Duane Sheriff Ministries - Messages Duane Sheriff

In the twelfth episode of "Defenses Against Deception," Duane emphasizes the crucial role of God's provisions in countering pervasive deception in society and the church. The supernatural joy from the Holy Spirit and the reverent fear of the Lord stand out as key defenses.

Joy is one of the core "protocols" or languages of God's Kingdom, along with righteousness and peace. When believers experience a supernatural joy rising up within, that reflects the voice and pleasure of God leading them. This godly joy serves as an inward guide showing His approved path.

The Bible states in Nehemiah 8:10 that the joy of the Lord is our strength. As we obey God and walk in His ways, we will sense a divine joy that strengthens and affirms we are following His voice. However, when we operate in disobedience, that joy is grieved and absent from our spirits.

Philippians 2:12-13 reveals that God works in believers "both to will and to do for His good pleasure." We can discern His good pleasure toward our actions by monitoring this supernatural joy. When it rises, we bring Him joy by doing His will. But when the joy fades, we have grieved His Spirit through disobedience.

This divine joy becomes God's inward voice, leading and guiding us from the inside out. It provides an intuitive sense of His approval versus displeasure with our choices and behaviors. Learning to be sensitive to the presence or absence of this joy helps keep us from being deceived.

The second defense is the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Proper, reverential fear and awe of God prevent us from casually giving in to deception or departing from faith. That is why the Apostle Paul instructed believers to work out their salvation with "fear and trembling" in Philippians 2:12.

When we walk in the fear of the Lord, we will take our obedience seriously and be on guard against anything displeasing to God. This breeds a sobriety and spiritual vigilance that protects us from deception's snares. The fear of the Lord provides a restraining, convicting influence that keeps us from being misled.

By cultivating awareness of both the joy and the fear of the Lord within our spirits, we can be attuned to His voice and leading. These two defenses work in tandem to expose deception and keep us securely following the truth.

In the eleventh episode of "Defenses Against Deception," Duane teaches that God has provided several defenses to protect believers from being deceived in our culture filled with deception. One of the most important defenses is understanding the protocols and language of God's Kingdom.

Just like every earthly kingdom has its own protocols, laws, and language, the Kingdom of God operates by specific principles. Romans 14:17 lays out three core protocols of God's Kingdom - righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. These form the "language" by which God speaks to His people.

Righteousness is how God communicates what is right and wrong. When making decisions, God's voice will align with what is righteous according to His standards in Scripture. Anything promoting unrighteousness, like immorality, hatred, or harm, comes from the voice of the deceiver, not God's voice.

Peace is another way God guides believers. The supernatural peace of God ruling in our hearts serves as an "umpire," showing God's path versus the wrong one. When we have an inward sense of peace about a decision, that indicates God's approval. But if our peace leaves, that signals a wrong direction from God's will.

The third Kingdom protocol is joy. The Bible describes having supernatural joy from the Holy Spirit, even amid difficult circumstances. This joy becomes the voice of God leading and strengthening us. When we sense that joy rising up within, it reflects God's pleasure and good path for our lives.

The Kingdom protocols - righteousness, peace, and joy - form the actual language of the Holy Spirit guiding believers from the inside out. God's will is not something "out there" to be found but is worked out from within us as He prompts our wills and desires according to His good pleasure.

We can walk in God's truth rather than being deceived by learning to discern and yield to this inward voice of righteousness, peace, and joy. These Kingdom protocols provide a powerful defense against the rampant deception in society and even the church today.

In the tenth episode of "Defenses Against Deception," Duane teaches the importance of God's Word and the peace of God as defenses against deception. God's Word is the first and foremost defense against deception, and it must be exalted above human reasoning, philosophies, and cultural influences. When the Word of God is neglected or rare, it becomes challenging to discern God's voice.

A second defense is the peace of God. According to Colossians 3:15, believers are instructed to let the peace of God rule in their hearts. Peace is one of the primary ways God speaks and leads His people.

There is a difference between being at peace with God and having the peace of God. Being at peace with God is the result of God making peace with us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. However, having the peace of God is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that dwells within the born-again human spirit.

The peace of God acts as an umpire or a voice of guidance in decision-making. When believers are about to make a wrong choice or stray from the path of light, they will lose their inner peace. Conversely, when they have peace about a decision, God's voice confirms that they are safe to proceed.

Peace is God's umpire within believers, making the judgment call when decisions need to be made. Just as an umpire's call in baseball is final, the peace of God within is God's authoritative voice guiding our choices.
God's Word and His peace are interconnected. When the Word of Christ dwells richly within believers, as instructed in Colossians 3:16, it heightens your spiritual discernment and sensitivity to the Lord's voice, including the voice of His peace. By exalting the Scriptures and yielding to the umpire of peace, believers can walk in the path of righteousness and avoid being misled.

In the ninth episode of "Defenses Against Deception," Duane teaches that God has provided two critical safeguards to protect believers from deception. God's Word is the first defense against deception, which must be exalted above human reasoning, philosophies, and cultural influences. When there is a lack of God's Word, it becomes difficult to discern His voice, as seen in the story of young Samuel.

The second defense is recognizing the voice of the Lord. According to Romans 8:14, believers must be led by the Spirit of God. However, many Christians struggle to recognize God's voice. God's voice is often a still, small voice within and may not always be in English. The language of the Holy Spirit includes dreams, visions, impressions, and a sense of peace. These are ways in which God speaks to His people. Believers should expect to receive dreams and visions from the Lord, as these are the primary language of the Holy Spirit.

Additionally, God can speak through prophecy, godly counsel, spiritual leaders, and impressions or gut feelings. The Holy Spirit may also grieve within us when we are about to make a wrong choice, which is another way God guides us.

One of the main ways God speaks is through His peace. Colossians 3:15 instructs believers to let the peace of God rule in their hearts. When we are about to be misled or stray from the path of light, we will lose our inner peace, God's voice warning us.

When we are grounded in God's Word, it heightens spiritual discernment and sensitivity to the Lord's voice. However, when the Word of God is rare or neglected, it becomes harder to recognize God's voice. Believers must immerse themselves in the Scriptures to become attuned to how the Holy Spirit speaks and leads them so they will not be deceived.

Romans 8:1 explains that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. God condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus, freeing believers from any negative judgment from God.

Brother Duane teaches that there are four primary sources of condemnation: the devil, our own hearts, others, and the law.

Let's expound on each source and reference relevant scriptures.

1. The devil, the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), tries to separate us from God through condemnation. Duane encourages believers to overcome the devil by mixing faith with the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11).

2. Our hearts, or conscience, can condemn us (1 John 3:18-21). Duane stresses the need to purge our conscience through the washing of the water of the Word (Hebrews 9:14), trusting God's forgiveness and acceptance, even when our hearts condemn us.

3. Others may attempt to condemn us through negative judgments (2 Corinthians 7:2-3; Proverbs 17:15). Duane advises not receiving such condemnation, as God is our judge, and He has justified us.

4. The law, called the "ministration of condemnation" (2 Corinthians 3:7-9), was given to make us feel guilty before God. Duane explains that trying to earn God's blessings through the law leads to condemnation, as we are now under grace, not the law (Romans 6:14).

Duane encourages believers to embrace their freedom from condemnation in Christ, resist the sources of condemnation, and live in the righteousness and grace provided by God's love and sacrifice. Run your race with patience and finish your course.

In the eighth episode of "Defenses Against Deception," Duane teaches the importance of hearing God's voice as a defense against deception. God has provided safeguards in Scripture to equip us against being deceived. Satan has a history of questioning God's word, as seen with Eve, and deception can appear harmless but have harmful intentions, as described in Revelation 13. Believers can and should hear God's voice, but many struggle to recognize it.

In John 10, Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and know it. However, like Thomas, who said he didn't know the way, we may not consciously recognize what we already know in our spirits. We may dismiss or not discern God's voice without realizing it.

God's voice is often a still, small voice within and is not always in English. The language of the Spirit includes dreams, visions, impressions, and a sense of peace. Believers have the capacity to hear God's voice and discern it from the voice of the stranger or the devil.

Romans 8 explains that believers are led by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. Even when we stray, the Holy Spirit leads us to repentance, guiding us back to the intended path, just as a GPS system does.

By learning to tune in and heed the Holy Spirit's leading, we can stay on the straight and narrow path. When we stumble, God's voice calls us to repent, change our minds, and get back on track, as He is committed to guiding us to our destination.