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Archive for the ‘Spiritual Warfare’ Category

War on the Saints

Posted in Spiritual Warfare, tagged , , , , on August 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Revelation 12:7-11

In every type of warfare, in order to be effective and to win, one must know the enemy. There are two basic tricks that Satan plays on humanity:

1.  He appeals to the carnal mind to deny his existence and hides his work to convince the carnal mind that it is just natural and sometimes coincidental. He did it to Eve, and tried it with Jesus.

2.  He intimidates some, convincing them of the greatness of his prowess.

The time has come as never before in the history of mankind for the saints to fight and to overcome the devil. In the heat of the battle, when one is oppressed with all manner of circumstances and what seems to be coincidences, one is apt to think, “Why me?” When, however, we understand the nature of the battle, we will rejoice at the wonderful implications which it portends.

The first glorious implication that we will deal with in the passage of scripture from Revelation 12 is that portion where it is written, “…neither was their place found any more in heaven.” If we rightly assume that the word “heaven” in this rendition is speaking of the kingdom of God and that this dimension of the kingdom is referring to the kingdom within us (Ref. Luke 17:21), then this verse would be saying that Satan and his angels had a place in us, but that at some time in the history of the Church they will lose that place.  If then, time is so far spent that we are at the end of the sixth day and within a few short years the seventh day or seventh millennium must dawn, then it is now time for us to be totally delivered from every evil spirit of darkness.

In order to achieve this, there must be a travail (Revelation 12:2). The travail of the Church is the war that we are experiencing at this time. The only pattern that this attack has is that it is satanic. The war has no boundaries, nor venue. The enemy is using every element, every devil, and every person who can be used against us. The war is total. Every weakness, which in time past was permitted to lodge within us and had a place in us, is being exploited and there is no place to hide. The families are under attack as never before. The children are under attack as never before. The husbands who could hide their weakness behind the skirts of their wives are being exposed and the wives who were hiding behind the masculinity of their husbands are being exposed. Our only hiding place now is in Christ.

Sin has lost its hiding place in us. Only true repentance will set us free from imbibed or besetting sin, for now is the time when the fullness of salvation shall come to us.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, December 1991, pg. 1-2)

Thought for today: Let us fall before the Lord and repent before Him from every sin which doth so easily beset us so that we may find our hiding place in Christ.

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Second Step Towards Being Dead in Christ

Posted in Christian Walk, Overcoming, Spiritual Warfare, tagged , , , , , on July 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Romans 10:13

In our previous devotional we discussed the first step towards being “dead in Christ”. Let us now look at the second step. The second step brings us into warfare or confrontation with the forces, which strive to take over and reign within our mortal bodies. One’s mind must be made up not to submit one’s members to sin regardless of the pressures. This is easier said than done. The constant grind of reality is designed by Satan to wear out the saints and to convince the believer that God has left him because of his unrighteousness. Very often this is the very opposite. If God was not with me when I was a sinner, I would never make it to be saved. I remember the time when God translated me out of a fight, when there was nothing but murder in my heart. It says in Romans 5:6, 8-9: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

If God is with sinners and takes care of sinners, how much more then, “He will never leave nor forsake us.” Satan is constantly telling the believer that God will leave him because he sinned. This is a lie, as is everything which Satan says.

John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

The believer who is struggling to overcome sin must know that he has God for an ally and that the Lord is working every device to bring him from sinfulness to righteousness, even to the very image and likeness of Christ. It is a fact that some of the devices of God are repulsive to us, but then, our thoughts are not like His – all we have to do is to trust Him.

The language in Romans 6 suggests warfare. “Let not sin therefore reign,” suggests that the believer should take away from sin the legal right to his body. Does sin under any circumstance have a legal right to my body, and by what law? Unfortunately, “Yes.” In any war the victor has the right to reign over the vanquished. Romans 6:16 states: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

The same law that works for us through obedience to the Lord, works against us when we yield to Satan. We obey what we know to do in the Lord, then that activates God and He gives us power to become His servants. I could not overcome the sin of anger and violence until I obeyed Him in fasting and prayer and He gave me the strength to do it.

“Let not,” means that you should not allow sin to reign. This means that if sin reigns in our physical members, we are the one who allow it. Some believer complains that God did not give them the power to overcome the sin which overtook him, but in every case of deliverance, the final action belongs to the believer. Jesus said to the man in the Synagogue, “Stretch forth thy hand.” It was not until that man obeyed and made the motion, that he was healed. “Rise up and walk.” – The command is given, the forces of deliverance are activated, but it is up to the believer to do the final act.

In Romans 10:13 the word, “Yield” is again used, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness.” – Do not surrender! This is the order from the Commander in Chief in Heaven.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, August 1984)

Thought for today: Are you struggling to overcome sin? You must know that you have God for an ally and that the Lord is working every device to bring you from sinfulness to righteousness, even to the very image and likeness of Christ.

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The Law of Warfare

Posted in Spiritual Warfare, tagged , , , , on July 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Romans 6:16

Where did Satan get all his power? If God did not give him a mandate, where did he get all his power? The answer is found in Genesis 1. Here we find that there was ONLY ONE MAN that God gave the power. Verse 28, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

This dominion was given to Adam, but it was lost by the deception in the Garden. Genesis 3:1-6, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. There are laws in God’s business, one being the law of warfare, which says that by whom you are overcome you become his servant.

This law was quoted in a spiritual sense in Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

2 Timothy 2:26, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.“ Satan takes men captive and when he takes them captive, he takes their kingdom. It is a law of war.

It is stated even clearer in 2 Peter 2:19, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

Satan gets his authority by overcoming men. Our world has been drained of power because Satan is using all our energies and our power to hurt and destroy humanity. As the sons of God rise, Satan is trembling because he knows that his time is short.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 2, page 55)

Thought for today: Know the Principles and Laws of Spiritual Warfare and let us rise up as the sons of God and overcome Satan.

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Conquering Every Force on Earth

Posted in Spiritual Warfare, tagged , , , on June 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: John 17:20-23

I have touched on this subject already and I am going to touch on it again: that God has set in the world apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. While we move TOGETHER, we will conquer every force on earth, and the CHURCH will be brought to the place of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-14). In other words, the minister must be done away with, but the church is forever! Hallelujah! We are expendable! We will pass away, and our function will pass, but the people of God (You! The body of Christ!), that is what God wants!

Remember now, God never had any title named, “apostle.” He made us apostles, but it is not a title. You cannot be “Apostle So and So.” He made us prophets, but we do not say, “Prophet Tom,” or “Prophet Burt.” No! IT IS NOT A TITLE! It is a designation, a job designation! It is a job! The name of the job is “apostle.” The name of the job is “prophet.” Amen!

Let us turn to John 17:20, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” You can always remind the devil that Jesus prayed for you. “Jesus prayed for me, therefore, you cannot tell me anything else!”

Verse 21, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” In other words, God is going to use you to let the world know that God sent Jesus.

Verse 22, “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” God wants us to be one, even as Christ and God the Father are one! Meaning to say, “I in you and you in me,” and, “we in Christ and Christ in GOD!” Amen! This is the function, this is the oneness. I do not care how weak you are. I do not care how wishy-washy you are. God has made you to be an overcomer, and that you must be! Amen!

Verse 23, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

So then, in the name of Jesus and by the Blood of Jesus, let us take this food. Let us feast upon it night and day until it becomes a part of us, and let us walk in truth.

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, December 2003, pg. 61-62)

Thought for today: Let us walk in truth and move together so that we are able to conquer every force on earth.

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What Is Hell?

Posted in Spiritual Warfare, tagged , , , on June 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Luke 11:24

In the third area of the machinations or the workings of hell, there are spirits of men who are in hell. Now, I ask you a question, “What is hell?” Have you ever thought of what hell is? Where is it? Let me tell you. Hell is a state of existence. Do you hear me? Hell is a state of existence that spirits, who are completely alienated from God, live in. When a man dies, his body goes to the grave and his spirit goes back to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7). But where does his soul go? It goes either to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus, or to hell. Hell, therefore, is the spirits “walking to and fro through dry places (in the earth), seeking rest and finding none” (Job 2:2, Luke 11:24). Didn’t Jesus say that? So if your grandfather was against God and died a sinner, where is he? He is walking up and down through the earth, seeking rest and finding none! Do you think he would walk back into your house sometimes? Do you think he would sometimes try to put his influence upon you? Do you think that hell would not use him to bring death and consternation to you?

This is where they have said that I am a sorcerer. But I can tell you authoritatively that I not only see it in my Bible but I have met these spirits, I have talked to them, and I have driven them back! Amen!

When you preach hell, remember to preach to the sinners and tell them, “This is where you are going to go! You will be walking to and fro through the earth, seeking rest and finding none! You will go to the bars to get a drink, and you will keep on putting the glass to your head but you won’t get any release. You will want water, and you won’t be able to drink it. You will have no body, so you will want to seek a body. You will want somebody else’s body to get into.”

This is hell! PREACH IT! Nobody wants to preach the truth, but that is HELL! Let the sinners know that, “That is where you are going! You will be around here, walking to and fro until Jesus comes to judge the quick and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1, 1 Peter 4:5). Then He will resurrect you to judge you again! You will pick up that rotten body and come before God to be judged! THAT IS HELL!”

I have read books from these mighty men of the Gospel, these theologians, and they will tell you concerning these things, “Oh, it is just an impersonation of the devil. It is not the person, but it is the devil that is impersonating that person.” But let me tell you, I have met the dead person and it was the person. IT WAS NO IMPERSONATION!

When Moses died, why did the devil want his body? Why was the devil upset that God took away the body of Moses and buried him Himself (Jude 1:9)? Why is it then that this same Moses appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration in his body (Mark 9:4, Luke 9:30-31)? Because the devil didn’t have it!

You see, demons are real. Devils are real. On the other hand, God’s angels are real! A son of God goes to heaven; God says in Hebrews 12 that “we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, therefore let us be careful how we run the race!” Why? It is because they are taking the examples from us. God will not reveal the end time truths directly to the heavenlies. He is going to reveal it to the CHURCH (Ephesians 3:10)! Amen! The Scriptures in 1 Peter 1:12 say that the angels desire to look into it! The angels want to learn! Heaven wanted to learn! They sent back Moses and Elias at the transfiguration to ask Jesus about His death, His burial, and His resurrection. If they knew, why would they come to ask Him? It is because they did not know. It is the church that has the revelation of the Christ and the end time, but the angels have to learn from us! For we are the people who are under the temptation and the problems and troubles. God wants us now to rise up and to begin to speak to the spirits that bother us!

Ancestral devils will not have the power over us again, for every time you recognize a wrong thing in yourself, you will call upon the name of the Lord. If a wrong word slips out of your mouth, if you rebuke somebody, if you hurt somebody, immediately call upon the name of the Lord and you will be set free. Ancestral devils must not have any more powers over us.

You know, if I were preaching to an African crowd, everybody would understand what I have been saying, because they actually worship these ancestral devils. Do you see what I mean? They would all understand; but now God has lifted the understanding of the other nations to understand, too. YOU MUST BELIEVE!

(Excerpt from The Omega Message, December 2003, pg. 58-61)

Thought for today: Rise up and stop the power of the ancestral spirits over you and your family by living a continual life of repentance.

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