Gtcotr/ss03325
As certain as there is a God in heaven and souls of men awaiting judgment, there are appointed times and seasons on the earth. We are given glimpses of this reality throughout the scriptures. For example the Bible says:
Evidently there are opportune times when the devil believes he has a better chance of deceiving God’s children.
Revelation 12:12 “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
These accounts, along with many others, reveal that there is a spiritual consciousness at work in the earth. There are times and seasons in which the Spirit of God works more openly and there are times and seasons in which the devil works more openly. At the conclusion of almost every message I have preached I say the same thing. My parting words to you are:
“Go in peace, don’t go in pieces; God has a plan for your life … but so does the devil, learn the difference.”
The spiritual world is real. Allow me to name a few people in the Bible that the devil was able to trick or deceive and altered their destiny and legacy:
2 Timothy 4:10 Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica — Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.
2 Timothy 2 NKJV
17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,
18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
The road sign on the way to deception, failure, and ruin reads: “It can’t happen to me.” Deception is so deceptive … this is why we need each other to hold us accountable with love and God’s word.
The devil wants to blind us to the truth and keep us in bondage to sin and this world. He does not want you to ever be saved and delivered out of his hand. He will try everything he can to keep you from believing in and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. His primary goal is to weaken the Church so that it will stop evangelizing the world. Deception is his strong suit.
Once you are saved, the devil will try his best to keep you from becoming a disciple of Christ. He hopes he can keep you living in the wilderness of this world. The enemies he will use to keep you from becoming a threat to him are found in Exodus 3. God revealed them to His children 3500 years ago.
Last week we discussed the Canaanite and found him to be a spirit of Compromise. You cannot live the victorious life God intends for every one of His children if you have one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the world. Repent and resist.
We also briefly reviewed the Hittite which speaks of fear and dismay. God told Joshua to not be “Hittited.” We cannot allow fear to shape our lives. What would you for God if you weren’t afraid? Do it!
This morning we are going to take a look at two more of the enemies listed in Exodus 3. First the Amorite. The nature of the Amorite is Prominence:
These are sacred pillars to the Amorite. Challenge them and you will be attacked and most often the attack is public. (Amorite – Publicity)
The Amorites set themselves up in high places to have the high ground advantage over others. They often attacked others before they even knew they were enemies. They even attacked members of their own group. Proverbs says the first person to speak is believed … they speak first in efforts to control the narrative and shape the opinions of others.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
When we search for high ground and speak first to protect ourselves and our decisions, even from those who love us, it is often the insecurity of the enemy known as the Amorite. If you are on solid ground, you will invite counsel and embrace instruction and not fear review.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.
The next enemy God’s children face in the Promise Land is the Perizzite. Not the Parasite, but the Perizzite.
The word Perizzite means without walls. It’s an “anything goes” spirit. Tolerance is the keyword. This spirit will not accept standards, boundaries, limitations, and does not accept absolutes. Rules are for others. The Perizzite will shame you for not being more tolerant of their destructive behavior.
The Perizzite’s right to protect their own truth is the sacred pillar of their faith. Challenge their truth and you will be attacked … even if you are their family.
We must live a principled life based on God’s Word. We cannot cover the rules we break with one hand so that we can point to the ones we are keeping with the other.
What we tolerate in our lives today becomes the norm tomorrow.
Now, before you start thinking of people you believe may be controlled by this spirit, think again. We are admonished by Jesus to not judge others. This is a rule … we should follow the rules Jesus laid out for us. Today is about you.
God is not asking us to judge anyone but ourselves.
So what shall we do?
Exodus 23 NKJV
23 “For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.
24 “You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.
25 “So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.
And don’t believe deception can’t happen to you. Accountability is a good thing.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
