(Continued
From Part 2)
CAN A
CHRISTIAN HAVE A DEMON?
Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks
about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8);
When
the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking
rest, and finds none. Then he says, I will return into
my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds it empty,
swept [of the Word], and garnished [worldly]. Then goes he, and takes with
himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and
dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation (Matthew 12:43-45).
Can
a Christian be oppressed and tormented by demons? The answer is “yes” and please do not consider
me an enemy because I tell you the truth (Galatians 4:16). Although those who disagree will stand on the
argument that the devil cannot cross the bloodline of Jesus Christ, they forget
that a believer can cross the bloodline by committing willful sin and not
repenting (Hebrews
10:26). Backsliding into sin
can lead to apostasy, a fallen state when a believer develops an “evil HEART
of unbelief, in departing from the Living God (Hebrews 3:12).”
For it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made
partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
him to an open shame (Hebrews 6:4-6).
God
created man as a free moral agent, not as a mindless robot. God is a covenant-maker, not a
covenant-breaker. He can never go back
on His Word, but a believer can. If a
believer, by an act of his free will, chooses to step outside the hedge of
God’s protection by committing and continuing in willful sin, he will be fair
game to demons. Remember, if a Christian
fornicates like a sinner, he can have a demon like a sinner. If a Christian develops a heart of unbelief,
departs from the faith, and slips back into the world, he has a demon or demons
(Hebrews
3:12). If a Christian is deceived,
carnally-minded, worldly, devilish, or has “left his first love,” he needs to
repent and seek deliverance, but before such a captive can be set free, he must
acknowledge that he has a problem and seek help (James 1:22; Romans 8:6; James 4:4; James
3:15; Revelation 2:4.)
If
you don’t know your enemy as well as the back of your hand, it is time that you
get serious and become educated. Until
you know your enemy, you are at a distinct disadvantage, particularly if you
are playing games, because Satan is dead serious and is playing for keeps!
Believers can
learn a lot about spiritual warfare by studying one of my favorite World War II
historical figures, four-star General George Smith Patton, Jr., Commander of
the Seventh United States Army and later, the Third United States Army. Although audacious and profane, General
Patton was one of the ablest and most controversial U.S. commanders in World
War II. He distinguished himself in
various campaigns including the invasion of North Africa and the capture of
Sicily. Patton’s expertise in tank
command helped frustrate the December 1944 German counteroffensive in the
Ardennes at the Battle of the Bulge.
Under his command, the Third Army swept into Germany and into
Czechoslovakia, traveling farther and faster on the ground than any army in
history. General Patton’s quotes reveal
a lot about his attitude toward the enemy:
“I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win
where I fight.”
“Lead me, follow me, or get the
hell out of my way.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won’t.”
“Battles are won by frightening
the enemy.”
“You shouldn’t underestimate an
enemy, but it is just as fatal to overestimate him.”
“My men don’t surrender. I don’t want to hear of any soldier under my
command being captured unless he has been hit.
Even if you are hit, you can still fight back.”
“I don’t want to get any messages
saying, ‘I am holding my position’ … Our basic plan of operation is to advance
and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or
through the enemy.”
As
a soldier in the Army of the Lord, what is your mindset concerning your
spiritual enemy? Have you assumed a
bold, offensive stand against the enemy, or are you a spineless wimp that retreats
and allows the enemy to defeat you?
Spiritual and
Physical Warfare have only one thing in common.
When two men engage in a physical fight, each looks for a weakness and
opportunity to deliver a disabling or knockout blow. As Satan’s spies, demons observe believers to
ascertain their spiritual strengths and weaknesses and report their findings
back to Satan, who then devises a strategy and weapon that will target the
believer’s weakness. Remember, Satan
only knows what you choose to divulge to him.
This is why we would do well to emulate the wise believer who once said,
“The only thing the devil knows about me is my shoe size, and that’s because
he’s under my feet!”
Spiritual
warfare, however, is waged using spiritual (not physical) weapons. A believer in the physical realm cannot possibly
fight a spiritual being with physical weapons because demons are invisible and
they possess supernatural powers and strength.
Therefore, a believer must battle demon spirits using the many spiritual
weapons that are available to him. These
weapons are:
And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see
visions: And
also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My
Spirit (Joel
2:28-29; Acts 2:17).
In the privacy
of my home on October 27, 1994—when I was hungering and thirsting for more of
God (Matthew
5:6)—the Holy Spirit awakened me from a sound sleep and prompted me to
pray. While praying in my known language,
the Holy Spirit SUDDENLY
fell on me and I began to speak (and later, sing) in an unknown language (1 Corinthians
Chapter 14). I did not ask
God for this visitation or blessing. How
could I ask Him for something that I had no knowledge of? After all, I was a spiritual babe at the time
and attending a denominational church that did not believe in, preach, or teach
about speaking in tongues. Nevertheless,
God knew my HEART! He knew that I was hungering and thirsting
for more of Him, so Jesus visited me in the privacy of my home and baptized me
in the Holy Ghost! Immediately following
that supernatural encounter, I began to have frequent spiritual dreams,
accompanied by the interpretation as provided by the Holy Spirit. This blessing
has remained with me for 21 years. Over those
years, the Holy Spirit has taught me that this blessing is also a spiritual
weapon. Why? Because God has used dreams to:
Bless, Comfort and Encourage;
Counsel, Guide, Instruct and Teach;
Impart Knowledge, Revelation and
Wisdom;
Share the dream and
interpretation with someone who has asked God for confirmation, or who is unable
to hear from God for himself;
Warn me, in advance, of an attack
being planned by the enemy, so I can take authority over that assignment and
pray God’s Perfect Will in tongues.
Remember, just
as God gave Joseph dreams to protect His infant Son from those who sought to
kill Him, He will give His children dreams and visions today. Tragically, many prejudiced and ignorant pastors
are misleading their congregations by erroneously teaching that the Nine
Supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit—the Vocal, Revelation &
Power Gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12—ceased to operate in
The Church when the last apostle died.
No scriptures exist to support this false teaching, and I am a living
witness to the fact that the supernatural gifts are still in operation
today! Many of these same pastors even
preach that healing and deliverance are not included in the Atonement and that
they are not for believers today. Try
telling that to the multitudes whom Jesus has healed and delivered! Again, I am a living witness to the fact that
Jesus Christ is very much in the healing and deliverance business! So, who is teaching false doctrines and who
is preaching the uncompromised Word of God?
Satan is the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44) and he, not God, is the author of
confusion (1
Corinthians 14:33)! “Jesus Christ
is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)!”
This
serves as a footnote to my previous testimony about the loss of my cat, Chance.
After Chance was put to sleep, his body
was placed in a cardboard pet coffin, which I carried home. I intended to bury Chance in my back yard the
next day. That night, I couldn’t bring
myself to part with Chance who always slept with me, so I placed his coffin on
the bed beside me. This might seem a bit
morbid to some people, but it takes an animal lover to understand that his
nearness brought a measure of comfort to me.
Before
drifting off to sleep, I prayed and asked God to show me where Chance was. You see, I couldn’t bring myself to believe
that death had the final say. I needed to
know that Chance had a soul and that it had gone to a better place—perhaps to a
pet heaven—where he was well and happy. In
my grief, I didn’t consider that this request might be “theologically unsound.”
Frankly, I could have cared less. Anyway, since God communicated with me in
dreams, I went to sleep confident that He would give me a dream about Chance while
I slept.
Upon
awakening the next morning, disappointment flooded over me as I realized that
God had not given me a dream after all. Needing
to unburden my HEART
with someone that would understand and offer wise counsel, I called my pastor’s
wife, Annie. As soon as she heard my
voice—and before I could say a word to her—she started speaking excitedly:
“Patty,
I am so
glad you called because I was getting ready to call you! Last night, I had the strangest dream and God
told me to share it with you. You see, I
dreamed about a cat and I never dream about cats!”
As
soon as she spoke these words, my heart started pounding and she had my
undivided attention!
Annie continued …
“In
the dream, I saw a black and white cat!”
She
proceeded to describe the cat’s white markings in detail, and the description
fit Chance to a tee! (Annie had never
seen even a photo of Chance!)
She continued:
“This
cat was running, jumping, and playing in a field of beautiful wild flowers! And, I clearly saw the faint outline of the spirits
of other cats playing with this cat!
Now, why in the world would God give me a dream about a cat and what in
the world does this dream mean?!”
Brothers
and Sisters, mere words can’t begin to express how I felt at that moment! Tears of joy flowed unchecked down my cheeks,
and in my heart of hearts, I thanked God over and over! When I was finally able to find my voice, I explained
that the dream was meant for me. I proceeded
to tell Annie what had happened to Chance, and the fact that I had asked God to
show me where Chance had gone. Together,
we praised God for His tender mercies and concluded that God gave the dream to
Annie, instead of to me, because had God given the dream to me, He knew that I
would have always wondered if it had only been the wishful and hopeful product
of a broken, grieving HEART.
By giving the dream to Annie and then telling her to share it with me, God
answered my question and confirmed that Chance’s soul had, indeed, gone to a
better place! Now, many pastors will
debate the theological soundness of an animal having a soul and the existence
of a pet heaven, but I have no doubt whatsoever! The fruit of this dream—answered prayer, comfort
and joy—speaks for itself!
This
testimony perfectly illustrates how God will give someone else a dream that is
intended for you, for good reason. Annie’s
dream was an answer to my prayer, and it brought me much comfort and joy when I
most needed it.
The
beauty of this testimony is that God has led many people across my path—people who
have lost a pet and are grieving. This
testimony never fails to comfort and encourage!
END OF
TESTIMONY
MINISTERING
ANGELS
For
He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands,
lest you dash your foot against a stone (Psalms 91:11-12);
Then the devil left Him [Jesus], and,
behold, angels came and ministered unto Him (Matthew 4:11);
Are they not all ministering
spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).
Angels have been engaged in
spiritual warfare since the fall of Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14; Luke 10:18; Ezekiel 28:11-17),
and they will remain involved until the time when every knee shall bow and
every tongue shall confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:9-11; Isaiah 45:23-25). The following points outline the basic
aspects of this warfare, as revealed in Scripture.
Christ created thrones, dominions,
principalities and powers (Colossians 1:16) and, having been seated at
the right hand of God, He is far above them (Ephesians 1:20) and they are
subject to Him (1
Peter 3:22). Therefore, Paul
was persuaded "that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). This organization of angels is clearly seen with
fallen angels, as Paul makes clear in this admonition:
Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of
God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand (Ephesians
6:10-13).
These are spirit beings in rebellion
against God with whom we as saints must wrestle. Principalities are beings of the highest rank
and order in Satan's kingdom. The powers
derive their authority from and execute the will of the chief rulers. Then there are the world rulers of the
darkness of this age, followed by wicked spirits in the heavenlies. Daniel gives us an example of wrestling with
such beings. After Daniel prayed and
fasted for three weeks, Gabriel appeared and said:
…
from the first day that you did set your heart to understand, and to chasten yourself
before your God, your words were heard, and I am come for your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia
withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes,
came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia (Daniel
10:12-13).
The prince of Persia here is the
satanic prince who is ruling the kingdom of Persia for Satan who is recognized
in Scripture as being the god and ruler of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). God also has trusted angels who have various
ranks, listed below. Michael is
mentioned as “one of the chief princes,” the prince of Israel (Daniel 10:21;
12:1). In the middle of
Daniel’s seventieth week, there will be a final war in heaven in which Michael
and his angels will cast Satan and his angels out of heaven for all time (Revelation
12:7-9). The different
orders of God's angels are:
Archangels reveal or
manifest God’s authority, dominion, and rule, engage in warfare and protect the
saints (1
Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7);
Cherubims understand the
work of the Holy Spirit and lead worship in heaven (Ezekiel 10:1; Revelation 4:8);
Common
Angels
appear to the saints and minister for the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14);
Living
Creatures
protect the throne of God. They are
involved in worship and the prophetic (Ezekiel Chapter 1);
Seraphims understand the
revelation of God and His nature, and are involved in God’s glory (Daniel 10;
Isaiah 6:2).
A few interesting
facts about angels are:
They are activated by faith and by
God’s Word, not by doubt and unbelief.
Therefore, if you want your guardian angel to act on your behalf, you
must speak the Word of God (Genesis 24:40; Psalms 103:20);
They are not to be provoked (Exodus
23:20-23);
They are not to be worshipped (Colossians
2:18);
They can be disguised as
strangers (Hebrews
13:2);
They deliver saints from the
enemy (Acts
Chapter 12).
To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that He might be glorified (Isaiah 61:3);
But
you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the
Holy Ghost (Jude
1:20).
Demon
spirits hate and flee from an atmosphere of praise and worship which draws
God’s Presence. So, if a spirit of
heaviness (depression) gets on you, listen to some praise and worship music and
join in! And, if you have received the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, praying in
the Spirit will strengthen your inner man!
Likewise
the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for
as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered. And He that searches
the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans
8:26-27);
For
he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God:
for no man understands him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries (1 Corinthians
14:2).
Praying in
tongues, or “in the Holy Ghost,” (Jude 20) is a mighty TOP SECRET weapon against the devil
for the following reasons:
A believer who prays in tongues
communicates mysteries to God that Satan cannot understand;
Praying “in the Holy Ghost” is
two-way communication. While praying in
tongues, a believer receives revelation and wisdom directly from the Holy
Spirit;
A believer may not know how to
pray in his known language, but when he prays in tongues, the Holy Spirit prays
a perfect and powerful prayer through him by joining with the believer’s SPIRIT as
it speaks mysteries to God.
The supernatural
gifts of Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10) are given
as the Spirit wills after a believer receives, by faith, the Baptism in
the Holy Spirit which is ministered by Jesus (John 1:33; Acts 1:5). This baptism is referenced in Acts 19:1-6:
And
it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through
the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto
them, have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as
heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And
he said unto them, unto what then were you baptized? And they said, unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the
baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him
which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And
when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and
they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.
If
you are a “born again” Christian and you have not received the Baptism in the
Holy Spirit, I urge you to do so. We are
living in very perilous times and the devil, who knows his time is short, is escalating
unprecedented attacks, using demon-possessed people to persecute and murder
Christians worldwide. Every believer who
comprises the Church of Jesus Christ needs every supernatural weapon and gift at
his disposal to stand strong and victorious in these evil days (Ephesians
6:13). I personally believe
that Jesus Christ’s Second Coming is very close at hand!
And
I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting,
and sackcloth, and ashes (Daniel 9:3);
And
when He was come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could
not we cast him out? And He said unto
them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting (Mark 9:28-29).
Fasting
accompanied by prayer is a powerful weapon against the enemy! Sometimes prayer alone isn’t enough to break fortified
strongholds and yokes of bondage. The
purposes of fasting are:
Assures success in casting out demons (Matthew 17:21);
Breaks every yoke of bondage (Isaiah 58:6);
Chastens the SOUL (Psalms 69:10);
Enhances spiritual discernment and hearing (Acts 13:2);
Frees the oppressed (Isaiah 58:6);
Humbles the SOUL (Psalms 35:13);
Lifts heavy burdens (Isaiah 58:6);
Looses bands of wickedness (Isaiah 58:6);
Weakens the FLESH
and strengthens the SPIRIT (Psalms 109:24; Matthew 15:32).
The duration of biblical fasts varies:
All night (Daniel 6:18;
Acts 10:30);
One Day (Judges 20:26;
1 Samuel 7:6);
Three Days (Esther 4:16);
Seven Days (1 Samuel
31:13);
Fourteen Days (Acts 27:33);
Forty Days & Forty Nights (Exodus 34:28;
Matthew 4:2).
I have a
revelation for many Christians. Your
spiritual armor doesn’t attach itself. You
are responsible for putting on your armor and wearing it day and
night. A soldier during war-time never
takes off his armor. He even sleeps in
it because he knows the enemy can attack at any time and he must be ready:
Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-11).
Your spiritual
armor (listed below) ensures that you are INVULNERABLE, INPENETRABLE,
and VICTORIOUS!
Armor of Light (Romans 13:12);
Armor of Righteousness (2 Corinthians
6:7);
Breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians
6:14);
Breastplate of Faith and Love (1
Thessalonians 5:8);
Feet shod with the Preparation of
the Gospel (Ephesians
6:15);
Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians
6:17);
Loins Girded (Luke 12:35);
Prayer (Ephesians 6:18);
Shield of Faith (Ephesians
6:16);
Sword of the Spirit [The Word of
God] (Ephesians
6:17).
THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD AND
NAME OF JESUS CHRIST! Satan and
his demons are out to destroy us, but we can defend ourselves, our families and
our possessions by pleading the Blood of Jesus and invoking His Name:
And
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death (Revelation 12:11);
And
John answered Him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in your name,
and he follows not us: and we forbad him, because he follows not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is
no man which shall do a miracle in My name, that can lightly speak evil of Me. For he that is not against us is on our part (Mark 9:38-40).
We have victory
over evil because Jesus shed His blood on the cross. Remember, the devil was defeated at the cross!
And having
spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing
over them in it (Colossians
2:15);
He
that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
Jesus gave His
disciples—which includes you and me—authority over demons:
And
He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall
by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding
in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:18-20).
Years ago, one
of the first principles of warfare that the Holy Spirit taught me while I
communed with Him in our “secret place” (Psalms 91) of prayer, was to plead (or apply)
the Blood of Jesus for His divine protection.
So, every day and night, I plead the Blood of Jesus over the following:
My BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT
My house and storage building, and
every point of entry (windows and doors)
My car
My loved ones
My office
My pets
In his tract Honor
the Blood, W. B. Young writes:
“There must be a personal
application of the blood of Christ in order to stem the tide of spiritual
destruction in the life of the child of God… It is a personal matter. ‘The
blood shall be to you for a token. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.’
(Exodus
12:13). The blood, applied by sprinkling, was all that was
required for peace of mind and rest of heart.
It took away all fear of the destroying angel. It was not mere interest in the blood, nor
belief in its power; nor appreciation of its worth that availed. It was the applied blood that counted. Truth was translated into action. So it is with the blood of the Lord
Jesus. It is effective against satanic
floods when applied by faith. A proper
application of His blood to a given situation, if the believer is operating
from a cleansed position, always brings deliverance. It never fails…”
Brothers
and Sisters, I and many believers have found this to be the Truth! We have also learned that the authority
Christ has given us can be exercised over threatening weather conditions, just
as Jesus did:
And
when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him. And, behold, there
arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the
waves: but He was asleep. And His
disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And He said unto them, Why are you fearful, O you
of little faith? Then He arose, and
rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of
man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him! (Matthew 8:23-27).
YES, INDEED!
Year-round, I make it a point to closely monitor the weather because
Satan, the “prince of the power of the air,” (Ephesians 2:2) will assign and
dispatch weather demons to wreak havoc, destruction, and death. I think you will agree that weather can bring
a deadly package of severe climatic conditions including heavy rain and snow,
sleet, large hail, high wind gusts, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, deadly lightning
strikes—all of which can result in power outages, structural damage and
destruction, and loss of life. As soon
as I learn that a potentially dangerous weather front is approaching, I pray as
follows:
In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I take authority over all approaching storms. I bind and break their power of destruction
and death. I take authority over large
hail and bind Euroclydon winds, and I command these storms, “Peace be
still.” In the name of Jesus, I command these
storms to redirect to unpopulated areas where they can do no harm to people and
property. I plead the blood of Jesus over my
home, storage shed, car, and the tree in my back yard, and I thank you Lord
that no weapon that is formed against me shall prosper! (Isaiah 54:17; Matthew 18:18; Mark 4:39;
Acts 27:14).
PERSONALIZE
& CONFESS PSALMS 91
Every
day, I personalize, read aloud, and stand on the promises of Psalms 91,
also called “The Soldier’s Prayer:”
She that dwells
in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He
is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver me from the snare of
the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover me with His feathers, and under
His wings shall I trust: His truth shall be my shield and buckler. I shall not be afraid for the terror by night;
nor for the arrow that flies by day; Nor for the
pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that
wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall
at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come
nigh me. Only with my eyes shall I
behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because I have made the LORD, which is
my refuge, even the most High, my habitation; There shall no evil befall
me, neither shall any plague come nigh my dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over me,
to keep me in all my ways. They shall
bear me up in their hands, lest I dash my foot against a stone. I shall tread upon the lion and adder: the
young lion and the dragon shall I trample under feet. Because she has set her love upon Me, therefore
will I deliver her: I will set her on high, because she has known My name. She shall call upon Me, and I will answer her:
I will be with her in trouble; I will deliver her, and honor her. With long life will I satisfy her, and show
her My salvation.
I
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me is
mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost, and with fire (Matthew 3:11);
And
when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they
were sitting. And there appeared unto
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).
A deep spiritual
hunger exists today that I believe originates from man’s innermost longing and
need to be reconciled to his Creator. Satan
knows this and provides counterfeit, deceptive demonstrations of his limited power
[via psychics and aberrant mystical manifestations like UFOs, Bigfoot, etc.] (2
Thessalonians 2:9). As a
result, more and more deceived people are turning to Satan worship and occult
practices to satisfy their spiritual hunger.
Satan doesn’t
want Christians to hunger and thirst for more of God—to the extent that they
desire and seek the infilling of the
Spirit, or the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Satan’s strategy has been to place obstacles and hindrances (fear,
prejudice, unbelief, false teaching, etc.) in the way of any Christian who
desires to advance to a higher level of spiritual growth. He does this because he wants the Church of
Jesus Christ to be spiritually blind and powerless, and filled with lukewarm,
passive, wimpy Christians. Has he
succeeded? You be the judge! If such Christians ever hope or expect to do
greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12), they must let go of false
teachings that dictate that the Vocal, Revelation, and Power
gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased to operate with the last apostle died. This is a lie straight out of hell, and Satan
is using it to render God’s Army impotent!
The New
Testament clearly teaches that God wants ALL
of His children (not just a select few) to walk in victory over the enemy. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a
supernatural equipping that empowers believers for effective witness and
service. It is available to every believer
who hungers and thirsts for righteousness.
When a sinner repents and is “born again,” the Holy Spirit indwells
him (1
Corinthians 3:16). When Jesus
baptizes a believer in the Holy Spirit by prayer and the laying on of hands,
the Holy Spirit infills him (Matthew 5:6; Acts 4:31; 8:14,18).
The
New Testament church, as depicted in the Book of Acts, is God’s “model” church,
which God intended the Body of Christ to emulate. The early church was powerful because
believers received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and operated in the
supernatural gifts. Satan’s
“denominational doctrine” was not part of God’s Plan for the Church of Jesus
Christ!
KEY FACTS ABOUT THE BAPTISM:
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is
a supernatural experience that is usually separate from, and
following, Salvation (John 20:22; Acts 19:2);
It is God’s FREE gift to every “born again” believer, and it is received by
faith (Luke
11:13; Acts 2:38-39);
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is
the Baptizer (Matthew
3:11);
The Baptism is evidenced by the believer
speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4; 8:12-19; 9:17; 1 Corinthians 14:18);
The Baptism is Jesus’ promise of
“rivers of living water” (John 7:37-39; 4:13-14).
Life in the
supernatural begins after we receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The benefits of this baptism are:
We are empowered to conquer every
strategy and assignment of the enemy (Acts 1:8);
We are empowered to become bold
witnesses and effective soul winners (Acts 1:8);
We are enabled to flow in a new
dimension of praise and worship, which is also a spiritual weapon (Ephesians
5:19; Colossians 3:16);
We receive a prayer language,
which energizes our prayer life, making us powerful and effective prayer
warriors and intercessors (Jude 20; James 5:16);
Our physical bodies are energized
so we can walk in divine health (Romans 8:11; John 7:38);
We are equipped to walk in the
Agape Love of God (Romans 5:5);
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
opens us up to the supernatural realm of the kingdom of God and is the gateway
to flowing in the nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 14:1);
When we pray in tongues, we speak
mysteries to God that Satan cannot understand.
We also receive revelation knowledge and wisdom from the Holy Spirit (Luke 8:10; 1
Corinthians 13:2; 14:2);
We receive a higher level of
faith which emboldens us to cast out devils and lay hands on the sick,
expecting to witness miraculous deliverances and healings (Mark 16:17-18);
We experience righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17).
Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren … there are diversities of gifts,
but the same Spirit. And there are
differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of
operations, but it is the same God which works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given
to every man to profit withal. For to
one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit;
to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the
working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning
of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to
another the interpretation of tongues: But all these work that one and
the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will (1 Corinthians
12:1-11).
The REVELATION Gifts:
Word of Wisdom
Word of
Knowledge
Discerning of
spirits
The POWER Gifts:
Faith
Gifts of Healing
Working of
Miracles
The VOCAL Gifts:
Prophecy
Divers Kinds of
Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
Satan
perpetrated the heretical lie that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the Nine
Supernatural Gifts ceased when the last apostle died because he fears this
weapon! There are no Scriptures that
support these false doctrinal teachings.
The Apostle Paul
taught that there is to be no schism (division) in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians
12:25). And, yet 38,000
denominations exist in the world today!
So, DENOMINATIONALISM
is the harvest of Satan’s doctrinal lies!
God never intended for the Church of Jesus Christ to be divided. Jesus warned that a house and kingdom divided
against itself cannot stand (Mark 3:24-25).
The Church of Jesus Christ being fractured,
divided, spiritually blind, powerless and mute!;
Churches being filled with
passive, apathetic, lukewarm Christians that fall asleep in their pews (Revelation
3:16);
Churches being filled with deceived
zealots that fall into error because they forsake The Word to seek manifested
“signs and wonders,” which Satan is more than willing to provide (2
Thessalonians 2:9);
Christians of one denomination believing
they are superior to Christians of other denominations. Some Christians wouldn’t be caught dead
attending a church outside of their denomination. This constitutes elitism, pride, favoritism,
prejudice, and idolatry, all of which are grievous sins!;
Young people leaving home
churches in search of the “real deal,” only to get sucked into Satanism and the
practice of witchcraft.
Then
was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty
nights, He was afterward hungry. And
when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If thou be the Son of God, command that
these stones be made bread.’ But He
answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city,
and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, And said unto Him, ‘If thou be the Son
of God, cast yourself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge
concerning you: and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any
time you dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written again, You
shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ Again, the devil took him up into an
exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them; And said unto Him, ‘All these things will I give you, if you
will fall down and worship Me.’ Then said
Jesus unto him, ‘Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship
the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and, behold, angels
came and ministered unto Him (Matthew 4:1-11);
Each
time that Jesus was tempted by something the devil said to Him, He answered by
speaking the Word of God, which is the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). In all things, but particularly where
spiritual warfare is concerned, believers should follow Jesus’ example!
And, I have a
closing word for those who blaspheme, discredit, and mock The Holy Bible. It is not an outdated history book, or a book
of fairy tales and myths, and it is not a book of allegories and
contradictions. IT IS THE LIVING, MULTI-DIMENSIONAL,
INFALLIBLE, HOLY SPIRIT-INSPIRED, WRITTEN WORD OF THE LIVING GOD, AND THE TRUTH
AND WISDOM WITHIN ITS PAGES BENEFIT AND ENRICH THE LIVES OF ALL GENERATIONS!
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all
good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17);
For the Word of God is quick and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of SOUL
and SPIRIT,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the HEART
(Hebrews
4:12).
Not
every one that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and
in your name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work
iniquity (Matthew
7:21-23);
Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord (Hebrews
12:14).
Jesus
set aside His divinity to become a man.
As a man, he experienced the same challenges, heartaches, and
temptations that are common to man (1 Corinthians 10:13). Before His earthly ministry began, He could
not walk in His divine power as the Son of God, to resist temptation and then
ask His disciples (and us today) to resist temptation as mere humans. As a man (and not as God), He showed us that
it is possible for us to live a sinless life.
Living an obedient, holy life is a choice and decision that every
believer must make.
For
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin (Hebrews
4:15).
Because
Jesus never sinned, and because He was submitted and obedient to His Father,
Satan had to flee from Him when Jesus resisted him by speaking The Word. The same principle of spiritual warfare
applies to believers today:
Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, you
sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your
laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and He shall lift you up (James 4:7-10).
In
order to wage successful warfare against devils and to be recognized, respected,
feared, and obeyed by them, a believer must live a submitted, obedient and holy
life before God. Demons know that deceived,
carnal, worldly, and devilish Christians have no authority over them because
they are playing games with God. Demons
do not respect, fear, or obey such Christians because Satan has them exactly
where he wants them—living in willful sin and hell-bound!
Consider
what happened to the “sons of Sceva:”
Then
certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which
had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus
whom Paul preaches. And there were seven
sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped
on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out
of that house naked and wounded (Acts 19:13-16).
On
the flip side, demons know which believers they “cannot touch” and why (1 John 5:18). Obedient Spirit-filled Christians that “live and walk
in the Spirit” and are “led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25; Romans 8:14) pose a serious
threat to Satan’s kingdom and demons recognize, respect, fear, and obey them
when they exercise their authority and speak the Word of God.
And
it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away
from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be
destroyed because of the anointing (Isaiah 10:27);
The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the
gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19);
But
the anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and you need not
that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him
(1 John
2:27).
The anointing is divine energy that comes upon
you and separates you from yourself and fills you with God’s power! As a result, when you speak, God is speaking
through you and when you act, it is God acting.
The purpose of the anointing is to break the yoke
of sin, sickness, fear, poverty, demons, and anything and everything that is
not of God. So, remember, whatever you
are going through, God has equipped and anointed you to be a victorious
overcomer!
Men and women of God have operated in
the anointing throughout history. While
being eaten by lions, they sang songs.
While being blindfolded and waiting for bullets to pass through their bodies,
they prayed in peace. While Stephen was
being stoned, he looked up to heaven and said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their
charge” (Acts
7:60). These believers paid
the ultimate price for their commitment to the cause of the anointing.
Besides being the power of God, the
anointing is joy, passion, power, glory, confidence, boldness and authority. The anointing will make you cry and laugh. Under the anointing, you will rise up in righteous
indignation. It is the power to preach,
sing, witness, testify and do spiritual warfare. It is peace. It can take its time to come upon you, or it
can come suddenly. It is both meek and
strong. The anointing will get you
through the death of a loved one, the rebellion of a child, the midnight of a
divorce, the challenge of a special-needs child, or the pain of a suffering
parent or loved one.
More than ever before in history, individual
believers and The Church of Jesus Christ need more of the anointing!
Brothers and
Sisters, I have been a Christian for 28 years.
I am not proud of the fact that I have allowed devils to have their way
with me at times. I am an imperfect
human being and I have made my share of mistakes and wrong decisions which left
me vulnerable and open to spiritual attacks.
The important thing is that I learned hard lessons that I will never
forget or repeat. Today, I am walking in
victory and running the race that God has set before me (Hebrews 12:1). I am a soldier in the Army of the Lord, and I
am fighting the good fight of faith, while trusting God to do what I cannot in
my own strength (1
Timothy 6:12). My daily goal
is to be the kind of soldier that strikes FEAR in the enemy!
When my feet hit the floor in the morning, I like to think that demons tremble
and groan, “Oh
No! She’s up!” My hope and prayer for you today is that you
will join the growing ranks of seasoned, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led soldiers who
are operating in the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, exercising their
authority in Christ, putting on their armor, wielding their weapons of warfare,
boldly and fearlessly running toward the enemy, and fighting to win!
BE BLESSED & VICTORIOUS!
END OF 3-PART TEACHING
