What’s Blocking My Blessings? (Pt.9) (321) - October 25 2025

In Resist the Devil part 4 we continue to discuss Scripture prerequisites that will help you resist the devil. Prerequisites are smaller amounts of information that build a foundation to support bigger steps in believing in the Lord. The thoughts you fill your day with are what you become. Your future is only the future if you move from existing in the past. If you stay in the past, the past is your future.

This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): James 1:21-27, Psalms 103:20, Psalms 24:4-5, Psalms 107:28-30, Romans 5:1, 1 Peter 5:8, Philippians 4:7, Acts 2, Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:18-20, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Ephesians 3:20, Romans 5:3-5.

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Hey, and welcome back to yet another episode of Touch of God Ministries. My name is Catrice. I will be delivering the message to you today. Today we will be continuing with What's Blocking My Blessing, Part Nine. Last week on What's Blocking My Blessing, Part Eight, we continued with Part Three of Resist the Devil and He Shall Flee From You. We talked about things that can help you resist the devil more effectively and things you want to know before going through warfare. This week on What's Blocking My Blessing, Part Nine, we will be talking about Resist the Devil, Part Four, and He Shall Flee From You. In this episode, we will be continuing to look at things that can help you resist more effectively and things you want to know. We're going to continue with the section that was talking about prerequisites, which is the information that you need to know before you learn bigger information. The prerequisites would be required so that you can go on and learn the bigger, harder things in the Bible and have a good foundation. We're only going over some of the prerequisites. Of course, the main prerequisite would just be studying and reading the entire Bible. So this week, we're going to go ahead and continue with the prerequisites. We're going to try to get to resisting the devil through your mind, resisting the devil in your actions, resisting the devil in your relationships. Let's look at another important reason to pray God's Word instead of your own. In Proverbs 15, 15, it says, all the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil by anxious thoughts and forebodings. But he who has a glad heart has a continual feast regardless of circumstances. Can I say that again? He who has a glad heart has a continual feast regardless of circumstances. Proverbs 15, 15 talks about anxious thoughts and forebodings. These are the thoughts that you are focusing on and thinking about. This is what you need to stop focusing on. Why? Because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. This means what you focus on, you feed and you become. Replace your thoughts and words with God's thoughts, God's ways, God's words, because his ways are higher. Resist thinking negative thoughts that have not happened. Resist continuing to think about things that are not of the Lord and are not good for you. Resist going back to disagreement and arguing situations that you've gone through. Instead, look forward to the joy that's set before you. Learn from those mistakes by making your future actions filled with the things that God would do, the things that are in the Bible, and do not revisit those things. Learn from them and know in your heart you simply won't do them anymore. You'll quickly forgive, quickly repent, and quickly move on so those things don't become your life, because if you dwell on the past, the past will become your future. Let me say that again. If you dwell on the past, the past will become your future. Amen? Amen. Let's look at daily praying God's word. So we talked about the word. We talked about faith. All of these are applying to resisting the devil. This is information that you need so that you can grow and not depart from God and his word. Let's look at James 1 21. So get rid of all uncleanliness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble, gentle, modest spirit, receive and welcome the word which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your souls. Oh my goodness. It is talking about the word contains the power to save your soul when it's implanted and rooted in your hearts. So for the word to be implanted and rooted in your hearts, you're going to have to study the word. You're going to have to memorize the word. You're going to have to decree and declare the word. But when you do that, it contains the power to save your souls. So if you're out there and you're looking for direction, you don't know what to do and how your soul needs to be saved. Start reading that word and you will get fed. Amen. Let's look at Psalms 103 20. Bless affectionately, gratefully praise the Lord. You, his angels, you mighty ones who do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word. Wow. So the angels hearken unto God's word. Let's continue in the verse. The angels hearken unto God's word. God watches over his word to see that it is performed. There is power in the tongue. God's angels respond to the word of God. So that means if you are praying and you're saying a bunch of things, the angels are waiting on you to say the word of God. So when you know the word of God, you don't have to wait to flip through the Bible or to find the right verse because you've been living a lifestyle and you've been studying the word. When you speak the word, the angels take that word and they carry it out. Like Isaiah 55 11, God's word does not return void, but indeed accomplishes what he pleases. This is very important because if you want your prayer life to be effective, you have to know the word. In order to know the word, you have to read the Bible. In order to understand the Bible and to start going through it, you have to be subject to God so that you believe that God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. So you can get rewarded, but you got to be diligently seeking God. All of these things are connected so that you can resist the devil even better. But if you're not doing certain things and you're waiting for a magic trick, we can see that there's things that you have to do, like the word says, resist the devil and he will flee. They're all conditional and we want to honor those things so that we can be set free. Let's look at Psalms 24, four to five prayer gives us direction. Show me your ways. Oh Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and faithfulness and teach me for you. The Lord, our God of my salvation for you, you only and altogether do I wait expectantly all the day long. So this is just someone who is just waiting on the Lord and they're saying that God is their salvation. So God is saving them from whatever it is they're going through. Let's look at Psalms 107, 28 to 30. Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble and he brings them out of their distresses. He hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper so that the waves of the sea are still. Then the men are glad because of calm and he brings them to their desired haven. We're seeing here that when we call upon the Lord, God hears us and he's going to bring us to our desired place. But we also have to be doing what the Lord is directing us to do. Since God calms the sea and makes it gentle because that's what the verse said, he hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper. This lets us know that peace is very important. God is bringing peace into different situations. The men who cried out in this Psalms 107, in order to hear God's voice, they had to be still just like the sea so that everything is taking place and they can see what God's doing. We want to have God's peace. Let's look at Romans 5 verse 1. Therefore, since we are justified, acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God through faith, let us grasp the fact that we have the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one. Wow. So we can have peace with God and right standing with God through faith. We have to understand that, that we have to be in right standing with God. And through faith, we can grasp onto this, onto the fact that we have peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy. We want to have peace in different situations. If, if you are panicky because of different things, you're not going to be able to hear God's voice. You're not going to be able to be a hearer and a doer of the word so that you can come out of the situation that you're in. This is why you want to be practicing faith, practicing your relationship with the Lord, talking with the Lord, doing all of these small things that are going to, at the end of the day, it's going to lead to the bigger things and the bigger triumphs in your life. But first you have to honor the little things in your life every day, every day, take a step every day, learn something else, learn a new scripture, meditate on the word day and night. So the word of God won't depart from your mouth. Let's look at first Peter 5, 8, casting the whole of your care, all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns once and for all on him, for he cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. So we're casting our cares upon the Lord. And I think this verse is really good because it's letting us know that God cares for us and he cares about us watchfully. So while we're trying to resist the devil, it's nice to know that God cares about us. This is yet another thing that is precious. Sometimes we can feel like that God is our boss and God is not our father, right? So when we see God as our boss, then we're waiting to be punished for something that we haven't done. But when we see God as our father, we know that he loves us and he chastises those whom he loves. See, there's a big difference. If you're waiting always to be punished, you're not going to want to get things done because you're serving in fear. You're serving in fear that somebody is going to do something to you. But if you feel loved and you know that God loves you and when he corrects you, it's because he loves you so that you can grow straight and have good understanding and knowledge so that you can go down the straight and narrow path. Then when God gives me information, it might not be what I want to hear, but God is good. He gives and takes away, but what he takes away is not good for you. So then you come to see God as your protector because sometimes we can say, I want the job. I want this job. God, why won't you give me this job? But what you may not know is that job may be sending people out in prostitution just to keep their job. So then you get the job and let's say the employer's looking at you, wanting you to prostitute yourself in order to just keep working there. Then you'd wish, well, why didn't somebody tell me ahead of time? So I wouldn't have put myself in this position. But when God tells, you know, they know that it is good. Amen. Let's continue in 1 Peter 5, verse 7 to 8. Be well balanced, temperate, sober of mind, be vigilant and cautious at all times. For that enemy of yours, the devil roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger, seeking someone to seize up and devour. This is important when you're resisting the devil, because you have to understand the tactics of the devil. The devil's not looking around to play a game. He's looking to devour you. This verse is saying he is looking to see who he can seize upon and devour. We have to understand that this is not a game and that we should diligently and urgently seek the Lord so that we have the tools and we can continue to resist because we see here that the devil wants to devour us. But when we have the knowledge and understanding and we're walking in the authority that Jesus died for, then we can resist the devil and the devil will flee because we will have understanding, just like it's in Luke 10, 19, that God has given us power and authority over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy so that nothing by any means shall harm us. But if you don't know that, then the devil will try to seek to devour you based on just the fact that you don't even know that you walk in authority. When you know that you walk in authority, he can't come into your camp and devour you because Jesus has paid a price and you're covered by the blood. You're in Christ. Your life has been in Christ. You've been practicing being in Christ. This is, this just gets so good. I just get excited because there's hope for people and it's good that we should know that there's hope. So let's look at Philippians 4, 7, and God's peace shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ. And so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That is so good. God's peace is very valuable, especially during these times when there's so many things going on on this earth. And every time you look at something or you're in certain situations, fear is trying to be stirred up. But if you stay in God's peace and focused on his word, you won't be meditating on the things on this earth. You're going to keep your mind on things above and what God is doing. Amen. Something else that's going to help you to resist the devil is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which took place in Acts 2. It's a heavenly prayer language empowered with dunamis power from the Lord. In Acts 1, 8, it says, but you shall receive power, ability, efficiency, and might when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends, the very bounds of the earth. If you're wanting the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it's going to help you to have breakthrough in resisting the devil because God has given you authority in this. But again, you have to believe in God. You have to have faith. You have to be waiting on the Lord to enter into this because it's by faith. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is by faith. You have to believe that God is. You have to believe that Jesus is the baptizer. Amen. Let's look at Ephesians 1, 18 to 20. By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light so that you can know and understand the hope to which he has called you and how rich is his glorious inheritance in the saints, his set apart ones, as so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of his power in and for us who believe as demonstrated in the working of his mighty strength. So let's pause right there. So God has things for us and it even says you have to believe his power in and for us who believe. So the entrance point is believing. If you're not believing in God, that's the entrance point. You might be challenged with getting to this part because the entrance point is being subject to God and believing in God. Let's go on to Ephesians 1, verse 20, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his own right hand in heavenly places. So the he in this is God. So God exerted Christ, raised him from the dead and seated him at his own right hand in heavenly places. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 12, verses 7 to 10. And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness preeminence of these revelations. There was given me a thorn, a splinter in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to rack and buffet and harass me to keep me from being excessively exalted. This is more a witness to how great God's power is. And when it's flowing through people, we have to stay balanced. This is Paul talking about the thorn in the flesh. Let's continue with verse 8, three times I called upon the Lord and besought him about this and begged that it might depart from me. But he said to me, my grace, my favor and loving kindness and mercy is enough for you sufficient against any danger and enables you to hear the trouble manfully. So if we pause right here, it says God's grace is sufficient for any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully. So when we're resisting the devil, remember about God's grace, because it's allowing us to resist in a better way when we know this information that God is fighting on behalf of us. He's giving us his tools. He already knows what's going on. So his grace is sufficient for us. For my strength and power are made perfect, fulfilled and completed and show themselves most effective in your weakness. So when we are weak, God is strong. So when you're going through things, God is right there. He's watching over you and he knows where you are. He knows what you need before you can even ask or think it. I'm going to continue in the verse. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weakness and infirmities that the strength and power of Christ, the Messiah may rest. Yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell upon me. That is wonderful because that that lets us know wherever it is that we are, God is there and he's helping us. And all of these things are working together so that we can walk more effectively in the Lord and understand that it's not I who live, but it's Christ that lives in me. The hope of all glory. God is fighting our battles. Let's continue in the verse. Verse 10. So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses. For when I am weak in human strength, then am I truly strong, able, powerful in divine strength. So when we are going through these things and we're in Christ, God is right there. He's wanting to direct us. He's wanting to give us strength. But if we're weak, we're actually strong because when we're weak, we understand that God all the more is fighting for us, that we understand that it's not by might nor by power, but it's by his spirit. That we lean on, trust in and rely upon him because we've come to the end of all that we know, all that we think we know. And any strength or power that we think we have is not working at that time. And it's like when we end, God begins. When we finally say, I can't do this, then we can allow God to do his job. That's what he's here for. Amen. So Ephesians 3 20. May he grant you out of the rich treasure of his glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit himself in dwelling your innermost being and personality. May Christ through your faith actually dwell, settle down, abide, make his permanent home in your hearts. May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love. Verse 18, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints, God's devoted people, the experience of that love. What is the breadth and length and height and depth of it? Verse 19, that you may really come to know practically through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ. I love that it says that you may come to know through experience for yourselves. This lets you know that you play a role. There is something that you have to do. And when you do these things that God is asking you to do, you get that experience that we were talking about earlier in the message. Experience is valuable because it gives you a history with God to call upon, to grow from and to stand on. Amen. Let's just read verse 19 again, that you may really come to know practically through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience, that you may be filled through all your being until all the fullness of God may have the richest measure of the divine presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God himself. Wow. Verse 20, now to him who by in consequence of the action of his power that is at work within us is able to carry out his purpose and do super abundantly far over and above all that we dare ask or think infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. Amen. God is so faithful and knowing this information, knowing who we are in Christ, knowing what God has done, knowing what he has set forth for us, knowing and hearing the direction that he's given us gives us an opportunity to know that we will overcome when we resist the devil. He will definitely flee from your lives as you press in to the knowledge that God has given us and that he set forth and prepared for us before the foundation of this earth. It's just so good. So speaking of pressing in and continuing to understand the knowledge that God has for us, let's talk about endurance because endurance is something that when we start out as believers, we don't necessarily think about, but as you're going through the process, you realize you have to endure through these moments. Let's go to Romans 5 verses 3 to 5. Moreover, let us also be full of joy. Now, let us exalt and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patience and unswerving endurance and endurance fortitude develops maturity of character approved faith and tried integrity and character of this sort produces the habit of joyful and confident hope of external salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Amen. So good. Lord, we praise you for your continued goodness and mercy in our lives, breaking mental bondage. Thank you, Lord. That mental bondage is broken off of us right now. Any depression leave right now in the name of Jesus, poverty be broken, bodies be healed in the name of Jesus. May we continue to forever have your words on our lips. Amen.