Keep Your Foot On The Devil's Neck

y grandfather was a giant of a man with a great Msense of humor. He was a fisherman who lived in Venice, Louisiana, and lived a very hard life. He was huge, weighing in at about 280 pounds. He also wore a size 15 ring on his big calloused hands. I called him "Pawpaw," and during my early childhood, there was no one who I looked up to more than him.

Pawpaw loved to eat oranges, and one of my earliest childhood memories is of me sitting in the palm of his giant hand and being lifted high into the air to pick oranges from a tree. Pawpaw was rough around the edges and had a hard time showing emotion in front of anyone, but when we were alone, he often told me that he loved me. "Just don't tell nobody, boy," he'd whisper, "cause we're men!"

My grandfather told me many stories from his life, but I especially liked the fact that he went to school only one day in his entire life. "I didn't like it,"

he said, "so I quit!" I found out later that the real reason he didn't get an education was because his mother abandoned him when he was five years old on the boat docks of New Orleans, Louisiana. She dropped him off, and for days, he wandered on those docks alone until a fisherman noticed him and figured out what had happened. That fisherman decided to take him in, and he gave him a job on his boat.

Since people seemed to have had a more relaxed view of child laws back then, my grandfather was raised working alongside different crews of roughneck Cajun fisherman. He spent his whole life pulling in shrimp nets and learning what it meant to work hard. He grew into a very robust man who had a very unusual sense of humor.

When I was five years old, his unusual sense of humor taught me a lesson that I'll never forget!

Murder in the Chicken Coop!

We were headed out to the chicken coop on a Sunday afternoon when Pawpaw got that crazy gleam in his eye. "Boy," he said, "We're going to eat a chicken today! Your Grandma is gonna fry up some chicken, boy, and put it with some gravy."

"Whoa! Yeah!" I said, because I liked the sound of that.

I didn't realize that if Pawpaw wanted fried chicken for dinner on Sunday he didn't go to the store to get the bird...he took a hatchet out into his backyard and did what had to be done. So, I was very unsuspecting when he wanted me to follow him into the chicken coop. "Come on, Jesse," he said, "I want to show you something."

Now, my grandfather had the meanest bunch of chickens in the world. They were demon-possessed, every one of them, and I hated them because every time I got close to them, one of them would jump up and spur me. They'd hiss and squawk and try to attack me with the pointed things around their toes. It was serious! So, I didn't mind walking out in the backyard, but I was a little hesitant to actually go inside the coop.

"I don't want them to bite me, Pawpaw," I said.

"Just stay behind me, boy," he said as he opened the gate.

"Now, Jesse," he said, "Go and shoo that chicken into the corner."

I said, "No, he's going to bite me. I don't want to."

"Come on, son," he reasoned, "You are part of my life! You got strength in your body! Now, get over there and shoo that chicken!"

It really wasn't an option, and besides, I didn't want to disappoint my grandpa so I swallowed my fear and started shooing. "Shoo...shoo... shoo," I said as I ran toward them and tried to corner them. I was so excited when, by some miracle of God, I got one of those mean birds cornered!

"Catch him," my grandpa urged.

"Oh, no! I ain't putting my hand on the chicken!"

I said, "You just told me to shoo him in the corner. I shooed him in the corner."

My grandpa smiled at me and walked over to grab the chicken. I could see the look in that chicken's eyes change. It was as if that chicken knew exactly what was about to happen and was crying out to God saying, "God forgive me. Today, I will meet you face to face...with a Cajun chewing on my leg as I go to Heaven!" Suddenly, Pawpaw caught that chicken and whispered to me, "I'm going to show you something, son."

"What you gonna do, Pawpaw?" I asked.

"Watch this," he said as he laid the chicken down on the ground. In one quick motion, he raised his little hatchet, looked at me with a smile and swung down...right into the grass. The chicken had pulled his head back!

"Pawpaw, you missed the chicken!" I said. He said, "Isn't that something."

I winced and said, "I'd pull my head in too."

He looked at me, smiled again and laid the bird back down. Again, he picked up the hatchet and said,

"Watch, Jesse!" Foom! He swung down and the chicken moved its head again!

I said, "Pawpaw you missed him."

"No, I'm going to get his head now," he said, and he did something that I'll never forget. As my giant grandfather held the chicken's body to the ground, he swung his big foot around and put it right on that chicken's head! I heard the chicken squawk,

"Ahwooo" and that's the last word that chicken ever said— foom! The hatchet swung down and Pawpaw didn't miss.

I was shocked! But, I was even more shocked when Pawpaw looked at me with crazy eyes and a big grin...and threw the headless chicken right at me!

Fear hit me like a lightening rod, and I took off running! Oddly enough, that headless bird started running after me!

Now, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but everywhere I ran, that chicken ran. I was hollering, and he was following me with his wings fluttering and blood spurting out of his neck. I'd run to the left, and the headless chicken would run left! I'd run to the right, and he'd run right!

He couldn't see but he could follow, and I kept screaming my fool-head off until finally, I hit the fence and started trying to climb.

When I looked around, I saw my grandpa laughing hard, and I heard his voice hollering, "Jesse, that chicken is dead!"

"He doesn't know he's dead!!" I hollered back,

"Look at him!" That chicken was still flapping its wings and running towards me when it suddenly stopped and fell down dead. After seeing this, I became very brave! Pumped full of adrenaline, I jumped down from the fence, walked right over to that dead chicken and kicked it as hard as I could.

Grandpa was right behind me and said, "Jesse, as soon as I cut that chicken's head off, he was dead. But you thought he was still alive, and you were scared because of what you saw."

His words were seared into my mind that day, and they taught me a valuable lesson that I'd like to share with you today.

Don't Be Intimidated! Recognize the enemy's fear tactics and put your foot down in faith!

The devil has been destroyed! Jesus bruised his head and cut off his power when He went to the cross at Calvary. Yet, many Christians today think that satan still has power because of what they see. But, it is just satan running around the earth like that dead chicken, flapping his wings at the Church and trying to invoke fear into the heart of anybody who'll accept it. He's defeated! He just doesn't want to accept it!

Everyday I encounter well-meaning Christians who call out to God to save them from a demon who has long since been defeated. It's time for the body of Christ to recognize what the blood of Jesus has done and stop running from his attacks in fear. It's time for us to realize that every attack from the enemy is an attack on the blood of Jesus. It's a form of rebellion from a defiant demon that is skilled in using the power of fear to intimidate Christians into giving up on their blood-bought rights.

That's why we should obey 1 Peter 5:8, " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" Notice, it didn't say that he was a lion; it just says he's acting like a roaring lion. In other words, he's a loudmouth. Also, notice that the Bible says that he is seeking for anybody "whom he may devour." Can he devour you? Only if you believe his lie and accept his fear! It's time to put your foot down in faith and refuse to be manipulated by his fear tactics.

I don't know what kind of "chicken" is chasing you today. It may be heart trouble, diabetes or even cancer. That chicken may be running after you and flapping its wings in an attempt to scare you out of your mind...but the truth is that it's headless. Don't be fooled by what you see. That problem was dealt with 11

when the stripes were being laid upon Jesus' back. If you stand in faith, that "chicken" will fall down dead.

Satan has no right to attack your body, but it doesn't mean that he won't try.

When Jesus bowed his head on the cross and died as described in John 19:30, He said, "It is finished." Now, your position as a believer is to put the devil in his place when he tries to rise up in attack against you—to enforce his defeat by subduing him every time he tries to invoke fear in your mind and by taking dominion over him with your faith in the blood of Jesus.

Jesus is our Lord, and He is our Savior. Romans 14:11 says, "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." Everything that is named must bow at the name of Jesus. So, if cancer has a name, then it is subject to the name of Jesus, but you must believe it in faith.

The Bible tells us in Romans 1:17 that "...the just shall live by faith." God never told us to try to believe His Word in faith—trying doesn't help anybody. If you plan to get married, the preacher will ask you if you want to "take this woman to be your lawful wife."

When you're at the altar, the preacher doesn't want to hear you say, "I'll try!" He wants to hear you say, "I do!" Otherwise, he'll tell you to go sit down and figure out what you want to do!

Results follow those who "do" and not those who try. As believers, you've got to figure out how much of this thing you want to live. What do you want to do when it comes to the attacks of the enemy? To get results, you've got to decide to be sober and vigilant—to refuse to give the devil an opportunity. You have to decide that you will live by faith—not "try" by faith. Real faith is a life-style.

How do you develop more of it in your life?

Romans 10:17 offers us an answer. "Then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." This scripture tells us that hearing the Word isn't supposed to be a one-time occurrence. For faith to develop, it must be a continual process of "hearing and hearing." That is why going to church and reciting scriptures that pertain to your circumstance over and over is so important. It's about feeding your faith so that you've got enough boldness to tell the devil to take a hike.

When I was a kid, I used to wonder why we had to read the same passages and stories again and again.

Now, I know that it was because we all needed to hear them more than once.

The devil is going to try and catch you off-guard, but if you are filled up with faith, he doesn't stand a chance. He may attack, but your shield of faith will 13

protect you. Your sword of the Spirit will put him in his place—powerless and defeated at the foot of the Cross.

Remember, the living Word of God can change any circumstance, and the more you hear it, the more it will spark faith within you—and that's what it's going to take to make that flapping bird stop and drop dead!

Moses is Dead. Now Get Up and Possess Your Promise!

In the Bible, it tells us that when Moses died, God appointed Joshua as the new commander-in-chief with orders to possess the land that He had given to the nation of Israel. The people had been bawling and squalling in the plains of Moab for days—a pretty long funeral, if you ask me. When they were done crying for Moses, they looked to Joshua to fill his shoes.

That's a lot of pressure. Imagine having to follow behind the guy who God used to part the Red Sea.

Imagine having to be next in line to the guy who got the Ten Commandments straight from God! That wasn't easy, but Moses had laid his hands on Joshua and passed the torch, and thankfully, God gave Joshua a word to direct his steps in the new position.

He said, "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Joshua 1:2-3).

Now, when God told him what to do, He didn't say it was going to be easy. He just told him to get up and go possess the land. God didn't tell Joshua that there would be lots of obstacles; He just told him to do what He said.

You know, there is always a devil in the land where you should be! Satan is a thief, and everything he's got has been stolen from you and me. He doesn't own a thing. " For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof" (1 Cor. 10:26). We're an heir with God and a joint-heir with Jesus.

When God told Joshua to get up and possess the land. He had full confidence in Joshua's ability to do it. After all, He owned the land. He gave it to Israel, and He knew that He had anointed Joshua to run those people off of his property. That's the spiritual side.

The natural side showed that the odds were stacked against Joshua. There were giants in the land that God had told him to possess—yes, giants! And, there were also five kings and five nations trying to stop Israel from having what God said they could have.

Most people today would have looked at Joshua's situation and advised him to run, but that is not what he did. Joshua decided to listen to God, and he went to war. He made a decision to put his foot down—to conquer his fear of failure and possess what God had given his people.

If God is On Your Side, You Can't Lose!

Joshua knew that, with God on his side, he would not lose. So, he fought with passion, and as he was fighting, he noticed that he needed more time to whip the enemy than the day would allow. So, he did something that only a man living by faith would do.

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, 'Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.'

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies...

Joshua 10:12-13

Joshua had a God-related thought, sent from the throne of Jehovah, to tell the sun and moon to stop.

With God on his side, he was confident when he said it. and God backed his words of faith.

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

Joshua 10:13-14

God is powerful! He rained down hailstones on top of that, and when the five kings saw what happened, they fled and hid in caves. But Joshua knew where they were! With five to one odds, he subdued and captured the five kings because God was on his side! You see, when Joshua decided to put his trust in God and his faith to the test, he did not do it in secret. When he commanded the sun and moon to stop and the five kings to bow down before the servant of the Lord, he did it in front of the whole nation of Israel. That's what you call confidence.

And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.

And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

Joshua 10:24-25

Notice that Joshua didn't put his feet on the necks of the kings, but instead he involved his people in the symbolic act. He wanted to show all of Israel that God was in complete authority. He had delivered the kings into their hands that day, and He would be faithful to them in the future too. Putting their feet upon the necks of their enemies was a public display that symbolized the favor and power of God upon them. Joshua and his people were faithful to follow His Word, and as a result, they received their promise!

You can receive the promises of God if you will stand strong in the Word against the schemes of the enemy. He may seem bigger than you. It may look like there is no way you can win in the battle. There may be kings against you, but if God is on your side, and He is...then, you can't lose. Romans 8:31 says,

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" You're destined to win if you put your trust in God.

So, get active with the Word. Be a doer and start talking to your body. Make prayer a priority and tell your body to line up with what the Word of God says.

When the devil tries to flap his wings and throw thoughts into your mind that say you're never going to make it, say, "I doubt that!" Do you realize that you can doubt those thoughts of doubt? You don't have to linger on every thought that floats into your mind.

You have power! You can disagree with thoughts that aren't positive. You can speak the Word.

Remember, you have all the power and authority because of the blood of Jesus. So, pray in faith, and everyday, make a point of accepting what the blood has done for you. Depend upon Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Speak that verse over yourself. When you do that, you are putting your foot on the devil's neck and displaying his defeat.

Today is the day to be strong and have courage because the battle is the Lord's, and He is on your side. What He can do, no man can do! He is a miracle-working God, and He has not stopped being faithful to His people.

Miracle at the Missionary's House

When I was nine years old, I experienced God's amazing provision when I spent the night in the home of a missionary friend of my father's. He had 12 kids.

I guess he was trying to grow his own church! But, this missionary really amazed me because, unlike a lot of church-going people I knew, he had great faith.

He wasn't afraid to put his foot on the devil's neck!

When dinner time came, we sat at his table and bowed our heads for prayer. That's when I noticed that we were praying over what appeared to me to be nothing. So, I spoke up. "There's no food on the table," I said.

In a confident voice, the missionary answered,

"The Lord will provide." I thought to myself, 'Jesse, you are going hungry today. I have never eaten air before in my life, but I guess I will today.' To be honest, I wanted to go home! Instead, I just bowed my head along with everyone else.

As we all closed our eyes, the missionary began to pray, "Father in the name of Jesus, we thank you for the food that has been given to us." I opened my eyes quickly to see if something had changed—but nothing had, and I thought, 'This guy is going to eat plates today.'

We were all very silent in prayer when, suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of the door bell.

When we went to the door, there were four sacks of groceries sitting there...with no one in sight! Now, we all knew that it was impossible to get away from the house fast enough to not be seen. The house was not big, and there was nowhere to hide. Who, but God, could have brought all that food and left so quickly without a trace? Who, but God and those of us sitting around the table, knew of the missionary's prayer of faith?

I was amazed, and when I went home, I told my mama that the angels fed me. She asked, "What did they look like?" I told her that I did not know, but their food sure was delicious! I was just a child, but it affected me to see that God answered prayers of faith.

That missionary didn't beg and plead. He wasn't trying to drum up his faith in God—he already had faith in God. That day, I saw what faith did. I ate what faith did! And it was something to celebrate!

God Can Cause You to Triumph!

There is power in trusting God. There are rewards for keeping your foot on the devil's neck. It may be work to fight your natural thoughts, but it's worth it because life is so much sweeter when you do what God says. There is a promised land for you.

Don't let some headless chicken called satan intimidate you. Don't let his attacks rule your thoughts or your life.

Remember, God has promised you good things. I love the scripture in 2 Corinthians 2:14 because it is a

"thank you" note to God. It's so good that I suggest you recite it over yourself everyday when you're going through a battle. "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place" (2 Cor. 2:14).

The battle is always the Lord's. All He asks is that you accept what the precious blood of Jesus has already done and raise your shield of faith as a defense. What you believe today will affect your tomorrow. Where you place your foot today will determine the direction you go tomorrow.

Put your foot on the devil's neck today. Submit yourself to God. Realize that you have been made the righteousness of God through the work of Christ Jesus on the cross, and it is like a breastplate surrounding your heart—protecting you from all sin.

He paid the price so that you wouldn't have to, and you are worthy today to receive from God because of what Jesus did for you.

Stand on the Word of God and you will see tremendous results. Resist the devil, and like James 4:7 says, you will see him flee. He will drop to the ground like the headless chicken that he really is—defeated, restricted and stripped of all his power over you!

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).

Prayer of Salvation

If you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I'd like to take this opportunity to pray with you. All God asks is for you to come to Him with a sincere heart and accept His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Right now, go to Him in prayer.

Speak from your heart. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10 that if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with your heart and confess it with your mouth, you will be saved. Your sins will be washed away when you accept what Jesus did for you. Pray this prayer right now:

"Lord Jesus, come into my life. Forgive me of all my sins. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died on the cross and rose from the dead to make a way for me. Thank you for loving me enough to die for me, for thinking that I was worth it. Today, I accept you into my heart and give myself totally to you. I'm tired of living my own way, and I want to live your way. I need your help. Lord, create a clean heart in me right now and guide me from now on. I love you, Jesus, and I accept you as my Savior. You are now the Lord of my life!"

If you just prayed this prayer, Congratulations!

You're starting a new life! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says when you accept Jesus as your savior, "Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Friend, you have a whole new way of life to look forward to. You've been given a clean slate—you are righteous now because of what Jesus did, and nobody can take that away! You're saved and starting a brand new life in Christ.

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