God Always Outwits the Crafty One

God Always Outwits the Crafty One:
Dutch Sheets - "Give Him Fifteen”

One of the important aspects of prophetic intercession is to serve as watchmen. The praying church is maturing in this understanding. Adam was actually assigned to be a watchman. He was told in Genesis 2:15 to "keep” (Hebrew: shamar)(1) - guard, protect, preserve - the garden of Eden. Shamar is one of the primary words for watchman in Scripture. Adam’s assignment to protect the garden had to be related to the serpent. Before the Fall, the only possible thing Adam could have needed to protect it from was the serpent. There were no other threats or enemies.

The first mention of satan in Scripture (Genesis 3:1) describes him as being more "crafty” than any other creature. The word used (arum),(2) comes from a Hebrew word (aram),(3) meaning smooth or bare. God was telling Adam that satan was slick, smooth, cunning, wily. Watch him! Applying this to all of us, our biblical assignment as watchmen is to protect our "gardens” from the crafty serpent.

Adam failed in this assignment. Israel also failed at times to guard against satan’s craftiness; yesterday I highlighted one of those occasions. I chose this incident with the Gibeonites because the same word used to describe satan’s craftiness was used to describe this people. Israel was deceived by the crafty Gibeonites into entering a covenant relationship with them (Joshua 9:4). Though they were a local people, they dressed in old, worn clothes, making it appear that they had come from a distant land, wanting to make a covenant with them [the Israelites] (Joshua 9:3-15). This incident clearly symbolizes or pictures all humankind being deceived by the craftiness of the serpent, thereby aligning with him. (You can learn more about this in ,Wednesday's post.)

Covenants were sacred in those days, an agreement Israel could not just back out of or ignore. This covenant, in fact, was so binding that a short time later Joshua and Israel honored it by defending the Gibeonites in war! (Joshua10). Another proof of its sacredness can be seen many years later during David’s reign over Israel. His generation was experiencing a severe curse of famine (2 Samuel 21). When David asked the Lord about the root or cause of this curse, he was told it was because his predecessor, King Saul, had broken the covenant with the Gibeonites. David had to make amends. That…was the strength of covenant!

Although the deceptive covenant with the cunning Gibeonites could not be broken, God decided to use it to paint an important picture. Through this crafty scheme, He would demonstrate that His infinite wisdom far exceeds satan’s craftiness; He would use it to picture 1 Corinthians 3:19: "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: ‘He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness’” (NASB). As you will see, God’s play on words here is amazing.

"Catches” is the Greek word drassomai,(4) which means "to entrap or capture.” No surprise there. It comes from drakon,(5) which means "a dragon or great serpent,” because that’s what dragons and serpents do to their prey: they catch, entrap, or capture them. Still no surprise. But drakon is also one of satan’s names, used of him twelve times in the book of Revelation (12:3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17; 13:2, 4, 11; 16:13 and 20:2). God actually uses one of satan’s own names, "serpent,” the very name associated with his craftiness, when describing how He outwits and traps him! "My wisdom is so great,” God is saying in this verse, "that I entrap the crafty serpent using his own craftiness!”

Now, back to Joshua. God decided to illustrate this and hide a picture of the Cross in the Gibeonite situation. The "crafty” Gibeonites would picture the "crafty” serpent. Joshua was instructed by the Lord to make them, "Hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord” (Joshua 9:27). Use them to make preparations for the atoning sacrifices, Joshua.

The altar of the Lord, where the blood of atonement was shed, symbolized the Cross. By using the "crafty” Gibeonites to prepare the wood and altar for the atoning sacrifices, God was demonstrating what He would one day do with "crafty” satan: use him to make preparations for the ultimate atoning sacrifice: Christ’s crucifixion. Get the whip ready, satan. Gather the spikes, weave the crown, hew the wooden cross. The all-wise God would use satan’s "craftiness” to orchestrate his own demise!

ONLY GOD!

This Old Testament occurrence is an incredible assurance that God can reverse the subtleties of our adversary - the dragon, the serpent - and use them against him. Through God's amazing grace and wisdom, which always supersedes Satan's subtlety, even our mistakes can be used to bless us, to work for our good (Romans 8.28).

Today

The serpent’s crafty enslavement of America will backfire on him. A generation of young people will be shown that they are being robbed of their destiny through lies about God and truth. They will be shown that their pain, disillusionment, loss of identity and purpose, have actually come from satan and his lying voices. Events will be orchestrated by Yahweh that allow them to taste of His goodness and love. This will forever "ruin” them to all other sources of fulfillment. The destructive lies and deception they were fed will fill them with righteous indignation, fuel the flames of holy passion, and make them the most devastating generation to the kingdom of darkness the world has ever seen.

Others will also taste and see God’s goodness, then turn on satan. Drug addicts and dealers will become powerful deliverers of the bound. Terrorists, like Paul, will become apostles and evangelists. Slave traders like John Newton(6) will become pastors of abolitionists - as he became for William Wilberforce,(7) the greatest abolitionist in history; they’ll write anthems like Newton’s Amazing Grace, the most often sung testimony in history. Do not doubt it: for every venomous bite of the serpent, God has the antidote. For every crafty plan, He has a redemptive strategy.

The Cross oozes the anti-venom, life-giving blood of Christ. It cleanses from ALL sin and unrighteousness - former sins cannot even be seen through it. It changes natures and eradicates sinful DNA, replacing it with God’s divine nature. The blood of Jesus heals every wound, restores dreaming natures, and puts new songs in hearts. The power of the Cross exposes every serpentine plan and releases God’s wise, pre-planned victory strategies.

Prayer, offered through faith in Christ’s sacrifice, releases this. Humble appeals, offered from repentant and faith-filled hearts, releases the very salvation of God. Watchmen have been awakened, the sleeping giant has been roused, and the ambassadorial representatives of Christ are beginning to release His authority. The borders of homes, cities, states, and nations are being painted, restoring the garden. The foreword is being commanded, releasing God-given destinies from the archives of heaven…and the great Dragon-Slayer is taking action.

As Founder Samuel Adams stated, "We have appealed to Heaven for the justice of our cause, and in Heaven we have placed our trust.”(8) Keep appealing and decreeing, church. It worked then, and it will work now.

Pray with me:

Father, You are great and greatly to be praised. You perform wondrous works, Your wisdom is without measure, Your love is boundless - truly there is no one like You. Thank You for loving us unconditionally, even while we were Your enemies. We love You because You first loved us.

The Cross is the ultimate proof that You are able to capture the serpent with his own craftiness. We appeal for this regarding our nation/s, asking You to once again turn the tables on the crafty serpent. Break America’s covenant with death through the power of the Cross. Use satan’s plans, oppression, lies, addictions, deceptions - all of his actions - as part of the awakening. Expose him for who he is: a vicious hater, thief, killer, and destroyer.

Raise up more watchmen to cover, decree and appeal. Give us greater understanding, discernment and revelation of our authority to do this. May a functioning Ekklesia swell to hundreds of millions around the world, those who know how to keep the serpent out of their gardens. Use their prayers to release truth, deliverance, salvation, and revival. Use them to raise up revivalists, deliverers, reformers, nation-changers and culture-reformers. This is Your will, we ask in Christ’s name, therefore it will occur. Amen - so be it.

Our decree:

We decree that the all-wise God of redemption, the God of the Cross and Resurrection, is reversing the fortunes of people and nations.

Click on the below to watch the full video.

https://youtu.be/dEKRsSXnhrI

This one really grieves me.
to outwit, definition: "to get an advantage over someone by acting more cleverly and often by using a trick" (cambridge.org/dictionary)

God isn't simply a bit smarter then the devil and knows a few tricks to defeat him.
"Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all".1 Chronicles 29:11

"Applying this to all of us, our biblical assignment as watchmen is to protect our "gardens” from the crafty serpent. Adam failed in this assignment."
Adam didn't take the Word of God seriously and disobeyed God.
"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned."( Romans 5:12, NLT)

Therefore God the Father gave His dearest and best for a world of sinners.
And Jesus His Son became obedient onto death, even death on the cross.
The only hope for us, for this world, would be to repent and to take God's Word serious gain and to obey Him

"For God so loved the world..." John 3:16

Markus

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God predestined or predetermined that Jesus would die on the cross of wood before either wood or Satan was ever created. He didn’t outwit him, he used him knowing well in advance all things. Otherwise, he isn’t omniscient. God didn’t react to Satan and then outflank him.

Prophetic Scripture isn’t a mere prediction of future events. It is a revealing of what God plans to do. That is why so many events pertaining to Jesus are a "fulfillment” of Scripture much more that a sign that God can predict the future.

As for the prophesied revival….. I hope and pray that is true. As for the reformation of the nations, that part is probably contradictory to the express statements and attitude of Jesus towards the world. He didn’t come to reform the nations and he says so by indicating that His Kingdom is not of this world. The inheritance of the nations is indeed His but that inheritance is a people purchased from the nations and not an inheritance of some culture or geographical system of government. Christ’s inheritance is His people although He does indeed have authority over the nations.

Finally , the wealth of the nations that the nations "bring into heaven” in Revelation is not gold or silver but rather are precious living stones.

Brother Mike,

I believe I heard a preacher say that we need to have faith in the prophesy and pray into it without doubting or the prophesy won't come true. That is, if we doubt it then it won't occur. Is that how the prophetic world that Brother Sheets moves in preach this concerning prophesy generally ?

If this is so, then a prophesy can't really be determined to be false as the prophesies can be said to fail because of doubt or insufficient prayers for it to come to pass.

Exo 6 6Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’”¯” Hebrews 4 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, [a]not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

"So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”

Hi Brother Gary, your Scripture then is support from your perspective that prophesy (not Scripture) is dependent on faith and prayer ?

Brother Robert,

We are to judge and discern prophesy.

Concerning any prophesy given in the church:

"So let two or three prophets speak [those inspired to preach or teach], while the rest pay attention and weigh and discern what is said.”
(1 Corinthians 14:29)

"This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare," (1 Timothy 1:18)

When God gives us a promise in His Word, we can pray that promise as the Holy Spirit leads us. God’s promises cover everything that we are believing God for.

Any prophetic Word that is given that is in line with the Word of God and in the Will of God can be prayed back to God.
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14,15).

Prophesying a word out of our own soul that is not in God’s Will or His timing will not cause it to come to pass.

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

"You will also declare a thing,
And it will be established for you;
So light will shine on your ways.” (Job 22:28)

"As for the reformation of the nations, that part is probably contradictory to the express statements and attitude of Jesus towards the world. He didn’t come to reform the nations and he says so by indicating that His Kingdom is not of this world. "

You are correct Brother Robert.. God’s Kingdom is not of this world. We are taught by the Lord to pray "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” There is so much ungodliness in society today, and we are not just to accept it and be passive about the situation, but we are called to be salt and light.

The fact of the matter is that many great revivals in history have brought about reformation to society. The Second Great Awakening and the Welsh revival are examples of revivals that led to Reformation.

Hi Mike.

Yes we should be salt and light. The exhortation is towards becoming who we are and is not a strategy for reforming the nation but rather is to be a testimony of God to people that they might repent and turn in faith to Jesus for the salvation of their souls..... not the salvation of their nation states.

That is what the NT teaches as God's will. Revelation of God is for salvation, not reformation. Do people start to modify their behaviors morally sometimes ? Yes, but it is temporary and we should work for that in some respects as a deterrent or retardant to moral decay but it isn't a primary work of God in the world in the NT age as some would preach. Getting people ready ( converted and mature) for the soon return of Christ was the clear attitude of Jesus, Paul and Peter. They all seriously thought Jesus might return in their very generation and nation building therefore was not even on their agenda. Why is it on ours as a primary concern? Because He has tarried perhaps ?

Therefore, I do have serious doubts about any prophetic word that puts secondary or tertiary things as primary things in God's will and plan for His people. It, in my humble opinion, would become a distraction to the primary attitude of heart and work God intends for His people. I would consider it to be an attitude of settling into the world rather than one of pilgrimage, tents and just passing through . God has made clear that we should pursue His Kingdom and His righteousness
and build His church and His spiritual temple as our primary
pursuit.

The OT people of God got busy about building their own kingdoms for a good life in the land and neglected the building of God's temple and they were chastened by the Lord with weakness and futility until they got their priorities straight. This should be a concern for His people today. Unfortunately, I discern that a focus on nation building and reformation of nation states is of the same cloth. Pursuits of that nature have and will weaken the body and bring about an infiltration of world into the church. It has always been thus historically. World in the church or church in the world.

My question was, does someone who holds my views become a hindrance to the fruition of what is being prophesied by Dutch Sheets because of my apparent unbelief and bad report ? Some seem to have implied that.

Hi cofg most everything obtained in the blessings of the Cross and regarding the Destiny of the Christian is appropriated by grace through faith. Salvation is obtained and maintained through faith, sanctification and holiness, transformation is appropriated through faith all prayer on our part is answered by God through our faith and most prophecy but not all is fulfilled in our life through faith. Some prophecies will come to pass regardless of Faith but most personal prophecy requires us to believe and that is the design of prophecy that we believe and Hope Springs up in our hearts and that we wage the good warfare according to that prophecy in the same context when Paul spoke to Timothy. We see in the Old testament that God even changed his mind because someone believed in the prophecy and repented God gave him I think 14 more years of life when the prophecy said that he would die. Many prophecies already contain conditions that are required to be believed and then obeyed. And others carry conditions that are not mentioned. Prophecy is so closely related to genuine prayer, both of these things spring forth from Gods will and Gods heart and is given to the believer. God will often use personal prophecy to create a prayer life that is directed into the heart and the will of Gods Destiny for a nation for a town for a family or for a person and if we don't understand this about prophecy we can never wage the good warfare according to the prophecy we must understand this, and if we are charismatic we should already understand this.

Hi Gary,

Thanks for replying. We will have to agree to disagree. I do completely believe in, pursue, and I believe walk in the charismatic gifts and yet I don't understand what you say as I apparently should. A prediction about the future that depends on me believing it in order for it to happen is a bit more "name it and claim it" than I am comfortable with. So maybe I'm not charismatic. :)

"As for the reformation of the nations, that part is probably contradictory to the express statements and attitude of Jesus towards the world. He didn’t come to reform the nations and he says so by indicating that His Kingdom is not of this world. "

You are correct Brother Robert.. God’s Kingdom is not of this world. We are taught by the Lord to pray "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” There is so much ungodliness in society today, and we are not just to accept it and be passive about the situation, but we are called to be salt and light.

The fact of the matter is that many great revivals in history have brought about reformation to society. The Second Great Awakening and the Welsh revival are examples of revivals that led to Reformation.

Brother Robert,

We are to judge and discern prophesy.

Concerning any prophesy given in the church:

"So let two or three prophets speak [those inspired to preach or teach], while the rest pay attention and weigh and discern what is said.”
(1 Corinthians 14:29)

"This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare," (1 Timothy 1:18)

When God gives us a promise in His Word, we can pray that promise as the Holy Spirit leads us. God’s promises cover everything that we are believing God for.

Any prophetic Word that is given that is in line with the Word of God and in the Will of God can be prayed back to God.
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14,15).

Prophesying a word out of our own soul that is not in God’s Will or His timing will not cause it to come to pass.

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

"You will also declare a thing,
And it will be established for you;
So light will shine on your ways.” (Job 22:28)

Hi Mike.

This is an honest question. Would you be willing to lay down your life on the proposition that the "latter rain” passage in James refers to a great last day final outpouring of the Spirit on the earth ? I ask that for this reason, I would be willing to lay down my life for God’s clearly expressed will but less inclined if I merely strongly believe and hope something is God’s will. I think honest men and women of whole hearted integrity and devotion to His will can legitimately and without offense to God or sinning disagree on this latter day rain proposition. To say something is absolutely His will is a to turn an interpretation into a certified and undeniable command of God thus demanding that everyone who disagrees is in open rebellion.

Brother Robert, I won’t get into a debate with anyone concerning last days prophecy, when the Lord’is coming back, or even if there’s gonna be a Great end time Revival, I believe that there are scriptures that indicate that there will be. but that’s what I believe, but you or entitled to have your own beliefs, and I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise or anybody else.

I used to believe in pre tribulation rapture, but I don’t believe that anymore, but there are good brothers and sisters that back up pre tribulation rapture with scripture. The main thing we should be doing is watching and praying, being sober and vigilant, looking unto Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can bring forth good fruit, and be a witness of Jesus

Great. Amen.

Hi Robert, brother I wasn't saying you're not charismatic, but when you do a good study of biblical prophecy you'll see much of it is conditional which means it required repentance, faith, and obedience to obtain the outcome promised, I mentioned the prophecy Moses gave Israel which clearly required faith and obedience, and towards us, the most important prophecies came from John the Baptist that Jesus would baptize us with the holy spirit and with fire. This all required faith and obedience to receive the promise Jesus reiterated that promise when he told them to wait at Jerusalem for the promise of the father these were predictions about the outpouring of the spirit which was the beginning of the church age so to speak this required them to believe the prophetic promise John the Baptist and Jesus made and then obey and wait according to the prophecy, if they didn't believe the Holy spirit wouldn't have been poured out, in the same way those that believed and obeyed the prophecy went to the upper room and they waited and then the fulfilment of the blessing was given and even today The latter rain outpourings of the spirit were initiated and grasped through the faith of men who believed that the prophecies of Joel would continue so they had faith and they obeyed they fasted and prayed according to the prophetic promises in the scripture and lo and behold the Holy spirit fell on men like John Wesley, George Whitfield the holy club and because men believed and had faith the spirit was poured out in these later days just like it was in the beginning. Most people stuck in the dark ages for 1000 years probably never believed that it would take place but just a few men got together and came into agreement and their faith became the catalyst and obedience became the means by which our very denominations exist today whether it's Pentecostal charismatic, methodists or any revivalists denomination, they can thank men who believed in prophecy and appropriated the blessings by faith. To suggest that prophecy can be given and does not require any faith is suggesting that it's ok to disobey the Holy Spirit because when the Holy Spirit gives a word we are obliged to test it if it's from the holy spirit then we believe it and there's no reason for God not to fulfill his promises through the spirit of prophecy, the same way he did in the past and throughout the scripture.

I’m a bit confused Brothagary,

How do I know that what Ditch Sheets has said is true in order to have unwavering faith in his prediction and to pray into as if it actually is God’s will for this moment in time and to fulfill Brother Sheets’ proposed conditions for it happening ?

I agree with you that obeying Moses and the conditions made sense to His people based on signs and wonders, Mount Horeb, Mount Sinai and the tent of meeting. Not sure that Brother Sheets is in that prophetic category where he speaks the very words of God as Moses claimed to.

Brother the way I see it in scripture and in personal experience is there are two ways to discern whether A prophecy is from God number one if you are unsure then pray for the gift of discerning of spirits and expect God to reveal the nature or the spirit of the prophecy, or number 2 in the letter to the Hebrews it says that the mature Christian has their senses exercised to discern good & evil, so using the spiritual senses built-up within the character of the mature christian is the other way of discerning, in a similar way one would apply that to teaching, weather a teaching is false or true, none of this is done through the analytical mind or through reasoning it has to be done and given through a type of revelation that comes through the spirit, one also needs to have meditated for many many hours and years on the apostles doctrine and the new covenant teachings in particular as a foundation as well in my opinion. If we don't use the spirit or the matured character that has been developed by the spirit we can't tell if anything is really from God we can never be sure, so it has to be the witness of the spirit to operate in that realm, it has to be done through Faith as well. In the same way we know we're children of God because the spirit bears witness with our spirit and those that are born of God have the witness in themselves. If we as Christians try to operate in reason and logic we will never be able to develop this witness in the spirit it will always come back to trying to work something out in our mind if it is of God or whether it is not, that becomes a process done with the natural mind and that is always subject to failure and that is why when we try to use the natural mind we can never be sure of anything of the spirit.