Keep the Change Part II

In Keep the Change Part I, we spoke of the necessity of cultivating, and keeping the intial change that God makes in our lives when He washes us and cleanses us through His blood and when He gives us power through the infilling of the Holy Ghost (see I Corinthians 6:11).

In this second installment, the focus is on telling others to keep the change when they would try to distort, detract, or destroy what God has built up in us. The focus in Part II will be on keeping the change against the spiritual attacks in our lives.

Isaiah 59:19 says, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him."

We have no need to fear when our enemy, be it our flesh, opposition from humanity, or spiritual resistance swoops in to try and steal the things we received from God. Jesus said in John 10:10 that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but that He (Jesus) came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Likewise, in Luke 22:31-32 Jesus warned Peter that the enemy desired to sift him as wheat, but Jesus said that He prayed for Peter. Such power in the fact that we have a covering in Jesus!!!The devil and his minions will no doubt try to attack us and try to get us to turn back from the change God worked in us. Indeed the Bible says in I Peter 5:7-8 that the devil goes around like a "roaring lion" seeking those he can devour. But this passage also says we can cast all our cares on Jesus because he cares for us. Remember, Jesus always gives us the opportunity for victory, no matter how dark the storm. Actually, we have much more power than the devil:

Ephesians 4:27 says not to give place to the devil.
Ephesians 6:11 says to put on the armour of God to stand against the devil's whiles.
James 4:7 says to submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee.
Isaiah 14:12-19 says those who see the devil in his true light will “narrowly” look at him and scoff at him.

We have complete authority and dominion over the devil and all the forces of hell through the power of Jesus name!!! Listen to the awesome words of Jesus Christ:

"...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

Gates are not designed or built to be an offensive weapon, they are defensive. Jesus is telling Peter and the apostles that the church will be on the front lines, attacking the gates of hell itself, and that hell.......................doesn't stand a chance.....