Enemy Access Denied: Slam the Devil's Door With One Simple Decision

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ENEMY ACCESS DENIED by John Bevere

Published by Charisma House

Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group

600 Rinehart Road

Lake Mary, Florida 32746

www.charismahouse.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from the Amplified Bible. Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are from The Living Bible. Copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Bill Johnson

Copyright © 1996, 2006 by John Bevere

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bevere, John.

Enemy access denied / John Bevere.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-59185-960-3 (paper back)

1. Spiritual warfare. I. Title.

BV4509.5.B49 2006

235’.4--dc22

2006004188

ISBN-13: 978-1-59185-960-4

E-book ISBN: 978-1-59979-617-8

Previously published as The Devil’s Door by Charisma House,

ISBN 0-88419-442-6, copyright © 1996.

This title is available in Spanish as Prohibido el paso al enemigo, copyright © 2006 by John Bevere, published by Casa Creación, a Strang Company. All rights reserved.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge and express gratitude for the following people who have had an impact on my life:

My parents, John and Kay Bevere, for living a godly life before me.

My darling wife, Lisa, who next to the Lord is the closest one in my life. You have shown me integrity, wisdom, love and faithfulness. I will forever be grateful to the Lord for you.

My four sons, Addison, Austin, Alexander and Arden, who continually remind me of God’s goodness. You are each a treasured gift of God to me.

Our board members, for your godly counsel and wisdom.

Our staff, for your faithful support and help. Lisa and I love each of you.

Al Brice, who has pastored and spoken godly wisdom into our family and ministry.

Stephen and Joy Strang, who believed in the messages God has given Lisa and me and published them.

The entire Charisma House staff. You guys are great and fun to work with.

My many pastor and personal friends who have encouraged Lisa and me to press on to the high call.

Most of all I am eternally grateful to my Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us with His own blood. You are truly wonderful.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1    The Devil’s Door

2    Sacrifice That Ensnares

3    Obedience—Not Sacrifice

4    The Mystery of Lawlessness

5    No Witchcraft, Except

6    The Strength of Rebellion

7    The Strength of Obedience

8    Grace That Misleads

9    The Fight of Faith

10   Humility—the Road to Success

11   Arm Yourself

12   The Blessings of Obedience

Epilogue

Notes

INTRODUCTION

HERE IS A door to our souls, a passage where our enemy can gain access. The presence of this portal goes undetected by many, but it is known widely in the realm of the spirit. This door stands ajar between light and darkness, with a history as ancient as the sons of Adam.

Under the divine law of God, our enemy is restricted to the realm of darkness. As believers, we are delivered from these powers of darkness. But if this door is opened, Satan and his cohorts are granted legal entrance. Their objective: to control areas of our lives. This always results in theft, destruction, and a loss of freedom. It can even mean our lives.

Jesus called these doors gates. His exact words were the gates of hell (Matt. 16:18). He also said He had won the keys that locked them tight (Rev. 1:18)! But how can we shut this gate to our lives, let alone lock it—especially if we are unaware of its existence?

As a wise soldier, consider for a moment how your adversary thinks. Suppose you were an evil adversary with unrestricted and undetected access to a building. You come and go at will, slipping in to steal at whim. You enjoy your arrangement, so what do you do to insure your position and access to this building? How do you maintain your advantage? You go to great lengths to make certain the owner never detects your activity, for once your presence is discovered you are locked out.

This is exactly Satan’s plan! If he can keep you ignorant, he retains his access. God says:

My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge.

—ISAIAH 5:13

Ignorance comes with a high price. But we don’t have to remain ignorant. This book sheds light on this deception, exposing it so you can shut and lock the devil’s door permanently.

This is the third book in a series God has led me to write that exposes the traps our enemy lays. The first is The Bait of Satan, which shows how the enemy captures believers by the trap of offense. Though a person may have done nothing to deserve the wrong done to him, he still becomes captive if he does not forgive his offender.

The second book, Breaking Intimidation, shows how the fear of man paralyzes believers, causing the gift of God in their lives to become dormant due to the controlling power of intimidation.

This book, Enemy Access Denied, exposes the root of all the enemy’s avenues of control in a believer’s life. I cannot overemphasize the importance of this message. I believe it should be read by all who call on the name of Jesus. I do not say this because I wrote this book but because of the truth of God’s Word in it. I am quick to admit that the wisdom this book contains is not my own. As I wrote I was acutely aware of God’s hand upon me. At times my heart literally burned as I wrote. I was increasingly aware of the awesomeness of God. Under this revelation my love for Him increased. It is my prayer the same would happen as you read.

This book is not limited to enlightening you by way of instruction. It also imparts a warning. You may not shout and dance as you read some sections, yet their wisdom may spare you later agony. The concepts build on each other, so it is crucial you read this book in the order it was written. The first four chapters lay a solid and important foundation while the latter ones build upon it. You will lose the impact of one without the other.

At this point I would like to join you in prayer before you read:

Father, in the name of Jesus, I acknowledge my dependence on Your Holy Spirit in order to understand Your ways and Word. I ask You to reveal Your heart and will to me as I read. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to perceive and understand what the Spirit of God is saying. Let me not only hear, but also may my life be transformed by the work of Your Spirit. And as I close the final page, may I be able to truly say I will never be the same. I give You all the praise, glory, honor, and thanksgiving for what I am about to receive, Amen!

May the grace of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

1

THE DEVIL'S DOOR

IN THE REALM OF OVERSIGHT

AND IGNORANCE, EVEN

BELIEVERS FALL PREY.

IMAGINE YOURSELF IN a neighborhood deluged with violence and crime. Not a day passes without some chilling news of murder, rape, or abduction. Your home is being stalked by a dangerous assailant who lurks somewhere in the dark awaiting the moment when he can slip in and take you by surprise. He longs to take you and your loved ones hostage, plunder and destroy your possessions, and maim those you love. Perhaps he’ll even kill. You cannot change his mind by begging, pleading, or crying. He is a sworn enemy and determined to destroy you.

In light of all this, would you forget to lock your front door? Of course not!

Let’s take it further. Would you dream of retiring at night with your front door not only unlocked but also left wide open? Absolutely not! The absurdity of it is almost offensive, yet countless people do this very thing. But it is not the door to a home that is left open—it is the door to their souls.

I have witnessed this firsthand. I have recognized them sitting in the churches where I’ve spoken. The location of these churches did not seem to matter. I’ve seen these unaware and unprepared believers from all walks of life, income, and culture. They are both overseas and stateside. They are the educated and the ignorant. But they all have one thing in common: They are victims of a wise and cunning adversary who has placed them under his controlling curse. How? They left open the devil’s door!

This book is not about witches and spells. Nor is it about the occult practices of astrology, palm reading, or Ouija boards. All these are blatant, overt invitations to the demonic realm. Most believers would never openly dabble in these. No, I speak of something much more subtle. It operates in the realm of oversight and ignorance. In this foggy arena, even believers fall prey.

This is not a new phenomenon or unique to our generation. It is as ancient as the devil himself. It is the iniquity that caused the fall of the Morning Star, Lucifer, and displaced a third of the angels from heaven. It is rebellion, which is disobedience to God’s authority.

At this point you may have breathed a sigh of relief, Whew! This doesn’t concern me. I’m not rebellious or disobedient. Not so fast! You’d be surprised. Satan is not a fool. He and his cohorts are very cunning and crafty. Most believers do not dive willfully into disobedience; rather, they fall into it by way of deception.

I’m certain you wish to know of this deception and that you desire to protect and safeguard your home, life, and family. This book is penned as a warning to protect. It contains truths that expose deception and could save your life.

DAYS OF DECEPTION

Satan is the master of deception. Jesus said he was not only a deceiver but also the very father of it (John 8:44). Jesus also warned us that his delusions and deceptions would become so strong in the latter days that if it were possible even the elect would fall prey to them (Matt. 24:24). We now live in those days. Examine Paul’s passionate plea to the Corinthian church:

For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

—2 CORINTHIANS 11:2–3

Paul compared a believer’s vulnerability to deception with the deception of Eve. Eve was beguiled into disobedience. (See Genesis 3:13.) But it was a different story with Adam. Adam was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). Referring to the nature of Adam’s transgression, the Scriptures say, "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners" (Rom. 5:19, NIV, emphasis added). Eve was beguiled into disobedience, but Adam knew exactly what he was doing.

I have watched some people in the church transgress God’s commands with their eyes wide open, fully aware of what they are doing. They are not deceived—they are committing spiritual suicide. These people are difficult to reach.

But the majority of the disobedient, like Eve, are deceived through ignorance. My cry is for these oppressed ones. Through knowledge of the truth, the enemy can be shut off.

TWISTING GOD’S WORD

So let’s look at how Satan could deceive Eve. Eve did not seem like a person who should have been susceptible to deceit. She lived in an entirely perfect environment. She had never been abused by an authority. There was no bad experience with a father, boss, or minister. She lived in a flourishing garden free of demonic influence or oppression. She’d known only God’s goodness and provision as she walked and talked in His presence. So how was the serpent able to deceive her?

God commanded, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Gen. 2:16–17).

God’s goodness provided, You may freely eat, while His authority restrained, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God emphasized their liberty to eat of every tree with the exception of one.

It is God’s very essence to love and give. He desired companions in His garden who would love and obey Him. He did not want robots without the freedom of choice. He longed for children made in His image with a free will. When He restricted their access to the tree He provided a choice that protected them from death. It involved their will: Would they trust and obey? Without a command there is no choice.

Now let’s examine the serpent’s words. Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ (Gen. 3:1).

The serpent ignored God’s generosity and emphasized the exception, thus implying that something was being withheld from Eve. With a single question he distorted God’s protective command into an unjust denial of good. Can you hear the sneer in his voice as he questioned, So, God said you can’t eat from every tree? He made God out to