Spiritual warfare is real warfare in the spirit realm.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:4: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
We first prepare by putting on the armour listed in Ephesians 6. We take communion and anoint with holy oil. christian bloggit: preparing to enter God's holy presence
christian-bloggit.blogspot.com/.../preparing-to-enter-gods-holy-presence...
We can also use anointed music to bring in the presence of God. God inhabits the praises of His people. The anointing removes burdens and destroys the yoke.
The two secrets are:
1. Fine tune to obey the Holy Spirit to the finest detail
Each step ask Him what to do first.
2. Use the weapons like real weapons, eg. the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, use as a flaming sword in the spirit realm.
- There are three keys given to the Christian:
- key of revelation knowledge
- key of binding
- key of loosing
The Holy Spirit will give you the picture of the situation(the key of revelation knowledge). Then the Holy Spirit will show you what to bind or loose and how to do it.
There are other weapons the Holy Spirit may lead and guide you to use. They are all mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.
The gifts of the Spirit are:
- the word of Wisdom
- the word of Knowledge
- the discerning of spirits
- the gifts of healing
- the gift of faith
- the gift of miracles
- the gift of prophecy
- speaking in tongues
- interpretation of tongues
2. Use the weapons like real weapons, eg. the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, use as a flaming sword in the spirit realm.
- There are three keys given to the Christian:
- key of revelation knowledge
- key of binding
- key of loosing
The Holy Spirit will give you the picture of the situation(the key of revelation knowledge). Then the Holy Spirit will show you what to bind or loose and how to do it.
There are other weapons the Holy Spirit may lead and guide you to use. They are all mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.
The gifts of the Spirit are:
- the word of Wisdom
- the word of Knowledge
- the discerning of spirits
- the gifts of healing
- the gift of faith
- the gift of miracles
- the gift of prophecy
- speaking in tongues
- interpretation of tongues
Use the weapons in the Spirit realm like real weapons
Jesus speaks in parables...the kingdom of heaven is like...the word of God is like...to reveal different applications of the Word of God. Example: Is not My Word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that smashes a rock in pieces (Jer 23:29).
Use the Word of God like fire to burn to ashes in the spirit realm. Burn to stubble all witchcraft (Isa 47:13-14) and set on fire thorns (curses) and briers. Jesus took all our curses at Calvary (Gal 3:13). He is a wall of fire around us and His glory within. Spirit of judgment, Spirit of fire (Isa 4:4, Daniel 7:9-10). The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The fire of God, the Creator, is to eternity hotter than His creation. The centre of the sun is approx 15 000 000 degrees centigrade. Our God is an all-consuming fire (Hebr 12:28). Who can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning? He who walks righteously and speaks what is right (Isa 33:14-15).
Use the Rock eternal (the Word of God) like a hammer to smash the devil's tiny rock. Flattens the devil rock in one smash. For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede (Deut 32:31).
He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces but he on whom this stone falls (like a hammer) will be crushed (Matt 21:44).
God can do all things. There is nothing impossible with God. The Holy Spirit knows the correct weapon for each situation. Example: when dealing with a Goliath, you may think to bind but God may tell you to aim a sling stone in the spirit realm (type of the Word of God). The devil is defeated by God heaven, earth and hell. He is brought to nought.
God can do all things. There is nothing impossible with God. The Holy Spirit knows the correct weapon for each situation. Example: when dealing with a Goliath, you may think to bind but God may tell you to aim a sling stone in the spirit realm (type of the Word of God). The devil is defeated by God heaven, earth and hell. He is brought to nought.
See I lay a stone in Zion...(Isa 28:16). Put God's Word in the situation. The chief cornerstone. God judges the situation through His Word with righteousness and justice.
Use this link to increase your knowledge of God's Word is like used in various ways in spiritual battle:
christian-bloggit.blogspot.com/2012/.../jesus-word-of-god-personified.ht...
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When dealing with covenants made by Satanists
it is important to revoke / annul the covenant by speaking out annulment of all oaths, agreements etc (Isa 28). CHRISTIAN BLOGGIT: DELIVERANCE
christian-bloggit.blogspot.com/.../first-bind-strongman-then-destroy-his....
See above link for deliverance from Freemasonery (as an example of oaths to cut off); See list of demon strongmen; prayer to burn witchcraft to stubble.In short,
- Uproot covenants like a tree uprooted: roots, trunk, branches, leaves, fruit
- burn the whole uprooted tree
- burn the whole uprooted tree
- burn the witchcraft (like fruit on the tree),
- burn with fire of Holy Spirit
- bind / cast out the demons
When done, speak Isa 40:24-26 over any further covenants they try to plant: No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 'To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?' says the Holy One. 'Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?'
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WEAPONS OF WARFARE
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN THE WORLD IS THE ONE WHO KNOWS WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE’S GOT (IN GOD). NOTHING CAN STOP HIM. THEY WILL ONLY FIND THEMSELVES FIGHTING AGAINST GOD.
PUT ON THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD (EPH 6)
DEFENCE AND ATTACK
PUT ON THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD (EPH 6)
DEFENCE AND ATTACK
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SECRET
PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH
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PS 91:1
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IT IS
GOD’S TO AVENGE AND REPAY
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JER
51:56, ROM 12:19-21, DEUT 32:35, HEBREWS 10:30. ISA 54:17, ISA 61:2, ISA
59:18, ISA 65:7, ROM 3:5, PS 58:10, PS 94:1
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THEY
WILL ONLY FIND THEMSELVES FIGHTING AGAINST GOD
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ACTS
5:38-39, Isa:7:7: Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall
it come to pass.
Isa:8:10:
Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it
shall not stand: for God is with us.
Isa:14:24:
The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it
come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
Isa
40:24-26: No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do
they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a
whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 'To whom will you compare
me? Or who is my equal?' says the Holy One. 'Lift up your eyes
and look to the heavens: Who created all these?'
Isa:46:10:
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure:
Isa:59:19:
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the
rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the
Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against
him. Isa:62:10: Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the
way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift
up a standard for the people.
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WHEN I
AM WEAK HE IS STRONG
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2 COR
12:10, EPH 6:10, 2 COR 13:2-4, 1 COR 2:25, 2 TIM 2:1
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GOD HAS
THE POWER TO HELP OR OVERTHROW
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2 CHRON
25:8
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FULL
ARMOUR OF GOD
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EPH 6,
JER 50:25, 2 COR 10:4-5
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HELMET
OF SALVATION
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BREASTPLATE
OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
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SHOES
OF PEACE (RIGHT PATH)
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Luke
1:79; Ephesians 6:15
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BELT OF
TRUTH
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Ephesians
6:14
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SHIELD
OF FAITH
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SWORD
OF SPIRIT
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SEE
BELOW Ephesians
6:17; Hebrews
4:12
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SPEAKING
IN TONGUES
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Acts
10:46; 1
Corinthians 12:10; 1
Corinthians 14:39; Ephesians 6:18
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THANKS
AND PRAISE - PROCLAIM THE POWER OF GOD
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PS
100:4, PS 149:6, PS 68:34, PS 150
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BLOOD
OF JESUS
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MATT
26:28, COL 2:13-15, HEB 9:12, ISA 53:4-10
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BLOOD
COVENANT
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REV
12:11, ZEC 9:11-12; DEUT 29:12; 1 COR 11:24-25
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CIRCUMCISION
/ BE HOLY = SET APART TO GOD
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PHIL
3:4, 1 COR 7:19, DEUT 28:9
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GIFT OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS
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SEAL
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NAME OF
JESUS
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PHIL
2:9-11, EPH 1:21, MATT 28:18, MARK 16:18, REV 19:13, MICAH 4:5, ISA 30:27,
MATT 18:20, ISA 64:2-3; ISA 45:23 MALACHI 2:1-6; MAL
3:16, MAL 4:2, MAL 1:11
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SEATED
WITH CHRIST
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EPH
1:21, EPH 2:6, DEUT 28:13
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SAME
SPIRIT THAT ROSE CHRIST FROM THE DEAD DWELLS IN ME
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ROM
8:11 (SEE EPH 1:19-20), ISA 4:4, MICAH 3:8
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YOU
SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES UPON YOU
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ACTS
1:8, 1 JOHN 4:4, ZEC 4:7, ISA 61:1-3
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MY
SPIRIT WHICH IS UPON YOU AND MY WORDS THAT I HAVE PUT IN YOUR MOUTH
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ISAIAH
59:21
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ANOINTING
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ISA
10:27, 1 SAM 16:13, ISA 61:1-3 (SEE ARK)
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LORD OF
THE BREAKTHROUGH
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1 CHRON
14:11
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HOLY
SPIRIT
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KEEP IN
STEP WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
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ALSO
SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST
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HOLY
SPIRIT LEADS AND GUIDES INTO ALL TRUTH, SHOWS YOU THINGS TO COME, REMINDS YOU
OF THE WORDS OF JESUS, REVEALS GOD’S WILL
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JOHN
16:13, 1 COR 2, ISA 11:2-4, REV 4:5, REV 19:10, REV 21:5-6, GAL 5:25, ZECH
4:6, PS 18:34-36
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SWORD
OF THE SPIRIT WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD
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EPH
6:17; HEBR 4:12, ISA 49:2, 2 SAM 23:2, ISA 51:16, HOSEA 6:5, ISA 27:1, REV
19:21, REV 1:16, HABAK 3:4, ISA 14:27, ISA 55:11, EZEK 21:9-17, DEUT 33:29
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KEEP
YOUR EYES FIXED ON JESUS
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HEB
12:1-4, COL 3:1-3, 2 COR 4:17-18, PROV 4:18-27
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CORNERSTONE
(JESUS)
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ISA
28:16, LUKE 20:18, PS 118:22-24, ZECH 10:4-5, ZECH
4:7 RIGHTEOUSNESS / JUSTICE
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LAY A
STONE IN ZION
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ISA
28:16
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CORNERSTONE
(OPPOSITE JESUS)
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ISA
34:11, ISA 19:13 CHAOS / DESOLATION
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FEAR OF
THE LORD / WISDOM / UNDERSTANDING / KNOWLEDGE (WHICH SEE)
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IT IS
WRITTEN (WORD OF GOD)
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ISA
8:20, MATT 4:10, MATT 16:23
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SPEAK
GOD’S PROMISES OF PROTECTION
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see
table
christian-bloggit.blogspot.com/.../full-protection-lord-i-speak-that-i-am.h...
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WORDS
NONE CAN RESIST
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ACTS
6:10
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FOIL
SIGNS OF FALSE PROPHETS
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ANGELS
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KEY OF
REVELATION KNOWLEDGE
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LUKE
11:52, MATT 16:18, PROV 24:4, PROV 24:5
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KEYS OF
BINDING AND LOOSING
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MATT
16:19, MATT 18:18
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BIND
STRONGMAN & REMOVE HIS WEAPONS /VEILS
SPIRIT
OF JEALOUSY
LYING
SPIRIT
FAMILIAR
SPIRIT
SPIRIT
OF PERVERSION
SPIRIT
OF HEAVINESS
SPIRIT
OF WHOREDOM
SPIRIT
OF INFIRMITY
DEAF
AND DUMB SPIRIT
SPIRIT
OF FEAR
SPIRIT
OF PRIDE
SPIRIT
OF BONDAGE
ANTICHRIST
SPIRIT
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BIND
STRONGMAN (SEE LIST: DELIVERANCE)
christian-bloggit.blogspot.com/.../first-bind-strongman-then-destroy-his....
2
Corinthians 3:14-16; 2 COR 4:4:THEN REMOVE VEILS /BLINDFOLDS OVER MIND,
EYES, HEART, EARS
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IS NOT
MY WORD LIKE FIRE, SAYS THE LORD
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JER
23:29, ISA 30:33, NAHUM 1:6, DANIEL 7:9-10, ISA 47:13-14, HEBR 12:28, 1 THESS
5:19-20, MATT 3:11, JER 20:9, ISA 33:14-15
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WORD
LIKE A HAMMER THAT SMASHES THE ROCK IN PIECES
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JER
23:29, DEUT 32:31, MATT 21:44
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WORD
LIKE A ROCK
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1 COR
10:4, ROM 9:32-33, ISA 8:14-15, DEUT 32:31, ZECH 12:3, DAN 2:45
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WORD
LIKE SLINGSTONES
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ZEC
9:14-15, 1 SAM 17:26, 36, 37, 40, 45-49
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WORD
LIKE HAILSTONES
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ISA
28:17, ISA 30:30, PS 105:32, ISA 28:2, EZEK 13:13-15, EX 9:22-25, ISA 29:6,
EZEK 38:22, PS 18:12, ISA 32:19
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WORD
LIKE RAIN
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ISA
28:17 (SCOURGE), HOSEA 5:10, ISA 59:19, NAHUM 1:8 (FLOOD), DEUT 32:2, ISA
32:15 (RAIN)
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WORD
LIKE ARROWS
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WORD
LIKE WHIP
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WORD
LIKE ROD / STAFF / SCEPTER / STICK
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ROD: Job
9:34; Psalm
2:9; Psalm
23:4; Proverbs
10:13; Isaiah
9:4 ; Isaiah
11:4; Isaiah
30:31; Ezekiel
7:10-11; Ezekiel
20:37; Leviticus
27:32 STAFF: Exodus
4:4; Exodus
14:16-17; Exodus
7:12; Numbers
17:1; Numbers
17:8; Psalm
23:4; Isaiah
10:26; Zechariah
11:7; Mark
6:8; Matthew
27:29 SCEPTER: Genesis
49:10; Numbers
24:17; Esther
4:11; Esther
5:2; Psalm
45:6; Psalm
60:7; Psalm
110:2; Isaiah
14:5; Ezekiel
19:11; Hebrews
1:8; Revelation
2:27; Revelation
19:15 STICK: 2
Kings 6:6; Ezekiel
21:10; Ezekiel
37:16-20; Amos
4:11; Zechariah
3:2
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BREAK
ROD OF OPPRESSOR
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JUDGMENT LIKE
LIGHTNING
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2
Samuel 22:15; Job
36:32; Ezekiel
21:15; Zechariah
9:14; Luke
10:18; Revelation
4:5; HOSEA 6:5
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PROPHESY
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1
THESS 5:19
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WIND
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WHIRLWIND
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THRESHING
SLEDGE
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FORTIFIED
CITY
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DECREE
A THING AND IT WILL BE ESTABLISHED FOR YOU
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JOB
22:28
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GIVE
THE COMMAND IN JESUS NAME / COMMAND THE POWER OF THE DEVIL BE BROKEN
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Decree
a thing and it will be established for you. Ask and you will
receive that the Father may be glorified in the Son. In His Name, rise
and walk.
The
Name above all names. God has exalted above all things His Name and His
Word. That at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue
confess Him Lord. His Name is written on my forehead for I belong to
Him. I will walk in His Name forever.
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SPEAK
TO THE MOUNTAIN
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MOUNTAIN
LEVEL GROUND
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ZECH
4:7, ISA 45:2
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MOUNTAINS
MELT LIKE WAX BEFORE THE LORD
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I AM
AGAINST YOU O DESTROYING MOUNTAIN
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OBSTACLES
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BARS OF
IRON, GATES OF BRONZE
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WALL
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HIGH
WALL OF SIN COLLAPSE
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SHATTER EMPTY
GLASS JAR
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OPPRESSOR
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OPEN /
CLOSE DOORS (WHAT JESUS OPENS NO ONE CAN SHUT, AND WHAT HE SHUTS, NO ONE CAN
OPEN)
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BURNING
THORNS
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SPIRIT
OF JUDGMENT, SPIRIT OF FIRE
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ASHES
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FIREPOT
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BURNING
COALS
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BIND
STRONGMAN
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See
above. Bind before you remove veils, so that the strongman is bound for
the day. Loose veils, take them off. Let the glorious light of
the gospel shine in. Ask God to send labourers into the harvest field
to speak the rhema Word of God.
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REMOVE VEILS
/DULL MINDS /BLINDFOLDS
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2
Corinthians 3:14-16; 2 COR 4:4
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DESTROY
TREE (ROOTS BRANCHES FRUIT)
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Covenants
made with the devil to be uprooted completely and burned with fire of the
Holy Spirit - roots, branches, leaves, fruit. (witchcraft could be seen as
fruit - grows again unless covenant uprooted). Isaiah 28:18. Jer
11:19, Ezek 19:12,14, Matt 7:19, John 15:6. Against any new covenants,
declare:
Yea, YOUR
COVENANTS WITH SATAN they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown:
yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and GOD shall also blow
upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as
stubble. (Isa:40:24).
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ANNUL
DEVIL COVENANTS / AGREEMENTS WITH THE GRAVE WILL NOT STAND
|
Isaiah
28:18
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SLAYER
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WEAR
OUT / MOTHS / WORM
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SHRIVELS
/ WITHERS
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WITHERS:
Isaiah
40:7; Isaiah
40:8; John
15:6; Ezekiel
17:9 ; SHRIVEL: Isaiah
64:6; Ezekiel
19:12
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WALL OF
FIRE
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AGAINST
WITCHCRAFT
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Isaiah
47:8-15
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CRUSH
HEAD OF SNAKE
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Genesis
3:15
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PRAISES
TO GOD
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2
Chronicles 5:13; God inhabits the praises of His people.
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GIFTS
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
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I
COR 12:4-11
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PEG
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BLOWS
OF GOD’S ARM
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ARROWS
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SWORDS
AND SPEARS
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SALT
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Covenant
of salt Numbers
18:19; Leviticus
2:13; salt of the earth Matthew
5:13; conversation seasoned with salt:Colossians
4:6; wasteland: Judges
9:45
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ARMY OF
THE LORD
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Joel
2; Rev 19:14
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SEND
LABOURERS
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MATT 9:37-38
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SHATTER
GLASS JARS
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Judges
7:20 (shatter glass jars caused confusion in the enemy rank and the
enemy fought each other). Done as per instruction of God to Gideon,
also blew trumpet, meaning God has given Gideon and his men the
victory. Also held fire torches, meaning the presence of God with them,
the prophetic battle. Jer 25:34 For
your time to be slaughtered has come; you will fall and be shattered
like fine pottery.
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HIGH
WALL OF SIN COLLAPSE
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Isaiah
30:13 (rejecting God's Word, relying on oppression and deceit)
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BIND UP
WOUNDS / HEAL BROKENHEARTED
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ISA
61:1; PS 147:3
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BACKLASHES
ON OWN HEADS
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JOEL
3:4
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HORNET
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DEUT
7:20; Exodus
23:28
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TRUMPETS
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TORCHES
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Isa
62:1; Judges 7:20
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FOXES
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INHERITANCE
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COURT
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Matt 10:19,
Mark 13:11
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DESTROYER
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ARK
OF THE COVENANT
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Revelation
11:19 In God's temple; Numbers
7:89 ; Hebrews
9:5 at the mercy seat
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NEIGHBOURS
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LION
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CIRCUMCISION
|
JER 4:3-4; GEN 17:11; ACTS 7:51-52; DEUT 10:16; ROM 2:29; COL 2:8-15; PHIL 3:3; 2 COR 3:3
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YOKE
SEE ANOINTING
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ISA
10:27; JESUS YOKE IS EASY AND HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT
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CLOUD
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EZEKIEL
1, EZEKIEL 10, ISAIAH 6: White cloud of God's manifest presence / glory to
bless the church; LAMENTATIONS 2:1; PSALM 18; LAMENTATIONS 3:16; NAHUM
1:3 black cloud of God's manifest presence /anger to punish the
wicked. Burning coals with black cloud to throw over city or
upon head of
individuals.
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HAND
|
All
the holy ones are in God's hand. God is greater than all and no one can
snatch them out of God's hand. Deut 33:3 and John
10:29.
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WINEPRESS
|
Rev 19:15; Isaiah 63:2 ;
Rev 19:13; Joel
3:13 ; Revelation
14:14
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BIRTH
STAGES
CONCEPTION
- BIRTH
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ISA
66:9; ECCL 3:1; JOHN 16:20-21; ISA 42:14; MICAH 4:8-13; ISA 26:17-18;
HOSEA
13:12-14; JOB 3:16; PSALM 58:8; GAL
4:27:31; HOSEA 9:10-16;
PSALM 7:14; Isa:33:11; ISA 59:4; Jer:49:30; JOB 15:35. |
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SEED -
HARVEST
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LUKE 8:11; 1 PETER 1:22-25; JOHN
12:24; GAL 6:7-9; HOSEA 10:12;
JER
4:3-4; NUMBERS 33:55; ISA
28:23-29; LUKE 9:60-62; GAL 6:9; MATTHEW 13; MARK 4; LUKE
8. EZEKIEL 36:29 - GOD CALLS THE CORN. GEN
8:22. ROMANS 4:17; HEB
11:1. EZEK 7:10-11. Galatians
6:8; Job
4:8; Hosea
10:13
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GATES
OF BRONZE, BARS OF IRON
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ISAIAH
45:2 (DEMONIC HINDRANCES)
|
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AS IN
THE DAY OF MIDIAN'S DEFEAT (oppressor)
|
ISAIAH
9:4; ISAIAH 10:26-27. JUDGES 7: 135 000 men defeated by 300 men.
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HOOK
AND BIT
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WEEDS /
WHEAT
|
Weeds
planted by the devil; wheat planted by God. Wheat festival - Day of
Pentecost. Wheat - sons of God obeying the Holy Spirit. Field of
finest wheat. You are God's building, God's field. Matt
13:24-30, Psalm 147:14, Deut 32:14.
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HARVEST/SICKLE
|
Joel
3:13; Rev 14:14-16; Matt 13:24-30.
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SIEVE
|
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HORNS
OF IRON, HOOVES OF BRONZE
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Micah
4:13 at the threshing floor
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STAND
IN THE GAP
|
Ezekiel
22:30; Isaiah 65:8.
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BURN
HAY WOOD STUBBLE/STRAW
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1
Corinthians 3:12; Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 44:16-20; Isaiah 40:24; Isaish
41:15-16; Isaiah 47:8-14.
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PAY
BACK 7 TIMES
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PS
79:12
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DISCERNMENT - A NEGLECTED GIFT?
PAGE 91 TAKEN OUT OF A BOOK
LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN
CHAPTER: SPIRITUAL WARFARE: DEFENCE
1 COR 12:7: But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
DISCERNMENT - A NEGLECTED GIFT?
IN THIS ISSUE OF THE DEFENCE OF THE CHURCH THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE. YET, WHEN PEOPLE COME ALIVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS BEGIN TO BE SHOWERED ON GOD’S PEOPLE, MOST YEARN TO SPEAK IN TONGUES, OR RECEIVE THE GIFT OF HEALING. SADLY, SOME FEEL THAT THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT IS THE BOOBY PRIZE. PERHAPS WE SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED AT THIS BECAUSE IT IS A MOST UNNERVING GIFT WHEN FIRST RECEIVED. YET IT IS A PRECIOUS SPIRITUAL GIFT, A GOD-GIVEN RESOURCE ‘FOR THE COMMON GOOD’ AND IS AMONG THE NINE SPIRITUAL GIFTS LISTED BY PAUL IN 1 CORINTHIANS 12:8-10, WHICH ARE GIVEN TO BUILD UP THE BODY OF CHRIST.
A PERSON BLESSED WITH THIS GIFT MAY SUDDENLY FEEL DECIDEDLY ILL WHEN APPROACHING A PARTICULAR NEWCOMER TO THE CHURCH AND THIS IS QUITE ALARMING AT FIRST. WE HAVE TRIED TO ENCOURAGE CHURCH MEMBERS TO SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE ONLY WITH THE LEADERS, AND NOT TO SPREAD THE WORD AROUND THAT A PARTICULAR PERSON MAKES THEM FEEL ILL! IN THIS WAY WE HAVE OFTEN BEEN ALERTED TO THE FACT THAT A PARTICULAR PERSON HAS BEEN DABBLING IN OCCULT ACTIVITY, AND AS THEY GROW IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BROACH THE SUBJECT QUITE EARLY IN THEIR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. ON OTHER OCCASIONS IT HAS ALERTED US TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT A MEMBER OF A SATANIC GROUP IS PRESENT AT OUR WORSHIP.
IF THIS GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT CAREFULLY ROUTED THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM THEN A ‘WITCH HUNT’ COULD EASILY DEVELOP. THE VERY LAST THING THAT ONE WOULD WANT TO SEE IS THE FINGER PUBLICLY POINTED AT AN INDIVIDUAL. THE GIFT IS FOR HEALING AND WHOLENESS AND MUST NOT BE USED TO HUMILIATE ANOTHER. TO DATE WE HAVE FOUND THAT THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED THIS GIFT ARE PEOPLE OF SENSITIVITY WHO ARE AWARE OF THIS DANGER, AND FAR FROM BEING ‘TAIL END CHARLIES’ AS FAR AS THE RECEIVING OF GIFTS IS CONCERNED; THEY ARE IN THE VANGUARD OF THE CHURCH’S WORK, ALERTING US TO THE DANGERS OF SPIRITUAL DISTORTION DUE TO SOMEONE’S INVOLVEMENT IN OCCULT PRACTICES.
DISCERNMENT IS A SENSITIVE AND DEMANDING MINISTRY WHICH CAN BE SO EASILY MISINTERPRETED BY THE WIDER CHURCH FAMILY. IT IS THEREFORE ESSENTIAL THAT THOSE SO GIFTED HAVE THE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE OF THE CHURCH LEADERSHIP.
________
HOW TO CONDUCT SPIRITUAL WARFARE
MARY GARRISON
CHAPTER 3
THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS
EXCERPTS
‘LORD I PRAY THAT YOU WOULD OPEN HIS EYES THAT HE MAY SEE’ ELISHA.
… WHEN I RECEIVED THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS, IT WAS AS IF I HAD BEEN SPIRITUALLY BLIND, BUT SUDDENLY RECEIVED MY SIGHT. IT ENABLED ME TO SERVE GOD IN A FAR GREATER CAPACITY. NOW WHEN I MINISTER, I CAN SEE THE PROBLEM AND REACT PROPERLY.
THIS GIFT OPENED TO ME THE WHOLE SUPERNATURAL REALM OF THE SPIRIT WORLD. I COULD SEE WITH MY ‘SPIRIT EYES’ EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE SPIRIT REALM. .THE SPIRITUAL VICTORIES EXCEEDED ORDINARY ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE DISCERNING OF SPIRITS SHOWS WHICH GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE MANIFESTING IN A SERVICE. THE PERSON WITH THE GIFT KNOWS HOW GOD IS WORKING; HE ALSO KNOWS HOW EVIL SPIRITS ARE WORKING. IF THE SAINTS WOULD RECOGNISE THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS IN THE CHURCH AND ALLOW IT TO OPERATE, THE CHURCH WOULD ACCOMPLISH MORE. IT WOULD BE SAFER. THERE WOULD NOT BE AS MANY PERVERSE, FALSE SPIRITS RUNNING OUR CHURCHES.
DISCERNING OF SPIRITS IS ABLE TO JUDGE THE GIFTS, TO KNOW IF THEY ARE GENUINE. THIS JUDGEMENT CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT BE LEFT TO ONE WHO DOES NOT UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL THINGS AND FIGHTS GOD’S POWER AND GIFTS… YET HOW MANY NOVICES DO WE SEE OVER THE PEOPLE? WHEN GOD BUILDS THE CHURCH, THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL OVER IT. DO YOU KNOW WHY? THOSE GIFTS HE GAVE US FOR PERFECTING THE WORK OF THE SAINTS ARE GOD’S OWN POWERS. JESUS ASCENDED ON HIGH AND GAVE GIFTS TO MEN … FAR SUPERIOR TO ANYTHING SATAN CAN MUSTER UP, OR THE ABILITIES OF MERE MEN.
THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS CANNOT BE COMPARED TO ANY NATURAL ABILITY OF MAN TO DISCERN, SENSE OR IMAGINE, NOR MAKE EDUCATED GUESSES… ABOUT A PERSON. DISCERNING PEOPLE IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS GIFT AT ALL, BUT IT IS TO DISCERN ONE SPIRIT FROM ANOTHER BY NAME.
…IF EVIL SPIRITS ARE PRESENT, WHAT ARE THEY DOING? IF THEY ARE THERE, YOU BETTER BELIEVE THEY ARE UP TO SOMETHING. THEY HAVE A PLAN AND WILL EXECUTE THAT PLAN SUCCESSFULLY IF NO ONE RESISTS THEM. SAINTS, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW! IF EVIL FORCES USE THEIR POWER TO DO EVIL; THAT EVIL STANDS UNTIL SUCH A TIME AS A STRONGER POWER OVERPOWERS THEM. CAN YOU SEE WHY WE SHOULD NOT BE IDLE DURING THIS WAR? WE NEED TO BE UNDOING HEAVY BURDENS, LOOSING BANDS OF WICKEDNESS, BREAKING CURSES SPOKEN BY EVIL HUMAN SPIRITS, AND LETTING THE OPPRESSED GO FREE!
WHEN ELISHA WAS DESCRIBING THE WAY THE BATTLE WAS LINING UP TO HIS SERVANT, HE COULD COUNT MORE SPIRITS TO HELP THEM THAN THE SOLDIERS TO COME AGAINST THEM. HE SAW THE ARMIES OF GOD! WHEN THE GIFT OF THE DISCERNING OF SPIRITS IS IN OPERATION, WE TOO CAN SEE THE BATTLE RAGE OVER THE SOULS OF MEN. IT IS AS IF THE WAY THE BATTLE GOES DEPENDS ON THE WAY WE FIGHT. WE CAN COMMAND BOTH SIDES. THE BIBLE SAYS THE SPIRITS ARE SUBJECT TO US. WE HAVE POWER OVER THEIR POWER. BUT WE MUST USE THAT POWER. WE MUST TAKE THE KINGDOM BY FORCE. THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM ARE BINDING AND LOOSING.
DISCERNING OF SPIRITS IS A POWERFUL GIFT THAT INCORPORATES THE GIFTS AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD TO GIVE THE WORKER A ‘GOD’S EYE VIEW’ OF ALL SITUATIONS. WHEN THAT GIFT IS IN OPERATION IN MY MINISTRY, I NO LONGER AM OPERATING ON A MAN LEVEL, MAN KNOWLEDGE OR MAN POWER; BUT I FIND I HAVE ENTERED INTO GOD POWER, GOD KNOWLEDGE AND GOD SIGHT. NOTHING IS WITHHELD FROM ME. IF I AM COUNSELLING SOMEONE, I SEE THEIR NEEDS FROM BEGINNING TO END. USUALLY IT HAS NO RELATION TO WHAT THEY ARE TELLING ME AT THE TIME. IT IS AS IF THEIR PRIVATE LIVES BECOME TRANSPARENT TO ME AND I ‘DISCERN’ THEM, BUT ONLY WHAT GOD WANTS ME TO SEE AND ACT ON. NEVER ARE PRIVATE AND PERSONAL MATTERS THAT ARE NONE OF MY BUSINESS REVEALED, EXCEPT WHEN GOD WISHES TO EXPOSE THEM. SO…IF I SEE IT, GOD HAS REVEALED IT FOR THEIR GOOD.
WE DO NOT OPERATE THAT GIFT. THE HOLY GHOST IN US IS IN CHARGE OF THE GIFT. HE DECIDES WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE. WE TRY SPIRITS BY THEIR FRUIT AND GET GOOD RESULTS BUT THIS DIVINE GIFT CARRIES US FAR BEYOND ALL OF THAT! IT IS GIVEN TO PERFECT THE SAINTS, GET THEM READY FOR HIM, THEREFORE THE VEIL IS LIFTED ONLY BY GOD, THE HOLY GHOST, WHO LEADS AND GUIDES US INTO ALL TRUTH!
CHAPTER BEFORE:
IF SOMEONE COMES TO ME AND ASKS IF I CAN HELP THEM, IF I CAN ANSWER A QUESTION, I SAY, ‘OF COURSE I CAN. YOU HAVE SURELY COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN ME. WHAT DO YOU WANT OF GOD? BOLD! THAT’S WHAT WE NEED - HOLY BOLDNESS.
FOR LAYING YOUR TONGUE UPON THAT ANOINTED MINISTRY YOU COME UNDER A CURSE - MARY GARRISON PAGE 7
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Number 1. Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Number 2. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Romans 8:14
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God:
For:
Spiritual Warfare
Prophetic Counselling
Inner Healing
Deliverance
Inner Conflict resolution:
The number one thing to concentrate on is:
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.... the whole way through. When Abba Father spoke to me face to face like He did to Moses, the point I am trying to get across is this one: He said to me, 'Will you stand in the gap for ...' I said, 'Yes God, I will stand in the gap for ...'. He said, 'Right, I will speak first. You repeat after Me...' Then He did His side, then He did my side, and I repeated after Him. God alone knows. You are dealing with God. God leads. What is man that you are mindful of him? We are minute pieces of dust before God, but He has filled us with His Spirit, to be led by God. Whether your mind understands or not. If you do not understand, it is called 'blind' obedience. You choose to go by the Spirit; you choose not to lean to your own understanding. The Holy Spirit is God leading you. No matter how embarassing it may be to repeat what sounds odd to your ear. Force yourself to repeat it.... you will be glad later. You will stand with your mouth open later at how the wisdom fits together. God is to eternity without limit in every direction. His understanding has no limit. His wisdom is profound, His judgments are unsearchable. He leads to perfection. You don't want to miss out a part or it won't be a complete work as you will see later. God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours as the heavens are above the earth... I am not talking about where the plane flies... not even above the highest star... God sits in the third heaven... the throne room in heaven is bigger than the universe. The universe is not even dust between God's fingertips... he is from eternity to eternity... and so is His wisdom without limit. He is always right.
Seek and you will find... if you research the weapons of God, listed in the Old and New Testaments, you will have slightly better understanding, but we are all beginners... we still need to follow the Holy Spirit. We can research for eternity and we are still at the beginning edge of God's wisdom. The most important is to concentrate on following the Holy Spirit as finely tuned as possible. We are all practising (nobody is perfect, only Jesus walked the perfect path)...
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit shows us a mini vision,
we speak it out to as full understanding as possible.
The Holy Spirit shows a situation of bondage...
We say: Ok, Holy Spirit, what must I do? What weapon must I use? What must I do with it? Show me... Ok, what must I do next?
Not, Oh, that's easy, I know what to do. I'll just do what I know on my own. No, no, no. Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit.
What you think is one step, the Holy Spirit may have 5 steps before that step. As when I prayed for a student's cousin who had just tried to commit suicide, and was in ICU, and had a very faint breath, almost never. What I would have done in two or three easy steps, the Holy Spirit led many steps inbetween, and I just kept following. That way, you have confidence, God is doing it Himself, and the result will be what God leads to. As the Holy Spirit led me to the end, and I said 'amen'... a few seconds later, the cellphone rang: 'she's just started breathing.' Because God did it all Himself. This is the point:
The Holy Spirit leads
You follow
You speak what He said first
You do what He showed you to do
Jesus does the sign following
For:
Spiritual Warfare
Prophetic Counselling
Inner Healing
Deliverance
Inner Conflict resolution:
The number one thing to concentrate on is:
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.... the whole way through. When Abba Father spoke to me face to face like He did to Moses, the point I am trying to get across is this one: He said to me, 'Will you stand in the gap for ...' I said, 'Yes God, I will stand in the gap for ...'. He said, 'Right, I will speak first. You repeat after Me...' Then He did His side, then He did my side, and I repeated after Him. God alone knows. You are dealing with God. God leads. What is man that you are mindful of him? We are minute pieces of dust before God, but He has filled us with His Spirit, to be led by God. Whether your mind understands or not. If you do not understand, it is called 'blind' obedience. You choose to go by the Spirit; you choose not to lean to your own understanding. The Holy Spirit is God leading you. No matter how embarassing it may be to repeat what sounds odd to your ear. Force yourself to repeat it.... you will be glad later. You will stand with your mouth open later at how the wisdom fits together. God is to eternity without limit in every direction. His understanding has no limit. His wisdom is profound, His judgments are unsearchable. He leads to perfection. You don't want to miss out a part or it won't be a complete work as you will see later. God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours as the heavens are above the earth... I am not talking about where the plane flies... not even above the highest star... God sits in the third heaven... the throne room in heaven is bigger than the universe. The universe is not even dust between God's fingertips... he is from eternity to eternity... and so is His wisdom without limit. He is always right.
Seek and you will find... if you research the weapons of God, listed in the Old and New Testaments, you will have slightly better understanding, but we are all beginners... we still need to follow the Holy Spirit. We can research for eternity and we are still at the beginning edge of God's wisdom. The most important is to concentrate on following the Holy Spirit as finely tuned as possible. We are all practising (nobody is perfect, only Jesus walked the perfect path)...
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit speaks first, we repeat after Him.
The Holy Spirit shows us a mini vision,
we speak it out to as full understanding as possible.
The Holy Spirit shows a situation of bondage...
We say: Ok, Holy Spirit, what must I do? What weapon must I use? What must I do with it? Show me... Ok, what must I do next?
Not, Oh, that's easy, I know what to do. I'll just do what I know on my own. No, no, no. Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit.
What you think is one step, the Holy Spirit may have 5 steps before that step. As when I prayed for a student's cousin who had just tried to commit suicide, and was in ICU, and had a very faint breath, almost never. What I would have done in two or three easy steps, the Holy Spirit led many steps inbetween, and I just kept following. That way, you have confidence, God is doing it Himself, and the result will be what God leads to. As the Holy Spirit led me to the end, and I said 'amen'... a few seconds later, the cellphone rang: 'she's just started breathing.' Because God did it all Himself. This is the point:
The Holy Spirit leads
You follow
You speak what He said first
You do what He showed you to do
Jesus does the sign following
When Jesus walked the earth, He said:
JOHN 8:27-29
I do nothing on My own but speak just what the father has taught me. The One who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.Jesus works with you, as it says in Mark 16:15-20
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
He backs His Word with His sign following
He does the sign following Himself.
Because He goes forward with the Word
You repeat on earth as it is in heaven
He is your rearguard. Goodness and mercy follow you...
You never lead yourself.
The Holy Spirit leads every step.
He always goes forward in front of you.
You never get to where you think you don't need to follow. It is never: Ok Holy Spirit, wait. I know what to do without your help. The Bible says 'lay hands on the sick' and 'in the Name of Jesus, command'. It also says: The sons of God are led by the Holy Spirit. It also says: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me'.
It never says: They overtake and go in front of Me, and I wait behind, while they in the flesh have it all worked out.
Sheep are supposed to follow the Master, and not think for themselves.
Servants obey the Master. At the wedding at Cana, Jesus mother told the servants: Just do whatever He tells you. Jesus told the servants: Take those empty jars and fill them with water... Now take them to the master of ceremonies. These days we may have queried, 'but this is just water, not wine...' But Jesus is God in the flesh... and the servants were there to obey, not to think for themselves. When Jesus told Peter, 'Go fishing. The first fish you catch will have two coins in the mouth...', Peter just obeyed. This is God you are dealing with. You expect a God result...
Jesus works with us. He does the signs following His Word. One day, I commanded the cloud to move from here to there. I was expecting it to move, as when you are in holocaust obeying God, you are holding His hand so tight, walking with Him so close every second, that you are in a type of revival with God, seeing Him do signs and wonders and miracles to get you through, and because you are obeying His Word, walking with God, in Him (not walking in the opposite direction), having the mind of Christ, you shall decree a thing and God works with you and establishes it for you. You are His servant holding His hand. You walk together. But I was a bit disappointedly expecting the cloud to move slowly. It moved like a roar of a sports car. I did not know that would happen. Jesus does the signs following. He works with you. He knows you. He grants the desires of your heart. The world leaders all command and see Jesus do signs following. So do local people. It is those that read up for hours on scriptures detailing miracles and then go out to try it out in Jesus Name, that see results. Most people watch their TV and miss out. Jesus said:
JOHN 14:9-17
The words I say to you are not just My own. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, Who is doing His work.
We are working with Him. Our eyes are on Him. We do what He says. He does the rest.
It does help to be built up in our faith to cup overflowing, and not down at the dregs, where we have to build up again. When we let the Word of God dwell in us richly to where our cup overflows (Psalm 23), it becomes easy to hear from God, and as easy to see what He is showing us. It becomes as clear as seeing with your physical eyes and ears. God becomes closer than a brother. Is not this what Adam experienced walking with God before they sinned and to greater degrees? Surely the disciples were built up to the top of their cups walking and talking with Jesus, in His company 24 hours a day for over three years. That is why they walked in such power when the Holy Spirit came down. They were filled with the Holy Spirit to cup running over and God's power from on high came upon them. They had their eyes and ears on the Word of God day in, day out for three years, and were feasting on it. As Job said, 'I have treasured the words of your mouth more than my daily bread.' God commanded man, 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.' When you put it in as a concentrated effort rather than watching TV, on a daily basis over a long period of time, then your channel is cleared of debris to hear God clearly. No one is perfect. Some put the Word of God in at a regular time each day. Others miss a day, then put a huge amount the next day. But it is a desire to get to the point where our cup runs over, and rather than going back to the dregs, go further upwards so that cup running over should be the starting point from which we build up. This is for those that can put in hours of seeking, finding, meditating on God's Word to be prosperous and successful. I put in seven hours a day for nine months (speaking in tongues and quoting scripture, especially the Psalms), then 15 hours a day for three months (researching Bible on topics from 8am to 5pm, typing scripture out, then speaking the scripture declarations aloud from 5pm to 11pm), till I had spiritual fire coming out of my hands. Like Moses in the burning bush. Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord (Jer 23:29). I am trying to get back to that. It is a sign of your cup overflowing. God walks closer than a brother, and it is as clear hearing from him with your spiritual eyes and ears open, as it is to see and hear with your physical eyes and ears open.
This is available to anyone who builds themselves up in their most holy faith.
When we speak it out, our ears hear the Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing... God's Word. It is seed planted and watered in the heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If you believe in your heart, and confess with your mouth... the Word of God does not come back void, but accomplishes what it was sent out to do (Isa 55). This is for the Lord's renown, an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed. God watches over His Word to perform it.
Jesus, the Word of God, was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14); the same Word that was with God in the beginning, when God said: 'Let there be light!', the Wisdom of God, Who was at God's side day by day as He created the earth, and Who delighted in mankind. The same God who flung the stars in space; Who came to His own and they did not recognise Him, Emmanuel (meaning God with us) walking among men.
As Kathryn Khulman said, 'Jesus had complete faith in the Father before He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He also had complete faith in the keeping power of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's faithfulness to Him before He came to earth. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you.'
Jesus was the Word of God, the Wisdom of God, the Will of God personified, walking among men. God gave Him the Spirit without measure:
John:3:31-34
The One who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts His testimony. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God; to Him God gives the Spirit without limit.
The Trinity work as One, whether in heaven or on earth:
Jesus only said what He heard God say first
Jesus only did what He saw God do first
1 John 2:27
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
John 10:27
John 16:13-14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
John 15:9
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love.
Chapter 8
John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 14:26 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said (scripture /prophetic) to you.
John 14:26 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said (scripture /prophetic) to you.
John 16:13-14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
John 12:50
I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father Who sent Me commanded Me what to say and how to say it. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.
John 14:31
John 15:9
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love.
A MUST READ:
8. Praise Him!
Discovering the power in
praise was one of the most exciting experiences I'd ever had; yet every time I
wanted to share it with someone, it was as if God was saying: "Hold it.
This isn't the time."
When Ron came to see me
about his problem he was the picture of misery and despair. "Chaplain,
you've got to help me. When I was drafted my wife tried to commit suicide. Now
I've received orders for Vietnam, and she says that if I go she'll kill
herself. What can I do?"
Ron was an attorney and
a member of the bar association. But he had been drafted and preferred to join
the Army as a Private. Now he was obviously distraught and unable to handle the
situation with his wife.
"Ron, have your
wife come in to see me, and I'll see what I can do."
Sue was also a picture
of misery. Her body was frail and she sat on the edge of a chair, trembling
from head to foot. Tears flowed uncontrollably down her face.
"Chaplain."
Her voice was barely audible. "I'm scared; I can't live without Ron."
I looked at her and a
wave of compassion brought tears to my eyes. I knew Sue's story. She'd been
adopted as a baby, was estranged from her adopted family, and had no one in the
world except Ron. The two of them were very much in love and I knew that if Ron
went to Vietnam, Sue would stay alone in a rented room in a strange town.
I prayed silently for
wisdom to comfort her.
"Tell her to be
thankful." I shook my head in disbelief. I must have heard wrong.
"Her, Lord?"
"Yes, you may begin
to share with her!" I looked at Sue's tearful face and my heart sank.
"Okay, Lord, I'll
trust You."
"Sue, I'm glad you
came," I said, smiling with a confidence I didn't feel. "You don't
have anything to worry about. Everything is going to be all right."
Sue straightened
herself, wiped away her tears, and managed a trembling little smile.
I continued: "What
I want you to do is to kneel here with me and thank God that Ron is going
to Vietnam."
She looked at me in
blank disbelief. I nodded. "Yes, Sue, I want you to thank God."
She immediately began to
weep almost hysterically. I calmed her as best I could and began reading to her
from the Bible the verses I had learned to trust in over the past few months.
"...In everything
give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you...All
things work together for good to them that love the Lord." Carefully I
tried to show her the wonderful truths I had found to be real.
Nothing seemed to help.
Sue believed in God and in Christ, but in her despair her belief was of no
comfort. Finally she left my office crying, with no peace of mind and certainly
no joy.
"Lord, have I
completely misunderstood You? That girl wasn't helped a bit."
"Patience, son. I'm
working."
The next day Ron came to
my office. "Chaplain, what did you tell Sue? She is worse than she was
before."
"I told Sue the
solution to her problem and now I'll tell you. I want you to kneel down and
thank God that you're going to Vietnam and that Sue is so upset that
she is threatening to kill herself."
Ron didn't see my point
either. Carefully we went over the Scriptures: "...This is the will of God
concerning you."
Ron said: "Now I
understand why Sue didn't understand. I don't understand either." And he
left.
Two days later they came
back. "Sir, we are desperate. You must do something to help us."
They were both hoping
that I as chaplain would be able to put in a plea for another assignment for
Ron. Again I explained to them the only solution God was letting me
hold up before them. "All things work together for good to them that love
the Lord."
"If you can only
believe that God is really working this thing out for the best for both of you,
then all you have to do is trust Him and begin to thank Him—regardless of what
the situation looks like".
Ron and Sue looked at
each other. "What do we have to lose, Honey?" Ron said. We knelt and
Sue prayed:
"Lord, I thank you
that Ron is going to Vietnam. It must be Your will. I sure don't
understand, but I'll try."
Then Ron prayed:
"Lord, this is very strange to me, too, but I trust You. Thank You that I
am going to Vietnam and that Sue is so upset. Thank You that she
might even try to hurt herself."
I had a feeling Ron and
Sue were not as convinced as I was, but I thanked the Lord that they were
trying. They left my office, and later I heard what had happened.
Ron and Sue had gone
into the chapel and knelt together at the altar. There they had turned their
lives and each other over to God in a deeper commitment than ever before and
now Sue had the strength to pray: "God, I thank You that Ron is going to
Vietnam. You know how much I will miss him. You know I don't have a father or
mother or brother or sister or family of any kind. I will trust You, Lord."
Ron prayed: "God, I
do thank You. I give Sue over to You. She is Yours and I'll trust You to take
care of her."
With that they rose from
the altar. Ron went through the chapel and headed for his unit while Sue came
back to the waiting room next to my office. She needed to sit quietly and
collect her thoughts. While she sat there a young soldier came in and asked for
the chaplain. Sue told him that I was busy. "But if you wait a little
while, I'll tell him you're here," she offered.
"I'll wait,"
said the young soldier. He looked distressed and Sue asked: "What is your
problem?"
"My wife wants a
divorce."
Sue shook her head:
"It won't do much good to see that Chaplain," she
said, but the soldier wasn't easily discouraged, and while they were waiting he
took out his billfold and began to show Sue pictures of his wife and children.
When he turned to the next picture Sue screamed: "Who is that?"
"That's my
mother".
"That is my mother",
said Sue, shaking with emotion.
"That couldn't
be," the soldier replied. "I don't have a sister."
"It is; I know it
is!"
"What makes you
think that?"
"When I was a
little girl I happened to find a piece of paper in my parents' desk that showed
I was adopted. In the upper right-hand corner was a picture of my real mother.
That's her. It's the same lady." And it was.
Further checking
revealed that Sue had been promised for adoption before she was born and her
natural mother had never seen her. She had no idea where Sue was and had never
heard anything about her since the day she was born.
Now Sue had a brother, a
real brother, and with him came a whole family.
Was it coincidence?
There are more than two hundred million people in the United States. What
would be the odds against that particular soldier walking in the door to my
office just as Sue had made a covenant with God to praise Him for her loneliness
and lack of family?
But that wasn't all. As
Ron walked back into his unit, he ran into an old friend from law school who
was now a legal officer.
"Hi, old buddy,
where are you going?" he said as he met Ron.
"Praise God, I'm
going to Vietnam," Ron answered. They talked some more, and the
friend persuaded Ron to ask for a transfer so that he could work with him in
the legal office. Ron and Sue did not have to be separated. And no
longer did Sue have to cling to Ron in fear of losing Him. She had come to have
a joyous confidence in Jesus Christ and went about everywhere praising Him.
Later an Officer
Candidate came to my office. He openly wept for a long time. "Sir, you
must help me. My wife has been asking for a divorce. Her lawyer has just sent
me the papers to sign. I just can't keep on with the Officer Candidate program.
I don't even want to stay in the Army. Please help me."
"I know just how to
get your problem solved. Let's kneel down and thank God that your wife wants a
divorce."
He didn't understand any
better than Sue and Ron did. Carefully we went over the Scriptures together. At
last he decided he might as well try it. We knelt together and he prayed,
turning the whole situation over to God and thanking Him for having allowed it to
happen.
When he returned to his
unit he was so shaken emotionally that they gave him the rest of the day off.
He went to his bed and lay there, repeating over and over, "Thank
you, Lord, that my wife wants a divorce. I surely don't
understand it, but Your Word says I should thank You for all things, so I'll do
it." All day long he thought the same things over and over. That night he
couldn't sleep, so he went on thanking God. The next day he went through
training in a daze. "Lord, You know I don't understand, but I thank You
anyhow."
That evening he was
sitting in the mess hall having dinner. As he was eating, it suddenly hit him.
"Lord, you really must know what is better for me, much
more than I do. I know all of this must be your will. Thank You,
Lord; now I understand!"
At that moment another
candidate tapped him on the shoulder and told him to come to the telephone.
In all the weeks he'd
been a candidate, no one had ever wanted him on the phone.
When he lifted the
receiver there was someone weeping on the other end. "Honey, can you ever
forgive me? I don't want a divorce!"
A lady came reluctantly
to see me. One of her friends had almost dragged her into my office. She told
me that she had seriously been considering suicide, but didn't see what good it
would do to talk about it.
Little by little she
gave me the details. Her husband had fathered an illegitimate child by another
woman. The child was being kept by her husband's parents. Every time she went
to visit her in-laws, there was the child. To make things worse, the child's
mother usually showed up at the same time. Even though they were having
financial difficulties, her husband was sending money to his parents to help
take care of his illegitimate child. She couldn't live with this constant pain
inside anymore.
"Don't worry,"
I said to her. "You won't have to; there is a solution to your
problem."
She looked up, rather
surprised. "What is it?"
"Let us kneel here
and thank God that your husband fathered this child." Again I went over
the Scriptures on thanking God for all things. Wiping away her tears, she
finally agreed to try it. We prayed, and she left the office determined to let God
work out the problems in her life.
The next morning I
called to see how she was doing.
"Wonderful!"
"You are?"
"Yes, Sir, I got up
this morning just filled with joy!"
"What
happened?"
"When I got home
yesterday I began to think what I could do now that I am thankful for my
husband's baby. I decided that if I was really thankful, I ought to do
something about it. So I sat down and wrote a check to my in-laws and told them
to use it for the baby. This morning I feel absolutely glorious."
The next day I called
her again, and she said: "I feel even better than yesterday."
"What have you done
now?"
"I started thinking
of a lady who lives near me who has a retarded child. I went to see her this
morning and asked if I could help with the child. She was so amazed she didn't
know what to say. I stayed and started to do what I could."
"Do you know what
to do for a retarded child?"
"Yes, Sir. I have a
master's degree in working with special children."
"Have you worked
with children since you graduated?"
"No, Sir. This is
the first child I've ever worked with."
"Now do you
understand why God permitted that thing to happen in your life?"
"Yes, Sir, I do,
and now I really praise Him!"
From that day on she was
a changed woman. Those who knew her before said she had always looked and acted
as if she was in great pain. Now they say she looks and acts as though she has
discovered some wonderful secret, and people are being drawn to Christ through
her radiance and joy.
Jesus didn't promise to
change the circumstances around us, but He did promise great peace and pure joy
to those who would learn to believe that God actually controls all things.
The very act of praise
releases the power of God into a set of circumstances and enables God to change
them if this is His design. Very often it is our attitudes that hinder the
solution of a problem. God is sovereign and could certainly cut across our
wrong thought patterns and attitudes. But His perfect plan is to bring each of
us into fellowship and communion with Him, and so He allows circumstances and
incidents which will bring our wrong attitudes to our attention.
I have come to believe
that the prayer of praise is the highest form of communion with God, and one
that always releases a great deal of power into our lives. Praising Him is not
something we do because we feel good; rather it is an act of obedience. Often
the prayer of praise is done in sheer teeth-gritting willpower; yet when we
persist in it, somehow the power of God is released into us and into the
situation. At first in a trickle perhaps, but later in a growing stream that
finally floods us and washes away the old hurts and scars.
One Army wife came to
me, convinced that her problem had but one solution.
Her husband had
developed an excessive drinking problem and for the past several years had been
an alcoholic. Often he would pass out drunk on the living room floor where the
wife or his teen-age children would find him, stark naked. In this condition he'd
also been found in the hallway of the apartment house where several other
families lived.
In final desperation the
wife decided to take the children and leave. Friends persuaded her to at least
come talk to me first.
"Whatever you say,
Chaplain, don't tell me to stay with him," she said. "I just can't do
it."
I don't really care
whether you stay with him or not," I said. "I just want you to thank
God that your husband is like he is." Carefully I explained what the Bible
had to say about thanking God for all things and that if she tried it, God
would be able to solve her problem in the best way.
She thought it sounded
ridiculous, but finally agreed to kneel while I prayed that God would release
in her enough faith to believe that He is a God of love and power who holds the
universe in His hand.
At last she said,
"I do believe."
Two weeks later I called
her.
"I feel absolutely
marvelous," she said. "My husband is a different man. He hasn't had a
drink in two weeks."
"That's
wonderful," I said. "I'd like to talk to him."
"What do you
mean?" She sounded surprised.
"I just think it
would be good if I talked to your husband about the power that is working in
your lives."
"Didn't you tell
him already?" She sounded puzzled.
"No, I haven't met
him yet."
"Chaplain, this is
a miracle," she cried out. "The day I was in your office he came home
from work and for the first time in seven years he didn't go to the
refrigerator for a beer. Instead he went into the living room and talked to the
children. I was sure you had talked to him."
Our prayer of praise had
released God's power to work in another person's life. The wife was openly
crying over the telephone.
"Praise God,
Chaplain," she sobbed, "Now I know God works out every detail of our
lives."
A young soldier
collapsed with a serious heart problem and was taken to
the Fort Benning Hospital. He was released, but had to come back
for frequent checkups and eventually was scheduled to go to another hospital
for heart surgery. The news filled him with despair, and he began drinking. His
despair increased until he decided to leave. He stole clothes from some of the
men in the barracks and took off in the First Sergeant's car, which he wrecked
totally.
The unhappy soldier was
caught and put in the stockade to await trial. There another soldier led him to
Christ. I went to see him, and he was still feeling depressed and afraid that
he had messed up his life so thoroughly that he couldn't be of any use to
anyone.
"Your sins are
forgiven and forgotten," I said. "Don't think of your past as a chain
around your neck. Thank God for every detail of your life and believe He has
permitted all of these things in order to bring you to the place where you are
now."
Together we searched the
Scriptures for God's word on all things working out for those who love Him.
"And that doesn't
just mean things that happen after you've asked God to take over your
life," I said. "God is able to use even our past mistakes and
failures when we release them to Him with thanksgiving."
He understood, and began
to thank God in earnest for everything that had happened. As his trial neared,
his defense attorney told him the best he could hope for was a five-year
sentence and dishonorable discharge. The soldier remained undaunted and
insisted that whatever happened, God had full control of his life and would
work out whatever would be for his good.
The General
Court-martial had a surprise ending. General Court-martial is never held unless
the military authorities believe that the crime warrants severe punishment.
This soldier was sentenced to six months in the local stockade and no discharge
from the Army.
With Chaplain Curry
Vaughan I went to visit him in the stockade. We thought we were there to
encourage him; instead he encouraged us. He was filled with joy and it was
catching. Soon the stockade rang with our laughter. The young soldier couldn't
stand still; he laughed and ran and skipped around the visiting room.
Before we got ready to leave
we asked how he was feeling. He had been scheduled for heart surgery and
medically speaking was still in need of attention. He confessed that he felt
very weak physically, and often his heart was troubling him. But he said:
"It is wonderful. God is taking care of me."
We asked if he would
like prayer for healing and he said:
"Please do; I
believe God will heal me."
We placed our hands on
him and believed that God, through Christ, was right there healing him. The
soldier smiled radiantly and said: "I believe it is done."
A few weeks later I
talked to the man's Company Commander.
"I believe it's a
waste of government money to keep this man in the stockade."
"Why,
Chaplain?" he said.
"He isn't the same
man who stole clothes and a car and wrecked it. He's completely changed."
The Commander agreed and
had the man released. A week later I asked him how he felt.
"Chaplain, I used
to get tired after walking one hundred yards. Now I can run and I never seem to
get tired. God has healed me."
Wherever I went I now
shared what I had discovered about the power of praise. I was beginning to
learn that praise was not just a form of worship or prayer, but also a way of
waging spiritual warfare. Often when someone began to praise God for the
problems that faced him, he found that Satan increased his attacks and the
situation appeared to become worse instead of better. Many who tried the way of
praise became discouraged and were unable to hold on to their belief that God
was in charge.
Others simply didn't
understand and refused to try praising God for unpleasant things. "It just
doesn't make sense," they'd say. "I'm not going to praise God for
something I just don't believe He as anything to do with. How can God have
anything to do with my broken arm or my wrecked car or my husband's horrible
temper? I'd be foolish to thank Him for something like that."
Of course it doesn't
make sense. The question is, does it work? It didn't make much sense when Jesus
said, "Leap for joy when you are hungry or poor or persecuted." Yet
He very definitely told us to do just that. In Nehemiah 8:10 I
read: "The joy of the Lord is your strength."
The enemy's arrows just
can't penetrate the joy of someone who is praising the Lord. In II Chronicles
20 we read how a whole army was defeated when the Israelites simply praised the
Lord and believed Him when He said that the battle wasn't theirs, but His.
The message is just as
clear today. The battle isn't ours; it is God's. While we praise Him, He sends
our enemies scurrying.
It was discouraging and
sad to see those who refused to praise the Lord. My heart ached for them in
their hopeless situations of suffering and misery. I asked God to give me
wisdom to understand why they couldn't accept the way of praise, and also asked
Him to teach me better ways of leading others to praising Him.
Nearly seven months
after I first had the experience of laughing with joy in the Spirit, I went to
a Camp Farthest Out Retreat. I was looking forward to a time of resting and
rejoicing in the fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ.
While I sat in the back
of the auditorium during a healing service, I closed my eyes and on the screen
of my inner vision God painted a picture.
I saw a beautiful,
bright summer day. The air was filled with light, and I had a sense of
everything being very beautiful. Up above was a heavy, solid black cloud beyond
which nothing could be seen. A ladder extended from the ground up into the
black cloud. At the base of the ladder were hundreds of people trying to get a
chance at climbing the ladder. They had heard that above the blackness there
was something more beautiful than anything a human eye had ever seen, something
that brought unbelievable joy to those who reached it. As person after person
tried to ascend they quickly climbed to the lower edge of the clouds. The crowd
watched to see what would happen.
In a short while the
person would come wildly sliding down the ladder and fall into the crowd
scattering people in all directions. They reported that once they got into the
blackness they lost all sense of direction.
My time finally came,
and as I made my way up the ladder into the blackness it grew so intense that I
could feel its power nearly forcing me to give up and slide back. But step by
step I continued upward until suddenly my eyes beheld the most intense brightness
I had ever seen. It was a brilliant whiteness too glorious to describe in
words. As I came out above the dark cloud I realized that I could walk on top
of it. As I looked into the brightness I was able to walk without difficulty.
When I looked down to examine the nature of the cloud I immediately began to
sink. Only by looking at the brightness could I stay on top.
Then the scene changed
and I was back looking at all three levels from a distance.
"What does it all
mean?" I asked, and the answer came:
"The brightest
sunshine below the cloud is the light that many Christians live in and accept
as normal. The ladder is the ladder of praising Me. Many try to climb and learn
to praise Me in all things. At first they are very eager, but when they get
into things that they don't understand they become confused and cannot hold on.
They lose faith and go sliding back. As they fall, they injure other people who
have been hoping to find a way to live in continual joy and praise.
"Those who make it
through those difficult times reach a new world and realize that the life they
once thought of as normal cannot be compared to the life I have prepared for
those who praise Me and believe that I carefully watch over them. He who
reaches the light of the heavenly kingdom can walk on top of difficulties no
matter how dark they may seem as long as he keeps his eyes off the problem and
on My victory in Christ. No matter how difficult it may seem to trust Me to
work in every detail of your life, keep clinging to the ladder of praise and
move upwards!"
I was half-dazed by the
vision and the explanation and wondered how soon God would let me share it with
someone.
At the camp I met a
woman who was faced with problems of illness and family difficulties at home.
She found it hard to believe that praising God was going to do any good.
Inwardly I asked for
guidance, and God said, "Tell her!"
So I told her.
"You'll be the first one to hear this," I said, and as she listened I
could see how the heaviness literally left and her face and eyes lit up with a
look of joyous expectancy.
In Ephesians, chapters
one and two, I found my vision described in slightly different words by Paul:
"...Blessed
(Praised!) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ...he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame...To the praise of the glory of his grace...that in...the fulness of
times he might gather together in one all things in Christ...That we should be
to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ...that you may
know...what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according
to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised
him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far
above all principality and power, and might, and dominion...And hath raised us
up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
Jesus Christ is raised above all the powers of
darkness, and according to God's word, our rightful inheritance is right there
above the darkness together in Christ. The ladder is praise!
I was becoming more
aware of the power of praise, but also aware of some of the enemy's snares.
At the time I began to
search my Bible for insight into praise I was also led to Scriptures describing
the power we have received in Christ over the forces of darkness. I had long
been aware of the passage in Mark 16 where Jesus
155 Prison to Praise
speaks of the signs that
will follow those who believe in Him:
"In my name shall
they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up
serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
I had prayed asking God
to show me if this was all valid for me in the twentieth century, and if it
was, when and how to use it.
I found that I often
became uneasy when I was around certain people, and asking God, I got the
strong impression that what was wrong with them was of a demonic nature.
I prayed that if I ever
came face-to-face with someone like that during a prayer-session that God would
tell me what to do.
An Army wife was
deserted by her husband who left her with three children. In desperation she
tried to kill herself. She was rushed to the hospital and her life was saved.
Friends brought her to see me after she got home. She was the picture of
despair. Her friends had told me that for several years they had never seen her
smile. I began speaking to her about the way of praising God but soon felt
compelled to stop. I looked into her eyes and suddenly sensed that there was
something very wrong and very evil within her.
Within me was a sense of
fear; I realized that I was actually face-to-face with evil.
"Lord," I prayed
within. "I've come this far, I can't go back now, so I'll step out in
faith trusting that You'll do the work."
Looking straight into
the woman's eyes I spoke out loud commanding the vicious spirit to get out of
her in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His shed blood.
Her glassy eyes suddenly
cleared, and she could listen as I explained that God could work all things for
good if she would only trust and praise Him.
She now was free to
understand, and smiled with a beautiful radiance. Jesus Christ had broken the
bondage of darkness that had threatened her life.
Chaplain Curry Vaughan,
Jr., had begun to experience the power of praise in his own life. Soon after he
had started praising God for his difficulties, he arrived home one evening to
learn that his two-year-old daughter had swallowed a glassful of mineral
spirits, a type of high-grade turpentine. She had already been rushed to the
hospital. Curry jumped into his car and raced full speed to be with her. His
mind was swirling with thoughts of fear and worry. He suddenly realized what he
was doing, slowed the car to normal speed, and praised the Lord for what had
happened.
At the hospital they
pumped out his daughter's stomach, x-rayed her and told Curry that two things
were bound to happen. First, she would run a high fever that night; second,
there was a ninety-five percent chance that she would develop pneumonia.
Curry and his
wife Nancy took their daughter home, prepared to watch her very
closely as the doctors had ordered. At home Curry took his daughter
in his arms and prayed: "Heavenly Father, I know that Satan has tried to
attack me once again, and I have praised You! Now I claim in the name of Jesus
that Virginia will not get a fever and she will not get
pneumonia." The next morning Virginia woke up as bright and
chipper as ever. She had suffered no ill effects.
A successful businessman
came to see me about his teen-age daughter. I knew the family and knew that
their daughter had received more than the average amount of love and care, yet
she had developed a violent hatred of her younger sister. She would lash out
and strike her with whatever heavy object she could find.
The distraught parents
had taken her to the psychiatrist for treatment, kept her on tranquilizers and
prayed for years that God would help them find a solution to their terrible
problem.
They realized the danger
as the violent outbursts increased.
I met with both parents
and challenged them to try the one thing they had failed to do.
"What is
that?" they both asked.
"Thank the Lord
that He has given you this child to meet your need. Really praise Him for
knowing exactly what would be the greatest blessing to your family."
At first they thought
this was completely beyond what they could do. They had tried for years to
solve the problem, and knew of no way to suddenly be glad that everything was
exactly the way it was. We went through the Scriptures together and then prayed
that God would work a miracle and help them to thank Him.
A miracle did happen.
They began to feel and be thankful. They practiced this daily for two weeks.
Instead of constant worry and fear they experienced peace and joy.
One evening they were in the living room. Their oldest daughter
stood in the middle of the floor holding a potted flower. She looked at them,
and when she had their attention she smiled and dropped the pot in the middle
of the rug. Dirt, glass and flowers went in all directions. The girl stood
smiling, waiting for their reaction. Both parents had given themselves so
completely to the practice of praising God that they automatically said, at the
same time: "Thank You, Lord."
The daughter looked at them
in amazement. Then she lifted her head and, looking toward heaven, she said:
"Thank You, Lord, for teaching me." From that very moment she began
to get well.
Her parents came to me
rejoicing. The power of praise had worked. For years Satan had held the family
in bondage through that girl. Now his spell was broken. In James we read that
we are to draw near to God and resist Satan. In Romans 12:21 Paul
describes how:
"Don't allow
yourself to be overpowered by evil. Take the offensive—overpower evil with
good!"
Some have asked me if
this principle of praise isn't just another way to talk about the power of
positive thinking. Far from it. Praising God for every circumstance does not
mean we close our eyes to the difficulties. In his letter to the Philippians
Paul says to worry about nothing, but
"In everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Looking only at the good
side of every situation is often a dangerous way of trying to escape the
reality of it. When we praise God we thank Him for our situation, not in spite
of it.
We are not trying to
avoid our dilemmas. Rather Jesus Christ is showing us a way to overcome them.
There is a ladder of
praise and I believe that everyone without exception can begin to praise God
right now in whatever situation he may find himself.
For our praise to reach
the perfection God wants for us, it needs to be free of any thoughts of reward.
Praise is not another way of bargaining with the Lord. We don't say, "Now
we've praised You in the middle of this mess, so get us out of it!"
Praising God with a pure
heart means we must let God cleanse our hearts from impure motives and hidden
designs. We have to experience the dying to self so that we can live again in
Christ in newness of mind and spirit.
Dying to self is a
progressive journey, and I have come to believe it is traveled only through
praise.
God is calling us to
praise Him, and the highest form of praise is the one Paul exhorts us to give
in Hebrews 13:15:
"By (Christ)
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name."
The sacrifice of praise
is offered when all is darkness around us. It is offered of a heavy heart, unto
God because He is God and Father and Lord. As we begin to praise
Him, on whatever step of the ladder we may be, His Holy Spirit begins to fill
our beings more and more.
To continually praise
Him means a steady decreasing of self and an increase of the presence of Christ
within us until with Peter we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
