Stop Drinking the Spiritual Kool-Aid
The Bible says, “‘Who has known the mind of the Lord to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). That’s how we should live. We must have the mind of Christ. There’s no room for anything else.
If you’re going through a challenge, don’t let the devil convince you that you are less of a Christian. You’re more than enough in the eyes of the Lord. Stay genuine and honor God.
If you take a one-hundred-dollar bill and throw it in the mud, step on it, and then pick it back up and take it to the grocery store to buy something with it, it still has the value of a one-hundred-dollar bill. Even though it’s wrinkled, has some dirt on it, and might even smell funny, it’s still a one-hundred-dollar bill. Just because you’re going through a challenge, it doesn’t mean you are not who God says you are.
The devil will fight you with everything he has, including the kitchen sink. Doubt, fear, anxiety, worry, and unbelief are the weapons he uses to incarcerate your mind, hoping to get one of his thoughts into your ten thousand. Stop asking, “Where is this coming from? Why is this happening? What’s going on?” Those are distraction words straight from the devil’s playbook. They keep you playing the game with him.
Here is the key. This is what I want you to catch in your spirit from head to toe: The devil wants to put feet to your thoughts so you act on them, play them out, and live them out. The enemy wants his thoughts to go from your head to your feet. That’s the demonic game plan. That’s why Christians backslide and walk away from the faith. That’s why Christians commit suicide. It starts with a thought, and then they put feet to it—and that’s right from the devil’s playbook. Cut the feet off today and destroy the thoughts now, in Jesus’ mighty name.
I want to share a testimony with you from my before-Christ life. When I was a ferocious warlock, one thing tormented me beyond human comprehension: the fear of flying and getting on planes. The fear was so horrific that I could stand at the window of an airport and stare at a plane and break into a cold sweat, with my heart beating ninety miles per hour. I had dream after dream that every plane I boarded fell into the ocean. I would wake up in a cold sweat.
I remember after my wife and I got married, we planned a honeymoon to Puerto Rico. I backed out at the last minute, and a girlfriend went with my wife on what was supposed to be our honeymoon. I was so tormented and rattled by just the thought of boarding a plane.
Soon after I got saved, the first opportunity the Lord gave me was to preach in a small church in Florida. I was excited about getting the opportunity to go somewhere I had never been, but in the back of my mind I heard the devil say, “If you get on the plane, you’ll never make it to Florida. You will crash and burn.” The day came when I was supposed to fly out. I remember it was a snowy and dark day in New York City, and there was already snow on the ground. I headed to the airport, and the flight was delayed. I left the airport and booked a Greyhound bus with a very dear friend of mine. We took the bus all the way down the East Coast to Florida. We got there. We accomplished the mission by preaching the gospel. Many were saved, healed, and delivered, even though I was just a young minister.
When the time came to travel home, I ran to Amtrak and jumped on a train headed back to New York. It was torture. It took hours. It was a day later when I arrived in New York City. There I was, proud and feeling good about myself, thinking, “Yes. I preached the gospel. I went to Florida. God is happy. I made it happen. I’m good. Everything is good. Jesus Christ is proud of me.”
A moment later, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “God is grieved with you. All this trip to Florida and everything that God used you for is not recorded in heaven. You get no credit for that because you never took the plane and did what God told you to do.”
My heart broke. After all that took place, I let Jesus Christ down because of my doubt, fear, and unbelief. Ten thousand thoughts and three got in. The devil put feet to those thoughts, and I walked the wrong way. I felt shame, guilt, and despair.
But God is the God of second chances. Is He giving you one today? If He can do it for me, He can do it for you.
God gave me the same exact opportunity to go somewhere else in Florida. This time I got on the plane. Once I was in my seat, I grabbed the white bag in front of me in case I needed to throw up. I was nervous and shaking like a leaf. My nervousness was so obvious that the lady sitting next to me asked, “This is the first time you’re flying?”
I asked, “How do you know?”
She said, “Umm, I can tell. I’m here. If you need anything to help you, to encourage you, please let me know.”
God had placed someone right next door to me to bring comfort to my anxiety, my doubt, and my fears. That day I was set free. Never again was I tormented to get on any plane.
Today, because of the Lord Jesus Christ, I fly on planes 80 or 90 percent of the time to do what Jesus has called me to do, to live out my purpose and my destiny, and to crush the head of the serpent on the other side. How great is our God!
To learn more about John Ramirez’s latest book, Exposing the Devil’s Playbook, visit MyCharismaShop.com