“May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] spirit [Himself indwe-lling your innermost being and personality].” Ephe 3:16 (Amplified)
More often than not, our ability to make an appropriate response to the challenge we face is often conditioned by our prevailing internal spiritual environment, which either enhances or curtails our ability to really see the enemy as he really is. In essence, who you are determines what you see. Your sense of self-worth determines to what extent Satan can invade your life to do as he pleases. If you know who you are in Christ and grasp what He has accomplished for you, you will know exactly how to treat the devil should he wander into your life or sphere of influence. You will be as bold as a lion.
Of the multitude that escaped from Egypt as adults, only two people made it into the Promised Land – Joshua and Caleb. The reason is not too hard to find. The others had a flawed sense of self and saw themselves as grasshoppers, while Joshua and Caleb did the opposite because they had defined themselves based on what God’s word said about them. God had declared them winners and that was good enough for them. So, in spite of the immense difficulties they faced these two men refused to condescend to the level of grasshoppers or conform to others fatally flawed view of them. They saw themselves exactly as God saw them and on that basis went on to possess the land.
Ahab’s initial capitulation to Ben-Hadad was due to his having a wrong sense of self. He lacked the inner strength that is the hallmark of champions. Had he continued with that defeatist attitude, he would have lost his head and all he held dear. He however quickly recovered his right sense of self by recalling God’s word and faithfulness and responded to his enemy by putting up a fight, which he won through God’s power.
So, what do you see? God’s promise to Abraham was that He would give him all he could see. Gen 13:14-18. If in spite of God’s promises you still cannot see a way out of your dire situation, what you need is to be strengthened in the inner man or spirit since your mind constitutes the strategically most important spiritual real estate and is therefore a hard-fought for battle ground. To claim this prized asset, you first have to break the demonic strongholds in your live and drive Satan out before you would be able to fight and drive him out of your other properties that God has blessed you with. You first have to restore the integrity of your inner man before you can then reclaim all that he has stolen from you. Self-abuse, low self-esteem, self-condemnation and the feeling of guilt are Satan’s handiworks, all primarily designed to undermine your ability to take or hold on to the abundance for which Jesus Christ came into the world.
So, how do you see yourself? The right self-perception will give you huge confidence to challenge and confront whatever difficulties Satan brings against you? The key to winning is to totally believe what God’s word says about you. This will give rise within you to the necessary inner strength required to stand up to the devil and drive him out of your patch. You are a winner, so you better believe it and start winning.
Prayer:
Lord, I am due for a spiritual vision correction. Help me to see you as you really are and to see myself the way you really see me. Give me a healthy sense of self and strengthen me in the inner man for the glory of your name. Amen