It’s important to be careful, because of the deceptions of the enemy; which are very rampant in the world today.

Remember that Jesus had already warned us about these in the last days:

“And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
Mark 13:5 NKJV

We are limited in what we do know, as we are advancing in spiritual warfare.

But we often do base our judgments during prayer and intercession, on what we are able to perceive on the inner man, and by the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

However, we must always remember that those instincts from the spirit man, as we are praying in the spirit are always right. We will always do better in spiritual warfare by paying attention to them.

Our strategies in spiritual warfare, therefore, needs to be based on what we do have knowledge and understanding about while we are still in the spirit.

We are humans, but we are also spirit beings. Even though we live in a natural world; we do have the ability to penetrate into the realm of the spirit.

The realm of the spirit is where God is, and because we were created in His image; we do have the ability to fellowship and commune with Him in the spirit while we are in the spirit.

Our adversary (the Devil) is a spirit being also, together with all his fallen angels. The only way that he can get to you, is through your understanding of spiritual truth, and through the manipulation of your feelings to fulfill his purpose.

The Devil does have the ability to get into your mind, by voicing his input through your thought process and feelings.

Just because you’re born of the Spirit of God doesn’t mean that the enemy will not still try to get you back into his trap.

But because your spirit man is born of the Spirit of God, you are able to detect his manipulative moves and stop him before he can do you any harm.

That’s why Paul said concerning spiritual warfare that:

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The understanding and feeling of the mind, does counts for nothing in spiritual warfare. For as Jesus said:

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
John 6:63 NKJV

Everything that you do need to win in prayer and intercession, are what the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are leading and guiding you into; as well as what your spirit’s inner witness reveals to you about what you’re praying about.

You do not need to know or understand so many details about many things. What God demands of us is our act of obedience to; what we do know or are perceiving in the spirit.

In most cases what we do know, may not even make any sense to us, but it is always the right thing to follow as we pray.

As long as you are following the leading and guidance, of your inner witness and the Holy Spirit, you are guaranteed to always come out on top.

We may only be able to see in part or be able to understand in part; like one seeing through a blurred image while still in the spirit (see 1 Corinthians 13:9-10 & 12).

But our spiritual perception and understanding will become more enlightened, as we are praying more in the spirit.

Now, just because you are winning in spiritual warfare doesn’t necessarily means, that your adversary is quiet.

You need to be very careful with him, because he never gives up about coming all out against you.

Apostle Peter once warned us about him. He told us to:

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:8-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Being sober and alert in the spirit man, creates a very effective atmosphere for us on the inner man, to be able to perceive the tricks of the enemy.

When we are sober minded and spiritually alert, we are well positioned to identify the enemy’s strategies against us, so as to deal with them.

Praying in the spirit or in other tongues helps us in doing this effectively.

Christians who are not sober and alert, do often struggle to identify the enemy’s strategies.

They are struggling with this because, they rarely pray in the spirit or in tongues on a regular basis.

There is however a difference between being sober and alert in the spirit and in the mind.

Being sober and alert in the spirit, is an attitude of the heart or the spirit man. While being sober and alert in the mind, has to do with the state of the mind, feelings and physical appearances.

There are some who will equate a sober physical appearance with humility. This is another deception of the enemy.

Humility is a state of the heart, or of the born-again spirit man inside us. We need to be very careful with this, because as Apostle Paul also warned us:

“For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man. The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”
‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭10:3-4‬ ‭AMP‬‬

One of our greatest weapons in spiritual warfare, is the ability to pray in the spirit.

As we are doing this, we are not praying in the understanding, or in accordance with what mortal men do know anything about.

But we are praying in accordance with the divine will of God. We are pulling down unseen and sometimes unidentifiable strongholds.

We are being assisted by celestial beings when we are praying in this manner.

But as we are doing this, it is not all that we are perceiving in the spirit, or that the Holy Spirit reveals to us; that we need to open the mouth in talking about.

Oftentimes we see believers who are just being loud mouthed. Their big mouth often puts them in trouble, because they talk about every little thing, that they see or perceive with their senses, and also in their inner man as they are praying.

This often creates spiritual confusion in their lives, because they are not being sober minded or alert in the spirit.

When we are not being sober minded and alert spiritually; then we are setting ourselves up for troubles.

The Apostle James warned us also about this when he wrote:

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What certain believers do not often realize is that the enemy actually knows nothing about, what they are perceiving on the inner man, and what the Holy Spirit reveals to them, concerning his tactics against them.

The Holy Spirit knows every tactic of the enemy against you.

By opening the mouth to speak about everything that you are perceiving in the spirit, the enemy is being given too much information that, are not necessarily needed for him to know about.

There are certain things, that are just meant for us alone to know about, in our spiritual battle against the enemy.

As we are able to perceive and deal, with every trick of the enemy; our spirit man becomes more alert during spiritual warfare.

We face an enemy in this spiritual warfare, who is never ready to give up. He will do anything to stop anyone, who bears and calls on the name of Jesus.

He is sneaky and dirty in his approach against you and me; that’s why we need not be ignorant of his tactics (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Many are living as if they are ignorant, of the tactics of lies and deceptions from the enemy.

Our adversary does know how to fake being a Christian.

In fact, he is a believer in the authority, that we do have in using the name of Jesus.

But he trembles in fear of you, as you are using that name against him in prayer (James 2:19).

The Devil is a believer, like you and me in the name of Jesus.

But if he fails in stopping any Christian, from achieving his goal through prayer, he then will settle down to making sure that the Christian is never effective in what he does for the Lord.

That’s why we had been called to resist him always. We are never alone on the battle front.

Our Father God always has us covered.

But our ability to be able to perceive or detect, the plans of the enemy in the spirit, before he carries them out, gives us an edge over him in spiritual warfare.

That’s why we have no excuse, for not winning every spiritual battle that, we are involved in against him.

Get to understand the deception of the enemy.

We do know that our spirit man, is able to perceive the things of the spirit, because we are born again of the word of God and of the Spirit of God.

The word of God and the Spirit of God trains the human spirit, in identifying the truths from God, so as to be able to separate it from the lies of the enemy.

But just as a believer in Christ Jesus has the ability to perceive spiritual truth; our enemy (the evil one) has that ability also.

He is a fallen spiritual being, who does know that he has very limited time left, before he faces eternal judgment.

But he does use his abilities in identifying and differentiating us as Christians, from those who do belong to him and are faking being a child of God.

He often struggles in identifying us, and that explains why we are able to often hit him with surprises in the spirit.

It is easier for him to identify and differentiate us from his own people, for as long as a child of God is not going to consult with an agent of the devil.

If any believer in Christ Jesus goes to consult, with any one of his agents here on earth, Satan takes and identifies that individual as his own. He sees that person as a useful tool against the people of God.

Satan has agents among us in the world, and within the Body of Christ. They do work and do report to him about our activities as Christians.

But as long as we are continually pleading the power of the blood of Jesus over our lives, and do partake in the Holy Communion regularly, as a reminder to him about our relationship with God, we will be safe and protected.

Satan actually does know and recognize, the power of our covenant in the Blood and the Body of Christ Jesus.

He knows that it will be foolish of him; to cross the boundaries that, we set up against him by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

But however, we sometimes do see certain people, who do claim to be God’s people, consulting with the agents of the enemy on the earth.

These people will rather take their spiritual issues, to the agents of Satan, instead of consulting with God through prayer and intercession.

They will consult with palm readers, psychics and engage in horoscopic activities, among many things (see Leviticus 19:26b & 31).

Some of them do consult with witch doctors; while others will even go further in looking for “fake prophets”, who do often parade themselves as God’s servants, so as to deceive and seduce these gullible minded believers.

They are doing these things, because they are weak in faith.

These believers in Christ Jesus have not trained their spirit man, to know or perceive the will of God for their lives.

Instead of exercising their faith to listen and hear from God, they will turn to the arm of their flesh, with their spiritual ears into the deceptions and lies of the enemy.

They will do this to hear what their itchy ears wants to hear, in affirming the selfish desires of their flesh.

The Apostle Paul warned us about such people:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.”
‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭4:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

All across America today many pulpits have been turned into “the stories and fables news network”.

And many are continually being turned away from the power of God, through their adulterated and polluted preaching of the gospel of Christ Jesus.

These gullible people are turning to these “story tellers of the fables news networks”, to hear what their itchy ears desires to hear.

To them prayer and intercession is too much work.

But our faith gets stronger only when we put it into action, in our pursuit of God, and not in the search to fulfil the desires of the flesh.

These are the people who will believe and embrace all things that their senses can only understand; while their spirit man becomes insensitive, and dead to the Spirit of God.

The enemy often finds it easier, to manipulate such people against the Body of Christ. Please, watch out for them among you!

However, there is no need, for any born-again child of God, to be seeking after prophecies.

We do have the word of God (the Holy Bible) to speak daily into our lives. Read and study it every day as you meditate on what you’re reading and studying to know God’s will.

The Lord God will minister directly to you as you’re seeking to genuinely know Him.

If God does have a specific word for you, He will first speak that word directly into your heart, by His Spirit living inside of you.

You don’t need someone else to point you in the right way when you are daily in Communion with God.

You need fellowship with other Christians like you, who can listen to hear and obey God daily.

And if you are not smart enough, to pick up what He is telling you by His Spirit; God will send someone else, who will affirm those things in a prophecy to you.

You don’t go about looking for prophecies. God will always send His Prophets to you, as believers in Christ so as, to affirm what He had initially revealed to you.

People who go about looking for a Prophet, are weak in faith and gullible minded.

These are those who are easily entangled into the webs of the enemy.

It is far better to receive directly from God; rather than having someone else coming to tell you, what God had been trying to make you understand initially.

FLEECING IS NOT FAITH.

In the Old Testament fleecing was common, because they do not have the Holy Spirit living inside them.

God does not lead us through fleecing anymore, since we are now living under the dispensation of grace. But He leads and guides us, by His Holy Spirit Who’s living inside of us.

It is silly to equate fleecing with our ability to perceive spiritual truths. Yet, there are Christians who often do this.

And as a result of this they do fail to receive from God. Then they will start with their blame game on God.

They will say things like: “I had tried that before; it doesn’t work”. Or: “I don’t believe in those things.” Some will even say things like: “…that faith thing doesn’t work.”

Well, the bottom-line truth is that faith always works. And faith has nothing to do with those trials and errors through fleecing.

Faith has no doubt or error associated with it. Faith is always precise about what is believed.

You have to be believing before faith comes into your heart. But faith always works with our corresponding action.

As an example, there are a lot of believers in Christ today, who will choose a lifetime partner by pulling out a fleece.

Apparently, it is what their flesh and human feeling desires, that they will often lean towards in making such serious decisions in life.

They are not interested, in knowing or following the will of God for their lives. Their flesh and feelings speak louder and more directly to them, than their spirit man often does.

Many of them do not even pray anymore. They do love to identify with all kinds of Christian events, but their spiritual lives have nothing to show for it.

Everything that they do in making marital decisions, is by pulling a fleece for them to know the will God, so as to affirm the desires of their flesh.

Their flesh often gives in to their feelings, and the fantasies of their mind in doing this.

It is not surprising that they do make marital decisions, according to the leading of their flesh.

And then they will often wonder why marriage doesn’t work for them?

Fleecing and faith in the Bible.

Well, Gideon in the Bible pulled out a fleece on God, because Gideon never had the Spirit of God living inside him. He lived during that time in the history of Israel, when many had stopped to seek after God.

The Midianites were oppressing the nation of Israel. And the oppression had been going on for up to twenty years.

That was far before Gideon was even born. He grew up knowing the oppression and the suppression of his people.

To make it even worse for Gideon, there were no godly examples in Israel, at that time of her history for Gideon to follow.

All that he knew was what he was told about, how God had saved Israel in the past.

Even though Gideon was praying to God, but his prayer life was very rusty; like that of some believers in Christ today.

We can see this in the way, that he started his conversation with the angel of God:

“Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.”
‭‭Judges‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Gideon was more interested in signs, just like many unbelievers will do today.

Looking for a sign from God, is not an act of faith.

Jesus referred to those who are seeking for signs before they believe as being evil:

“And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed, a greater than Jonah is here.”
Luke 11:29-32 NKJV

It’s evil to be seeking for signs instead of believing in what God has declared in His word.

Seeking for signs is just like fleecing, instead of believing.

We did not get born of the Spirit of God, so as to be chasing after signs as spiritual signposts, in knowing the will of God for our lives.

Signs and wonders may have helped, in leading us to faith in Christ Jesus.

But once we had started believing, God expects us to start exercising our faith in His written Word.

Faith is what pleases God and not fleecing.

Signs and wonders are meant to be following us as we are acting by faith in the will of God:

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.”
Mark 16:17 NKJV

Signs and wonders are often, what ungodly people always seek after, because they have no faith.

Paul once wrote to the believers within the Church at Thessalonica that:

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”
‭‭II Thessalonians‬ ‭3:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Believers in Christ Jesus will always live and walk by faith, in God and in His Word to them.

Our faith walk is what pleases God, and not the search and desire for signs and wonders.

Gideon had the book of the law of God with him. He knew about how God had saved Israel in the past:

“Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
Judges 6:13 NKJV

He could have put his faith in God, by using those past testimonies of victory, that he talked about with the angel.

But God still allowed him to be used, because of God’s eternal and unbroken Covenant with Abraham.

God is always faithful to His Covenant for all generations and all ages. He will never compromise on any of His promises to us.

This example with Gideon basically shows us that, God will go to any level to deliver on His promises to us; as long as we keep our Covenant with Him intact.

But today He primarily speaks to us directly, through the inward witness inside of our spirit man.

And we do need faith in His written Word (Hebrews 11:6), to help us in obeying the leading of our spirit man.

Put God’s word in your heart.

This was why God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah about this, years after Gideon and before Christ was born.

He said to him:

““This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them—write it on their hearts! —and be their God. And they will be my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about GOD. They’ll know me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!” GOD ’s Decree.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:33-34‬ ‭MSG‬‬

God’s ultimate plan for us is to have His word in our hearts, so as to guide and lead us in living a successful Christian life.

Our spirit man will always pick from the deposit of God’s word inside of us, to lead and guide our lives. This is what takes place on the inner man.

God’s word bears witness within our spirit in leading us this way.

The Bible says:

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This witness on the inside of our spirit man, helps us to perceive the things of God. And fleecing does not and cannot do this.

By replacing fleecing with our action of faith, we are empowering our inner witness in perceiving the will of God.

King David had perceived the building of the Temple in this way. As his son King Solomon said:

“Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart.”
2 Chronicles 6:7-8 NKJV

King David had perceived the building of the Temple in his heart by entertaining godly thought about it.

Faith will always entertain godly thoughts, instead of evil thoughts.

This was why God blessed this thought which David had perceived in his heart.

Passing the lethal test of the enemy.

The scriptures also help us in identifying, the “lethal test” or methods of the enemy, in perceiving a believer in Christ Jesus.

A believer in Christ Jesus is “lethal” and toxic to the evil one.

He is terrified by his faith in Christ Jesus, and the spiritual abilities and capabilities inside of him.

And in all cases, he will always warn his agents in this world, to stay away from such a Christian.

Your enemy knows you from afar, and he trembles in fear of you, every time he sees you by applying his lethal test.

He knows that you were created by God; to act against his forces on earth everywhere you see or perceive them.

You were born again to raze hell on the earth, and the evil one knows it.

The scriptures identify the methods of the enemy, which he often uses to separate us from his own. It says:

“This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”
‭‭I John‬ ‭5:6-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The enemy uses the three that bears witness on earth (the Holy Spirit, the washing of the water by the word of God, and the Blood of Jesus Christ), to perceive the spiritual strength of those within the Body of Christ.

These three testify to him that, you belong to God.

He knows that these three witnesses on earth agree as one.

The enemy will always examine the state of your spirit or heart, before coming out against you.

All that he is looking for inside of your heart or spirit of man, are the evidence of the three that bears witnesses on earth, that you do belong to God.

We need to also note that, just as the Holy Spirit, the washing of the word of God, and the blood of Jesus bears witness on earth. There are also witnesses in heaven – the Father, the Word (Christ Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.

These three testify always in heaven, that you belong to God.

This is very important for the angelic beings, who are always there to help us, and assist us in spiritual warfare (Hebrews 1:14).

It is also very important for the Devil and his fallen angels (demons) also.

As fallen angelic beings, they still have access to God. The evil one has the ability to appear before God.

All that he does before God, is to bring accusations against you in heaven.

But thank God for the three that bears witness in heaven for you and me – the Father, the Word (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.

We will do better in our spiritual warfare, to cultivate the habit of praising and worshipping these three here on earth, as they bear witness in approving of us in heaven.

Learn the sound of God’s Word:

We therefore do need to be grounded in the Word of God.

It is what washes us clean on the inner man:

The Apostle Paul said to the Ephesian Church, about what God is doing in their midst to prepare them for His glory:

“That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.”
Ephesians 5:26 NKJV

The enemy sees nothing in us but the Word of God.

That’s why he will come against any believer in Christ Jesus, who is grounded and rooted in God’s Word, by testing that believer with the Word.

If he did it in tempting Jesus, he will use it again and again on anyone of us; just because we are professing to belong to Jesus.

The ability of a Christian to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God at heart, is one of the measuring yards which the enemy uses before coming out after him.

He does this because he believes that is his best way of deceiving and defeating any child of God.

He used it successfully against Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

He knew that Adam was the one, who was told by God not to eat the forbidden fruit.

But so as to defeat the plan of God at the time, he lied and deceived the woman, who was not there when God spoke about the tree initially to Adam.

Just because we know the Word of God, and are grounded and rooted in it, does not excuse us from being tempted of the enemy.

The evil one is very skilled and knowledgeable in the Word of God.

Learn the sound of the Holy Spirit:

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian, is another way that the enemy recognizes him.

Especially if he’s committed to praying in the spirit or in other tongues.

The Devil does not understand what you are saying, when you are praying like this. It disturbs him and makes him feel uncomfortable around you.

The Apostle Paul said:

“For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭14:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We speak mysteries to God which are unknown to the enemy, because the human mind that is easily penetrable by him, does not understand it either.

So, he cannot use your heavenly language against you.

It is one of the most effective weapons in prayer and intercession against the enemy.

By praying daily in other tongues, you are making yourself dangerous to the enemy, because of the sound of the Holy Spirit coming out of you.

Learn the sound of His Blood:

The continual application of the blood of Jesus by Christians, also scares the enemy and his demons.

Whenever you’re singing songs about the blood of Jesus, you are actually putting a covering over your life, and over everything that belongs to you.

Such a covering is impenetrable by the enemy.

He knows that the blood was shed to conquer him. The evil one flees in terror, when you’re singing and speaking of the power in the blood of Jesus.

As you’re continually praying in the spirit, you must not forget that fleecing is never an act of faith, and therefore does not ever please God (Hebrews 11:6).

The Word of God must always be in our hearts. And the Holy Spirit is there to lead and guide us as we are praying in the spirit and by the Spirit.

And finally, the continual application of the blood of Jesus Christ is very crucial to your victory.

The blood of Jesus has never and will never lose its power. Our enemy knows this and he is terrified:

“So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4:7-10‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Till next week – keep your flame of prayer and intercession aglow before God.