Thank you for making time today for leading the way with Dr. Michael Youssef. the author of more than fifty life changing books. Learn about this month's special offers at ltw.org.
Now, in this audio episode, Dr. Youssef begins a practical series of practical teachings, complementing his new, soon-to-be-released book called Winning the Invisible War. Today, he has a reminder that the battle for the hearts and minds of people is alive and active. inside the church. Dr.
Youssef offers a passionate challenge to be on the lookout for those who are actively leading God's church and people astray. in our mixed up world. Listen with me now to this episode of Leading the Way Audio. Throughout the series of messages that I'm starting today, I'm going to reveal to you the powerful satanic deception. The invisible war.
Because it's invisible to most people. Not to the believers. The satanic deceptions That we are experiencing today. Is the same old-tired formula that Satan used with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? It's the same one.
What he does, he just dresses it in a nice modern dress. And it looks new. to the non-discerning, to the non-suspecting. He disguised it as a new thing, but it's not. It's just to mislead the simple.
It's to misguide the confused. It is to misdirect the directionless.
Now to show you how this is an old lie. I want you to look with me very quickly at Acts chapter 20. The Apostle Paul. Is meeting with the leaders of the church in Ephesus, in the city of Ephesus, just before he departed. and went back to Jerusalem.
Acts twenty twenty eight. Paul speaking to these leaders. In the church of Ephesus. I've been to Ephesus, it's now called Ezmir. Here's what he said.
Pay Fool Attention. Pay for Full attention. Can you say those words with me? To yourselves. He's talking to the leaders.
To yourselves, I wish so many Christian leaders, those of us in leadership, really take this to heart. And to all the flock over whom the Holy Spirit has given you oversight. To do what? to care for the church of God. Which Talking about Jesus.
He obtained with his own blood. He purchased with his blood. It's not Our church It's not some pastor's church, it's not some preacher's church, it is the church of Jesus Christ. He said, I know after my departure, fierce wolves. will come among you and they will not spare the flock.
And from among yourselves. in the churches. From among yourselves. Were rise men speaking twisted things. to draw away the disciples after themselves.
Not after Jesus, but after themselves. If we're not seeing that today, I don't know where you are. Several things that I need you to know about. The Commanding General Of the army of your enemy and the enemy of your soul. You need to know several things.
He's cunning. His conniving He's clever. He's deceptive. And he's a chameleon. And he even uses, as Paul said, people from among them.
That's church people. That is why he is ruthless. He's ruthless. He's ferocious. This commanding general of the enemy's forces, of this invisible war.
But please, please. Do not Lit this. frighten you. This whole series of measures is designed not to make you afraid, but to give you courage. and to give you the tools to be in victory and have victory.
I'm going to show you again and again and again. That He who is in us is greater than him. He who's in us is greater than him. It's just a matter of knowing. How to appropriate God's power.
for you to have victory. Think about this invisible war like a Regular war. Can a soldier In a regular war, Become are helpful to the enemy's army. Yeah. How?
Cowardice? Ignorance, that's the big one I'm going to come to. Not paying attention A lack of resolve. In the same way, Surrendering your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. is only the first step.
That's only the first step. It's not the end of the story. Surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is important. It's a decisive step. By acknowledging that there is no other way to salvation except through Jesus, you have moved from darkness to light.
You move destination from hell to heaven. Oh, But you're not yet finished your journey. You're not yet sanctified. Let me Put it this way. When you come to Christ's surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, you are like a massive corporation.
Big corporation. In the aftermath, of a takeover. It's just been taken over. You're now under new ownership. But many of the old management Structure.
Still there. Or think about it this way. Your spiritual being is like a house. That has many doors, many doors, many doors. Each door opens into your soul.
Each door needs to be bolted. Securely to prevent illegal entry. On a regular basis, I'm going to come to that. In spite of the fact that you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and His Lordship. Not all of these doors are bolted.
Not all of these doors continuously being bolted. And if one of Satan's foot soldiers, one of his minions, Because we always say Satan, but we are referring to all of his demonic forces because Satan is not omnipresent. He cannot be at your house and my house at the same time. He's not omnipresent. But so he sent one of his demons, one of his minions, working all over the place.
And so when one of his foot soldiers comes in, and push on one of these doors.
Sooner or later, One of those doors is going to swing open.
Now He found a way in to your soul.
Now, he actually found your Achilles heel. He said, What are you talking about, Michael? I'm going to tell you exactly what I'm talking about. Unresolved anger. Is a door And if you leave it unbolted.
Not taking care of it under the power and the blood of Jesus. He's going to keep coming through that door, going to keep coming through this door in your life, and he is going to create havoc with all of your relationships, not just one. Fear. is a door. Bitterness.
Is a door. Hatred. is a door. Lying is a door. Addiction.
is a door. Rebellion against the word of God. is a door. Envy. is a door.
Sexual lust. is a door. Greed and discontentment. Is a door. I'm just giving you some examples.
So you understand what I'm talking about. These are many other doors. If they're not continuously, continuously, continuously bolted. You're gonna give your enemy Access to your soul. But there is a big gate.
Not just a door, a gate. And that's what I will be coming back to at the end of the message. And that is the gate of ignorance. Question? Where that the devil Come from.
Great question. There are two passages in the Bible that tell us exactly where the devil came from, okay? And I want you to just jot them down and please, when you go home, read them. Carefully. Isaiah 14, 12 to 15.
And Ezekiel 28, 11 to 19. Let me repeat those. Isaiah 14, 12 to 15. Ezekiel 28, 11 to 19. These two passages give us the most definitive answer to the question about Satan's origin.
Look at verse twelve of Isaiah 14. How have you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How are you cut down to the ground? You who have weakened nations. Listen to me.
This is one of those paradoxes in the scripture. Lucifer Literally means Light bearer. Or it could be translated as a brilliant one. or as the shining one. Ezekiel 28, 12, that's the other passage.
It says, you were the signet of perfection. Full of wisdom. Perfect in beauty.
Now here's what I need to tell you about Lucifer. He was One of the principal servants of the Lord God. In the heavens. is one of the created angelic beings. Verse 14 of Ezekiel 28: You were the anointed guardian cherub.
Ah. But you must remember this. The light of Lucifer was the light of a mirror. You know how sometimes when sun reflects on the mirror, you see light coming out of the mirror? It's a reflective light, not an original light.
Why do I say this? It's not the torch, it's a reflection. Because his light was never originating with him. He was so close to the throne of God. That he reflected the light of God.
And don't ever forget. Lucifer worked in the highest level of heaven. And while Moses had to cover his face When he saw in the presence of God, Lucifer didn't. Lucifer was able to look on the throne of God. He was able to voice praise and adoration and worship to God.
Oh, beloved, listen to me. This is what makes Satan a cunning and dangerous adversary. For us humans, If we face him alone, Don't ever try to face him alone. He's been around for a long, long, long, long time. And he knows all the tricks.
You're only facing with Jesus. Omniphazim in the power of the Holy Spirit. Imagine this be like a very highly placed CIA operative.
Okay. Who defects? to the other camp. Think about that. He already knows all the protocols, he knows all of the codes, and he still has the list of names.
And that is why, 2 Corinthians 11, 14, Paul says Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Why? What's the reason for that? Because he was. An angel of light.
Paul goes on to say, these false teachers and preachers in the church. They take after their leader. They are masters of disguise. They are clever, articulate communicators. They speak.
All the right words. But This poison. and their tongues. What happened to Lucifer?
Well He was not only beautiful, perfect, wise, serving at the throne room of God. God gave him a delegated executive authority. Think about it this way. All your corporate executives, think about it. God delegated to him executive authority.
Question. How many others were working for him?
Well, as the kids would say, zillions. We don't know. billions or trillions, we don't know. There were unnumbered angelic beings. One third of them followed him in his foolishness.
And he wanted to conduct a coup d'état. He basically want to conduct a coup And unseat God from his throne so that he sits on the throne in order to receive worship. That's really the whole point of it. He wanted to be worshipped then, he wants to be worshipped now. Lucifer was the chief middleman.
He gathered worship from every corner of the creation and brought it to the presence of God. But listen. Being a middleman is the toughest job in the whole world. Why is the chief middleman job hardest Job ever, I'm going to tell you why. Because it requires supernatural humility.
It requires a supernatural maturity. You're so close to the top job. But you can't have it. In the corporate life, In the corporate world, In the corporate structure, it is absolutely reasonable. It is absolutely reasonable and expected.
For the executive vice president to become a CEO. That's absolutely great, and nothing wrong with that. But in the heavenly realm, there is an unbridgeable gulf between the Creator and the creation. But Lucifer's ego He was not deterred by that. His ego is unstoppable.
He wanted to encede God and take his place. Replacing God Something that millions and millions and millions of people trying to do every single day. They're trying to put the self In the place of God. But Listen, it's not only irrational, it's impossible. Isaiah 14, 13, in addressing Satan, it says, You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God.
I will set my throne on high. In fact, in those two verses, I, I, I will, I will, I will, five times. Five times. Lucifer became so proud of his beauty, intellect, capacity, and attainment that he failed to recognize that everything he has was from God. And without God, he's nothing.
Actually, he's less than nothing. And that is why the Lord Jesus Christ, who was there, from the very beginning with the Father in a triune God. Who saw all of this take place in Luke chapter 10, verse 18, said the following: Jesus speaking now. I saw something. Satan Fall.
He was there. He said, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Three questions people ask. Question number one. Did God know from the very beginning that pride will captivate Lucifer's heart.
And the answer is Yes. He did. God is omniscient. Which means he knows everything ahead of time. Second question.
Could God have prevented Satan from falling? The answer again: absolutely yes. God is omnipotent. That is, he can do anything. Ah, then the third one is a biggie.
It's a biggie. If God knew, and if God could have prevented it. Then why didn't he? Hello? Did I anticipate you right?
Because I used to think that way. Because I know That In the flesh. We think if God prevented it It would have saved us a whole lot of heartache. I know that would have saved me a lot of heartache. It would have been no history of human sin.
Would have been a fall in the Garden of Eden. There will be no need for redemption. Ah, but please remember this. Remember, remember, remember, remember. Whether it is with Lucifer in heaven or with Adam and Eve in the garden.
God gave us free will. Otherwise you would have created robots. Robots. People say, why do you love God?
Well, because He made me that way. You love God, yeah. Don't choose to love God. If you forget everything I've said, please, please, please don't forget what I'm going to tell you. I started Talking about the gate.
And I'm going to finish. with that gate. Lucifer's sin Has been reproduced again and again and again and again, trillions of times, again and again. It was reproduced in Adam and Eve when they believed the serpent's lie. It was reproduced in Israel when they went to the promised land and they ran after Baal instead of Yahweh.
It was reproduced again when the Pharisees refused to believe in their anointed Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was reproduced and repeated every single day by everyone who rejects, rejects, rejects the power of Christ in them, who reject salvation through the hand of Christ and come under the authority of His Word. It's reproduced every single day. But here's what I'm going to tell you. I could cry, I really could cry.
Worse than all of that. Worse than all of that. Satan's sin is reproduced among Christians. when they fall for his lies. You see, pride.
Is what got Satan thrown out of heaven? And pride destroyed many a church leader. Why? Because if you're not aware of the sin of pride, If you're not conscious of the sin of pride, and constantly repenting of it. It will destroy your judgment.
It will make you covet things you have no right to. It will alienate you from God. When somebody says to me, He said, Have you ever struggled with pride? I said, You're kidding me? More than you'll ever know.
It's daily. Even sometimes moment by moment. Otherwise As it happens with so many Christian leaders, they begin to think of themselves As the best thing since slash bread. Romans 12, 3. Let no one it means no one.
think of himself more highly than he ought. Whatever form of pride the Lord will reveal to you in your life. hand it over to him. Hand it over to him and then keep on handing it over to him. Keep on handing it.
Otherwise You'll open the door wide. for Satan to come in. in one of the doors that I talked about. Thank you for listening to Leading the Way and Dr. Yousef's.
passionate plea. To do everything possible to avoid falling for the destructive lies of Satan. Do remember too that not only is Dr. Youssef's audio content available on radio, but also online. through the Leading the Way app.
And you can also subscribe to the Leading the Way podcast and like and subscribe to Leading the Way's YouTube page and much more. Details at ltw.org. Many point to politics as the root of crisis in culture today. But what if it went even deeper than that? What if the root of cultural crisis is spiritual?
Every moment of every day. There are unseen battles being fought over your head. Satan wants to keep us in ignorance about him and about the word of God. And yet the angels of light Often work to fight off his attack on the children of the living God in that unseen spiritual battle. In Dr.
Michael Youssef's new book, Winning the Invisible War, he offers timely hope for the battle worn. Dr. Youssef reminds you that although the war isn't over, victory is guaranteed in Christ. As a Bible scholar and compassionate pastor, Dr. Yousev gives you tools to stand strong in the strength of the Lord and be victorious in winning the invisible war.
Pre-order your coffee today and learn more about the content when you go to ltw.org. It'll be shipped to you the moment it's released when you give a gift of any amount to the ongoing ministry of leading the way. ltw.org. Be the first to receive a copy of Dr. Youssef's new book.
Winning the Invisible War. Further details from your Leading the Way representative right there at the Ministry Call Center. Just give them a ring at 866-6666. Six two six. Four three Five six.
or ltw.org. And you can write to us as well at Leading the Way, Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, three zero three two five. That's Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia. three zero three two five. Hey, thank you for joining Dr.
Michael Youssef today. And do make it a point to listen next time right here to further explore the Invisible War. on leading the way. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.
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