Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
March 16, 2003 - W0311

Inner battles have to do with setting ourselves to Godís purposes and His planÖ Or being distracted by other things. How easily distracted are you? I remember being so distracted by a spider while I was driving that I actually crashed into a parked car. And there are times in life when the enemy will divert your attention to make you crash too. He uses tools of distraction to get you to divert from the direction that God has called you in. It causes you to settle for something less than Godís best in your lives. Youíll be lured away from family, calling, and/or ministry and then youíll end up settling for lesser dreams.

These ìgods that allureî seem so real at the beginning. However, the lure of more prestige or of an overnight tryst, whatever it is that is alluring you will draw you away from Godís best. Or the lure could come in the packaging of anger. When things arenít going your way, you get discouraged, depressed, and want to flee. And you draw away from Godís best.

The Holy Spirit sets up a classroom because sometimes thatís the only way weíll learn wisdom. The classroom of struggle is where youíll receive some of the greatest gems. And when Heís got your attention, the Holy Spirit is able to teach you lessons.

Too often though, we are impatient and come to our own assumptions, exiting before the lesson is learned. If we keep ducking out of these classrooms we just grow older, never wiser. Quick conclusions can lead to poor results: ìLet each be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.î (Jas. 1:19-20) And when we make hasty decisions, even what is designed to be good for you will not take place.

We live in a society of instant pleasure, happiness, love, and satisfaction. We donít want suffering or discomfort. So when there is pain or suffering we try to escape it. Then the enemy has allured us again with our demand for instant everything. And again we miss the lesson: ìWhatís gained hurriedly in the beginning, will not be blessed in the endî (Pr. 20:21). Anger, depression, instant gratification are all things that lure us away from Godís best for our lives.

Q1: What distracts you most from staying on Godís path for your life?

ìBeware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods, and worship them.î (Deu. 11:6)

The gods that allure are everywhereÖ and their toolbags are filled with lures of anger, instant gratification, depression, etc. They all have the same bottom line: To steal, to kill, and to destroy. The enemy wants to take a temporary setback in your life and force you to make a permanent decision. For instance, if youíre having marital problems and you decide to abandon the relationship. Thatís the enemyís mode of operation: to get you to trade a permanent relationship for a temporary relief or a temporary high. Heíll lead you to exchange something eternal for temporary gratification. And then heís got your future.

The gods that allure want your future and theyíll use anything to destroy and devastate your life. So beware, for the enemy wants to deceive your heart. Heís out to target three key audiences:

THE TARGET:

1.     THOSE MAKING THEIR PATHS STRAIGHT.

ìThe woman of folly is boisterousÖcalling to those who are making their paths straight.î (Pr. 9:13,15)

In bad situations, we often wonder, ìWhy did God let this happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? I was trying to walk with God, and still I get hit.î Remember, youíre not fighting against God or circumstances: ìWe war not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities and spiritual wickednessî (Eph. 6:12). The enemyís target is to come after those making their paths straight.  

We tend to think that if weíre following God, our life should be smooth and trouble-freeóno suffering, no pain, and no problem. Then, when we get hit, we automatically think weíve done something wrong. When you get hit, it may not be that you are doing something wrong, rather youíre probably doing something right! Donít bail out so quickly or you will miss out on Godís best for your life.  

When youíre doing something right and making your paths straight, you are gaining the ire of the devil. Thereíll be persecution. Thereíll be struggles from within and without because youíre getting his attention. The Bible says, ìThe spirit and the flesh work against each otherî (Gal. 5:17). The enemy is going to work against God all the time. And what we get is that the enemy not only targets those who make their paths straight, but alsoÖ

2.     THOSE WHO WISH TO LIVE GODLY.

ìIndeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.î (1 Tm. 3:12)

Often wisdom is learned only in one classroom: the classroom of suffering. However, listen very carefully: These classrooms are never built without your permissionóyou must choose to partner with wisdom and learn from your suffering. Thatís the difference between someone who just goes through a hard time, and someone who goes through a hard time and wishes to a live godly life.

In fact, it may be in the midst of this classroom that you learn to hold back from blurting out something in anger. Then you begin to develop self-control. You learn to respond in wisdom rather than anger. You respond with insight instead of impatience. And when itís over, the Holy Spirit will say, ìWell done, youíve learned the lesson.î Yet all of that is built in a classroom of wisdom, within the rough-hewn walls of suffering.  

Q2: When faced with a challenge or struggle in your life, how do you respond? Do you exit quickly or stick it out wishing to live through it in a godly manner? 

Remember that the Holy Spirit can only teach you wisdom with your permission. And these things will happen to those who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus. So what does that mean? 

3.     THAT MEANS YOU & ME.

ìFor false godsÖwill rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even Godís chosen ones. See, I have warned you.î (Mt. 24:24-25)

God places usóyou and Ióright in the middle of these gods that allure. He allows this not as a temptation, but as a consequence of fallen man. And so weíre allowed to be tested by them, but God equips us to overcome them. How? By making ourselves strong and recognizing these gods that allure.

Allow me to tell you about three covenants that you must make in order to stay with Godís best for your life. Three agreements (or pacts) that will help you immensely include these: 

THE CURE:

1.     MAKE A CONVENANT WITH YOUR EYES.

ìI have made a covenant with my eyes that I would not look with lust upon a young woman.î (Job 31:1)

Watch out for your eyes; this is especially true of men. Make a covenant with your eyes that, like Job, ìyou will not look with lust upon a young woman.î This is so important because in our world today, we will see all kinds of stuff that will just pull our eyeballs out of our heads. So we have to make a covenant ahead of time not to do that. The Bible says, ìthe eyes of man are never satisfiedî (Pr. 27:20). And the gods of allure use that.

I was talking to a guy who worked in an office with a lot of women. He shared with me that he really enjoyed being the only guy because he got to get close to them through counseling and joking around with them. He said, ìHey, I know Iím married, but I can look! You know, Wayne, window shopping is free!î But thatís not true; Scripture says that if we even look with lust upon someone else, weíve committed adultery in our hearts, where it matters.  

But he kept insisting that it was harmless to ìloveî on these ladies, so I shared about an experience I had gone through. I was counseling a wonderful and attractive young lady in my office one day. She was so wonderful and yet her husband was so mean to her. I felt sorry for her, and a true compassion and love for her. But suddenly, it was like the Holy Spirit showed up right in the room between us. Everything went into momentary suspended animationÖ I was alive in a freeze frame! And this is what God said, ìWayne, when you love people, especially ladies, make sure that you love them with My love, not yours. Yours is corruptible, Mine is not.î

Iíll never forget it. That was a life lesson as a young pastor that forever changed the course and practice of my ministry: to be sure to love Godís people with Godís love and not mine. And that way, Iíve been protected from the snare of allure, Godís people are protected and God wins every time. What a critical lesson!

Q3: Has the enemy ever targeted your eyes? If so, what happened and what did you learn from that experience? 

In a nanosecond, God can teach you reams and keep you from being allured into something that would deceive your heart. If youíre married then your affection belongs to your spouse. Love every other person that comes into your life with Jesusí love, not yours.

I was fishing one day and snagged a local fish called ëmenpachi.í These are small red fish with big, bulging eyeballs. Well, I caught one of them but the interesting thing is that I had hooked it through its eyeball. It was so ugly! A fish-eyed fish (big bulgy, ugly eyes) and now one eye was hanging out and about ready to come off. It was so bad that I didnít want to eat it anymore!

But in that second when I was staring at that eye, the Lord said, ìThatís what the devil tries to do with you. Heíll hook you through your eye to allure you. And thatís how repulsive it looks to me.î

So first, we must make a covenant with our eyes. Donít allow the devil to hook you by your eyeballs. The second, an equally important covenant we must make is toÖ

2.     MAKE A COVENANT WITH YOUR HEART. 

Make a covenant with your heart to be about the things of God. Fix your heart on Him and His plan. When you make a covenant with your heart, praise comes and thereís a sense of joy: ìMy heart is fixed, Oh God, my heart is fixed. I will sing, yes I will sing praisesî (Ps. 57:7 KJV). Look for the things you can thank God for, and worship Him. Then everything in your life will be set in submission to His power, to allow Him to work mightily and abundantly in your life. 

When making a covenant with your heart, another key component to be aware of is this: Be careful with what kind of treasure you build in your heart. For example, by not resolving bitterness you allow your heart to become bitter and start to build bad treasure.  

ìA good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart will bring forth what is evil. For the mouth will speak that which fills the heart.î (Mt. 12:35)

Certainly youíll be pressured by lifeís experiences. And thatís precisely when youíll find out whatís inside of you. Whatever treasure (good or bad) was built along the way and will flow out of your heart. Thereíll be times when youíll be so stressed that youíll want to leave your marriage. Maybe youíll get angry and the gods that allure will sound so right. So freeing. However, thatís a deception the enemy uses to lure you. Build good treasures, investing in godly character so that when push comes to shove, youíll be able to flee from the enemy. 

Q4: What kinds of treasures are you building in your heart? Clue: look at the investments of time you make & see what youíre building up in your lifeóchildren, TV, small group, devotions, overtime at workówhere do you spend your time?

So make sure that youíre building good treasure in your heart before you hit those stressful times. ìWatch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues if lifeî (Pr. 4:23). If thereís something you shouldnít be a part of, then donít! Make that covenant now. Refuse to be deceived by the enemy. Then, when those times strike and you hear the gods alluring you, remember this next gem:

• MINIMIZE THE ENEMY, AND
• MAGNIFY THE LORD!

It simply means to look at what God has given you. You have a life, a future and a hope. Do you know how big the problem gets when you minimize the Lord? Thatís why Scripture says, ìOh magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name togetherî (Ps. 34:3).

No doubt youíll have problems in your marriage, but just stop and magnify the Lord, knowing that He will handle it. One of the best things you can do in the midst of struggle is get away in a room and close the door. Then just raise your hands and magnify the Lord and watch how everything takes its place in submission to Him. Because when you give up or submit your life to him, then everything else in your life does too. And as Scripture promises: ìAt the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to glory of God the Fatherî (Philip. 2:10-11).

Otherwise weíll miss Godís best and go the other way. Weíll magnify the problem and minimize the Lord. Itís hard because itís like we almost have to deny whatís going on. In addition to making a covenant with your eyes and heart, the final guideline is to:

3.     MAKE A COVENANT WITH YOUR MIND.

ìWe are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.î (2 Cor. 10:5)

Before Christ came into your life, your mind was the captain of your ship. You made decisions based on what you thoughtówhether or not it was right or wrong. Your mind was basically in control. On the other hand, when Christ came into your life, your spirit came alive. Now God is in charge. And now you carry out the commands of the Lord, the Commander of your ship.

Our whole role here is to carry out the commands of the Lord. Even though we sometimes donít understand why, we know what Godís Word says. Thus, because you made a covenant with your mind to be second in command, you carry out Godís orders. ìLet everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of Godî (Jas. 1:19). Choose to submit your mind to what the Spirit of God says.  

Q5: Do you struggle with allowing God to be Commander of your life or do you joyfully submit to whatever He commands you to do?

ìBecause you did not serve the Lord with a joyful and glad heart, you will serve your enemies.î (Deu. 28:47)

Make that covenant with your mind by telling it, ìMind I donít care what you think. If Godís Word says it, Iím going to do it!î Even if youíre fighting against it and you donít want to do it, even if people say not to do it, just submit to what God is saying. And when you do that, just watch how the gods that allure put up a white flag. When they know that youíve made a covenant with your eyes, your heart, and your mind, the enemy loses his power.  

My prayer for us is that weíll recognize these gods that allure. Then we will be ready for them because weíve made a covenant with your eyes, mind, and heart. And watch Godís blessings start to pour in. Watch how the things that youíve taken for granted become a wonderful gift and youíll be able to see just what God has in store for you.

Final Q: What most impacted you about todayís lesson? Are you willing to make those covenants with your eyes, mind, and heart today? How will you do each in a practical way?

Mahalo to our FAITH-FULL lady of summaries, Rhonda Pang!J