“Don’t fear: I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive. I died, but I came to life, and my life is now forever. See these keys in my hand? They open and lock Death’s doors, they open and lock Hell’s gates.” (Rev. 1:17-18, MSG)
If you get my daily posts on my Stephen’s Gate Facebook page you saw this Scripture posted yesterday. I want to expand a little on it. I was sitting at work the other day listening to a sermon podcast and I heard this statement which sparked me to write this. The statement was this: “The devil is so defeated he doesn’t even have the keys to his own house!” What I’ve heard the Lord saying and what He told me to tell you this week is very simple, “Do not fear, I’ve got the keys!”
We need to get this, the devil is so defeated he doesn’t even have the keys to his own house! 1 Peter 5:8-11 says: “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.”
The enemy loves to try to make us think that he has the keys to our future and destiny. He loves to sneak up and catch us napping. We must keep our guard up no matter what our current circumstances look like because it is during the hard times that we tend to let our guard down. We have to keep a cool head and stay alert. We need to not only stay alert to the obvious negative things that come into our lives but we need to stay alert to those things that appear to be good. The enemy is sly, he disguises himself even in good things. Things that seem positive and good for us can get us off track if they aren’t in God’s will, and don’t think for a moment that the devil won’t use positive situations to get us off track. A great job opportunity can be a blessing in our lives but it can also cause us to take our eyes off of or calling, it’s at that moment of “napping” that the enemy will pounce. We must stay alert to the will of God for our lives so we do not fall to the devil’s schemes. We need to remind ourselves that the devil no longer holds the keys, Jesus has the keys!
You may feel like all hell is breaking loose in your life but be encouraged because Jesus owns the keys to hell. The devil would love for you to think that he’s got the keys and you’re defeated but it’s quite the opposite. Begin to speak Jesus over the things you’re dealing with. You might feel like you’re walking in the pit of hell right now but Jesus has the keys and He can rescue you from the grip of the enemy. He died, but He’s alive again and He defeated death, hell, and the grave! Don’t let the devil fool you, he doesn’t even have the keys to his own house!
I don’t know what you’re going through, I don’t know who or why you needed to hear this very simple message but the Lord wants you to fear no longer. He’s saying to you today, “Do not fear, I’ve got the keys!”
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Blessings, Steve
