The Devil is playing for keeps Part 2 - What will YOUR response be?

God told Peter the enemy demanded to have him. That he wanted to sift him like wheat. Peter's response wasn't what God was looking for, but then said to Him, "when you have turned AGAIN.." 

In other words, He could trust that Peter would get back up again! And He did! And went on to preach to the masses! And heal and deliver and set free! 

whew! 

That's EXACTLY what Homemade Women are called to do! 

Transcript

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Peter was always the one ready to jump out of the boat. Like he told God, like, God, I will go with you to prison, I will go with you to death. Like, when you think about that for a minute, how many of us are actually willing to say that? How many of us are truly ready to suffer for Christ's sake? Because I believe that we're living in a time where it will ask that of us. That question will be asked of us. Are you willing to suffer for my sake? Are you willing to be persecuted? Are you willing to tell them even if they don't believe? Are you willing to pray when I'm calling you to pray? Are you willing to endure the attack of the enemy? Because either way, saved or unsaved, it is coming. Because the Bible says that in this life you will have trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world. Hey y'all, welcome back to another episode of the Homemade Woman Podcast. This is actually a part two of the episode The Enemy is Playing for Keeps, but so is God. The first part of that episode was so chunky, so heavy. It was such an urging message. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it, I encourage you before you try to dive into this one to go back and listen to it. It is definitely a street and firm and encouraging word from the Lord. And I would encourage you guys to go back and listen. But this one here is speaking on how to respond to the enemy's attacks using Peter himself, the one who was bold as a lion, the one who said, God, I will go with you all the way, even until the end. I love you. And so this is going to encourage us on how to respond to the enemy, on how to make sure our words have weight to them because God, I believe, is gonna begin to start testing the words of his people and what we vow and what we are saying in these days. All right, let's dive in. I want to read you something that the Lord put in my heart as I was preparing to do the pod today. Let me see if I can go to the full chapter. I'm gonna go to the full chapter in my word. Luke 22. And if you have your Bibles, you're more than welcome. You're more than welcome to go here with me. Please. You can highlight it. If you don't have the Bible app, I've had the Bible app for over 12 years. And um I can go back to probably longer than that, but I can go back to 2012 and see where I've highlighted verses, and I can see comments where I've just commented on those verses and where I was in that tie that time in my life. And it it's just it's really nice to see. So I encourage you to get the Bible app and um if you don't already have it, it's just a beautiful way to be able to look back on how you how you're growing and what God's doing in your life, or the revelations that He's that He gives you when you read certain verses. But anyway, we're gonna read Luke 22 and 31. This is written in read. Simon, Simon, Simon when he says your name twice. That's how you know you better listen. Simon, Simon. Behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you. There are times in our life this tells me that the Holy Spirit will pray for us. But this is the thing that the Lord prayed. He didn't pray in such a way that the attack is gonna come, but my prayer, the Holy Spirit's prayer, baby, and if anybody's prayer should uphold, it's the Holy Spirit's. But he prayed specifically for Simon. He said, I have prayed that your faith may not fail. In other words, he's saying, I'm praying that when the enemy attacks, that you will be ready to respond. Hallelujah. Let's go back. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sit you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. So this is Jesus pretty much foretelling and telling Peter, first of all, Peter, I know all things, and I need you to know that the enemy longs to sift you like weak, and I am gonna allow the attack of the enemy. He says, Satan demanded to have you. He is letting him know that I am gonna allow the enemy to stretch out his hand toward you, and all Satan did though was ask him a question, and he did it through people, people that know you to be a man or woman of God. Aren't you the one that was with Jesus? Now Peter denies right here, saying, pretty much like lets him know, like, Lord, I'm ready to go with you both to prison and to death. Like I will go with you all the way to the end. I'm telling you that the Lord is testing our words. I believe that in this day and hour, that the Lord is going to start testing our words. That if we say, Lord, I commit to waking up at 2 a.m. to pray every time you call me. God, I commit to waking up first thing in the morning and putting you at the forefront of my day and sitting and reading your word. God, I commit my life unto your hands. God is getting ready to start testing our words. He said, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me. My question is though, why did Satan desire Peter? Because it says that Satan demanded to have Peter. Allow me, Jesus, to test him. If the enemy were to come to Jesus today and say, Allow me to test her, would God say go right ahead. Because oftentimes God will allow the enemy to unleash an attack on your life. But all in the same, God sees this attack coming from afar off. And he knows, he knows that you will be able to stand in the gap. Because sometimes the attack is on someone else, but it affects you. And he knows that you will be able to stand in the gap, he knows you will be obedient unto him, he knows that you will be ready to fight off the enemy even if he doesn't leave the first time you say in Jesus' name. He knows that you will be fervent, he knows that you will be persistent, he knows that you will be obedient to his voice and that he can trust you. And I believe he knew that to an extent he could trust Peter. I believe that he knew, I know that he knew he could trust Peter because he says, When you have turned again, it is not that God wants us ready to wage war against the enemy in such a way that you better not come lacking anything, or God is not going to see you fit for the kingdom. No, it's to say that what I am saying to you is that when the enemy unleashes an attack on our life or when God calls us into something greater, it will oftentimes come with great tests. The way in which God will find us to be ready will oftentimes be through how we respond to those tests and to those attacks. And if he finds that we're not responding all that great, he will position us in the midst of the attack to respond well. So if you find yourself like, God, I wasn't ready for this, I don't know what to do. I'm getting ready to lose my mind, I'm getting ready to give it all up, I'm getting ready to just lay down and die. Like, I'm just not gonna make it out of this, I'm not gonna make it past this, we're getting ready to go off on them. God will give you opportunity to conform, and he will give you opportunity to grow, he will give you opportunity to become sound in your mind, and he will give you opportunity to be taught in that attack on how to respond, and he will put on you the power to overcome the enemy as you walk with God through this, through the attack, and through the test. And once he sees that you are fully armed, once he sees there is no Devin in hell that can stop her, once he sees that there is no test that I can send her way that she will not be ready for, for though she may look to the left or look to the right for a mere moment, she will then turn again. For I have conditioned her and I have prepared her for such a time as this. And so that is what God does. And so it is not to say, well, maybe I'm not qualified, or maybe, because there is things, there are things, there are tacks that the enemy has unleashed in my life that for a moment I thought I was ready for, and then I was like, okay, wait a minute, Lord, let this cup pass from me. But nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. And so God is an equipping God. And I say all of that to say that this is the day and hour that he longs to equip us all the more. Yes, it will. So, why did God allow the attack of the enemy? Because he wanted Peter to have the stamina to choose. Aren't you the one who is with Jesus? No, I've not, I don't know that man. No, I've not been with that man. He wants us to have this to have the stamina to choose when something confronts us. He wants us to have to have the stamina to say, God, I choose you. God, I've I'm not denying you. And we oftentimes look at Peter like he denied Christ, I would never. But there are seasons where I deny God often. I believe there might even be some kind of way in which I deny God every day. Hey, put the phone down. Not to pray, just to be present with your kids. I do not know this man that's talking to me. I just want to sit here with my covers on. It's been a long day, and I don't. But no, I've not equipped you for that. I've equipped you to do what is uncomfortable. I've come I've equipped you to go even when you don't feel like going. God actually spoke to me here recently, and he said, You need to know that this is not a season of rest. But God, I need it. This is not a season of rest. It is a time to be busy in the work that I've called you to do. I have birthed a baby on the inside of you. I am making you a songwriter, an artist. You I've I've given you this podcast. I am calling you to be a good steward in my kingdom. For it is not a time to rest, it is a time to work unto the Lord. And that has been it's been challenging. I'll be honest and I'll be transparent to say that has been extremely challenging. But I've asked for this. I've asked for God to use me. This is a time where God is getting ready to test the words of his people. He is gonna call us in moments to have the stamina to choose. Will you take on the enemy or will you run and flee? Will you take on the enemy or will you run and flee? I have to tell you this, but let's first finish where we are with Peter. Peter was always the one to speak up. Peter was all like the Lord just favored him. Like Peter was always the one ready to jump out of the boat. Like he like he told God, like, God, I will go with you to prison, I will go with you to death. Like, when you think about that for a minute, how many of us are actually willing to say that? How many of us are truly ready to suffer for Christ's sake? Because I believe that we're living in a time where it will ask that of us. That question will be asked of us. Are you willing to suffer for my sake? Are you willing to be persecuted? Are you willing to tell them even if they don't believe? Are you willing to pray when I'm calling you to pray? Are you willing to endure the attack of the enemy? Because either way, saved or unsaved, it is coming. Because the Bible says that in this life you will have trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world. So I'm not telling you to shun the Lord because the enemy longs to sift us like we. Surely you have already seen that the enemy will choose whoever. But I will say that when you begin to allow God to pour his oil out on you, because after all, we think that that's what we all want, but truly it is not. If you say that you want a fresh anointing, that you want to be able to walk in the power of the Almighty, you will become a target for the enemy. And so, what is the difference then? Should I stay on the safe side? Like, should I like be very mindful of the things that I pray? No, because the enemy is unleashing attacks regardless. But when you subject yourself to the Lord and say, God, ready me for what is coming, it's as though the enemy lifts up his head as a lion who feels threatened or has spotted his prey. That is what the enemy does when we position ourselves for the gospel, when we shod our feet for the gospel, when we put on the whole armor of God, when we put on the helmet of salvation and to use it to protect our minds, when we uphold the shield of faith to dodge the fiery darts of the enemy, when the enemy sees us with the full armor of God on which he already tells us to put on, we become a target for the enemy. And I'm gonna tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why. But first, I'm gonna answer the question that a lot of babes in Christ ask. Why is it that after I got saved, why is it that after I got saved, it seemed like things got harder. It seemed like the enemy attacked me more. The enemy the enemy already sought to destroy your life. But what the enemy hates now is that you have changed sides and he seeks to destroy your walk before it can even begin, before you can even take a step. So he will do whatever he can in his power to get you to lose your footing. He's gonna do whatever he can in his power to get you to turn and look the other way to consider the place from which you came. Yet, though that way was hard, this way too is hard and maybe even harder. Maybe I should consider the place from which I came. Maybe this walk isn't worth it after all. Maybe this God that I'm trying to get to know isn't the way in which I want to live. Maybe I should consider where I come from. I assure you that this walk is worth it because wide is the way of destruction and narrow is the path to life. And the enemy is gonna attack you no matter what road you're on. The only difference is that the road that is wide makes room for the enemy to destroy you until you are utterly consumed. But the path to life will keep you, woman and man of God. The path to life will keep you when the enemy launches himself on you. The path of the path to life will keep you when you have stepped out to do the thing that God has called you to do, and all of hell is has broken loose on you. And I'm not talking about the enemy himself. I'm talking about people who don't believe in you. I'm talking about people who say, Who do you think you are? I'm talking about the people who discount you. I'm talking about the doors that seem like they start shutting on you. I'm talking about the things that feel like they've come along to try to hinder you. I am talking about the resistance that comes with being obedient unto God. Those are the things that happen when you choose to submit yourself unto the Lord. But it is more fitting, it is more beneficial, it is, it gives me much more life. I find I've found it more worth it to say yes to God and no to the enemy. Because surely he is only like a lion seeking whom he may devour. And there have been many seasons in my life where he has tried to come and utterly consume me, but he has utterly failed. There have also been seasons where I said, I don't know about this one, God, I don't know how this one's gonna turn out. The trajectory isn't looking all that good. But God says all things work out for good. And those times and those moments, he reminds me that all things work out for good for those who love me and those who are called according to my purpose. I you love me, I know this, and I know that I've called you. So the difference between Christians and sinners when it comes to the attack of the enemy, when it comes to a sinner, the enemy seeks to destroy them. Just to destroy them, because that's just in his nature and it's who he is. But as a woman and man of God, when the enemy comes to try to destroy, he comes to seek to destroy what you are building. For those who do not know God, he seeks to destroy. For those who do know God, he seeks to destroy what it is you are building. I don't know if it's a business that seeks to glorify God. I don't know if it's a ministry that seeks to glorify God. I don't know what it is, but he seeks to destroy it. If it's the kingdom itself, if you are building a group that will be able to be kept by God, but because you're pouring into them every week, the enemy seeks to destroy you because of that. He won't, he, he will oftentimes allow the ministry of Christ and whatever it is you're doing for the Lord to move forward. But he knows that if he can tear you down, and he knows if he can break you down and bring you to nothing, he can bring the ministry and what you are doing for the Lord to naught. He knows that he can bring it to a halt. He knows that it will be no more, so then therefore the kingdom of God is no longer being built up by you. That is how the enemy comes to us. But I want to leave you with this. I want to show you a picture. Let me see if I can click on it. Aren't lines just like so ferocious? I don't know if you can see this, but anyway. Maybe. Let me get up so y'all can see. I want to make sure y'all can see it. Okay, you can see it. Lions are ferocious creatures, but I need you to keep something in mind when you consider the enemy. The Bible says that he is like a lion seeking whom he may devour. He is puny, though his attack. Are great. What that tells me is that in spite of the greatness of the attack, greater is he that is in you than he who is in the world. In spite of the of the detriment, in spite of the severity, there is a power that God wants to unleash on the inside of you that will overcome the enemy who is beneath you. It says when a lion feels threatened, it can be extremely intimidating. And when they get it ready to attack you, they will begin to charge towards you. But the nature of the lion, when they see humans, is actually not often to attack because we're like odd to them, which is why you obviously oftentimes seeing them seeking actual prey, other wildlife. We as humans actually aren't a threat to the lion unless it seems as though we've made ourselves to be. So you're telling me that if I stand up to face the enemy, I'm still his prey. We're talking about the enemy. That if I stand up to face the enemy, I'm his prey. And if I turn and run, I'm his prey. So Jesus wanted Peter to have the stamina to choose because the attack is gonna come anyway. It is important that obviously when you see a line, they say, you know, you just keep your distance regardless, because you should still show these animals respect, even though they are beneath us in um God's eyes, that we should treat them with respect. But the enemy that you don't have to treat with any respect, because he did not show any respect to you, is the enemy himself. There will come a time where the enemy will pounce on you and you will find yourself under its paws, but for a moment, because some things, some tests, they catch us so off guard that it knocks us off our feet. And if you can imagine a lion in movies, not the lion king, y'all, not the lion king. We're trying to think of something a little more, you know, on the ferocious, frightening side of things. But anyway, there would come a time where you would find yourself under the paws of the enemy, as if he has you. But I promise you, he does not have you. I know what it looks like. I know the tits have been great, I know the attacks have been relentless, but the enemy does not have you. Now, is he playing for keeps? Yes, but you need to understand that so is God. And I didn't get to talk much on the way in which God is playing for keeps, but he's crazy about you. He loves you, he wants to keep you, he wants you to overcome the enemy. In that way, God is playing for keeps. He wants to keep his people, he does not want him, want us to fall subject to the enemy because we are more than overcomers in Christ Jesus. We are never subject, no matter where we find ourselves, whether it's under the paws of the enemy, whether it's on the other end of his roar, we are never subject to it. We are never subject to his roar. In other words, okay, devil, you caught me off guard with this one, but it does not change the outcome. Okay, God, you brought this test to me, and I'm gonna have the stamina to choose. It is important that you have the stamina to choose, and to choose Christ, and to choose what decision you will make in the hour in which the test comes, and sometimes the tests aren't even all that great. It just determines whether your anointing will grow, whether you will decrease so he can increase. Sometimes the test is okay, will you put away Netflix now? Like, will you please put the phone down? Okay, will you please stay home this weekend? Like, I know you want to go out, like there's something I want to get to you. There is something vital I need to tell you. There is something I need to share with you, there's something I want to pour on you, there's something I want to I want to put on the inside of you that you will birth in due season. You have to make room for God because the enemy is making room for us. So we have to be ready. We have to be ready because the enemy is playing for keeps, but so is God. So all of that being said, I love you guys. I'm so glad to be back. I want you to know that the new algorithm is that I will be back every two weeks. I want to make room for what God has birthed in terms of music. I want to keep making room for my family, for my ministry, my heritage, my husband, my man's. Those things are very important to me. My corporate church, I want to continue to be faithful to that and ministry there. I've just been called to much, and it is not a season of rest, but I need to make sure that I can remain consistent in everything that God has called me to do. So I love you guys. And I'm I was so glad to be back. I want to pray over you before you go. Father, I come to you this morning, God, and I ask God that you will continue to cover your people, cover your daughter, cover your son, God. I ask God that you would make way, God, for them to grow in this season, God, that they would understand, God, that if you are not calling them to rest in this season, God, then surely it means it is time to work. God, it's time to be busy for you, God, because we know that the enemy is busy, that he is roaring around like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. We know that he is playing for keeps. We know that he is seeking to bring us to a place of insanity. He's seeking to cause us to come to a place of addiction. He is seeking, God, to destroy our families, God. He's seeking to cause divorce, God, in this region. He is seeking for kids to drop out of school. He is seeking for kids and adults to commit suicide because they feel like their life has come to an end and there is no hope. The enemy is seeking whom he may devour. The enemy is seeking for violence to overtake our region more than what it already is. He is seeking for schools to no longer care. He is seeking for administrators to feel like they've lost their purpose, God. He is seeking for the very structures, God, of what we live for, God, to be broken down until they are no more, God, until they have fallen to the ground. But I rebuke the enemy this morning, God. I rebuke the enemy over every listener this morning who has listened to this podcast. And I pray for their safety, God. I pray for their covering, God, I pray for a protection, God. I create a hedge around them, God. I create a hedge around them, Father. That when the attack of the enemy comes on their house, God, that you will find blood on their doorpost, God. I ask God that you would cover them, Father. I ask God that you would keep them in this day and hour, God, and that you'd also equip them, God, for the tests that are to come, God, for when you have called them into more and you've called them into greater, God, that they would be ready, God, and that they would have the stamina to choose you, Father. That they would not fret, God, that they would not fear, God, that they would not retreat, oh God, that they would not run away, God, that they would not look back lest they turn into a pillar of salt, God, just as Lot's wife did. But God, that we would look forward, God, that we would press on to the mark of the prize of the high calling that is on our lives, God, for you who have started a good work in us is faithful to complete it if we will make room for it in Jesus' mighty name. We love you and we thank you, God. And I ask God that you continue to keep your people and enable them to grow in this season, God, and ready themselves for what you have called them to do, for you have called them for such a time as this. Make us aware and mature our faith, God. Help us to have ears to hear and eyes to see, to not be carnal-minded, God, but to be mature in our faiths, God, for us not to perish, God, as a result of lack of knowledge, God, but that we would be wise and be aware of the enemy. And be aware, God, of your voice and what you are calling us to each and every day in Jesus' mighty name. Amen and amen. I will catch you guys on the next episode.

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Bye.