Dear beloved: When Nehemiah fasted and prayed to the Lord in Chapter 1:11, he prayed for success in his mission to bring his petition before the king,.. and make Thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man. Four months later in the month Nisan, his prayer was answered as God opened up the heart of the king to hear the petition of Nehemiah. Neh 2:4 Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. v5 And I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs, that I may rebuild it."
Isn't it amazing that when we are preparing to do God's kingdom work that He has already prepared the way before us? Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Psalms 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. And isn't it also amazing how God can use anyone and anything to further His kindom plan, even including pagans and non believers? Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. And so God prepared the heart of King Artaxerxes to not only hear Nehemiah's petiton, but also to provide everything that he asked for: time off to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls, letters to provide safe passage through enemy territory to get there, and also letters to secure timber to make the beams for the gates of the wall.
Beloved, do not shrink back in fear when you need something from the Lord to do your kingdom building. Step out in faith, ask and go into detail with the Lord what it is you need, and believe that you will receive it. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, that without faith it is impossible to please God, for those who come to Him must know(believe)that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. And in Mark 11:22-23 And Jesus answered them saying, " Have faith in God. v23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. v24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you. And so beloved, speak to the mountains in your life, to the broken walls and burned out gates, ask in faith and go boldly before the Lord, and do not doubt in your heart that God will provide it if it is truly kingdom work. Pray beleiving that you have already received. As you can see in Nehemiah's case, he was diligent and faithful, and his prayers were answered four months after he first began to petition the Lord regarding the walls, and God provided for him every request in every detail. Now that's a faithbuilder! Step out today and ask for the mountains to be moved in your life and believe that you have already received them, then stand back and watch the Lord move! He will do it. God bless you this day as you rebuild the ancient walls, in Christ, Jim
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Prayer and fasting pt4
Dear beloved: When Nehemiah heard that the walls of Jerusalem were down, he mourned, wept, prayed, and fasted. He prayed to God to show mercy on him and on the sons of Israel, for he knew that without God's mercy there would be no redemption and no restoration of the walls. Nehemiah 1:5-7 And I said,"I beseech Thee, O Lord God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments. v6 Let Thine ear now be attentive and Thine eyes be open to hear the prayer of Thy servant which I am prying before Thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against Thee, I and my father's house have sinned. v7 We have acted corruptly against Thee and hve not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which Thou didst command Thy servant Moses. v11 O Lord, I beseech Thee, may Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant and the prayer of Thy servants who delight to revere Thy name, and make Thy servant successful today, and grant him compassion before this man."
So Nehemiah positioned himself before the Lord, showing complete dependence on God's mercy and grace. If we are to have restoration of the walls that are down in our families we must do the same; we must humble ourselves before the Lord, confess our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, and plead for God to hear our prayers and show us lovingkindness. For who can restore but God alone, who is our refuge and our strenth but God alone, and who is our rock but God alone? Psalm 18:1-3 I love Thee Oh Lord, my strength. v2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. v3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:30-32 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. v31 For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock except our God, v32 The God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?
Beloved, we need massive intercession for our families, our churches, our nation. But our deliverance can only come from one source, the God who created us. We must turn to Him in complete submission and dependence, and acknowledge Him as our only hope, He will then give us the strength to engage in the battle. The battle is much to big for our human strength, but with the Lord on our side we will be victorious. When David prepared to take on Goliath he spoke to the giant that his confidence was in the Lord, 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Phillistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. v47, and that all the assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will deliver you into our hands." Beloved, as we go into battle today, as we pray for our families and nation today, let this be our battle cry, the battle belongs to the Lord! God bless you this day as you walk with Him, in Christ, Jim
So Nehemiah positioned himself before the Lord, showing complete dependence on God's mercy and grace. If we are to have restoration of the walls that are down in our families we must do the same; we must humble ourselves before the Lord, confess our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, and plead for God to hear our prayers and show us lovingkindness. For who can restore but God alone, who is our refuge and our strenth but God alone, and who is our rock but God alone? Psalm 18:1-3 I love Thee Oh Lord, my strength. v2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. v3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:30-32 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. v31 For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock except our God, v32 The God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?
Beloved, we need massive intercession for our families, our churches, our nation. But our deliverance can only come from one source, the God who created us. We must turn to Him in complete submission and dependence, and acknowledge Him as our only hope, He will then give us the strength to engage in the battle. The battle is much to big for our human strength, but with the Lord on our side we will be victorious. When David prepared to take on Goliath he spoke to the giant that his confidence was in the Lord, 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Phillistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. v47, and that all the assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will deliver you into our hands." Beloved, as we go into battle today, as we pray for our families and nation today, let this be our battle cry, the battle belongs to the Lord! God bless you this day as you walk with Him, in Christ, Jim
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Prayer and fasting pt3
Dear beloved: As we think about praying and fasting for our families and our nation, let us consider the situation of Nehemiah when he heard the news of the condition of Jerusalem from his position as the king's cupbearer in Susa. Nehemiah 1:3 And they (Hanani) said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire. v4 Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
The burden of the breakdown of the walls of Jerusalem caused the spirit inside of Nehemiah to weep and mourn, and eventually to fast and pray. He was exceedingly grieved and moved to do the only thing he could do from so far away; fast and pray. Beloved, when was the last time you were genuinely greived over the situation of the breakdown of your family and the moral decay of this nation? Many times we are far from our children, far from our elected leaders, far from even our church leaders and don't feel like we can effect any change in the direction any of them are going, let alone change the direction we ourselves are going. What are we to do? There is only one thing we can do initially, and that is fast and pray. Isaiah 58:6 Is this not the fast that I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke? v7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your ownn flesh? v8 Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth, and your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Nehemiah fasted because the walls were down. The walls are down in our nation and families also, the enemy, the devil, is prowling around our families seeking whom he may devour. On the national scale the enemies of our nation are plotting death and destruction, they smell blood and are circling close for the kill. Terror cells inhabit every major city, even worse our economy is weak and our moral character even weaker. Beloved, cy out for this nation with prayer and fasting, let us together move the hand of God, let us together begin to rebuild the walls that are broken down. Isaiah 58:12 And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. Together we can rebuild the walls, one brick at a time, we can take back the streets, the neighborhoods, the nation, our familes. You may think you are alone, but the Lord told Elijah when he felt he was up against the wall all by himself, 1 Kings 19:18, Yet I will leave 7.000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him. So too, we are not alone, there is a remnant that cares, that has not bowed their knees to Baal. Beloved, prepare to take you place along the wall and begin to repair the breach. God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
The burden of the breakdown of the walls of Jerusalem caused the spirit inside of Nehemiah to weep and mourn, and eventually to fast and pray. He was exceedingly grieved and moved to do the only thing he could do from so far away; fast and pray. Beloved, when was the last time you were genuinely greived over the situation of the breakdown of your family and the moral decay of this nation? Many times we are far from our children, far from our elected leaders, far from even our church leaders and don't feel like we can effect any change in the direction any of them are going, let alone change the direction we ourselves are going. What are we to do? There is only one thing we can do initially, and that is fast and pray. Isaiah 58:6 Is this not the fast that I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke? v7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your ownn flesh? v8 Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth, and your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Nehemiah fasted because the walls were down. The walls are down in our nation and families also, the enemy, the devil, is prowling around our families seeking whom he may devour. On the national scale the enemies of our nation are plotting death and destruction, they smell blood and are circling close for the kill. Terror cells inhabit every major city, even worse our economy is weak and our moral character even weaker. Beloved, cy out for this nation with prayer and fasting, let us together move the hand of God, let us together begin to rebuild the walls that are broken down. Isaiah 58:12 And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell. Together we can rebuild the walls, one brick at a time, we can take back the streets, the neighborhoods, the nation, our familes. You may think you are alone, but the Lord told Elijah when he felt he was up against the wall all by himself, 1 Kings 19:18, Yet I will leave 7.000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him. So too, we are not alone, there is a remnant that cares, that has not bowed their knees to Baal. Beloved, prepare to take you place along the wall and begin to repair the breach. God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Prayer and fasting pt2
Dear beloved: In Esther 4:16 Queen Esther issued an order to Mordecai to have all the Jews of Susa pray and fast for her. v16 "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and pray for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish." Esther was motivated by an urgency that moved her to act boldly and decisively to risk her own life in exchange for the life of her people.
The Holy Spirit will burden you with a desire to fast, and it will be a burden for others, for your family or nation, for the salvation of the lost, or for your own deliverance. Answer the call when it comes, for with it comes great blessings and victory. Jesus talked about fasting in Matthew 9:14, Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" v15 And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." The Bridegroom is gone away now, and so it is our opportunity to seek the Bridegroom through fasting.
Isaiah 58:8 says this about the victory in fasting, v8 Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. v9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; YOu will cry, and He will say, "Here I am."
Several years ago I did a three day Esther fast, crying out for the deliverance of my children and grandchildren. At the end of the three days the Lord gave me an awesome dream. In the dream I was kneeling beside a mountain stream up in the Rocky Mountains, dipping from the stream with a large dipper. I had my head tilted back and was pouring the water down my throat, enjoying the cold refeshing all the way down into every cell of my body. The Lord was showing me through the fast that He would be my everlasting stream, a river of living water welling up into eternal life. (John 4:14) He was showing me that if I put my faith and hope in Him I would never thirst again. Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters never fail. Beloved, seek the Lord this day through prayer and fasting, become the everlasting spring that He promises you can be. God bless you this day as you seek the source of all waters, in Christ, Jim
The Holy Spirit will burden you with a desire to fast, and it will be a burden for others, for your family or nation, for the salvation of the lost, or for your own deliverance. Answer the call when it comes, for with it comes great blessings and victory. Jesus talked about fasting in Matthew 9:14, Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" v15 And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." The Bridegroom is gone away now, and so it is our opportunity to seek the Bridegroom through fasting.
Isaiah 58:8 says this about the victory in fasting, v8 Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. v9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; YOu will cry, and He will say, "Here I am."
Several years ago I did a three day Esther fast, crying out for the deliverance of my children and grandchildren. At the end of the three days the Lord gave me an awesome dream. In the dream I was kneeling beside a mountain stream up in the Rocky Mountains, dipping from the stream with a large dipper. I had my head tilted back and was pouring the water down my throat, enjoying the cold refeshing all the way down into every cell of my body. The Lord was showing me through the fast that He would be my everlasting stream, a river of living water welling up into eternal life. (John 4:14) He was showing me that if I put my faith and hope in Him I would never thirst again. Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters never fail. Beloved, seek the Lord this day through prayer and fasting, become the everlasting spring that He promises you can be. God bless you this day as you seek the source of all waters, in Christ, Jim
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Prayer and fasting pt1
Dear beloved: The Lord is burdening my heart to call out to the nation to pray and fast, to intercede for the welfare and destiny of this nation, for our children, grandchildren, lost relatives and friends. Two weeks ago the Lord had me to preach in the prison a message from the fourth chapter of Ester, where Mordecai challenges Queen Esther to move on behalf of her people, the Jews of Susa, who were being threatened by an edict issued by the King and Haman, his minister of internal affairs. The edict that went out was described in Esther 3:13 And letters were sent out by couriers to all the king's provinces to destroy, to kill, to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their posessions as plunder. v14 A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the people so that they should be ready for this day.
In chapter 4:13 Mordecai replies to Esther, "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews, v14 for if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" v15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, v16 " Go, assemble all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I amd my maidens will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.
We know from reading on in the book of Esther that the king heard her petition, intervened on behalf of her people, and that the tables were turned on Hamsn to the extent that the gallows that Haman had prepared for the hanging of Mordecai, the King ordered Haman to be hung on those very same gallows.
Beloved, we need to intercede for this nation, for our communities, our families, our churches, and ourselves. The edict has gone out from Satan to eradicate God's children and God's commandments from this land. Satan is scoring great victories in all facets of life here in America. Will you stand up and be counted to help reverse the edict to annihilate God's people? Will you stand up for the innocents whose blood continues to be shed by the thousands day after day? Will you stand up for God's plan for marriage between one man and one woman? Will you stand up and defend Israel, God's chosen people? For the sake of your children and grandchildren, fast and pray for America. If you choose not to, God will find another way to deliver his people, but you and your household may perish. You have been raised up for a time such as this! God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
In chapter 4:13 Mordecai replies to Esther, "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews, v14 for if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" v15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, v16 " Go, assemble all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I amd my maidens will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.
We know from reading on in the book of Esther that the king heard her petition, intervened on behalf of her people, and that the tables were turned on Hamsn to the extent that the gallows that Haman had prepared for the hanging of Mordecai, the King ordered Haman to be hung on those very same gallows.
Beloved, we need to intercede for this nation, for our communities, our families, our churches, and ourselves. The edict has gone out from Satan to eradicate God's children and God's commandments from this land. Satan is scoring great victories in all facets of life here in America. Will you stand up and be counted to help reverse the edict to annihilate God's people? Will you stand up for the innocents whose blood continues to be shed by the thousands day after day? Will you stand up for God's plan for marriage between one man and one woman? Will you stand up and defend Israel, God's chosen people? For the sake of your children and grandchildren, fast and pray for America. If you choose not to, God will find another way to deliver his people, but you and your household may perish. You have been raised up for a time such as this! God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Monday, July 26, 2010
Warfare portals pt23
Dear beloved: Another example of a person who was walking with the Lord but was harassed by the devil was Peter, the disciple of Jesus. In Luke 22:31, Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat; v32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." So we see that Jesus told Simon that Satan had come to Jesus and asked permission to attack him. That is the same situation as we found Job in yesterday's teaching, where Satan had come before the Lord and God gave him permission to attack Job. To be sifted like wheat means that the chaff was going to be separated from the heavy grain, it meant to Peter that he was going to undergo a trial and a testing. In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist describes the coming ministry of Jesus, "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. v12 And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Jesus then prophesied to Peter when He said to Him in verse 32, "when once you have turned again, strengthen you brothers." Jesus knew that Peter was going to fall, that when the cock crowed that Peter would in fact deny Him, and so He prayed for his faith to not fail.
Another situation where Peter was harassed was in Matthew 16:22 And Peter took Jesus aside and he began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it Lord, that this should ever happen to You." v23 But He turned and said to Peter,"Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests but on man's." So Jesus called out Satan who was harassing Peter and told him to get behind him. Peter wasn't demon possessed or anything close to that, his thinking was just being influenced by the devil and Jesus corrected him on it. Jesus was quite able to see into the spirit realm and identify demons and many times people who are walking closely with the Lord can also see into the spirit realm and identify demons. I once had a friend who was an evangelist and he could at times easily see demons on people or around certain business or entertainment places such as bars or casinos.
The writer of Hebrews tells us in Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. v16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. This is a comforting word when we are harassed by the devil, that we know that Jesus was tempted in the same way as we are, but He did not give in. So we know that if we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, that the old has passed away, that we need not give in either, that we have victory over temptation by the power, the blood, and by the grace of Jesus. When demonic oppression and onslaught comes your way, call on Jesus. Come boldly before the throne of grace, tell the devil to get behind thee, and keep repeating it until the temptation passes. Whether breaking chains of addictions, bad habits, depression, or anything else in your life that does not bring glory to God, call on Jesus, the One who shed His blood to set you free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! Walk in freedom today, in Christ, Jim
Another situation where Peter was harassed was in Matthew 16:22 And Peter took Jesus aside and he began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it Lord, that this should ever happen to You." v23 But He turned and said to Peter,"Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests but on man's." So Jesus called out Satan who was harassing Peter and told him to get behind him. Peter wasn't demon possessed or anything close to that, his thinking was just being influenced by the devil and Jesus corrected him on it. Jesus was quite able to see into the spirit realm and identify demons and many times people who are walking closely with the Lord can also see into the spirit realm and identify demons. I once had a friend who was an evangelist and he could at times easily see demons on people or around certain business or entertainment places such as bars or casinos.
The writer of Hebrews tells us in Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. v16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. This is a comforting word when we are harassed by the devil, that we know that Jesus was tempted in the same way as we are, but He did not give in. So we know that if we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, that the old has passed away, that we need not give in either, that we have victory over temptation by the power, the blood, and by the grace of Jesus. When demonic oppression and onslaught comes your way, call on Jesus. Come boldly before the throne of grace, tell the devil to get behind thee, and keep repeating it until the temptation passes. Whether breaking chains of addictions, bad habits, depression, or anything else in your life that does not bring glory to God, call on Jesus, the One who shed His blood to set you free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! Walk in freedom today, in Christ, Jim
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Warfare portals pt22
Dear beloved: An interesting question arises regarding spiritual warfare concerning the ability of Satan to come before God and ask for permission to attack the brethren. Of coarse, in the old testament we know that Satan did come before God in the book of Job. Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. v7 And the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the Lord and said, " from roaming about on the earth and walking on it." v8 And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." So we know from this scripture that Satan had access to God along with the other angels, the sons of God, a term used in the old testament to describe the angels. We also see that God is the one who brings up the idea of allowing Satan to attack Job, and in verse 12 God finishes the initial proposition when He says, v12 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. And again in 2:3 And the Lord said to Satan, " Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause." So we see that God is incited against Job, but only so far as God has declared that He will go, not to the point of total destruction of Job, but only to severely afflict him.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear, so rest assured that if you find yourself in the same situation as Job, that you will not be taken beyond your ability to bear it. v13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. And so as we go through our trials just as Job did, we meditate, we pray, we contemplate, our friends come to console or counsel or criticize us, and eventually we work our way through it and hopefully come to a point of praising the Lord. In Job 42:6 Job repents of his questioning and doubting attitude by saying, "Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes." Then in verse 9 it states that the Lord accepted (forgave) Job, and in verse 10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
The whole story of Job brings out a cry from us, Alas Lord God, must we go through such trial and tribulation on this earth just to come to know you better? In some cases, the answer is yes, and not only that, but we are to take joy in our tribulations, as James tells us in James 1:2, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, v3 knowing that testing of your faith produces endurance, v4 and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. And so we are to not only endure trials, but actually take joy in them, knowing that they will make you perfect and complete! That's probably not the first thing on our prayer list, to ask the Lord for trials so we can be completed, and yet we know that trials are for our own good, to bring us into conformity with the image of Christ.
Paul sums it up in Phillipians 3:10, when he says "that I may know Him (Jesus), and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; v11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Paul wrote this book of Phillipians from Rome while in prison or house arrest, and he was prepared to suffer and die for the sake of the gospel. He states in Phillipians 1:21 For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. v22 but if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. v23 but I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is much better.
Beloved, as you go into battle this day, do not resent the trials, tribulations, and temptations that God allows into your life, but look at them from God's point of view, that He is strengthening you for greater glory. When you can defeat your enemies and give God the praise no matter what you are going through, you know that you have then arrived at the fellowship of His sufferings. Praise the Lord for that! May God bless you this day as you take joy in your trials, in Christ, Jim
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear, so rest assured that if you find yourself in the same situation as Job, that you will not be taken beyond your ability to bear it. v13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. And so as we go through our trials just as Job did, we meditate, we pray, we contemplate, our friends come to console or counsel or criticize us, and eventually we work our way through it and hopefully come to a point of praising the Lord. In Job 42:6 Job repents of his questioning and doubting attitude by saying, "Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes." Then in verse 9 it states that the Lord accepted (forgave) Job, and in verse 10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
The whole story of Job brings out a cry from us, Alas Lord God, must we go through such trial and tribulation on this earth just to come to know you better? In some cases, the answer is yes, and not only that, but we are to take joy in our tribulations, as James tells us in James 1:2, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, v3 knowing that testing of your faith produces endurance, v4 and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. And so we are to not only endure trials, but actually take joy in them, knowing that they will make you perfect and complete! That's probably not the first thing on our prayer list, to ask the Lord for trials so we can be completed, and yet we know that trials are for our own good, to bring us into conformity with the image of Christ.
Paul sums it up in Phillipians 3:10, when he says "that I may know Him (Jesus), and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; v11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Paul wrote this book of Phillipians from Rome while in prison or house arrest, and he was prepared to suffer and die for the sake of the gospel. He states in Phillipians 1:21 For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. v22 but if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. v23 but I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is much better.
Beloved, as you go into battle this day, do not resent the trials, tribulations, and temptations that God allows into your life, but look at them from God's point of view, that He is strengthening you for greater glory. When you can defeat your enemies and give God the praise no matter what you are going through, you know that you have then arrived at the fellowship of His sufferings. Praise the Lord for that! May God bless you this day as you take joy in your trials, in Christ, Jim
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Kenya Mission Trip
Dear beloved: I will be going to Kenya in September, leaving the states about September 19th, and returning on Oct. 1. I will be teaming up with a mission group from Vancouver, Washington, and Doug McCary of Men at the Cross Ministry. The total number on the team will be about 20, including musicians, preachers, and other support people. We will be preaching a series of revival meetins in Nairobi and possibly other cities in Kenya. The meetings will be held all over the city of Nairobi, then at the end of the week there will be a pastor training and big evangelism push in a city park. The weekend event in the park will be a two day event, and include a breakfast and games for the children, pastor training, praise and worship, and preaching. Expected turnout for the weekend event could be anywhere from 25,000 up to 200,000. The whole evangelism and discipling thrust will be called Operation Two Fish, Five Loaves. Please pray for this mission: 1. for souls to come into the kingdom 2. for those new converts and for other Christians to be open to discipling 3. for safe travel and safety in the country of Kenya 4. for revelation from the Holy Spirit in regards to preaching and worship 5. for provision for the people involved as well as provision for the printing of discipleship materials to be distributed.
If you feel called to help support this evangelism mission please pray that you would be faithful to answer God's leading, You can send letters of support with donations to : Jim Rowh, 108 E. Washington St. Norton, Kansas, 67654, or you can use your credit card and make a donation through PayPal safely and securely by clicking on the donate button on this page, or on my web site at www.gathertheoutcasts.com. I need to raise about $3,000 for my travel and food and lodging, plus we need additional money to print up discipleship training manuals, as well as money for the picnic in the park. Prayerfully consider how God would have you to help in this mission. I will be posting more details as the time for departure draws near. God bless you, Jim
If you feel called to help support this evangelism mission please pray that you would be faithful to answer God's leading, You can send letters of support with donations to : Jim Rowh, 108 E. Washington St. Norton, Kansas, 67654, or you can use your credit card and make a donation through PayPal safely and securely by clicking on the donate button on this page, or on my web site at www.gathertheoutcasts.com. I need to raise about $3,000 for my travel and food and lodging, plus we need additional money to print up discipleship training manuals, as well as money for the picnic in the park. Prayerfully consider how God would have you to help in this mission. I will be posting more details as the time for departure draws near. God bless you, Jim
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Warfare portals pt21
Dear beloved: The classic example of a person being demon possessed is in Mark chapter 5, where Jesus encounters the man who was living in the tombs, in the country of the Gerasenes. verse 5 And constantly night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and gashing himself with stones. v6 And seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; v7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me! v8 for He had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" It is interesting to note here that the demon in the man Legion who was speaking to Jesus was begging Jesus not to torment him; the spirit knew without any introduction who Jesus was and that He had the power to cast him out and send him out of the man. The demon also swore by God in verse 7, as if he knew that that highest power he could call upon was the Most High God. We know that this is true because the demons all once resided in heaven with Jesus and God, and they were thrown down when Satan led the rebellion to take over the throne of God.
Then in verse 9, And He was asking him, "what is your name?" and he said to Him, "My name is Legion, for we are many." v10 And he began to entreat Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. v11 Now there was a big herd of swine feeding there on the mountain. v12 And the demons entreated Him saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them." We know from the rest of the story that Jesus did send the spirits into the swine, and 2000 of them went rushing into the sea. Then verse 15 is the climax of the scene, as we see the man delivered and set free of his shackles and chains. v15 And they came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the legion; and they became frightened. V17 And they began to entreat Him to depart from their region. We can learn several points from these scriptures. First, demons do not like to be sent from their own region, or country, they are territorial (principalities); second, they will inhabit animals (swine are unclean to the Jews) if they have no other abode; and third, that the villagers of the city and country would rather maintain the status quo and have the man demon-possessed, than to see him set free and face the prospect of having their own demons dealt with, because they asked Jesus to leave the country. I have been asked in relation to this story, Did the demons drown with the swine? The answer is no, they did not drown, they just hang around that region until they can find some more people who are willing to take them in, which judging by the attitude of the villagers, it would not have been too hard to find some willing hosts.
I once had a deliverance session with a lady who had spirits of alcohol and drug addiction that she had been carrying for many years. After an hour or so of intense prayer, she came at me with cat like shrieks and claws outstretched to scratch my face and eyes out. She got right up in my face and was ready to claw me, but I just kept praying the blood of Jesus over her and kept my eyes fixed on hers, casting out all those demonic entities in the name of Jesus. Finally, she shrunk back and collapsed onto the floor without having laid a hand on me. I was relieved but not nearly as much as she; I have seen her often since that night and she is still free and doing well.
We know that the man from the Gerasenes went on to become an evangelist, walking into his divine destiny. Mark 5:20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness, sets the captives free, and declares release to the prisoners. Start praying for your family, friends, and anyone else that God sends your way, and declare the demons to go in the name of Jesus, and bless them with a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, a planting of the Lord that He may be glorified.(Isaiah 61:3) May God bless you this day as you go forward in victory! in Christ, Jim
Then in verse 9, And He was asking him, "what is your name?" and he said to Him, "My name is Legion, for we are many." v10 And he began to entreat Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. v11 Now there was a big herd of swine feeding there on the mountain. v12 And the demons entreated Him saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them." We know from the rest of the story that Jesus did send the spirits into the swine, and 2000 of them went rushing into the sea. Then verse 15 is the climax of the scene, as we see the man delivered and set free of his shackles and chains. v15 And they came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the legion; and they became frightened. V17 And they began to entreat Him to depart from their region. We can learn several points from these scriptures. First, demons do not like to be sent from their own region, or country, they are territorial (principalities); second, they will inhabit animals (swine are unclean to the Jews) if they have no other abode; and third, that the villagers of the city and country would rather maintain the status quo and have the man demon-possessed, than to see him set free and face the prospect of having their own demons dealt with, because they asked Jesus to leave the country. I have been asked in relation to this story, Did the demons drown with the swine? The answer is no, they did not drown, they just hang around that region until they can find some more people who are willing to take them in, which judging by the attitude of the villagers, it would not have been too hard to find some willing hosts.
I once had a deliverance session with a lady who had spirits of alcohol and drug addiction that she had been carrying for many years. After an hour or so of intense prayer, she came at me with cat like shrieks and claws outstretched to scratch my face and eyes out. She got right up in my face and was ready to claw me, but I just kept praying the blood of Jesus over her and kept my eyes fixed on hers, casting out all those demonic entities in the name of Jesus. Finally, she shrunk back and collapsed onto the floor without having laid a hand on me. I was relieved but not nearly as much as she; I have seen her often since that night and she is still free and doing well.
We know that the man from the Gerasenes went on to become an evangelist, walking into his divine destiny. Mark 5:20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness, sets the captives free, and declares release to the prisoners. Start praying for your family, friends, and anyone else that God sends your way, and declare the demons to go in the name of Jesus, and bless them with a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, a planting of the Lord that He may be glorified.(Isaiah 61:3) May God bless you this day as you go forward in victory! in Christ, Jim
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Warfare portals pt20
Dear beloved: Another example of demonic oppression and possession in the scriptures is that of Jesus disciple, Judas Iscariot. He was chosen by Jesus and walked with him as Jesus ministered here on the earth, so it wasn't for lack of a good teacher that Judas fell into sin and eventually betrayed Him. It just points out that when Satan begins to make small inroads into a person's life, that it can turn into full blown demonic possession with a very undesirable outcome.
Judas started out with the good intentions of all the disciples, but he had a problem with greed and that led him to his demise. John 12:3 Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. v4 but Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, v5" Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?" v6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. ... And so we see that Judas was the treasurer for the group, and so Satan attacked him where he was the most vulnerable, through his greed and desire for more money. This then led to Judas making a deal with the chief priests, Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve went to the chief priests; v15 and said, "What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you? And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver. v16 And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Him. Luke 22:3 tells us the point in time when Judas actually became demon possessed. v3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. v5 And they were glad, and agreed to give money to him. v6 And he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the multitude. And in verse 47 we find the deal completed and sealed with a kiss. v47 While He was still speaking, behold, a multitude came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was proceeding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. v48 But Jesus said to him, "Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
Of coarse, Jesus knew beforehand all of this was going to happen, because he knew the old testament scriptures, where the betrayal of the Messiah was prophesied in Zechariah 11:12 And I said the them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my wages, but if not, never mind. So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. v13 Then the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. The end result of Judas betrayal was that his guilt overcame him and he took the money back to the chief priests and threw it to them, but they would not take it because it was blood money and they knew the curses associated with it. And then Judas finished it all by hanging himself, Matthew 27:5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. v7 And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's field, as a burial place for strangers. v8 For this reason the field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
And so we see the escalating nature of sin in Judas' life ended in the betrayal of Jesus and his own suicide. Many times we see this scenario acted out in America; a person trapped in sin ( anger, jealousy, greed, porn,) picks up a gun and shoots his loved ones and then shoots himself. The ultimate goal of Satan is our earthly and eternal destruction, but it all starts with agreement with him in small ways of sin. Beloved, do not agree with Satan in any way in your life, repent of any sin and renounce it and get free from that bondage, you will be glad you did! Tomorrow we will look some more at the life of Judas and others. May God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Judas started out with the good intentions of all the disciples, but he had a problem with greed and that led him to his demise. John 12:3 Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. v4 but Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, v5" Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?" v6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. ... And so we see that Judas was the treasurer for the group, and so Satan attacked him where he was the most vulnerable, through his greed and desire for more money. This then led to Judas making a deal with the chief priests, Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve went to the chief priests; v15 and said, "What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you? And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver. v16 And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Him. Luke 22:3 tells us the point in time when Judas actually became demon possessed. v3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. v5 And they were glad, and agreed to give money to him. v6 And he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the multitude. And in verse 47 we find the deal completed and sealed with a kiss. v47 While He was still speaking, behold, a multitude came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was proceeding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. v48 But Jesus said to him, "Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
Of coarse, Jesus knew beforehand all of this was going to happen, because he knew the old testament scriptures, where the betrayal of the Messiah was prophesied in Zechariah 11:12 And I said the them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my wages, but if not, never mind. So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. v13 Then the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. The end result of Judas betrayal was that his guilt overcame him and he took the money back to the chief priests and threw it to them, but they would not take it because it was blood money and they knew the curses associated with it. And then Judas finished it all by hanging himself, Matthew 27:5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. v7 And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's field, as a burial place for strangers. v8 For this reason the field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
And so we see the escalating nature of sin in Judas' life ended in the betrayal of Jesus and his own suicide. Many times we see this scenario acted out in America; a person trapped in sin ( anger, jealousy, greed, porn,) picks up a gun and shoots his loved ones and then shoots himself. The ultimate goal of Satan is our earthly and eternal destruction, but it all starts with agreement with him in small ways of sin. Beloved, do not agree with Satan in any way in your life, repent of any sin and renounce it and get free from that bondage, you will be glad you did! Tomorrow we will look some more at the life of Judas and others. May God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Monday, July 19, 2010
Warfare portals pt19
Dear beloved: Today we are going to look at some scriptural examples of demonic oppression and see how the Lord deals with the situations, and to give us a better feel of the way that Satan operates in harassing Christians. In 1 Corinthians 5:1 we see an example of one who is in the body of Christ, the local fellowship of the Corinth, and he is trapped in the sin of fornication. v1 It is commonly reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not named among the gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. v2 And you are puffed up, and have not mourned, that he that has done this deed might be taken away from you. So Paul names the sin, points out the sinner, and then declare the solution in verse 4 and 5. v4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, v5 I have decide to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Paul doesn't explicitly state if the man is already saved, but it is likely that he is since he is part of the fellowship and verse 5 states that the purpose of the destruction is to preserve his spirit. The greek word for destruction is olethros, to ruin, destroy, plague, pest. This destruction did not kill the man, but brought him to his knees and to a state of repentance. We know from reading 2 Corinthians 2:5-8, that the man was brought to his knees and did come back into the fold and right standing with God. v5 But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me but in some degree-in order not to say to much-to all of you. v6 Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority, v7 So that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow, v8,wherefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
So we can see from this that a Christian can carry great sin and demonic oppression and their spirit stiil be set aside for the Lord. The key is repentance, that is to turn away and renounce their agreement with the cords that attach them to the kingdom of darkness. God's will for all believers who are trapped in sin is restoration, and He will chastise those that need correction. Hebrews 12:5 and you have forgotten the exhortation that was addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; v6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives. v7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? v8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. v9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? v10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness....So we see that God deals with our sin nature and demonic oppression, and for non believers, sometimes demonic possession, by disciplining our flesh until we repent and come into agreement with His will for our life. We then renounce and cut the cords to the demons that have been controlling our behavior, and move forward towards His holiness.
Do not be too harsh or quick to judge those around you according to what you see in their behavior, for repentance and restoration can come in a heartbeat, even on the deathbed. I had a young man stay with me for a couple of days this summer who had made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ as a teenager, then fell away into drug use and the party life when he went to college. At a drug party one night, God took him through the veil of death and took him down to the gates of hell to show him what was in store for him. The demons of hell were laughing diabolically and relishing his entry into hell; they were ripping and tearing at his flesh as he tried to pull away from them. He finally started to cry out to Jesus and Jesus came and pulled him out of the clutches of the evil ones; he was then taken back through the veil and dropped into his lifeless body at the drug party. Needless to say, he was quite shaken, and he got up and went home and started to read his bible. Prior to that night he did not believe that the Bible was the infallible word of God, in fact he mocked it at times; that all changed after his encounter with death and hell. And so you see God has many ways to deal with those trapped in sin and in bondage to the evil one. If you or your loved ones find yourself in that situation, just be faithful in praying for them and know that God will hear every word of your prayer and send ministering angels in response.
Hope lies in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. Tomorrow we'll look at another example of how Jesus came to set the captives free. May God bless you this day as you move forward in His power. in Christ, Jim
So we can see from this that a Christian can carry great sin and demonic oppression and their spirit stiil be set aside for the Lord. The key is repentance, that is to turn away and renounce their agreement with the cords that attach them to the kingdom of darkness. God's will for all believers who are trapped in sin is restoration, and He will chastise those that need correction. Hebrews 12:5 and you have forgotten the exhortation that was addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; v6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives. v7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? v8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. v9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? v10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness....So we see that God deals with our sin nature and demonic oppression, and for non believers, sometimes demonic possession, by disciplining our flesh until we repent and come into agreement with His will for our life. We then renounce and cut the cords to the demons that have been controlling our behavior, and move forward towards His holiness.
Do not be too harsh or quick to judge those around you according to what you see in their behavior, for repentance and restoration can come in a heartbeat, even on the deathbed. I had a young man stay with me for a couple of days this summer who had made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ as a teenager, then fell away into drug use and the party life when he went to college. At a drug party one night, God took him through the veil of death and took him down to the gates of hell to show him what was in store for him. The demons of hell were laughing diabolically and relishing his entry into hell; they were ripping and tearing at his flesh as he tried to pull away from them. He finally started to cry out to Jesus and Jesus came and pulled him out of the clutches of the evil ones; he was then taken back through the veil and dropped into his lifeless body at the drug party. Needless to say, he was quite shaken, and he got up and went home and started to read his bible. Prior to that night he did not believe that the Bible was the infallible word of God, in fact he mocked it at times; that all changed after his encounter with death and hell. And so you see God has many ways to deal with those trapped in sin and in bondage to the evil one. If you or your loved ones find yourself in that situation, just be faithful in praying for them and know that God will hear every word of your prayer and send ministering angels in response.
Hope lies in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. Tomorrow we'll look at another example of how Jesus came to set the captives free. May God bless you this day as you move forward in His power. in Christ, Jim
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Warfare portals pt18
Dear beloved: We have spent the last couple of weeks talking about portals of entry that the demonic realm uses to gain access into the life of a person. This brings up an interesting question: Can a born again believer have demons, or even be demon possessed? It should be obvious from the recent discussions that a believer can be demon oppressed, or harassed by one or even a horde of demons. This is possible by the fact that our nature is of a three part being; we are spirit, soul, and body. Paul describes it in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Now may the God of peace sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so he shows us that we are three parts, and that it is possible for the parts to be incomplete, that is, our spirit given over to Christ but our bodies and soul still having a mixture and living for the devil. Many of us can attest to this from experience as we were still smoking cigarettes, or drinking alcohol, or struggling with lust even after we had made a decision to give our lives to Jesus.
In Rick Joyner's book "The Final Quest", God gave Rick a vision of the demonic horde, Satan's army as it proceeded into battle. In it he states that the most shocking part of the vision was that the demonic horde was not riding on horses or walking, they were riding primarily on the backs of Christians! Many of the believers were host to more than one demon, but one of the demons would clearly be in charge. The nature of the one in charge dictated which division it was marching in. Even though the divisions were all marching together, it also seemed that the entire army was on the verge of chaos. For example, the demons of Hate hated the other demons as much as they did the Christians. The demons of Jealousy were all jealous of one another. The only way the leaders of the demonic horde kept the demons from fighting each other was to keep their hatred focused on the people they were riding.
Joyner goes on to write, I noted that the demons were riding on these Christians, but were not in them as was the case with non-Christians. It was obvious that these believers had only to stop agreeing with their demons in order to get free of them. For example, if the Christian on whom the demon of Jealousy was riding just started to question the jealousy, that demon would weaken very fast. Joyner continues, the power of the demons was clearly rooted almost entirely in the power of deception, they had deceived these Christians to the point where they could use them and the Christians would think they were being used by God. This was because the banners of Self-Righteousness were being carried along by everyone, so that those marching along could not even see the banners of their true nature of these divisions( Bitterness, Lust, Rejection, Pride, etc.)
And so we see that Satan has a diabolical plan to use Christians to attack each other and accomplish his purposes, to weaken individuals, then families, then churches, and eventually whole nations. Non Christians and unbelievers are easily kept in line by possession and by demons of fear, so it doesn't take too many of the horde to tie up and bind great masses of people, even whole cultures. Satan has a very simple strategy, divide and conquer. Jesus talked about it in Mark 3:23-27. v23 "and He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, 'How can Satan cast out Satan?' v24 And if a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. v25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.v26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! v27 But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at individuals in scripture that were harassed by the horde. Strap on your gospel armor this day as you prepare to go into battle! May God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
In Rick Joyner's book "The Final Quest", God gave Rick a vision of the demonic horde, Satan's army as it proceeded into battle. In it he states that the most shocking part of the vision was that the demonic horde was not riding on horses or walking, they were riding primarily on the backs of Christians! Many of the believers were host to more than one demon, but one of the demons would clearly be in charge. The nature of the one in charge dictated which division it was marching in. Even though the divisions were all marching together, it also seemed that the entire army was on the verge of chaos. For example, the demons of Hate hated the other demons as much as they did the Christians. The demons of Jealousy were all jealous of one another. The only way the leaders of the demonic horde kept the demons from fighting each other was to keep their hatred focused on the people they were riding.
Joyner goes on to write, I noted that the demons were riding on these Christians, but were not in them as was the case with non-Christians. It was obvious that these believers had only to stop agreeing with their demons in order to get free of them. For example, if the Christian on whom the demon of Jealousy was riding just started to question the jealousy, that demon would weaken very fast. Joyner continues, the power of the demons was clearly rooted almost entirely in the power of deception, they had deceived these Christians to the point where they could use them and the Christians would think they were being used by God. This was because the banners of Self-Righteousness were being carried along by everyone, so that those marching along could not even see the banners of their true nature of these divisions( Bitterness, Lust, Rejection, Pride, etc.)
And so we see that Satan has a diabolical plan to use Christians to attack each other and accomplish his purposes, to weaken individuals, then families, then churches, and eventually whole nations. Non Christians and unbelievers are easily kept in line by possession and by demons of fear, so it doesn't take too many of the horde to tie up and bind great masses of people, even whole cultures. Satan has a very simple strategy, divide and conquer. Jesus talked about it in Mark 3:23-27. v23 "and He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, 'How can Satan cast out Satan?' v24 And if a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. v25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.v26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! v27 But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at individuals in scripture that were harassed by the horde. Strap on your gospel armor this day as you prepare to go into battle! May God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Friday, July 16, 2010
Warfare portals pt17
Dear beloved: Another avenue of entry for the demonic in our life comes through unkept vows to the Lord. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it, for he takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? Many times we make vows to the Lord that we are going to tithe a certain amount, or give to a missionary, or promise to work in a certain place or a certain amount of time for the kingdom, and then the business of the world and the pursuit of riches of self indulgence takes our time and resources, and we ending up backing away from our vow. The Lord says it is better not to make the vow!
The classic example in scripture of someone giving a vow to the Lord and then not keeping it is in Acts 5:1-11, the story of Ananias and Sapphira. v1 But a certain man named Ananias , with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, v2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostle's feet. v3 But Peter said, "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 it is 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. v6 And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out they buried him. And then we go on to read that the very same fate came to his wife Sapphira, because she had full knowledge of the situation and was complicit. This scripture can only be fully understood when you go back to Acts 4:34, where it says of the new believers, For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, v35 and lay them at the apostle's feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need. And so we see because of the vows and intents for good that was in the hearts of the new believers, they were able to sell their pieces of property and bring the money in fullness to the apostles for distribution. Ananias and Sapphira started out with those intentions, but after the sale of the property they decided to keep back some for themselves. They forgot that God was the one who had orchestrated the sale and was watching to see if they had followed through with their vow! Their sin was not in not giving, for they did give; it was in not giving what they had vowed.
When you make a vow to the Lord for ministry, ask the Lord to give you the strength to keep it. Paul declares to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. When God calls you to ministry, even in the smallest way, He will give you the resources and tools and strength to do the job; He would not call you to do something if He did not know that you could do it, and that He could be the provision for it. Phillipians 4:19 says, And my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. So we know that God will supply not only material needs such as food and shelter, and money for the utility bills, but also the resources and gifts needed to fulfill the callings to ministry. The money that Ananias and Sapphira held back they thought they needed for some purpose, but it became a matter of life and death for them. God used them as an example to bring great fear to those in that community who were in the same situation, so that others would not error in the same way. Lord have mercy on us that we would not error and that you would never need to make an example of us for any reason!
When an opening came for me to start a radio ministry a few years ago, after three months I was 450 dollars in the hole and had not received one single donation from my appeals for contributions over the air. So I prayed and did business with the Lord, and said " Lord, this opening on the radio you made, you gave me the voice and the intellect, it is by your design and sovereign will that I do this, do you want me to continue or throw in the towel? I leave you with this burden, I can't carry it any more." The next week I received a check in the mail for 400 dollars and I have never lacked to pay the bill each month now in over 5 years! To God be the glory, I promised I would keep going on the radio as long as He supplied, and He has faithfully. Beloved, as you walk with the Lord this day, be careful what you promise to God, His expectations for us are quite high, but so is His provision. May God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
The classic example in scripture of someone giving a vow to the Lord and then not keeping it is in Acts 5:1-11, the story of Ananias and Sapphira. v1 But a certain man named Ananias , with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, v2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostle's feet. v3 But Peter said, "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 it is 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. v6 And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out they buried him. And then we go on to read that the very same fate came to his wife Sapphira, because she had full knowledge of the situation and was complicit. This scripture can only be fully understood when you go back to Acts 4:34, where it says of the new believers, For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, v35 and lay them at the apostle's feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need. And so we see because of the vows and intents for good that was in the hearts of the new believers, they were able to sell their pieces of property and bring the money in fullness to the apostles for distribution. Ananias and Sapphira started out with those intentions, but after the sale of the property they decided to keep back some for themselves. They forgot that God was the one who had orchestrated the sale and was watching to see if they had followed through with their vow! Their sin was not in not giving, for they did give; it was in not giving what they had vowed.
When you make a vow to the Lord for ministry, ask the Lord to give you the strength to keep it. Paul declares to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. When God calls you to ministry, even in the smallest way, He will give you the resources and tools and strength to do the job; He would not call you to do something if He did not know that you could do it, and that He could be the provision for it. Phillipians 4:19 says, And my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. So we know that God will supply not only material needs such as food and shelter, and money for the utility bills, but also the resources and gifts needed to fulfill the callings to ministry. The money that Ananias and Sapphira held back they thought they needed for some purpose, but it became a matter of life and death for them. God used them as an example to bring great fear to those in that community who were in the same situation, so that others would not error in the same way. Lord have mercy on us that we would not error and that you would never need to make an example of us for any reason!
When an opening came for me to start a radio ministry a few years ago, after three months I was 450 dollars in the hole and had not received one single donation from my appeals for contributions over the air. So I prayed and did business with the Lord, and said " Lord, this opening on the radio you made, you gave me the voice and the intellect, it is by your design and sovereign will that I do this, do you want me to continue or throw in the towel? I leave you with this burden, I can't carry it any more." The next week I received a check in the mail for 400 dollars and I have never lacked to pay the bill each month now in over 5 years! To God be the glory, I promised I would keep going on the radio as long as He supplied, and He has faithfully. Beloved, as you walk with the Lord this day, be careful what you promise to God, His expectations for us are quite high, but so is His provision. May God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Warfare portals pt16
Dear beloved: Another avenue of demonic entry in our lives that is very common to just about all people of all Christian denominations is that of a religious spirit, or a spirit that wants to bind us to a form or religion with no power. Paul talks about it in 2 Timothy 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. v2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, v3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, v4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; v5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these. A religious spirit is commonly found among people who are very "spiritual", or "religious", they enjoy and practice religion and ritual, may be faithful in church attendance and even tithing; however, their faith and practice of it is built around works, routines, rituals, and all the controls that go with maintaining their status or position in the established patterns of worship.
In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples, "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." The power that Jesus was talking about came upon the apostles and those with them to such a great extent that the people watching them thought they were drunk! Acts 2:13 But others were mocking and saying, "they are full of sweet wine." And so the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit was so strong it made them act like they were drunk. The Holy Spirit, the manifestations of the Holy Spirit including tongues, prophecy, miracles and all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit that are poured out at each believers individual Pentecost, are the source of power for the New Testament believer in Christ. That is the only source of power, and it is not in rituals, routines, nice church buildings, or anything else that we can so easily attribute the source of power. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit; v20 Do not despise prophetic utterances, v21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good. v22 abstain from every form of evil. If you find yourself quenching the Holy Spirit by speaking against tongues, prophecy, miracles, or any other of the moves of the Spirit, you have a religious spirit.
A religious spirit is also a critical spirit, always finding fault with something in the church service, such as the service was too long, or the music not to my liking, or the prayer wasn't the right prayer for today; it is also critical of the individuals, especially those who have the freedom of the Holy Spirit and don't want to be controlled by that religious spirit. Beloved, do you want to hold up your hands in church sometimes but are afraid what others around you will think? Or how about you would like to dance before the Lord but your feet are bound by the spirit of bondage over the congregation or you personally? 2 Samuel 6:16 Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. ...Michal had the religious spirit, she called David a fool in verse 20. Then in verse 22 David declares his freedom," For I will become more lightly esteemed than this (more undignified) and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished." ..And as a result, God cursed Michal with no children to the day of her death.
Confess and repent of your religious spirit if you have one, let your hair down before the Lord, humble yourself and say to Him," Lord, let your Spirit move me in any way you wish, and give me your power!" God will give you that which you ask for in faith. May God bless you this day as you more forward in power, in Christ, Jim
In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples, "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." The power that Jesus was talking about came upon the apostles and those with them to such a great extent that the people watching them thought they were drunk! Acts 2:13 But others were mocking and saying, "they are full of sweet wine." And so the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit was so strong it made them act like they were drunk. The Holy Spirit, the manifestations of the Holy Spirit including tongues, prophecy, miracles and all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit that are poured out at each believers individual Pentecost, are the source of power for the New Testament believer in Christ. That is the only source of power, and it is not in rituals, routines, nice church buildings, or anything else that we can so easily attribute the source of power. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit; v20 Do not despise prophetic utterances, v21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good. v22 abstain from every form of evil. If you find yourself quenching the Holy Spirit by speaking against tongues, prophecy, miracles, or any other of the moves of the Spirit, you have a religious spirit.
A religious spirit is also a critical spirit, always finding fault with something in the church service, such as the service was too long, or the music not to my liking, or the prayer wasn't the right prayer for today; it is also critical of the individuals, especially those who have the freedom of the Holy Spirit and don't want to be controlled by that religious spirit. Beloved, do you want to hold up your hands in church sometimes but are afraid what others around you will think? Or how about you would like to dance before the Lord but your feet are bound by the spirit of bondage over the congregation or you personally? 2 Samuel 6:16 Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. ...Michal had the religious spirit, she called David a fool in verse 20. Then in verse 22 David declares his freedom," For I will become more lightly esteemed than this (more undignified) and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished." ..And as a result, God cursed Michal with no children to the day of her death.
Confess and repent of your religious spirit if you have one, let your hair down before the Lord, humble yourself and say to Him," Lord, let your Spirit move me in any way you wish, and give me your power!" God will give you that which you ask for in faith. May God bless you this day as you more forward in power, in Christ, Jim
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Warfare portals pt15
Dear beloved: Another area of demonic entry in our life is through the avenue of soul ties. This is especially important to those who have had premarital sex or multiple sexual partners before or after marriage, or are in a marriage where one partner is trapped in unrepentant sin. The ties and agreements made with those partners, even if not made consciously, can come back to torment us and cause us to have nightmares or disturb our peace. God spoke to the Israelites about going into the land and the inhabitants of the land in Numbers 33:55 "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land in which you live. v56 And it shall come about that as I plan to do to them, so will I do to you." So God tells us that the same trouble and judgment that He has in store for our enemies, he will also mete out to us if we make agreement with the enemies. Soul ties can also be established in other ways besides sexual union, such as oaths or agreements through satanic ritual or blood covenants that many cults and gangs, and even indigenous groups practice, by cutting and mixing of blood of the participants.
Regarding the union of a man and a woman, Jesus declared in Matthew 19:4 And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, v5 and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' v6 consequently the two are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." And so when two people become one in sexual union, they take on the soul nature, for good and for bad of the other persons. That is the reason that we need to teach our young people not to marry or even date unbelievers, because at some point those emotional ties or initial attractions can mature into a serious relationship that will yoke them to the unbelieving and demonic realm. That is a good reason to look over the family of your children's future partner, as the families reveal the demonic tendencies in the children through generational curses. Paul says it this way in 1Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! v16 Or do you not know that one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her? For he says, "The two shall become one flesh." v17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one Spirit with Him. v18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. v19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
I believe that soul ties can even be established with people whom we have had emotional affairs with, as Jesus said that in Matthew 5:27"You have heard that it was said,"You shall not commit adultery," v28 but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."
God's standards are very high. If you have established soul ties in any of the above mentioned avenues, write down the names of the partners you have had and go down the list one by one. Confess it before the Lord, repent of it, and renounce premarital sexual relationships, cohabitation, adultery, or lust, or whatever applies to you and ask the Lord to break off any soul ties that were created because of your actions. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you this day as you break off soul ties before the Lord, and prepare yourself for Jesus coming. In Christ, Jim
Regarding the union of a man and a woman, Jesus declared in Matthew 19:4 And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, v5 and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' v6 consequently the two are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." And so when two people become one in sexual union, they take on the soul nature, for good and for bad of the other persons. That is the reason that we need to teach our young people not to marry or even date unbelievers, because at some point those emotional ties or initial attractions can mature into a serious relationship that will yoke them to the unbelieving and demonic realm. That is a good reason to look over the family of your children's future partner, as the families reveal the demonic tendencies in the children through generational curses. Paul says it this way in 1Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! v16 Or do you not know that one who joins himself to a harlot is one body with her? For he says, "The two shall become one flesh." v17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one Spirit with Him. v18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. v19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
I believe that soul ties can even be established with people whom we have had emotional affairs with, as Jesus said that in Matthew 5:27"You have heard that it was said,"You shall not commit adultery," v28 but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."
God's standards are very high. If you have established soul ties in any of the above mentioned avenues, write down the names of the partners you have had and go down the list one by one. Confess it before the Lord, repent of it, and renounce premarital sexual relationships, cohabitation, adultery, or lust, or whatever applies to you and ask the Lord to break off any soul ties that were created because of your actions. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you this day as you break off soul ties before the Lord, and prepare yourself for Jesus coming. In Christ, Jim
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Warfare portals pt14
Dear beloved: One of the entry ways of demonic influence that is being revealed to more and more people is the area of Freemasonry and other secret society participation and membership. There are many ways that these societies violate scripture, I will cite a few of the principles employed by them. All the societies are built upon secret oaths and curses, which in itself is against God's law as He has laid it out in His holy word. Jesus told the multitudes in Matthew 5:34, "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, v35 or by earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. v36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. v37 But let your statement be yes, yes, or no, no; and anything beyond these is evil." Masonic and freemason oaths are subtle and innocent appearing in the lower degrees, designed to lure in the unsuspecting and undiscerning. In the more advanced degrees the open confusion between Jesus, the bright and Morning Star, and Satan, the son of the morning, become more overt and pronounced. The church of Jesus Christ is open for all to see and nothing is hidden from His or our sight!
Revelation 22:16 "I Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright Morning Star. Revelation 2:26 And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, v17 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father v28 and I will give him the morning star. Contrast those verses to Isaiah 14, which is a taunt against the king of Babylon and is a picture of an earthly king but describes Satan himself. Isa. 14:11 Your pomp and the music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you, and worms are your covering. v12 How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning (Lucifer, or shining one), son of the dawn! You have been cut down to earth, You who have weakened the nations! We know from these passages and ensuing verses that this is not a description of an earthly king but of Lucifer himself, as he was an angelic being who was cast down out of heaven. Luke 10:18 And Jesus said to them,"I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning."
Many false religions prey upon this confusion of who Jesus is and who Satan really is also, and as the confusion becomes more pronounced, the bondage and curses become greater, resulting in much sickness and death. I once lived for a few years in San Francisco, and a man that lived not too far down the street was Antoine LeVay, a Satanist and occult leader who called himself Jesus Christ Satan, an interesting name for someone who was a practitioner of darkness. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul tells the Corinthians, "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. v15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds." Do not be misled by all the deeds of righteousness done by Masons and Shriners and other secret societies. While good deeds are commendable, it is not by good deeds that we enter into the narrow gate; any society or organization, or religion that denies the blood sacrifice and atonement of Jesus is a false religion and is therefore of the kingdom of the antichrist. Many of the presidents of the United States have been Masons, and even our dollar bill has a Luciferian all seeing eye sitting atop the pyramid underscored by the words, introduction to the new world order. It's placement on the dollar bill was authorized in 1933 by Franklin Roosevelt, a top degree mason.
If you or your family have been involved in Masonic Lodge or other secret societies that deny the atonement of Jesus blood, confess and repent of it, going through the steps of the cleansing that I wrote about last week. Get yourself and your family protected by the blood of Jesus, and get those curses off yourself! Jesus took the curse upon Himself, He died to set you free! God bless you this day as you walk in freedom, walk in liberty. In Christ, Jim
Revelation 22:16 "I Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright Morning Star. Revelation 2:26 And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, v17 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father v28 and I will give him the morning star. Contrast those verses to Isaiah 14, which is a taunt against the king of Babylon and is a picture of an earthly king but describes Satan himself. Isa. 14:11 Your pomp and the music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you, and worms are your covering. v12 How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning (Lucifer, or shining one), son of the dawn! You have been cut down to earth, You who have weakened the nations! We know from these passages and ensuing verses that this is not a description of an earthly king but of Lucifer himself, as he was an angelic being who was cast down out of heaven. Luke 10:18 And Jesus said to them,"I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning."
Many false religions prey upon this confusion of who Jesus is and who Satan really is also, and as the confusion becomes more pronounced, the bondage and curses become greater, resulting in much sickness and death. I once lived for a few years in San Francisco, and a man that lived not too far down the street was Antoine LeVay, a Satanist and occult leader who called himself Jesus Christ Satan, an interesting name for someone who was a practitioner of darkness. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul tells the Corinthians, "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. v15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds." Do not be misled by all the deeds of righteousness done by Masons and Shriners and other secret societies. While good deeds are commendable, it is not by good deeds that we enter into the narrow gate; any society or organization, or religion that denies the blood sacrifice and atonement of Jesus is a false religion and is therefore of the kingdom of the antichrist. Many of the presidents of the United States have been Masons, and even our dollar bill has a Luciferian all seeing eye sitting atop the pyramid underscored by the words, introduction to the new world order. It's placement on the dollar bill was authorized in 1933 by Franklin Roosevelt, a top degree mason.
If you or your family have been involved in Masonic Lodge or other secret societies that deny the atonement of Jesus blood, confess and repent of it, going through the steps of the cleansing that I wrote about last week. Get yourself and your family protected by the blood of Jesus, and get those curses off yourself! Jesus took the curse upon Himself, He died to set you free! God bless you this day as you walk in freedom, walk in liberty. In Christ, Jim
Monday, July 12, 2010
Warfare portals pt13
Dear beloved: Another common point of entry for the demonic to come into our lives is in idols in the home. It is very important that we keep our homes, cars, and work places cleansed. Deuteronomy 7:26 Neither shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be a cursed thing like it; but you shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. Many times demonic spirits are associated with objects brought into the home, especially if the objects are from other countries and are associated with false religions, witchcraft, or shamanic practices. If you are a world traveler or have even been to Mexico or to native American tribal areas, many of the handicrafts are made by people that are in false religions, and their handicrafts are laced with images and symbols from their shamanic religions. Before you buy things in foreign countries and bring them into your home, ask the Holy Spirit if this is something you should possess. You will have an uneasiness and a check in your spirit if you are not supposed to have it.
Several years ago I made a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, and while there toured an ancient ruin of the Mayan people called Monte Alba. It was an ancient city that covered the top of an 8,000 foot high mountain, and many of the structures had been uncovered revealed a complex culture that included child sacrifice and adult sacrifice to the demon gods. I purchased some post cards of the place, because in the physical realm it was an extremely beautiful place; huge edifices similar to the pyramids, amazing architecture, all set in a beautiful place that overlooked Oaxaca valley and the city below. But when I got back to Kansas I didn't have a peace about those post cards, they just kept eating away at me. I finally got up one night and threw them all away, and I slept better from that point on. Spirits can attach themselves to objects and wait for the opportunity to enter into a human being. Matthew 12:43 "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it." The attachment to objects could be described as the waterless places, it is not the final or desirable abode of demons, but they will use objects as a way to gain entry if they have no other means. Dream catchers and other articles from native American culture also represent spiritism as they speak against the work of the Holy Spirit and its ability to cleanse or to bring us dreams of the Lord, so get rid of those things also. Acts 19:18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices ( witchcraft and pagan religions).v19 And many of those who practices magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of all; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. Don't let the real or sentimental value of the object sway you into hanging onto it, get rid of it in the name of Jesus and get your house clean. Even pictures of your party life can sometimes be a hindrance and a cord to the demonic as we hold onto the party life or alcohol and drugs through the pictures taken at parties. Revelation 16:13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; v14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. Get rid of the frog toys and all the clothing with dragon images on it also, they are signs of the demonic.
You can see that this cleansing of our homes can take time and prayer and should be done on an ongoing basis. Don't forget the tv programs, too! Ask the Lord what is in your home that needs to go. Hang some crosses and some scripture on the walls and anoint the doors and windows with oil and tell the demons to leave in the name of Jesus. They will go if you are acting under the authority of Jesus Christ, and you will sleep better because of it. God bless you this day as you take back your home for the kingdom of our Lord. In Christ, Jim
Several years ago I made a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, and while there toured an ancient ruin of the Mayan people called Monte Alba. It was an ancient city that covered the top of an 8,000 foot high mountain, and many of the structures had been uncovered revealed a complex culture that included child sacrifice and adult sacrifice to the demon gods. I purchased some post cards of the place, because in the physical realm it was an extremely beautiful place; huge edifices similar to the pyramids, amazing architecture, all set in a beautiful place that overlooked Oaxaca valley and the city below. But when I got back to Kansas I didn't have a peace about those post cards, they just kept eating away at me. I finally got up one night and threw them all away, and I slept better from that point on. Spirits can attach themselves to objects and wait for the opportunity to enter into a human being. Matthew 12:43 "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it." The attachment to objects could be described as the waterless places, it is not the final or desirable abode of demons, but they will use objects as a way to gain entry if they have no other means. Dream catchers and other articles from native American culture also represent spiritism as they speak against the work of the Holy Spirit and its ability to cleanse or to bring us dreams of the Lord, so get rid of those things also. Acts 19:18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices ( witchcraft and pagan religions).v19 And many of those who practices magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of all; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. Don't let the real or sentimental value of the object sway you into hanging onto it, get rid of it in the name of Jesus and get your house clean. Even pictures of your party life can sometimes be a hindrance and a cord to the demonic as we hold onto the party life or alcohol and drugs through the pictures taken at parties. Revelation 16:13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; v14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. Get rid of the frog toys and all the clothing with dragon images on it also, they are signs of the demonic.
You can see that this cleansing of our homes can take time and prayer and should be done on an ongoing basis. Don't forget the tv programs, too! Ask the Lord what is in your home that needs to go. Hang some crosses and some scripture on the walls and anoint the doors and windows with oil and tell the demons to leave in the name of Jesus. They will go if you are acting under the authority of Jesus Christ, and you will sleep better because of it. God bless you this day as you take back your home for the kingdom of our Lord. In Christ, Jim
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Warfare portals pt 12
Dear beloved: We are looking at individual portals of entry that the demonic realm exploits to get through our spiritual armor. One of the main arteries of demonic entry is of coarse through the ears; what we listen to and allow into our soul through gossip, slander, entertainment, and faultfinding not only shapes us as individuals, but also allows Satan to establish footholds and eventually strongholds. Proverbs 2:2 says, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding. And again in Proverbs 4:1 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding. Even God has ears, as many of the prayers of the saints appeal to God to hear and listen to the prayers as in Psalm 5:1, Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning. v2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for tho Thee I pray. v3 in the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.
Proverbs 20:12 tells us, The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both. If God has given us ears to hear, what do you think He wants us to be listening to? First and foremost, He wants us to listen to His voice. Jesus told the Jews in John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; v28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand". So we need to keep our ears tuned into to what Jesus is saying to us, He speaks to us in the still small voice, and sometimes He shouts to us from the the mountaintops. When Elijah was hiding out in a cave, running from the wicked Queen Jezebel, God spoke to him through the gentle blowing sound of the Holy Spirit. 1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. v13 And it came about when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said," what are you doing Elijah?" God went on to speak words of encouragement and instruction to Elijah, and he picked up and went from the cave right back into the battle against Jezebel and was victorious over her.
Many years ago after I had begun the natural food store and organic farm that have been the earthly provision for myself and family for about 20 years, I began to think highly of myself and I was quite proud of all my accomplishments. One night in my sleep the Lord spoke right into my ear, as if He had a megaphone and was giving me an announcement. He spoke "Deuteronomy 8" so loud that when I woke up in the morning, I practically ran to my bible to read the chapter. Verse 18 in Deuteronomy 8 just about jumped down my throat, v18 "But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you the power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." Needless to say, that instruction was sealed in my heart and I have given God the glory for the store and the farm as I should have been doing all along.
Proverbs 17:4 tells us, An evildoer listens to wicked lips, a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. Brethren, are you a receptacle for backbiting and gossip, for slander? Or maybe you allow all kinds of music into your soul, music that glorifies violence, or alcohol, or womanizing, as much rock and country music does. That which you allow into your soul is what you become. All those lyrics plant seeds into your mind and heart that eventually fill up your heart, and then the issues of life pour forth from the heart. God has a better plan for you; listen to praise music, music that brings glory to His name and builds you up as well, and restores your soul, and builds your anointing. He also wants us to listen to sound teaching and doctrine that speaks truth into our soul. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4:3, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; v4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. So be careful little ears what you hear!
May God bless you this day as you listen to the sounds of His creation, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, the good preaching of His word, the praise music that brings glory to His name! in Christ, Jim
Proverbs 20:12 tells us, The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both. If God has given us ears to hear, what do you think He wants us to be listening to? First and foremost, He wants us to listen to His voice. Jesus told the Jews in John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; v28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand". So we need to keep our ears tuned into to what Jesus is saying to us, He speaks to us in the still small voice, and sometimes He shouts to us from the the mountaintops. When Elijah was hiding out in a cave, running from the wicked Queen Jezebel, God spoke to him through the gentle blowing sound of the Holy Spirit. 1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. v13 And it came about when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said," what are you doing Elijah?" God went on to speak words of encouragement and instruction to Elijah, and he picked up and went from the cave right back into the battle against Jezebel and was victorious over her.
Many years ago after I had begun the natural food store and organic farm that have been the earthly provision for myself and family for about 20 years, I began to think highly of myself and I was quite proud of all my accomplishments. One night in my sleep the Lord spoke right into my ear, as if He had a megaphone and was giving me an announcement. He spoke "Deuteronomy 8" so loud that when I woke up in the morning, I practically ran to my bible to read the chapter. Verse 18 in Deuteronomy 8 just about jumped down my throat, v18 "But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you the power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." Needless to say, that instruction was sealed in my heart and I have given God the glory for the store and the farm as I should have been doing all along.
Proverbs 17:4 tells us, An evildoer listens to wicked lips, a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. Brethren, are you a receptacle for backbiting and gossip, for slander? Or maybe you allow all kinds of music into your soul, music that glorifies violence, or alcohol, or womanizing, as much rock and country music does. That which you allow into your soul is what you become. All those lyrics plant seeds into your mind and heart that eventually fill up your heart, and then the issues of life pour forth from the heart. God has a better plan for you; listen to praise music, music that brings glory to His name and builds you up as well, and restores your soul, and builds your anointing. He also wants us to listen to sound teaching and doctrine that speaks truth into our soul. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4:3, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; v4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. So be careful little ears what you hear!
May God bless you this day as you listen to the sounds of His creation, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, the good preaching of His word, the praise music that brings glory to His name! in Christ, Jim
Friday, July 9, 2010
Warfare portals pt11
Dear beloved: We are going to take a look at some of the individual portals of entry that Satan will attempt to exploit in an effort to penetrate our armor with his flaming arrows. One of the primary points of entry is through the eyes, or eye gates. Jesus declared in Matthew 7:22 "The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore the eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. v23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great the darkness!" And again in Matthew 5:28 "but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. v29 And if your right eye causes you to stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." And so we see that it is very important what we let our eyes see, and of coarse we know in the present era how much damage pornography and other types of media are doing to the body of Christ. The pornography business in America is one of the largest segments of the economy dollar wise, and it is taking its toll on family and church leaders in a devastating way.
Numbers 33:55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those that you let remain of them shall become pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land where you dwell. Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. And so we see that the eyes are the entry gate and that once Satan establishes a foothold through the eyes, the desires to satisfy are never satisfied, that is why porn and lust become an insatiable appetite. Eye gates can also let in violence and bloodletting and nightmare type movies that do great damage to the soul; so beloved, be careful little eyes what you see! Of the deeds of the flesh listed by Paul in Galatians 5:19, the first four all have to do with eye gates: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, and many of the others listed are also partially instigated through the eyes. In my own life I find I do much better without any television, so as to not fill my mind through the eyes of not just lustful images of women, but also of mindless programs and commercials that have no lasting value and break the anointing off of me that the Holy Spirit has placed upon me. Reading romance or other novels or other mindless books will produce the same results; if you want to increase the anointing in your life, do as Paul suggests in Phillipians 4:8 Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.
John tells us of the three sources of sin entry in 1 John 2:16, For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world (Satan). The story of the fall of King David revolves around eye gates as told in 2 Samuel 11:2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. David saw her, and he wanted her, and in spite of everything he knew to the contrary, he could not resist what his eyes had shown him. The simple letdown of the eye gates started a cascade of events in David's life that not only tormented his life(pricks in his eyes) but also trickled down to the lives of his children(pricks and thorns), and became a generation curse and iniquity for his family. If you need to clean up the eye gates in your life, confess, repent, and renounce those things as we discussed in earlier teachings, get your eyes right before the Lord! The next teaching we'll talk about another portal common to all of us. May God bless you as your eyes gaze on the beauty of His creation this day. In Christ, Jim
Numbers 33:55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those that you let remain of them shall become pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land where you dwell. Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. And so we see that the eyes are the entry gate and that once Satan establishes a foothold through the eyes, the desires to satisfy are never satisfied, that is why porn and lust become an insatiable appetite. Eye gates can also let in violence and bloodletting and nightmare type movies that do great damage to the soul; so beloved, be careful little eyes what you see! Of the deeds of the flesh listed by Paul in Galatians 5:19, the first four all have to do with eye gates: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, and many of the others listed are also partially instigated through the eyes. In my own life I find I do much better without any television, so as to not fill my mind through the eyes of not just lustful images of women, but also of mindless programs and commercials that have no lasting value and break the anointing off of me that the Holy Spirit has placed upon me. Reading romance or other novels or other mindless books will produce the same results; if you want to increase the anointing in your life, do as Paul suggests in Phillipians 4:8 Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.
John tells us of the three sources of sin entry in 1 John 2:16, For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world (Satan). The story of the fall of King David revolves around eye gates as told in 2 Samuel 11:2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. David saw her, and he wanted her, and in spite of everything he knew to the contrary, he could not resist what his eyes had shown him. The simple letdown of the eye gates started a cascade of events in David's life that not only tormented his life(pricks in his eyes) but also trickled down to the lives of his children(pricks and thorns), and became a generation curse and iniquity for his family. If you need to clean up the eye gates in your life, confess, repent, and renounce those things as we discussed in earlier teachings, get your eyes right before the Lord! The next teaching we'll talk about another portal common to all of us. May God bless you as your eyes gaze on the beauty of His creation this day. In Christ, Jim
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Warfare portals pt10
Dear beloved: As we learned in yesterday's teaching, walking in the Spirit is the secret to success in the Christian walk, but as we have seen through past teachings, it is not a stroll or a walk in the park. It is a climb up a high mountain, for God's standards are very high, and His ways much higher than our ways. Isaiah 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. v9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts higher than your thoughts." If you have ever done any mountain climbing, you know how difficult that can be at times, the thin air, poor footing, burning in the lungs and legs, and the temptation to quit and go back down. Years ago I climbled Long's Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a tough climb and many times I wanted to quit, but when I got up over 14,000 feet, I sat down and looked out over the prairie hundreds of miles to the east, and I knew it was worth the effort! Then an eagle flew over the top of me as if to say, "You can go higher yet!"
In his book "Final Quest" by Rick Joyner, he reached the level of Unity of the Brethren high up on the mountain and found that he could easily pick up arrows of Tuth and shoot them at the demons and hit them with accuracy. But he also found himself thinking he didn't need his sword (the word) and almost slipped off the ledge and fell. So he drove his sword into the ground on the ledge and anchored himself to it. Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. v 106 I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous ordinances. Never let go of the word, the word of God is what anchors us to the mountain. Psalm 20:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.v8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. v9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.v10 They are more desireable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. v11 Moreover, by them the servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
As Rick climbed even higher he came to a level called Galatians 2:20, which reads " I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself up for me." It was at this level that the brightness and the beauty of the sky almost blinded him; he was getting close to the glory of God! It was at this level that he began to truly understand Faith, Hope, and Love; in fact, when he got up close to them they began to shine up and repair his armor, preparing him for even greater kingdom exploits! Those at that level were entrusted with the powers of the age to come. Beloved, how high do you want to go? How close to the glory of God do you want to walk? We should all set our sights on the things above, for as Paul says in Phillipians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; v21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things unto Himself....Tomorrow we will look at some individual portals that try to knock us off that Galatians 2:20 ledge. May God bless you this day as you drive your sword deeper into the rock, in Christ, Jim
In his book "Final Quest" by Rick Joyner, he reached the level of Unity of the Brethren high up on the mountain and found that he could easily pick up arrows of Tuth and shoot them at the demons and hit them with accuracy. But he also found himself thinking he didn't need his sword (the word) and almost slipped off the ledge and fell. So he drove his sword into the ground on the ledge and anchored himself to it. Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. v 106 I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous ordinances. Never let go of the word, the word of God is what anchors us to the mountain. Psalm 20:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.v8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. v9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.v10 They are more desireable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. v11 Moreover, by them the servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
As Rick climbed even higher he came to a level called Galatians 2:20, which reads " I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself up for me." It was at this level that the brightness and the beauty of the sky almost blinded him; he was getting close to the glory of God! It was at this level that he began to truly understand Faith, Hope, and Love; in fact, when he got up close to them they began to shine up and repair his armor, preparing him for even greater kingdom exploits! Those at that level were entrusted with the powers of the age to come. Beloved, how high do you want to go? How close to the glory of God do you want to walk? We should all set our sights on the things above, for as Paul says in Phillipians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; v21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things unto Himself....Tomorrow we will look at some individual portals that try to knock us off that Galatians 2:20 ledge. May God bless you this day as you drive your sword deeper into the rock, in Christ, Jim
Monday, July 5, 2010
Dream of Explosions
Dear Beloved: This dream was given to me by the Lord in 2003, though I did not record it in my dream journal, it is still vivid in my memory. It occurred after the terrorist attack of 9-11 but it was not a replay of any of the images of that day. I have not posted this dream prior to today but I was reminded of it by a posting from another prophetic ministry that confirmed for me the importance of the dream, and brought to my attention to continue to pray for our nation and against the enemies who would desire to destroy us.
In the dream, I am standing on the shore of a coastal city, looking across the bay at the skyline of the city. I cannot identify the city because I am not familiar with it; however, had I been familiar with it, I would have been able to identify it, because the skyline and buildings were in very sharp focus and easily identifiable. Suddenly, two or three very large explosions erupted, one after another, and huge clouds of smoke and fire billowed up into the air above the city. These were huge explosions, obviously caused by very powerful bombs. As the clouds billowed up into the air, I could only think about the devastation and loss of life that would follow as a result. This dream may have a correlation to dreams posted on this blog relating to San Francisco and New York City.
Psalm 18:1-3 "I love Thee O Lord, my strength." v2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. v3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Beloved, pray for this nation, that the Lord would protect us from our enemies. God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
In the dream, I am standing on the shore of a coastal city, looking across the bay at the skyline of the city. I cannot identify the city because I am not familiar with it; however, had I been familiar with it, I would have been able to identify it, because the skyline and buildings were in very sharp focus and easily identifiable. Suddenly, two or three very large explosions erupted, one after another, and huge clouds of smoke and fire billowed up into the air above the city. These were huge explosions, obviously caused by very powerful bombs. As the clouds billowed up into the air, I could only think about the devastation and loss of life that would follow as a result. This dream may have a correlation to dreams posted on this blog relating to San Francisco and New York City.
Psalm 18:1-3 "I love Thee O Lord, my strength." v2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. v3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Beloved, pray for this nation, that the Lord would protect us from our enemies. God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Warfare portals pt9
Dear beloved: In today's and the following sessions we will look at how to keep the victory that we have gained through confession, repentance, and renunciation. It is important that we keep the high ground that we have taken back from the enemy, otherwise we will be like the house in Matthew 12:43 where the demon brings back with him seven other spirits and the last state of the man is worse than the first. Paul declared to the Galatians in Gal.5:16 But I say walk in the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. v17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not be able to do the things that you please. v18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. The Galatians were trying to go back to the bondage of the law after being set free from it, and Paul told them to walk in the Spirit of the Holy Spirit and grace. What precisely does it mean to walk in the Spirit?
Each and every day on this earth we have choices to make that either allow us to serve Jesus or serve Satan and his kingdom. Every decision we make reflects our desire to either walk in darkness or walk in light. Walking in the Spirit involves three legs, it is like a three legged stool: if any of the legs gets knocked out, the stool falls over. As long as the three are in place, the stool is very sturdy and nothing can knock it over. The three are 1. Commune with God through prayer and worship, 2. Let God speak to us through His written word, dreams, and visions, and 3. Fellowship with the saints of like mind. The first, speaking to God, is accomplished through prayer and worship of Him. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing; v18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. And again in Phillipians 4:6 be anxious for nothing, but in all things through prayer and supplication (plea for mercy) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Again in 1 Corinthians 14:15 What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing with the spirit, I shall sing with the mind also. And in Psalm 34, David says it like this, v1 I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth. v2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. v3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
The second part is that God speaks to us, through His written word, audible word, dreams and visions. 2 Timothy 2:15 Study (be diligent) to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord and He answered Me, and delivered me from all my fears. v17 the righteous cry and the Lord hears them, and delivers them out of all their troubles. And in Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'. In John 10:27 Jesus says of Himself, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." And in Joel 2:28, And it will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And in Job 33:14 Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. v15 In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds, v16 Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. And so for those who want to hear from God, they shall, for He will give you the desires of your heart.
And the third part of walking in the Spirit is the fellowship of the saints. Paul says in Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, v25 not forsaking our own assembling togther, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day (end day) drawing near. And again in Titus 3:14 And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful. And at the close of each of his letters, Paul encourages and exhorts as he does in 1Corinthians16:19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. v20 All the brethren greet you. Greet each other with a holy kiss. Ephesians 5:29 No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church. v30 because we are members of his body. ...Tomorrow and the following days we'll look at other ways we can seal the victory as we walk in the Spirit. God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Each and every day on this earth we have choices to make that either allow us to serve Jesus or serve Satan and his kingdom. Every decision we make reflects our desire to either walk in darkness or walk in light. Walking in the Spirit involves three legs, it is like a three legged stool: if any of the legs gets knocked out, the stool falls over. As long as the three are in place, the stool is very sturdy and nothing can knock it over. The three are 1. Commune with God through prayer and worship, 2. Let God speak to us through His written word, dreams, and visions, and 3. Fellowship with the saints of like mind. The first, speaking to God, is accomplished through prayer and worship of Him. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing; v18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. And again in Phillipians 4:6 be anxious for nothing, but in all things through prayer and supplication (plea for mercy) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Again in 1 Corinthians 14:15 What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing with the spirit, I shall sing with the mind also. And in Psalm 34, David says it like this, v1 I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth. v2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. v3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
The second part is that God speaks to us, through His written word, audible word, dreams and visions. 2 Timothy 2:15 Study (be diligent) to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord and He answered Me, and delivered me from all my fears. v17 the righteous cry and the Lord hears them, and delivers them out of all their troubles. And in Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'. In John 10:27 Jesus says of Himself, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." And in Joel 2:28, And it will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And in Job 33:14 Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. v15 In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds, v16 Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. And so for those who want to hear from God, they shall, for He will give you the desires of your heart.
And the third part of walking in the Spirit is the fellowship of the saints. Paul says in Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, v25 not forsaking our own assembling togther, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day (end day) drawing near. And again in Titus 3:14 And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful. And at the close of each of his letters, Paul encourages and exhorts as he does in 1Corinthians16:19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. v20 All the brethren greet you. Greet each other with a holy kiss. Ephesians 5:29 No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church. v30 because we are members of his body. ...Tomorrow and the following days we'll look at other ways we can seal the victory as we walk in the Spirit. God bless you this day, in Christ, Jim
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Warfare portals pt8
Dear beloved: The next step in the cleansing process after confession and repentance is to renounce (to speak against the sin) and declare yourself free in the name of Jesus. Renunciation is important because with your words you activate your will to declare to the demonic realm in your life that you are not longer in agreement with them, that you recognize your freedom. Amos 3:3 Do two men walk together unless they have made an agreement?...Get out of any ties or chords you have with the demonic realm by renouncing any agreements you have with them. Do you give tacit approval to homosexuality or fornication, cohabitation, gambling, or any other sin because you have close family members or friends that are practicing it and you don't want to speak against it? To speak against the sin does not mean you don't love the individual trapped in that sin, it just means you are breaking ties in your own life by speaking against it. Matthew 10:34 Jesus said "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. v35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; v36 and a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. v37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. v38 And he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. ...And so we must not just clean our house out and sweep it and put it in order, but we must also take the entry key away from Satan and his horde so that when they come back they can never get in again.
When David the shepherd boy came against Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, he made his intentions known to Goliath and then he followed through and completed the task. 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Phillistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. v46 This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the armies of the Phillistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel v47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands." Then in verse 51 David finishes the task, Then David ran and stood over the Phillistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Phillistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. v53 And the sons of Israel returned from chasing the Phillistines and plundered their camps.
What a different scenario that represents than the scene in Matthew 12:44, where the demon comes back after being kicked out and what does he find? v44 Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. v45 Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. This is the way it will also be with this evil generation. ....Total victory comes over the demonic realm and sin in our life when we take no prisoners, and give the enemy no place to stand, even to cut his head off! 1 John 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Jesus wants us to be free, beloved, he went to the cross to set us free, and shed his precious blood for it. John 8:34-36 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." ...Break all ties with the enemy and step out in your freedom today. May God bless you this day as you move forward in victory! In Christ, Jim
When David the shepherd boy came against Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, he made his intentions known to Goliath and then he followed through and completed the task. 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Phillistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. v46 This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the armies of the Phillistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel v47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands." Then in verse 51 David finishes the task, Then David ran and stood over the Phillistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Phillistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. v53 And the sons of Israel returned from chasing the Phillistines and plundered their camps.
What a different scenario that represents than the scene in Matthew 12:44, where the demon comes back after being kicked out and what does he find? v44 Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. v45 Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. This is the way it will also be with this evil generation. ....Total victory comes over the demonic realm and sin in our life when we take no prisoners, and give the enemy no place to stand, even to cut his head off! 1 John 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Jesus wants us to be free, beloved, he went to the cross to set us free, and shed his precious blood for it. John 8:34-36 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." ...Break all ties with the enemy and step out in your freedom today. May God bless you this day as you move forward in victory! In Christ, Jim
Friday, July 2, 2010
Warfare portals pt7
Dear beloved: As we look at the issues of confession and repentance, it is important to keep in mind what our end goal is, that is to prepare ourselves to stand before a Holy God. David says it best in Psalm 24:3, Who may ascend unto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully. v5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation... So in order to ascend higher on the mountain of God, we have to get cleansed, to purify ourselves, to be ready to meet the Lord without any spot or wrinkle.
Please read all of Psalm 51, the Psalm of confession and repentance of David. I will just quote a few of the passages here, but get a feel for David's heart as he cries out to the Lord, and asks God to relieve the burden of sin from him. Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity; And cleanse me from my sin. v3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. v4 Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done what is evil in Thy sight, So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, And blameless when Thou dost judge. ...So David acknowledges God's position and authority over his life, and grants to Him the right to judge Him as He sees fit. Then the cleansing process starts in earnest. v10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. v11 Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. v12 Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. v14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, 0 God, Thy God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Thy rightousness. v15 O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Thy praise....The final stage of confession and repentance is to be broken and humble before the Lord, to stand before Him and say to Him "Lord, there is nothing I can give You or do for You that will increase my standing with You, other than this one thing: my broken and contrite heart. Lord take it and do with it as You will, as You mold me into the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ." Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, Thou will not despise.
In his book "Final Quest", by pastor and teacher Rick Joyner, the Lord revealed to Rick the levels of the holy mountain of God, and how the levels are attained in spiritual warfare. Quote: "On the mountain, there were ledges at different levels for as high as we could see. At each higher level the ledges became narrower and more diffucult to stand on. Each level was named for a biblical truth. The lower levels were named after foundational truths such as "Salvation, Sanctification, Prayer, and Faith", and the higher levels were named after deeper biblical truths. The higher we climbed, the larger both our shields and our swords grew, and fewer of the enemy arrows could reach our positions. When we reached the level called "The Unity of the Brethren", none of the enemies arrows could reach us. At each level there were arrows of Truth scattered about, which I knew were left from those who had fallen from that position (many had fallen from each position)."
And so we see that the Christian walk is really a climb, a climb up the mountain to reach the peak and commune with God. And just as mountain climbing on this earth is treacherous, and strenuous, and there is great peril along the way, so too is the climb up the mountain of God. The apostle Paul describes it this way, Phillipians 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet (to have already become perfect); but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, v14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ...The upward call, the higher ground, that is our goal. Press on beloved, reach for that higher ground, don't be satisfied to stay down in the valleys and the foothills fighting with the enemy, move up to that higher ground where you can look down on him! May God bless you this day as you move upward in battle. In Christ, Jim
Please read all of Psalm 51, the Psalm of confession and repentance of David. I will just quote a few of the passages here, but get a feel for David's heart as he cries out to the Lord, and asks God to relieve the burden of sin from him. Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity; And cleanse me from my sin. v3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. v4 Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done what is evil in Thy sight, So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, And blameless when Thou dost judge. ...So David acknowledges God's position and authority over his life, and grants to Him the right to judge Him as He sees fit. Then the cleansing process starts in earnest. v10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. v11 Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. v12 Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. v14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, 0 God, Thy God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Thy rightousness. v15 O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Thy praise....The final stage of confession and repentance is to be broken and humble before the Lord, to stand before Him and say to Him "Lord, there is nothing I can give You or do for You that will increase my standing with You, other than this one thing: my broken and contrite heart. Lord take it and do with it as You will, as You mold me into the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ." Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, Thou will not despise.
In his book "Final Quest", by pastor and teacher Rick Joyner, the Lord revealed to Rick the levels of the holy mountain of God, and how the levels are attained in spiritual warfare. Quote: "On the mountain, there were ledges at different levels for as high as we could see. At each higher level the ledges became narrower and more diffucult to stand on. Each level was named for a biblical truth. The lower levels were named after foundational truths such as "Salvation, Sanctification, Prayer, and Faith", and the higher levels were named after deeper biblical truths. The higher we climbed, the larger both our shields and our swords grew, and fewer of the enemy arrows could reach our positions. When we reached the level called "The Unity of the Brethren", none of the enemies arrows could reach us. At each level there were arrows of Truth scattered about, which I knew were left from those who had fallen from that position (many had fallen from each position)."
And so we see that the Christian walk is really a climb, a climb up the mountain to reach the peak and commune with God. And just as mountain climbing on this earth is treacherous, and strenuous, and there is great peril along the way, so too is the climb up the mountain of God. The apostle Paul describes it this way, Phillipians 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet (to have already become perfect); but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, v14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ...The upward call, the higher ground, that is our goal. Press on beloved, reach for that higher ground, don't be satisfied to stay down in the valleys and the foothills fighting with the enemy, move up to that higher ground where you can look down on him! May God bless you this day as you move upward in battle. In Christ, Jim
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