A Hole In The Hedge – Handout
Rev. Raymond Woodward

Job 1:9-10a 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Ephesians 4:22-24,27 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 27 Neither give place to the devil.

AN EQUATION FOR SPIRITUAL SUCCESS:

                                        Renewed   =   Putting off old man +    =     ____________
Mind            Putting on new man             for the devil

• Your mind is designed to serve as a ______________ around your spirit!
• What really happened when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command? God had warned that disobedience would result in death (Genesis 2:16-17), but did Adam instantly fall dead? No, he lived to the age of 930 years! And yet, man DID die the very moment he ate the forbidden fruit.
• Since man is a spirit-being, it was into man’s spirit that death entered. This does not mean that his spirit ceased to exist, for spiritual death is not a state of non-existence, but rather a state of separation and alienation from God.

There are three kinds of death in Scripture:

_______________ death      separates man’s spirit and soul from his body

_______________ death      separates man’s spirit from God

_______________ death      is an eternal separation of man from God

• When Adam experienced spiritual death in his spirit, his soul and his body also became subjected to the Enemy. In effect, God’s highest creation was now a child of Satan!

John 8:44a Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

• Spiritual death is _____________________ from God due to _______________. Every human being is born with this condition. Only _____________________ can cure it!

WHY SATAN ATTACKS YOUR MIND:

Satan is powerless as far as the SPIRIT of a man is concerned. He cannot force you to be lost – only you can make that decision. He is occasionally permitted by God to cause us trouble in the flesh (BODY), but even then God keeps him “on a leash.” (Job 1:12, 2:6)

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

• The only place Satan is allowed regular access to you is on the battleground of the MIND. Here in the SOUL of man, the battle for the SPIRIT is lost or won.

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

• Satan continually wages war against the human mind. He would like to make your thoughts ___________________________, your emotions _______________________, and your will ________________________.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

THE MIND IS THE BATTLEGROUND!

Basically everything that lures, drives, attracts, convinces, persuades or motivates you is generated at the intellectual or emotional levels of the mind (soul). Your decision as to how to react is then made in your mind by the will.

• The human __________ is the most awesome feature of the soul, for it determines your ________________.

The soul (mind) is therefore crucial in obtaining salvation! “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

• In the process of the new birth, my __________ repents, my __________ is baptized, and my __________ is filled with the Holy Ghost.

As a Christian, I no longer have to be manipulated by the evil forces in the world. I have Jesus Christ living inside of me!

• My body is now subject to direction from my reborn spirit – through the “___________________” of my soul. Thus, it is my _______________ that determines the quality of my service to God. That is why _____________ _________________ is so important!

Man was created by God as a three-fold being:

• _____________ the inner man; the part that knows God and will exist eternally in either Heaven or Hell; the part of man that gets saved
• _____________ the mind; the intellect (thoughts and reasoning), the emotions (temperament, feelings, attitudes and moods), and will (choices, decisions and determination)
• _____________ the outer man; the external or visible house in which man’s invisible spirit and soul reside; the part which operates our five senses; the part that provides an outward witness to our inward salvation

In a SPIRITUALLY DEAD person, the SPIRIT is alienated from God because of sin. Unless he makes a choice to change it, this is an eternal condition! Since the spirit is dead, the SOUL is now in charge. Led by his intellect, emotions and will, this person cannot understand spiritual concepts, for they are foreign to him. His BODY becomes merely a tool for acting out his lusts and passions. This man is truly “mortal,” which means “death-doomed” or “Satan-ruled.”

In a SPIRITUALLY ALIVE person, the SPIRIT is back in fellowship with God because of salvation. And unless he makes a choice to change it, this also is an eternal condition! Since the spirit is alive, the SOUL is not allowed to be in charge. There is an ongoing war to subjugate the natural mind and body to God’s Spirit now dwelling in the redeemed human spirit. (Romans 6:11-13, 7:22-23, 8:13-14) His BODY is offered as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) to do the will of God, and not allowed to fulfill fleshly lusts. This man is truly “im-mortal,” which means “NOT death-doomed”

SATAN’S STRATEGY:

• Satan is constantly attempting to build a ____________________ inside your mind. If you allow him to succeed, he will have a “__________________________________” through which he can launch his attacks.

“A spiritual STRONGHOLD is a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable situations that we know are contrary to the will of God.”

• Strongholds are located in the ____________.
• Strongholds are often made up of __________________ __________________!
• Strongholds often develop in the shadow of our __________________.
• Strongholds are often activated by a __________________ __________________.
• Strongholds create a ________________ __________ resulting in spiritual and emotional ______________.
• Strongholds can only be torn down by ______________ _____________.

Expression In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5	Meaning From Greek Language	Part Of Mind Affected
Imaginations	Mindset	Intellect
Every High Thing	Pride	Will
Every Thought	Spontaneous Thought	Emotions