Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10 v 3 - 6: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."
The first thought on reading these verses is that our Lord expects us to engage in warfare that is not seen by the normal human sight. Our mighty weapons should be used to pull down strongholds. The fight is against anything that exalted itself against the knowledge of God.
Isaiah 14 v 12 - 15: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."
An accurate description of a spirit being that has exalted itself, has fallen from Heaven and was once named Lucifer. He is ambitious in the extreme, wanting to rule the Universe and is accused by God of weakening the nations. His ultimate end is Hell.
Because Satan has weakened us through sin and evil behaviour, God wants us to use the weapons of spiritual warfare to overcome him. His assault upon us starts in the mind and is played out in our souls and flesh. Evil imaginations such as jealousy, envy, spite and malice are used by our enemy to cause strife, broken hearts, divorce and murder.
We have to recognize where these thoughts are coming from and use all the gifts, armour, and weapons God has provided to oppose and destroy the plan of Satan to hurt God's people through lies, suggestions, suspicions, and gossip. This is what weakens us......our willingness to believe the worst before checking the facts!
God is love, and love is kind, gentle, tender and comforting. So when we fly into a rage on first hearing of some bad thing our spouse has done, where is the love, where is innocent until proven guilty? No wonder we need so many lawyers and court cases! We have no ability to fairly judge, as God would expect of us.
How come Satan's lies whispered through the mouths of friends are so believable? It's because he has put his demons to work to destroy Christian marriages. Satanic covens fast for forty days at a time with one goal......destroy Christian marriages! It's because true marriage in faith creates unbreakable bonds that nurtures children into spiritually strong adults.
Satan hates that. Catch them while young and mess up their unformed minds so they can be lured as teenagers into exciting ventures that bind them to his evil plans. There are so many secret covens of witchcraft and Satanism in schools, plus all sorts of drugs on offer, that an unprepared or naive child can easily be enticed and captured. We need to outsmart him, and if we believe he is a myth that's hard to do.
Our spiritual weapons cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. These are the satanic strongholds that gather around human imagination like lust, pornography, love of money, self-interest, fuelled by drugs, alcohol and greed. These demons take pleasure in seeing their suggestions into the brains of their victims take root and produce crimes like rape, violence against women and children, sexual abuse, murders, xenophobia, grand theft, financial scams, war, mutilation, torture etc.
If we use our weapons correctly we can change these scenarios and bind the demons and rescue the targets. Not enough people know how to pray, or do the necessary ministry to make a dent in it. The failure of the church is the failure of society. All the humanitarian programs and schemes are very worthy but they do not eliminate the underlying problems.
The reason why the church is splintered into many denominations and sects is because the powers that be are more carnal than spiritual and do not discern that this world is an invisible war zone. Satan has warped the church through many secular interactions that have weakened its power. The church has become severely compromised by the world.
This week in South Africa two different scenarios played out on social media that show where we stand as Christians in our society. Our Chief Justice, a strong and faithful Christian, is under attack for saying that he upholds and blesses Israel and prays for the peace of Jerusalem.
Because our government favours the Palestinians and has downgraded its embassy in Israel, this Christian judge has been vilified for going against the political stance. The Christians, and the Jews, are championing our Chief Justice while many are calling for his resignation or a public apology. The South African Council of Churches is also against him.
The other matter was the finalising of a new law forcing Christian ministers to marry same sex couples, instead of refusing to do so as its unscriptural. It reminds me of the B and B in England owned by a Christian couple who rejected a gay couple from occupying a room. They lost their court case and had to sell their business. It was deliberately done. Will churches be targeted in the same way, and be forced to close? We need to pull down these strongholds!
Satan is our real enemy and we have been given power over him by Jesus Christ. When He was here He showed us how to do it. Over the centuries it has been watered down or parodied like the witch hunts and trials of Salem. Burning witches at the stake was definitely not how Jesus did it. Drowning them in lakes and ponds to see if they lived was another man made failure.
We need to get back to basics and do it the way Jesus taught us. A married couple stayed over at my home one night and I knew there was something spiritually off. The next morning I asked them if I could pray for them. The wife first who admitted some involvement with her mother in witchcraft. All the while I was praying her eyes were staring at her husband.
I didn't want to make it obvious that I was sending him out of the room but asked if he would make tea. Then I told this spirit of witchcraft in the wife that she could no longer draw strength from a similar demon in the husband, that it was bound in Jesus' name and must leave. The demon, not the woman, snarled at me saying, You are too strong for me, tell this bitch to vomit me out in the toilet! And by the time tea was made it had left and the wife was free. (Sorry for the nasty word....it's what you hear out of the mouths of evil spirits.)
The church must get back in line with all the truth in the Bible and overcome their spiritual laziness and justification fig leaves. They must learn from the top of the church down about the enemy we face and how to overcome him. They must remove every compromise and tradition contrary to the commands of God. All religious trappings that look so good but are a deterrent to truth.
In the New Testament there are no ecclesiastical garments, high hats, sceptres, popes, pontiffs, statues, candles, incense, opulence, archbishops, archdeacons, rosaries, or celibate priesthood and nuns. Most of the foregoing relates to the Babylonian religion and has no place in Christianity. Join the dots.....do the math.....discover the truth.......because you alone have to stand before a holy righteous Judge and give account of your relationship with Jesus.
The Babylonian religion has zero links to Jesus and all churches tainted with it are unable to fight any spiritual battle. You cannot throw holy water - whatever that is - and show the Cross to ward off demons and their evil. Jesus used specific verses of Bible scripture to defeat Satan and so must we.
Revelation 12 v 10 - 11: "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."
There may be the illusion and deception of safety in numbers but we are all like sheep who have gone astray. The Great Shepherd is laying this word on me today to open your eyes and your understanding of how far you have strayed while still thinking all is well in your religious world. He is fighting a battle for your immortal soul, your whole church doctrine and giving you a reality check.
Before the church or any individual can engage in effective spiritual warfare the two great problems that face them must be overcome. There is no unity in the church today and the words united we stand, divided we fall apply. Without unity there is a lack of direction. Each denomination is wandering in its own wilderness without a compass. The enemy has scored by giving a sort of unity in Interfaith and added direction to it.......straight into the One World Church ruled by him.
If you can overcome all this, and get your faith lined up with the full gospel of Jesus, there are mighty spiritual weapons available to you to work against evil and rescue many victims from the forces of darkness.
Prayer: Heavenly Father this whole morning I have felt the anointing of your presence and Your desire to have me write against error in the churches. It's the tip of the iceberg but I pray that many will have their eyes opened to understand the depth of the problem. Father I pray that the Holy Spirit will move powerfully upon every heart to change division to unity and fruitless wandering into dynamic direction. In Jesus' name. Amen.
