Maureen Y. Smith - Conquering the Seeds of Destruction

As I share with you the last root that comes from the Seed of Pride, you will see that the main goal is to operate in a manner of control. The adversary will be trying to guide you to use authority in ways that it only pleases you. It will be important for you to turn away from that voice and allow God to use you in a way that not only pleases Him but you will have a sincere desire to help others as well.

As I conclude with the Root of Prejudice, I hope that you will make a conscious choice to follow the will of God instead of what the adversary is trying to influence you to do or act in a divisive way.  Continue to learn from God as the Holy Spirit guides you. Also, as you listen to how King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, and his friends handled things, prayerfully, they will be teachable lessons for you to embrace.

As you continue to journey through the Root of Prejudice and you see how the enemy can develop it inside of you, you will learn the distinctions between direct and indirect racial prejudices. As you listen to the examples of each and discover how a negative pattern can form inside of you, please allow it to cause an awareness within you that not only prevents it from layering up inside of you, but also stops those narratives from being conveyed to others, especially your children. 

As you listen to today's podcast, you will see how the adversary will begin to build his first root from the Seed of Pride if you decide to continue to follow his lead. If you choose to listen to his narrative, you will see that this can be one of the most destructive roots that can form and will go against one of God's greatest commandments...loving God and loving your neighbors. Prayerfully, you will allow God to continue to shape you and help you to build relationships so that you can be used by Him in a positive way.

If you decide to avoid God's voice, you will find that the adversary will begin to form the first root that comes from the Seed of Pride which is the Root of Arrogance. This root can make your relationships with others challenging because of your conversations and opinions that you may display to them. Please allow your behaviors to represent God and not the adversary. Listen today and also see how King Nebuchadnezzar displayed arrogance.

As you listen to today's podcast, you will discover how King Nebuchadnezzar showed his pride and made distinctions with people. There are times that the same can happen to you if you are not careful. Learn from his life and allow God to teach you how to watch out for the adversary's schemes in trying to influence you to have a selfish pride with others.

As the adversary begins to plant this new seed of destruction into you, initially you don't look at it as something that serious. You can have the Seed of Pride in various type of ways and you don't see the harm in it. Although there may be some truth to it, when the enemy causes this seed to grow into it, you will see not only the harm that it can do to you, but you will also see the damage that it can cause to others. Look to God and try to prevent this seed from forming into you.

As you listen to today's podcast, God is wanting you to continue to build your confidence and rely on Him. Regardless of how things may appear, God has and is the answer that you need to get you through what you may be facing. The enemy may try to get you to focus solely on you, but you must not listen to him. If you remain disobedient to God, you may find yourself dealing with some similar challenges that the children of Judah faced with King Nebuchadnezzar.

How confident are you about yourself? What or who do you lean on to give you the additional guidance that you need? There are many things and people that can take you in various directions and if you are not careful, you can be misguided. Listen and allow God to be the One who gives you all the confidence you need.

As you start to apply everything that you have learned from Nehemiah's life and the things that I have shared from the podcast, prayerfully, you will start to recognize that people will come after you because of your positivity and the belief that you have in God. Try to be strategic in your planning and your actions so that you can operate in God's authority and leadership. You will then see that the enemy doesn't have any power over you at all.