome it. I'm giving you the biblical keys. So when the enemy comes to tempt you, let's say he's tempting you with lust and so the enemy begins to remind you of the images that you've collected throughout the week. You know, you saw something on a billboard, on TV or while you're scrolling and your mind's stored those images. Then the enemy begins to call those images forward. By speaking, the devil doesn't need to possess you to tempt you. If that were the case, then Jesus would have been possessed but Jesus wasn't. So temptation is not possession, don't confuse the two. But he begins to speak, right? He starts to declare these things and he reminds you. Just like I can remind you of something, just like your friends can remind you of something, just like your loved ones can put thoughts in your head simply through speaking so the enemy can put thoughts in your head simply through speaking and he's talking to you and he's speaking to you and he's reminding you of those things that you shouldn't be thinking about and then what happens, once the lust of the eyes is triggered, that memory, then all of a sudden, the lust of the flesh, the cravings, begin to come. Now, this is where you have to act and act immediately because most believers, this is what they do. They go, oh, well, I really shouldn't. I don't know, maybe I should. Maybe I shouldn't and the moment you begin to sense that back and forth temptation, the should I shouldn't I, the debate with the devil, the moment you begin to do that, you've already lost. Why? Because the Bible instructs us to flee, not to bait with the devil, not consider it, not go back and forth in our mind. Your response to the temptation of the enemy has to be urgent and immediate. So the moment that thought comes, you throw your hands in the air. I don't care if you look like a crazy person. You throw your hands in the air, start praying in tongues and begin to say, no, I will not partake, I will set no evil thing before my eyes. I made a covenant with my eyes. That, where you can even begin to quote the scripture where the Bible talks very clearly about not, don't even allow a hint of sexual immorality around you. You begin to declare these scriptures, the Holy Spirit, John 14, 26, will begin to remind you of the truth. You start declaring immediately and then you call upon the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, rescue me I'm being tempted because the Bible very clearly tells us that he allows a way out of temptation. And so the moment the enemy starts attacking, starts luring you, starts trying to pitch an idea or sell you on sin, don't start going into that temptation going, well maybe, maybe not. No, no, no, no, you flee. You get out of there immediately. Lord, help me. Holy Spirit, help me. Get me out of this situation. I don't want it and start rebuking. I rebuke you Satan, you're a liar. No, I'm the righteousness of Christ. I'm a new creation. I walk in the holiness that God has purchased for me when Christ died on the cross and you begin to declare these things and you begin to speak that truth and you do so immediately. Now, when you do this, you've defeated the enemy. Here's the problem. Once the enemy is defeated, some believers continue to blame him. Let me just give you a really harsh truth here. You are not dealing with a spirit of lust. You're dealing with you. The devil doesn't sin for you. You do that yourself. Because once we've defeated, now you may say, but doesn't the devil tempt us? Yes, but that's what, that's all he can do in terms of sin. He cannot force you to sin. He will not, he's not allowed. God won't allow that. God doesn't allow anything to touch your free will. That remains intact. That's for you to control. So here's the problem. Christians rebuked the devil. The devil flees and then they go on dealing. Well, why am I still dealing with this problem? And here on a side note, this is why many believers become discouraged because they confuse the battle for bondage. Why am I still struggling with these thoughts? I need to go back in and have something cast out. I mean, no, you already dealt with the devil. Look, devil's very real, spiritual warfare very real. But once you've dealt with the devil in that particular instance, you move on now to dealing with the flesh. So it's both Satan and self. The problem is Christians rebuked the devil and then they don't deal with themselves. Instead, they just keep blaming him. Demons may tempt you, but they don't do the sinning for you. In fact, in fact, and here's another truth. The only reason that the devil can tempt you is precisely because of your lack of discipline. I'm gonna show you that in the Bible right now. First Corinthians 7.5 very clearly tells us that the reason the enemy can tempt us is because we lack self control. Do not deprive each other of sexual relations. This is talking to married couples, okay? Do not deprive each other of sexual relations unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. And now the Bible talks about coming together afterwards and watch this, it's very, now the context is talking about fasting and devoting more time to prayer and the context is talking about married couples. But therein lies, this scripture, therein lies a spiritual principle that has universal application for every believer, this particular one. Afterwards, you should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self control. So that other part for married couples that doesn't apply to singles. What does apply the takeaway spiritual principle is that Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self control. It is precisely because of our lack of self control that we put ourselves in tempting situations. Galatians 5.17 says, so I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives, then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. James 1.14 very clearly tells us, but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. You know, if you just lived in the spirit, you wouldn't have to face so much trouble. And really, coming back, well, let me do this. Let me come back and tie together the threads of self and Satan being defeated. And then I wanna talk to you about the spiritual basics. So let's go back just for a second. So you defeat Satan in moments of temptation by resisting him and resisting him immediately. Then he's done. He can't do much more than that. So stop obsessing about that part. Then the second part is to have some self control by the power of the Holy Ghost. Now, how do you do this? You do this by performing the spiritual basics. You can know victory in a sinful habit long before you're even tempted. Overcoming temptation has a lot to do with preparing before the temptation ever comes. Let's say, for example, I go to the doctor and I tell my doctor, doc, I'm not feeling well. Something's just off. Do you know what he's gonna ask me first? He's not, I'll tell you what he's not gonna do. He's not gonna jump right to, you know, it could be a terminal disease. You know, you could be dying. You know, there could be something wrong with your blood. You know what he's gonna ask me first? The doctor is going to ask me first the basic questions. What is your diet like? Are you exercising? How's your fluid and water intake? And how's your sleep pattern? Are you under a lot of stress? He's gonna start to examine me based upon the basics. And if I answer his questions by saying, well, you know, I'm not drinking a lot of water. I'm not really eating good food. I'm eating a lot of junk food. I'm not really sleeping and so forth. He's gonna say, okay, go and do those things. And if the problem still persists, then you come back to me and then we can deal with what it might be. But until you do the basics, you're not gonna know what's actually a severe problem and what's not. Here's the issue. Most Christians, when they have a sin problem, they wanna go right to generational curse. They wanna go right to, oh, I'm possessed. Christians can't be demon possessed, we know that, but you get what I'm saying. They wanna go right to these other extreme issues which are very real in many cases. And there is a spiritual, and look, I just showed you this whole lesson. I showed you all throughout this lesson how the enemy attacks you and how the enemy tempts you and how demonic powers are involved in getting us to sin through their deception. They're very involved. It's a very real battle. Don't be ignorant of it, but also don't blame everything on them. Part of it is you too. That's all I'm saying. That a part of it is you too. And we wanna go right to blaming that. We say, lay hands on me preacher so that I'll obey God. I say, well, are you doing the basics? What's your prayer life like? Are you in the word? And then again, this is where many will throw up their hands and say, well, I already tried that. Again, let God be true in every man a liar. Did you really pray consistently every day? Or did you just kind of, couple of minutes in the morning, talk to God and read a verse here and there throughout the week? Sometimes I missed it, sometimes I didn't. And I tried it for three months and nothing happened so I gave up. Or did you get serious and begin to throw out all entertainment just for that time? Begin to focus totally, to fast, to pray, to pray an hour every day. Not just, thank you, Lord, for the morning. Thank you for my blessings. Help me God, I really need it. But getting into the deepest places of prayer and prevailing over the sin nature and having an urgency with you saying, God, you've got to remove this from me. Help me to overcome this. And then get in the word. Not the verse of the day. God help us. But to truly get in the word and let that word become a party and then to repent and to come into full agreement, not partial agreement in some cases and then the flesh deceives you into thinking you're in full agreement when you're not. I'm talking about fully coming into agreement with what God says and then acting on that and then doing that for six to nine months. Worship, the word, prayer, worship, the word, prayer, accountability, going to others, asking them for help, confessing your sins one to another that you might be healed. First John 1.9, confess to God to be forgiven. The book of James tells us to, I believe it's James 5.15 or 16. I believe it's 5.15. To where we confess our sins one to another that we may be healed, not forgiven, but healed. Are you really working against that sin nature or are you just kind of feeling bad for the sin, asking for forgiveness, crossing your fingers and hoping it doesn't happen again? No, you've got to get active. Stop blaming the devil for your lack of discipline. Stop blaming demons for your choosing to act out in sin. Again, I'm not saying they don't play a role. Again, let me make this clear because many people sometimes accuse me of saying that there's no demonic element. I very clearly laid out what the role of the enemy is in all of this. It's a spiritual war, yes, but it's also a war with the sin nature. And you've got to start making the decisions immediately. Not just feeling bad, not just self-pity, not just wallowing in the misery of it, but actually saying, okay, enough is enough. I've got to begin to do this and you get down to the basics. You begin to pray, you begin to read the word, you begin to seek the face of God. That's true power. That is, that is where you begin to find freedom. Freedom in the Holy Ghost. Freedom by the word, the truth of God's word. Now, I'm going to pray with you here. And it's time, if you'll commit to this, whether you're watching live or on replay, write these two simple words. I commit. Write those two simple words in the comment section. I commit. And if you're willing to commit to this, you're willing to give your all for this, it's gonna work. Again, doing it consistently, not sporadically, not a little bit here and there and oh, it didn't work and so I give up, but consistently committing to doing the basics. If you will strengthen that part of your life, if you begin to do the spiritual basics, you will avoid spiritual crisis. You will see the transformation, but you've got to participate with the Holy Spirit. How do you do that? You obey his word. How do you surrender? You worship. How do you surrender? You get in the word. How do you surrender? You set aside time to pray. Well, I don't know how to pray. Well, if you're serious about overcoming it, you'll begin to learn how to pray. You'll look at the teachings that are readily available to you online. You'll get into the word and read what the scripture has to say about prayer. You will come to God and say, God, I'm getting serious. I'm getting serious about this now. This has to end and it has to end now. You do that and with the help of the Holy Spirit, you will overcome. You will overcome this enemy of self. It's going to happen. Father, I pray that you would cause every lying voice of demonic power to be silenced in the mighty name of Jesus. Lord, I thank you that you are liberating your people today from demonic influence. And today, Lord, we resist the enemy. We declare that we will not be instruments of the sin nature. We declare that we will not disobey the word. We declare that we are committing ourselves to agreement with God. And Holy Spirit, we call upon you, our helper. We cannot do this without you. Rescue us precious Holy Spirit in times of temptation. Bring to our remembrance the truths of the word that will defeat the lies of the enemy. I'm telling you, the anointing is flowing right now. Father, I thank you that lives are being transformed. I thank you that truth is setting your people free. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. I should say it because you believe it. Say it. You got to share this with someone because someone's going to get set free. Now, let me talk to you for just a minute. Don't turn this video off whether you're watching live or on replay. I know it's tempting to jump right to the next thing. I just want to talk to you briefly. There are thousands of believers all around the world who are helping our ministry to win souls, bring healing to the sick, deliverance to the captive, and power to the church. This is a ministry work of the Holy Spirit and it is our privilege to steward this ministry, to take care of God's ministry. Now, I need your help. I need you to get involved. As I said, thousands of believers all around the world are supporting this ministry. Some give monthly, some give one-time gifts, others do both. But I need you to do your part too. I need you to jump in with us because time is short, souls matter, and when all is said and done and we stand before God, what's going to count is what we did for the kingdom of God. This ministry is expanding. There's favor on this ministry. There's growth on this ministry. We're seeing the power of the Holy Spirit move through this ministry. And I want you to get involved. Make a difference. We're not just seeing lives changed. We're seeing eternities changed. Make a difference right now. Go to davidherlandesministries.com slash donate and again, become a monthly partner, give a one-time gift or you can do both. Now, some may be asking, where can I give from? You can give from Canada, United States. Really, you can give from any country you're watching from because our donation form works with various different currencies and all across different nations. Now, if you aren't able to partner with us or give a one-time gift, you of course can contact our ministry about international giving. We have other options that you can use, but we try to ask everyone to use this option, davidherlandesministries.com slash donate. Go right now, give a one-time gift. Some of you can partner right now for 10 bucks a month. Come on, replace Netflix, replace Hulu, replace whatever other streaming platforms exist. If you're saying, I can't support the gospel, but I have a streaming platform, make a switch. You can do both if you want, but if you're telling me I can't do both, then make a switch, support this content instead of that content. It's all from a bad agenda anyway. I'm sure there's some people who are godly who were able to get some content on those platforms, but you get what I'm saying. But go right now, davidherlandesministries.com slash donate. Your giving counts do your part. As I said, thousands of believers from all around the world. Our community is giving, our viewers are giving, people from Facebook and YouTube and the app are giving. All of you can give right now, davidherlandesministries.com slash donate. Your support is gonna enable us to continue doing these live streams, creating the content that we create, and it also enables us to do the events that we do around the world. I'm seeing Lauren, thank you for your one-time gift. I appreciate it. Yuma Kanthan, that is someone giving from Canada who gave a one-time gift. Thank you, Elizabeth, for becoming a monthly partner. And these are all people who are giving at davidherlandesministries.com slash donate. Roberta, thank you for becoming a partner. Jacqueline, thank you for becoming a partner. Justin, thank you for your one-time gift. Karen, thank you for becoming a partner. Jungyi, thank you for becoming a partner. Carmen, thank you for your one-time gift. Suzanne, thank you for becoming a partner. And I'm seeing names coming in, as I always say, from around the world, they're loading rather rapidly. So let me try to catch some here. Thank you, Elizabeth, for your one-time gift. My goodness, thank you for your generosity. We're gonna put this to good use. Again, davidherlandesministries.com slash donate. Give a one-time gift, become a partner, or if the Holy Spirit should lead you, do both. But everyone should do their part if this ministry has impacted your life. Everyone should do their part to help us continue to spread the gospel around the world. Now, if you enjoyed this message, you will love how to break religious mindsets and live in the spirit. So I just talked about how we overcome sent to living in the spirit. I talked a little bit about living in the spirit. Now, this teaching will give you more detail on breaking religious mindsets. It's gonna help balance some things out. And we'll also teach you how to live in the spirit.