When Will We Say Enough Is Enough

By Larry Davis

Children of God! What can enough is enough mean for us? It can mean that we are not going to take any more foolishness, stuff or mess from the devil! Through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us; we have the ability to say to the devil, “Enough is Enough!” No matter the situation we can say enough is enough to Depression, Confusion, Hurt, and Pain! No more disappointments to the point that we feel that we cannot live a happy and peaceful life, etc... God does not want anything to take away our joy, and He will not put more on us than we can bear. So, if the devil tries to bring ungodly things to your life, remember through the authority of God you can have the power to walk away from them, and say to the enemy “Enough is Enough!”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669801306

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Larry Davis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers and the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture references marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture references marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked LB are taken from the Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House of Publishers Inc. Wheaton IL. 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Scripture references marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Rev. date: 11/23/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

831314

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Be An Encouragement To Others

Emotional Attacks Are Setups By The Devil

The Devil Needs Your Help

Will It Rain On Your Head Tomorrow?

Loving Yourself As God Loves You

For The Love Of Money

Believe In Jesus For Yourself

Dealing With Your Hurts And Pains

God And His Creations

Are You Doing As God Commands Of You?

What Makes You Love When You Are Not Loved By Others?

Why Are You Allowing Fear To Enter Into Your Life?

Stop Telling The Devil Your Ideas And Plans

God Wants You To Be Successful, But The Enemy Does Not

God Tells Us To Let’s Do It Again

Take Your Mind Off The Things That Can Blind You From The Truth

Keeping God’s Commandments

When Will We Say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?

Conclusion

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank my heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for allowing me to write this book, because without him, I cannot do anything on my own.

I want to thank my beloved mother, Cora Lee Brown, for instilling the Word of God in me from the beginning when I was a young boy; and now that I am grown, I will not depart from it.

I also want to give special thanks to my beautiful and lovely wife, Carolyn, whom I love very much. She is my queen and my best friend. I am always telling her that when God created her, He broke the mold. She is one of a kind and a wonderful woman of God. Sweet cakes, I love you!

INTRODUCTION

D oes it seem like your life is in all kinds of turmoil and no matter what, things just keep happening? You just cannot seem to overcome life’s unexpected issues, problems, and concerns so you stay down and defeated? Have you given up on life? Have you given up on yourself, or do you feel that God has given up on you?

Are you trying to live in the will of God? Then this book is written to help enlighten and open your eyes to God’s will. There is God’s will, and there is the devil’s will—whose will are you living in? If you are living a defeated, nonpurposeful-filled life, stop! Think! When are you going to start doing the will of God and start saying to the devil, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?

BE AN ENCOURAGEMENT

TO OTHERS

W hen are you going to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH? There are too many things that we involve ourselves in. Oftentimes, we know they are wrong, but we do them anyway. We need to step back, look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, Why am I doing this, knowing that it is wrong and against God’s will? We have to be an encouragement to ourselves and to others. Sometimes we need to talk to our bodies and get ourselves straight before we can reach out to help someone else.

Jesus always encourages us with His Word to keep us from falling into the enemy’s hands, and likewise, we should be an encouragement to others.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

Jesus left us his Word through the Holy Bible. Reading and meditating in his Word will enable us to build our strength, faith, and trust in him for our lives.

Without the Word of God, we would be like a big ball of fire that is set up to destroy everything in its path. We often hear about house fires, earthquakes, tornados, etc., destroying everything in their way. This is what the devil does when he takes over our territory, our home, even our very lives can be destroyed. His mission is to destroy, not to love or build up. That is why he hates you so much, especially when you are following the Word of God. It is very important that we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives. We must learn and use his Word to defeat the devil in our lives. God is our protector and our guide.

Encourage, as defined by Merriam-Webster.com (http://www.merriam-webster.com [October 14, 2011]), means to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope or to attempt, to persuade: urge.

God wants his people to be encouragers. When Jesus lived on earth, He was constantly encouraging people through his word. He is still encouraging us today. That is why the devil does not want us to read the Bible. No, he does not want us to gain knowledge about God and what his word says. The devil does not want us to know that he is a loser.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the Holy Bible tell of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. He was tempted in his greatest time of need, and Satan knew that he was weak and hungry after fasting forty days and forty nights. So he took advantage of the opportunity and approached Jesus with three temptations (Luke 4:1–13).

The devil has not changed—he is still a deceiver. He will come to you dressed in a suit and tie, looking fine, smelling good, and speaking just the right words that will distract you, to keep you from fulfilling your assignment. He may be on your job, in your neighborhood, or even in your home. The devil wears many masks, and he loves to deceive. Believe me when I say, Warning! Look out—he is after your soul! He will never reveal himself for who he really is, but he can be defeated by the Word of God. Ask God for a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

Yes, the devil wants to destroy us and our relationship with God. But we must be on our guard at all times and remain sober, clear-headed, vigilant, and watchful for the Bible speaks of the devil as a roaring lion, roaming around seeking whom he can devour into his kingdom (1 Peter 5:8). God encourages his children through the scriptures in the Holy Bible, and he is no respecter of persons. When he walked on this planet Earth, he encouraged his people both Jew and Gentile with his words.

As Christians, we should do as Jesus did and be willing to encourage others. God’s Word gives us hope; we should be willing to share it with our family, loved ones, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and strangers. Oftentimes, words of encouragement can help people to turn their lives around. -. It can help keep us focus when we just want to give up and quit our destinies.- Encouragement can cause a person to make a hundred and eighty degree turn from his or her wicked ways.

The enemy’s goal is to attack your self-esteem and destroy your confidence in Christ Jesus and yourself. When we know the Word of God and who we are in Christ Jesus, the devil cannot harass us to the point that we give up and allow him to have the victory. When we know and speak the Word of God, the devil has to flee. But if you do not know how to speak the Word of God into your life, then nothing will come out of your mouth but what the world has to say, which will be negative. You cannot defeat the enemy using his words. It is God’s words that keep the enemy on the run. Without Jesus, we have no power over the devil. But God’s Word has power over the enemy, and he is a defeated foe! Hallelujah! In Matthew chapter 4, we see that Jesus overcame the devil with the Word of God; and after the devil fled, the angels came and ministered to him.

One evening, I took my family to church to see the movie The Burning Hell, a 1974 film created by Pastor Estus Pirkle. Let me tell you, if you have not developed a personal relationship with God by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9, 10), you will say to yourself, What am I doing trying to follow the world’s ways instead of following God ways? Or if you are not living right, believe me, after seeing this movie, it will definitely be a wake-up call for you to get yourself right with God. You will quickly ask the question, Lord, what must I do to be saved? When you keep following the world’s ways or you walk away from Jesus, you are harming yourself.

Sometimes when riding in my van, I often see this gentleman walking the streets and holding in his hand the Holy Bible high for everyone to see. He is letting people know that Jesus is the way, the only way. Somewhere in life, someone showed him the way to Jesus. They encouraged him and told him that Jesus loved him regardless of his problems. Jesus will meet you at your point of need.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

One evening, my wife was home alone resting and recuperating from surgery. Our eighty-year-old neighbor and friend, who lived down the street, called my wife and told her that she wanted to come down for a visit. She asked my wife if I would come and meet her halfway. My wife told her I was not home and that she would send me to meet her as soon as I got back to the house. After I returned home, my wife told me about the conversation. I immediately called our friend, but she did not answer her phone. So I went outside to go to her house. Surprise! She was coming down the street on her walker. I was so surprised because even with her walker, she could not walk well without assistance.

Once inside the house, she began to cry, because she was supposed to spend the day with her son at his house, but things did not go as planned. Her son did not pick her up. She had let her cat out and had not seen him in days. Sometimes older people can be like children. When you tell them you are going to do something, they expect you to do as you promise. I, my wife, and my granddaughter tried to console her, but she just kept crying and saying that she was so upset because her son did not come to get her and felt that he had lied to her, so she decided to come and visit us. Remember your word is your bond. Do not tell a person that you are going to do something if you have no intentions on keeping your word.

To make a bad situation worse, she said that she had fallen down; but thank you, Jesus, she was able to get up off the ground and come down to the house. I asked her if she had hurt herself, and she said, No! What a mighty God we serve! We had her to sit in the recliner with her feet up, and I started encouraging her and telling her about the difference between God’s promises and man’s. I told her that sometimes man cannot or will not keep his promises but that God is faithful to his Word and that heaven and earth will pass away before his Word fails. I told her that her son’s intentions may have been good, but maybe something came up, and he could not keep his promise. This elderly lady is saved and has accepted the Lord as her personal Lord and Savior. As my wife and I continued to give her words of encouragement, we watched the Lord bring joy and happiness to her spirit.

There are times in our lives that no matter how long we have been saved, we still need to be encouraged. Afterward, my wife, granddaughter, and I prayed with her; and I went out and brought dinner for us. Around 9:00 p.m., she decided to go home—and guess what? Her beloved cat was sitting outside in our driveway waiting to walk home with her. My wife and I were very surprised because that cat never came to our house. I would have expected this behavior from a dog, but not a cat. What an awesome God we serve! God filled her heart with his Word, and because God is concerned about those things that concern us, he brought her cat home to keep her company for the rest of the night.

Encouragement brings joy, peace, love, and happiness to our souls and spirits. It does exactly what it is supposed to do; and that is to edify, build, and lift you up mentally, spiritually, and physically. That night, that elderly lady went home with joy, peace, love, and happiness in her mind, spirit, and body. The next day, her son picked her up to spend Christmas holidays with him and his family. When the Word of God is in action, the devil always loses. If you want to see the devil defeated, then put God’s Word in operation by speaking what does saith the Lord.

God used Moses to encourage and strengthen Joshua, because he wanted to use Joshua to lead the people into the promised land.

But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see (Deuteronomy 3:28 KJV).

We must hold firmly to the confidence that we have in Christ Jesus and encourage our brethren also.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:13)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24, 25)

God does not want anyone to slip away from his glory. He gives us the choice to select whom we will serve, but when we make the wrong choices, then we fall into the devil’s hands. One of the things that God gave to man, and no other creature, is free will. God tells us to choose life or death.

Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

We cannot fool God, and he does not always reveal everything to us at once. When I first begin studying the Holy Bible, I was surprised to learn that the devil used to be Lucifer who was a covering angel around the throne of God. He had some powers, but God is omnipotent, and he has absolute power. Lucifer was not satisfied with his position because he wanted to be like God. In other words, he wanted to be the God that the people would follow. The Bible tells us that Lucifer wanted to rule the heavens, the earth, and the universe; so he formed an army and enlisted one-third of the angels in it to come against God. He was crazy for thinking that he could overpower the Almighty God of the universe. It did not work out the way he planned, because Jesus told him that he saw him fall as lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18).

God has given man what he wants him to have. If he gave man more than he could handle, then man would begin believing that he was God, just like Lucifer did before he became the devil. The Bible states that he is the prince of this world (John 14:30). He tries to put all kinds of sicknesses and diseases in our bodies, but God is the one who can bring healing to the bodies. God will lead and encourage his children in his Word daily, if we allow him to. He desires that no man be lost, and he proved his love for mankind when he laid down his life on the cross. Glory to God, he arose in victory; and as his children, we can have victorious lives. God tells us to encourage one another. He does not want any man to fall from his glory. We are to love one another as we love ourselves.

As parents, we do not always encourage our children enough. That may be one reason why they are falling into the devil’s territory and do not know how to break away from his hold. Teaching our children how to overcome the devil can keep them out of his territory and enable them to live victorious lives. God tells us to be wise listeners—this will add to our learning—and let the discerning get guidance (Proverbs 1:5). The devil has weapons out there to cause pain. But God has given us weapons to destroy the devil’s plans, and one is his Word through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Word of God is powerful! When people are up to no good, plotting, planning, and being deceitful, God knows all about it. They get away with nothing. In this world today, there is so much killing, robbing, stealing, lying, etc. The enemy loves to put negative thoughts into the minds of people. He gets great joy when he sees them doing wrong, because he knows that they will suffer the consequences.

First Thessalonians 3:13 states,

May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

God instructed Paul to send Timothy to Athens to encourage the people there. Timothy was Paul’s son in Christ and a fellow worker in spreading the gospel to strengthen and encourage the people in their faith so that no one would be unsettled by their trials. There is so much trouble in the world today, and the enemy tries to test your faith in God’s Word. But staying in the Word of God encourages you to stay strong. Staying strong in the Word of God enables you with the ability to say, Oh yes, I can, when the enemy is whispering in your ear, You cannot.

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:8, 9)

God has our backs wherever we go. We are never alone. He is omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time) and an on-time God! Hallelujah!

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians 6:7)

Encourage others to do the things that will be pleasing to God. Teach them about the sinful nature. Warn them! When you mislead a person, you will get back what you sow. If someone is caught in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently, but watch yourself, or you may be tempted also. We are to apply the Word of God to our lives and share and encourage what we have learned with our brothers and sisters. Hopefully, sharing what we know will help keep them from falling into the enemy’s lies. As I have said before, if you do not have your own life together, then how can you encourage someone else to do the right things of God? Only God’s Word can lift up a person’s spirit.

The words of the enemy will try to tear you down and keep you on the milk of the word instead of allowing you to mature to the meat of the word so that you can be an encouragement to others. Now let me explain to you the meat of the word that I am talking about; it is the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ as you apply it to your life. This is the only way that you can stay free from the enemy’s attacks.

EMOTIONAL ATTACKS ARE

SETUPS BY THE DEVIL

A s children of God, we were born to be happy in everything we do, that he may be glorified in our doings. Emotional attacks are setups by the enemy, and when we are not watchful, the devil can use our emotions to draw us away from God’s plans for our lives. At times, the concerns of this world can be very upsetting. People are trying to get ahead, but the enemy is constantly placing stumbling blocks in their paths to keep them from receiving their blessings. We have people losing their jobs, homes, retirement plans, etc. Families are trying to do everything they can to help make ends meet. They have worked very hard to achieve things that seem to have disappeared overnight. God wants us to have things, but he does not want those things to have us. When we are consumed by things, they will help to destroy our relationship with God.

God does not want us to get upset about the things of this world.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:6, 7 NIV)

In other words, you cannot put anything before God—he must come first.

Begin today! Get rid of stinking thinking by changing the way you think. God does not want things to have us, so do not let negative and evil thoughts, or your emotions control your life! Remember the enemy’s plan is to pull you off your assignment in your homes, on your jobs, everywhere you go, and in everything that you do. His goal is to try to keep you angry, upset, worried, scared, etc. He cannot have a relationship with God, and he does not want you to have one either.

We hear bad reports all the time. God wants us to store up good things in our minds. Reading the Word of God and thinking on positive thoughts will help to control and improve the way we think. Our actions can defeat Satan at his own game, because God made everything, and everything that was made was made by him. Think about it! Why is there so much evil going on in the world today? Matthew chapter 4 tells us that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. If God the Father tested Jesus, then he will test our faith and love for him as well.

Let us take a look at Abraham. Genesis chapter 22 tells how God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to the region of Moriah and to sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. God did this to test Abraham’s love for him. Abraham proved his love to God by being obedient. Then God stopped him from harming the boy and provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice unto him instead of him sacrificing his son Isaac.

God said, Let us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make man in our image, and likeness. (Genesis 1:26a)

God had himself in mind when he made man to bring him glory. In other words, man cannot do anything without God.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:7, 8)

Devour—to swallow, eat up, voraciously. It means to take away all relationship from God and kill you just as a man kills an animal. Through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the devil is a defeated foe, and you are more than a conqueror. Through his Word, God has given you the authority for Satan to be under your feet. You are the one who helps the devil to carry out his plans against you—with your thoughts of negativity. The mind is a terrible thing to waste! That is why we need to feed our minds the Word of God.

We need to control our way of thinking by feeding our minds with good, godly things. Worrying puts negative thoughts in our minds. Satan will try to put evil thoughts in our minds, but we cannot allow our minds to become blocked with any kind of evil thought. We must do as God’s Word says to do.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8 KJV)

God called Moses to bring his children out of bondage, which I call hell, when up popped the devil! He tried to control Moses’s emotions by placing thoughts of fears in his mind. Moses began giving God all kinds of excuses as to why he was the wrong person for the job. Now do you think that some of us are like another Moses that the enemy is trying to attack with thoughts of fear?. Do not be like another Moses trying to find all kinds of excuses as to why you cannot do as he says do. Second Timothy 1:7 (KJV) states, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

There are times that we may ask, Why me, oh, Lord? Can you find someone else to use? And we often use excuses such as I cannot do that, I do not know what to say, or I’m afraid. But remember when God gives you a job to do, he has your back all the way. Moses did not deliver the people out of bondage by himself; it was God’s decision to use him to deliver his people out of the strongholds of the enemy. He just needed a workman, which was . . . man. He needed someone who would stand up against the devil in order to bring his children out of bondage, and Moses was the man that he used to destroy the works of the devil.

There are times when the devil tries to put emotional stress in our minds and bodies. We are human, and we may receive a bad report from the doctor, but whose report will you believe? God is our Jehovah-Rapha—meaning the Lord our Healer, and as long as your faith lines up with his Word, then it has to come to pass.

The Holy Bible tells about a man with leprosy, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and begged him to heal him. Jesus healed the man and told him to go let the priest see him. (Luke 5:12–14) In biblical days, the priest was the one to supply ritual certification that a person was cleansed and give authorization for reinstatement into society. (Leviticus 14:1–3)

The enemy tries to attack your emotions; he tries to attack your self-esteem as to whether you know and believe God or not. If you are not careful, he will take over your body and mind. He will try to destroy you with negativity of every kind. We are no match for the devil. Jesus came to earth to destroy the works of the devil so that we may be free and live in peace with one another. But whose report will you believe? You should always believe the report of the Lord, for God’s Word brings joy and victory.

One morning my granddaughter came to me and said that her girlfriend was going to be very disappointed. I asked her why. She said because the boy that her friend liked was going to turn her down and not be her boyfriend anymore. At the time, this young lady was about sixteen years old. I asked my granddaughter what kind of grades was her friend making in school, and she said that her friend was making good grades and had a 3.00 GPA. But just look at how the devil tried to attack her emotions. His job was to put negative thoughts into her mind so she would not concentrate on her education. I told my granddaughter what the devil was trying to do and that he does not care how old or young you are. He will come to you with negative thoughts in order to block your blessings and that he was trying to attack her friend’s thinking and get her mind off her education.

God holds parents accountable for their children until they can care for themselves. Evil spirits are trying to pull our children off course. We need to pray for them and teach them about God and the plans and thoughts that he has toward them. Let them know that God’s plans and thoughts are to prosper them and not to harm them and that he wants them to keep their minds stayed on him—no matter how young they are.

God wants us to be watchful of the things in this world. Beware, the enemy will try to catch you off guard! He will try to move into your space. But do not let him catch you off guard—watch as well as pray! The devil has no love for us, and he is constantly watching and waiting for the right opportunity to catch us off guard. He will try to put emotional attacks on you. You may be asking, What are emotional attacks? Well, emotional attacks are setups that are created by the devil. They are devised to try to steal, kill, and destroy your joy, your happiness, and the relationship that you have with God. The devil wants to confuse your mind, and he may tell you that you cannot do something—when God says you can. So do not believe the devil’s lies!

God kicked the devil out of heaven.

Jesus replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:18)

Heaven belongs to God alone, and he owns everything, which includes you, me, heaven, earth, and everything in it. In fact, he owns the entire universe. He will not share his kingdom with anyone or anything. Ezekiel chapter 28 lets us know that Satan was God’s anointed guardian cherub, chief covering angel, until wickedness was found in him. You see, he was not satisfied with the position he had—he wanted to be God. The devil wanted to run God’s kingdom and rule his world. Yes, the devil wanted to take charge of the whole universe. God has a purpose and a place for everything that he creates, in earth, in heaven, in the universe. He does not need help from anyone or anything.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8, 9)

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? We are God’s property here on planet earth and we were placed here to bring him glory. God wants the best for his people. He wants his people to trust, obey and love him. (Acts 7:48, 49 KJV)

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11 KJV)

Emotional attacks are sent by Satan to break off our communication with God. In the Garden of Eden, Satan used emotional attacks on Eve. God instructed Adam concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said, This tree of the center of the garden do not eat or you will surely die. Adam was supposed to give that instruction to his wife, Eve, to keep her out of danger. But Adam did not do as God commanded because Satan confused Eve by attacking her mind and using her emotions against her. He told her that she would not die if she ate of the tree.

Satan has no new tricks. He is still trying to deceive us today by attacking our emotions and putting negative thoughts into our minds. So be watchful in your everyday life, for God tells us to be watchful. First Peter 5:8 states, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Keep your minds stayed on God and the godly things that he has done for you. Stay in his Word and let them guide your life. Show the devil that you will always follow God and do his will, because you are his child.

We are very special to God, and the enemy knows it. He wants to destroy your communication with God and man. One way he can get to you is through using your emotions with his evildoings. Remember God has warned us that the devil is clever and crafty. He is always watching his target and plotting on how he can use their emotions to destroy his victim. One night, I was watching the Animal Planet channel on TV. It was about how the lion watches a herd of animals before he selects his prey. He looks for the weakest animal in the herd, then he attacks it. Likewise, the devil does the same with people. He walks back and forth seeking whom he can devour. Remember he wants to destroy your relationship with God.

The devil is always watching us. He does not care whether it is a little girl, boy, teenager, grown man or woman. He knows what he needs to do to separate your relationship from God. He wants us to keep our attention on things and the temptations of this world, but God tells us to keep our focus on him. God wants us to focus on those things that are good and that will glorify him. Negative emotions lead to fear. Think about it, fear caused Adam to attempt to shift the blame on Eve.

Some of the things in which fear can attack our emotions are the following:

• Fear of failure

• Fear of success

• Fear of your past

• Fear of the future

• Fear of danger

• Fear of death

• Fear of other people

• Fear of traveling via planes, trains, etc.

All these things can attack your emotions and thinking. Fear is what made Peter deny Jesus.

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. You also were with Jesus of Galilee, she said. But he denied it before them all. I do not know what you’re talking about, he said." (Matthew 26:69–70)

Peter let fear attack his emotions and thinking. Our emotions always play a big part in our thinking. For this is what the Lord Almighty says: After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—(Zechariah 2:8) "

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14) Do you see why the enemy is trying to attack your emotions and thought life? The devil wants you to fail at everything you do, but God made us in his image and likeness. (Genesis 1:27) God wants you to be a winner and be successful in everything you do. In God, there is no failure. Walk, think, and have confidence in God and yourself. We were born to be winners! That is why he said, We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

When you control your emotions, you will have peace, joy, and happiness. Controlling your emotions can help you to have a long and healthy life. God has promised you that these things come with the peace and blessings of God. Emotions are our feelings. They can be strong feelings like anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, etc. Our emotions can be feelings of joy, happiness, laughter, etc. Laughter creates happiness and joy. Laughter can change your thinking in a difficult situation and help lift you out of depression.

Allowing the Holy Spirit to take control will produce the fruit in our lives that is found in Galatians 5:22, 23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Controlling your emotions causes Satan’s plans against you to fail.

Following your own wrong inclinations will produce evil results, such as impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, and spiritualism (encouraging the activity of demons), which controls your way of thinking. This keeps you off-balance and causes you to fall prey to the devil.

Your emotions can cause you not to believe in God or yourself when it comes down to God and his Word. If God said it, then believe it, and it will come to pass. Jesus said whatsoever you ask the Father in his name, believe it, and it shall be yours.

Remember your emotions will always attack your thoughts. Now what do I mean by this? God may say to you in his Word not to do this or that, and the enemy will come along and try to convince you otherwise.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:1–5)

Another example God may tell you is that you were healed according to 1 Peter 2:24, then up pops the devil again trying to twist God’s words around. If you are healed, then why do you still have chills, aches, pains, etc., in your body? Sickness is designed by the devil to break down the body to stop what God has designed for you to do on this planet Earth. When God said, No weapon formed against you shall prosper, He means just that. God never said that those little noisome pestilences will not attack the body, because they will attack the body with some kind of pain, sickness or worry, etc. Why? Because Jesus’s name is above every name. If God did not give these things to you, then you do not have to accept these little noisome pestilences.

God told us to speak to the mountain in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart, then it cannot stay within your body. We serve a wise, awesome God, and our God is not sick. God wants us to prosper and be in good health. Now ask yourself, how can you prosper and be in good health if you allow sickness, or things to come against your body? If the things of this world were not designed for you by God, then you do not have to accept them. This is why in 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) God says, Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you The NLT says, Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Let me tell you this: when you go against the Word of God, then you open the door to be defeated by your enemy. God is our life, our health, and our strength. Now what can you do without him? Nothing! Whom shall you fear? Not man but God.

The enemy’s job is to come into your life with some kind of emotional attack to your body. His job is to blind the mind and corrupt your thoughts. Remember I have said we live by our thoughts, but the enemy can and will draw your thoughts into his will against your God-given purpose. We all have a purpose on this earth, and that is to bring God glory. Some do not receive their purpose here on this earth because they close the door to Jesus. When Jesus is not in your life, you will begin to listen to the devil because you have made him your god. As I have said before, Jesus is your life, we live by his Word, and he is the strength of our life.

When the Word of God is not in our lives, we cut the Word of God off, and we open the door for some kind of emotional attack to the body. Jesus wants us to cast all our cares on him and not go to the world on his ways. People are always trying to solve their problems by the world’s ways; then here come the attacks of worry, depression, oppression, selfishness, jealousness, bitterness toward others. You lose your joy, you lose your peace, patience, etc. Sometimes you can even lose love for yourself. When these things take place sometimes, we often ship our problems over onto our spouse. Oftentimes, we have both parties running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Now both parties are dealing with the spirit of emotional attacks against their bodies. We were made to bring God glory, and we cannot bring him glory if we are going to live in these emotional attacks by the devil. We are only free because of the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died for our freedom, and we do not have to go through these attacks of the devil.

THE DEVIL NEEDS YOUR HELP

T he devil is always looking for someone or something to use to carry out his plans. But did you know that the devil needs help? Could you be the one that he will use? His target is someone who is weak and who does not know the work that God assigned to their life. In this earth realm, the enemy needs a body that he can control. In other words, he wants you to be his puppet; then he will be able to pull your strings whenever and wherever he wants. Remember we are God’s workmanship.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

He uses us to help destroy the works of the devil.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:12, 13 NIV)

Stand! God says that he has your back, and he means exactly what he says. You can count on it!

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19)

God’s Word will not return to him void.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)

God wants us to put him in remembrance of his Word.

Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. (Isaiah 43:26 KJV)

The NIV states,

Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.

God tells us this because he is faithful and true to his Word. He has not forgotten what his Word says, and neither does he want us to forget. We are to study his Word for ourselves. It is very important to store up the Word of God in our hearts. This will enable us to help resist the evil one when he tries to come against us.

People often use the quote What you don’t know won’t hurt you. Take heed, what you do not know cannot only hurt you but can kill you. God has placed us on this earth to solely please him. While we are alive on planet Earth, we must do our part in accomplishing this feat. The enemy does not work alone; he needs a body to carry out his plans in this earth realm. Let us take a look at how he used Judas—one of Jesus’s twelve disciples to deceive him.

Luke chapter 22 (paraphrased) tells us that the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called the Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were afraid of Jesus and were looking for some way to get rid of him. Judas submitted to Satan, and he allowed him to use his body when he agreed to betray Jesus.

Luke 22:4, 5 tells us that Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard. He discussed with them how he might betray Jesus, and for his services, they agreed to give him money. Satan was so afraid of Jesus that he needed a fall guy to do the work for him, and he is still plotting and planning against God’s people today. He wants them to go against God’s Word. He needs a fall guy to help carry out his evil work on earth. The Bible tells us that he is very clever and is always carefully watching to see if he can use you. Warning, do not let it be you!

We are constantly telling God that we love him, but we allow the devil to twist our way of thinking. We cannot serve two masters. Jesus said if you love me, then you will keep my commandments. Sin is the result of yielding to temptation. When we do not keep and follow God’s Word, then we are setting ourselves up to fall into the temptations of this world. We become Satan’s scapegoats, culprits, his victims, when we allow him to use us. We are God’s masterpieces, and we were placed here on this earth to bring him glory. He is our Lord, and we should allow him to be our Savior and Master.

The devil, that liar and deceiver, will use many temptations to try to take you out of the will of God. We are in a war, and the devil uses many weapons to help destroy the minds of people. He knows our desires. He tries to destroy our hopes by disturbing our peace and bringing confusion to our minds. He wants us to keep our minds on him and on the things of this world. He will use our money, spouses, children, whatever he can to take our minds off God. Man loves money and power. He longs for the day that he will gain power and control over something.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. (Proverbs 23:4)

What good is money in the hands of a fool; when he has no desire to get wisdom? (Proverbs 17:16)

Apply your hearts to instruction and your ears to the Word of God and His knowledge. (Proverbs 23:12)

There is a time and a season for everything under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:2)

God is our provider, and he is our total resource—not money. Today people will kill for money, and they will take away from others just for the pleasure of doing so.

All the enemy has to do is offer them money and they will do as he wills. There is always someone who is willing to do the dirty work. Remember he used money to entice Judas to betray Jesus. You cannot fail if you let Jesus be a part of your life and study his Word. God wants to bless you, so do not fall prey to the devil. Humans can make anything into a god; and the devil wants you to fail and succumbed