God has been speaking this to me since I woke up and I hope it speaks to you as well: There’s a moment in life when the battle feels loud, close, and personal. Your mind is running laps. The pressure is pressing in on all sides. The enemy is whispering, “This is going to take you out.” And if you’re not careful, you start living like defeat is inevitable.
But I want to encourage you with a truth that has been lighting a fire in my spirit: some of what you’re afraid of is already defeated.
Not “one day.” Not “after you get stronger.” Not “when you finally figure it all out.” It’s already defeated.
The Dead Snake Lesson
Years ago, I heard a story that has stayed with me because it’s so simple and so powerful.
A man walked out of his house one morning and saw a large snake lying on the ground. It looked dangerous. It looked alive. It looked like a threat. His heart jumped, and his instincts kicked in. He grabbed something to defend himself and started swinging, trying to kill it.
He hit it again and again.
Only after the panic settled did he realize something: the snake was already dead.
What terrified him wasn’t real danger. It was the appearance of danger.
And that’s how the enemy loves to work. He can’t always destroy you, but if he can scare you, he can slow you down. If he can intimidate you, he can drain you. If he can make you think you’re fighting for your life, he can keep you exhausted, discouraged, and distracted.
Some of you have been swinging at a dead snake.
The addiction you’re afraid will “always win,” the anxiety you think will “never leave,” the shame that keeps talking like it still has authority, the generational pattern that tries to convince you it’s permanent, the diagnosis that makes you feel like hope is irresponsible, or the grief that has left you feeling hollow.
Hear me: not everything that moves is alive, and not everything that hisses has power.
Sometimes it’s just the enemy trying to look bigger than he is.
When God Says, “Move Forward”
There’s another moment in Scripture that speaks right into this. Joseph and Mary had taken Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod’s murderous rage. Herod was threatened by the promise of the Messiah, so he tried to wipe out what God had sent into the earth.
But then something happened that changed everything:
Herod died.
And when he died, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said, “Get up… go… for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” (Matthew 2:19–20)
I love that. The instruction wasn’t complicated. It was basically: “The threat is gone. Stop hiding. Stop living in survival mode. Get up and move forward.”
That’s a word for somebody today.
There are seasons when God will lead you to an “Egypt” place, a protected place, a hidden place, a quiet place, because you’re still growing, still healing, still strengthening. But there also comes a day when God says, “Herod is dead.”
In other words: “That chapter is over. That enemy doesn’t get to write your future. That fear doesn’t get to control your next step. That old voice doesn’t get to be your narrator anymore.”
Move forward.
Sometimes the Enemy Is Already Finished, But You’re Still Acting Like He’s Not
Herod was dead, but Joseph still needed a word to come out of hiding.
And that’s how it works in our lives. Sometimes the enemy’s power is broken, but we still need revelation to walk in freedom.
The cross didn’t just forgive you. It disarmed the enemy.
The resurrection didn’t just inspire you. It announced a new reality: Jesus has authority over sin, death, hell, shame, and every dark power. The enemy can still bark, but he can’t legally own you.
The problem is, when you’ve been threatened long enough, you can start living like the threat is still in charge. You can start making decisions based on fear instead of faith. You can start shrinking back when God is saying, “Stand up.”
Friend, if God has brought you through, don’t build a permanent home in the place He only used for a season.
Speak Victory Like You Believe It
If the enemy can’t stop God’s promise, he’ll try to stop your mouth.
Because the enemy understands something many believers forget: your words create atmosphere.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21)
That doesn’t mean we deny reality. It means we refuse to partner with defeat. It means we stop preaching the enemy’s propaganda over our own lives.
Some of us have been saying things like:
- “I’ll always be this way.”
- “Nothing ever works out for me.”
- “I’m too far gone.”
- “My family is cursed.”
- “I’ll never get ahead.”
- “I’ll never be free.”
And the Holy Spirit is gently pulling you aside saying, “Why are you agreeing with an already-defeated enemy?”
Let’s flip the script.
- “I am growing.”
- “God is restoring me.”
- “This addiction will not define me.”
- “My mind is being renewed.”
- “My home will be different.”
- “I will finish strong.”
- “God’s favor is on my future.”
You may feel like you’re “just saying words,” but faith has always worked through confession. The Bible says, “Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’” (Joel 3:10)
Notice it doesn’t say, “Let the weak wait until they feel strong.” It says, “Speak it.”
Because sometimes your breakthrough begins when your mouth stops agreeing with your fear.
Don’t Let the Enemy Keep You Stuck in Yesterday
One of the enemy’s most effective strategies is convincing you that the past has authority over your future.
He’ll bring up your worst moment.
He’ll replay your failure.
He’ll remind you of what you did.
He’ll remind you of what was done to you.
He’ll whisper, “This is who you are.”
But Jesus didn’t die to forgive you and then leave you chained to shame. He died to free you. To rename you. To rewrite you.
If God has forgiven you, you don’t get to keep punishing yourself.
If God has called you forward, you can’t keep living backward.
Herod is dead.
Move forward.
The Snake Isn’t the Story, Your Courage Is
Let me bring it back to that dead snake.
The snake wasn’t the story. The fear was.
And that’s what God wants to heal: the fear that still flinches, even after the threat is gone.
Some of you have been flinching in a marriage that’s healing.
Flinching in a life that’s rebuilding.
Flinching in a calling God already confirmed.
Flinching in a future God already planned.
You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, because life has hurt you before.
But the Holy Spirit is saying, “You can breathe again.”
Not because you’re in control, but because God is faithful.
How to Walk Like It’s Already Defeated
Here are a few practical, faith-filled steps that help me:
- Name the fear.
Bring it into the light. Fear loses power when it’s exposed. - Refuse agreement with defeat.
When a thought says, “You’ll never,” answer it with God’s truth. - Move in obedience even if you still feel nervous.
Joseph didn’t wait until he felt brave. He moved because God spoke. - Replace survival language with victory language.
Speak life. Speak progress. Speak promise. - Remember your enemy’s record.
He’s been lying a long time. God has been faithful longer.
The devil wants you to think the battle is bigger than God.
But the truth is: the battle is real, and God is greater.
And some battles you’re still afraid of? They’re already defeated.
Prayer:
Father, in Jesus’ name, I thank You that You are the God who goes before me. Thank You that You do not call me to fight for victory, but to fight from a place of victory. I renounce agreement with fear, shame, and defeat. I declare that what You have spoken over my life will come to pass. Where I’ve been hiding, give me the courage to move forward. Where I’ve been swinging at dead snakes, give me discernment and peace. Heal the places in me that still flinch, even after You’ve delivered me. Renew my mind, strengthen my heart, and put victory back in my mouth. I trust You with my future, and I will not live in yesterday. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement 
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