Don’t sell out to the devil. It is not worth it and the price is too high. Do not give in to his temptations. He may know your taste, weaknesses, what you are hungry for and the lack in your life but you don’t have to sell out to him.
Essentially this was the message delivered by Minister Judy P. Linton during her sermon titled Don’t Sell Out at the recently held Healing for the Soul Ministries’ Annual Crusade at the Church of the Nazarene Collymore Rock, St Michael.
Barbadian-born New York-based Linton shared the story of Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25) and explained how Esau was tricked into selling his birthright to his brother Jacob in exchange for a bowl of stew.
She stressed: “We are seeing too many people selling out to the devil. Even within the church we have men and women allowing the devil to manipulate and run all over their lives but we have to know and understand who we are in Christ Jesus.”
Linton said the brothers came from a dysfunctional family where father Issac loved Esau, and mother Rebecca loved Jacob.
In her message she warned parents about favouring one child over the other.
She added that Jacob knew his brother’s weakness and allowed the devil to use him to steal his brother’s birthright.
According to Linton: “As we look at the story, the first thing we see is that they were twins. Esau came out first and the Bible says that Jacob [came into this world] holding on to his brother’s heel. The word Jacob means deceiver and Jacob was a manipulator; a trickster.”
She reasoned that the devil “also targets us” and his intention “is to destroy this generation”.
“That’s why there is so much killing, shooting and gang-banging,” she added, “but I want this generation to declare “I will not sell out to the enemy. I will not give in to his tricks and schemes”.
Linton stressed that from the very beginning of time the enemy deceived Eve and since then, man has been paying for the sins of our forefathers.
She pointed out that the mind has always been the devil’s battlefield and that the ills of society all start with a thought.
“The devil’s job is to steal, kill and ultimately destroy you. He is not your friend. He will trick you, manipulate you and then run off and leave you in trouble.
“Many of our young people are in trouble today because they yielded to Satan, and he is plotting and scheming for you. He knows your temptation and point of weakness. He will customize our temptation.
“He knew Esau’s weakness was food . . . and he knows what your weakness is. He knows what you are hungry for. What he did not tell Esau was that he was selling out his inheritance – everything that he would have for life. He will never show you the end of the story,” Linton explained.
She warned her listeners to “understand and know the smell of the stew he offers. It will not be as tasty as it looks. Many of you who have fallen for the tricks of the enemy felt shame afterwards because you sold out.
She also named other Bible characters who sold out and paid dearly, including David and Samson, and encouraged people to “know who you are in Christ. God has given you authority over the works of the enemy. You don’t have to make any deal with him”.
“Don’t sell out to drugs, sex or societal norms – what society is making you feel and do. God had a plan for your life before you were formed in your mother’s womb and He has given us strength to overcome. We don’t have to sell out.”
