7 Steps to FOREVER [Extension]

- Why I Will Always Fail and GOD Will Always Succeed -

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Ephesians 3:16-17 (NLT)

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources HE will empower you with inner strength through his SPIRIT. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into GOD's love and keep you strong.

Why is it that human willpower is not enough to overcome the devil's schemes? When battling your own sinful temptations, how can the strength of Jesus Christ be revealed in your heart?

I'm speaking from my own experience and personal battle against the 'demon of addiction' here; understanding that other sinful behavior is also subject to the same type of demonic oppression:

While still in my alcoholic addiction (without much true faith yet), it became obvious there was a big problem and continuing in that lifestyle would end badly. I knew the only long-term solution was to quit drinking completely. It wasn't going to be easy, but I felt confident enough that stopping the drinking behavior was within my abilities.

There were quite a few times when I committed myself to staying sober. Each time seemed to be the same pattern: very ambitious in my plans for a new sober life ... followed by a few days of quality success (and high confidence level) ... followed by days of discomfort as I was fighting off the urge to drink just one more time ... followed by inevitable failure (back to drinking again).

This pattern persisted until that fateful day when I crashed the car and got arrested for a third DUI. Feeling absolutely hopeless and helpless, I finally fell to my knees and gave it up to GOD.

Instead of depending on my own confidence and willpower to be enough, I needed to put all trust in GOD; truly believing that only HE could pull me out of this horrible situation.

GOD answered! I haven't had a drink since that day. The Power of GOD freed me from active addiction instantly, whereas my own personal willpower failed me every time.

So....... why did it work out so much better with GOD than relying on just myself?

The answer to why personal willpower will never be enough to conquer demonic oppression alone is directly related to the spiritual war being fought here on earth.

You are in this conflict too... and will become victorious in battle OR a spiritual casualty of war:

1) By relying solely on your own strength and wisdom, you are dedicated to fighting off powerful evil spirits by yourself; no help from GOD. These demons have been around much longer; they are much wiser and are relentless in their pursuit of your spirit.

2) By believing in GOD, you are not relying on yourself... but instead dedicated to the CREATOR of everything (who controls everything) to fight your spiritual battles.

The cause of my alcoholism was severe demonic oppression (see full version letter for details). Being void of the true Jesus Christ in my life allowed this demon to take residence in my heart.

Therefore, when trying to beat the addiction by myself, it was while I had possessed a demon in my heart. Even fully knowing that drinking was unacceptable for me, the internal voice was still influencing me negatively. While being strong against it for a few days, I would eventually give in to that internal temptation... as the demon harassed my spirit, almost daily. No way that I could stay sober for the longer term, while the demon was there too.

It was not possible to fight off this demon (by myself). Such a task required a much Higher Power to completely remove the demon from my heart. When you truly believe in Jesus Christ as your only hope, then Christ will make his home in your heart (and drive out any demons).

At the moment when I cried out to GOD (on my knees), his infinite POWER was deployed; so, the demon that plagued me for decades was immediately ejected from my heart. Jesus Christ has taken residence in my heart now! The Holy Spirit is there to guide my daily life too.

My new 'born-again' self is now able to defend against the internal temptations of habitual sin. The old me would fail after falling victim to that internal demon voice; but with the demon purged from my heart, those internal thoughts were mostly gone; replaced by thoughts of serving GOD. So, it's much easier to stay on the sober path now... without the persistent temptation to sin.

That doesn't mean there is never a day when my spiritual strength is tested. There are certainly times when that same (demon) voice can still manifest itself in my thoughts; however, that is an 'external' attack, not a demon residing within my own heart. When those times occur, just staying focused on the Word of GOD is enough to overcome (since GOD is now in my heart).

Without truly believing in Jesus Christ, those evil demons can take residence in your heart and make your daily life a constant internal struggle against sin... and your own willpower is not strong enough to successfully fight off your internal thoughts alone.

When truly believing in Jesus Christ (acknowledging Him as Lord of your life), He will be welcome into your heart instead. That daily struggle against sin automatically becomes much easier when that demon is gone. The POWER of GOD overcomes all evil... always!

Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.