Faith Talks with Emily Preston

Does the devil attack us even harder when we're making progress? Is God trying to teach us a lesson through tragedy and pain? Isn't He sovereign? How can Satan be the god of this world if we have been given authority over him? How do we exercise authority over the devil? Is there such thing as a "Jezebel" spirit? How do we know if a sickness is a spirit of infirmity or just a sickness? Do yoga and other alternative medicines open the door to the devil? And the biggest question of them all... Why did God give the devil permission to attack Job? Let's find out what THE WORD SAYS about all of these questions!

Can Satan read our minds? How do I know if my thoughts are from the devil, God, or if they're just me? Can the devil be everywhere at once? How can the devil put sickness and disease on a believer when the believer has the life of God in them? If Satan is defeated why do we see believers suffering and dying before their time? Does Satan accuse us before God of sins we commit? Does God allow Satan to test us? In this episode we go to the Word to find the answers to these questions and more!

Over the course of this series, we have learned that the ONLY weapon the enemy has against us - the ONLY way he can successfully steal, kill or destroy - is if he can convince us to listen to his lies, arguments, reasonings, and opinions, which are, his THOUGHTS. And you might say, but how can I possibly know which of the thoughts that I have about my problem are from the enemy? I have so many of them! The good news is that God (as always!) has given us a SIMPLE strategy for recognising and dealing with the lies of the enemy that are trying to talk you out of everything that already belongs to you by the grace of God. In this series' final episode we finish off with HOW to keep our mind free from the enemy's thoughts and deal with any that may try to creep in. We also go to the Word to find out HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY for other people that we want to see set free from the bondages of the enemy. The truth MAKES us free!

In the last few episodes, we've been learning about the spiritual strategies God has given us to keep the devil in his place, and how to take back any ground he may have been successful in stealing from us. Today, we are going to the Word to discover how to effectively recognise and deal with more of the "wiles of the devil" and enjoy the benefits that come with keeping the law of the Spirit of Life that is in Christ Jesus fully operational in our lives!

The best defence is a good offence! We don’t have to wait until we’re in a battle to start defending ourselves against the enemy, we can use the spiritual strategies that God has given us to fortify ourselves so well that the enemy never even has the opportunity to gain any ground! In this episode we are starting to tackle the “hows”. How do we remain tucked away in that secret place of the Most High, safe under the shadow of the Almighty? How do we keep ourselves in the love of God so that the wicked one cannot touch us or even find us? Join me as we go to the Word to find the answers!

Over the last few months, we have been getting to know our adversary, the devil.  Why is this so important? Because in 2 Corinthians 2:11 God tells us that if we are NOT unaware of his schemes (his devices), he will NOT be able to get advantage of us! And in 1 Peter 5:8 God tells us that if we are sober and vigilant (are fully aware of and have our wits about us regarding), the tactics of our adversary the devil, who roams around like a roaring lion, he will NOT be able to devour us! That's Good News! In this week's episode we are summarising everything that we have learned over the last 14 teachings to paint a complete picture of how the devil operates and functions and "connect the dots" so that we can be reminded that he IS defeated and it's our responsibility to ENFORCE his defeat!

The fight of faith isn't to GET healed, GET free from emotional turmoil, GET free from financial or relationship struggles, or GET anything else that the blood of Jesus paid for - the fight of faith is to ENFORCE what we already have and who we already are - healed, blessed, protected, having perfect peace in every area of our lives. The fight of faith is resisting the devil - resisting the lies, arguments, opinions, suggestions and reasonings (the schemes of the devil) that he uses to trick us into believing the circumstances more than the promises of God, and form strongholds in our minds designed to keep us trapped in the prison of our circumstances. But the Good News is, God promises us that when we resist the devil (resist his thoughts, arguments, reasonings, and opinions) he HAS TO flee, and the problems will flee with him. Find out more in this week's episode of Know Thy Adversary!

If the devil can't steal the Word, he can't have our health, our finances, our relationships, our peace, our protection, or anything else that God has already given us by His grace. The primary way he steals the Word is through lies, arguments, reasonings, and suggestions that contradict what the Word tells us we have and who the Word tells us we are. But do you know that there are two other ways that the devil steals the Word that are so common to all of us that we may not even realise that the Word is being stolen? If we are aware that these are areas the devil is stealing the Word, we will be equipped to instantly recognise and resist him! Join me today as we go to the Word to expose more of the enemy's wiles, tactics and schemes!

The devil's number one purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), but he can't kill or destroy unless he is first successful in stealing. What does he steal? He first has to steal THE WORD (Mark 4:15) - the Word that tells us that we are healed, are blessed, have a covenant of protection, have peace and everything else Jesus died to give us - because if he can steal the Word and trick us into believing we DON'T have those things, he can then go on to kill and to destroy. So how does he steal the Word?  The same way he did in the Garden of Eden - by presenting us with a contradiction to the word of God..."Did God REALLY say...?" Join me as we go through the Word to reveal the enemy's tactics and how he steals the Word. We will also find out the answer to, "Can the devil read our minds?" 

In John 10:10, God tells us that the thief (Satan) comes not but to steal, kill and to destroy. Notice that he starts by "stealing". Satan's primary objective, his sole purpose, is to first steal, because if he is successful in stealing, he can then go on to kill and destroy. But as we learned in the previous episodes, Satan cannot just come in and wreak havoc in people's lives. He has to trick people into cooperating with him and giving him place. So if he can't steal our health, finances, relationships, protection, or peace, etc, what DOES Satan "steal"? Find out in today's episode! 

"If I've given the enemy an "open door", does this mean that I can't receive my healing, deliverance, or anything else I'm believing God for?" In the last few episodes, we've seen in the Word that the enemy needs us to cooperate with him in order to accomplish any of his wicked plans in our lives.  The number one way he deceives us into cooperating with him is by planting his lies and suggestions in our minds to tempt us to break the only commandment God has given us under the New Covenant - to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Because when we break the commandment of love we are stepping out from the protection of the law of the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus, and exposing ourselves to the law of sin and death which is still in full operation in the domain of the devil. The second reason the enemy wants us to break the commandment to love is because faith WORKS by love (Gal 5:6). Love is what energises faith, causing it to be effective and put forth the power to receive everything God has provided by His Grace. So if we've been fighting the fight of faith for a long time and not seeing any results, could it be that the need to repair our love connection? Today we are diving into the Word to find out more about what God says about this!

We often hear people say, "You just have to have faith!" But do you know that faith alone isn't enough? God tells us in James 2:26 that faith has to have corresponding action if we want the results - the healing, protection, wisdom and peace - the Word promises us. We have to be DOERS of the Word and not hearers only. (James 1:22) When we are DOERS of the Word and apply corresponding action to our faith, we stay hidden in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty. We remain and abide in that safe place where we are protected from the death and destruction that is raging in the world We stay hidden from Our Adversary. Join me as we go through the Word to find out what being a doer of the Word and applying corresponding action to our faith looks like!

Under the New Covenant, our ONLY requirement from God (or commandment) is to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. So when we give place to fear, negative emotions about ourselves/other people, or speak death-filled words about ourselves/other people, we are breaking the commandment of love. When we break the commandment of love, we are giving place to sin. And the wages of sin is death. So when we encounter challenges in our lives, it's not so much that we are experiencing an attack from the devil as we are cooperating with him. Our negative behaviour and emotions are simply the result of us listening to and acting on his lies and suggestions about ourselves or other people, and we are stepping out into his territory where the law of sin and death is still in full operation. Join me as we go through the Word to get to Know Our Adversary!

Part 7 Our enemy, the devil, is sly, cunning, and subtle. He doesn't march up to us with horns and a pitchfork and demand that we give him access to our lives, he has to use craftiness and deceit to trick us into giving him place and power that he no longer has. He has to use his schemes - his thoughts and suggestions - to deceive us into cooperating with him and exposing ourselves to the law of sin and death which is the law that is still in operation in his domain - the earth.  This week we're looking through the Word to uncover some more ways that we can unknowingly give place to, or cooperate with, the devil. When we know our enemy and the tactics he uses to get access to our lives, we can be fully prepared and meet him at the door so that we never give him place or opportunity ever again!

We've all heard the expression that someone "gave the devil an open door". But is it possible to do this? Can we give the devil an open door to steal, kill or destroy in our lives? The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:27 to "give no place to the devil". If the Bible tells us not to give him place, then it must be possible to give him place.  But thank God, the Word is very clear about the things that give the enemy power, opportunity, and occasion for acting. When we are educated and aware of the things that we do that give him place, we can employ preventative measures and never allow him access ever again! Join me as we go though the Word to expose our enemy and his tactics!

Part 5 The enemy has no power in the earth without a person in a flesh-and-blood body submitting to him, and the way that he deceives people into submitting to him is through THOUGHTS. If the enemy can deceive us into thinking his thoughts, our words and actions will follow, and that's when we will start cooperating with the devil, or give him an "open door". God has put certain spiritual laws into place that are designed to work for us and benefit us. But if we cooperate with the devil through our words and actions, these spiritual laws will work against us and we expose ourselves to the law of sin and death. This week we will begin to look at some of the ways we can give the devil an "open door". When we know his tactics and schemes we can take action to never fall for them or give him access ever again!

Part 4 When Jesus conquered Satan at the cross, he was stripped of the dominion and authority that man had willingly submitted to him, and that authority and dominion was given back into the hands of man. However, it is still possible for the devil to use the same tactic he used in the Garden of Eden - deception - to trick men into submitting to him and therefore empowering him to carry out his wicked plans. A spirit - any spirit - has to have a human flesh-and-blood body cooperating with it in order to accomplish anything on this earth. The reason there is so much evil still raging on this planet is because people, in flesh-and-blood bodies, are unknowingly submitting to the lies and deception of the devil and in doing so, cooperating with him to carry out his wicked schemes on the earth. Ephesians 6:12 confirms this: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age and against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. So how does Satan trick and deceive people into submitting to him? Join me for Part 4 of "Know Thy Adversary" to find out!

When Jesus went to the cross and then rose from the dead, He paid the ransom that Satan was holding against his hostages - mankind - in FULL. The complete payment for sin has now been made, and sin is no longer an issue between God and man. And because the ransom was paid, Jesus was finally able to execute judgement on Satan and he was hurled to the earth. The accuser of the brethren has been cast down and can no longer accuse us before God! But the even better news is, that when God raised Jesus up, we were raised up TOGETHER WITH HIM! We are now seated in Heavenly places WITH him! Satan and all of his forces of darkness are under Jesus' feet, therefore they are also under OUR feet! Join me as we go through the Word to find out more about our Adversary.

Part 2 "If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." ~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Lucifer had successfully deceived Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, Adam had willingly disobeyed God, and mankind had handed the dominion and authority God had given them over to Lucifer who then became Satan - our adversary. What happened next? Find out in this episode as we go through the Word and get to know more about our adversary. 

Ever heard any of these phrases? “The devil is defeated, we can just ignore him.” “We shouldn’t talk about the devil - it just gives him more power.” “That person really opened a door to the devil.” There are many different opinions and doctrines about what our attitude towards the devil should be.  But what does THE WORD say? 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that we have an adversary and he is the devil. He roams like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 2 Corinthians 2:11 also warns us to NOT BE IGNORANT of his devices - his wiles, strategies and schemes. That word “ignorant” is the Greek word “agnoeo” which means to “have no understanding of”, “be uninformed of”, or “be wilfully ignorant of”. God tells us NOT to be ignorant of the enemy’s schemes and tactics, because if we are, we won’t know when, what or how to resist. And if we don’t know when, what or how to resist, he can successfully “devour” us.  The Good News is, that God has given us EVERYTHING we need to know about our adversary and how to resist him!  Join me as we journey through the Word to find out: Who is the devil and where did he come from? When did he “fall”? Does he have any power? If so, where does he get it? What are the wiles and schemes of the devil? Can we give the devil an “open door”? How do we successfully resist the devil so that he flees every time? You will be informed and equipped with everything you need to know about your adversary and you will never have to fall victim to any of his schemes EVER AGAIN!