FRIDAY, JANUARY 17
Scripture: Isaiah 14:13

The second I will in the declaration of our enemy is, “For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;…” ‘I will exalt myself above the stars of God,’ our enemy said. That is self-will and is the name of Anak, the giant who fathered the three sons. The enemy said in effect that he was going to choose the magnitude of the success that he wanted, saying he was in charge of his destiny. That temptation snags many. Controlling our own destiny is huge for almost all of us. It’s a very tempting offer! It is all about self-importance and wanting our own way. The devil wants us to bow our knee and serve him. The delusion is making us think we are on the Throne of our own life when all the while he is the master manipulator. He literally tried this with Jesus as he stood with Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple. He wants us to think that we can dictate our own success complete with the magnitude and degree of surrounding ourselves with success. It’s a great offer. He wants us to be exhilarated and empowered by this sense of control. How many people follow that path? It captures multitudes. “Wide is the road and broad the way that leads to destruction…” It is wide because it has five spirits that make it wide which say ‘I am in control and can make my own path and choices.’ Self loves to rule and feels entitled to do so. Self-will is obviously very appealing to the flesh. It allows us to do whatever we want, whenever we want. This path always leads to death and destruction!