You might be thinking, I don’t bow down to a false image. Well, let’s examine idolatry a little further.
To bow down means to give superiority or reverence to another being. In other words, we listen to the words of another being or honor another voice above God’s. How many times have we listened to the voice of the enemy? How often do we heed what the devil says about us and exalt his words above what God has said? If we exalt Satan’s words over God’s, then we are bowing down to a false image. Dear ones, this is a form of idolatry!
Think about this for a minute. If God and His Word are one, then His Word is superior over any other words. If the devil is speaking his words over us and we embrace and believe them, then we exalt Satan’s word above God, the Word. This is idolatry, plain and simple. When we believe what Satan says, we are bowing down to the false image.
Isaiah 46: 2 states that when the Israelites bowed down to the false image, they were led into captivity. They remained in captivity for years, and the generations became paralyzed with iniquitous patterns due to the former idolatry. When there is idol worship in the land, it gives the devil legal entrance to adversely affect the generations. Dear ones, to protect our future seed, we need to stop bowing down to the words of the devil and rise up in great faith, embracing the Word of the Lord.
Freed, Sandie (2008-01-01). Breaking the Threefold Demonic Cord: How to Discern and Defeat the Lies of Jezebel, Athaliah and Delilah (p. 89). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
*The thing is that the enemy cannot harm you, unless you allow him to.
God has given us the spiritual armour, and He expects us to be clad into it.
Let us go and see from Ephesians 6 what is that spiritual armour which He has given us for our protection from the evil one:
Ephesians 6
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Therefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.
16 Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
So, if anyone happens to come against you, trying to insert something which is not truth (and we all know that the truth is contained in the Word of God, and anything that opposes it, is a lie and not a truth), then dismiss it (on the other hand, in order to know what is the truth, you have to know the Word of God well enough to turn down anything contrary to it, and also the heart and the Spirit of God - the heart of God found its expression in Jesus, anything that goes against love, and is not encouraging - unless we have committed some huge blunder and the exhortation comes from a squeaky clean vessel who delivers it clearly with our good in mind and not in order to slander, or accuse or deliver a death blow to us; for the enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy, anything siding with that spirit does not come from the truth which is found in the Word and heart of God, which is all about loving and putting God first and loving our neighbour, and has to do with kind and good and Godly intents).
Now, how to reject such words.
2 Corinthians 10 gives us the answer.
21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds,
5 casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,
6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
We have to do namely that - pull down such strongholds or high thoughts which attempt to elevate themselves against the knowledge of God, which is found in the Word of God and which does not side with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ who redeemed us from under the law of the sin and curse on the Cross, according to Galatians 3:13, in order to give us the blessing that He first gave Abraham (Galatians 3:14).
Second, the breastplate of righteousness. If anyone comes with the words which attack your righteusness of God in Christ, which has to do with your spirit, then you have been created anew, once you are born again, from His Spirit. And that means that in your spirit, you are all good. Remember that.
Now, there may be cases where we go away from the source of good and aberrate from His righteous and just path, but then too, God calls us to restore such in the spirit of meekness. The spirit behind the utterance shall let you know who stands behind the statement.
Anything which releases devastation, and depression, and misery into your spirit, or comes with accusation, and condemnation (now, conviction and condemnation are two different things, but in case of the former which is the work of the Holy Spirit who is going to open then also our eyes in places where we have badly missed it and He does not come with a bludgeon to wipe us out, but with the light of understanding, by illuminating our spirit eyes of understanding, we slap against our head, being grateful for His goodness in pointing out the place where we have erred from the path of righteousness).
And somehow, for some reason also verse 15, the readiness to preach the Gospel, is our spiritual armour.
Bear in mind that all these parts of our spiritual armour are meant for protection, and only one, the Word of God is an offensive weapon, in the sense that with that we reject the lies and accusations of the enemy the way Jesus did in the wilderness where He stated simply, It is written....and quoted then the written Word of God.....
The shield of faith is also meant in the above sense, to defend us from the fiery darts or lying accusations and lying thoughts of the enemy. These are the thoughts, which once accepted can give the ground to the enemy (and bear in mind that our eyes and ears are gates, and if we give such thoughts heed by meditating on them even by asking whether any of that could be true...., it releases poison and can provide the enemy a foothold for further destruction and devastation).
So, be careful with the thoughts which you know, are not in accord with the written Word of God, hurled against you. Do not give them entrance by meditating on them, as that opens the door to the negative, lying and poisonous, and the spirit of the enemy is attached to such lying thoughts. Fend them off by the shield of faith. Let your faith be based in the written Word of God. Anything that goes against it, and the good and kind heart and nature of God, reject. Lift your shield of faith, and let these thoughts return. Unmerited curse shall not alight, but will return to its sender, says the Word. And God will deal with the sender in His grace, mercy and as He deems fit. We never go against any human, bear that in mind. All humans are by default blood-bought, whether they have accepted it or not then. But the sender in such case is the spirit who stands behind such utterances.
And the helmet of your salvation has to do with everything mentioned. It has to do with your spirit. And your redemption by the Blood of Christ. He sees you as perfect. By the work He has done.
So, let every opposite and differing statement pass by. Do not accept them, by giving them thought, do not give the enemy ground, for he can work destruction only if you give such thoughts entrance by meditating upon them, which opens the way for them to enter.
Stay strong and know your rights as a blood-bought child of God!
And do not let anyone with lesser teaching chain you with their wrong understanding. You have the Word, and the Blood of Jesus which was shed for your redemption. Use them, and shield behind them.
Stay pure, may your hands and thoughts be devoid of wickedness, for our God is a holy God. Stay holy the way He is holy. But even when you happen to stumble, do not let anyone apart from Jesus, who has purchased you for the price of His blood, judge you. And He won't. For He took your judgment on the Cross. And God won't. For He sees you through the blood of Jesus. As pure, and holy, and without blame.
If He does not accuse you, do not accept any accusations from any other source, but even if you have messed it up, stand, assume responsibility, shake the dust off your clothes, go on and try to do it better next time.
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