Close That Door

The Lord led us to move into some new avenues of ministry.  We were excited about getting moving and couldn’t wait to put it all together. It was an exciting goal, and one we hoped would be a blessing to many. 

We prepared our hearts to give our all for His work. Then suddenly, something went wrong. It started with niggly little technical problems. Then, we faced some new financial challenges. 

Some of these we could handle in our stride. So we pressed on with extra effort. But instead of a clear downhill run, it felt like we were suddenly on a steep incline. We felt blocked on every side and could not go on. 

Now, when something like this happens, some thoughts come to your mind. You begin to ask yourself, 

“Did I hear correctly from the Lord?”

“Was it perhaps a mistake or too premature?”

“Were my motives right in wanting to do this?”

“Is the Lord perhaps trying to teach me something here?

The Cause of This

Have you been there and had an experience like this? I am sure that you have, and it probably took away all your zeal and passion. So you just gave up the idea and let it die. 

And once again, the enemy of our souls scored a victory. The next time, you are a little afraid to get going again. So you end up waiting for something to happen. Perhaps a better situation will appear. Perhaps it will all come together at the right time.

Well, if we in higher leadership face this kind of thing, how much more do the rest of the Body of Christ have it? Do not feel like you are alone in this because you are not. We all face this attack from our enemy. And Peter warns us about this.

1 Peter 5:8  Remain calm, pay attention; because your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is continually walking around looking for someone that he can swallow up and overwhelm:
9 Take a strong stand against him in faith, knowing that the same difficulties are being imposed on your brothers and sisters by the world system. [GBMV]

I used to think of this passage about the devil being like a lion. I could picture in my mind how a lion could attack you and cause you harm. But that is not what is being said in this verse. 

It actually says that he wants to swallow you up and overwhelm you. This is why it often feels like you are being smothered. You grow weary of everything around you going wrong, and you just drown in the difficulties. 

Satan Needs a Licence

You may be thinking, well, is there any point in trying to serve the Lord? The enemy can just attack me any time he wants. Where is the Lord in this? Is there something that I can do to stop it?

Let me share with you what we do when things like this happen. Perhaps it may help you to deal with the problems you are facing right now. There are, in fact, several things you can do. All of them may apply at different times, though. So you must learn which ones apply to you and what you are going through. 

1. You Listened to the Wrong Voice

Satan does not have the power to attack you any time he wants. He actually only has one main power he can use against you. This is the power of suggestion. 

Demons cannot read what is in your mind, but they can put thoughts in there. Then, they can tell from the way you react to the thoughts if they affect you. So, learn not to show what you are thinking or feeling. 

Temptations are simply the enemy putting suggestions in your mind. If you respond to those suggestions, he knows that it is working. That is when the pressure will increase, and the negative thoughts will increase.

Learn not to express verbally what you are thinking.  This is especially true if the thoughts are negative, like worry or fear. Instead, learn to speak the Word of God. Memorize some good promises from the Word and speak these out. 

2. You Opened Your Heart To Another Believer

This one is very subtle and often difficult to understand. Surely, we should open our hearts to one another to minister in love? After all, that is what fellowship is about, right?

Yes, it is what fellowship is about, but here is where it becomes a danger. When you desperately need something from others. This makes you let down your guard to receive their acceptance and recognition. 

When we unite our spirits together, we pass to each other what is in our spirit. If you have learned to tap into the power that God has placed in your spirit, this is good. But sometimes, a person can open their heart to a curse. And when this happens, they can pass that curse on to you. 

This is a big subject, and there is no time to explain it here. But if you want to understand all of the principles clearly, you should read my book Tapping Your Inner Resources. It is available as an ebook from our bookshop here:

If you prefer to read on printed paper, you can also get a paperback version from Amazon if you have an Amazon branch near you. 

Just think of who you have been in contact with a lot lately. It could be someone you have not seen in a while. Or it could be someone you interact with often.

All you need to do is to close off the spiritual link with that person, which is bringing in the curse. It is a simple process of breaking spiritual links and renouncing any curses. I explain how to do this in my book. 

Close That Door and Get Going

You close this open door to the enemy and tell Satan to flee, as James tells us. And you will be amazed at how quickly the peace of God will return. 

Soon, you will be back to your old self and full of fire again. You will be ready to press on and finish the things you want to do.