Change Mind & Life: Recent Episodes
William Dawson, LMFT, M. DIV
Teaching, training, inspirational ideas, insight for change through the merging of biblical, psychological and practical concepts.
Many people think that when they are tempted by satan, his goal is simply to get them to sin. That is part of his plan, but satan's ultimate goal is to get you to feel that God will reject you rather than help you. When Adam and Eve sinned, they ran from God in fear, rather than run to God for help. In this episode, Pastor Dawson show you exactly what you must do in order not to fall for this creative attack from the enemy. This lesson is taking from Pastor Dawson's personal file of training that he has used to bring about a change in his own life. Enjoy. Be blessed and share this message with others.
We often forget what the real battle is all about. The real fight is spiritual and it is that spiritual battle that goes mostly goes unseen. Satan wants to control the entire world, not to have all the money in the world, but to have everyone worship him. Satan so desperately wants worship that he is willing to force you to worship him or trick you to worship him, just as long as you worship him. This is the fight. So when you see men and women making satanic decisions and moving government in the direction of evil, you can know that Satan is behind it. In this message, Pastor Dawson highlights the work the prophetic voice for the World Economic Forum and the biblical truths of the Bible. It all boils down to who you will worship.
We know that something is terribly wrong with our world. In this message, Pastor Dawson shared information as to why the enemy really hates true believers in Jesus Christ. Pastor Dawson also points out the specific strategies the enemy is using to blind the minds of the people. If you are seeking clear teaching and understanding of what is really going on and why your are under spiritual attack, then this message is for you. Be blessed.
The psychopath is not about right and wrong. He or she is only about winning. Imagine that you are watching two people in a courtroom. They both have to testify during the trial. One person is innocent and the other person is guilty and lying their way through the process. Guess what. The innocent person tells the truth all the way through the trial. However, in this case, the guilty person is a psychopath who lies all the time. Lying works for the liar. He can declare that he is innocent and actually accuse the innocent person of doing what he did. Get this - when a good liar twists the truth, they can always make an innocent person look bad, especially if the innocent person is honest and admits their mistakes. But you say, Pastor they both swore to tell the truth. Yes they did, but if a person is a liar, swearing to tell the truth means nothing to them. They are lying all the time.
The bible tells us to know those who labor among you. 1 Thessalonians 5: 12 “12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;”(KJV) Hervey Cleckley in his book The Mask of Sanity describes some psychopaths as “likeable, charming, intelligent, alert, impressive, confidence-inspiring and a great success with the ladies.” Hervey goes on to say that “in spite of the fact that their actions prove them to be irresponsible, and self-destructive, psychopaths seem to have an abundance of the very traits most desired by normal persons. The smooth self-assurance acts as an almost supernatural magnet to normal people, who have to read self-help books or go to counseling to be able to interact with others in an untroubled way. The psychopath, on the contrary, never has any neuroses, no self-doubts, never experiences angst, and is what normal people seek to be.” They are babe magnets.
John 8: 42 - 44 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”(KJV)
Again lets consider what life is like for a psychopath living among us. They have this secret advantage because they can observe our behaviors and listen to our beliefs yet use them to their advantage to manipulate and rob, steal and kill to their advantage. You, along with other believers have a conscience, they do not .
One of the things driving the madness we see in this world is the presence of psychopaths. These are people who do not feel as behave as normal or typical human beings. In the Editor’s Preface to Political Ponerology, he quotes a statement from Martha Stout who has worked extensively with victims of psychopaths. Her statements looks at life from the position and behavior of the psychopath. “Imagine - if you can - not having a conscience, none at all, no feeling of guilt or remorse not matter what you do, not limiting sense of concern for the well-being of strangers, friends, or even family members. Imagine no struggles with shame, not a single one in your whole life, not matter what kind of selfish, lazy, harmful, or immoral action you had to taken." We have people just like this living among us.
There is something at work in all of humanity that leads us to walk away from God. There is an invisible force pulling at the hearts of human beings that leads them to hurt others without any regard for the pain and suffering they create. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It is for this reason that each of us much individually examine our actions and motivations on a constant basis because without constant examination we will deviate from the plan of God. We will stop loving our neighbors and only love ourselves.
There is such a thing a Macro-social evil according to Andrew Lobaczewski. This Macro-social evil is evil on a large scale that over takes whole societies and nations. We see this clearly in the bible where the people of earth united to build the tower of Babel. It was a large scale agreement to disobey God and to create a world where it would be safe to ignore God. We also see this in the story of Jonah. Jonah as sent to give a prophetic word to a nation that was practicing governmental and societal evil. God sent word that they would be destroyed if they did not immediately change.
We are facing what we have read about in the scriptures. The system is in place and the plan of the enemy is unfolding. The gates of hell are closing in around us and we are being called to action. I believe one of my challenges is being centered in God to where I do not love my life on earth so much that I will compromise standing for the truth of God’s word. What challenges are you facing to doing the will of God in your current situation?
Revelation 12: 9 - 11 “9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”(KJV)
I choose God. I choose God. Following God does not get easier. It is not supposed to get easier. The way becomes brighter but not easier. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The ease of the yoke is in that you choice is easy. That is the easy part. You can choose to serve God, the rest is not easy. That is the yoke, accepting Him as your Savior and Lord, after that the real work begins. One of the lies we have spoken to believers is that everything becomes easier when you follow Christ. What becomes easier and clearer is the choice to serve Him, not the things you will experience while serving God. Ask John the Baptist just how easy things are when you serve God. He met Jesus and was given a ministry that lead to isolation. He was not able to got o Jesus like Nicodemus in the night and get his questions answered. He was sent to serve God in prison. Prison is not and was not easy. Prison was actually harder. He had to endure hardness like a good solider.
A prayer of encouragement for you with the surf and wind in the background. Be blessed.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1: 7. Technology is coming at us so fast, and crazy decisions are being made all around us, that it is easy to get caught up in the fear that is gripping the masses. Now lets think about some of the reasons why we are having some of the problems we have. One the major reasons is that people are not examining themselves to see if what they are doing is right or wrong. Most people today are only looking out for their own benefit regardless of whether it is right or wrong.
What is different about how science and technology is being used today? Think back to the days of George Washington Carver. He was an amazing scientist and he walked with God for the secrets of the world of biology. He was not attempting to be the new master of the universe and control others. He invented things and made them available for use without the controlling of the masses. Here is another way to understand what is going on? The psychological literature suggest that about 6% of humanity suffers from personality disorders that put them the range where they are harmful to other human beings. Some of these harmful individuals are criminals who rob, steal and kill. Some are not as active in obvious criminal ways, but will marry and date other people to exploit them for their money and property. Some of the harmful individuals are pastors and bishops, lawyers and doctors, teachers and scientist as well as politicians and engineers and policemen and judges. When these individual are placed in charge, their character defects flourish and they reproduce and display the true sickness that is in their souls.
Experience the sound of the wind and the waves as I lift my heart to God in prayer on the beach. The power and strength of the ocean reminds me that God is greater than all of my problems, cares, struggles and disappointments. As you face challenges in the days ahead, don't forget about God. God is great and greatly to be praised no matter what you are going through.
We are at a time in history where there seems to be a push against the awareness or concern about the amount of pain we cause others to feel. As long as certain people are not personally in pain, they do not care what will happen to you and how much you will suffer. Matthew 24 tells us what will happen during the time of the end. Verses 9 - 13 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”(KJV) Because lawlessness shall abound, love will grow cold. The battle continues between Cain and Abel. The real struggle today is to stay on the side with God and Abel even in the face of constance deception. Know God for yourself. Seek to please Him personally. Keep your heart soft before God. Be aware that there are others who will view your devotion to God as a threat to their existence. Your commitment to God makes you their enemy.
Ephesians 6:12 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”(KJV)
When we consider what is happening our world today, we have to focus on what is going on behind the curtain. We see the coming dilemma that is being set in place all over the world. Most of what is about to take place or is already taking place is under the general heading of the great reset. That is what the world economic forum calls it. The reset being put in place for 2030 and by that time, your food will be under their control, your money will be all digital and thus under their control, your health will be under their control based on the things you would have allowed to be place in your body in order to stay safe and healthy. And your behavior will be under their control. It will be as the bible says - you will not be able to buy or sell unless you have the proper credentials or permissions or mark of approval.
God is in charge of the time given to human history, but God mostly works through people to fulfill His will on earth. This seems to be a principle of life on earth. God is in charge and He may not tell you exactly what He is doing, and how He has planned to win the war. God may allow the enemy to win some battles and then turn around and win the war just to make a point that will only make sense in eternity. We will understand more better when the morning comes. Nehemiah 2: 7 "Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;" (now remember that Nehemiah had prayed to God for wisdom, and he continued to speak to the king with respect. No matter who spiritual we are, when we are in situations under government control, we still need to ask with wisdom and respect even when we disobey the rules. Nehemiah could have thought, "I have the kings permission and the grace of God, I don't need anything else. " However, he asked for more human clarification in the form of documentation of his authority.
It seems like the true role of our spiritual life in this early realm, is to live as if God will never help us and pray as if men will never help us. Live as if miracles never happen. Pray as if you will not survive without a miracle. I speak of this difference, I may be wrong, because this is what I see in the Bible. I speak of this difference also because of the dilemma I feel we are facing as human being on earth in this generation. If we just sit and do nothing, if we sit and wait for God to do everything, we will perish quickly. If we engage society at every level and speak truth and walk in love, we will delay and even reverse many of the troubles we face, as long as we do not interfere with the complete plan of God.
Think with me for a moment about social pressure. Social pressure is not a bad thing by itself because that is what we use to learn how to behave as children. We watch. We observe and we join in. We learn to line up as kids. We learn to wait our turn as children. Those are very important skills. However, someone who is planning to take advantage of you will use social pressure to manipulate you into making a decision that you are not really prepared to make. How many men have used social pressure to get the woman to agree to marry them. They have the family around. They have the crowd all focused on you and the moment and there is that pressure to not leave the man hanging. A number of women said, “Yes, I will marry you.” Then, two months later she breaks off the engagement, when she knew all along she was not ready.
I feel that I am still struggling to make clear exactly what I want to say. I am bothered because I really feel one thing in my head and heart, but I am not certain I am fully expressing or explaining what I feel with my words. It is easy to misunderstand what I am attempting to share. I am not trying to be political or overly spiritual. I am trying to share that the more I understand what is being planned for humanity, and the more I notice how people are responding, the more alarmed I have become. My alarm is based on studying history, and how things can go quickly from bad to worse based on human behavior. The major surprise throughout human history is that peace, care for strangers and freedom are very rare when it comes to national treatment. Most of human history is about war and bloodshed and mistreatment of other people. As I have become acutely aware of where we are headed, I have been really talking with God about our choices and direction of the world. I have found that all throughout human history, God has allowed tragic events to take place. I am not blaming God but I am seeking to understand how He works and what are my responsibilities for changing what I see and experience.
Technology has advanced to the level where things can be done to change your bodies as well as your mind without you being aware that changes are being made. That ability is present today and actually being used today in some areas. Please keep in mind that technology can be used for good or evil depending on the intentions and beliefs of the persons or organization creating or using the technology. If you have a group or organization creating powerful technologies that can manipulate and control people without their knowledge, and the people behind this technology do not have a belief that people are created in the image of God and they human life is sacred, then they may be willing to do almost anything to people and not see it as doing something wrong. Listen to the leaders of the World Economic Forum, the internet of everything and how they are being pushed. What is not being promoted is a vibrant relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to review some of the statements given in the talk yesterday (Thoughts of God - Successful Deceit) I shared how my heart is turning more and more to the comfort I find in the word of God because there is no rational explanation for much of what is happening today. Humanity has advanced to a level where we actually have the technology to be fully controlled and manipulated beyond our levels of awareness.
Daniel 8 is part of a description of one vision that shows what happens over time to the people of God and how the world systems come to an end. I have been drawn to these scriptures as I have learned more and more of what is being planned for humanity. Most of what is being planned does not make sense. There are so many things that we can do that will be helpful to humanity and then there are the things that are being done that degrade humanity. The more you look at what is going on you come to the conclusion that this is really a battle between good an evil. There are people in power who are making decisions and putting systems in place that support a demonic agenda. And then there are the people of God who continue to lift up the name and power of Jesus, and they are considered the enemy. It is not about individual differences and personal preferences and personality. The battle of the last days is not about Republican, Democrat, White power or Black power. It is purely a battle between Satanic influence (lies, deception, bloodshed, misery, domination of others) and Godly influence
What disappoints God?If this were may last day on earth what would I want to say. At this point in my life I would want to talk to you about what disappoints God. It may not be what you think. You may think that when you fail God that is the most disappointing thing. Perhaps you have failed in some area of your life. Perhaps you hear people say that you are not living up to your potential. Maybe you have made more mistakes or started too late in life and now the evil thoughts of unbelief follow you around like honey bees that have lost their way home. Have you ever seen that. So sad. The bee is walking around in circles, about to die because it is lost from the hive. Bad ideas sometimes get in our heads and lives and wonder around like that. Disappointing God is one of those ideas. Not that people don't disappoint God but they often miss what hurts God the most.
I have a small dog who thinks he is the king of the neighborhood. We had a small possum come through the back yard, and Charlie saw it and went after it. He is not an attack dog and can barely eat his own food, let along attack another animal. I gave the command for his to stop. He did not. He was not listening to my voice. I yelled for him to stop. He did not. So I grabbed him to hold him back. And to my surprise, he growled at me and made a move to bite me. Now he was careful not to bite me, but he came as close as he could. He was sending me a message, “Leave me alone. I want to do this and I will do this. Get out of my way!” He was caught up in the moment. He wanted me to let him go so he could do what he wanted to do. He did not realize that he was about to get a good hurting from the claws of the possum. I could have thought, oh poor thing, lets let him go. No! I was like, "You are out of order. I need to bring you back under submission because you are about to get into a lot of hurt."
No matter what happens to you or me on earth, we must never forget that our entire experience in God is covered by His love for us, and is connected to our eternal good. That is easy to say but very often difficult to live out unless our hearts and minds are settled before things go bad. Understanding this principle is like experiencing spiritual priming. Priming as a behavioral principle where someone tells you what to expect, and how to behave before you experience something. In this way, when the trouble or hard times come, and they come for all of us, you are prepared mentally and spiritually, and you don't lose faith in God. You continue to walk with God no matter what happens in your life.
The strange thing about our experience on earth is that we live each day with a focus on time, months and years, and that is something we must do, but when it comes to death, we have to look at it from an eternal perspective. When we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, at that point we receive the gift of eternal life with him. Although we are to properly number our days to use them wisely, we have to understand that the real measurement of what is good and bad, depends on eternity. Death is horrible and is an enemy to our purpose on earth, but from an eternal experience, God settles during eternity, what was not allowed to finish in time.
Jeremiah 31: 3, 4 “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.” (KJV) We often miss the entire process connected to the promise of this text. When God says He will draw you with loving kindness, some of us forget that the concept of discipline is also included. Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”(KJV) God’s love is connected to His system of correction and discipline that helps to separate us from anything and anyone standing in the way of our growth - including you. This is a very personal, individual work that God does in each of our lives. Two people can be in the same house and receive discipline from God in two different manners. In other words, most of God’s work in this world is working on you and me to get us to die to our way of doing things and embrace His ways. God is not in the business of encouraging bad behavior. Sometimes in the process of shaping our lives, God will allow punishment and pain to change our behaviors.
We are talking about telling the truth. Telling the truth is a real act of faith because you do not have any idea what will happen next. Do you remember the story in the bible where the Jewish leaders brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in adultery? The men present wanted Jesus to give approval to stone the woman to death. What did Jesus do? He started writing in the sand, and told the truth. He said, “whoever among you that is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” The crowd could have turned on Jesus and started throwing stones at Him. Instead they dropped their stones and walked away one at a time. Telling the truth is an act of faith. First tell yourself the truth about yourself.
Telling the truth is the real act of faith. When we tell the truth, we do not know what will happen, especially in the world we live, where so many things are based on lies. For instance, there is this critical race theory that says White people are racist because they are White and they cannot become non-racist because they are White. Which cannot be true because evil is not based on what is on the outside. Jesus taught us that evil comes from what is in the heart. The heart is evil and desperately wicked, not the skin color. That is the truth. However, when you speak that truth some people attack you for supporting White people, or for not supporting Black people, who right now are the favorite tool of those who seek to control social emotions. Here is where the Jordan Peterson argument comes in, and where we step into faith. When we are faced with telling the truth, and we actually tell the truth - whatever happens next is the best possible things that can happen in that situation. If I get called shameful names now, for not supporting critical race theory, that is the best that can happen now, because if I don't speak out against that lie, when it becomes my turn for the lie to be said that Black people are bad simply because they are black, things will be so much worse for me at that point. It is better to be called a name now, be rejected by some now, than to support a lie that can be used in the same way to destroy me and my family. When you tell the truth, people who support the lies will move away from you, and people who support the truth will step closer to you. Doors that matter will be opened to you. The bible says you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
The bible tells us in God is determined to bless His people. We read text that say things like, “and these signs shall follow them who believe, In my name they shall cast out devil.” Man, don’t we need to cast out some devils today. That is one of the blessing God has for His people. There are other text that literally say that as you go through life, blessings from God will be chasing you down. Deuteronomy 28: 2 - 8. Isn't that a good thing? Imagine blessings chasing you down. We are all familiar with the text in Psalm the says, “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Here is the challenge we have in our walk with God. Because we are born in sin and misshapen in iniquity, we often fight God, and make things worse when He is trying to bless us. You recall the story of the children of Israel leaving Egypt. They complained all the way to their place of blessing.
Just words of encouragement to you along your journey. Don't give up. The most important thing is not where you are but where you are headed. Don't give up.
Teach me to number my days so that I can apply my heart to wisdom. I was listening to a message by Apostle Joshua Selman, and he said "anything that steals your time is your worst enemy." Time is the one thing that you can never get back without a miracle directly from God. You can get your money back, health back, relationships restored, jobs, etc. But time returned to you can only come from God. We read in the Bible where God says, "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten." That is a work of God. Time is so precious. I must learn to number my days so that I can be more earnest to apply my heart to wisdom. We are all running out of time. Think for a moment about running out of water. You have to be really careful when you are running out of water. You can only live a few days without water. You need to be aware of your water supply and how much water is available to you because you must have adequate water in order to live. Time is even more precious than water.
My point is, you can trust the overall picture and plan of what God is doing even when your individual experience may be hard, painful and tragic. Serving God does not mean you will live in a 12 room mansion with millions in the bank and everyone waving at you when you walk down the street. Serving God must involve more than benefits. There are benefits but if you only focus on the benefits you may miss the way God works. God pays in full, but a day with the Lord is as 1,000 years. You may not get your pay down here. For some individuals, your entire earthly experience may rack up a outstanding bill where God owes you for what was taken from you. Claim the promises for healing, prosperity, long life, amazing relationships, many children, but do not make any of them your God. Serve God in spite of your health, money, marriage, years or peace. There is this old song we used to sing that shows where we should focus our attention. Hold To God's Unchanging Hand:
Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Refrain:
Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Listen to this and really hear this in your spirit. Joshua 11: 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.20 For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses."(KJV)
Since we are only on this earth for a few days, the sooner we understand who we are, and live as God intended us to live, the more fruitful our lives will be on this earth.
What is God doing during the pandemic? Please do not forget that God has a master plan and His agenda has not changed. The secret to spiritual success in this life is really knowing what Father God is doing. Jesus knew what Father God was doing and then He, Jesus role-played or acted out what He saw His Father doing. John 5: 19-21 “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”(KJV) This is an important life principle because Jesus is our example and He modeled for us that on earth He was following the Father’s program and agenda. He did not do His own thing, He did the Father’s things. I believe Jesus was really trying to teach us that life on earth is supposed to be about doing the Father’s will. That is what it is and nothing more.
I remember our choir used to sing this song “I’m living this life just to live again.” That was part of the words in this song. Those words gave us the remainder that we are literally passing through this world, on the way to the world that matters and the renewal of this present world. We are living now, just to live again. We have the privilege of living now, so we can live again. The bible makes it very clear that there are only two paths or two directions to go in. There is no third option. Either we are with God or we are with His enemy. There is no compromise between the two of them.
We actually live ahead of ourselves. Let me explain. Very often when we do something good or evil, we are not aware of exactly just how much good or evil we are actually doing. Not long ago I had the honor of talking to a 90 year old gentleman. He had been an airplane pilot, owned a printing business and a great husband and father. As I sat and talked to him about success in life, he shared a surprising secret. I thought he would tell me all about his plans and his insight and motivation to get things done. Instead he told me that he became a success in life by following his interest and available opportunities. For instance, he went into the printing business not by design but because he was working at a printing company and as the owner retired, he talked to the owner about buying some of his equipment, but ended up setting up a plan to finance and buy the business. He took steps to work on the opportunity that was presented to him, which lead to the next thing. The printing business did not come to him immediately. What came to him first was a job at a small printing company, which came to him because he was trying to find a way to pay for his rent and food. He did not know when he went out of the door to find a job to pay for his rent and food, he was actually stepping into this future as a successful business owner of a printing company.
There is an unusual power in words that most of us miss all the time. I know I am not as careful with my words as I should be. Word are more powerful that we realize…and…and.. we are influenced by words or the result of words at a subconscious level. This means that most of what we do or do not do doing the day is being motivated by words and phrases of which we are not aware. Check out the Jordan Peterson Youtube interview with Jock Willink. There is a part of the conversation that goes into detail about how we are being mostly influenced by our subconscious. The words we hear, the words spoken over us, the words that impact our lives move us in ways and directions as well as restrict us in ways that can be a blessing or a curse. Imagine using your words to fight back against the devil.
Words matter. Think about it. Listen carefully to your words. Your words are sounds you make that describe things you understand and intend to do. There is a unrecognized power in all words. Thank about these words - Philippians 1: 6 “NAS – {For I am} confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Lets look at several phrases - He who began - who is this who started this work in you. God is the one who started this work in you. He started it and He will finish it. He started a good work in you, a beneficial work in you, an excellent work in you. I was recently listening to an artist describe her process for drawing or painting an illustration, and it was exhausting to hear her talk about her work of excellence. She started and restarted sometimes 100’s of times. She worked on one particular project for days, for hours, night and day just to get one thing right. She was know for her excellent work. Imagine now what God is doing in your life right now. God is doing a good work in you, even though He has to restart over and over again in certain areas of your life.
Luke 18 explains that we should keep on praying. Payer works. Most prayer does not work immediately but it works and is effective. Your prayers are used by God to push forward His agenda. In the story of Luke 18 a widow had been mistreated and cheated out of what she deserved. There was no justice for her. She went to the Judge who should have helped her and he keep putting her off. He did not stop to help her and make things right. However, as she continue to plead with the Judge he said something interesting that I believe will be helpful for all of us. The Bible says in Luke 18:5 that the judge said - “she weary me” Stun me. A metaphor taken from boxers, who bruise each other, and by beating each other about the face blacken the eyes. Pause and think with me. Jesus is telling us through this story that this ladies pleading for justice was experienced by the unjust judge as being stunned and beaten by her attacks and all she was doing was requesting and requesting and requesting. She did not give up. This judge only cared for himself, was beat up by this single woman. He was beat up so badly by her request that is was as if he was being beaten in the face and given a black eye. She beat him so bad that eventually he stopped to help her. Then Jesus makes it clear that if this judge who only cared for himself could feel the force of that woman’s request, how much powerful do you think God feels the intensity of your prayers, knowing that He really cars for you. When God does not answer your prayer, your prayers are not ignored. God has not turned His back on you. Your request are effective and are felt in the heart of God. He hears you.
I have shared just a tiny portion of church history because you and I have to see where we have come from in order to understand where we are and where we are going. I know it appears that so many new things and theories are happening today but there is really nothing new under the sun. It has all been tried before but this time we are trying it under a new name. I do not say this to beat up on the church. The church is precious to God. Your church and your church family is precious to God, even if they are out of order in every way. God is going to fix His church and clean it up and make it right. I believe that is what we are experiencing right now. Our generation is being allowed to be brought to our knees and get to the very core of what it means to serve God. We used to sing, “If you ever needed the Lord before, you sure to need Him now.” Well, that song is more true today than ever before. There is so much pressure on people just to survive and so many false teaching and practices as well as false prophets and witchcraft activity that it is too easy to get off track and stay off track. There is a level of spiritual confusion today that we have not witnessed in many years. The good news, there is a spiritual clarity that is so available to you and me that will give you comfort in your times of struggle.
One of my mentors got on my case when I was busy traveling all over the world and riding in these little cheap cars trying to save money. I was beating up my body trying to save a dime. That was not good, but I did not need a Rolls Royce to prove that God was good. So what proves that God is active in our lives? When we can love people to life. Pastor Abe Huber tells the story of a businessman traveling with his father. The businessman was an atheist and really did not believe that serving God was worth his time. However, after traveling with a true believer, when this atheist ended that business trip, he wanted to know God and eventually gave his heart to God. The love and life of the believer won his heart over to God. He said, he wanted to know God like that. What about you and me? Not out of guilt but out of reality. If someone hung out with me for 3 months, what would they learn about me? Would they want to serve my God?
Our forefathers were able to bring in a harvest of souls because they were into the word for real. God’s Spirit was working with them and through them. There is this scripture that says, God will say to some, “Well done my good and faithful servants.” This is not working for salvation. We are sad by grace through faith. However, as saved people God desires to work through us to bless those around us. This is why Psalm 23: 4,5 says “4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”(KJV) This overflow in the presence of your enemies is not just about God showing just how powerful He is. God is powerful for sure. But this overflow is also about blessing your enemies. Your overflow will show your enemies the true power of the love of God and that will soften their hearts.
Today, we struggle with understanding the will of God because we do not spend more time in the word of God. Today’s generation did to grow up on the stories of Samson, and David, Ruth, Queen Ester and the 3 Hebrew boys. Today’s generation knows Batman, Iron man and others. They know the superhero but they do not know God or His word. And as a result they are blinded without even knowing that they cannot see. Daniel 12:4 ““But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.””(KJV) The spirit of witchcraft was at work in mama’s day but it was not fully revealed until now. Everything is being revealed now. The covers are being pulled off and everyone is waking up to new possibilities. The church is walking up and realizing just how urgent this season is. We are living in the time of the end. The workers of iniquity are waking up as well and they too are moving with a sense of urgency. They are feverishly working to increase their level of evil involvement. We in the church should on the other hand be crying out to God for more and more of Him in our lives.
There are so many believers today who have embraced the gospel message, walked down the isle in the church and given their heart to God without understanding what really happened to their life. Most of us have only seen the fallen church, or the church ruled by the dictates of the rules of men while lacking a true demonstration of the power of God. For most churches, mine included, you could predict what would happen next. You could almost bet your entire lifetime salary that whoever we prayed for would not be healed, and that the vast majority of our children, and young people would reject the church as soon as they were able to refuse to attend. They would leave the church, and our hearts would be broken. 1 Timothy 4:1 - Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”(KJV) What we are mostly seeing today is a church that is under the spell of witches who have put a blinding spell over the church, over the minds of the leaders, and members. They have been blinded supernaturally away from a true bible experience of walking with God and living for God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”(KJV)
Perspective. Who are you? I am not asking about your name or occupation. Those are temporary assignments. People change their names and careers all the time. Most of us have nicknames that are used by our close friends. When I ask who are you and who am I, I am asking about who we are in God. Do we understand that we were created by God on purpose. Your birth was intentional. So when I ask about your self-concept or self confidence, there is a level of that necessary for all human beings, but what I am really trying to determine is do you have confidence in who you are in Christ, who are you in God? And do we have confidence that Christ is who He says He is? Is He really able to do what He says He can do? Can His word do everything it says it can do? And do I believe that? Do you believe that? And if you believe that His word can do everything He says it can do, do you also believe that His word can do above all that you can ask or even think?
You want to learn the power of God and your spiritual authority based on the word of God. Very important point. You want to allow your faith to grow to the point where you believe God is going to do what He said He would do simply because He said He would do it. That is it. Period! Here is the truth we all want to fully embrace. You and I have an inheritance in Christ Jesus. Jesus died for you and me. He has provided a rich inheritance for us. Everything Jesus has for you and me is permanent and of the best quality you can imagine. His stuff is too good and so nice, that when He returns, He will not set up shop here on earth until He cleans everything up and purifies it with fire so that nothing will damage what He has for you and me. We have an inheritance in Christ Jesus. And because of our inheritance is so great, one of the first things we have to get rid of is our earthly, limited self-concept and image.
Here is an interesting thing about perspective. As you read the Bible, God is very clear that this whole earth operation, life on planet earth is all about what He is doing. Period! We get our feelings hurt and get lost in translation when we believe or think that something else is going on. Look at the story of Joseph. How could God allow Joseph to go through such horrible experiences? Joseph was sold into slavery, and actually ended up serving in a government that was hostile to the ways of God. This same government and nation that ruled over the children of Israel and Joseph, mistreated them for years. There even came that point in time when the Egyptians had a rule that every Hebrew boy newborn was to be thrown into the river to drown. Liquid abortion. God spared Moses but there is no indication that God spared all of the other baby boys. Imagine being a Hebrew mother during that time and you could not save your baby. If your perspective is only based on your experiences, you would be angry with God, and would probably stop serving Him because He did not save your baby. From God’s perspective, He will make everything brand new, but not now, and not based on what will make you feel good.
Philippians 1:4-6 “4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”(KJV)The Apostle Paul is here sharing his confidence in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had confidence that once we open our hearts to receive the Lord, and we continued to allow God to work in us and on us, God wouldcomplete that work and be able to present us faultless before His throne with great joy. This is the great fact for us as believers as we continue on with Christ.
Father we pray for everyone who is listening. We ask you to show each of us what we should do and how we are to engage in this spiritual fight. Lord what would Yo have us do? Let Your will be our guiding light and motivation. Let that be the cry of our heart. Help us endure to the end. The days are evil and the devil is making war on the saints. Help us to fight the good fight of faith. Our weapons of warfare are not bullets and guns. Our weapons are mighty through God for pulling down strongholds. We are coming against principalities and powers and rulers in high places. Lord help us finish this race giving glory and honor to You with our eyes fixed on You. We want to hear You say, “Well done my good and faithful servants. You have been faithful over a few things, I will now make you ruler of many things.” We want to be that faithful servant. Let none of us hear those words, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”(KJV) Even though we may not be seeing all of our requests manifested in the flesh, Father we thank You that You are doing the work in each person’s life right now.
You and I should look back in history and ask the question - “Why were the first Christians martyred?” They were not martyred because they believed in God or Jesus. The Romans did not care if you worshiped another god. That did not matter to them. The christian believers came under persecution when they worshiped Christ to the exclusion of all others. Please get this. They became enemies of the nation when they would not bow their knee to the emperor or the empire. They did not see their divine purpose to be the preservation of the Roman empire. For many years, Rome was a well organized empire and it did a lot of good. It also did a lot of evil. Christians in Rome were in Rome but not of Rome. That is important to remember because the Roman Empire does not rule the earth today. If the christian believers at that time thought that they had a divine obligation and assignment to preserve Rome, look at how badly they would have missed the will of God. This is why is is so important for us to have the right perspective. We can actually end up fighting on the wrong side of God while attempting to do the work of God.
Again, lets consider perspective. Jesus wants the world to hear the good news. It is good news y’all. That is what is in you. You have the antidote. You had the spiritual vaccine long before the drug companies started doing their research. God is in you for sure. Jesus wants people to hear the Good News of the gospel so that they can come into the eternal kingdom. All of the kingdoms of the world right now are just lines drawn on a map, and those lines change depending on who is in charge, and who is controlling the situation. On the other hand, God has an eternal kingdom and that is plenty good news. Here is what the bible says. Revelation 18: 1- 5 “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Here is another issue of perspective. When you lose a battle, did Jesus also lose the same battle? Do you remember the story of Elijah in the Bible where he was running from the witch Jezebel and he actually said to god, “I am the only one left doing your work.” That is my paraphrases. And if you read the story you will notice that God told him that He had 7,000 other individual who had not bowed to the evil taking place around them. God was basically saying that while Elijah was running because from his perspective he lost the battle with Jezebel, God was saying that there were at least 7,000 other believers who were not running and were still winning. Let me ask you again, when you lose a spiritual battle, did Jesus lose as well? When bad things happen to good people did God lose as well? When evil triumphs and takes over and there is no one to stop them, is God still on the throne? If it is true that God has already won the war, and was bold enough to write the outcome in the book called the bible, then from His spectate, He never loses, even when you and I are physically and sometimes spiritually losing our battles.
The world today is very similar to the world during Noah’s time, just before the destruction that came with the flood. Wickedness was everywhere. What was Noah’s focus during that time? He spent his energy making sure that he was obeying God in spite of what was happening around him. Can you imagine if Noah as alive today? Based on the way most church people view the purposes of God, and the majority of believers who do not know how to discern God’s voice, most church people today would condemn Noah for a waste of time and resources. They would be pushing him to focus on social justice, feeding the homeless, fighting against the abortion industry and pulling people out of poverty. Can you see the picture now? All of these other things are good and valuable but none of them are primary.
Here is the deal, as children of God, we get so attached to this temporary world system that we make choices in a temporary situation that have permanent consequences. The bible clearly says that weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. All of us, no matter how spiritual we are, will experience both night and day. When we have the correct perspective, we understand that night time is merely the first part or the beginning part of the day. Consider the story of Joseph in the Bible. He was sold into slavery as a teenager, that was part of his night experience. And while he was in slavery, God did not change the slavery system. Slavery does not have to end for God to begin his work. God’s kingdom is permanent, slavery is temporary.
So where is my ultimate allegiance? This is a major issue for believers because we do support the countries we are in but we are not bound by any country on earth. This is what makes real Christians a threat all around the world. We do not submit to anyone but Jesus as our Lord and Savior, even in America. As blessed as we believe America is, some people are saying that America is really a corporation that is going bankrupt rather than a nation that is prospering. You can clearly see that argument when you look at what America had to do to survive during the time of the civil war. President Abraham Lincoln needed money and it is an interesting story to see historically what took place to finance this country during the 1800's. Some believe that it was at this time that America was sold out. I’m not sure that is what happened and that is not my main point. My main point is, no matter what country you are in or where you are from, that country is not God’s last hope on earth. America is not God’s last hope. You and I, as believers are God’s last hope.
John 18: 36 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”(KJV)
This text helps to identify who we are as believers. We are supposed to be part of His eternal kingdom, the church, called out from the world. We are not supposed to be part of the church that is connected to the whore of Babylon that is mentioned in the book of Revelations. This is part of the mystery of iniquity in that we have a religious organization in the last days, mixing with the world, while claiming to serve Christ. This strange religious mixture deceives the nations and even rules over the kings of the earth. This is one reason why is so difficult for people to understand what is really going on right now. The struggle is not just political and between governments. There are spiritual rulers in high places manipulating the masses for the pleasure and service of their master Satan.
How should we view ourselves as believers in Jesus Christ? We are pilgrims, in this world but not of this world. We are the true aliens on planet earth no matter what country we live in today. We are only passing through this earth on a temporary assignment for the glory of God. We are here to build the eternal kingdom of God which is so much greater than any national allegiance. This is not to say that voting is wrong, or that supporting your government is wrong. What I am saying is that no matter what our jobs and functions are in this world's system, we serve a higher purpose than this world’s system. We are not here to keep the world’s system working, we are here to promote and reconcile people back to God, whether we are living in prosperity or poverty.
The big trial in the last days will not be seen by the world as a spiritual issue at all. Satan did not tempt Eve in the garden of Eden with a spiritual approach. He approached her based on the physical desires all human beings have. The Mark of the Beast that will be pushed on all of humanity will not be presented as a spiritual issue. It will be an economic issue. It will be seen a a natural physical expansion of what is best for all of society, except that fact that the will and purposes of God are not considered. It will not be presented as an attack on the church. Many church people will be in support of the general cooperation with the system of the Mark because it will make it easier for everyone involved. It will all be connected to the issue of survival and comfort. This is why there will be wide acceptance of the Mark of the Beast. It has nothing to do with your claim to be a christian, it will be all about being carnal. If you and I are being led by our fleshly desires now, we will led by our fleshly desires then. If we are earthly focused, where our body rules us, we will be a perfect match for the Mark of the Beast even while carrying the name of being a Christian.
Jesus wants full allegiance to His kingdom, as one King, the ultimate ruler of our lives. What know you not that you are bought with a price? Salvation, redemption is a spiritual business transaction where your life is bought and paid for by the death of Jesus Christ. He paid it all for you. You and I now belong to Him. He are His sheep. We are now His property. No matter where we live, we are not owned by the government of that country. We are owned by God as we live in various countries on earth. No matter what nations we reside in, we are all part of the government and kingdom of God, regardless of nationality and ideology. That is one reason why I could not remain an Afro-Centric believer. I had to come out of that false hood and recognize that I as child of God, I had to be Christo-Centric, even with my African heritage and roots. For the believer, Jesus must be Lord over all.
Here is a good way to keep everything in perspective while living on this earth. We are in the world but are not of the world. When Satan came to Jesus, tempting him during the fast in the wilderness, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of this world. Satan did not say that he could only offer Jesus all the kingdoms of the world except America because America belongs to God. No, Satan told Jesus that he could offer Jesus ALL the kingdom of this world system, because Satan was running and rolling over ALL the kingdoms of this worlds system including America and the nation of Israel. And Jesus refused Satan’s offer.
This is perhaps one of my most hart hitting messages. It almost needs a warning label. "Listening to this message will shake your christian world. Skip this recording if you are not ready to be challenged and change."
What we are mostly seeing today that is being presented as Christianity is not what we find in the bible. We are mostly seeing themes and practices from the Occult that have been baptized into the church and made to appear as if they are part of the living word of God. We are focused on what is wrong with the world and miss what God sees as being wrong with His church. What does God see as an abomination. We talk about treason and how people have betrayed their country and we do not look at treason and how people have betrayed Jesus in this age. Jesus is our King. Jesus has one kingdom and He wants all of His subjects to be fully loyal to Him at all times. Even to the point where they love not their lives even to the point of death.
If you want a clear picture of just how far off we are as a church and as a society, go out today and look at the faces and reactions of the people you meet. Today, people are so concerned, Christians included, about the death of their bodies, whether they will catch this disease or some other fearful thing, that they overlook being concerned about their souls. The greatest prize is not physical security. Eventually, we will all have to let this body go. We are all dying everyday. Some will die today. Some will die tomorrow. Some will die years from now. I am not being callous. I am speaking of the reality in which we live. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying I believe in taking care of the body. I exercise, strive to eat a healthy diet. I believe in protecting myself from harm. All of those things are right and good but they are not primary. I can go to hell with a body that is in perfect shape. Matthew 10:28 says, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”(KJV)
Again using the words of Dr. Sheila Zilinsky and Dr Danny Moreno, Jesus Christ came so that we could be born again, made new, become new creations by God’s own Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters and started the creation process in the book of Genesis, God’s own Holy Spirit is to live inside you and change you into the image and likeness of your father who is in heaven. This is why Jesus is able to proudly say that He is our Elder Brother. We are part of the same family. This is why the bible says that when Jesus returns we shall be like Him. 1 John 3:2,3 says “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”(KJV)
This is a supernatural transformation. This is not just changing your belief system and saying magic words. It is not just agreeing with a doctrinal statement from your church. It is not just walking down the isle and joining the Christian church. And hear this, it is not just believing what the bible says. Remember the devil also believe and tremble. The devils have respect for the power and authority of the word of God but they are not transformed.
One of the most powerful truths in the Bible is the truth that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are born again. We actually become a new creation, a new order of beings created by God’s own Holy Spirit. Being born again is not simply praying the scripted "sinners prayer." Anyone can pray that prayer without experiencing the new birth. For far too many, people pray that prayer and assume that the sinners prayer is a group of magic words which will atomically cause a shift in their attitude and life. Say the words and you are in. That is not true. Satan and all of his demons can say the same words and still laugh in the face of God right after that. Being born again has to go deeper than magic words.
What do we do now that we see the entire world is in the shape it is in? Please hear this. One of the things that psychopaths do, (I'm talking about individuals who know they are wrong, know they are evil and are only seeking to talk advantage and win at all cost), one of the things the do when they are caught lying or doing wrong, they double down. They make the lie even greater because there is something about human nature that if you continue to repeat something over and over again, some people will start to believe that the lie is true. For a vivid example of how this works, make sure you watch the classic old movie, "1984", and also watch the movie "Gaslight" which is also a classic from 1940. The major crook continues the lie when they are caught because they know that if they are consistent in their presentation, they will be able to convince a certain part of the population to believe the lie. Please hear this - what should we be doing now as the people of God? We should make sure that we are even more consistent in sharing and announcing and especially living the good news of the Gospel because there are more people today looking for truth than ever before.
Just a heartfelt prayer for our nations, our families and personal lives. God hears and answers prayer. Through prayer, we open up our hearts to God and share what we really feel, sense and desire. Honest prayer is part of an honest dialogue with God. Prayer changes me as I share my heart with God.
So what is really going on. God is still on the throne, even in places where evil appears to triumph. Remember that the end result of all of this is not you and me being kings and rulers over this earth as it is. Everything man-made must be destroyed, burned up, caused to the ground and a new heaven and earth be established. So not matter how much my heart aches for what is happening now and all the evil going on, our true fight is to bring people into the kingdom of God so that they can receive the gift of eternal life and inherit the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelt righteousness. Here is the crazy thing we have to remember as believers. Once we have been born again, we become citizens of another world. We are the real strangers on this earth now as it is. We are to set up establishments on this planet to be used to overthrow the evil empire and pull people out of hellish lifestyles. We are exactly at the point where humanity was when God destroyed the earth with a flood.
It is easy to forget God aims and designs for our lives on this earth, especially when we are going through a ton of problems. Christians are being especially challenged today because we are going through the same hardships as the world, and at the same time we are being targeted as the enemy and being classed as non-essential. Please do not misunderstand my next statements because I am talking about me as well. When you look at what we have been providing and doing as a church in our current state, we have been non-essential. T
There is no political solution to a spiritual problem. As much as I would like to see one and as much as I am involved in supporting political movements and civil activities. The final solution and the end game must be and will always be spiritual. Why? Because the god of this world is in conflict with the God of heave and earth, and they cannot co-govern. They have two different agendas. God wants to rule us through love, honor and our understanding that His way is best and good for us. Satan want to rule us by any means necessary, including deception, manipulation, slavery, captivity, dominance. Satan is the ultimate pimp. He is the supreme slave master. We tend to forget that no matter how nice the slave master treated the slaves, the bottom line was the slaved was never valued as a person who should be free to choose their destiny. The slave must be made to stay and submit. The bible says that there is spiritual wickedness in high places.
One of the abilities we have as human beings is the ability to create our reality to a certain extent. This is one of our God-given abilities. This trait can also create problems when we create realities that do not follow the rules and guidance of God. In this we have to be careful.
Remember, no matter who upset you and I become with people, God is not willing that any should perish. He is seeking that all men come to repentance. That should be our attitude as well. Spiritual warfare is sensing the heart of God in a situation, and loving people to life.
Philippians 3: 13,14 “13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”(KJV) I John 2 16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”(KJV)
Now here is the good news and the bad news when we put these tests together. The good news is Satan really only attacks human beings in three specific areas. Lust of the Eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. The bad news is Satan really only attacks in three specific categories because he is a specialist and most effective in the areas he specializes in.
I hear this phrase so often - “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.” I know what people mean when they say that. This is usually said when someone is being warned about getting into a relationship with a person who has a troubled past. It is a good thing to warn people, especially when they are planning to commit to someone who has a track record of hurting people in the past. There are somethings you can learn from the ex-girlfriend and ex-boyfriend, but usually the ex-whatevers have only seen the worse of that person. They have not seen them change. Never forget in your spiritual warfare, people change. I Corinthians 6:9-11 “9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”(KJV) People change.
One of the aspects of spiritual warfare is fighting for your own spiritual life and obedience. Most of us are familiar with the text Joel 2: 17, 18 “Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.”(KJV) This text is famous mostly because its emphasis is on interceding for others. It shows the effective level of intercession where we are praying so fervently, with the understanding of what will happen if our prayers are not answered, that we are weeping and praying and pleading with God. We are now praying with a heart full of compassion and understanding knowing that if the people do not turn around, they will be lost and eternally rejected. There is also the text of Jesus praying for Himself, where the bible describes His prayer is so intense that He actually sweats blood. There is a portion of this prayer where Jesus is praying for others. But for the most part, in this prayer He is praying for himself, showing us the level fo prayer that may be necessary before we gain the victory over the enemy regarding personal challenges in our lives.
It is crucial to understand what God is doing in your life when He brings you under conviction of some behavior, attitude or thoughts. For instance, if the Lord is dealing with you about your resentments or anger or some other issue, God is not trying to put you down or condemn you. He is trying to help you close a door of weakness that the enemy wants to use or take advantage of in the future. God always plans ahead. He restrictions are also designed to lead to more blessing and peace.
God will use different environments to help us understand how spirits attack believers. Religious spirits attack in church. Other spirits attack in church and other places. Think about it.
This principles of praying for others to be converted and changed it a very important part of spiritual warfare. We forget that on this earth all of our battles are centered in spiritual principles, especially when we are faced with human problems. Never forget the legendary stories of George Washington Carver who invented so many things from the simple peanut and his reliance on prayer. He is quoted as saying “My prayers seem to be more of an attitude than anything else. I indulge in very little lip service, but ask the Great Creator silently, daily, and often many times a day, to permit me to speak to Him through the three great Kingdoms of the world which He has created - the animal, mineral, and vegetable Kingdoms - to understand their relations to each other, and our relations to them and to the Great God who made all of us. I ask Him daily and often momently to give me wisdom, understanding, and bodily strength to do His will; hence I am asking and receiving all the time.” We can use the same principle of prayer in praying for others. We can ask God go open our eyes to allow us to speak to God through the people we are seeing in front of our eyes.
A spirit of envy can come in. I hate his wife. I don't like his children and much negative talking. When you are one of these people that keeps strife and accusations going, the devil loves that. He loves that because all of these things are the opposite of love. When you are a Christian you main concern is loving people into the kingdom of God. You want people to find Jesus and get saved. You want to see people grow in God. You know they come in a babes and will not have it all together when they start, so you will not tear them down at every turn of their life. These kinds of things cause so many people to leave the church and think that all church people behave in the same manner. The interesting thing about these activities, people can feel when they are not accepted and when they are not wanted.
There are so many things happening that bring fear to most people. This is not the time to fear. This is the time to trust God and stay close to His heart. This is the audio version of a message I gave on Sunday afternoon 12/13/2020. If you really want to know what is going on behind the scenes, take careful notes of what is presented. If you are discouraged, listen all the way to the end. The end of this message contain powerful life secrets of God's desire to help you. He will help you. Yes He will.
The church is also attacked by spirits of criticism. This often happens when someone comes to church and they are not dressed appropriately. We say - he or she should not come to church like this, and that is absolutely correct. There is a proper way to appear and dress in public. However, what are we supposed to do? Focus only on what is inappropriate or help them find a way to become appropriate? What would the enemy want you to do? What would Jesus want you to do? It is almost that simple.
Strife and accusations are also part of the enemies attack against churches. You will have someone in the church who is a busy body. They know everyone’s business and are quite willing to share their thoughts and spread the misery all over the church. There are some people in church who go around outside the church telling everyone about the problems in the church. This too is a work of Satan. This is demonic. We don't usually see it described at that but it is demonic for sure. However, when engaged in spiritual warfare we do not overlook look the people involved. Satan uses people. The people are not Satan. Never forget that God loves people. He hates sin but loves sinners. Spiritual warfare will help us keep that proper view of people.
Part of the message of the false gospel is that if you come to Jesus all of your problems will go away. If you give Jesus a dollar through the offering plate, He will pay off your mortgage. That is part of the false gospel. It is a tit for a tat. You do this in order to get that. You have cancer and you want to be healed, just put in the largest offering you can and the cancer will be gone in just a few days. Which actually happened is that you ends up having a relationship with things and not the person who is providing those things.
When you look across America, we see many churches (again meaning the grouping of the people) are living in falling away conditions. The bible says that there can be another Gospel that is different from the gospel preached and presented in the New Testament. This different gospel is driven by a religious spirit that loves to hang out around church people to keep them off balanced and confused. The bible says that the day would come when people would not endure sound doctrine and there would be a great falling away. Many Christians do not understand what is going on behind the scenes spiritually under this different gospel spirits. They know something is wrong. They know they are not satisfied in their lives. They know that they are in some sort of battle that is coming against their marriages, their relationships, their finances and their health both mental and physical.
You may have become tired of me taking about the issues our country is facing but I believer we are in a very serious state. For me it is not just political. God is on the throne no matter who is in the white house. I have my preference and you may have your preference but as long as there is a human being leading this country there will be faults and failures even from the candidate of our choice. What I am sensing is that every battle has already been won to over throw our country from the inside and most people are not aware of it because have not studied history.. There is a way to overthrow a country without attacking it with an army. You can use biological weapons and medicines to control and reduce a pollution over time and that is extremely effective. By the time your enemy realizes what you have done they will be too weak or too few to fight back.
Even when Satan is doing something good, he is only doing good in order to do so much more damage later on. He only does good to move your confidence and trust off of God. Then when you are trusting in the flesh, that is when he makes his move. That is the bad news. however, in Jesus, there is so much good news. The love of God constrains us. The love of God draws us to His side. The love of God works to find all of His sheep and bring them home. The love of God leads us into repentance and deliverance. For God so loved the world that He gave…That is key. God loves people, even those who are being caught up in confusion and delusion. And as a result of His love for people, He has given you and me a ministry of reconciliation and deliverance. We are to share His love with the people around us. Learn to look beyond their faults and see their need.
Spirit warfare is more necessary than most believers realize. The prevailing myth: 1,500/1,700 pastors leave the ministry every month. The promising truth: 250 pastors leave the ministry every month. back in 2015 study. Professor Bradley Wright, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, explains from his analysis of people who identify as Christians but rarely attend church, that 60 percent of these have been divorced. Of those who attend church regularly, 38 percent have been divorced. Other data from additional sociologists of family and religion suggest a substantial marital stability divide between those who take their faith seriously and those who do not. Add to this mix is the startling truth that our children leave the church in droves once they become adults.
When the devil is pushing against you and causing all sorts of problems, that is when you have to push back in the name of Jesus. The devil does not have a lot of authority - which is something most Christians do not understand. The devil also only has several basic tactics in several different categories that he uses against the people of God. Satan attacks in different ways but he uses the same tactics over and over again. He uses lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. That is it. These are the individual areas of warfare. These are the weapons the enemy uses to overtake believers. Many believers sit on the sideline in the battle and choose not to get involved in the warfare. They wait and hope the devil will leave them alone, and while they are waiting to be left alone, they are always sick, and experiencing some kind of drama is always going on. They are constantly getting beat up spiritually, while they are waiting for the devil to leave them alone. It is time to fight back and win your spiritual battles.
Here is another thing spiritual warriors should know about and understand. Automatic Writing is a doorway to satanic activity in your life. I am not talking about writing out your spontaneous thoughts and ideas your receive through inspiration and revelation. Automatic Writing is a witchcraft, spiritualist, demonic activity. People get started with this practice for different reasons.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Philippians 4:6 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Psalms 107:1 - O give thanks unto the LORD, for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.
Psalms 7:17 - I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
Psalms 100:1-5 - (A Psalm of praise.) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Ephesians 5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Matthew 6:25-34 - Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Because there are so many false prophets in the world, how do you determine if someone is of God when they speak over your life? You test the spirits by the word of God. You do not test the spirits by the spirits. Everything must be tested by the word of God. It is harder to test the spirits today because so many ministers have picked up the false word and they mingle God’s word with deceptive words and you cannot tell the difference unless you are really into the word of God for yourself. Every bible printed today is not being printed to make the word clearer. Some bibles are printed to put things into the word that should not be there. Some bible are printed today to change to word to say something that people want the word to say.
The devil is a liar. He does not have more power than Jesus. He does not have the power to take the church of God over unless the people give it to him. Unfortunately, that is exactly what has been done. Just as Satan tricked Eve and Adam into surrendering to his power, Satan has used the same trick in the church. We in the church have allowed Satan to do whatever he wanted to do in the church and in the lives of the individual believers.
Jesus is Lord. This statement is no joke. If you are facing some challenging situations in your life, this podcast will encourage you. There is power in the name of Jesus. Jesus lives in you and He is always available to help you. Don't give up and live a defeated life. Stand up to the plans and schemes of the devil and defeat him in the name of Jesus Christ.
You and I have to know that Jesus Christ, His anointing, His power and His authority, His weapons are so much greater than any work, word and plan of the devil. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is more powerful than all the witches in the universe. All the forces of darkness can stand against you and you and God can block their plan and their agenda each and every time. That is the power of the believer who knows their authority in Christ and who know how to war a good warfare. We can declare that we are NOT going to die until GOD calls us home. When we know how to fight we can turn things around for good every time.
We cannot look at everything the devil is doing to day and set sit back in sorrow. No. We have examples in the bible that show the people of God standing up and doing spiritual warfare in the face of the most horrible conditions. We are warriors and what we do is fight the good fight of faith. We fight. Basketball players play basketball. Warriors fight wars. That is what they do. Warriors fight to bring their enemies into subjection or they destroy them. That is what warriors do. Through our ministry of intercession, we revive the church. We bring in the living water of God’s word and walk in signs and wonders so that those people in the church who are tried and weary can get strength and inspiration. We revive the church so that the people in church can join us in praying to bring in the harvest.
Yes, Christians can be demonized. It is not a popular topic, but the facts are clear in the bible as well as in life. One of Satan's most effective attacks on the church is actually from the inside of the church. He uses men and women in the church to capture the hearts and lives of the members into hellish traps.
Witches have been made popular by movies, Television and other media outlets. However, the bible is very clear, witches are members of Satan's team.They wiggle their way into the hearts of lives of innocent, unsuspecting people, and they bring curses and even death. As a spiritual warriors, you and I have to stand up against these dark forces and defeat them in the name of Jesus.
If you would just fight as well as pray, you will see God move in your life. There are things we can do and there are things only God can do. God will not do our part. We cannot do His. However, when we work together with Him victory comes our way.
Here is a major life secret of success. "Do not turn your back on God." Your spiritual enemies want you to avoid the will of God for your life at all cost. Don't turn away from God. If you stick with God you will be able to fulfill your destiny. If you turn your back on God, nothing good will come your way.
This is perhaps one of the most important podcasts of this series. Don't let the title fool you. Many people are walking right into the trap of witchcraft by disobeying God in small things. Soon the small things become large differences, and before you know it, they are locked into a pattern of rebellion. Disobedience is not something to play with. Please listen with an open heart. Listen to hear where God may be challenging you to increase your cooperation with His will for your life.
In this episode we hit the 100 mark. Wow. Let's celebrate what God has done and what He will continue to do in the days ahead.
Here is it in a nutshell. Help people to see Jesus. Live in a way that others are improved by your just from being near you or in contact with you. Don't worry. You can do this.
All troubled persons do not necessarily seek godly relief from their troubles. Some people desire to keep their connection to demonic spirits that give them an enjoyable edge to life. This principle is important to understand, especially when you are praying for someone to be delivered.
In this episode I share the amazing story of a man who was delivered from demonic influence. His deliverance affected the entire area and the people in that came to trust God as a result of watching the life of this newly delivered man.
Sometimes our behavior does not line up with the intentions of our heart. We can become so trapped in behavioral patterns that we loose our sense of control over our lives. In this episode, I share a remarkable story of a man whose shouted that he did not want any help. However, Jesus looked beyond his words and saw his heart. This is good news for all of us. God see your heart as well. This is not an excuse for bad behavior, this is an invitation to come to God no matter how far you have walked away.
Very often we downplay the importance of obedience. We do not want to serve God out of fear or obligation, but also on the other hand we do not want to live in rebellion against Him. When we disobey God, demons are happy and we open doors for their involvement. Disobedience is a very serious matter. Don't worry. This is not a message of condemnation. This is a message of conviction.
This is the start of a 180-day 10 series of 10 minute talks specifically designed to help you achieve rapid spiritual growth. This series focuses on Spiritual Warfare as taught by Dr. Pat Holliday, Dr. Erica Shepherd, along with my personal experiences with Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare. Throughout this series I also seek to combine the practical teachings, ideas and concepts from the book "3 Simple Steps" by Treavor Blake. In addition, I share a number of practical lessons I learned from Dr. Jordan Peterson's teachings as well as Psychological and Therapy principles from my academic training as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. This 180-Day Growth Plan series is a culmination of over 40 years of pastoral ministry and over 68 years of just doing life. This episode is the introduction to the series. As you listen to the entire series, you will find that in 10 minutes or less each day, you will experience some of the most powerful steps for changing your life. Welcome and enjoy.