If you are struggling with "chronic" health conditions, emotional problems, relationship issues, or financial hardships... The devil may have made himself at home in that part of your life... If so, it's time to KICK HIM OUT!!!

So let’s begin…

When I was little, I remember motels having this “No Vacancy” neon lights lit up at night to let weary travelers know: “Hey… We got no room for you!” Now interestingly enough, the best places were booked up fast because they were usually booked up in advance.

Late and weary travelers were left to choose only from the broken down… old motor inns that were always a choice of last resort rather than sleeping in your car!

Today though I want to speak to you about another “NO VACANCY” sign that every Christian should have over their lives:

GIVING NO PLACE TO THE DEVIL!

Ephesians 4:27 (KJV) reads: – Neither give place to the devil.

The word place in the Greek means: topos (top’-os) a spot, i.e. location (as a position, home, tract, etc.); figuratively, condition, opportunity.

What Paul was saying is this: Don’t give a spot, location or home to the devil… Don’t give him an opportunity nor create a condition under which he can gain a foothold in your life!

In John 14:30, Jesus said: ““… the ruler of the prince of this is world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

What He was basically saying is this:

“… the ruler of the prince of this is world cometh, and hath nothing [not even a one thing] in [a fixed position either place, time, or state… he has not impacted my faith in my Father nor in Who I AM and what My purpose is] me.”

Jesu gave NO ground… ceded NO territory… gave NO home to the enemy…

He knew Who He was and Whose He was…

Jesus was in TOTAL submission to the Father’s Will… Unyielding, unbending, uncompromising…

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7

You cannot resist without submitting! You cannot cast down imaginations if you do not trust the One Whose obedience on the Cross you are bringing those imaginations to… That’s how you RESIST! That’s how you stand against and oppose (meaning of resist in the Greek) the devil!!!

The word flee means to run away; by implication, to shun… you know what shun means?
It means to persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through antipathy (a strong feeling of dislike) or caution.

But let’s look at WHY the enemy doesn’t run from us but… instead… feels right at home in our lives…

Because we leave OPEN DOORS for him… Doors like:

• Offenses
• Disappointments
• Worries
• Fears
• Anger (quick temperedness)
• Sensitivity
• Brokeness
• ANYTHING THAT IS NOT I LOIVE OR FROM LOVE!
• NOT RESTING!!!!

I could go on but suffice it to say, whatever it is, it leads to an open door for the enemy… Do you know what open doors lead to ????

STRONGHOLDS!!!!

Chronic habits or conditions that now need to be broken in order of us to be free…

And these strongholds all, at their roots, have: Bitterness

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;" – Hebrews 12:15

Let’s breakdown this verse:

Bitterness from through the idea of piecing, sharp (pungent: having a sharp taste or smell); acridity (means sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or or odor; it also means deeply or violently bitter); especially poison.

“springing up” means to “puff” or blow, i.e. swell up; to germinate or grow (sprout, produce).
Trouble means to crowd in, i.e. to annoy.

Defiled means to sully (damage the purity or integrity of; defile) or taint (a trace of a bad or undesirable quality or substance), i.e. contaminate [make something impure by exposure to or addition of poisonous or polluting substance (ceremonially or morally).

Remember Jesus cursing the fig tree? Why did He do that? Because the tree was green indicative of having fruits but it did not!

Green on the outside but rotten on the inside! Barren and unfruitful…because of a bitter root…Its very greenness was deceptive for green leaves were indicative of fruit being on its limbs…

On that note:

Let's talk about "spirituality" for a moment…

How do you measure your spirituality…? How do you measure others (although you shouldn’t)…?

Is by the amount of time you spend in prayer… or in your quite time… ? Do want to know how your spirituality is measure?

In what you do in response to everything happens AFTER your prayer time or quite time.

Whatever time you spend in prayer or in a quiet time is measured or put to the test AFTER you spend the time…

As a matter of fact, if you still get annoyed at interruptions, or still have a sour puss, or are impatient with your brother or sister, worry constantly and have anger issues: You quite times and prayer times are NOT “working” for you!

We look at prayer as urgent care… Going to the Lord like “break in case of emergency… and NOT Long-Term Care… Because that is exactly what he offers us in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Now… Let's talk about Long Term Care...

The church (His Body) was intended to provide you:

THAT is what the Body of Christ IS supposed to be…

None of this works if the Leadership is not functioning as He has ordained AND the people are NOT yielding to that Leadership…

True Leadership is selfless and sacrificial… It puts other before themselves… it is always meek and gentle as He is… It nurtures and protects… It guides and leads to the Truth…

We are a Body… His Body… So we CANNOT function or heal WITHOUT one another… It is how He has established it… If we cut ourselves off from the Body, we will wither and die…

Staying connected is imperative!

He… Is the Well Spring of Life for us… He has sealed the New Covenant in His Own Blood…

Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19 and I declare unto you:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

You can not even begin to imagine what The Lord will do for you… in you if you heed and believe what I have spoke to you today…

It’s time to LET GO… TO MOVE ON… To CLOSE THE DOORS… To live the LIFE you were preordained to live…