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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Warfare Portals 7

Correction: Saturday's teaching was incorrectly labeled pt5 and should have been pt6. I apologize for the confusion. Dear beloved: We are talking about cleansing ourselves of sin not associated with generation curses. If you listed all of the sins you have committed over the years, you probably have a fairly long list, as I do also. The next step is to confess and repent of each of the sins, go down the list one by one. Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy. ...We receive compassion and mercy from the Lord when we get down before Him and confess our sins to Him; of coarse, He already knows about them as He watched us commit them, but it is all about us getting back in right standing, in righteousness, with him. The greatest chapter in the Bible dealing with confession and repentance is Psalm 51, in which King David's sin with Bathsheba had been exposed and David knew he had to get his heart right with God. Psalm 51:1 Be gracious to me, oh God, according to Thy lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgression. Notice that David acknowledges the compassion, mercy, and lovingkindness of God before he starts his confession. God is merciful and kind, slow to anger, but we cannot take his grace and compassion for granted, that it will always automatically be there for us every time we sin. In some cases God's anger is kindled and people leave this earth in a hurry. In Acts 4:3, Peter said to Ananias " Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?" v4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God" v5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard of it. ..And so as we confess and repent, acknowledge to God that you are dependent upon His mercy, and thankful that He allows you to live another day. As I think back upon my life of sin, of the times I was really trapped in it and sowing seeds of great corruption to the flesh every day, I am so grateful to God and to my family who, unknown to me, was interceeding for me day and night before the throne of God. God heard their prayers and did not allow this prodigal son to die in the hog pen, but rather He wooed me back into His fold by the gentle calling of the Holy Spirit. The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 is exactly my story, and you will notice when the prodigal realized his state of affairs, first he confesses his sin against his heavenly Father, then against his earthly father. Luke 15:21 "And the son said to him, ' Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But of coarse we know that the father was merciful, for he says in verse 23 " bring the fatted calf and, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; v24 for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found." And they began to be merry. The key to victory in the spiritual battle is to sever all ties and agreements with the enemy, once and for all. It is sin and sin alone that separates us from God. Isaiah 59:1 Behold the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save, nor His ear so dull that it cannot hear. v2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. v3 For your hands are filled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness. v9 Therefore, justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, but behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. v10 We grope along the wall like blind men, we grope along like those who have no eyes; we stumble at midday as in the twilight, among those who are vigorous we are like dead men. v12 For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities. v13 Transgressing and denying the Lord, and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words. Do not rush through this step of confession and repentance. Ask the Lord to reveal to you all the ways in which you have transgressed and denied Him, and get to the core of it. Break all ties and agreement with the enemy. Praise the Lord that we have Jesus blood to pay the price for our sin, in Him there is cleansing and victory. Isaiah 59:16 And He (God) saw that there was no man, and He was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness upheld Him. Tomorrow we will look closer at David's confession as we cleanse our way to victory. May God bless you this day as you walk in victory, in Christ, Jim

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