In part one the Holy Spirit revealed the deep things concerning the devil whom the Bible calls the thief. If you have not yet read part one you can visist http://www.facebook.com/EternalWordEvangelisticMinistries and it is right there so that you can know what the devil comes to steal from you. The Bible says, the thief comes only to steal (rob), destroy, and to kill (John 10:10) Take note of “only” Which means the three things to steal, kill, and to destroy are his main agenda and purpose right from the beginning of the world to this present day.
In part two, we are going to see how the thief destroys and the things he destroys: A. The first thing on the list that the destroyer targets is marriage: Marriage and family unit is the first and the most important institution God has ordained. Because it was God who ordained this sacred union, he wraped it with love and that is how God wanted it to be, so that they will keep loving each other and fulfilling God’s purpose in their lives and the lives of their families. (Gen. 2:18) “The Lord said it is not good for man to be alone, l will make a helper suitable for him” Everything God created was perfect so marriage was created perfect and need to be enjoyed to the end and anything suitable should be pleasant, lovable and enjoyable and this is what the devil hates. Because of all the pleasant things around marriage it became the prime target of the destroyer. The first thing he attacks in the marriage is the love and the harmony in the marriage. Some of the wapons he uses are:
1. Misunderstanding through communications: In communication, he tries to make you misunderstand every form of communication, in body languages, verbal languages, sign and written languages. After he messes your marriage and has finished causing harm, you later on realise that those communications are not anything after all, which could destroy your maariage but the destroyer has already succeeded. The destroyer has acomplished his purpose through misunderstanding. If you are in a condition like this just ask the Holy Spirit to intervene because, there is nothing too hard for Him (Matt. 16:19) “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven” Begin to use the principles of the keys to bring back your marriage. Let’s see what those keys stand for. “The keys of the Kingdom” means, God’s kingdom is to be entered any time you want to present your case to the King who happens to be your own father the Almighty God and that you are part of the Kingdom family and needs no permission to enter it because you have the keys to open the heaven doors anytime you want (Col.1:13) “For He has rescued us from the Kingdom of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the son He loves who is Jesus” So, if you don’t belong to this Kingdom yet, it is not too late to do so. Just pause for a moment and surrender to Jesus by inviting Him into your life. Immediately you do that the keys are yours too. “The keys” Let us see why the keys are so important in fighting the destroyer in the marriage.
i. The keys Represent the authority given through the power that is in His blood and as these keys can open the heaven doors they can also open any door of the destroyer.
ii. The keys are also related to the binding and loosing and therefore begin to bind the destroyer that is in your home trying to destroy your marriage through misunderstandings and try to be specific when binding and loosing. (Matt. 12:29) “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties him up? Then he can rob his house” These are reasons, the keys which stands for authority is given to you so you can bind him and take your marriage back.
iii. After binding the destroyer and taking back your marriage, you can now use the same keys (authority) to loose all the suitable and enjoyable things wraped in the marriage upon the family. By faith, begin to enjoy your marriage.
iv. After you are satisfied in your spirit that, you have claimed enough what belongs to you, then use the same keys (Authority) to close all doors and loopholes against the destroyer.
v. After all these, team up with your spouse and family and use this keys the rest of your lives, because these keys are yours for life. I assure you that if you follow the teaching and do exactly what it teaches, no matter how bad your marriage situation is it will come back to normal. If divorce has already taken place and one party is already married, then in your next marriage, you know what to do.
b. Another weapon the destroyer uses is doubt: The destroyer makes it looks like you have made a mistake in marrying your spouse, and this is done in various ways. i. He draws your attention to people whom you think are more attractive than your spouse. The first question that comes to mind is, why did l marry him or her in the first place? Remember, you were attracted to your spouse before you entered into marriage. WAKE UP THE DESTROYER IS IN THE HOME TO DESTROY YOUR MARRIAGE. If you allow the doubt which is one of his strong weapons, he will mess you up terribly.
ii. Comparison: The destroyer will make you start comparing your spouse to other people, the way they dress, cook, give chop money, do things etc, thinking that those people are better. The moment you buy those ideas know you have yielded and that can ruin your marriage. There is no way your spouse can behave like someone else or do things like someone else, or talk like someone else. God has made everybody differently and in a unique way. Even if you think your spouse have changed in the way he or she behaves or do things, there may be reasons to that, find out and try to help him or her rather than comparing. Your spouse may have something special which those people may not have. The destroyer is always there to make you believe things which are not true. What do you do if you find yourself in this mess?
a. If you know you always compare your spouse to other people begin to look beyond material and physical things and ask God to help you love your spouse unconditionally (Agape Love)
b. Begin to dwell on the positive things in your spouse and build on those things because, everybody has weaknesses and strengths. (Phil. 4:8) “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent, or praiseworthy, think about such things” These are the things to do to experience God’s peace and freedom in your marriage and that will also help seal any loophole from the destroyer.
iii. Another means the destroyer uses to bring doubt is to make you feel disgusted at your spouse The destroyer makes you believe that your spouse is no longer suitable for you. This makes you feel ashame of your spouse and for that reason you do not want people to see you around him or her. Some times things like aging, physical handicaps, may be due to accidents, sicknesses, or disabilities etc, make your spouse unattractive and you want to give up. Never give up on your marriage due to physical disabilities, it could be you in that position. Giving up is the deception of the destroyer and he even suggests divorce or adultery in some cases. Normally, it is hard under such circumstances, but in difficult situations like this, that is when the grace is needed. Ask the grace of God to enable you love your spouse under any condition and try to let your spouse know that you still love him or her no matter what. (2 Cor.9:8) “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” Believers who give what they can to make other people happy no matter the condition, finds sufficient grace from God to do that, and that is the heart of Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit for it and He will give it to you. The Bible says anything we ask God for His glory sake He will do it.
iv. Lack is another means the destroyer uses: May be there is lack financially due to lost of jobs, collapse of businesses etc, the destroyer uses this as an opportunity to knock both heads against each other. May be one had money before but the money is gone, and the devil who is the destroyer makes you believe that you married the wrong person. It is very tough for couples to live in peace when there is no money. In a situation like this begin to ask God to give you peace in the marriage because money is not everything. Begin to pray using the “Keys” to open financial doors in your lives. (Deut. 8:18) “Instead, remember that the Lord your God gives you the strength to make a living or to create wealth. That is how He keeps the promise made to your ancestors” Trust and believe God for it and He will never disappoint you.
v.Dishonesty is another means the Destroyer uses: This means cheating and lying (John 8:44) The Bible says he is the father of all lies and that is one of his strong weapon he uses to destroy a lot of marriages. In life, honesty is an element when missing in your marriage, that marriage cannot hold. You need to learn how to be transparent in your every day life with your spouse. If you find it difficult to do, Know that the destroyer is in the home, kick him out, begin to use the principles of the “Keys” of the Kingdom.
vi. Mistrust is also another strong weapon of the destroyer in marriages: Mistrust is lack of trust for your spouse, and before your marriage can work, your partner should be able to trust you in everything you do. When a trust is broken in your marriage, it brings hurt, pain, frustration, stress and depression and these are what the destroyer wants in the marriage.
It is not easy to build a broken trust so, if there is any in your marriage,
- Get closer to your spouse than ever and reassure him or her.
- Try to get rid of all the things that broke the trust.
- Begin to use the “Keys” to bind everything you don’t want and loose all the suitable things you want in the marriage.
- Begin to live the things you asked for and l assure you, with time the trust will come back and the destroyer will back off for a while.
2. Apart from the marriage, the second thing the destroyer targets in the home are children: The destroyer operates in different ways to get to your children.
a. Division: The destroyer uses divisions to bring bitterness into the lives of children in the home (Gen. 37:4) “When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him” Parents try and love your children equally, even though you may be fond of a particular one, do not make it open before the other children. Isaac and Rebecca made the same mistake and that brought rage between Essau and Jacob. Jacob did not learn from that and he made the same mistake by loving Joseph more than all the other children. There are children today who do not want to set their eyes on their parents nor siblings becauase of prefrencial treatment. WATCH OUT THE DESTROYER IS AROUND TO DIVIDE YOUR FAMILY “United we stand as a family, divided we fall” Love your children equally.
b. Peer: The destroyer uses peer pressure to lure children into many things that can be dangerous to them. The destroyer is working hard in the schools through peers, public places, theatres, market places, media, etc to attract the children into doing so many things that can ruin their lives. Before they go out try and pray and soak them in the blood, using the principles of the “Keys”. Know where your children go and whom they go out with, and know the type of friends they have. The Bible says “Train up a child the way he should go and when that child grows up he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6)
c. Exposure and visual aid: Parents, do not expose your children to harmful and fearful things like, horror movies, violence, sexual immoralities, in movies and on computer games teaching them how to shoot and kill people steal, drugs, arm robbery, etc. Visual aid is the strongest and fastest form of learning and remembering things, and the destroyer is moving fast in these areas and they are sometimes hypnotized through horror movies. WAKE UP THE DESTROYER IS READY TO SNATCH YOUR CHILDREN FROM YOU!!! Don’t allow him!!!
d. Lack: When the children lack in their homes, the destroyer suggests other means where they can get their needs and in doing that he ruins their future. Some in so doing get pregnant, some contacts diferent veneral diseases and aids, some end up in becoming armed robbers and thieves. Parents try and meet the needs of your children and in doing that the enemy will not get any loophole in getting to them.
3. Lastly, but not the least, the destroyer destroys fellowships and relationships: (Eph. 6: 10, 12,) vrs. 10 “Finally be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power” It is through the power and the annointing of God that we can conquer the destroyer in our daily lives. The destroyer uses party spirits where, some are not in talking terms even in the church. Paul advised all Christians to leave at peace with one another because we are members of one body. There are some wapons that the destroyer uses to destroy fellowships, friendships and relationships:
a. Gossips and slanderings: Let us look at the various ways the destroyer destroys fellowships, relationships in the homes, churches, work places, market places etc, through gossip and slandering. “A gossip betrays confidence, but trustworthy man keeps a secret” (Prov. 11:13) People cannot keep secrets and as a result there are quarrels in the work places, churches, homes, schools, etc. These are all the works of the destroyer just to disturb the peace and harmony of relationships and fellowships. “A pervers man stirs up dissension and a gossip seperates close friends” (Prov.16:28) Today, close friends, brothers and sisters, colleagues, shool mates, are seperated because of gossip. The moment seperation comes, the destroyer has achieve his purpose, “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down” (Prov. 26:20) What is this passage teaching us? That means you must try hard not to use this particular wapon (gossip), because it is a wapon of the destroyer and his aim is to destroy the friendship, fellowship and relationship that exist between the two. If you are seperated bcause of gossip and you are the cause of the seperation, go and ask for forgiveness and make amends with whoever you have offended. In that way, the destroyer will be put to shame. Continue to pray for your friendship, relationship, fellowship to hold firm and ask the Holy Spirit to help you love because, when you love somebody you will not destroy the person or slander that person.
b. Envy and jealousy: These are also strong weapon the destroyer uses to destroy relationships, friendships and fellowships. (Prov. 14:30) “A heart at peace gives life to the body but envy rots the bone.” For people who envy and are jealous of other people, the Bible says their bones rot while the person they are jealous of is at peace. Envy and jealousy drive people in doing crazy things, they are all the work of the enemy to destroy you. (Jas. 3:16) “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice” Envy and selfishness is inspired by the demons and people end up in destroying souls, properties, and sometimes their own souls. The following can be done to save you from envy and jealousy: i. Ask the Lord Jesus to come into your life because He is the prince of peace that can give you eternal peace. ii. Begin to ask the Holy Spirit to take over your life and anoint you and when you are full of the Holy Spirit, that is the only way you can avoid envy and jealousy which are the tools of the destroyer. iii. Ask Him to fill you with the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) “But the fruits of the Spirit are, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control” The fruits of the Spirit destroy sin’s power, especially the acts of the sinful nature
To conclude, Jesus said in the same John 10:10b “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” Whilst the devil’s purpose on this earth is to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus’ purpose is also to give life and give it to the full. Your deliverance and help will come from the Saviour as you study and meditate on the things revealed in this message by the Holy Spirit Himself. God bless you and help you understand everything, and also take everything in good faith. Amen. Part three which is “The thief comes to kill” will follow soon. What are the things he has come to kill? Don’t miss it!! May the countenance and the anointing of God through the Holy Spirit fall upon all of you in the name of JESUS!!!!!!!!!! Amen.