3 Counters by Brother Curtis Hansen

             God does not let compromised leadership to run. You are all in leadership and all are stewards for God. There are three tactics the enemy uses against the believer. 1) Lust 2) Greed and 3) Pride of life. It is our responsibility to study the scripture and resist those 3 tactics. The devil doesn't announce himself as cloven hoofed with a trident and pointed tail. He's disguised in various lures to draw your guard down. 

        We are going to be reading first from Genesis 42. We will be reading at verse 18 to 22.

        18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

        19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

        20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

        21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

        22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

        Similar to Joseph's brothers, we see a famine or dry season in our life to a sin we committed but not have revealed nor have truly forgiven.

        23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

        24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

        Let's drop down to verse 36.

        36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

        37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

        38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

        Reuben was still feeling guilt over what had happened to Joseph at the hands of Reuben and his brothers years previous. This guilt is still at work in our scripture reading. As christians, we are all working on individual things. The scripture shows us many and various bad characters. Several of Joseph's brothers were driven by 3 things all of us are working on individually ourself, greed, lust, and pride. Some of the brothers, like Reuben, were also driven by feeling unforgiven for their sin not only committed on Joseph but also the sin tey committed against their father Jacob.

        Now, let's go over to Matthew chapter 6. We will be reading from verse 1 to 4.

        Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

        2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

        3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

        4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

        The act of giving is not merely limited to money. You can commit the giving of your time, effort, and attention. Jesus is expecting you to give. Giving beats greed. Greed is about the mastery over you. Greed isn't measured by what you have, but the things that you won't let go in life. Giving breaks the hold of greed. Money, time, and effort; these are all tools for us to use. It shifts the heart from getting to giving. It's from fear to trust. Greed worships things and giving worships God.

        5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streers, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

        6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

        7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

        Your father knows what you need before you ask, but you need to develop a dialogue and relationship with God. You need to put in the time and effort. Let's read on about Jesus speaking about prayer with verse 8.

        8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

        9 After this manner therefore pay ye: Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name.

       10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

        11 Give us this day our daily bread.

        12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

        13 And lead us not into temptaion, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

        14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

        15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

        Prayer beats pride. If you don't have a prayer life, you are struggling with pride. If you aren't hearing an answer from God, but from your own thoughts, your pride is greater than your prayer. 

        We are going to the book of James chapter 4 and start reading at verse 6.

        6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

        7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

        8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

         9 Be afflicted, and ourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

        10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

        God is not hearing you if you're prideful. When you pray, you are submitted to the task. Pride doesn't pray. Prayer is the posture of submission and doesn't overrule any sin. There's an "I can't God" mentality. Prayer kills pride because prayer shows you aren't in control. Without a covering, you are taking a big risk everyday.

        Now, let's return to the book of Matthew and pick up at verse 16.

        16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward.

        17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

        Jesus is speaking about the correct way to fast. Don't go announce to everyone though a public post when you are fasting. When King David fasted, he didn't make a proclamation from the throne. David humbled himself before God and fasted. Fasting overcomes lust. 

        We are going to the book of Galatians to finish this message. Let's turn to chapter 5 and begin reading with verse 16.

        16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

        17 For the flesh lustesth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

        18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

        Your lusts come from your flesh. There are social lusts, spiritual and sexual lusts. You have the mindset of "I want it" "I deserve it". If you are thinking "I will have it!" all those thoughts are proclamations of lust. You combat this with fasting. You may not put it under submission. God may do that for you. Lust thrives in an environment where the flesh is not under control. Fasting weakens the flesh for the spirit to rule. God is always trying to talk to you. He will not reject his principles and will not bless your sin. Don't let your flesh drown out God's voice. Fasting restores spiritual authority. It recalibrates your mind, body, and heart. Fasting restores your spiritual vision. 

        Jesus speaking to you do these things in secret. If you fast, give, and pray in secret, you're not abiding in sin, but in the secret place.