Minister Tyreik Hopkins
Bibleway Baptist Church
“Discerning The devil”
1 Peter 5:8-11 (MEV)
The devil puts you in sin and temptation that feels good and slowly turns the sin up. By the time you realize where you are it’s too late. You can attend church faithfully every Sunday, pray every day, preach until souls get saved, pay your tithes, serve faithfully on ministries, do everything you can to live right, love those that hate you, and sing until souls get happy; yet it does not exempt you from the attack of the enemy.
*The enemy will always attack a weak mind with contaminated perception. The enemy comes to do three things but with only one trick. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy by using deception. He knows if he can have your mind, he can have you. He wants to steal your joy, kill your hopes, and destroy your promise. He tries to manipulate your perception, so you don’t see things for what they really are. God is trying to do things in you and through you, but the enemy will make you feel like God is punishing you and not on your side. Be sober and vigilant, be careful who you take advice from, watch who you take counsel from, and be careful of social media influences, because if it’s not of God it will cause a wavering faith. You think that sickness is God walking away from you, but he wants to show you that he’s a healer. You think the bills are piling up because God doesn’t care, but he wants to show you that he is a provider. You think God is not concerned because your child is wayward, but he’s trying to show you that he’s a deliverer. You think it’s because family and friends are walking away, but he wants to teach you that he’s closer than a brother. You may feel as if God does not care or love you because your mind is everywhere and you’re always stressed and depressed, but God wants to show you that he’ll keep you in perfect peace if you keep your mind stayed on him. The enemy will try to manipulate what God is doing through you to make you feel like he’s not on your side, but what the enemy meant for evil God’s going to turn it around for your good.
*The enemy will attack you in an area God blessed you. The enemy comes after you when you’re enjoying what God gave you. You ask God to bless you with a job, but everyone at the job is crazy. You ask God to bless you with a marriage, but you can’t stand the man or woman you married. You ask God to bless you with children, but they’re not listening and misbehaving. You ask God to bless you with a car or house, but something goes wrong all the time. God must remind you the hard way, that what he blessed you with isn’t the best that he can do. God gets offended when you covet what he’s blessed you with. When the blessing is bigger than the blesser he must step in, but sometimes God steps in, not because you covet what he gave you, but because he wants to show you that what he gave you he can do way more than that. How do you fight the adversary, overcome the temptation, discern the evil devil, and figure out his plans? Put on the whole armor of God so you don’t get knocked off your tracks. Keep on standing. You gave your life to Christ, and when you do, he gives you a cross, should he bear the cross alone, or will you take up your cross and walk with him? Keep standing, it comes with the territory.
*The enemy will make you think that you’re the only one going through. Whatever the enemy says, or does you ought to take the other side, because what he says or does is not for your benefit. The enemy will make you feel like you’re the only Christian going through something. You’re not the only person with family issues, struggling financially, sick, or self-esteem issues. The reason you don’t see any growth or deliverance is because you’re too busy looking at someone else’s garden. You have no idea what demons have been dispatched for what you’re lusting over, or what comes with that territory. You need to stay in your garden, cut your grass, and mind your own business. Be grateful, humble, and appreciative of where God has you because it’s mending and grooming you for what he has in store for you. Accept what you're dealing with and ask God what he’s trying to do through you with what you’re going through. Understand you’re not the only one going through something and to come out of it, you must come together. Pray for each other’s issues and get through the issues together, because you have the same adversary. He’s your adversary because God doesn’t have an adversary, so all you must do is stand and fight the good fight and allow God to handle the rest.
*The enemy will help you realize how big your God is. After everything you’ve been through, you’re still here. The divorce, heartbreak, abuse, addiction, church hurt, health scare, miscarriage, and nervous breakdown you’re still here. Everything the adversary threw at you, should make you realize how big God is because you’re still here. You can’t escape suffering; you can only endure it. Suffering is coming for the believers, and God will restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. Everything will be all right. God’s grace is sufficient, his mercy everlasting, his power unlimited, his wisdom is perfect, his name is great, and his strength is perfected. Keep on fighting, going, pressing, and enduring, and one day you'll get up with all power in your hands over this adversary.