We started out on this journey in Christ never really realizing how much of a life of conflict, confrontation and the intensity at which it would display in our lies. We would encounter so many things in our walk in Yah’Shua (Jesus). If you didn’t realize yet, when going through a transformation, there is an actual battle taking place in your mind and body. Its almost like in the horror movie when the young teen is bitten by a werewolf that transforms him into a werewolf. His body begins to congeal and contort into the shape of the very thing that bit him. Now the process the teen was going through came about in him because of the war that was going forth in his body between his human cells and the cells of the invading contaminated werewolf. It’s similar to the same thing we are going through with the contamination of sin. The incoming sin and the internal sin is at war with the move of the Holy Ghost inside of you. We have claimed sin nature as part of our characteristics and try to pass it off as who we are. However, the Holy Ghost is saying no, that is what sin wants you to be. You see that which the sin nature is trying to display and you get confused and think that is a part of your personality. Your sin nature is trying to mold you into a shape of what it wants you to appear to be like before others. We have claimed it to be a part of our characteristics as though that is who you are. No! The sin nature is trying to contort you into a thing of the sin nature, trying to tell you that that is who we are. But the Holy Ghost says that is not who you are. Your sin nature is trying to mold into the shape of what it wants you to be before others, to fool you into a false sense of security so you’ll get satisfied in that state. Holy Ghost says that isn’t the way He designed you. With the Holy Ghost in you and sin nature in you, they’re warring against each other on a daily basis, sometimes on a moment by moment basis. How many have been sitting alone, then all of a sudden a demonic thought pops up? Why? The sin nature is trying to be eradicated out of you, but rears its ugly head up. Why? The Holy Ghost is rooting out all that mess that has been in your for years that hid itself.

David said purge me with hyssop. Hyssop is a rough bush with short branches that have a byproduct that is used to clean out things. David said wash me Lord, clean me with hyssop. It was known to scrap things off really well. Scrap all that stuff off of me. Wash me and I’ll be whiter than snow. He wasn’t talking about his outer-man, but his soul. Do you know your soul picks up things like a magnet? How many are familiar with neodymium magnets? They are very strong. You can’t put it to any metal with your hand between it, or you’ll get hurt. Your soul is like a magnet, picking up anything not like it simply because its there. We have to make sure that whatever we’re around is not bad or evil, because our souls will gravitate toward it. David says make me to hear joy and gladness. How many volunteer to hear bad news all the time? No one. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me. Why would he say that? That old heart is jacked up and doing things it shouldn’t, so give me a new heart and renew my soul within me so I’ll be able to do what? A lot of times when we talk to the Lord, we don’t talk to Him with the right spirit or mindset. Our soul is not talking, rather our flesh is, but we continue to say the same thing to Him like a broken record. How many like listening to a broken record? How do you think the Lord feels about us constantly coming to His face about it? Yet He’s merciful, loving and kind, and continues to listen.

7)Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8)Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9)Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10)Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11)Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12)Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13)Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Psalms 51:7-13

In this process of being cleaned and transformed your going to encounter things about yourself that you never new existed in you, some good but a lot bad, ugly and nasty that you don’t want to own up to. Also stuff in you that you always knew was there but tried to ignore it, hoping that it wouldn’t be revealed and that it would hide itself away in the dark recesses of your subconscious mind never to be seen or heard of ever again. There are things about you that you don’t want anyone to know, so you try to push it out of your face. Everything that you try to push away has a way of coming to the surface in your life. A situation brings it up. You can’t even pray right, when you aren’t right. You can’t reach Him because there is something blocking that communication you have with Him.

The Word of God tells us that the battle we are going through may seem overwhelming and daunting, but the battle is the Lord’s. Know this, we should gather up our resolve and our wits about ourselves and put on the full armor of God and prepare for battle, knowing that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood.

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicle 20:15

Sometimes you have to take a step back out of you and look at the battle God has you in because its trying to cleanse you. Haven’t you noticed that certain things people say to you or certain ways people treat you bring a certain resolve out of you that you didn’t know was there? Being in a battle tends to bring out all those attributes and elements you didn’t know you had inside of you. You thought you were a reserved individual, but you get in a battle and never know what you’ll do in a battle. That battle is with sin in your life. A lot of times you win, sometimes you don’t. Sin tries to maintain a hold on you so you can’t reach your goals in Christ. The two worlds of Sin and Salvation are warring inside of you. Sin doesn’t want to give up, because sin is attached to your emotions. If you’re bound by something, sin has you bound and doesn’t want to let go. Keeping you bound is keeping you from your destination. Satan isn’t trying to defeat you, but slow you down. Its like the proverbial salesman comes into your house to sell you a car. He describes every aspect of what is already your car. He gets you confused about things so he can trick you. Look what Satan did to Christ, taking Him to the highest pinnacle of the temple. All of the land he showed Him he said could be His. Salesmen know how to get you to buy a car. How many walk into a store vowing to only get one thing, but when you leave you come out with a whole grocery list worth of items. Satan will bring you into a situation where you’ll take this sin, that sin and a little of that sin because its there. He’s giving it to you at a discount. You didn’t know there were discount sins? He even has free sins.

The battle is not yours its the Lord’s. He’s trying to create in you a clean heart. He’s trying to renew your spirit. People intentionally try to get on your bad side. Does anyone here have a bad side? How many buttons does it take to get to that bad side? We have a point that we’ll reach called the point of no return. You’re fed up with someone, then you start thinking evil thoughts about that person. That is how quick Satan will drag you down, and the sin was free and discounted. Discounted one’s are real good because you try to get it. Others costs, but Satan will get it to you at a bargain price. We all like discounts don’t we? A lot of people are attached to something that says sale. Satan knows what you are weak about in your walk, and he will put something there knowing you’re going to go for it for you to make that same mistake over and over again. Satan wants to delay you. If can delay you he has you.

When we get into a battle, don’t we prepare by getting armored up, bullet proof this and helmet that? But when we get ready to fight against sin in our lives, we don’t do that. But the Bible tells us to do this:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Ephesians 6:12-14

We don’t prepare for battle. When you get up in the morning and stand on the floor, are you prepared for battle? No. We go through routines. Routines in your life have caused your life to go down hill. When you get up in the morning, the first thing you should say is “Lord I’m going into battle.” How about making sure you have the word in your mind and heart? If you can, put a list of scriptures together, put 10 scriptures together that you love and say them in the morning. You need to have power scriptures. Look at your power scriptures. Whatever it is post it, so before you walk out of the door, say each and every last one of them before you walk out of the door. The more and more you do that, your heart will change. These are set armors, having the Word of God before you. The Word that you speak will travel before you get to your location. You’ve spoken a word of protection. You will feel awesome and better about yourself. How many even say scriptures? Understand the context of what’s going on. You’re putting on your armour. The Word is your armour. This is what the Children of God should do on a regular basis. Get the most powerful scriptures. No weapon formed against me…I can do all things through Christ…working together with others for God’s purpose. Get scriptures that will be a powerful force in your life, before you leave out of the house and go into the world. You know that everywhere you go, there is a spirit waiting out there for you, and they will get on you. A spirit doesn’t have to get inside of you to possess you, a spirit can possess objects. You take the objects home and that spirit will go with you. If you go into a foreign country, don’t buy souvenirs, because you don’t know who made that device or whose had hands on it. Satan know that. That is true when you buy souvenirs from this country too. Just because its American doesn’t mean its safe. Don’t pick things up you don’t have any clue about. You’ve got to be careful.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.

1 Peter 4:12

As people we must remember this one thing if you can’t remember any thing else and that’s in the book of Colossians 1:25-27, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:25-27

You have Christ in you, those who are the saints of God. So when you go and buy something at the store that is not right, you’re saying God would buy that. When you go and clock someone, and knock them out, you’re saying God will do that. When you’re violent toward someone, when you talk about someone, lie on someone, missuse them, if you are wrong, you’re saying Jesus is like that. We say that Christ is in us right? We’re saved right? Your hope in Him is Christ being in you, and with Him being in you, you won’t be able to sin.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Ephesians 6:13

When you see no hope, just stand. Put your trust in God. It works. Just stand. Amen.