This morning in my communion time with the Holy Spirit He spoke to me about drawing near to God and why it is important and what we then need to do once we have given time to the Lord. Our responsibility once we come near to the Lord and how we carry out that part determines our outcomes.

In James.4:7 & 8 which reads :7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Now it is not that I was unaware of this scripture but the Holy Spirit was highlighting it to me as the sword of the Spirit I needed to use to overcome the present situation that is confronting me and do what I needed to do to come out triumphant over what the enemy was using to keep me from progressing forward.

It is vital as I always say having learnt from the Holy Spirit not to assume we know how to deal with obstacles from our spiritual understanding but to consult the One who knows all things and has the evidence of its origin and can easily destroy it. Then try various things and come short only to have to retreat and extricate ourselves from gaps and errors we slipped into that give room to the enemy.

The apostle Paul encourages us having suffered much at the hands of the enemy to give no place to the devil.Ephesians.4:27 because we then have the issue of having to cast him out because he will not just leave because you repent.

So as the Holy Spirit spoke these words to me He reminded me through various confirming scriptures how true this principle is and how it is what Jesus used to have triumph continually over the enemy. Now as we are His disciples we must act as He acted to have what He had.

In Luke.4:1-15 we have the clear picture of this reality played out for us in the life of Jesus. We see Jesus drawing near to God having been led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the enemy. So we see that just going before the Lord to seek Him and know His will does not get rid of the devil.

The fact that the Father had called Jesus His beloved son in whom He was well pleased did not guarantee Jesus that Jesus would defeat the enemy. Jesus was going to have to resist the devil Himself before he would flee.

When satan tempted Jesus, Jesus responded with the word of the Lord to Him that it is written on each occasion and satan has no answer for what God has said so he ultimately had to go and seek another opportunity to attack Jesus when He was weak. He never found that opportunity because Jesus always drew near to the Father and went on to resist the devil.

The Holy Spirit went on to reiterate this fact with Moses, Gideon, Joshua, Samson and others with the scriptural references insisting on how after drawing close to the Lord it was there resisting of the enemy that brought the deliverance result.

The Lord never came down from heaven and destroyed the Egyptians in the Red Sea but Moses stretching out his rod was what closed the waters back in that brought the end for the Egyptians. In like manner the Lord never destroyed Midian in the case of Gideon until Gideon approached them in battle and brought them down as one man.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of drawing near to God because that is what enables us to have His power and hand working for us. However this is so that we can now resist the devil with the power of God rather than our human strength. It is imperative to get and use the God-breathed power or the anointing to destroy the works of the devil but we must exercise that authority.

This is why Jesus said to the Apostles in Luke.10:19 & 20: Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

I give you authority to destroy on the basis of your continued relationship and union with Me. It reads No union , no authority. It is important to stay close to the Lord to be empowered with His might to defeat the enemy.

This reality was so clearly portrayed to me by the Holy Spirit that meant I could now go full steam ahead and confront and bring down everything that was speaking contrary to God’s plan for my life. In other words, resist the devil steadfast in the faith.1 Peter.5:9. This is coming into a place of refusal to allow all satanic ventures to have any part in your life events.

Today therefore having received these words change your passive stance and become violent in your pursuit of what the Lord has ordained for you and muster all the strength you need through the grace supplied to you in these words and uproot, tear down, throw down and demolish every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God in your lives.

Then go on to build and plant every God birthed project in your life and go forth in triumph bearing fruit for the Kingdom of Jesus and establishing it on earth with signs, wonders and miracles that attest to the fact that Jesus is Lord which glorifies the Father and makes the Kingdom seen in real terms by men.