Overcoming the Voice of the Accuser

The Voices in your Head

[Leave time at end of service to pray over battle of the mind, pray together for supernatural provision]

Acts 4:1–12 “While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening.

(v.8) Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved (delivered).””

Satan is not going to like when the Holy Spirit brings Freedom to your Life

(vv. 1-2) When the church began to pray, the religious rulers were “immensely disturbed”

When do you need to prepare for spiritual attacks?

When you refuse to conform to the pressures of culture.

There are some things the Spirit will do in and through your life that you won’t have the words to explain.

Following the Holy Spirit is neither convenient nor conventional.

When your life becomes a testimony to God’s faithfulness.

Satan will gladly let you be a “private Christian”. It’s when your life start to bear the fruit of the spirit for the world to see that stirs up his attacks.

When others start to experience Freedom because of your faithfulness.

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

When the Holy Spirit begins to flow through your life, the people around you will begin to experience his presence and power too!!

Want to see God change someone else’s life. Let the freedom and joy of the Holy Spirit pour out of your life. Watch what God will do!

The Greatest attack of the enemy comes down to the Attacks on our Mind/Heart

*using mind/heart interchangeable b/c I’m not just talking about logic, I’m talking about what you believe, what motivates your life.

We tend to think the greatest attacks are the attacks from the outside…

when the devil makes your car breakdown!!

when my boss is the devil!

when the devil gets on my children!! (Sister Barbara opening the windows of the house telling the devil to get out!!)

when there are “devil politicians!!”

The reality is it is the lies of Satan inside our own minds that become the spiritual strongholds the enemy uses to keep us from the Freedom available to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What Scripture says about the Mind

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.”

Psalm 1:1–2 “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.”

Romans 8:6–7 “Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.”

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Ephesians 4:22–24 “…take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound mind.”

Matthew 22:37 “He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (cf: Deut 6:5)

In the Name of Jesus

What does it mean to pray or speak “in the name of Jesus?”

Growing up Pentecostal, we always thought saying “in the name of Jesus” was kind of like the magic word you said that gave us a special power! Growing up I distinctly remember rising in a car with my mom, me in the front seat, and whenever we have to slam on breaks or a car would pull out in front of us, she would throw her hand out like a heavenly seatbelt and scream, IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!!!!! (picking on her a little..love you mom)… One time were at the NC State Fair. We were all three boys still very young and rambunctious. We stopped by the horse and rodeo stadium before we left for the night. My little brother (around 5 or 6) escaped my parents notice and climbed way up to the very top of these aluminum bleachers. Before my parents realized it he had fallen through the cracks of the top bleacher seat and began tumbling head over heels to the concrete floor. My mom just instinctively screamed out “IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!” And all I can remember is the entire stadium, including the announcer, just froze, while Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..Jesus echoed through the hall.

I do believe that Jesus is a miracle worker and hears our desperate prayers. But I think there’s a better way to understand what it means to pray in the name of Jesus.

Principle: Praying in the “Name of Jesus” is praying and speaking the words of Jesus (God’s Word), modeled in the life of Jesus, while trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Great Promise of Scripture for you:

Isaiah 59:21 ““As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of your children’s children, from now on and forever,” says the Lord.”

Takeaway: When the enemy attacks your mind, put God’s words in your mouth, meditate on them, and ask the Holy Spirit to come and bring Freedom to your life.

Declaration of Freedom (speaking in the name of Jesus)

Scripture References for Spiritual Attacks

Spiritual Struggle: Anxiety/Fear/ Depression False Belief: My life is in an uncontrollable downward spiral. I am surrounded by my enemies. What God Says: We have not been given a spirit of fear and worry. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave lives in me. Scripture: Matt. 6:25-34; Matt. 13:22; Lk. 21:34; Phil. 4:6; Josh. 1:1-9; Josh. 23:9-10; Lev. 26:6-8; 2 Tim. 1:7; 1 Pet. 5:7; Phil. 4:6-7; Jn. 14:27; Matt. 11:28

Spiritual Struggle: Sickness False Belief: There is not an answer for the sickness in my body. What God Says: There is healing in the power of the cross. Scripture: Ex. 15:26; 23:25; Deut. 7:15; 2 Chr. 16:12; Psa. 103:3; 107:20; Mk. 5:25-34; Lk 7:1-10; Mk. 3:1-5; Is. 53:5 James 5:14-16

Spiritual Struggle: Marriage/Family Division False Belief: Even though I once loved this person, we are too different and I am too hurt to reconcile. What God Says: God’s love can and will overcome the division and hurt in the relationships in my life. Scripture: Eph. 4:1-32; Heb.12:15; Rom. 12:19-21; Jn. 20:23; Gen. 50:20; 1 Pet. 3:7

Spiritual Struggle: Confusion False Belief: I don’t know what to do or where to go from here. What God Says: Even when I walk through seasons of uncertainty, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit will guide my steps. Scripture: Job 12:13; Prov. 3:25-26; Prov. 8:12; Jer. 10:12; Dan. 2:20-22; Ps. 37:23; Prov. 16:9; Ps. 139:1-3; 1 Cor. 2:9-14; Jam. 3:17

Spiritual Struggle: Loneliness False Belief: I am not important in the world. No one even knows who I am. No one cares. What God Says: There is no place I can go that God’s presence is not there. Even when I cannot see or feel him, I know he is as close as the mention of his name. Scripture: Is. 41:10; Deut. 31:6; Ps. 23:4; Jn. 14:8; Ps. 38:9; Ps. 25:16; 1 Sam. 12:22; 1 Jn. 4:13; 2 Cor. 1:3-4; Is. 41:10

Spiritual Struggle: Shame False Belief: My faults and past sins have marked me for life. I cannot be forgiven. What God Says: As a son/daughter of God I am loved for who I am. My past does not define me. Scripture: Is. 50:7; Is. 54:4; 1 John 1:9; Rom 10:11; Ps. 31:17; Rom. 8:1; Ps. 3:3; Ps.103:12; 2 Cor. 3:17; Jam. 5:16; Jn 14:27

Spiritual Struggle: Grief False Belief: My world has ended. Everything that mattered in my life is now gone. What God Says: God is close to us in our suffering. He weeps with us as we weep and wraps his loving arms around us through our most difficult loss. Scripture: Matt. 5:4; Ps. 147:3; Rev. 21:4; Eccl. 3:1-17; Ps. 56:8; Ps. 34:18; Jn 16:22; Matt. 11:28-30; 2 Cor. 1:3-12; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Jn 11:25;

Spiritual Struggle: Emptiness False Belief: There is no real meaning to my life; no purpose. What God Says: God created me as his masterpiece. He has placed me on this earth for a reason and provided the grace and strength I need to fulfill my purpose. Scripture: Jer. 29:11; Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 8:28; Eph. 2:10; 1 Pet. 2:9; Col. 1:16; 1 Tim. 1:9; Is. 46:10; Eph. 1:11; Ex. 9:16; Eph. 2:1-22; Phil. 1:6; Rom. 15:13; John 15:11

What battle are you facing in your mind today? What lie is Satan repeating over and over?