TRINITY HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH
SUNDAY SERMON
30th of June, 2024
Topic: Engaging your Adversary in Battle
Preacher: Reverend Ebenezer Olawuyi
Text: Deuteronomy 2:24
MESSAGE
You are welcome to your hour of miracle!
Our scripture this morning – Deuteronomy 2:24 – was the Word of the Lord through Moses. He said, ‘Rise, take your journey and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle’ (Deut. 2:24). If you don’t know how to fight, your life will become a misery. Whether you like it or not, you’ve got to learn to fight. Listen to me: Do you want to fulfill a colourful destiny? You’ve got to learn to fight. What God gives you, you’ve got to get it. God has given you something, but it is your responsibility to get what He gives. You must contend to conquer. You can never conquer without contending. You must contend to conquer! Your contending is your act of faith that draws God into your situation. Contending is your act of faith that brings God into your situation. Never beg or compromise to enter into your inheritance, but contend for it. Don’t ever beg; do not say, ‘Let’s go and beg the Devil.’ Don’t ever beg the adversary. If you beg, you will be in bondage for the rest of your life. The scripture says in Matthew 11:12 that, ‘And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.’ Don’t ever listen to anybody who tells you to beg the adversary; don’t ever listen to counsels that tell you to beg the devil because you can never satisfy him and the day you start is the day you enter into perpetual bondage. You don’t beg the devil, you confront him. I’m going to mention about three to four sets of people that need to engage the enemy in battle.
Before I do that, I like you to know that God made all things good. When He created you, you were created good. God didn’t create any bad thing, He created them all wonderfully. But, we have an adversary who is not happy but wants to turn good bad. The scripture says he has turned the whole world into a wilderness; while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way (Matt. 13:25). Jesus also referred to this when He said, ‘Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted’ (Matt. 15:13), that is, there are others who plant that which God has not planted. That’s why you must be ready to fight. A woman called Hannah in the Bible knew she had gotten to a point in which she must fight. From her words, she aligned with the Lord of Hosts (Jehovah Sabaoth) and in 1 Samuel 1:11, ‘Then she made a vow and said, O Lord of Hosts….’ Whenever you hear ‘the Lord of Hosts,’ it speaks about battle. Sing: Who can fight against the Lord, no one can, no one will. Victory belongs to Jesus, victory belongs to Him.
Our God is a man of war. Wherever you hear ‘the Lord of Hosts,’ know that there is a battle that’s about to be fought. The Lord of Hosts means the Lord of the Angel Armies; the Commander-in-Chief of the forces of Heaven. Hannah knew that, ‘This my case requires battle. I have done all tests, visited the best medical….’ It’s just like the story I shared with you; the experience of my brother. In fact, that young girl who came as a result of the miracle is here today. This young man was a member of the Bauchi State Christian Fellowship, he was the transport officer and the wife was also an official in the NCCF. They served God with the whole of their hearts; they were virgins and while serving, they only regarded each other as brother and sister without the intention to marry, but about a year after serving, this young man felt led to marry this woman and they started a relationship. However, one year after their marriage, no child. Second year, third year, same thing. Both of them were doing well financially and in their career. After the third year, they felt the need to begin to visit the best doctors. They visited the best gynaecologists in Nigeria and abroad, they spent money, yet even after five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, twelve years, the story was still the same. In the thirteenth year, while the man was praying one day, the Lord said to him, ‘Stop praying to me now. Let me step into your case. Begin to praise me.’ So, the man told his wife, ‘Let’s stop praying.’ He invited one of their neighbours who was a missionary to join them and they fixed a date. They knew that their issue was no longer medical, psychological or physiological but that it was a battle; they invited the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of the Angel Armies and began to praise Him. The Lord stepped into that matter and that year, the yoke of barrenness was broken. The girl is in our secondary school today. The Lord of Hosts is the Lord of the Heaven’s Army. Hannah knew that her story had gone beyond normal and she engaged Him. 1 Samuel 2:10, ‘The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.”’ The Lord of Hosts will arise for your case today. I speak prophetically: Today marks the end of that battle because the Lord of Hosts will arise for you. If you are the one, say a bigger amen.
Who are the People that Need to Confront the Devil?
- Those who have been experiencing stagnation whether in their career, family, life, business, etc. Deuteronomy 2:24 says, ‘Rise’, that is, they’ve been there before, and now it is time to rise. ‘Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.’ Deut. 2:2 – 3 tell us that the Lord said to the children of Israel – ‘You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.’ Come on, you’ve been here parading the same place, it is time for you to move. This word preceded verse 24. Check your life, are you experiencing stagnancy? Have you been in the same position for so long in your finances, career, health, marriage? This is the time to engage the enemy in battle. ‘Rise! Take your journey….’ Psalm 24:8 – 10 says, ‘Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.’ ‘The Lord of Hosts,’ this is the same Lord that Hannah engaged. Every door and every gate that has prevented you from going to the next level, today, they are being lifted. Amen.
Pray: Lift up your heads, O ye gates, you everlasting doors, in the name of Jesus and let me enter into my glory.
Friends, do you know that you have come for a prayer meeting. There is miracle on the altar of prayers. Great miracles abound on the altar of prayer. Those days when they came against the apostles, the Bible says they went into the room. They prayed, asked God to stretch His hand and the Bible says the place was shaken.
Pray: In the name of Jesus, you doors, ancient doors; ancient gates against my progress, against my lifting, what are you waiting for? Be lifted.
Declaration: Your breakthrough is now. O Lord of Hosts, enter! Be lifted up, ancient doors! Be lifted up. Ancient gates, be lifted up now! Enter into your glory, your inheritance, your lifting. Amen!
The Bible says in Psalm 127:2 that they sleep late and wake up early only to eat the bread of sorrows; that has ended in your life in Jesus Name. You will have good reward for your labours. No more will you work as an elephant and eat like an ant. That woman in Mark 5 has a fountain of blood for twelve years and had suffered. You know, even if she got comfort from the treatment of the physicians, she was not getting better until she met this Lord of Hosts. I speak to somebody here today, ‘That infirmity that is eating you up, I call it to an end now in the name of Jesus! That fountain is dried up. That evil fountain is dried up in the name of Jesus. That malfunctioning of that organ, from today has ceased. No more malfunctioning. Over-secretion over. I bring an end to over-secretion in Jesus Name, amen!’
There was a man in John 5 who was by the pool of Bethsaida for 38 years. He said no man helped him. From today, destiny helpers will begin to look for you. I speak as a servant of the Lord and by the unction of the Holy Ghost upon me, ‘From today, helpers of destiny will begin to look for you. You will no longer look for them, they will look for you. The Lord will direct them to you. Every man needs a helper. Your helper will not miss you! Thank you, Jesus.’
A person can be stagnant spiritually, that is, he or she just remains in the same position. The scripture says when you ought to be teachers, you still need someone to teach you the elementary Word of God. You discover that you’ve been born again for 20, 50 years, but there is nothing to show forth, you are stagnant, but from today, the hand of the Lord is bringing you out. Amen.
- Those whom God has given instructions. Look at that scripture in Deut. 2:24, it’s very clear: ‘Arise, take your journey and cross over the river Arnon.’ In our lives, God gives us instructions. Your victory in life is a function of the instructions that you obey. Your blessings are tied to that instructions. Let’s see few examples in the scripture. The Lord told Abraham in the Ur of the Chaldeans to get out of his country and from his father’s house to a place He will show him. The Bible says in Genesis 12 that Abraham obeyed. Thank God he obeyed; he became wealthy because he obeyed. In John 21, before Jesus rose up from the dead, the disciples were dissuaded and discouraged and went fishing, but they kept on struggling without catch, though they were professional fishermen. When your profession can no longer help you, you need help. They were struggling but could not get any catch until Jesus appeared to them. John 21:5 – 6, ‘Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some”…’ In this prayer meeting, the Lord will appear to you. You will feel a hand touching you.
Friends, listen to this instruction: While you are seated, the Lord will appear to you. You will hear the word clearly and feel His touch on you. The Lord gave them instruction in verse 5, ‘Then Jesus said to them, “Children have you any food?” they answered Him, “No.” They were professional fishermen but their wisdom, education, knowledge failed them. They answered ‘No’. Today, ‘No’ shall be turned to ‘Yes’ in your life. Every nothing in your life will become more than enough. Your story will change for good from today. In verse 6, Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. It looked foolish but that was the instruction. Your abundance is tied to the instructions you obey. Remember Peter also experienced that in the book of Luke 5; no catch, but He told him to launch into the deep. Now, those whom God has given instructions need to engage the devil in battle because he knows that if you obey the instructions, your progress will be manifest to every people.
Saul, for example, did not obey instruction. The spirit of witchcraft manipulated Saul and he decided to obey the people rather than to obey God. God told him that He had planned to make him king forever, to perpetuate his kingship forever, but now, He has changed His mind, because Saul did not obey. ‘Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry’ (1 Sam. 15:22). Friends, if only you can obey the instruction the Lord gave. Remember the guest minister at the men’s fellowship. He had a contact to produce a threshing equipment and made about 300,000 naira in profit. The man who helped him get that contract from Abuja came and also wanted a cut from the profit. He said the Lord told him to give this man 200,000 naira. At first, he thought it was foolish, but then he obeyed. He gave the 200,000 naira but later, the 200,000 naira opened doors of millions. He said he has received a contract of over 150 million naira from that same man and the man told him that ‘you will do project tire’. He fulfilled his promises. He has had over 150 million naira contract from that man.
Instruction! The devil sees it, that’s why you have to engage the enemy in battle. The Lord told the children of Israel to rise, take their journey. Obedience is the secret… every attack to make you to disobey the instructions that God gave you, you will confront that spirit today.
Pray: In the name of Jesus, I come against every attack to make me to disobey instructions that will bring about my breakthrough.
When Saul did not obey instruction, his position was given to another: ‘Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king’ (1 Sam. 15:23). I pray for you, another man will not take your position. One man said, ‘Opportunities are not lost, they are only missed,’ because once you missed it, someone else takes it up. Because you miss it, someone else takes it over.
Pray: Father, I come against every force of hell that wants to make others to replace me. I refuse to be replaced. My position shall not be taken. Another man shall not take my position.
I pray for you, another man will not take your position. That glorious destiny that God has prepared for you, nobody will take it from you. I decree that you will fulfill it. There is someone here, the devil is struggling with your destiny, but because you are here today, I join my faith with the heavenly and rescue your destiny from the hand of the wicked. Let the destiny be rescued now. Some people are born great but die ordinary. You will not die ordinary in the name of Jesus.
- Those whom God has entrusted something into their hands need to engage the enemy in battle. I hope you know that anything that is good comes from the Lord. The Bible says in James 1:17, ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights….’ If God has entrusted anything into your hand, you need to engage the enemy in battle. Proverbs 18:22 says, ‘He who finds a wife, finds a good thing’; therefore, you must engage the enemy because he must not take the life of that woman. He must not let the woman live a purposeless life or live in vain. And the other side too: You have a husband, he is a blessing from the Lord likewise; the enemy must not steal the heart of that man. There are many men whom the enemy has taken their hearts, they don’t have time for their family and are always excuses. There is a man here, that yoke that the enemy is using to hold you down, the yoke is broken, you are rescued. In Mount Zion, there is deliverance, holiness and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
What about children? God owns children but has entrusted them into your life. The enemy is fighting today against the life of children. With what is happening in our generation today, if you are a parent and don’t know how to fight, you will allow the enemy to waste the life of such child. You need to tell Satan he can’t get near to those children; he doesn’t have a right over them, for they are the seeds of the blessed of the Lord. Your children must be preserved. God said in Nehemiah 4:14, ‘…remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.’ You can see why you need to fight for your sons and daughters. Those daughters must not be wayward, that son must not be wayward. You need to fight for your wife, husband, house. Anything that the Lord has entrusted to your hands, you need to engage the enemy in battle – ‘For I and my house shall serve the Lord.’ You must not allow the enemy to snuff the life of these children; not allow him to kill them or kill your spouse. You need to wake up!
Wives, your responsibility is not only in the kitchen, you need to fight. Husbands, your responsibility is not to look for money only, you need to fight. Fight! Engage the enemy in battle. Let me give you an example: Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth, lost her two sons. What about David? David lost Amnon, Absalom, the little baby that Beersheba bore for him, Adonijah, his daughter Tamar, while he was still alive. While he still lived, he lost these children. I pray the spirit of prayer will enter into you. You need to fight for your sons, daughters, wives, house, etc. You must say, ‘Satan, no way for you!’ The bible tells us that some Sadducees came to meet Jesus that if a man dies, the junior brother will inherit his wife but there is a case in which the first son up to the seventh died, who will then inherit the wives of these people? Imagine, seven sons died. You need to engage the enemy in battle. He said, ‘Rise, cross over the river of Arnon… for I have given you their land. Begin to possess it.’ Whatever God has entrusted to you, you will arise today to protect it.
Stand on your feet. Please, don’t bother about your neighbour. He or she may not care what happens to his or her family, but you do. I want you to be angry. Whatever prayer does not move you cannot move heaven. The Bible says Job has seven sons and three daughters, he lost all of them in a day.
Pray: Satan, I forbid you from touching any member of my family.
Some children are afflicted. The Bible talks about the demoniac – the man with a legion of devil – but he was also the son of a father. You can imagine the pain of the family for all those years. I don’t know the afflictions upon your sons and daughters, cry to God this afternoon. In Matthew 17, there was a son who was afflicted with epilepsy… I told you the story of a boy, one of our students in the school here who had a problem with his heart and the mother had visited different hospitals. Some times, the boy would just faint in class and all these made his mother to always cry about the situation. One day, we were at the school retreat, during the power service when the anointing of God was heavy. I held the boy and was groaning. Friends, that was the last time for that affliction. Imagine the pain the mother went through. I want you to engage the Lord of Hosts.
Pray: O Lord of Hosts, arise for my deliverance. Arise for the deliverance of my son, daughter, etc. Arise and bring an end to this affliction.
Declaration: Let that affliction come to an end in the name of Jesus. O Lord of Hosts, step into the affliction and problem now. We proclaim the deliverance of that child, of that man, of that woman, now, in the name of Jesus. Let the chain be broken in the name of Jesus.
Now, there are people whom God has entrusted talents and gifts into their lives but are wasting it. The man in Luke was wasting the talent of God because he was just filled with excuses which was the work of the devil. Likewise, so many people are filled with talents in the body of Christ, but are just wasting it.
Pray: Father, I refuse to allow the enemy to cause me to waste your grace, your gifting and talents in me in the name of Jesus.
Declaration: I receive grace for you from this moment, no longer will you waste those talents. Amen
- Those who have obtained an inheritance in Christ. Friends, listen. This inheritance is not for everybody, it’s for those who are in Christ. The Scripture says in Ephesians 1:3 – ‘…who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.’ It is ‘in Christ’, in other words, those who have known Jesus. One day, a woman came to Jesus in Matthew 15, and was crying. Jesus told her that should He cast the bread of the children and give it to dogs? In other words, there are things that belong to the kingdom which are not for everybody. If you are a child of God, you have inheritances in Christ. Now, if you have these inheritances and are not experiencing them in reality, then you need to engage the devil. Deuteronomy 2:24 says, ‘I have given…’ not ‘I will give’, ‘…begin to possess.’
Now, what are the things we have in Christ? God has given you inheritance of good health; Jesus died for that. He was wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquities, by His stripes we were healed (Isa. 53:5; 1 Pet. 2:24). Friends, listen to this. Good health is your inheritance in Christ. Soundness of body is your inheritance in Christ. It is the will of God that you be sound in your bones. In Acts 3:16, the faith of the healed man made him whole. God wants you to be sound in your body. If you are not enjoying good health, you need to engage the enemy. While men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way (Matt. 13:25). What God has given you, you don’t need to beg again because God is saying He has given you already; what you need to do is to chase the devil out.
Another inheritance you have is this: It is not the will of God for you to live in poverty. Jesus was rich, but He came down to earth. It’s not the will of God for you to beg for bread. David said in Psalm 37:25, ‘I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.’ It’s not God’s will for you to be famished. The Bible says in Psalm 105:37, ‘He brought them out with silver and gold.’ He redeemed them out of poverty into riches. So, if what Christ died for, you are not enjoying it, confront the devil. Stop begging God for what He has given you, engage the enemy to remove his hand from your health, finances, etc. Every covenant blessing requires covenant obligations. You can’t pray this prayer when you break the law of God. For every covenant blessing requires covenant obligations.
Another inheritance is Peace. ‘I give you peace, not as the world gives.’ Peace! The Bible says Christ has become our peace (Eph. 2:13; John 14:27). It’s God’s will for you to enjoy peace. Anything that wants to tamper with your peace is the devil. You have to tell Satan, ‘You can’t tamper with my peace.’ What about long life? I hope you know it’s not the will of God for you to die young (Ps. 137:17; Exod. 23:26). Christ died young that you may live long. So, whatever is working against you – sickness, accident, etc. you have to come against it. Any power of hell or anyone who digs a pit of death for you will replace you there. Anybody firing the arrow of death into your life, let the arrow backfire. You will live long in the name of Jesus.
We have a lot of promises – our inheritance in Christ, the things we have in Christ. So, if anything wants to contend against it, we know it’s the devil and not God. You have to engage the devil. You do not have peace in the night when you sleep, something comes and press you down? You’ve got to tell the devil that that was a wrong place and he shouldn’t visit you again. I had an experience while I was in University of Ibadan. I just returned from the village and this thing came to press me down in the midnight and I was shouting, yet my roommates did not hear. I called ‘Jesus’ and it left. I was angry that night, stood up and said, ‘Satan, what an insult!’ That was the last time. Don’t you know that your body is the temple of God. Don’t allow the devil! You have to face the devil and tell him to sit down, for there is no space – no parking, no loitering, no waiting, no stopping, keep moving! He can go to another territory, but around you, he cannot stay. There are some things that come upon your children and you will be angry. ‘He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm”’ (Ps. 105:14 – 15). There are some things, when they come upon you, you should be angry. Until you get angry, that thing cannot stop. ‘…when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck’ (Gen. 27:40). You have stayed too long, it is time to move.
That inheritance you have in Christ that the enemy is contending with you, you will contend with him now. Whenever you do your own part, God steps in. Whether it’s your health, finances, career, peace, marriage, that the enemy wants to contend with you, you will contend against him.
Pray: In the name of Jesus, I command the devil to remove his hand from my inheritance now.
When Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus, he didn’t pray with a small voice and say, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ No! He shouted. In Ezekiel, in the valley of the dry bones, the Bible says, there was a loud noise. I want you to be angry for today will mark a turning point in your life. I stand with the prophetic unction upon me. I have sought the face of the Lord for this meeting, you cannot come here and go back the same way. This is the last prayer point:
Pray with the whole of the breath in your life. Say to the devil, ‘Enough is Enough! Now, not tomorrow, pack all your loads and go!’
Declaration: I receive for you that miracle you desire. I release the angels of God across the nations and the world to bring answers to you. Your heaven is clear, nothing will stop it. Today, the 30th day of the month of June, Lord, you said, ask anything, I will do it. I am asking that within the next 7 days, give somebody here an unbelievable testimony. Your testimony shall be unbelievable yet undeniable. Within now and the seventh of June, let the miracle begin now in the name of Jesus, Amen. Whatever has not been moving in your life before, let it begin to move. Let your progress be manifest, in the name of Jesus. Let your healing be manifest in the name of Jesus.
Call to Salvation
Do you want this prayer to work in your life? Position yourself with Jesus. When you are with Jesus, nothing can stand against you. If you are with Jesus, there is no power that can stop you. You risk your life by not staying with Him. Do you want to surrender to Jesus? Put your left hand on your chest and say, ‘Jesus, I give you my heart and give you my life. Lord Jesus, I come to you, you are the only one that can save me. I run to you, please help me. Please, accept me into your fold and write my name in the Book of Life. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus Name I prayed, amen!’