Guarding the Hedge: How the Enemy Attacks the Believer
The Three Hedges of Protection
Based on Job 1:9–10, God establishes three distinct hedges of protection around every believer:
1. The Personal Hedge: Around your individual life.
2. The Family Hedge: Around your household.
3. The Property Hedge: Around everything you own and wherever your possessions are located.How the Enemy Makes an Inroad
The enemy gains access when a believer steps out of their divine calling and walks contrary to it. Leaving your God-given jurisdiction removes your supernatural covering.
As seen in 1 Samuel 29:1–5, David was anointed to fight the battles of Israel, but he stepped out of his assignment by aligning himself with the army of the Philistines.
Leaving your place of primary assignment removes your spiritual cover.
The Four Strategies of the Enemy
Satan uses four specific tactics to entice believers into breaking their hedge and abandoning their primary assignment:
1. Ignorance – The enemy exploits a lack of spiritual knowledge to draw believers away from their designated place of safety.
Scriptural References: Hosea 4:6, Isaiah 5:13.
2. Deception – The enemy uses lies and falsehood to mislead believers into stepping out from under their divine cover.
Scriptural References: John 8:44, Revelation 12:9.
3. Seduction – The enemy uses entrapment by appealing to worldly desires. Just as a trap uses bait to catch a target, the enemy uses specific worldly traps to ensnare you.
The Three Baits are
1. The lust of the flesh,
2. The lust of the eyes, and
3. The pride of life.
Scriptural Reference: 1 John 2:15–17.
4. Intimidation – The enemy uses fear to paralyze believers and force them out of their position of authority.
Believers must resist this by operating in their God-given identity of strength.
Scriptural Reference: 2 Timothy 1:7
Overcoming Spiritual Distress and Rebuilding Your Edge
The Point of Ultimate Distress and Despondency;
When the hedge is entirely broken, a believer can slide into deep distress, depression, and absolute despondency
At Ziklag, David and his men wept until they literally had no more physical power left to weep. Spiritual distress brings you to a low point where tears simply stream down your cheeks in silence.
When you hit this lowest valley, the enemy’s ultimate goal is to make you question the reality, power, and authenticity of God.
Biblical Examples of Great Men in Deep Distress
1. Elijah (1 Kings 19:1–18): Immediately after achieving a massive supernatural exploit for God, he fell into isolation, fear, and deep depression.
2. Moses (Exodus 2:11–15): He stepped ahead of God’s timing to manifest his calling as a deliverer, killed an Egyptian, and was forced to run for his life in fear and isolation when his secret was exposed.
3. John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2–6): The very man who boldly introduced Jesus as the “Lamb of God” became so distressed while locked in prison that he began to doubt, sending messengers to ask, “Are you the one, or should we look for another?”
The Ultimate Trap: Isolation and Betrayal
When distress hits its peak, the enemy turns your inner circle against you.
At David’s lowest point, his own trusted lieutenants and people blamed him entirely for their tragedy. Bitter and broken, the people he led turned to him and picked up stones to execute him.
Encouraging Yourself in the Lord
When you have no external support, no covering, and even your closest allies turn against you, you must do what David did: encourage yourself in the Lord.
How To Encourage Yourself Using The Word
1. Look into the Mirror of Scripture: The word of God is the perfect law of liberty (James 1:23–25). It acts as a spiritual mirror.
2. Assess Your Current State: Look at the mirror of the Word to see who God says you actually are versus what your current temporary conditions look like.
3. Align Your Life: Use that reflection to actively realign your thoughts, speech, and life back with God’s truth, remembering that He remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Activating the Power of Encouragement and Prophetic Alignment
Prayer Activation: Canceling Contrary Realities –
To experience the true power of God’s covering, you must actively dismantle anything in your life that contradicts His promises.
Raise your hands and declare:
“In the name of Jesus, everything that negates the Word of God in my life, I cancel it today. Every reality contrary to His truth is canceled, broken, and void!”
Encouragement Through the Word (Your True Identity)
The Word of God is not just a book; it is a mirror showing your actual position in Christ. Your current experiences do not define you—the Word defines you.
When you encourage yourself with Scripture, you align your life with your true identity.
The Generational Promise: Psalm 112:1–4
The Foundation: Blessed is the person who fears the Lord and delights greatly in His commandments.
The Legacy: Your seed and descendants shall be mighty upon the earth.
Regardless of what your children’s current behavior or situations look like, declare:
“My seed shall be mighty on the earth!”
The Provision: Wealth and riches shall be in your house, and your righteousness endures forever.
Prophesy over yourself that poverty is broken and abundance belongs in your home.
Encouragement Through Past Testimonies
The second way to encourage yourself in the Lord is by remembering His past dealings with you. When you look back at what God has already done, it gives you the faith to face your current giant.
The David Example (1 Samuel 17)
Before facing Goliath, David remembered his past victories. He declared that when the lion and the bear came to prey on his flock, he caught them and killed them. He knew that because God delivered him then, the current giant would be defeated just like them.
Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, a past miracle is a prophecy of a future turnaround. If God swallowed up a situation that threatened to destroy you before, He will surely do it again.
Your past testimonies prove that God does not change. Even when humans fail or forget us, God’s love remains constant.
The Covenant Promise: As declared in scripture, even if a mother could forget her nursing child, God will never forget you. He has engraved your name upon the palms of His hands, and your walls are continually before Him.
Triggering the Turnaround Through Thanksgiving
After remembering how God delivered him from Saul and Goliath in the past, David shifted his atmosphere. He did not let depression, murmuring, or complaining keep him away from God. Instead, he approached God with thanksgiving.
Stepping Into His Presence
Worship Over Worry: David called for Abiathar to bring the ephod—the symbol of God’s presence—and chose to worship.
The Divine Perspective: He understood that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
The Protocol of Access: When you enter His presence with thanksgiving, you clear the spiritual static and open your ears to hear Him speak.
Divine Inquiry and the Decree of Recovery
In that atmosphere of thanksgiving, David asked the Lord: “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
Because the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him (Psalm 25:14), God answered with an absolute guarantee of total restoration:
“Pursue, overtake, and without fail, recover all!”
A single divine instruction is all it takes to move you from distress into your place of breakthrough. When you take your problems to God, He shares His secrets and directions with you.
Scriptural Decrees for Direction:
The Clear Path: You will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
The Divine Promise: The Lord says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8).
Prophetic Declarations:
I decree that you and your family will clearly hear the voice of God this week.
You will not walk in confusion; you will be divinely guided, taught, and instructed by Him.
The exact instruction needed to launch you into your safe haven and breakthrough is released to you now in Jesus’ name!
Unlocking Your Destiny Through Divine Connections:
Unexpected Places for Destiny Helpers
God often places your destiny helpers in the most unlikely, painful, or ordinary settings. What looks like a dead end is frequently the exact staging ground for your breakthrough.
1. Joseph – From the Prison to the Palace
Joseph was cast into slavery, sold into captivity, and finally thrown into prison. It appeared as though his dreams were dead and buried. Yet, the prison was the precise location where he met his destiny helpers: the Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker.
Joseph interpreted their dreams in the prison, telling the butler he would be restored to his position in three days,
Though the butler initially forgot Joseph due to human frailty, a crisis arose in the land that only Joseph could solve. God caused the butler to remember him at the perfect structural moment.
The prison was not Joseph’s graveyard; it was the connecting road to his palace destiny.
Moses was running for his life, stripped of his prince status, and sitting exhausted by a well in Midian. He was completely oblivious to what his future held.
He watched the daughters of Jethro (Reuel) arrive to water their father’s flock, only for local shepherds to drive them away. Moses stood up, fought off the shepherds, and assisted the women without expecting any reward.
When the daughters returned home early, they told their father, “An Egyptian delivered us.” Jethro commanded them to bring Moses in to eat bread.
This simple act of service led Moses straight to his spouse, Zipporah, and his father-in-law, Jethro—the key destiny helpers who anchored him for his next phase of leadership.
Prophetic Decrees for Remembrance and Alignment:
– I decree in the name of Jesus, everything the enemy declared was over in your life is being overturned by the command of God!
– I prophesy that this very month, you will be supernaturally remembered by those who have the power to lift you.
– Where you have been forgotten by men, the Lord will trigger a crisis that only your gift can solve, forcing them to call for you..
– You will meet your strategic connections—your Zipporah and your Jethro—in the name of Jesus!
Total Recovery: Exceeding Abundance and Sealing the Hedge
The Paradox of Jonathan as a Destiny Helper-
God can use the most unexpected lineages to secure your future. David’s ultimate covenant helper was Jonathan, the son of King Saul—David’s arch-enemy.
By earthly standards, Jonathan should have fought David to protect his own royal inheritance. Instead, Jonathan recognized David’s divine assignment and actively preserved his life.
God will position helpers who willingly step aside or use their influence to ensure you reach your designated seat of authority.
Recovery is Always in Excess of What Was Lost –
The enemy comes strictly to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came to give life in abundance (John 10:10).
When God restores, He never gives back the bare minimum. Divine recovery always out measures the original loss.
The Biblical Scales of Restitution
Biblical restoration commands a fourfold, fivefold, or even sevenfold return on what the thief stole (Exodus 22:1–7).
The Isaac Hundredfold: Like Isaac sowing in the land of famine (Genesis 26:12–14), God can take a dry season and yield a hundredfold harvest.
God operates on the scale of Ephesians 3:20—He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask, think, or imagine. Your recovery will be inexplicable, abundant, and far beyond your expectations.
Activation and Prayers
1. The Decree of Pursuit and Takeover
Rise up, lift your hands, and declare directly to the King of kings:
“This morning, I will pursue, I will overtake, and I will without fail recover all!”
2. Sealing the Broken Hedge
The enemy only enters through openings left by disobedience, ignorance, or fear. Close the door permanently by declaring:
“Father, in the name of Jesus, wherever the enemy found an inroad into my life, I close it now. By the blood of Jesus, I permanently seal that opening today!”
By the blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel—I permanently seal every broken hedge in my life!
Distress is temporary, but the joy of the Lord is an enduring reality. Lay down your hidden burdens and declare:
“Father, wipe away my tears. Your Word promises that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Every hidden sorrow, every silent tear streaming down my cheeks, I exchange it for your supernatural joy today!”
Activating the Power of Deep Heart Forgiveness –
Un-forgiveness ties your hands and delays your destiny helpers. Release every debt right now:
“Father, from the depth of my heart, I choose to forgive everyone who has ever offended me. I release those who used me, those who jilted me, and those who deliberately planned my downfall.
I release them into your hands so I can move forward into my season of recovery.
The Strategic Call for Destiny Helpers
You cannot complete your assignment alone; you need the strategic connections God has ordained for you:
“Father, wherever my destiny helpers are located right now, connect me with them. Cause our paths to cross by divine arrangement.
Let them remember me and look for me to assist me in my journey of life!”
Reclaiming the Years Stolen
God does not just restore physical things; He restores lost seasons, lost years, and wasted efforts:
“Father, everything that the cankerworm, the palmerworm, and the caterpillar have eaten and stolen from my life, I declare total restoration today. I recover it all in the name of Jesus!”
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