One day the Lord spoke to me and said that one of the greatest problems the people of God are encountering is that the door to the imagination has remained open. God spent a lot of time in His Word warning us about the things we allow ourselves to see. That’s because our eye gates open the windows to our souls. We connect directly with the things we observe with our eyes.
The Bible tells us, “The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be full of evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:22-23).
Everyday we decide what we will entertain. There are those who have a made-up mind to live holy and acceptable unto the Lord. They make a concerted effort to consistently keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But there are others who live to satisfy their flesh, seeking their own pleasure. They may be Christians, but they are following a soulish path and are fulfilling the desires of the flesh rather than the will of God.
The soul is comprised of the mind, the will, and the emotions. The Bible tells us, “They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5-6). Notice that the verse says those who are after the flesh “do mind the things of the flesh.” What we dwell on will lead us either to death or to life and peace.
Our greatest battle is in the mind! The mind is quite unique because it stores information and recalls it like a computer. This is one reason it is so important to screen the things you see and hear. Entertaining the soulish realm with constant lustful images opens the door to demonic activity and fleshly battles.
There are many carnally minded Christians. To be carnal means to be led by the appetites of the unsanctified, materialistic flesh. There are many Christians whose flesh is stronger than their spirits.
These individuals usually walk in compromise as well. Compromise is a silent endorsement of the world’s ways and a consent to walk according to its standards. After giving in to compromise for so long, eventually love for the world will dominate the spirit and outweigh love for the Father.
Second Corinthians 10:4-5 tells is, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds’) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” The Lord wants us to rise up and take authority over the flesh!
We can pull down every stronghold by applying the powerful shed blood of Jesus to our minds and thoughts. We can bind the work of the enemy in our thought life (Matt. 18:18), and we can overcome the works of the flesh by bringing the flesh into subjection to the Spirit.
The apostle Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be ye not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:1-2).
Dying to self is not easy, and it may require times of fasting and prayer. Fasting humbles the soul and brings the flesh into subjection to the spirit. When we fast, we deny the flesh and feed the spirit. Self-denial strengthens the Spirit of Christ within us, deepens our walk with the Lord, and empowers our prayer life.
Whatever you feed the most will grow. If you feed the spirit with prayer and Bible study, it will flourish. But if you spend more time feeding the flesh and the carnal sin nature, the flesh will dominate.
Many people have found themselves in sexual bondage because they feed their flesh with pornographic images. The spirit of lust uses pornography to create an intense sexual desire or appetite. The spirit of lasciviousness creates an insatiable desire to satisfy those lewd and lustful desires. This is how viewing porn becomes addictive. After seeing a little, people are driven to see more until they feel unable to stop.
Sexual bondage can be broken in the name of Jesus. In my book I have included a prayer for those making intercession on another’s behalf, as well as a prayer for the individual in crisis. We can pray for others and God will answer, but in order to remain free, the individual must abandon the activity that opened the door to the enemy.
Nothing is hopeless. We serve an all-powerful God, and He can do the impossible. We can learn to pray for ourselves and be set free by the power of Christ, and we can also stage an intervention—a spiritual intervention—and bombard heaven for those in trouble.
Adapted from Spiritual Intervention
, by Kimberly L. Ray, copyright 2014, published by Charisma House. This book will help you launch successful prayer and intercession for yourself and others. To order your copy click on this link.
One of the four Evangelist daughters of the late Dr. Angie Ray, Founder of Angie Ray Ministries, “Church on the Rock” of Matteson, Illinois,Kimberly L. Ray is a woman after God’s own heart, seeking to lead the people of God by providing strategies and tools to empower the church to be efficient in the ministry of intercession and deliverance.
Prayer Power for the Week of 03/17/14
This week, make up your mind to consistently keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Ask the Lord to help you screen the things you see and hear, and direct you into the discipline of fasting so that your flesh can be subject to your spirit which is subject to Christ, your walk in the Lord can be deepened and your prayers more empowered.
Thank Him that nothing is hopeless or impossible with Him. Continue to pray for revival to ignite in our churches, across the nation and around the world. Pray that our leaders would seek and heed God’s direction and wisdom. Pray for those persecuted for His Name’s sake, the peace of Jerusalem, those suffering great losses as a result of recent weather conditions, the families of those missing in the Malaysian aircraft, our military and their families. Ask the Lord to show you how you can pray and be a blessing to those in need (2 Cor. 10:4-5; Matt. 18:18; Ps. 122:6).
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