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On Sunday, July 4th, 2021, I preached a sermon "No Weapon Formed Against Me Will Prosper." Here are some of my notes from that sermon: The devil's weapons appear to achieve their mission of destruction all the time. So what do we make of God's promise in Isaiah 54:17 that no weapon formed against us will prosper? Has God forgotten or reconsidered His promise? Absolutely not! To realize God's promise in our lives, we need to know what the ultimate mission of the devil's attacks is and know how to stand on what God already did to abort the devil's mission. What is the ultimate mission of an attack from the devil? Please understand that an attack from the devil is a means, not an end. In Job 1:1, we are introduced to a faithful man named Job. In Job 1:8-11, the devil contended that if God's blessing and protection were taken away, Job would reconsider God's goodness and curse Him to His face. The devil was using these attacks as a means to question God's goodness.
In Romans 8:31-35, the Apostle Paul lets us know that these attacks from the devil are meant to keep us from knowing that God is for us and that He loves us. The ultimate mission of an attack isn't only pain, but to put God's good character in question, and to cause distance and separation from Him. If the devil can bring you to the point of eroding your confidence in God, he ultimately traps you in despair. But please remember: God never moves away from you; He remains as close as ever. But for many people, perception is reality, and the devil achieves his mission in their lives.
So what is the assignment of an accusation from the devil? In 1 Peter 5:8, the devil is called our adversary. In Revelation 12:10, the devil is called our accuser. With accusations the devil attempts to hold you in separation from God through guilt, shame, and condemnation. He changes your concept of who God is based on who you are and what you have done. So you have a choice to make: you can go to the noose (like Judas the betraying desiciple) or you can go to the nails (the nails of Jesus on the cross) - to be hung (like Judas) or to be held (by Jesus). The nails of Jesus' crucifixion laid to waste every weapon the devil had formed against you and me! In Ephesians 3:18, we see that the cross of Jesus leaves no question about God's goodness and His love for us! In Colossians 2:13-14, we see that the power of the cross aborts the assignment of the devil's weapons. In John 19:30 Jesus declared that "It is finished!" God holds us! The finished work of the nails of Jesus' crucifixion was meant to hold you and me in an assurance of righteousness not based on who you and I are and what you and I have done, but on who Jesus is and what He has done.
In God's promise of Isaiah 54:17, what is your or my part? The cross of Jesus was God's once-and-for-all solution to destroy the works of the enemy. Our part is to ensure that the devil's weapons don't succeed by silencing his accusations. We do this with a counterattack from Revelation 12:11. We completely demolish the power of the devil's accusations by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimonies.
Let's look at how to practically apply these two weapons.
The first weapon in Revelation 12:11 is by the blood of The Lamb, Jesus Christ! In Romans 2:4, the Apostle Paul gives us a good view and understanding that the cross of Jesus leads us to repentance. He uses the word, "repent." Repent means to change one's mind. Repentance leads to a changed life based on two mind changes: one concerning sin and one concerning righteousness.
The first mind change is to change your mind concerning sin. So many of us convince ourselves that with regards to sin, "God doesn't mind; I will just ask for forgiveness later." No - No - No! In Romans 7:13, we find the power of a fresh look at the cross is that it reminds you and me of just how terrible sin really is. Then you and I can fall to our knees, weep, and immediately apologize to God for the ways we have hurt Him. Are you bombarded by accusations from the devil and people? Take them to the cross of Jesus - right now! Do you have sin in your life? Confess it at the cross and freshly apply the blood that Jesus shed so long ago to cleanse your sin today. 1 John 1:9 reminds us that when you and I take our sin and shame to the cross, we receive the forgiveness that Jesus' blood provided for us. Sometimes the devil brings up sins you have already confessed - he wants to invalidate the power of the cross and make you believe that they were never really forgiven. You don't need to confess these sins all over again. You simply need to remember the cross in order to change your mind concerning their power over you.
The second mind change is to change your mind concerning righteousness. The second part of repentance is that God wants you to renew your mind: by Jesus' blood, you are made righteous. In Romans 13:14, we find that a fresh look at the cross is an opportunity to do as Paul instructed: clothe yourself in Christ. God desires for you to see yourself covered in the clothing of Jesus - blood-stained and holy! In Christ, you are clean, pure, spotless, and white.
You clothe yourself in Christ. You are no longer identified by sin and shame, but by the righteousness of Jesus. To silence the devil, it is crucial that you change your mind concerning your standing before God. In Christ you have a blameless identity that the devil can't accuse: you are loved, you are accepted, and you are made new. In Ephesians 2:13, you realize that you are brought near by the blood of Jesus. The plot of the enemy is made powerless because the plot of the cross made you righteous!
The second weapon in Revelation 12:11 is by the word of your testimony. We conquer the accuser by the word of our testimony. Your testimony is the evidence of the Lord's work in your life. Giving your testimony is a tremendously powerful way to have an impact on both yourself and others. Recounting your testimony reminds you of God's goodness in your past, which helps you remain confident in His goodness for your future. Sharing your testimony with others builds faith and expectancy that what God did for you, He will also do for them.
The devil is acutely aware of the power of testimony, which is why he works vehemently to keep your story from being told. If he can convince you that your past is beyond the forgiveness of God, he silences you with the belief that you are not qualified enough to be used of God. The power of the cross canceled the evidence that stood against you. There is nothing for the devil to hold over your head. When you share your testimony, you stand on the truth of your righteousness in Christ. You alert the devil that his accusations are dead to you; his mission is aborted!
So, why not declare with me:
"No Weapon Formed Against Me Will Prosper"
At the cross, Jesus canceled the record of my wrongs so that I am forgiven and declared righteous. There is nothing for the devil to hold over my head. I silence the devil's threats and accusations by the blood of The Lamb and the word of my testimony. I won't let up, give up, back up, or shut up!
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The Rev. Edroy "Curt" Curtis, president of the Greater Havre Area Ministerial Association, Northern Montana Care Center chaplain and lead pastor of Havre Assembly of God Church
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