Matthew 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (KJV)

Are you a prisoner of war?

Another part of the warfare you are in deals with what you do after God delivers you. Deliverance creates a void or an empty space within you. That void used to be filled by a habit, rehearsing your issues and problems, and /or time spent thinking about or doing something that pulled you away from God. Since God has delivered you, you must fill the void with the word of God, with prayer, with praise, and with worship. You don’t want to leave it open for the enemy to return and bring with him more than God delivered you from. 

Luke 11:24-26 “When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return, it finds the person swept and dusted, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.” (MSG)

The enemy does not want you to have peace. He wants you in hell with him, both now and when you are no longer present in the body. 

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (NKJV)

The devil is determined to kill your peace, steal your joy and destroy your life, keeping you in his prison of despair. If you don’t fill that space, he will hold you captive again. There are things you need to do to keep from being a prisoner of war. Here are just a few; ask the Lord to show you more:

• Make sure you are thinking about the right things.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. (AMP)

• Be filled and refilled continually with the Holy Spirit. 

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting together was shaken [a sign of God’s presence]; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness and courage. (AMP)

• Arm yourself against the enemy.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. (AMP)

• Renew your mind daily through Bible study and meditation.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. (AMPC)

• Pray in the Spirit. 

Romans 8:26-27 And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words. 27 God, the searcher of the heart, knows fully our longings, yet he also understands the desires of the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit passionately pleads before God for us, his holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny. (TPT)

• Cultivate right relationships. 

James 4:4 You have become spiritual adulterers who are having an affair, an unholy relationship with the world. Don’t you know that flirting with the world’s values places you at odds with God? Whoever chooses to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy! (TPT)

• Stay humble. 

James 4:6 You may think that the situation is hopeless, but God gives us more grace when we turn away from our own interests. That’s why Scripture says, God opposes the proud, but He pours out grace on the humble. (TVT)

• Use your authority in Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” (AMP)

You are the prize of this warfare. Don’t let the devil hold you prisoner.

Please agree with me as I pray. Then ask the Lord what your prayer should be and wait for His response:

Father, I thank You for delivering me. I repent for wallowing in my stuff and agreeing with the enemy to remain his captive for as long as I did. I repent for not filling the void deliverance created with more of You. Because of that, I had to be delivered from the same thing over and over. Every day, I am looking for You to fill me with more and more of You. I do not want to fall prey to the same thing You delivered me from anymore. I don’t want worse things to war against me. Your word tells me that is exactly what will happen if I don’t spend time with You. Whenever You have to deliver me, please help me fill that space with worship, praise, study, prayer, and what You initially ordained for me. Continue to draw me closer to You. Help me fine tune my ears and I will hear You speaking to me in every aspect of my life. I desire to be a representative of Your glory and an example of Your power…

Ask the lord what he wants to say to you about today’s devotional and journal it here: