When An Enemy Returns | Pastor Shane Idleman

that song, "Break every chain." Break every chain, and often God does that. Many of you raise your hand and you know that. God break every chain, but then sometimes that chain doesn't break too easily. You got to go get a welder and work on it. And then sometimes when it breaks, who knows that bondage can sometimes come back. Praise God for people who have been set free and they're done with it, but I also know a lot of people who have been set free and they're doing great, but then remind them of that verse and try to encourage them. The devil left Jesus, he tried every temptation, he left, he said, you know, I'm not tempting Jesus anymore. And it's interesting though, the Bible says he left but was going to wait for an opportune time, another time to come back. And that's how often the enemy works. Addiction recovery will tell you about the halt principle that usually people go back into their addiction when they're hungry, angry, lonely or tired. And that's even if you think of it for Christians, that's usually when the enemy will strike. Because what's happening, there's already weakness in our flesh and he sees that open door and we'll drive some wedges in there. And when the enemy returns, that's what I want to talk about from the book of Acts, Acts number 70. Here's the issue that I'll just tell you up front is I had a lot of practical application, you know, because that's what we need, what to do. But the sermon was like an hour and a half. So I took off some of the practical application, praying about giving it next Sunday, the practical application, but kind of setting the stage now. And I will give you a lot of practical today, but I was wanting to really talk about obviously putting on the whole armor of God. I mean, that's really how you defeat the enemy. Partial armor doesn't work, putting on that full armor.

And I hadn't in the notes, but it just became, you know, a very meaty, lengthy sermon. So I might do that next week still praying about it, but again, we're in Acts 17. Acts 17, beginning in verse 10, so you can open your Bibles. We encourage people to bring their Bibles to church. Open to Acts 17, verse 10, you can highlight. And if you have your Bible on your phone, you can use the phony Bible. All right, I won't say that anymore. It's kind of wearing. It's good still, but it's fine, but I would put on airplane mode because you start seeing alerts come in and different things. So Acts 17, 10, then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. Why did they send them away by night to Berea? Well, last Sunday I talked about they were under heavy persecution because anytime you bring the gospel, especially to a really dark area, that's why you talk to missionaries, I mean, we're so blessed in America in many regards that we don't really quite understand. We'll see it sometimes, but you know, when you bring it into areas that predominantly witchcraft in Africa and seances and voodoo and or places of complete darkness, I believe there are principalities. I don't quite understand it, but the Bible talks about it. And when you bring that light, people get really upset. And because a lot of those governments are ruled by the false religions, they don't care. For now, at least in America, you know, people know they can't just really persecute believers there will be a ramification. And that's why I talk about, you know, getting involved and voting and putting the right people in office, because it has huge ramifications, at least for your kids and grandchildren, if you don't care. And that's why this is such an important topic as well, because there is a sense of protection when not only living in America, but having the right legislation, things like that, but they didn't have this back then. This is an area of persecution where they could literally stone people to death if they

went outside of what they would normally believe. So I know that's a little confusing, at least it confused me. But the bottom line is Paul and Silas were bringing the message of the gospel to the Jews, and a lot of them didn't like it. Because when you talk about Jesus, you kind of implicate them in them killing Jesus. Even though it wasn't them, specifically some of them, the concept of them killing the Messiah and the Pharisees are religiously And so when they arrived in Berea, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. It's interesting, Paul's not afraid. He just goes from one city to the next city. Now, these Jews, though, were far more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica. Now, that basically means they're teachable, they wanna hear more, the ones in Thessalonica just hated everything Paul had to say. You come across those people, okay, they're cordial and they wanna, okay, that makes sense, but you come across other people, when you start talking about Jesus, they blow a gasket. And then you gotta get duct tape out and duck 'em to their flight. (audience laughs) I talked about that last week. Have you seen Jonathan Kahn talk about, he was the Christian sitting next to the duct tape guy. And everything's fine and tell you start talking about Jesus. And so, but these were fair-minded. They didn't get duct taped. Is that even correct?

English? Duct taped, okay. Taped by duck. (audience laughs) So, they are far more minded than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness and they searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. So, often you'll hear that phrase if you haven't already. I'm sure you have many times, you know, to be a Berean or the Bereans. That, you know, there are churches named after that, just that name. It basically means that you properly look at God's word. You dissect it. You look at the historical context. Law first mentioned, you know, when was this truth taught before in the Bible? Commentaries, cross-referencing. You know, you want to check what a person's saying. You know, give them the benefit of the doubt first. It makes sense. Let's, we're ready to receive this word. And we're gonna search the scriptures to find out whether these things were so. So, Paul was giving scriptures, whether he had the scroll of the Old Testament or a lot of them memorized it. And he was talking about Jesus and suffering, servant, and all these other things.

And he would come and, you know, all the prophecies about writing a donkey, a cult, born in Bethlehem, and possibly not one bone would be broken and all these. And they're like, well, that makes sense. So let's look at the scriptures and see what he's saying. That's so important. So this word emphasizes that the brains were not only open-minded, but actively prepared, fair-minded. They received the word with all readiness. They were not only open-minded, but they actively prepared to receive and verify the gospel. It conveys a voluntary, attentive, and eager disposition toward the truth rather than a passive acceptance or rejection. In other words, that's how Christians, we should embrace when we listen to teachers, when we're gonna follow a teaching, when we're gonna get a study. You know, it's good to err on the side of grace. You're open-minded. They said they're a believer. And okay, Lord, I wanna receive what you want me to learn. But they're gonna be eager to discern and to search the scriptures, to be open or to lovingly critique, if necessary. And so it's basically what I boils down to me

is a steadfast, diligent love for God's word, but also teachable, but not gullible. Is there a big difference there? 'Cause you see these people on TV and you're like, how are they even allowed to be on TV? How can they promote the profit, such and such? And weird things is like, how are they, 'cause people are gullible. They're so hungry spiritually that they eat anything. And if you just look at the word, study the word, get feedback from others who are well-versed in the word, you can properly assess pretty much anything that comes out of somebody's mouth. For example, if they're saying, hey, if you send me money, you're gonna receive these blessings. So why are people sending the money? See, they're feeding off of naive people, maybe gullible people and people, maybe they're so desperate to hear from God, they need a breakthrough. And I believe sometimes God does still honor their giving even though the person is a false prophet or a... And here's the thing, I need to talk about this, 'cause I might do a podcast on this at some point, 'cause I get pushed back in different things. I won't talk about that now, But, you know, Shane, why don't you call certain people false prophets, right?

Sometimes I do. Well, in a nutshell, if I only hear a couple sentences or YouTube videos, like, wow, that's not good. That's weird. But let's understand what a false prophet is. They are a postate. They are, they are, they are a son of Satan. They are purposely leading people to hell. They are a postate. They are a false prophet. That's a strong statement. And I've seen people over the years, many of you have, that you see people. It's like, but you don't know their heart because did they start off strong? Did they start off okay and broken? And then they just got caught up in the fame and the wealth and the notoriety and the YouTube likes and followers. And then they start turning into this kind of send me money. You'll receive your blessing. They've got to keep the ministry going. So this person is more of a prodigal who's lost their way. They're not necessarily a false prophet, a postate. You know, there's, so for me to say, with their fault, I don't know. I don't follow them. I just see some clips on YouTube and it's very disheartening. But I'd have to talk to them and understand, unless it's clear as day, you know,

I've talked about when the emergent church movement came out. And I'm not going to mention names now. You can Google all that stuff. That these guys were what I would consider false prophets because they were talking about, well, even if you remove the virgin birth, you know, it's like a trampoline. You know, you're only removing one of the springs. You'll keep jumping. I'm like, no, no, that's, that's correct. And they're all just social justice and love and they don't talk about sin and they replace the, let's get rid of pulpits and let's just, let's just have a couch and let's just have a conversation. That's very, that's, that's, that was called the emergent church movement. If you haven't heard of it, well, you can tell it didn't go very far because of these false prophets and people would, would say things. I would, I would like this, this lady that's in the news a lot, Catherine Crick, right? That like, I, oh boy, I don't need it. No, what do you, what do you do with that? Weird stuff. And this hurts so-called profit apostle buffer. To me, he seems like a false prophet. Absolutely from everything I've seen or heard. And so, but just careful on like our Christianity's turned

into such, it's a circus. Like where's the fear of God in this place? Where's the humility and where's the reaching out to those who can't give to you? And, and you just don't see that anymore. What you do, but it's not, it's not promoted. 'Cause it doesn't give a lot of likes. It doesn't get a lot of likes and followers. And then in the Christian community, and all these divides in the Christian community, it's just, it's sad to witness. It really is sad to witness. But they were fair-minded. They received the word, okay, they, they, you know, they take it in and they search the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so or not. And I don't know if many of you saw the number one podcast in our nation this week. And with Josh Hoverton and Philip Anthony Mitchell, I met some comments and Josh replied with a happy face and all they could say, but they're catching a lot of heat. They're catching a lot of heat for the things they talked about. And I'm not going to go into all the details. And if I just look at the word, what they talked about was very biblically sound. I have no problem with it. And what happens, you get a lot of people worked up. They talked about word churches and spirit churches. It's actually a quote from RT Kendall. And it's really a play on words because you're right.

You have a word church. You also have the spirit there. But what they were talking about is how some churches can seem dead and many are filled to spirit. And there's a joy. And so, but people aren't filled to spirit. They take offense at that. They don't like that. And just because you believe in the gifts, now you're on their hit list. And it's just, it's just sad to witness. But if you look at, again, during scripture, look at the scripture, there will be division sometimes, you know that you just agree to disagree on certain things. And that's where it is. It's really a test of the heart. So here's two key solid footing, two keys. When an enemy returns to fight off the enemy, I'm gonna get to why the enemy returned in just a minute. There needs to be solid footing and a solid mind. That's what made the brands great. They had solid footing on a foundation and they had a solid mind. They look to God's Word. Again, they're open, they're teachable. They just, when you let God's Word speak and let it say what it says, it's not that difficult. It's pretty clear. You don't need to study all those things. You do, if you want to break down a certain word and read it in the original and really get some historical context, really understand is this a present tense verb, meaning it's happening now or is a passive, and that's good, but a scripture says what it says.

A lot of it's not complicated. We just don't want to apply it, and we try to, we'll try to twist things. So to prepare to receive, okay, I want to prepare my heart to receive. I have to do this as well. You have to be open, not critical. So this is huge. Right off the bat, you got to get rid of that critical spirit. Anybody struggle with a critical spirit? I'm putting my hand up, too. Let's try this again. Okay, balcony, anybody up there? Okay. So here's the thing. A critical spirit is really at its core can be good. In other words, I love the truth. You love the truth. We have a zeal for the truth. We analyze things through the truth, but if we become jaded and hard, it turns into being critical. And that's why I use the word sometimes. They're the phrase modern day Pharisee. Because you have the right information, but your heart has become jaded and critical, and not trusting, and just kind of going to church, looking for everything we can point out that might be wrong. And when you're like that, you will not receive. You will not receive. And I've seen it over the years. People come here with a critical heart. Why is he in worship so emotional? I hate to keep bringing this up, but why is the worship so emotional? Why is he altered? Why is there 40 minutes of worship? Because that's exactly what you need. So you're going to come in here. Well, what's that song we just sing break every chain? I don't know. Yeah, maybe you need some chains broken. It's good to cry out to the chain breaker. But see, they come in with a critical heart. Do you see that? They come in with a critical heart pastor. I've had this too. He didn't even bring a Bible or open a Bible. Well, I've got the Bible right here. Is that okay too? But see, they come in. Is that New King James? See, you know what I mean? They're already coming in with a critical heart. What's he wearing? The church, man pastors wore suit and tie because they respected the word of God. That's great. If that works, that's wonderful. Praise God for that. But that is a preference, not a biblical standard. And so we already come in with a critical heart. Did they just sing a song from Hillsong? Oh my goodness. Oh my God. I'm never coming back. See, they're looking for just a little, they're coming for just a little thing right here. And people, they would post about that interview. I mentioned with Philip Anthony Mitchell and Josh Overton. They would come against them like, that's what you got from an out. That's your takeaway. Bro, you know, not that the spirit has departed from you. And a lot of these ministries, they are heresy hunter ministries. They look at everything with a critical heart. Even though they might have some right, they might be men and women of truth. But their heart has grown jaded and they've become critical. And I know many of you have seen a lot of the stuff Mike wingers putting out. A lot of it's good, but we've got to be careful because you can turn into a very critical person. If you don't say tender and humble and gracious as well. And I'm a fan of what he's doing, but I'm also, you don't want to build your ministry. I'm being the guy who critiques everything. You know, that's not good either. So my whole point is, again, you have to be open, but not critical. And if you're here today, you might want to repent of that. If you come with a critical spirit, you're not going to receive. You're not going to receive. And I've known people over the years, they come and they sit there with their spouse and they're just critical. They're critical. They're looking for that thing so they don't have to come back maybe or, yeah, yeah, really, a lot of it too has to do with spiritual superiority. If I'm upfront with you, a lot of people with critical heart know their Bible.

just don't want to be convicted. But the modern day Pharisee comes in looking for how they can critique something. And let me tell you, I'll be the first to tell you, you will find something if you're looking. Of course, I find things here. I don't know if I would have said that or did that. But there's got to be freedom in Christ. I can find things like, why did they wear that to church? Oh, hashtag modesty. Right? But if, I don't know you clap over that. But, or, but you see what I mean? Like we got a lord. Maybe they need prayer instead of criticism. So it does come naturally to truth people. You can, you can drift into that, that land of, from being truthful and loving and, and, and erring on the side of grace to, you know, since sniffing, because you have to work on staying humble. The enemy will feed your pride. You don't have to work on that. So to be a brilliant, to really search the scriptures, yes, be open, but not critical. Attentive, attentive, not bored, penitent. Anybody not know what that word means. It means to be repent, to, to have a humble attitude that's quick to repent. It's not prideful. It's not prideful. Let me, let me drop the bomb this morning, unless you don't know, you don't know everything. And if you think you do, this point is for you. Prideful people think they know everything. They don't need to be critiqued. They know, I know what the Bible says. I don't need to, you know, hear from you or I don't need to do this and that. Be careful. God, because God loves a broken humble heart. That type of sacrifice he will not cast away. But he will actually resist those who are proud. I got this quote from my daughter. So credits do here. Let's put it up. Waiting on the Lord is hard, but the only thing worse is wishing you had. So that can be applied to many different things. I actually don't know why I actually inserted it here. But waiting, maybe, maybe a good point is waiting to critique. Waiting on the Lord is hard, but wishing you had waited is harder. Apply that wherever you need to apply it this morning. But before critiquing, before being, you know, lashing out, wait on the Lord, wait on the Lord, it's hard. But the only thing worse than that is wishing you had. And so Acts 6, Acts continues, Acts 17, chapter 17, 10 through 15 continues. So because the Brienne search out the scriptures, many of them believed. Of course they're going to believe. If you listen to Paul, search the scriptures, you're going to believe the Pharisees who didn't believe already made up their mind not to believe. And so they believed prominent women as well, many of the Greeks. Here comes these sneaky little

devils. Look at this. But when the Jews from Thessalonica, they're way far away. They're like, you know, down in Orange County. From here, I don't know exactly. She looked at the map. But when they heard that the Word of God was being preached by Paul and Berea, they came there to Berea. It wasn't enough to go after the Apostles in Thessalonica. They said, Oh, they're in Berea. We got to go get them. And people will do that. They'll follow legitimate ministries no matter where you go. And they'll track you down and they'll try to stir up controversy. And that's what happened here. The enemy returned. The enemy returned. And what did they do? They stirred up the crowds. That word is interesting. It means to incite. The Greek word means to incite. And what happened, especially for those who are not really well grounded in scripture, and maybe they're easily, easily persuaded, is they came in and that they did this stuff in Thessalonica too. Oh my goodness, let me tell you they've the whole cities in an uproar. Look what they're trying to say and probably bringing in falsehood. And so now the crowd that was receptive is now upset at Paul and Silas. They stirred up the crowd and that's what happens. That's why I tell a lot of people. ministry is built, I'm pulling down people. Be careful because they will stir you up as well, and you'll begin to have disdain for people that's really not founded. Some of it is, of course, go to the source if you can, but you have to be very careful on those heresy hunting webs. Here's, I'm going to drop a little truth bomb here. You'll find, except for, like, I think when I mentioned Mike Winger and others, the majority of those people who build their whole ministry off critiquing the vast majority, I'd say nine out of ten, the reason they do it, and they are a sensationalist, means they don't believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have are still valid today. And I can name names, I dialogue with them, and they're, that's, so they're already looking at you through that lens, that, oh, oh, you're on that side, you still believe the gifts of the Spirit are for today. Well, now you're on my hit list because they're already looking in that lens. And then we get people from here, I've had to, like, guys, stop watching these guys. They get all stirred up.

They get all worked up. I listened to such and such, and they said, all that music's bad. Whoa, can we go over the lyrics? No, it's all bad. You need to go back to the old hymns. Okay, well, did you know when the old hymns came out, they were new hymns? Did you, are you aware of that? Charles Wesley would present a hymn in 17, what, at 40, and it's, it's new. What would they do? They would look at it. They would be a Berean. They would look at it based on Scripture. And so, yeah, I hope we check lyrics out by Scripture. Is it, does it line up, which might not be something you prefer or I prefer, but does it line up with Scripture? And that's what they do. They stir the pot and we have to, we have to address it a lot here. You don't see it, but we've got some pot stirs that find their way in here and they'll stir up, usually not the whole crowd, but they'll take a small group of people. Did you hear what he said today? What do you think of that? I don't know. And then they'll get their little groups together and then they'll stir the pot up. And it's sad because it's division. It's division in the body and I don't think the Lord is well pleased. Well, how do you know, Proverbs, seven things the Lord hates. One is somebody who sows discord among the brethren. They plant those little, those little, what are they? Oh, yeah, little fiery darts and they, that's, and they fuel that up. They fuel it and they, they stir and that's what these, the enemy returned.

Paul, can you imagine, I can just picture this too, because this happened to me. They're just, they're just happy to, Paul's happy to preach. They're listening, they're, they're open, they're teachable. And here comes the Thessalonica's dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. And they just stir up and like, oh, my goodness. Many of you remember if we, when we did, I did the debate at the college, that we had protesters out on the sidewalk. This is when I first met Ray Mercertroy. He was security over the college and they get this big warning. Here comes the Shanghai. They have security. They even had a helicopter ready. And I'm just barking my truck and I just walking, he's like, we're, you know, like, he just, I didn't know what to, like, they, they stirred, so it got out that they, and they stirred the crowd. And so people are out protesting on Avenue K with their signs and yelling at us and like, what, I'm just debating an atheist. Well, why are you so upset? Stir the pot, stir the pot. You said something two years ago about marriage and we're going to come after you and it's see that no matter where you go, there's pot stirs. And it's, it's not fun, but it comes with the territory. I was reminded of judges, judges, two, three, they will be thorns in your side. They will be thorns in your side, actually, the whole verses. If you don't drive out the people, I believe if you, if you learn their ways and do not, they will be thorns in your side and irritants in your eyes. It says that actually says it elsewhere. The judges' context is they did not remove the people they, they, they learned their ways. And that's also in 2 Corinthians, a thorn in the flesh was given to Paul, a messenger

of Satan to buff at me, a thorn in the flesh. Many of us believe that was more of an illness, probably. They're looking for that opportune time, so don't ever let your guard down. Maybe it would be practical application point number one. Don't let your guard down, because after mountaintop experiences come valleys often. For me, usually there's not a close second. Mondays are usually the hardest day for me. It's usually because of Sunday, and the enemy right looking for those opportune times of discouragement or getting in a funk and fearful, and all these things he just rushes in. And from Nehemiah to David, remember Nehemiah to David, and from good kings to the disciples to me and you, there's often tension between victory and battle. So know that as a believer, be prepared. We're in that mountaintop experience. These are going great, just keep the armor on, you don't take the armor off, because that's when we become easy prey for the enemy. And that's when he returns, he's looking for those opportune times. There's the verse, Luke 4, 13, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time." I don't like it, but I have to tell you the truth. But the Bible says, "I wish it wasn't the case. I wish when we came to know the Lord, man, we're almost in heaven and life is peachy all the time." But you are on a hit list now. You are an adversary. You are an enemy of Satan. And so we have to look for and watch out for, I should say, opportune times where he strikes, but he will strike, but being forewarned, you can be forearmed. That's why I wanted to talk about something like this. But be encouraged, when you do fall, the key is to get back up, when the enemy does come in and he might hit you, does he ever hit you?

Oh yeah, if we're honest, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way. Thank God for the last half, though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down because the Lord upholds him with his hand. So even though some struggles remain, some struggles remain, some strongholds come down and come back, some temptations return. That's the life of a believer. And after victory, the enemy wants to quench the celebration. So he will try to come back and discourage you. Have you seen that before? You've been encouraged to start a ministry. You've been encouraged to walk with the Lord. And man, it's so motivating and the only way to stop that forward momentum and that motivation is for the enemy to bring in discouragement. When the enemy returns, he often returns with discouragement. But these are not the times to stay down there, the times to get up and keep fighting, to get up and keep fighting. Well, oh Lord, just give me more anointing. We don't need more anointing. We need less of the flesh. Some more anointing is good sometimes, but most of the time, oh Lord, give me more an anointing. When you have less of the flesh, you're more full of the Spirit. That's how you overcome these things. And again, I had a whole teaching I was going to go into for a while on Ephesians 6, 12, where we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Now, I know this is elementary for most of us. We've heard this verse 50 to 100 times, we've heard teachings on it, but just because you've heard something before and you remember, it doesn't mean you can't lose that edge. We need to be reminded often that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood.

So what is coming against you often is demonically inspired. And that's why I will say, man, that's demonic. Because they plant thoughts, they shoot fiery darts. They stir up, their demonic realm loves to stir up. You've seen church churches be destroyed. Have you heard of church splits? I mean, it's just the enemy comes up and stirs up that controversy. One of the heartbreaking things me and my wife were at a church split when we first started going to a church. And it was, of course, over what I mentioned before, gifts of the Spirit. And the enemy just stir, it was just, I've never seen anything like that before. And it's sad because that's how he stops God's work temporarily, is with stirring up things and controversy and dividing. 'Cause if he can get the church divided, there's lots of division men you're having meetings. You have to address this person. Oh, boy, there's such and such here. And I don't wanna, and you're just, man, you're just, it's just painful. There's no anointing, you're just, you're thinking things during worship and conflict, and it just kills the atmosphere of a church. That's why you really have to fight for unity, you do. You have to fight for unity and praise God. What other people are doing, that's between them and the Lord, as far as I'm concerned, Paul said, as much as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all men. What you can quench those fiery darts of disunity. And you can say, you know what,

why don't you just talk to them on your, go to them directly, I'm gonna worship the Lord today. And you can just stop those fiery darts. Again, as of now, I don't know of any here at this church. I just know that any church, good church is gonna come and try to divide, and you have to fight for unity. And it's a reminder, you do not wrestle. That word is struggle. Your fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. And again, if we had time, principalities can be a congomeration. Yeah, well, that's a tough one. Yeah, you know it's a tough. So groups of demonic powers, other powers against rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. So that's our battle. And you know it's true, that's how, that's, I mean, you can just be having a great day, and then you sit next to somebody in an airplane. What I just said. I mean, that is just like, I just can't believe it. Or in a grocery store, you're just (laughs) whistling, you're having a great day, and the person in front of you is not having a great day. And they stop whistling. What are you so happy about? And then here we go.

Right, and just, you're fighting. It's not, or in the workplace, anybody have challenging workplaces. It is, it can be really hard. Think about those in county offices, or city offices, or government offices. And you've gotta, you've gotta bend the knee to godless agendas, or you'll be harassed. You'll be made fun of. You'll go through things like, why am I even going through this? Lord, why, where are you at? It's because we wrestle, our fight is with flesh and blood. Not with flesh and blood, it's with demonic inspired people and influences. And we hold the ground by putting on the whole armor of God, which I do want to talk about at some point, wrestling. It's an intense, active, and continuous battle. It's not often a single isolated fight. Don't you wish it was? Over came that battle today, and hey, it's moving forward. Often it's, it's reoccurring when the enemy, when the enemy comes back, that's why I said earlier, you have to have solid footing and a solid mind. That's where we need to start. It can't be wavering and weak in the faith. It's, okay, I'm holding my ground, Lord, I'm trusting you, solid footing, and a solid mind pursuing on the Word of God,

or focused on the Word of God. And he will fight for you. I've seen this many times. He will fight for you. But it's often not in your, on your schedule. Your timeframe, 'cause I'm wanting out of the fiery furnace. I don't want to go into the fiery furnace, like many of you. But that song we sing sometimes, there's another in the fire. There's another in the fire. Often, here's what you need, here's the key really. Enemies often return when there's an open door. Enemies often return when you give the enemy an open door. He's, ah, there we go. I'm going to run through it. Well, through, I mean, there's a variety of different things. We could, I mean, you've heard me talk about many open doors. Halt, hungry, angry, lonely, tired. You go back to a certain addiction that's not healthy. You just open the door. How many of you ever went back to something? You're like, this is a lot harder to get rid of than it was initially. Anybody ever been there? Why? Because now the door's open, that influence is stronger. And if you feed the enemy, how do you feed the enemy?

Well, you can feed him by thought, feed it by thoughts, and get on his side, his thinking, and you get all worked up. And now you become part of the problem, not the solution, the thought life, and you're feeding those things, or feeding on the wrong things. When you're going through something difficult, Don't scroll through in this because when we feed the enemy and we feed those thoughts, that's when he often returns. Ah, there's an open door in that thought life. There's an open door in that thought life. Oh, I can go right in and plant these fiery darts. Now that they've opened that door. I'm like, why are they like they should run from you? Now if I throw rocks and stuff, they will. But they're like kind of following me and I get going in like there's, wait, this is not good. So after about a month and a half, I'm out there. There's nobody else there. And then I see a-- I got a hat on right in the backpack to keep my water and stuff. And I see a lady, like she's over, like, not on the trail. And she's got a hat, a backpack on. And like, hey, you might want to watch out. There's like, there's like five or six coaties right in this section. And she goes, oh, I know, I feed them. [LAUGHTER]

What? What? No, no, no, no, no. We don't feed coyotes. I'll tell you what we do. But then I might get in trouble for impita things. And they think I'm hurt. So they're like following me around waiting for food. Now come to find out they had mange, I guess. And there's antibiotics in the food. I'm like, OK, that makes-- you don't feed-- but my point was, when you feed the enemy, it will come back. It will return. I've never seen that. I've any of you seen that many-- I mean, usually they're hiding or they're-- but this-- it was so-- and it is very unsettling. Like, I didn't like them out there. I'm like, why are they all around me, right? And they're kind of like wasking around and like, this is on thrown rocks and stuff. Then they finally run and different things. But the point is, in all of that, enemies often return when there's an open door or a food source, a fuel. So if there's a fuel source, that enemy will return. And they'll harass you as well, even physically, I mean mentally, but also physically. So be very careful on your spiritual diet.

And that's what I said at the beginning. That's why some people come in. If you look at people and are like, why are they so-- why are they worshiping? What's-- why are they so giddy? Why are they so happy and joyful? They've probably been feeding on the things of God. And so they're just-- it's just an expression of the appetite that's been fueling all week versus those who have no appetite for the things-- listen, if you're feeding on the things of the world-- and I tell people this. I used to-- when I spoke at men's conferences, the guys would always come up and they would repent. They would cry. And I understand-- because I hit something there-- if you're going to bed with Netflix, and Voodoo, and scary movies, and lustful things, and this, and that's what you're feeding on all week, you're not going to have an appetite for God. It's not going to happen. So the same thing happens spiritually speaking in this area. So to stand firm, we must make him your primary pursuit, to stand firm, even when the enemy comes back. So here's the thing, even when the enemy returns, if God is your primary pursuit, he won't knock you off course. He might try. That's the whole point, right? You know that the enemy-- the reason they return is to try to get us knocked off course. Let me damage your testimony.

Let me have you so discouraged. You don't want to witness. And listen, guys, I've been there. I've been there many times. I just want to go about my day. I'm discouraged. And that's where the enemy wants because you're not fruitful. You're no threat to his kingdom. What threat are you to God's kingdom? I mean, the enemy's kingdom. When we don't want to tell anybody about Jesus, we don't want to pray for anybody. Even if we pray for people, we don't think, well, we'll see any results. We just go through the motions. There's no spiritual power. There's nothing. And we're just dead, dead spiritually. The enemy knows they're no threat to my kingdom because they're dead spiritually. And that's why-- oh, there you go. You see? OK. There's a player that just a picture. OK, there's-- oh, you see all five, I think. So anyway, we'll save it for the second if we have it. But that's what-- see, I'm up there, they followed me. And I'm throwing rocks at him. But I could not figure out why are these things following me

for a month that want me to feed them? There's a thing, I'm going to feed them. And I'm going to feed them a rock the size of a baseball. [LAUGHTER] But no, I know. The people are like, oh, you're just-- you're mean to-- I don't know. I've never had good luck with counties. Actually, it was-- it was right. I think it was in that area. I don't remember what year it was. But it was probably within 100 yards where I took my little newborn-- Okay, it was a little small, like a little cute little guy and he's like in front of me and then I hear, and then he's in a coyote's mouth and he's gone. So I've got some PTSD with these guys. I would say more, but this is recorded so but I understand they're probably there's a good ego balance there of getting rid of the rabbits and stuff but where was I? To stand firm, you must make him make Jesus your primary pursuit. Guys, that's how you stay, stand firm. And if we went into more of Ephesians, it talks about in all things prayer, pray. I can't tell you enough how important prayer is. Think about this. If prayer lays hold of God, if it truly lays hold of God and grabs his hand and he inclines his ear and moves on our behalf. Why don't we make prayer a priority? Why don't we? If that is a mechanism to move the hand and heart of God, if that is a mechanism to secure your testimony, your foundation, if that is the mechanism by which you were finished well, why don't we make prayer a priority?

Because it will save and it will release, it will redeem and it will restore, it will rescue and it will renew, it will deliver and it will revive. Sometimes we need to say like the prophets of old, where is the God of Elisha? Where is the God of Elisha? That's the God I want. I want the God of Elisha who answers prayers, who brings down fire upon the His enemy and we begin to seek God, we might not see it and even though we don't see it, that's okay, that's why it's called faith. That's why it's called faith. So I'm actually going to end with something a little unique. As many of you know, Kevin got us into the prisons, a prison I'll be speaking at with Richard doing worship on Thursday. So keep it in your prayers, maybe six, seven hundred guys and just been praying about that and the topic is hope. The topic is hope and how relevant, relevant for us today as well. If I could close this part, I'd probably just close it with these words, taste and see. Taste and see. And many of you know it comes from Psalms 34, oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in him. It's really a call to taste and see that the Lord is good. And that so many people are looking for hope, even as believers, many times the unbelievers, of course, they're looking for hope and God says, taste and see that the Lord is good. A little over a month before he died, a famous French atheist said that he resisted feelings of despair by saying, I know I shall die in hope. And atheist said, I know I shall die in hope. But then in profound sadness he added, but hope needs a foundation. Hope needs a foundation. Not a true foundation, there is no hope. But be encouraged, hopelessness can draw you to the great hope. That's one great thing about hopelessness and it can get you, you've heard that said

many times. When I finally got to rock bottom, rock bottom, and that hopelessness actually draws you, many of us, to the great hope. And so for those who have lost hope, let me encourage you, Isaiah said, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. So maybe for some of you need to taste and see again that the Lord is good. You need to taste and see again that the Lord is good. You've lost that appetite, you've drifted off course. That verse is still for you, taste and see that God is good. Taste again, you've drifted from your first love. Maybe you become that cold and callous person, maybe you become lukewarm but the Bible again and again affirms taste again and see that God is good. And those who experience hope, they all cried out. Think about this. I did a survey briefly throughout the Bible, but you have from David to the blind beggar, to me and you, those who cried out to God, those are the ones who received hope, those who set in their seats and were, you know, judgmental and not really just seeking the heart of God. They didn't receive that hope. They had to cry out that blind beggar was told to shut up the first time. And do you guys recall that? Be quiet. Be quiet. And I'm wondering how many people would have been quiet. Okay, sorry. he cried out all the more. I'm not gonna let man or opinion change my pursuit of God. I'm not gonna let embarrassment, many of you that are embarrassed to be baptized, you need to get rid of that this morning.

You need to get, there's no embarrassment in being, that should be a badge of honor. I identify with Jesus Christ, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and I will, I desire to be baptized. They all cry out, David would cry out. And when he cried out, he got his hope back. I've lost all hope, I've killed somebody, I committed adultery, my baby has died, he but he would cry out, oh God, let the bones, you have broken Mary Joyce and the hope. Once again, filled his heart Isaiah, and even Isaiah cried out and said, "I've seen the King, the Lord of glory." Jeremiah, there was a crying out, there was a begging for more of God's manifest presence. We need that again today, and then no doubt, maybe some listening later, or some here this morning, you've never had hope. You can't taste and see again, you've never tasted and seen. And I love Romans 15, depending again on your translation, it says, "May the God of hope," that's how you get hope, that's how you get hope, that's the hope that will never fail, 'cause you know, there's hope that's called, I call the new car smell. You get that hope. May many of these prisoners have the hope, oh, you're getting out early, and what about when you don't? False hope, oh, my marriage is restored,

and then it's not, false hope. Doctor says, oh, everything's looking good, and six months later, it's not looking good. You had false hope, false hope. But that hope in God is true, lasting hope, that is true, may the God of hope, he is the God of hope, fill you, fill you, not a little bit, that word means exactly what it says. Fill you with what, with all joy and peace as you trust in him. Basically, as you repent and believe the God of hope will fill you, that's how you tell people to truly find joy and peace, because when we don't have peace, it's because we're not in right relationship with God. That's where true peace comes from. That doesn't mean we don't struggle with discouragement. Amen? Anxiety, anybody struggle with anxiety? Fear? It's part of our fallen nature. We struggle, but we don't live there. And that peace surpasses all understanding, floods our heart and gives us that hope. And so that will be the question this week. Where is the hope? Well, it's where it's always been. God doesn't leave, we leave God. And I remember when God stepped into my life, I remember when God stepped into my life,

and I thank God for all those early years that I'd have to memorize the Bible verses. My mom would give me a little bit, 50 cents. Not the rapper, but she would, I don't know. I won't do that the second, just first. But remember, and I remembered, you know, that Genesis and Exodus, Leviticus numbers, you're drawing me some of the verses, mainly King James verses and things like that. But I remembered, I remembered and I saw it in the word and I just started crying and I still have it in my Bible in 1999 when I read that. If you return to me, thus say it the Lord, I will return to you. If you return to me, thus say it the Lord. I will return to you. So when the Bible says, "For God so loved the world," that's not just wishful thinking, that's not a fairy tale, that's not something that weak men quote, it is life, it is spiritual life to say, oh, I was lost, but now I'm found, I was blind, but now I see, I can look to God who gives all hope. Did you know you can be on death row and still have hope? It's amazing, it's unbelievable.