Christian Spiritual Warfare

Archive for the ‘Spiritual Warfare’ Category

This is sort of a follow-on from my last post about occultic symbols. Sometimes people ask me about alternative medicine and what should be the Christian response. It seems to be one of those areas that polarizes people – some embrace it wholeheartedly, whilst others want nothing to do with it because they see it all as being “New Age.”

Like so much New Age stuff, alternative medicine is very much a mixed bag. Some alternative therapies are totally legitimate, whilst others are demonically backed. So how do you tell the difference? Things like the use of herbs and plants for healing are fine – God placed those things in the world for our benefit – but what about things like aromatherapy, reiki and hypnosis. How can we know what is safe and what is not?

My personal practice is to start by asking the simple question, Is there any kind of scientific backing for this? Some therapies, even though not generally accepted by traditional medicine, do have a scientific basis. One that springs to mind is aromatherapy. Studies have shown that aromas do certainly influence the mental/emotional wellbeing of patients, and may also influence their physical wellbeing.

Others have absolutely no scientific backing at all, but rely on drawing on some unseen power. In Reiki, for instance, the practitioner supposedly “heals” by channeling his/her inner healing power to the patient. The reality, however, is that human beings do not have any innate healing ability, and the power these people are channeling is actually demonic. In fact, it is exactly the same thing as I used to do before I was saved when, as a spiritualist, I operated as a healing medium. Unfortunately, the results are also the same – the patient may get “healed”, but he/she also gets a bunch of demons.

If any therapy does not have some scientific basis, avoid it. Maybe in time it will be proven to be scientific, but it is far better to risk missing out than to take a chance on it being ok only to learn too late that it is demonic.

Just to make life more complicated, some therapies do have an apparently scientific basis, but are still spiritually dangerous. I am thinking particularly of hypnosis. Certainly, hypnosis works, and there are studies which show how and why it works. Hypnotists also argue that nobody will do under hypnosis anything that they would normally consider morally wrong. However, that is very easy to work around. If a woman under hypnosis can be made to believe that the onion she is biting into is a sweet, juicy apple, they why could she not be made to believe that the man kissing her is her husband? She might have moral standards that would never allow her to kiss a man who was not her husband, but if she believes he is, then those standards are over-ridden. Even worse, hypnosis places people in a spiritually vulnerable position where they can be attacked by demons without even recognizing that an attack is taking place. Don’t ever fall into the trap of thinking, “Because it works it must be ok.”

Some Christians say we should not worry about such things. They quote the Scripture that “greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world” and insist that we are safe to do anything because of the power of God. However, God never promises to protect us from willful stupidity. If you step off the top of a building, God is not going to send an angel to hold you up; and if you deliberately get involved in things that are demonic in their origin, He is not going to shelter you from the consequences. He gave us intelligence and will, and He means us to use them.

Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater – some alternative therapies are ok, and very helpful. Pray and ask the Lord to give you wisdom, consider whether a particular therapy has any real scientific basis, and also consider what the results could be. If there is any doubt, it is far better to err on the side of caution.

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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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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A discussion arose recently on one of the forums where I hang out, about occultic symbols. Some people think that all symbols are harmless, whilst others think that even seemingly innocent things like butterflies can have sinister undertones. I decided this is something I really should address through this blog.

Firstly we need to understand what symbols are. Symbols are not just pictures: they say something. After all, the letters which make up our alphabet and from there our words, sentences and stories, are just symbols. When we see the letter “G”, we know that it stands for a certain sound. When we see the letter “O” we know it stands for a different sound. When we put them together, we know that they stand for a word that tells us to move ourselves from where we are to somewhere else.

This is even more true in pictographic languages like Chinese, where each “letter” represents not a sound but a picture of something. Or consider the many symbols we see in our everyday lives. We do not need to be told what a raised hand sign means, for example – we know that it “says” stop, even though we don’t see any words. In a sense we can think of symbols as words or sentences written in a different language.

The most powerful occultic symbol is the pentagram, the five-pointed star. This is normally drawn upside down, so that it has two points at the top and one each at the sides and bottom. It is a stylized picture of a face with two horns and a pointed beard, and is a symbol of satan. It says that the thing to which it is attached belongs to the devil.

Closely related to the pentagram is the “horned hand” in which the index and small fingers are extended, while the other two fingers are held down in front by the thumb. Again, it is a stylized devil’s head, and it is a declaration that satan is lord – not exactly something that any Christian would want to do.

Next is the hexagram, the six-sided star, normally drawn inside a circle. It says that the thing to which it is attached is cursed (hence the word hex, meaning a curse.) If you wear that symbol, you are declaring yourself to be cursed.

Another is the Ankh, which looks like a cross but has a loop at the top instead of the top part of the main beam. Many Christians wear this, thinking that it is just another type of cross, but in fact it is the Egyptian symbol of death.

The peace symbol is another that many use innocently, not understanding its origins. This is a circle with a vertical bar, and downward sloping bar going from the center bar to the circumference on each side. The story is that the Roman emperor Nero, who despised Christians, took a cross and broke its arms downward, saying that Christ was worthless. No Christian would want to wear a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Christ is worthless”, yet many unwittingly wear peace symbols that say exactly that, just in a different language.

Then there’s the yin/yang symbol – a circle with a squiggly line through the middle, half dark and half white. It is the symbol of dualism, the philosophy that says there are two equal but opposite forces in the universe. Ultimately, it is saying that satan is equal to God (but opposite.) Again, that’s not a message that most Christians would really want to wear on a t-shirt, but by wearing a yin/yang symbol, that is what they are declaring.

These are symbols that were specifically designed for occultic use. There are many others, but that is enough to give you the idea. Two very good reasons for avoiding these symbols: firstly, they make statements in another language that you would never want to make in your native tongue. Secondly, because they are linked to the occult, they can actually be an invitation to demonic forces to attack your life.

What about other symbols? Some people have attached occultic meaning to all manner of things, such as butterflies, frogs, elephants and rainbows. Should we avoid using these things, too? My response to that is a very definite “NO!” Such things are not intrinsically occultic. For the most part they are beautiful creations of God, which occultists have “stolen” and adapted to their own purposes. We should refuse to give up such things: the devil does not have a right to them.

This is an illustration I often use: suppose you had a block of land with a caravan on it. Someone comes along and takes up residence in the caravan. You have every right to kick that squatter out and reclaim the caravan for your own use. However, suppose the squatter did not take up residence in your caravan, but brought his own caravan with him and parked it on your block of land. Now, you would have every right to remove both the van and the squatter; but you would not have the right to kick the squatter out of the van and keep the van for yourself.

In the same way, some symbols “belong” to the devil. They were made for him, and he has a right to them. You need to remove both them and him from your life. Other symbols do not belong to the devil, and never have. He has merely taken them over. You have every right to kick him out and keep the symbols for your own use.

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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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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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
English: World English Bible - WEB
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!”

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

WP-Bible plugin) 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.

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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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.

WP-Bible plugin)

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
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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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!

WP-Bible plugin 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.

WP-Bible plugin) 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.

WP-Bible plugin). 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.

WP-Bible plugin. 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.

WP-Bible plugin. 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.

WP-Bible plugin. 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
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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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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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One of the things very much on the heart of this ministry is a concern for the persecuted church. We receive information from several organizations that are involved with caring for the needs of persecuted Christians, and always take time in our services to pray for them.

Many people in the west don’t realize the degree of persecution that is happening to God’s people today. It has been estimated that one in every ten Christians in the world is suffering some degree of persecution because of his/her Christian faith. This can range all the way from discrimination against them in education and employment; to having property destroyed, stolen or confiscated; to being forced from their homes or villages; to imprisonment; to physical attack and death.

Particularly, we have been hearing a great deal in recent months about the persecution against Christians in India, and particularly in the state of Orissa. To read an account from one Indian brother who recently visited the churches in Orissa, go to http://glorytotheking.net/glorymagazine/christmas08/orissa.html

I have enormous admiration for the saints who stand through such things, holding firmly to their faith no matter what. They both encourage and challenge me, and I thank God for their faith and faithfulness.

However, I can’t help feeling that they are missing a very important part of the Gospel. Yes, Jesus made it very clear that those who follow Him would suffer persecution – it is the inevitable result of the clash between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. And yes, the Word makes it clear that we are to love those who persecute us. Unlike those who follow the religions of the world, we cannot rise up in an earthly “holy war” against those who attack us.

At the same time, we do not have to lie down and allow the world, and the gods of the world, to trample all over us. Jesus defeated satan at the cross. He “disarmed principalities and powers” and “made public spectacle of them” (Colossians 2:15Colossians 2:15
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15 having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

WP-Bible plugin.) The demonic powers behind those who would attack us have already been defeated. That means that we have the right to rise up and demand that they accept their defeat, and cease their attack. We have the right to require their surrender.

Now I fully understand that the moment when someone has a knife at your child’s throat, or is in the process of pouring petrol over your house and everyone and everything in it, is probably not the best time to begin learning to do warfare at this level. That’s why the persecuted church needs us – the church in the free world, for whom “persecution” is nothing more than a nasty look or a snide remark – to warfare at this level on their behalf. It is not enough for us to pray for them God’s comfort and protection. We need to be declaring God’s victory on their behalf.

If we don’t learn this, the time may quickly come when we are ourselves in the position where they are now.

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.

 

In recognition that the current financial crisis means that people have less to spend, I have cut the prices on my Spiritual Warfare seminar, Called to Battle.

Check out the new prices using the link below. If you would like a free “trial run” first, sign up for my Put On the Armor of God e-course.

I hope this new pricing structure will mean that more people will be able to take advantage of this training.

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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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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When I was a very young minister (more years ago than I care to think about) I was pastoring a tiny pioneer church in Wollongong, on the south coast of New South Wales. In the congregation was a young couple whom I had joined in marriage just a few months before, and who were very new Christians.

One day the young husband approached me, looking very concerned. “Pastor Lynn,” he said, squirming awkwardly. “Someone told me the other day that we should put the “blood line” around our property. How do we do that? Do we need to kill a chicken or something?… ” Trying hard to suppress a chuckle at his innocence, I explained to him about the blood of Jesus.

People who have not been brought up in Christianity find it bizarre when we talk about the blood. Some have even accused the Christian faith of being a “butcher shop” religion. Sadly, even within the Church some find the blood too hard a concept to handle. I was recently visiting a church for their Sunday night service. The pastor talked about the sinless life of Jesus, and said that we are saved by that life. “Jesus looks at Fred,” he said, “and says, ‘Father, I like him’, so Father God says, “O.K., he can come in.” This was a most dreadful perversion of the Gospel, and I left vowing never to go to that church again.

The truth is, we are not saved by Jesus’ life. Jesus’ life demonstrates to us how man can and should live, if he is filled with and dependent upon the Holy Spirit. But if Jesus had just lived on earth for a time, and then been caught back to heaven without passing through death, His life would have been to us much as the Law was to the people of Israel in the Old Testament: a pointer to an unattainable standard which offered us nothing that would enable us to reach that standard.

Something else was needed first, and that something was death, the shedding of blood. God had set the death penalty for sin, and His justice demanded that penalty be paid. We are not saved by Jesus’ perfect life, but by the fact that He went to the Cross, shed His blood, and paid that death penalty on our behalf. Because of His shed blood, our sins are forgiven. Because our sins are forgiven we are reconnected with the life of God, and He sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. When we have the Holy Spirit living within – and only then – we are able to live as Jesus lived, by allowing the Spirit to live His life through us.

So, what about my young friend and the blood line? In the Old Testament, at the Passover, the people were told to kill a lamb. Some of the lamb’s blood was to be daubed on the door posts and lintels of their home, and they were to eat the lamb inside the house. When the angel of death came through the land to kill all the firstborn – the final plague that God brought against the Egyptians to convince them to let the Israelites go – he would see the blood and pass over that house.

This sacrifice was symbolic of the far greater sacrifice that was to come, that of Christ on the Cross. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb provided protection for the people of Israel, so the blood of Jesus provides protection for anyone who will receive Him. It protects us from the attack of the devil, when he comes and accuses us, because we can now tell him that the sins he is trying to dredge up have been forgiven because of the blood of Jesus.

It also protects us from the kind of demonic attacks that would try to harm us or damage our property, because the blood of Jesus has brought us into covenant relationship with God. That covenant relationship means that God has committed Himself to defending us.

When we “place the blood line” around a property, we are simply declaring that this territory is under God’s protection, because the blood of Jesus has been shed for us. The blood of Jesus is the only antidote to sin, and is the source of our authority over 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,

WP-Bible plugin)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,

WP-Bible plugin)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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