When we talk about being ruled by the lust of the flesh, those lusts of the flesh that can even lead us into predicaments with men and women where we should not be, it can go both ways. Satan will come and he will try to slide you over into a realm that starts a journey away from God if you’re not careful. But then you make a decision not to go there. You’ll make a stand for Jesus that you’re going to pray more. You’re going to read the Word more. You’re going to get up every morning at a certain time. You make a decision quality decision.

Maybe you have been to one of those camp meetings or maybe you have been to a believer’s convention. You come back riding high. You received a refreshing from God. You’re on fire. Get out of my way devil. Here I come. So you make a commitment that the next morning you are going to start at 6 in the morning. You are going to get up and you are going to pray for 30 minutes, and you are going to read at least one chapter of Proverbs and one chapter in the New Testament, and you make a stand.

I have been around the block a few times. It’s not special revelation knowledge from the throne room. Just been there, and done that. You make it pretty good the first three mornings. There is one thing though the devil used to get you. You didn’t intend for it, it just happened. First morning that he got you was because you spent all night watching that movie on HBO and couldn’t quite make that bell at 6 o’clock. The devil got you. I mean you didn’t know that he got you. He just used something that was there. You made a soul soothing decision. You made a decision within your soul that you were going to do a good thing, and it was a good thing that you were going to do. It was a good start, not a major start, but it was a start. For some people it would have been a major start. So you made a good decision. It is just whenever we try to do things out of our own soul, out of our own emotions; they just don’t last very long.

Paul said "I have to buffet my body continually." Your body and your emotions don’t want to do what God wants it to do. Basically that is what he was saying. So it’s not like he was some super human. I like to read Paul’s writings. I have heard preachers say "Paul, he is just knot headed, hard headed, hardnosed. He just wouldn’t cut anybody any slack." I like to read Paul’s teachings because what I see is a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that not many of the other disciples even came close to, even though they walked with Him. I see it revealed in his writings.

Paul knew what the devil was after. (2Cor.12:7-9) Paul said Satan has put this thing on me and I went to God three times to ask Him to relieve me of it. He said my grace is sufficient. Meaning I have already given you everything at your disposal. My mercy and my grace are sufficient for you to walk right out of this. To resist the devil and he will flee. For Paul to say that, it must of been given to him because of the abundance of his revelation. The abundance of his knowledge in God of what God was all about. Satan sent this thing to harass him. I have heard preachers get up and preach everything from that "Oh, I can just see Paul. He had this thorn in his eye and matter was running down his eye. It said that he wrote in big letters." I have heard them preach everything on that. Paul said, "But because of the abundance of my revelation this thing was assigned to me."

Then I’m reminded of a conversation that Jesus had with Peter, Jesus said "Satan is going to come and sift you as wheat." But then Jesus turned around and He settled the issue all in one breathe. He said "I am going to pray." Now when Jesus prays you’ve got it made. He said I am going to pray, "That your faith not fail." We don’t want to look at that too much.

In fact some of us in the charismatic movement have said "Well you know, I am not part of the faith movement, and I am not part of that faith message." My goodness, you might as well settle the issue right now. It say’s in Hebrews 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to please God" Faith is the only way you are ever going to please Him. Then it goes on and says what it takes to have that faith that will please Him. That he who comes to Him must believe that He is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Well if you want rewarded by God, the only way you’re going to, is to seek Him. You can’t walk with one foot in the world and every now and then on a Sunday morning show up in church and say that you’re seeking God diligently. It doesn’t work that way. We have got to start seeking Him.

I have seen them get pumped up and they will come to me after a service when they have seen the power of God move, and miracles flow. They will come to me all pumped up I am going to support your ministry the rest of my life! You are just what I have been looking for! I have been looking all my life for somebody like you! When they tell you that folks, look out. I have been around long enough to know to look out! They will come and we will hear from them for about a month. They will send their offerings, which really, to be quite honest, if they quit sending their offerings and just send praise reports or prayer requests that would be just fine. Because I tell my people that as long as they stay in contact we need to stay in contact with them. We will do everything that we can especially if they have a problem, or if they are trying to walk out of a situation.

This particular situation I am thinking of is with someone who was walking out of a divorce and getting to know God. Coming to understand that He still loved her, and He was beginning to prosper her business. "Oh my goodness, you’re just what I have been looking for." She was all pumped up. Even drove several miles to get to some of my meetings because she wanted to hear the message so bad. See what happened was when she made that decision even though it was somewhat a decision out of her emotions and out of the soul, she triggered something. It is called Satan coming to sift you as wheat. You make declarations like, "I just love this message of prayer. I finally got something that I can grab hold of and even though no man will let me preach, I can take this message and I can walk out of this, and God will someday begin to use me."

When you make a declaration like that my friend, it sends a signal to Satan’s throne. He sends out all these little spiritual wickedness. And whatever he can use as a handle in your life, he begins to sift you. He will begin to do it because you made a quality decision even though most of it might have been under the emotional realm. The fact is you made a quality decision that you’re going to do something to walk into God.

Know that you can still make a stand against the enemy, make that decision to stand against those things of the flesh and stand therefore! Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee!