The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly.
- John 10:10 NKJV
Satan has one job -- to bring utter destruction to this world, especially those who belong to God through His Son Jesus Christ. Satan came to take, Jesus came to give. Satan came to bring death, Jesus came to bring life. Polar opposites. We as humans have been given a gift to choose life or death.
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; - Deu 30:19
To choose means to act, to physically do something. We physically do a thing after we have thought about it. We think, we speak, we act. Once we make a decision to live for Christ and die to self, we will encounter many obstacles, and if we are not careful, we may stumble at them.
Are you cooperating with a sabotaging spirit?
Do you find yourself taking two steps forward and ten steps back? If every time you begin to move towards your destiny purpose, it seems as if all kinds of trouble are being released against you and causing setbacks, you may be dealing with a sabotaging spirit. If every time you begin to advance in something that will bring prosperity to your life you find yourself fearful and wanting to retreat, it may be a sabotaging spirit in cahoots with a spirit of fear and rejection. This demonic trio will stop your progression by using the poison from your past to pollute your future.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word sabotage as a destructive or obstructive action carried on by a civilian or enemy agent to hinder a nation's war effort; an act or process tending to hamper or hurt; and a deliberate subversion.
The devil’s desire is to diligently sabotage everything good in our lives; our duty is to fight back by taking our thoughts captive. Everything we do starts with a thought, we can allow those thoughts to dictate our lives, or we can take authority over them and cause them to come into agreement with the word of God. Because so much of our lives are lived on a spiritual battlefield, we must be spiritual warriors. The first way we battle is by putting on the helmet of salvation (Eph 6), the truth of our salvation and the power of the blood of Jesus Christ our Savior is in that helmet; then proceed to grab those destructive thoughts.
4 For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, - 2Co 10:4-5
Be proactive about your thoughts by thinking about what you are thinking. Consider how the thought is making you feel. Next, consider where the source of the thought is coming from. If the thought is condemning you, then you must rebuke it because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). If the thought is something you believe about yourself or someone else, but it is rooted in pain, hate, abuse, unforgiveness, or trauma, then it is probably a contaminated thought, and you need to take it to the cross.
For godly sorrow produces repentance [leading] to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. - 2Co 7:10
If you find that the thought you are having is really the Holy Spirit speaking conviction then repent, ask for forgiveness and forgive anyone who harmed you; ask the Lord to heal you if there is emotional pain attached to the thought.
There is nothing we cannot take to our Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Like David the Psalmist ask God to create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Ps 51); a spirit that can run the course of life without living in a defeated mindset.
Once you have identified the sabotaging thoughts and source, you must take the scriptures and renew your mind with them. You do this just like I showed you above, find verses in the Bible directed by the Holy Spirit that speak to your condition and apply them to your mind. Pray the word over your life and all that is involved in it, take thoughts captive, and submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. - Jas 4:7.
Sabotaging Trio
I mentioned earlier about the spirit of sabotage being in cahoots with fear and rejection because the enemy seldom works alone, he likes to bring friends. There are a couple accounts of people being delivered from multiple demonic spirits such as a woman named Mary Magdalene who had seven demons cast out of her (Mar 16:9) and a man living in a graveyard that had a legion of demons cast out of him (Mar 5). Satan sends his destructive demons out in pairs or more to mimic Christ and God’s order.
Fear can be healthy when it is a fear to warn us of danger whereby we can escape but fear that binds and torments are not of God and it is not healthy. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. - 2Ti 1:7 This particular word for fear is defined as timid, cowardly, dread, and faithless. Fear and faith do not work together unless it is the Spirit of the fear of the Lord! Fear can paralyze us and stop us dead in our tracks when we are trying to move into our purpose or calling. Fear uses a tiny bit of truth to inject into our faith rendering us ineffective in our pursuit to please God.
Rejection can be led by fear due to the fear of being rejected if we were to try something new, uncomfortable, and risky. When we have to step out to step in, rejection can speak loudly to us if we have unresolved relational issues. We cannot allow fear or rejection to be our filter when living the abundant life in Christ.
To be rejected means to be refused, dismissed, and even eliminated. Rejection excludes us from something or someone and is perhaps the deepest and hardest wound inflicted on a person. Rejection states that one is not worthy of another’s affection, attention, or love. Rejection turned inward can be even more damaging. The enemy of our souls knows how to use our past rejections, hurts, and betrayals against us. We must allow the Healer of our souls to do what only He can do – heal us.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; - Isa 61:1
Taking thoughts captive, repenting of sin, forgiving those who have caused you pain all take work and involve discipline and practice, but eventually you will have victory over the stronghold that has allowed the spirit of sabotage and its friends to control your life.
Let’s Pray,
Heavenly Father, Your word tells me to count it all joy when I fall into various trials because the testing of my faith is involved and patience will be produced in me. Help me Lord to remember this when I am hurting or struggling with my purpose and destiny. Strengthen me in Your Spirit so my life can be pleasing to You. Thank You for Your word that can renew my thoughts and restore my strength. Help me to do as Your servant David did and strengthen myself in You. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.