Christian Spiritual Warfare

Quite a few years ago there was a television advertisement for a particular brand of motor oil (I can’t remember which one, which just goes to show that whilst an ad might be memorable it doesn’t always mean that people will remember the product being advertised – but that’s another story.) Anyway, in this ad the small time gangster, Louie, was changing the car oil for the Big Boss. Asked whether he had used the brand being advertised, he replied that he had used a cheaper brand because “oils is oils.” The Big Boss’s response was that “oils ain’t oils” - in other words, there was one “real thing”and the rest were pretenders.

I thought of Louie recently, following a discussion with an acquaintance (who thinks of herself as a Christian) about the legitimacy of other religions. This lady has been caught up in the idea that there is only one God (true!) and that everyone worships the same god, just under different names (most definitely not true!)

Now I don’t want to offend anyone here, but unless God suffers from multiple personality disorder, there is simply no way that this can be so. Think about it for a moment. Some religions worship hundreds – or even thousands – of gods, some worship only one. Which is true? God cannot be both. Either He is one, or they are many.

Islam teaches that God is an absolute mathematical unity, and that He has no Son. Christianity teaches that the one God consists of three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (which is something quite different from the concept of multiple gods), and that God the Son became man in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both cannot be true. Either God has a Son, or He doesn’t.

Now if you were to come up to me and say, “I know you. You’re that lady who doesn’t have any children,” I would quickly tell you, “I’m sorry, I don’t know who it is you know, but it isn’t me. I have two children and five grandchildren.” Do you think maybe God might have a similar response when people suggest that He doesn’t have a Son?

You cannot strip Christ out of Christianity. The God of the Bible is the God Who manifested Himself in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any god that did not do that is not the God of the Bible, no matter what claims people may make.

So what about the idea that Christianity should be, as my friend insisted, an “inclusive religion”? We don’t have to read very far in the Bible to see that God had very different ideas. The first of the Ten Commandments states categorically, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Now, just in case anyone thinks that means that it’s ok to have other gods as long as we don’t put them ahead of YHWH (the God of the Bible), let me make something clear. The word “before” doesn’t mean “ahead of” but “in my presence” - much the same as we use the word “beside” today. Since God’s presence fills the universe, that boils down to very simply “no other gods!” Hmm … doesn’t seem very inclusive to me.

The Old Testament is filled with warnings about not worshiping other gods. YHWH would not tolerate the worship of the Baals, and much of the prophecy recorded in the Old Testament was directed at God’s people as a rebuke for their breaking of those prohibitions. Eventually, Israel was dispersed by the Assyrians and Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians, primarily because of their refusal to repent of the worship of false gods. Doesn’t sound very tolerant!

In the New Testament, Paul used the “altar to an unknown God” (Acts 17) to point people to the truth in Christ; but he did not for one moment suggest that the worship of that unknown god – or of any other god – was equal to the worship of YHWH. In fact, he ended his message with a call to repent and turn away from these false things. Earlier, Peter and John had declared boldly before the Sanhedrin that salvation was available only in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12Acts 4:12
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12 There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!”

), echoing Jesus’ own words that “No-one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6John 14:6
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6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

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) All of that sounds pretty exclusive, not inclusive.

The truth is, the whole “tolerance and inclusion” philosophy is a trick of the devil, designed to make people think that they don’t need to come to Christ. After all, if there are “many paths up the mountain”, then it would make sense to choose the one that is either least demanding or best suited to one’s personal tastes. If all gods are the same, then it really doesn’t matter.

On the other hand, if the Bible is true, and the God of the Bible is the true God Who will not tolerate the worship of any other god, then it is a matter of (eternal) life and death.

No, Louie. Oils ain’t oils. And gods ain’t gods.

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This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
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9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
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9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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The devil is probably one of the most mocked characters in the modern western world. From cartoons of a little red fellow with horns and a pitchfork, to Halloween costumes, to representations in films, he is treated as a joke. Many people - even people who believe in God - simply don’t believe that there is such a thing as a real, personal devil. He is, they say, just a mythical personification of the evil in the world.

In reality, that concept is one of the two most dangerous lies spread around by the devil himself (the other is the one that says he is all powerful - so big and powerful that you’d just better do what he says and not argue.) The Bible makes it clear that there is a real, personal being, known as the devil or satan (I refuse to give him a capital letter), who is the ultimate source of evil.

Isaiah 14:12-20Isaiah 14:12-20
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12 How you have fallen from Heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low! ¹³ You said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north! ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!” ¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit. ¹⁶ Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms; ¹⁷ who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who didn’t release his prisoners to their home?” ¹⁸ All the kings of the nations, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house. ¹⁹ But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain, who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot. ²⁰ You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The seed of evil-doers will not be named forever.

and Ezekiel 28:11-19Ezekiel 28:11-19
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11 Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹² Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and tell him, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onx, jasper, sapphire or, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and beryl. Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. In the day that you were created they were prepared. ¹⁴ You were the anointed cherub who covers: and I set you, so that you were on the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁵ You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. ¹⁶ By the abundance of your traffic they filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I have cast you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁷ Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may see you. ¹⁸ By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your traffic, you have profaned your sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of you; it has devoured you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all those who see you. ¹⁹ All those who know you among the peoples shall be astonished at you: you are become a terror, and you shall nevermore have any being.

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are two passages that seem, on the surface, to be addressed to earthly kings. However, we don’t have to go far beneath the surface to realize that the things said in these passages could never be applied to a human being. The Ezekiel passage speaks about one who was created perfect, full of beauty ans wisdom, and was appointed as the “guardian cherub”. Satan, as he was originally created by God, was not an evil being, but the head angel.

However, both Isaiah and Ezekiel show that he became proud, and then tried to rise up and make himself even greater than God. Because of this he was thrown out of heaven and cast to earth, where he took the form of a serpent. In that form he tempted our first parents to do the same as he had done, promising them that if they disobeyed God they would themselves become “as gods”. Sadly, they fell for it. God had given them dominion over the world, but by obeying the devil rather than God they handed that rule over to satan.

Satan could not return to rule from heaven, the place of God’s throne, so instead he set up his throne in the physical heavens, becoming known as the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2Ephesians 2:2
English: World English Bible - WEB
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience;

). From there he was able to influence everything that happened on the earth.

When Jesus came, the devil tried to destroy Him almost as soon as he was born, by influencing Herod to have all the male children killed. When it came time for Jesus to enter into His ministry, the devil tried to stop Him with the wilderness temptations (Matthew 4). Notice that Jesus was not battling against some kind of evil force, or a principle, but against a real, personal being who spoke to Him and took Him to various places in the effort to tempt Him away from His goal.

Jesus’ death on the Cross was a defeat for satan. By His perfect obedience to the Father, Jesus reversed the disobedience of our first parents and claimed back the earth as part of God’s Kingdom. The devil’s fate was sealed. However, for the present time he continues to “hold his fort” in the physical heavens - much as, in the Second World War, some Japanese soldiers continued to hold their positions long after the war was over. He still influences, and even controls, those people on earth who make themselves available to his influence.

The day is coming, however, when his time will be up. The victory that Jesus won at Calvary will be fully enforced, and the devil’s influence will be removed from the world. Till that time, we have to choose whether we will follow the devil and share his eternal destiny in hell, or follow Christ and share His eternal reign in heaven.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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I think it was Snoopy, in the Peanuts comic strip, who said, “We have seen the enemy, and they is us.” (If it wasn’t Snoopy, I apologize - but whoever did say it, got it right.) Often, we spend a great deal of time and energy looking for an enemy “out there” somewhere: our family, friends or workmates; our boss or pastor or the government; the weather, global warming or the financial crisis. And when all else fails we can always blame the devil and his demons.

Now I am not for a moment suggesting that people never do anything to harm us; or that political systems, the environment and economics don’t, on occasion, cause us problems. And most certainly the devil and his cohorts are always seeking for an opportunity to attack us.

What I am saying is that all too often we give these things far more credit than they are due. Sure, they may play some role in the problems we face, but often the root of the problem lies not in front of our eyes, but immediately behind them. It all starts with our thinking.

I was reminded again this week of a saying I first heard very early in my Christian life:

Sow a thought - reap a feeling;

Sow a feeling - reap an attitude;

Sow an attitude - reap an action;

Sow an action - reap a habit.

Let’s look at it a little more closely. Many people believe that emotions are simply things that come upon us, that we have no control over them and can do nothing to either cause or prevent them. This is absolutely not true.

Feelings are the result of thoughts. They are brought on by the things we tell ourselves about our circumstances or what is happening in our lives at the moment. Take an example: You are walking down the street and your friend, Mary, walks by without even acknowledging you. If you think to yourself, “What a snob! Just who does she think she is to just ignore me like that!” then you will start feeling angry. If you think, “Mary mustn’t like me any more,” then you will begin to feel sad or abandoned. If you think, “Mary must have some kind of serious worry that she didn’t notice me,” feelings of compassion will begin to come over you. If you think, “TeHe, Mary’s off in her own little world again. I’m going to give her heaps when I see her next!” then you will stir up feelings of affection toward your friend.

Did any of those feelings “just happen”? No, they were all directly prompted by your thoughts. A feeling is the consequence of a thought. We can change the feelings by changing the thoughts. What we cannot do is separate the thought and its consequence, the feeling.

Feelings, in turn, produce attitudes. Attitudes are the spectacles through which we view life. If we regularly allow ourselves to indulge thoughts of being rejected, producing feelings of rejection, these will eventually build into an attitude of rejection. Instead of just seeing rejection in one person or situation, we will begin to see rejection everywhere, and from everybody.

Once attitudes are entrenched in our lives, we begin to act out from those attitudes. If we see ourselves as being rejected, we begin to act like a rejected person. We put up walls. We take things personally. We respond as if we had been rejected, even if the person speaking was not directing his words to us in any way. The really sad thing is, when we act like this we actually bring rejection upon ourselves. It’s as if we had stuck a big sign on our backs saying “Reject Me!” The same applies to every attitude we act out.

Finally, those actions become a habit. Psychologists tell us that it only takes three weeks to establish a habit - and most people have been acting out their attitudes much longer than that! These things become our normal way of doing things, and the further we go the harder the pattern becomes to break.

Then, somewhere down the track, we realize that we have a problem going on in our lives. To stick with our illustration of rejection, we realize that we are being rejected right, left and center. That’s when we start throwing out the blame. It’s the fault of the people around us, who reject us. It’s our parents’ fault, because they rejected us. Maybe there is a demon of rejection operating in our lives? We seek deliverance, and get no results.

The uncomfortable truth is, even if there is a demonic force involved, it is there because we gave it a comfortable place to lodge. We are the problem: not our parents, not our friends, not our boss, not demons. What we have to do is go back to the beginning and change the equation. This whole downward spiral started with our thoughts. By changing our thoughts, we can reverse the spiral.

Now, it will not be easy, nor will it be instant. In the beginning we will have to consciously grab our thoughts and tell ourselves, “No. That isn’t the truth. This is.” To do that, we need the Word of God, so that we can replace the lies we have been telling ourselves with the truth of Scripture; and we need the Spirit of God, Who will help and empower us in our new way of thinking.

Yes, we can be our own greatest enemy. But we can also be our own best friend. It all depends on how we think.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
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Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

(Ephesians 6:15Ephesians 6:15
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15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace;

, NIV)

Often when people read this verse, they think it is talking about the preaching of the Gospel. Preaching and witnessing are important, and are most certainly a part of our spiritual warfare. However, these are offensive measures - tactics which we use to take territory from the enemy. The armor, however, is defensive - it is our protection against the enemy’s attacks. Paul is not talking about our taking the Gospel to others, but rather about the effect that the Gospel has on us personally.

As with the whole of this passage about the armor of God, he is using the picture of the armor worn by a Roman soldier. On his feet the soldier wore heavy leather sandals, which were studded underneath with metal, so that no matter what kind of terrain the soldier had to cover, he would never slip or lose his grip. Paul is saying that is what the Gospel does for us.

How does the Gospel achieve this? It is the Gospel of Peace - and that means, firstly, that it is the Gospel that brought us peace with God. Before we heard the Gospel, we were God’s enemies. We may have been consciously and deliberately opposed to God, perhaps denying His existence or at least living as though He did not exist. Or we might have been “good” people, perhaps even churchgoers, but had never truly surrendered our lives to Christ. Either way, we were God’s enemies. There are only two possibilities in life - either we are in the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Those in the kingdom of darkness are God’s enemies, and if they remain in that kingdom they will suffer the same judgment as the prince of that kingdom.

Being at war with God creates all kinds of problems in our lives, and leaves us open to the attack of the enemy on every side. However, when we heard and responded to the Gospel we changed sides - we switched our allegiance from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God. Now we are no longer His enemies, but His friends and bound to Him in a covenant that guarantees He will fight on our behalf.

Since we are now God’s friends, we also have another benefit - the peace of God. This means that, because of our relationship with Him, we can walk through any situations that life might throw at us in perfect peace, knowing that He will work them all together for our good and His glory. That does not mean that we will never have problems, but that we can rest in the knowledge that God is bigger than all our problems.

Most important of all, we now know the God who is Peace. Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is my peace, was one of the names of God in the Old Testament. When we know Jehovah Shalom, we not only have the peace of God in our hearts in any situation, but we carry His peace with us wherever we go, and are able to release that peace into the situation. That’s why, in the middle of a storm that had the disciples - all of whom were experienced fishermen - absolutely terrified, Jesus was able to stand up and simply say, “Peace. Be still.” and the storm stopped.

The Gospel of peace does indeed allow us to walk through all of life’s troubled roads and never lose our footing.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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Paul tells us that part of the defensive armor that God has given us is the shield of faith - but what, exactly, is faith, and how can it be a shield for us? Is it, as so many have taught over the years, I kind of button that we push to get what we want out of God, whenever we want it? Is it simply the adherence to a correct set of doctrinal precepts? Is it something we can get only by summoning every ounce of our will power and focusing it on believing?

 

One thing that we really need to understand is that faith is spiritual. No amount of intellectual understanding will produce it, nor will any amount of will power. Those things come from the soul, and the soul cannot produce spiritual results. Likewise, a hyped-up meeting that produces a wonderful emotional high cannot produce faith - emotions are also part of the soul realm. Sometimes those things may clear the way for us to move into faith; but at other times they may actually block the way and prevent us from finding true faith. Just as in an inoculation a “mini dose” of the disease, or something that is somewhat like the disease, can keep us from contracting the real disease, so trying to find faith through the soul realm can inoculate us against finding true faith.

 

Faith has three aspects: truth, relationship and action.

 

The truth aspect of faith is not something we can find by natural means, even by reading the Word of God. It has to come by revelation. Think about it: how often, before you came to the Lord, did you read the Bible and it made no sense to you at all? Then one day the Lord opened your eyes, and it became real and meaningful.

 

Truth has to be a revelation, because our minds are so minute compared to the mind of God. Our minds cannot begin to understand Him, just as the mind of an ant couldn’t begin to understand us. The only way we can know Him is by a revelation from His Spirit to our spirit.

 

That knowing then leads to the second part of the faith equation: relationship. It is not enough to know about God, we need to know Him personally in an intimate relationship. The more we know Him, the more we know that we can trust Him to do the things He has promised. Whilst Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith, Psalms tells us that “His faithfulness will be your shield” (Ps 91:4Ps 91:4
English: World English Bible - WEB
4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

b). Our shield is not some kind of artificial belief summoned by the force of our will, but our rest in the faithfulness of Him with whom we are related.

 

This in turn leads to action. We automatically act out of the things we truly believe. We do not have to grit our teeth and say, “I believe thus, therefore I will act so.” It happens naturally. If our actions do not match our beliefs, then we either have serious mental problems or we do not really believe the things we think we believe. Particularly in relation to using faith as our shield, our actions include our words. If on one hand we say that we believe God is able to deal with whatever situations we face, but on the other hand we talk as if those situations are going to destroy us, then maybe we should look again at what we really believe. If our words are not a true expression both of the truth that has been revealed to us, and the relationship that we have with the Lord, then that faith will never be a sufficient shield to protect us against the attack of the enemy.

 

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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)

 If you have been a Christian for more than five minutes, you have probably experienced times when hearing from God has been difficult. We know it shouldn’t be that way - after all, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice” - but that doesn’t help very much when our prayers just seem to bounce off the ceiling and God seems a million miles away.

 There’s also the old guilt-producing line that “if God seems far away, He didn’t move, you did.” Of course, that is sometimes true. We have allowed busyness, problems or pleasures to get between us and the face of God, and we need to repent and get back to the intimacy of our relationship with Him. Other times, though, it is simply not true. We desire Him as much as ever, but try as we may we are simply not receiving the answers to our questions.

 Daniel faced this problem, recorded in chapter 10 of his book. When an angel finally arrived with the answer to Daniel’s prayer, he explained that Daniel had been heard as soon as he prayed. However, there was a ruling principality over the area who had a vested interest in keeping Daniel from hearing what God had to say. That spiritual prince had wrestled with the angelic messenger, delaying him in bringing the answer to Daniel.

 We may find this hard to understand. How can demonic forces hinder the message that God wants to give to His people? Sometimes we need to suspend our desire to understand: not that God wants us to be mindless Christians, but some things are simply beyond our human understanding. God’s Word clearly tells us that this is what happened, therefore we need to be able to simply accept it.

 Unfortunately, many Christians live in blissful ignorance of the spiritual forces that surround us, and the constant battle that is being waged over this world. Just as those forces did not want Daniel to receive his answer from God, they also want to prevent us from receiving ours.

 However, there are two things that are very different for us than they were for Daniel. The first is that, if we have been born again, we have the Holy Spirit, who is God, living within us. He has restored our human spirit as the part of our being through which He can communicate with us. As we learn to develop our spirit, we have a means of hearing directly from Him - something with which external forces cannot directly interfere.

 There are times, though, when answers have to be dispatched not from the Spirit within us, but from the Throne Room. That’s where our second difference kicks in. Daniel had no authority over the battles in the spirit realm, but we have been given authority over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19Luke 10:19
English: World English Bible - WEB
19 Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you.

) Jesus said that what we bind on earth will be bound in heaven. In other words, we have the power to enter the battle and fight on the side of God’s angels.

We need to be pro-active. Simply putting our petitions out there and waiting for the answers to come is not enough, particularly when our prayers relate to issues which will bring damage to the kingdom of darkness. We need to be actively standing against any force which would hinder the answers coming to us; we need to be binding (forbidding) the enemy from hindering or delaying those answers; we need to be declaring an open heaven; and we need to be actively expecting to hear.

 

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Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

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Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 It’s something we all face from time to time. The things that we’ve planned and worked for just aren’t happening; the people we thought loved or at least accepted us turn against us; the prayers we have been praying so long and so hard don’t seem to even reach the ceiling, much less getting answers.

 

Discouragement sets in. We wonder whether we got it right in the first place: were we, perhaps, following our own desires rather than the will of God? Was the word from the Lord that we thought we heard so clearly really only the echo of our own hopes and dreams?

 

Alternatively, we wonder whether we have done something to block the flow of God’s answers to us. Have we sinned? Have we failed to fulfill our part of the contract, to do the things that we can do so that God is free to do the things that only He can do?

 

As a result we lose heart. We find it harder and harder to keep putting in the effort, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, when all we seem to be achieving is to walk in ever-decreasing circles.

 

It’s an interesting word, discouragement. Dis-courage-ment. The removal of courage. That’s exactly what it does to us: saps our courage, our boldness, our strength. The more we come under discouragement, the weaker we feel; and the less we are able to deal with the situations which caused the discouragement in the first place. So the process becomes a self-defeating, downward spiral.

 

Discouragement is one of the greatest weapons in the devil’s arsenal. He has used it to destroy countless individuals and ministries. If we are not going to join the list, then we need to know how to fight it.

 

Firstly, we need to take a really good look at how we see God. Is He just like a “bigger person” to us? The “Bloke upstairs”? Just a friend? A warm-and-fuzzy grandfather? None of those images is nearly big enough to counter the attack of discouragement. We need to see God as He is: the creator, sustainer and King of the universe. The all-powerful One. Take time in the Word to find God as He really is, not as He has been re-fashioned into the image of man.

 

Secondly, we need to take time to review the things that God has done in our own lives and the lives of those around us. Whilst it is great to read of His miracles in distant countries and long-past times, those things do not have nearly the power to lift us that our personal experience has. Knowing that God has made it possible for us personally to pay a $50 account when we didn’t have the money will do more to help us overcome discouragement than knowing that He raised someone from the dead on the other side of the world. Keep a “blessing book” and record all the things that God does for you. Then, when things are tough and it is hard to remember, you can go back through it and be reminded of His goodness.

 

Thirdly, we need to keep the focus on the Lord, not on the problem. Now I know only too well that is easy to say and difficult to do, particularly when the problems insist on attacking you all at the same time, rather than making an orderly queue. At first, especially, you will probably need to keep pulling your focus back to the Lord. That’s ok. If necessary, use some kind of “interrupt” mechanism to help you. For instance, an elastic band around your wrist (not to tight, we don’t want any hands turning blue and dropping off). Every time you find yourself getting focused on the problem, snap the band to remind you to turn your attention to the Lord.

 

Finally, remember that God has a different agenda to us. Yes, He wants success for His people. But His first interest is character. He can see the big picture, where we see only through the microscopic window of our human mind. It may be that the very things that are frustrating and discouraging you today are the things that, if you will allow Him to use them in your life, will produce the character that will make it possible for Him to open greater doors and give you greater success than you are presently able to even imagine.

 

Ultimately, discouragement is a choice. We can allow the circumstances of life to rob us of courage and boldness, or we can allow God to use those same circumstances to lift us to a new level in Him.

 

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 Recently, on one of the Christian forums where I share, I received a question about autism and whether it could be caused by demonic influence. Because this is a broad area, relating to all mental/emotional illnesses and not just autism. I thought I would take some time to look at it here as well as on the forum.

 

First, we need to understand that man is a three-fold being: body, soul and spirit. We are NOT, as some suggest, spirits who have a soul and live in a body. That is occultic/new age thinking, and leads to a belief in transmigration of the soul or reincarnation. Rather, our spirit, soul and body join together to form one complete whole. As a result, whilst the things that happen to us may operate primarily through one of the three, mostly they will be influenced by all three. For instance, when we think, it comes from our mind, which is part of our soul. However, that thought could never be expressed if it were not for our brain, which is part of our body. And the thought will be influenced either by the Holy Spirit working through our human spirit, or by a demonic spirit operating through our soul because our spirit is for some reason not fulfilling its role of directing our life.

 

How does all that relate to mental illness? Basically, the Bible does not acknowledge mental illness as a separate condition. What it does acknowledge is physical illness, demonic influence and sin (either our own or that of others toward us.) Now please, don’t think for a moment that I am saying that mental or emotional illness is not real. It is very real, and devastating to those who have to live with it, either in their own lives or in the lives of those they love. What I am saying is that, rather than being something separate and mysterious, mental illness has its roots in one of these three areas.

 

Many mental conditions are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. That is a physical condition. In the natural it is addressed by medication, or by other natural means such as diet, exercise, dealing with stress and laughter. (Studies have shown that a good laugh is very effective in raising the levels of “feel good” chemicals in the brain. So if you are suffering from depression, try “medicating” it with large doses of comedy - it may not be a total answer, but it will certainly help.) As Christians, we also have the availability of God’s healing power released through prayer, and certainly any prayer for someone who is suffering mental illness should include prayer for physical healing.

 

Demonic forces can definitely also play a part in mental illness. The Gadarene man whom Jesus freed from Legion behaved like someone totally insane, and had he been alive in the twenty first century would certainly have been hospitalized and medicated to within an inch of his life, and possibly also subjected to electric shock therapy. All of it would have been totally useless, because his problem was demonic. When the demons were dealt with, the man was no longer insane. Even when demons are not directly the cause of mental illness, they can have an influence that makes it worse.

 

At this point let me urge caution. If you know someone whom you suspect is under demonic influence, please don’t just wade in and start casting out demons unless you know what you are doing. Yes, you have the authority to do it (assuming that you are a truly born-again Christian). Know what? The devil doesn’t care! He is not the least bit interested in the authority you have, he is only influenced by the authority you know  you have! If you plunge into deliverance without knowing what you are doing, the person on whom you are practicing is likely to end up in a worse condition than when you started. (Believe me, I speak from experience. I had it done to me, it was not fun. Only a direct intervention from God saved me from the results.)

 

What you can do will depend on who the person is, and his/her relationship to you. If it is a child and your direct descendant (child, grandchild, great grandchild) you can invoke your covenant relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. (First make sure you are in that covenant relationship yourself.) A covenant always extends through the generations, so if the child is not yet at an age to make a decision for him/herself, you can extend the protection of your covenant relationship over him/her. You can also claim the Scriptures that say that the promise is to “you and to your household.” That is the promise of salvation, and deliverance from demonic influence is part of the salvation package.

 

Pray God’s peace over the person, if possible with the laying on of hands. When you can, play soft worship music in their presence - if it is someone living in your home and you are able, put a soft worship CD on continuous repeat and play it while he/she is asleep. Remember how David’s worship was able to suppress the activity of the demonic spirit that had taken hold of King Saul.

 

If the person is old enough to understand and willing to listen, talk to him about removing possible demonic influences in his life, renouncing them and repenting of any involvement. If he is a Christian, talk about the victory that Jesus won at Calvary, the fact that He has disarmed the powers and principalities, and that His Spirit within us is greater than any demonic force. Encourage him to stand in that victory. Try to find someone in your area you does move confidently in deliverance, and take or direct the sufferer to that person - but please check out his/her ministry first. Sadly, some who operate in “deliverance” are moving in control rather than the power of God, and cause more problems than they solve.

 

Finally, there is the area of sin. Unrepented sin affects all three areas of our lives. It affects our spirit, because sin cannot stand in the presence of God, therefore if we are continuing in unrepented sin we will effectively close down our spirit so that we do not have to encounter the Holy Spirit. It effects our emotions (part of our soul) because we will be carrying a burden of guilt. That guilt becomes a massive stress in our lives, which will in turn affect both our mind and our body. Since we have cut off the influence of the Holy Spirit, it will also open us up to the influence of demonic spirits.

 

Sin also includes our reactions to what has been done to us. Consider this: Jesus in His lifetime suffered a huge amount of rejection and abuse, but He never became mentally or emotionally disturbed because of it. Why? Because what hurts us is not what is done to us, but our reaction to it.

 

There are only two answers to sin. For our own sin, repentance and cleansing through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the sin of others, forgiveness and release.

 

But what about the wounds inflicted upon us before we were old enough to take responsibility for our reactions to them? What about the child whose emotional problems are rooted in the abuse he has received from adults? This is where the members of the Body of Christ need to step in. First, we need to pray that God would heal and release every wounded area. But our prayers need to have legs. We need to affirm to the sufferer both God’s love and ours, to demonstrate his value to God and to us, to uphold his worth as a person. It may be a slow process, but in time we can soften the scars. Even very young children can be led to the point of forgiving their abuser, and if we are dealing with an adult who has been hurt as a child then we can show him that, as an adult, he can respond in ways that the child couldn’t, and can choose to forgive and release the offender.

 

Mental/emotional illness is a very complex problem. I certainly would want anyone to think that I am suggesting a simplistic approach. However, by addressing the three areas of our being - body, soul and spirit - we will have a much better chance of finding answers.

 

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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There has been some discussion recently on one of the forums I frequent about prophecy, and particularly about people who claim “God told me” when it seems obvious to others that they may be hearing from a different source. Because it is important for us to be able to recognize the source of the messages that come to us, I thought I should post this article I wrote some time ago about testing prophecy.

These guidelines apply to prophetic words, words of knowledge or words of wisdom that we believe receive personally from God, that are given to us as a personal word by somebody else, or that are spoken out in the congregation.

 

1. Does it line up with Scripture?

God is the author of both Scripture and a true prophetic word. (2 Tim 3:16., 22 Tim 3:16., 2
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16 Every writing inspired by God literally, God-breathed is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness, Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z ¹! Vrstica ⁰ ne obstaja!

Pet 1:20)  He does not change, and will not say something different in prophecy to what He has already said in His Word. If someone tells you that God told them to do something that is forbidden in the Word, you can be sure it was not God.

 

2. Does it line up with the character of God?

Sometimes something can line up with the letter of the Word, but is contrary to the character of God - e.g. it is harsh, unloving or unjust. The letter kills, but the Spirit (who embodies God’s character) gives life. (2 Cor 3:62 Cor 3:6
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6 who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

) If a “prophetic word” kills rather than bringing life, it is easy to see who is behind it.

 

3. Does it line up with my own spirit?

As New Covenant believers we have the Spirit of God living within us. It is His job to communicate the things of God to us. (Jn 14:26Jn 14:26
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26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.

). Prophecy simply confirms, or occasionally prepares us for, God’s word to our own spirit. If it does not strike a chord with our spirit, we should throw it out. Interestingly, I have found that even when someone is in rebellion and refusing God’s purposes for his life, if the word is truly fom God, the recipient will recognize it even if rejecting it.

 

4. Is it true?

God is a God of truth. He does not lie, exaggerate, or fiddle with truth. If it is not true, it is not God.

5. Is it relevant?

Unlike the devil, God is not interested in tickling our curiousity. Nor is He interested in showing off His knowledge or anything else. He does not need to prove a thing to anyone. If a word is true but irrelevant, chances are it came from a psychic source not God.

6. If a time frame is given, does it come to pass in the time frame?

Deut 18:22Deut 18:22
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22 when a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken: the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him.

. God knows when He plans to do things. If a prophetic word says, “Today I will do such-and-such,” and by 1 minute past midnight tomorrow morning such-and-such has not happened, it was not God. If a time frame is implied (eg personal prophecies imply that what is spoken will happen in the person’s lifetime) it must happen within that implied time frame.

 

However, if no specific time frame (particularly in relation to what God is going to do in and through your life) don’t thing it’s going to happen tomorrow. Put it on the back burner and let God cook it properly!

 

7. Where is it leading me/us?

Deut 13:1-5Deut 13:1-5
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13 ¹ If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or the wonder come to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them; ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams: for Yahweh your God proves you, to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ You shall walk after Yahweh your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cleave to him. ⁵ That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk in. So shall you put away the evil from the midst of you.

. A word might meet all the above criteria, yet still be from the pit of hell to lead us away from God. Acts 16:16-18Acts 16:16-18
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16 It happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling. ¹⁷ Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation!” ¹⁸ She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour.

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. We need to ask, “If I take this into my spirit, will it bring me closer to God or take me away from Him?”

 

8. What is the spirit behind it?

When God is active, the devil is also active in imitation and deception. Like Paul in the above Scripture, we need the gift of discerning of spirits to recognise what spirit is active behind any spiritual activity.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 Everything that happens on the earth is influenced by the spiritual realm. But in turn, the spiritual realm is influenced by the choices made by people here on earth. When a particular spirit has dominance over an area, it is there because people have chosen to give that particular thing dominance in their lives.

 For example, let’s say an area is dominated by a spirit of lust. It is quite probable that at one time that spirit did not have control over the area. However, some people in the area chose to move in lust, thus inviting a spirit of lust to control their lives. This then became a viscous cycle: the more they moved in lust, the stronger the spirit became; the stronger it became, the more they were drawn into lust.

At some point that spirit began to exert an influence beyond the people who had first invited it. Those around them were brought under the same spirit, and began to move into lust, thus strengthening the spirit even more. The more people came under its influence, and the more they moved into expressions of lust, the stronger that spirit of lust became, until the point where it ceased to be merely a spirit affecting the lives of individuals, and became a dominant spirit over the area. Now it becomes difficult for anyone living in that geographical area not to be tainted by that spirit of lust.

This principle operates the same way, no matter what spirit you may be considering. False religions, poverty, violence, materialism - every spiritual force that controls some area of planet earth got its foothold in the heavenlies in this way.

Now at first glance that may seem very discouraging, but it is actually really good news for us as Christians, because the whole principle can work in the positive exactly as it has worked in the negative. If we are going to bring the Kingdom of God into an area, we have to start building positive strongholds to counter the negative ones.

The first thing we need to do is to identify the prevailing spirits that need to be thrown down. We can do this first of all through prayer, and asking the Lord to give us the gift of the discernment of spirits. We can also learn a lot by simply looking around us, bearing in mind that spirits always produce after their own kind. That is, a spirit of poverty will always produce poverty, it will not produce lust. So if we can see what is manifested in our area, it will be fairly easy to discern what spirit is behind it.

The second thing we need to do is to live in a way that is the opposite of that prevailing spirit. So, if the prevailing spirit over our area is pride, then we need to walk in radical humility. At first, this will be extremely difficult. The spirit of pride over the area will be constantly coming against us, trying to pull us into pride. Not only that, but the people of the area, under the influence of that spirit, will ridicule us. We must never try to do this alone, or we will be crushed and brought under that spirit ourselves. Rather, we must walk in total dependence upon the Spirit of God (which is in itself part of humility.)

The more we can do this, the more we will attract the Holy Spirit in His manifestation of humility. As His influence extends beyond us, others will begin to break free of the spirit of pride and walk in humility, further strengthening the presence of the Holy Spirit. In time, His presence will displace the spirit of pride over the area.

This is not the gung-ho, shout-at-the-devil approach; but it is much more effective. It takes time, patience, and discipline; but its benefits extend not only to us but to our children’s children.

 

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

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)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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