Archive for May, 2009

You don’t have to take the devil’s junk

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

READER ADVISORY: THIS POST POSES A MAJOR THREAT TO THE DEVIL! AN IMMINENT DANGER TO THE FLESH MAY RESULT IN A LIFE IN THE SPIRIT AND TRUE HOLINESS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

James 4:7; Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

You can try to make the devil leave you alone under your own power. Try it and see if it works. You might have better luck getting into a boxing ring with the world heavyweight champ and imagine that you have a chance at winning. GOOD LUCK! You can try to put up a good fight but if you are not a well trained seasoned fighter, you are going to get clobbered! What are you thinking? The truth is that if you are a child of God, YOU ARE A TARGET. You might as well wear a sweatshirt with a bull’s-eye on the back of it. The devil knows who you are. He’s got your number. His forces are actively moving about, looking for chinks in your armor, searching for any sign of weakness that will give them an advantage over you. The devil can’t be everywhere because he is not omnipresent, but he has plenty of demons and devils to do his bidding to make your life a living hell. The devil is not all powerful because he is not omnipotent, but he has enough power to shake you up. The devil doesn’t know everything because he is not omniscient, in fact he doesn’t have to. He only needs to know enough about you to know how to get under your skin.

1 Peter 5:8; Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

So how do we stand our ground against such a formidable adversary? The Apostle James said that we should submit ourselves to God. That’s easier said than done.

What does it mean to submit? It means to surrender our will over to him. You want to know if you are submitted? Just hit your finger with a hammer and see what comes out of your mouth. Let someone cut you off on the freeway or steal your parking spot. If you still get angry over any little thing, guess what? The devil still has power over you.

So is it enough just to say you believe in Jesus? I DON’T THINK SO. The devil knows who Jesus is. In fact he knows that Jesus is God.

James 2:19; Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

This is alarming! The demons tremble but we act so nonchalantly about our belief! I think we take too much for granted!

Ok so how about we study the Word of God and arm ourselves with verses. You know what I mean. Those scriptures that people call warfare scriptures. If you don’t have the power of the Holy Ghost to go along with the scripture, you are just blowing smoke. That will do you as much good as shooting at a tank with a peashooter. The devil has been around since the creation and knows more about the Bible than we do. Just saying a few verses won’t ward off evil spirits.

You have to be actively living and abiding in the word to be able to use scripture as a weapon.

2 Corinthians 10:4; (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Ok but how about praying? That should work. Prayer is not like a force-field or a shield. Our shield is our fath. Prayer was never meant to be used like some kind of talisman or good luck charm. You can wear out three pairs of kneecaps trying to resist the devil by trying to pray him away, but there are also forces actively working against you. Look at what happens in these next verses:

Acts 19:13-16; Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of [one] Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

These excorcists tried to cast out a devil by using the name of Jesus but they didn’t have a personal relationship with Christ. They were using his name in vain!

This doesn’t mean that praying won’t work. Prayer is an essential part of our Christian walk.
We need to be prayed up at least in the morning and in the evening. This is what the morning and the evening sacrifices in the OT represented!

Just go ahead and try to make the devil leave you alone by asking him to stop bothering you. Why should he listen? If you are not walking in the power and gifts of the Holy Ghost, you can huff and puff but you are not going to intimidate the devil.

How about anointing your house with oil? You can try to pour buckets of oil all around your house but that doesn’t frighten the devil.

Anointing oil in the Old Testament was made with specific ingredients and in a specific measure by a person called an apothecary. The oil was used to consecrate all of the items of the tabernacle and to consecrate Aaron and his sons. This typified the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Oil in the New Testament is mentioned in reference to prayer for the sick.

If oil could keep the devil away we might as well live in a deep fryer! You might as well take all of that oil and fry some chicken. Be careful you don’t slip on it and break your neck.

Ok but what about rebuking the devil? Beware of what you say. A lot of people talk about dancing on the devil’s head. They even mock by saying that the devil is under their feet. If you want to keep him under your feet then you better keep him there with you. I don’t want him that close to me. Some of these same people are the ones that when the devil comes and says BOO they run to the Pastor asking for prayer.

PASTOR PRAY FOR ME, THE DEVIL IS AFTER ME!

SHUT UP!!

Aren’t you the one that had the devil under your feet?

Be careful about thinking you have power to rebuke the devil. This is what the Bible says:

Jude 1:9; Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Not even Michael the Archangel that fought with satan and drove him out of heaven dares to make threats and accusations against him. All he says is the Lord rebuke thee.

Zechariah 3:2; And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: [is] not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

The Lord doesn’t even say I rebuke you. What makes us think that we can say it? Come on people. Don’t get upset. Just learn to do things correctly. I’m not always right but I can admit when I’m wrong and receive instruction.

When we say things that are not in line with the word of God we may be saying them out of pride which God hates. Then the devil has all the permission to give you a smackdown. Think about it. Are you going through stuff now yet a while back you were laughing at the devil? You are only reaping what you sowed.

What about going to church? Going to church won’t make you a Christian just like going inside a stable won’t make you a horse.

Lately what we are seeing in churches is a lot of entertainment and side show attractions. More music and dancing but less word. People are focusing more on signs and wonders, and following behind men that have an “anointing”. Rarely do we see people casting out devils, yet this was a major part of the ministry of Jesus. The bible makes it clear that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood. We coexist in a physical realm as well as a spiritual realm. The spiritual realm is much more powerful than the physical realm. Things that occur in that realm affect us in the natural. We keep looking for solutions to conditions by trying to alleviate the symptoms but we forget to look at the source which has its roots in the spirit realm.

Ephesians 6:12; 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

The problem with a lot of large congregations is that many have forsaken the truth. They explode in numbers because the pantywaist preachers preach a soft gospel. All you have to do is come to church and listen to the word and you are guaranteed a place in heaven. Just remember to make out your checks before you leave the door. No need to repent. There is no hell. The devil is just a metaphor. God is just a positive energy. Jesus was a good man, that did good things. We can make heaven here on earth.

Lord rebuke the devil and all of his lies!

2 Timothy 3:5; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

This is why the devil runs rampant to and fro and in and out of the world. You can get more people to believe a lie when you appeal to their senses. Why submit to God when it is so much easier to accept that God doesn’t exist. The problem with that logic is that it is flawed. The more you surrender to Jesus the more you become like him which makes the devil nervous. All he needs is to have more people walking in the gifts and calling of God, full of the power of the Holy Ghost, to make his job virtually impossible.

You want to make the devil flee? That’s easy, just be less of you and more of Jesus! Keep youself small and keep God big!

The devil has got hell to pay! It’s time for the snake to crawl back into his hole. What a lot of people don’t know is that while we pray things are moving in the spirit realm. Angels take our prayers and place them in baskets and whisk them to the presence of the Father. When we lift our hands to praise and worship God, He is fighting our battles. When we congregate together and when we fellowship we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. When we speak the Word of God with authority the demons tremble. Or you can stay with your hands folded while the enemy destroys your family and your home, your community and your city, your nation and your world. Or you can make a stand with those of us that have not surrendered over to the will of the flesh, that believe in truth and righteousness and Holiness. Are you with me or are you against me? This is where I draw the line. If you are with me then welcome to the front line. Arm yourself and take up your position within the ranks. If you are against me then I serve you notice. Your time is almost up. Surrender…we have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up, or suffer the consequences. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Those that are with me say AMEN! Shalom

There may not be a big response to this blog but its about time we started acting like we serve a mighty God. What does your situation have to do with the power of God? Nothing! God’s power is only limited by our unbelief and lack of faith! Even so it works in spite of these things. You are being left in the cold because you refuse to submit yourself totally to God and you choose not to accept the truth of His Word. It’s time you started getting this because if Jesus came today do you really think you are going with him? If you are still holding on to junk you are going to be so weighed down you won’t be able to fly. I say this because I love you and want to see you in glory. The rest of you can keep crying and complaining and running around like a chicken with the head cut off. It’s your choice. Shalom

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A shattered image

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

As you go to pick up the mirror that is on the dresser to move it to the other side of the room it has a sharp edge, as sharp as a razor’s edge, and as the glass slices a gash into your flesh, you pull back on your hand instinctively, leaving the mirror to fall and shatter violently. Pieces of reflective glass fly everywhere and your first thought is that you might have horribly bad luck for the next seven years, but you don’t really believe that “stupid-stitious” nonsense. Or do you? Droplets of blood fall on the broken pieces of glass and when you look down you can see a shattered image of yourself with drops of blood spattering on it. The world appears to stand still for a moment as a drop of blood stops in mid-air and you begin to see a crowd of people. You see what appears to be a man covered in blood carrying a heavy wooden cross and he turns to look at you. All time is in a state of suspended animation as you come back to yourself. That drop of blood suspended in time falls on the shattered image of yourself and you grasp your hand as blood continues to fall. You run to the bathroom to wash out the wound that is still bleeding quite profusely and then you look up to the mirror over the vanity and see that shattered image of yourself again and the shattered image of that man that was covered in blood. What does this mean? You get a brief wave of nausea as you think about your own life. All you have been able to see throughout your life is a shattered image of yourself.

1 Corinthians 13:12; For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

That shattered image of yourself represents the shattered pieces of your life. A life of guilt and shame over things that were done to you and over the things that you did to yourself. this is not much different than looking in a mirror with the lights out. You can’t see what you really look like although you may be able to make out some features as your eyes adjust to the darkness but then again you are only seeing yourself through the darkness. You prefer to see yourself this way because you are not really comfortable with yourself or with who you are. You may even consider yourself to be handsome or beautiful at times but when you look at your reflection all you can see is ugliness. This is no better than gazing at your reflection in broken pieces of glass. Your reflection looks broken and distorted and your life is also shattered like so many broken pieces of glass. You can’t see beyond your own imperfections. Your pain and your misery is your own present reality although the conditions that caused these feelings have long passed.

James 1:6-8; But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

You ask yourself questions that cause you to doubt who you are. Doubt can cause a great deal of instability. A little doubt can destroy mountains of faith. Doubt opens the door to temptations that will continually lead you down that twisted path you have been walking on for years. It is so easy to give in to the flesh when your value and self-worth is so low. You pray and pray and you think God is hearing you when you are not even praying in faith. That poor self image is rotting you to the core. Sure, you might have some people fooled, but you are only fooling yourself. God can see through all of that. You may even think of yourself as being deep or complex when you are really shallow and transparent. You can try to hide behind a Colgate smile and believe that all you have to do is occupy yourself with more activity and you may even look and sound more spiritual but then when you wind down for the day you are left empty and feeling miserable. So you figure all you have to do is put on some praise and worship music and read the bible and even fast and pray and go to church more. That joy is short-lived though because your vessel has a hole on the bottom of it. No matter how much you get filled it all leaks out. You have to fix that broken vessel. You have to remove that poor self-image.

Genesis 1:26-27; And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Why do you keep trying to repair the broken mirror? It is useless. You are wasting a lot of effort which is leaving you exhausted and drained. Gather up all of the broken pieces and throw them away. Sweep up the rest and put it all in the trash. Get a new mirror!

What is the image of God? What is his likeness? A lot of people interpret this to mean that since God is a Spirit that he created man as a spiritual being. This is so far from the truth that people can never really grasp the point of what God is saying here. Let me explain.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49; And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Adam was not a spiritual being. He was a carnal earthly (worldly) man just like any one of us. The world during Adam’s time was a much different place than what it is now. The conditions were perfect for a man to live close to 1,000 years. So what does the image and likeness of God mean?

Genesis 5:1-3; This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

If this is not clear to you by now then you are never going to get it. When God created Adam in his image after his likeness it means that Adam resembled God! God used himself as the mold to create an image of himself.

Fortunately for you I had given you the bad news first. The good news is that you don’t have to keep trying to fit a mold that was not made for you. You are not supposed to see a shattered image of yourself. That is not who you are. Stop trying to make out your features through the darkness. Turn on the light! Even with your imperfections you can approach God just the way you are without having to compensate or look for validation through things that are temporal. No matter how good you look there are two active forces that are constantly working against you. They are age and gravity. There is no way to get around them, so learn to be comfortable with yourself. I don’t have to try to fit anyone’s mold. All I have to do is put on the image of Christ. I am his hands and his feet and his mouth and his eyes and I can do what he did the same way that he did it. This is liberating!

I CAN BE ALL THAT I CAN BE IN CHRIST, WITH CHRIST AND THROUGH CHRIST!

Come on people, destroy those shattered images of yourselves and put on the image of Christ! This is what is going to make a difference in your life. If you keep trying to fit someone else’s mold you are going to fail miserably only to find yourself more bitter and angry. Why don’t you start making the change today? How about right now? What have you got to lose? Let’s do this!

1 John 3:2-3; 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.And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Father in the name of Jesus, I’ve been living my life with false impressions of myself and fallen notions under silly assumptions. Dear God could I have been doing this all wrong without realizing it? I’ve done all the things I thought I needed to do yet I could never really figure out what was missing. Forgive me Lord for trying to fit someone Else’s mold. I could never be what others expected from me but when I failed to meet their expectations of me I took it out on myself and I realize now that i was never supposed to try to fit those molds that were not made for me. Lord I give myself over to you to allow you to mold me into your perfect image. You are the mold and you are the one that is shaping me and forming me. Thank you Lord for waking me from my slumber and giving me a new lease on life. In the name of Jesus, AMEN!

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A mirror in the casket

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Can you imagine going to a wake at a funeral parlor and going up to look in the coffin only to see your own reflection in a mirror at the bottom of the casket. Try picturing that in your mind. What thoughts would be going through your mind right now? Is this some cruel twisted practical joke? What could it mean?

Romans 6:6-7; Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Are you dead to sin or are you dead in sin? Either way you look at it you are still dead. If you are dead to sin then it means that you are alive in Christ. If you are dead in sin you are under the curse of the law which is still in effect for those that have not accepted Christ. The grace of God kicks in through faith when you make a profession of faith. You can’t be dead to sin and be dead in sin at the same time. Its either one or the other. Look in the coffin again. Which reflection are you seeing?

John 6:63; It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Its the Spirit that gives life. If you don’t have the Holy Ghost you are no better off than a frozen pork chop. Even if you defrost the pork chop it is still just dead meat. It has no spirit. There is no life. The Spirit is in the word of God. You want to stoke a fire? Fan the flames with the word of God! Now that you’ve got a good fire going don’t let it go out. Remove the ashes and add some more wood. Fast and pray; read and study your bible; witness and testify; do the word of God by living it and by doing good deeds. Look in the coffin again, what do you see? Are you dead to sin yet? Or are you still a corpse?

Matthew 8:22; But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

There’s a lot of corpses burying dead people nowadays. They bury people with their lies and garbage. People walk into hospital rooms with shovels in their hands. Instead of bringing words of encouragement or of comfort and faith or demonstrating healing power they are burying the sick before they expire. There are people that will call you on the hell-phone to speak death into your ears. Hang up the phone! Instead of LIVING rooms people have funeral parlors in their homes and there is a stink of death. There are people that will sit next to you in church that are agents of Satan that are sent to put your fire out. Get away from them or you will be twice the child of hell that they are. Take another look in the coffin, what do you see? Are you dead to sin yet?

Luke 24:5; And as they were afraid, and bowed down [their] faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

You are not going to find Jesus among the dead. Why do you keep looking for something that is not there? What are you still doing going to the clubs? Do you think you are going to find Jesus among all those corpses? Jesus is not in the liquor store or at the drug spot. You are more likely to get tempted and fall back into addictive patterns of behavior. He is definitely not with you when you sneak around doing your sexcercise and committing sexcapades. If you are huffing and puffing and blowing steam out of your ears Jesus is not with you. Anger is not an attribute of the Spirit-filled life. It is a work of the flesh. Sowing to the flesh produces death. Put that cigarette out! The Surgeon General’s warning on that pack of cigarettes tells you that smoking can kill you. The Bible tells me that if you are in the flesh you are already dead. What about that drug store in your cupboards? So many pills for so many ailments and you are still not better. Keep taking those pills, the doctor needs to send his children to college and his wife needs a new BMW. Look in the coffin again, what do you see?

Mark 12:27; He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

You are making a big mistake if you think God is with the dead. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. He is the living God. If you are still dead then he is not your God. You are barking up the wrong tree. You are going up the creek without a paddle; you are spinning your tires in the mud. You need life, but first you need to die to sin. Then you need to die to self. Then you need to crucify your flesh daily. If you want to have it your way you better go to the Burger King, but if you are going to do it His way then you have to surrender to the King of Kings! Look in the coffin one last time. Take the mirror out and lay the old man in there. Then say good bye and then turn around and walk away. Don’t you dare look back! Now you are ready to live for him! Shalom

Romans 8:36; As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

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