WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR

YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL DEVOURS PEOPLE

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

Job 1:6, for a unique look at the ability of that supernatural being, Satan, to cause havoc in this world. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.’

Satan’s to God answer was, “I was on the earth, going to and fro in it, and walking up and down in it.” Now, this is incredible, because we conceive of the earth as being a pretty big place, even by today’s modern standards. But, it is not a big place to Satan, for he can just going to and fro and walk up and down in the earth. The picture here is that of you and your garden; you certainly can going to and fro and walk up and down in it, can’t you? To you, a garden is not a terribly big place, and you are its undisputed master. The earth is the same type of thing with Satan. For this supernatural demon, the earth is a mighty small place, and its human inhabitants are easy pickings. We humans have no concept of the power of Satan and his demonic host, for not only are they more than a match for any human, they hate all mankind with a vengeance, because we are all “made in the image of God”.

DELIVERANCE http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Ft
COMPLETE DELIVERANCE http://goo.gl/EYySIi
DELIVERANCE PRAYER  http://goo.gl/laZxzs
They Shall Expel Demons (Derek Prince)
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The Believer’s Authority (Kenneth E. Hagin)
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HOLD FAST AND REPENT BECAUSE YOU ARE DEAD

Revelation 3:1    “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2    Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
3    Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
4    You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5    He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6    “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

MY SALVATION

In That Hour Jesus Rejoiced In The Spirit

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. Luke 10:17-21

It takes the Spirit to see and know things of the Spirit and to rejoice in the Spirit. To rejoice when everything doesn’t make sense in the natural and things are going wrong. Just like Paul and Silas did when they were cast into prison for preaching the gospel. The bible records:

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.  This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.

But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.  But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.  And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;  “and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”

Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.  And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.  Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Acts 16:16-24

Unlike the religionists of our day who call themselves Christians, Apostle was discerning and knew what to do with a demon possessed slave girl. He commanded the demon to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ and he came out of her that very hour.   Of course this did not make her masters very happy because their source of revenue was gone so they  seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities who beat them with stripes and threw them into prison.

But the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Joy was with Paul and Silas who at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. The bible records:

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.  And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”  Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.  And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”   Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. Acts 16:26-34

The God of all and unlimited power never leaves His true ones and He never will. If He has to He will send a great earthquake to set them free from their prisons as He did for Paul and Silas.  And God loves to do things suddenly so that He alone might get the glory and honor.

Well the Lord turned everything around for God has He has promised to do for those who are called according to His purposes, not their own.  The jailer saw the hand of God in this unusual circumstance and he asked what he must be do to be saved. Of course Paul and Silas told them and God have give them more miracles for the jailer and all his family were saved and baptized, having believed in God with all his household.

When it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, commanding that Paul and Silas were to be let go. The bible records:

So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”  But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.

So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed. Acts 16:36-40

The Lord caused Paul and Silas to be more than conquerors and new names were now written down in heaven.    For as Jesus told them “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

There is no greater miracle than when men are saved and their names are written in heaven.

For the life here on earth with it’s trials and tribulations  is very temporal, here today and gone tomorrow. But the life with Christ goes on forever in heaven. Yet God who feeds the birds of the air is concerned for both worlds temporal and eternal. His  word is unchanging:

Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”  So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,  “who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:28-30

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

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EXTRACT FROM By My Spirit
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COMPLETE DELIVERANCE http://goo.gl/EYySIi
ALL IS YOURS http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Az
GOD’S WILL IS PROSPERITY http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Av
PROSPERITY 1,2 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FI
PROSPERITY 3,4 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FN

All THINGS

With God All Things Are Possible

When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:37

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27

To God the creator of life and of heaven and earth, the things which are impossible with men are possible with Him. As a result the angel of the Lord told a virgin named Mary who didn’t have a husband:

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:30-37

Even though in the natural it seems impossible to men, with God all things are possible especially when the Holy Spirit gets involved. It’s the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead after the world and the devil did their worst to Him and restored all things to Him including His glory and honor proving that “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” And the same wonderful Holy Spirit is alive and well today and He is able to do the impossible including making the lame to walk, the blind to see and the terminally ill to be healed just like He did through Jesus and his seventy disciples. God’s word is unchanging:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,  To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind,  To set at liberty those who are oppressed;  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Luke 4:18

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 9:1-2

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20

The power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases comes from the anointing of the Holy Spirit that was on Jesus and the gifts of the Spirit. Throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit came upon numerous followers of Jesus resulting in the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12, 14). The power and anointing of the Holy Spirit is a gift, not a reward. It is for the purpose of promoting Jesus and bringing salvation, healing and deliverance to God’s people. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus is in the now in the lives and hearts of His people moving and doing miracles on their behalf. The Holy Spirit is the Other Helper that Jesus promised to His sheep (John 14:23-26) He teaches, guides, instructs, helps, anoints, and heals them (Luke 5:17, John 16:7-15, 2 Corinthians 13:14)! Whatever Jesus Christ has done for others He can and will do again because He is the same yesterday, today and forever! God’s will is prosperity for all of His people. God invented and used the word ‘prosperity’ when dealing with His servants and ‘poverty’ when dealing with His enemies (Genesis 26:12-14, 30:40-43, Deuteronomy 28:29, 29:9, 30:5,Joshua 1:7-8, 1 Kings 2:1, 1 Chronicles 29:23,2 Chronicles 13:12, 14:7, 26:5, 2 Chronicles 31:21, Job 26:10-12, Psalm 25:12-14, 35:27, 68:6, Proverbs 28:25, Jeremiah 33:9, Malachi 4:2-3)

When the Jesus departed from his disciples he did not pour the Spirit out onto them the same day. They needed a period of special inner preparation before they were ready for this gift. If God’s people receive God’s blessing without expecting it and without being inwardly prepared for it, they will appreciate neither the gift nor will they hold onto it for long. So God’s people must desire and seek after the Baptism of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Because it’s a spiritual thing, there is only one way to make spiritual warfare and that is to be baptized with the Holy Ghost, receive the gifts of the Spirit, and use them including discernment, tongues and prophesy. Without the use of the gifts of the Spirit there cannot be any spiritual warfare, miracles, healing or deliverance because God’s word is unchanging:

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

However there is a spirit that is related to the spirit of fear that deceives and influences people to have doctrines of demons. Such proud and arrogant possessed ones think that carnal knowledge is the way to walk in the Spirit of the Lord.  Such people are devoid of miracles in their lives and the operation of the gifts of the Spirit including speaking in tongues.  They cannot hear or heed the voice of the Spirit except the voices of familiar spirits.  They are self righteous and full of themselves and other spirits and are very contentions, argumentative, unteachable and unyielding. They refuse to see that they need to be delivered from familiar spirits and their lies and influences.

Yes, some Christians refuse to accept that afflictions and sickness are oppressions of the devil and they can be healed off them. Yes, there are those Christians who say that only Jesus Christ is important and nothing else and they are suffering for Jesus sake, His suffering. Even though by Jesus stripes they were healed and He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.  They literally don’t fellowship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. They don’t know and experience the love of the Father or the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Their faith is composed on solely knowledge of the written Word of God. They forgot that the new birth is not known solely by knowledge but solely by experience. Yes, through the avenue of faith, they believed on Jesus, called on His name and were saved and He gave them an experience call the new birth or being born again. They didn’t go on to being Baptized by Jesus Christ, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit with fire and tongues of fire, because it’s an emotional experience which doesn’t make sense to their carnal mind. But being born again is an emotional in body experience and so is the Baptism of the Spirit and operating in the gifts of the Spirit and is not based solely on intellect!

Then there are others who have experienced the Baptism of the Spirit and only relate to the Holy Spirit solely on the basis of power, gifts, shaking, electricity, someone falling down under the power. While others relate to the Holy Spirit in the context of the work He does for us, or the times He gives us a word of wisdom, knowledge or prophecy, we grieve Him. But the Holy Spirit is a person who wants to be loved, accepted and fellowship with us as a unique person just like each one of us wants to do as a unique person and not just some creature or entity.  Understanding the Person of the Holy Spirit, having an encounter with Him, worshipping, respecting, embracing the Holy Spirit and loving Him in His function are the keys that will bring His power and anointing on our lives. We need to have on going visitations and relationships with the Holy Spirit.

The Bible tell us is to worship “God”—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—the Godhead. We must worship each of them and that means we should relax and enjoy worshipping the Holy Spirit. We must fellowship with the Holy Spirit and  not grieve Him. God’s word is unchanging:

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. Acts 9:31

Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 1 Corinthians 10:20

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32

Yes, when we are full of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, it will come out of us including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control and not uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  envy. As God’s word is unchanging:

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.  Luke 6:45

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.   And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:11-17

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

If we have an intimate bond and relationship with the Holy Spirit we will be able to know and do many things that are humanly impossible because it’s what God does through us that matters and not we do in the flesh. We will be surrounded by God’s presence and glory and people will know and experience not only that something is different about us but God Himself.  That is why the bible records about healing and Peter’s shadow:

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,  so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.  Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Acts 5:14-16

Yes, we must honor and give proper place in our lives to our my Wonderful Counselor, the Spirit of Truth and be totally dependent upon Him for everything including guiding  us into all truth and delivering us from lies of men and demon!  We must consciously acknowledge His presence in everything that we would and ask Him to possess us and direct us so that we will walk Him in all things.  Then we will know the blessing of partnership with the Holy Spirit as we bring the saving, healing, delivering power of Jesus to the world. We need to present ourselves, all of us  to the Holy Spirit and line ourselves up with Him. We have to keep asking Him to help us; we can’t accomplish the purposes of God on our own, apart from His guidance.  God’s word is unchanging”

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-  “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  “of sin, because they do not believe in Me; “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;  “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. John 16:7-15

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PROSPERITY 1,2 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FI
PROSPERITY 3,4 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FN

A REWARDER

Whatever He Hears The Holy Spirit Will Speak

So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant.  “The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.  “And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has. Genesis 24:35-36

Because Abraham listened to and obeyed the voice of God even when things seemed impossible or illogical the LORD has blessed Abraham greatly, and made him become great. He had given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys and the promised son, Isaac. As a result Isaac inherited all of his father’s  wealth and blessings.

Well because of Jesus Christ and the victories He had won, each of God’s children. who are born again and filled with the fullness of God’s spirit, can lay claim by  to everything which belongs to their heavenly father. For everything God gives to His children including the new birth, the Baptism of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the victories of the cross and His wealth and riches is asked for and received by faith. But it’s the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to reveal truths and all things to us. The bible records for our profit and instruction:

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. John 16:12-15

Now if we close our ears and harden our hearts we will not hear nor receive from the Holy Spirit all that our heavenly Father has for us. For God has provided His children not with a cheap and poor salvation but a Great and Rich Salvation. As God is not poor nor lacking in anything and neither should His children be.  For all things that belong to the Father belong to Jesus and hence they now belong to God’s true children including the wonderful Holy Spirit.

But God’s children are to beware that the devil,  who walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,  will try to steal the promises of God. Failing to do that he will bring in discouragement, depression, difficulties and his usual d’s.  But God’s true children are to heed God’s word that tells them:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints- Ephesians 6:10-18

Yes the will wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places and they need to  take up the whole armor of God, so that they  may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. For victory is assured to those who are enduring, patience and persistence and stand of the rock, that is Jesus Christ Himself. As Jesus told us:

“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

“But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;1 “yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 14:18-23

One thing for sure is that those who walk in the flesh and not in the Spirit will not have victory. For they are not strong in the Lord and in the power of His might through the Holy Spirit. As a result they do not pray in the Spirit for they have rejected the gifts of the Spirit including wisdom, faith,  discernment and miracles that come from the Spirit.  For it takes the Spirit to deal with the realm of the spirit and the things of the flesh are to no avail.  But God’s word is unchanging:

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:28

For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:13-14

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:24-27

It takes the Baptism of the Spirit to give men power to cast out demons by the Spirit of God and to pray in the Spirit so that the Holy Spirit can pray on their behalf and makes intercession for them. Since the Holy Spirit is God Himself praying in them and through them, He cannot deny Himself. Therefore their prayers will be answered and victory is assured. For God’s word is unchanging:

I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification. 1 Corinthians 14:5

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.   What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 1 Corinthians 4:14-15

http://billyburke.org/PrayerMinistryRoom/JourneyofYourPrayerRequest/tabid/142/Default.aspx
EXTRACT FROM By My Spirit
http://walthope.tripod.com/spirit.htm
Free Christian Ebooks http://walthope.tripod.com
https://walthope.wordpress.com
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COMPLETE DELIVERANCE http://goo.gl/EYySIi
ALL IS YOURS http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Az
GOD’S WILL IS PROSPERITY http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Av
PROSPERITY 1,2 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FI
PROSPERITY 3,4 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FN

REAL WOMEN

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD READ THESE 30 RULES FOR GODLY WOMEN-

1). Never raise your voice for any reason to your husband. Its a sign of disrespect.(Prov 15v1)
2). Don’t expose your husband’s weaknesses to your family and friends. It will bounce back at you. You are each other’s keeper.(Eph 5v12)
3). Never use attitudes and moods to communicate to your husband, you never know how your husband will interpret them. Defensive women don’t have a happy home.(Prov 15v13)
4). Never compare your husband to other men, you’ve no idea what their life is all about. If you attack his Ego, his Love for you will diminish.
5). Never ill treat your husband’s friends because you don’t like them, the person who’s supposed to get rid of them is your husband.(Prov 11v22)
6). Never forget that your husband married you, not your maid or anyone else. Do your duties.(Gen 2v24)
7). Never assign anyone to give attention to your husband, people may do everything else but your husband is your own responsibility.(Eph 5v33)
8). Never blame your husband if he comes back home empty handed. Rather encourage him.(Deut 3v28)
9). Never be a wasteful wife, your husband’s sweat is too precious to be wasted.
10). Never pretend to be sick for the purpose of denying your husband sex. You must give it to him how he wants it. Sex is very important to Men, if you keep denying him; it is a matter if time before another woman takes over the duty. No man can withstand sex starvation for too long (even the anointed ones) (SS 7v12)
11). Never compare your husband to your one time sex mate in bedroom, or an Ex-lover. Your home may Never recover from it if you do.(SS 5v9)
12). Never answer for your husband in public opinion polls, let him handle what is directed to him although he may answer for you in public opinion polls.(Prov 31v23)
13). Never shout or challenge your husband in front of children. Wise Women don’t do that.(Eph 4v31)
14). Don’t forget to check the smartness of your husband before he checks out.(Prov 12v4)
15). Never allow your friends to be too close to your husband.
16). Never be in a hurry in the bathroom and on the dressing table. Out there your husband is always surrounded by women who took their time on their looks.( 1 Sam25v3)
17). Your parents or family or friends do not have the final say in your marriage. Don’t waste your time looking up to them for a final word. You must Leave if you want to Cleave.(Luke 21v16)
18). Never base your love on monetary things. Will you still submit to him even if you earn more money than him?
19). Don’t forget that husbands want attention and good listeners, never be too busy for him. Good communication is the bed rock of every happy home. (Gal 6v9)
20). If your idea worked better than his, never compare yourself to him. Its always teamwork.(Gal 6v10)
21). Don’t be too judgmental to your husband. No man wants a Nagging wife.(Eph 4v29)
22). A lazy wife is a careless wife. She doesn’t even know that her body needs a bath.(Prov 24v27)(Prov 20v13)
23). Does your husband like a kind of cooked food?, try to change your cooking. No man jokes with food. (Prov 31v14)
24). Never be too demanding to your husband, enjoy every moment, resource as it comes.(Luke 11v3)
25). Make a glass of water the very first welcome to your husband and everyone entering your home. Sweetness of attitude is true beauty. (Prov 31v11)
26). Don’t associate with women who have a wrong mental attitude about marriage.(Prov 22v14)
27). Your marriage is as valuable to you as the value that you give it. Recklessness is unacceptable.(Heb 13v4)
28). Fruit of the womb is a blessing from the Lord, love your children and teach them well.(Prov 22v6)
29). You are never too old to influence your home. Never reduce your care for your family for any reason. (Prov 31v28)
30). A prayerful wife is a better equipped wife, pray always for your husband and family(1 Thess 5v17)
Have a lovely day.

 

HE CRIED OUT

God Is A Miracle Working God

Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the LORD and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?”  So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. Judges 15:18-19

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,  Now I will arise,” says the LORD;  “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” Psalm 12:5

After the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson and give him supernatural strength to destroy his enemies, one thousand of them, he became very thirsty. So he cried to God that he was dying of thirst and would fall into the hand of the uncircumcised. So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. It simple laymen’s term this was a miracle. God supernaturally meet a physical need of Samson for He is a Miracle working God.

Christianity is a miracle religion for its founder, unlike others, miraculously rose from the dead after He was murdered? Take miracles out of Christianity and you have a dead from of religion which has a form of godliness by denies its power.  But to the wise ones of this world God and his miracles do not make any sense. But miracles  are not supposed to make any sense and that is why they are called a sign and wonder. It’s a sign that makes you wonder.

Anyway the world by its wisdom knew not God and He loves to use the foolish things to confound the wise.  The bible records:

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;  but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;  and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,  that no flesh should glory in His presence.

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-  that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:21-31

The message of the cross is that Jesus Christ is no longer crucified at all but He was raised from the dead after the world including men and demons did their worse to him. Jesus died on the Cross on Calvary, but He didn’t stay there. He arose triumphant and victorious over everything, over the worst that the devil or others could throw at or do to Him and to us.

Because of the cross of Christ, God has reconciled all things to Himself whether things on earth or things in heaven. As a result, He, not the devil rules and reigns on planet earth. Then having wiped out all the enemies of His people and especially the requirements that were against them,  He has taken it out of the way having nailed to the cross.

As a result of what Jesus did on the Cross by faith everything is ours now.  For Jesus Christ has substituted all things on the cross for us and exchanged it there for us. Our death, defeat and poverty and curses have been nailed to the Christ. As a result in Christ Jesus we are rich, victorious and have a new life in Christ Jesus, as we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

The empty Cross now also stands as a reminder and says to the world and to all the demons of Hell “You did your worst, but God gave His best.  Now things are no longer the same, because Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father waiting for His enemies to be submitted to Him. He has also now given us the power to subdue all His and our enemies through the use of His name and Word and dependence of the Spirit.

The Cross is also a real testimony of what God’s power can do no matter what the Hell or injustice that the world or the devil will throw at us.  For Jesus’ resurrection after a cruel and awful death signifies the real possibility of total and complete victory in our lives, hearts and circumstances as well in the current time of life as we trust in God just like Jesus did.

We by faith can  tap into all the riches and resources of heaven which are now our by Christ Jesus because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross two thousand years ago and  become more than conquerors.

For the  King of Kings and Lord of Lords with His unlimited and unimaginable power and riches was never poor nor debased. But He chose because of us to became a man and identify and relate to humanity in all its sufferings and ways. God in Christ Jesus stripped Himself of His royalty and Kingship. He then became poor and walked with men doing the impossible, healing the sick, raising the dead and cast out demons. Then the innocent Son of man and Son of God went to a Cross on a hill called Calvary where He bled and died for all of humanity.

The Cross was not the end of Jesus Christ or life, it was the beginning of something new, a New Covenant or New Testament. It was the beginning of a new life and a new man and a new Spirit for those who would accept what Jesus had done for them. It was the beginning of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh.

The empty Cross now says to you and I, that for every defeat there is victory in its place, for every failure there is success, for every weakness there is grace, for every sickness there is healing, for every hatred there is love, for every injustice there is justice and for every poverty there is riches. All of this and much, much more because of what Jesus did and won on the Cross.  Hence we can by the Holy Spirit understand what the Lord said to Apostle Paul:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Because of the cross now all flesh can be saved, healed and delivered and walk in the newness of life in the power of  the Holy Spirit. All men can prophesy, speak in tongues and be filled with the fullness of God.

Hence  the good news of the Cross is that the different victories that Jesus won there and the resulting New Covenant with all its rights and privileges is now ours by faith. If we will only believe, accept, confess and act on it and then allow the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead to change us.  For Jesus won for us, on the Cross, such a victory with such power and might that it made hell tremble and Heaven sing with joy as the Triumph of Victory resounded from one part of Heaven to another. Our ears will tingle and our hearts will sing, as this victory is revealed to us by the faithful and mighty Holy Spirit.

The fact remains that Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, is sitting at the right hand of the throne of God, ready to use His power on behalf of the good of His true children. To make them by the power of the Holy Spirit more than conquerors in all things that the world, the flesh and the devil would throw at them.

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PROSPERITY 1,2 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FI
PROSPERITY 3,4 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FN

BUT GOD

Exceedingly Abundantly From The Spirit Of Grace

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

To have exceeding abundance for every good work is very rare in the present world of lack, poverty, suffering, pain, and shortages due to man’s sin and curse as a result of sin in the garden of Eden. But the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace, is not restricted by anything, and God is able to make all grace abound towards His children that they always having all sufficiency in all things,  they may have an abundance for every good work.  For He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that they ask or think according to the power that works in them.

So it’s the release and the working of the Spirit of Grace in them  that determines what side of Jordan them live in? In the promised land of abundant blessings or in the wilderness of desolation?

The irony is that the Holy Spirit has to make the word and promises of God real to God’s children in the first place before they can claim them. The Holy Spirit has to give the power and change to diligently obey the voice of the Lord their God and walk in all His ways. So rejecting the Holy Spirit and not being friends with Him is not a good start to have exceeding abundance?  Yet God’s word is unchanging:

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:

“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.  “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.  “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

“The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

“The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

“The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. “Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.

“And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. “The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

“And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. Deuteronomy 28:1-13

Mind you every demon in hell will attack any child of God who wants to walk in the fullness of God’s Spirit and His Abrahamic blessings. But greater is He that is in them than he that is in the world? And God’s word is unchanging:

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, “lest-when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them;  “and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;  “when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; “who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock;  “who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end-  “then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

“Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.  “As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 8:11-20

God gives His true ones who have been humbled and tested the power to get wealth. For Jesus said it very well that no man can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and money.  For God’s word is unchanging:

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”   Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:13-15

But if you serve God alone and seek His kingdom first, He will add all the other things in due season.  His word is unchanging:

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  Matthew 6:32-34

Speaking of trouble with out exception the love of money and desire to be rich causes a lot of trouble, destruction, sorrows and perdition. The bible records:

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:9-12

It takes a fight of faith to put God first in all things and to hold on to eternal life when foolish and harmful lusts look so attractive.  Something which Joseph, the son of Jacob, who had visions of wealth and power demonstrated when he resisted the sexual advances of his master’s wife. Even though it result in Joseph being thrown into prison. The bible records:

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.  And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.  Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. “There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.  Genesis 39:1-10

God who sees and knows all things has the final say on all matters. And He richly rewards those who are faithful to Him even when it is costly. The bible records for our profit and instruction

“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him “and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Acts 7:9-10

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DEMONIZED?

Do I have a demon? (Common Biblical symptoms)

This is a brief list of some of the common Biblical symptoms a person may manifest when they have a demon. This list is only a general guideline, and not every symptom is a guaranteed demonic bondage, nor is this a complete list of manifestations.

Compulsive sinning against your will: Satan caused Judas to dishonestly gain money at the cost of Jesus’ death. There were two men who were possessed with demons who were said to have uncontrollable anger problems (Matthew 8:28), so much that nobody could get near them they were so fierce. King Saul also became very angry after he picked up an unclean spirit, and even tried to murder David (1 Samuel 19:9-10)! Babylon was known as a habitation of devils (Revelations 18:2) and it was well known for sins of every kind, indicating that demons can and do promote sin in a person’s life. Canaan is also known to be a cursed nation, and was known for their problems with sin as well. Notice it was the curse that came, THEN the problem with sin and not the other way around.

Self-mutilation is a sin because it’s harming our bodies which are temples of the Holy Ghost, and we find the man with the legion roaming the tombs cutting himself uncontrollably. Compulsive behavior is known to be demonic.

Mark 5:2,5, “And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit… And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.”

In the ministry of deliverance, many people are set free from all kinds of compulsive sinning, even pornography addictions and compulsive masturbation. If it’s compulsive and you’ve tried everything to stop, but you can’t… there seems to be a compulsive force ‘driving’ you to sin, then there may very well be a demon that needs to be driven out. It is true that we have been set free from the bondage of sin, but there’s a big difference between the bondage of sin, and being in bondage to demons and their way of affecting you is driving you to sin.

 Fear and depression – irrational heaviness in the soul:

King Saul was tormented with fear and depression by an evil spirit. 1 Samuel 16:14, “Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.” (NLT) The Bible also speaks of a spirit of heaviness in Isaiah 61:1,3, where it’s speaking of how Jesus came to preach deliverance from such a spirit and give us a garment of praise in exchange. There are a lot of people today who suffer from irrational fears, depression, headaches, nightmares, etc. from demon spirits and after a successful deliverance they are set free.

 Unhealthy obsessions: Obsessions with things such as death like the man in Mark 5:3 had (“Who had his dwelling among the tombs”) clearly demonstrates a demonic bondage. Usually obsessions with items of darkness, death, occult, demons, etc. is a sign that something is wrong.

 Compulsive cutting or self-mutilation:

The man with the legion of demons was said to have been cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:5). Obviously, back then he didn’t have knives available to do the job with, so he was finding sharp stones and using them to cut himself.

 Constant calamities in one’s life:

Job is a good example of what the demonic kingdom can do in a person’s life. He had an almost endless list of calamities take place in his life due to an unclean spirit. Job greatly feared such calamities coming upon him (Job 3:25), and did not trust God to protect Him in those areas. This is why I believe God allowed Satan to enter into his life and play havoc on everything he owned, including his own body. Why would a loving God cause His servant to go through so much, just for the sake of ‘proving’ something to Satan? I don’t think it really lines up with God’s loving nature towards His people. In Deuteronomy 27, there’s a list of things that can cause a person to come under a curse, and in chapter 28, it tells us what kind of problems a curse can cause in a person’s life. Not every time a person is under a curse means they have to have demons driven out, but it’s certainly something to look into and get freed from.

 Physical health problems:

The woman with the spirit of infirmity, for example, was bound by a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11) and as a result, she couldn’t lift herself up, she was crippled over. Arthritis is found to be demonic by many ministers today. Job suffered physical affliction from evil spirits by means of boils all over his body (Job 2:7). Matthew 9:32-33 speaks of a man who was possessed with an unclean spirit that caused him to be unable to speak. Matthew 9:25 also speaks of a deaf spirit, “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.”

 Mental health problems and insanity:

In Matthew 17:15, a boy is said to be a lunatic as a result of indwelling demons. The NT Greek word for lunatic is sele.niazomai and means the person is moon struck (mentally not well) or crazy. Mental problems are clearly shown in other parts in the Bible as well, including the man with the legion in Matthew 5:2-5, “And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.” Does that sound like somebody who’s in their right mind to you? What would somebody in their right mind be doing roaming the tombs? This tells me that there was a spirit of death involved, which gave him exceeding interest in the dead. Who in their right mind would be roaming the tombs day and night crying and cutting themselves with stones? When Jesus cast those demons out, the man was said to have been “in his right mind” once again (verse 15).

Luke 8:27, “And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.” What kind of a person in their right mind would go running around in the tombs naked?

Matthew 9:17-18, “And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”

 Supernatural strength or abilities:

The girl with the spirit of divination was able to foretell the future through an evil spirit in Acts 16:16. It is pretty solid proof a person has a demon if they have magical powers, such as the magicians who laid out their staffs and they turned into snakes before Moses in Exodus 7:12. The man with the legion of spirits was known to have superhuman strength in Matthew 5:2-4: “No man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.”

 Racing compulsive thoughts and mental torment:

As you can see from the list above, demons can affect a lot of areas in a person’s life. One of the ways it works is through our thought lives to cause fear, depression and torment is through our thoughts. The Bible also uses the term ‘vexed with a devil’, which means to be tormented, harassed or troubled by an evil spirit. It is not uncommon for a person with a demon to testify to racing thoughts that are completely against their will. When I was vexed with demons, I remember a distinct personality in my mind, it felt as if I was sharing my mind with another person or spiritual being. I would experience racing thoughts, irrational desires, compulsion to think and say things I would never normally even think about, etc. I was not alone either, there are a LOT of people who are being affected just like I was. It is not uncommon in this ministry to see people’s minds or thoughts being influenced or controlled by evil spirits.

Psalms 143 is a powerful passage speaking of Kind David when he was being tormented by evil spirits. In verses 3 and 4 we read, “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul (mind); he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.” In verses 11 and 12, we read, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul (mind) out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul (obviously not physical enemies, but spiritual): for I am thy servant.”

http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/do_i_have_demon.php

Casting out demons

What is needed to cast out demons? One word… authority! Who has such authority? God’s children… the believers! How do we exercise our authority? Through a spoken command in faith directed at the unclean spirits. The more faith we have, the more authority we can exercise.

Spiritual authority

Jesus sent us fourth into the world as He was sent fourth (John 20:21), to do the works He did (John 14:12), and He gave us the authority to do the work at hand (Mark 13:34).

What does it take to drive out demons? Authority! As we can see in Mark 1:27, “And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.” As we can see in Luke 4:35, Jesus was not afraid to exercise His authority either, “And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.”

Luke 10:17-19, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power (translates to AUTHORITY) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

 Does every believer have authority over demons?

Yes! We are all seated with Christ in the heavenly realm (Eph 2:6), which means we are above the demons in rank of authority! Mark 13:34 also tells us how we are given authority to carry out the work that is laid before us. Mark 16:17 tells us that them who believe will be casting out demons.

There is a teaching specifically on Your Spiritual Authority that will deepen your understanding even more on this subject.

The importance of “In the name of Jesus”

How did Jesus’ disciples go about casting out demons? Through His name. Luke 10:17 tells us, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”

How did the early church go about casting out demons? Through His name. Acts 16:18 tells us a story where Paul, “turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.”

How are the believers today supposed to be casting out demons? Through His name. As we can see in Mark 16:17, “these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils.”

Authority is exercised through faith

Matthew 17:19-20, “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief…” Obviously they had the authority, but they weren’t able to use it because their level of faith wasn’t high enough to access the level of authority that needed to be exercised to drive out that particular kind of unclean spirit. Some evil spirits are stronger and harder to drive out, and sometimes prayer and fasting is necessary to build our faith up so we can drive them out, as we can see in the next verse (21), “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Conclusion

As believers, we have been given authority in Jesus’ name to drive out demons. We access our authority through faith and exercise our authority with a spoken command directed at the unclean spirit. As Paul clearly demonstrates in Acts 16:18, “Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.”

How does all this apply to us today? Mark 16:17 tells us, “These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils.”

DELIVERANCE PRAYER http://goo.gl/laZxzs
They Shall Expel Demons (Derek Prince)
https://nuggets4u.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/they-shall-expel-demons-derek-prince.pdf
The Believer’s Authority (Kenneth E. Hagin)
http://www.ekklesia.lt/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Kenneth-E-Hagin-The-Believers-Authority.pdf

http://billyburke.org/PrayerMinistryRoom/JourneyofYourPrayerRequest/tabid/142/Default.aspx

Free Christian Ebooks http://walthope.tripod.com
https://walthope.wordpress.com
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100302133262254344211/posts

COMPLETE DELIVERANCE http://goo.gl/EYySIi
ALL IS YOURS http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Az
GOD’S WILL IS PROSPERITY http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Av
PROSPERITY 1,2 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FI
PROSPERITY 3,4 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FN

 

HEALING

Biblical Faith and Healing

Many times, people are trying to ‘get more faith’, thinking that if they just believe they will be healed, then it will happen. I have news for you, that is new age faith, NOT Christian faith!

Faith is not simply believing that something will happen before it does. Faith is knowing that the provisions have been made for that healing, then trusting God to manifest it on your behalf.

Before we get started, I want to debunk two myths that are commonly believed today in the church. These two myths accuse and blaspheme the name and true nature of God and therefore need to be exposed.

Myth: “Isn’t everything that takes place here on earth the will of God?”

First, if everything that happened was God’s will, then apparently we wouldn’t have a freewill of our own, because we would be forced to always do His will. Every day, murders, rapes, human sacrifices, etc. are taking place. Would we dare say that such things glorify God? Right now a little boy or girl is about to be sacrificed, their body burned before an alter to Satan, and the blood drank by somebody, and you’re going to tell me that that God is glorified by this? I think we had better seriously reconsider our faulty belief that everything which happens on earth is the will of God. What blasphemy against the Holy name of God to accuse Him of such horrible things as bringing Him glory!

Myth: “If God doesn’t heal somebody, it must have not been His will for them”

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. Matthew 9:20-22

What if the woman with the issue of blood didn’t have faith to be healed? Would that have made it God’s will for her to live on in such awful sickness? Absolutely not! But if she didn’t have faith in Jesus, then guess what? She would have died in her sickness, and who knows, she may have died long before her time? Apparently her faith (believing God) had something to do with receiving God’s will for her.

In the following passage, it is very evident that even though the disciples were not capable of driving out the demon from the young boy, did NOT mean it was the will of God for him to be tormented.

And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:14-20

Just because His disciples couldn’t cast it out, does NOT mean that it was God’s will for the boy to be epileptic; it was because of their unbelief that they could not drive out the stubborn demon.

The term faith defined

Perhaps the best verse in the Bible to define faith is in Hebrews. Let’s consider the depth of this passage:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

According to NT Greek, the word substance here is referring to assurance or confidence. To have faith means that we can confidently know that what we hope for will take place. When we place our faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, we can know that those sins are indeed forgiven. If we read on in this chapter in Hebrews, we find many examples of faith being exercised throughout the Bible. Basically what is taking place is that God promises something, and men of God believe Him and take what He said seriously. They acted upon the promises of God, and as a result, they were known as great men of faith in the Bible today. I like how the New Living Translation sums up these stories in verse 33:

By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them… Hebrews 11:33 NLT

Genuine Christian faith is simply knowing the promises of God, the provisions of the work of Christ on the cross, and the Word of God, and then accepting and believing that what God says concerning those provisions is undoubtedly true. Abraham was said to be a man of faith, and if we take a closer look at his faith, it was simply believing what God said was true:

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.Galatians 3:5-6

As I just said, Christian faith is merely knowing the will of God (which is found in His Word), and believing it. Lack of faith is present when (a) we don’t know the will of God or (b) we don’t really believe that it is true. This is why the Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.Romans 10:17

If Jesus said that your healing was paid for on the cross, do you really believe that? Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt me?” Why do you think He did that? Because Peter questioned the integrity of Jesus’ command to “Come!”

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?Matthew 14:28-31

In other words, Jesus was saying, “Peter, didn’t you believe me?” This is why it is so important to know what God is saying to us (get in His Word!), and believe it. Fear questions, casts doubt upon, and calls God’s Word a liar! The Bible even tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please Him:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.Hebrews 11:6

The key is to get yourself to the point where you know the Word of God, then simply believe what He says… THEN you will have real genuine faith… anything else is just false faith.

True and genuine Christian faith is nothing more than simply knowing what God has said, and believing it.

Faith and divine healing

Today, so many are ‘hoping’ that it is God’s will for them to be healed, when it says so in their Bibles. The problem is, we need to be childlike in our faith, and simply believe that what God says is true. Jesus said that unless we come to Him with a mind of a child, we will not experience the kingdom of God. The mind of an adult is naturally full of reason and wants an intelligent answer, but the mind of a child of believing and accepting of what it is told. That is why Jesus said that we must have faith such as a little child if we are to receive the kingdom of God:

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.Mark 10:15

Did you know that just as Jesus made provision for the forgiveness of our sins, He also did the same for our physical healing when He shed His blood for us? He demonstrated this right away in His earthly ministry:

When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Matthew 8:16-17

Then if we begin to read the accounts of divine healing in Jesus’ ministry, we come across people who believe in Him and knew that it is His desire to heal them, receive their healing through faith. Jesus made it clear that it was their trust in Him that allowed them to receive their healing. Here are a few examples:

But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. Matthew 9:22

And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.Mark 10:52

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.Luke 17:19

The truth is that even in Jesus’ ministry, people were healed because of their faith. Faith has a lot to receiving the promises of God, including our salvation and the forgiveness of sins. When Jesus would say, “According to thy faith,” what He was really saying was, “According to your belief in my Word and my provision to heal you!” The Messiah was prophesied to bare the people’s sicknesses back in Isaiah.

There are two very good passages where a person is raised from the dead. In both cases, note that Jesus told the people to believe, or have faith in God (Him). Consider these passages:

While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.Mark 5:35-42

Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.John 11:39-44

It is by FAITH that we receive the promises of God, including the forgiveness of sins and healing!

The prayer of faith

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.James 5:14-15

Notice that it says that the prayer of faith WILL save the sick (when the KJV says ‘shall’, it means ‘will’ – as in John 3:16). It also calls it a prayer of FAITH, which is very important. This is the type of prayer where you stand on something that God has promised or made provision for, and if this verse calls it a prayer of faith, then it is obviously something that there is provision for (see Matthew 8:16-17 for the provision concerning our physical healing).

Most of the time, when a person goes before the Lord in prayer for a healing, they simply hope that they will receive their healing. They call it faith, but it’s really just hope. They can hope really hard, and build up lots and lots of hope, and walk away disappointed because it doesn’t happen. Then they go on in life suffering and worse yet, they go around telling other children of God that He wants them to suffer! What blasphemy against the loving nature of God!

What is the difference between a prayer of faith and hope? As I mentioned earlier, faith involves assurance but hope does not. A prayer of faith can only be prayed for something that is promised or made provision for us by God. The forgiveness of our sins is a prayer of faith, and according to the Word of God, so is prayer for our physical healing.

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. James 1:6-7

The problem is that most people just hope that God heals them when they are prayed over, but friends, hope is NOT faith.

You may not need a healing

From working with deliverance ministries, I will tell you from experience that many sicknesses and diseases are not physical, but demonic. There are a variety of examples of this in the scriptures, where demons would cause boils (see the book of Job), to muteness, and bone/spinal infirmities. Here are a couple examples:

And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity…. And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? Luke 13:11-12,16

As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. Matthew 9:32-33

There are numerous healings that take place in deliverance sessions. Healings from things such as arthritis, cancer, physical pain, epilepsy, etc. are not uncommon to manifest when casting out demons. Henry Wright, an internationally famous minister said that every case of epilepsy that came to him for a healing was healed – so what was the root? The same deaf and dumb spirit that Jesus cast out of the boy who experienced seizures in the Bible!

And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Matthew 17:14-18

If you try to pray for a healing, when you actually have a demon which needs to be removed, you might be praying right into your grave because you’re not addressing the root of the problem.

Cancer is a demon

I believe that Benny Hinn, Perry Stone, and others who are in the healing ministry will tell you first-hand that cancer is almost always caused by an evil spirit. So when somebody says, “Well, it was God calling grandma home – it was her time to go.” What the headline should actually read is, “Child of God gets killed by an evil spirit, and Christians claim that it was God’s timing to take that person home.” GIVE ME A BREAK!

The other day, I received an email from a deliverance minister who is a dear friend of mine, and he was telling about how they just ran a woman through deliverance and drove out several evil spirits, and when these demons left her body, she was instantly healed of various physical infirmities including cancer! This man of God has seen scores of healings take place during deliverance sessions with people!

I was talking with a doctor recently, and was saying how cancer is a demon, and he agreed that I had a good point. Medical science does not know the root cause of cancer, and one man who had cancer saw his X-rays, only to find a demonic looking face in his hip where the cancer was. He asked the doctor what that was about, and the doctor said that they saw it quite often with cases of cancer. Make no mistake, Satan really is a killer, and he’s using spirits of cancer to take out millions of God’s children! When is the last time you heard of a demon physically attacking a person and killing them? Yet Jesus made it very clear that one of Satan’s goals in our lives is to take us to the grave early by killing our physical bodies!

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.John 10:10

You gotta know God!

You have to know somebody before you can really put your faith in them. That is why it is important to spend quality time with God, just as you would your wife, children, or friends. You need to get to know Him, so that you can put your confidence in what He says.

King David knew the love of His heavenly daddy when he said:

David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.1 Samuel 17:37

How do you come to know God? You spend time in His Word. The Bible has a lot to say about the nature of God, and how you can trust Him. If you read one account after the next of a compassionate and loving Jesus that wants us to heal, deliver and bless us, then it’s hard not to begin to trust Him with our lives as well.

Imagine the truth of your healing

Satan will often build fear in people by constantly injecting ‘what if’ thinking into their mind. They meditate on the fearful possibilities, and strongholds quickly begin to form in their minds. The devil will try to get a person to imagine the worse in a situation; because that is the key to break down their faith. So let’s turn this around, and use our imagination for the glory of God. Let’s imagine ourselves healed. Let’s begin to imagine what it will be like to receive our healing!

I’m telling you, this tactic is dynamic and works!

Satan’s next tactic against faith

If Satan can’t blind you to the truth about healing and how Jesus paid a steep price for your healing, then he will attempt to make you feel like you are unworthy to take hold of this truth in the Word. He will attempt to get you in a religious mindset, and begin to pull up your past as an excuse or reason to why you are not healed.

Once you (a) know the will of God and (b) believe it is true, the next thing Satan will attempt to do is make you feel unworthy to receive or act upon God’s Word in that situation.

One day the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “You need to know that you’re clean… your faith depends upon it!” The problem is that even though you may have all the provisions, if you feel unworthy to receive those provisions, then you will not reach out with confidence (faith) and receive. While by our own efforts are not made worthy, by the precious blood of the Lamb we are made worthy to enter the holy of holies. If we go on to claim that we are unworthy, after He has made us worthy, this is denying the work that Christ has accomplished for us on the cross! It has nothing to do with our righteousness; it’s all about the righteousness of Christ that is upon us:

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 10:19

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.2 Corinthians 5:21

Biblical faith in a nutshell

If we could wrap Biblical faith up in 3 simple requirements, these would be them:

1. You must know the Word of God, the promises of God, His will, and so forth. This is why spending time daily in the Word is so important!
2. You need to know that the Word of God applies to you. You must accept the truth in the Word concerning your position with Christ, and who you really are. You must accept the truth about being washed clean from your sins, and feel a clean conscience because of what Christ has done for you. This is important because you stand against Satan when he tries to remind you of your past failures and say, “You aren’t worthy to receive those promises and provisions of God!” Friend, if the Blood has made you worthy, then let no demon in hell tell you otherwise!
3. You must accept the Word of God as truth. If it tells you that Jesus paid the price for your healing, then you need to accept it as truth with childlike faith. Simply believe what God has said is true. This is true Christian faith. It’s merely believing what God says is true.

Paul’s thorn and healing & other arguments

Psalms 103:
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul! With all that is within me, praise his holy name!
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul! Do not forget all his kind deeds!
3 He is the one who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases,
4 who delivers your life from the Pit, who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your life with good things, so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed.

There are some really devastating arguments being taught in Christian circles today that completely tear part a person’s faith which is required to receive their healing. We need to know that our healing has been paid for in the same manner that the forgiveness of our sins was, otherwise, we won’t have the genuine Biblical faith needed to receive our healing. I would like to put the light on some badly misinterpreted passages in the Bible, which are used to so-called prove that it may not always be God’s will to heal.

Paul’s thorn was not sickness or disease

This is one of the most popular reasons why the body of Christ is seeing their members go to the grave, when they could have been healed. The gruesome thing about this misinterpretation is that not only does it tell people that it may not be God’s will to heal them, but it actually makes the person accept, welcome, and be thankful for their sickness! The flesh that is being talked about here in this passage was not Paul’s physical body, but rather his fleshly nature. If you read the whole passage carefully, it tells us clearly what this thorn really is, and it all has to do with the human limitation (infirmity) of man, and the power of God being shown through Paul; as a result, Satan sends along persecution (a messenger) to cause reproaches, distresses, and other perseuctions upon Paul for the sake of the gospel. Let’s take a close look at this passage:

It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such a one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong. 2 Corinthians 12:1-13

If we read the entire passage, we get a new light that would otherwise be missed. What is Paul really talking about here? He’s speaking of how it is God working through Him, and giving Him abundance of revelation, visions, etc. Then Satan decides to send Paul a thorn in the flesh (notice that it’s called a message of Satan – an evil spirit sent from Satan to Paul), to stir up persecution and trouble for Paul.

How do we know this thorn was persecution?

Verse 10 comes right and tells us so: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake…”

Whenever you see the word therefore, it is referring to what was just being said a moment ago. So if we look at verse 9, what was it that God wasn’t taking from Paul? It involved infirmities (weaknesses or human limitations), reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses FOR Christ’s sake. Why were these things upon him? Because of Christ’s sake; it was because he was preaching the gospel, that these things came upon him… reproaches, beatings, lashings, prison, hunger, and persecution. All of this falls under the banner of persecution!

Why is Paul’s thorn not sickness?

1. The Bible tells us that our healing was PAID for by the Blood of Christ. Would God withhold the other benefits of the cross from us, such as the forgiveness of sins or the right to be delivered from demonic inhabitation? Absolutely not! He paid for those things for us, and they are ours to be received and enjoyed.

2. Does the passage above come out and say, “Sickness or disease”? No, it uses the term flesh, which can refer to either the physical body, or the fleshly nature of man.

3. If you look carefully at verse 7, it tells us what it was – a messenger of Satan – a DEMON!

Some other interesting things about Paul’s thorn

1. People often think that the FLESH is physical, but they would never believe that the THORN was. Do you honestly believe that Paul had a PHYSICAL thorn stuck out of his hip? Then why do we think that it was referring to a PHYSICAL flesh then?

2. The whole context of the story here wasn’t talking about sickness or disease, but about what Paul had to go through because God was using him so powerfully to present the gospel to the world.

3. If you look at verse 7, it tells us that this thorn was a messenger of Satan – a DEMON! So let’s say it was a physical sickness, then it would have been caused by a demon of infirmity (as we find in Luke 13). Is there anybody alive today that would claim that God would give His child a demon to inhabit their body so that through this weakness, He could be glorified?

By the way, if you look up the word ‘messenger’ in this passage in the NT Greek, it gives us the root word aggelos which actually refers to an angel (or in this case, a fallen angel). This was clearly a demon that was stirring up reproaches, persecutions, distresses, and hardships for Paul.
Our cross is not one of sickness or disease

The next thing we find are believers sickened and diseased, and convinced that they are doing God a service by ‘carrying their cross’ in life. This is so important to understand that the cross Jesus was referring to had absolutely nothing to do with sickness or disease! Let’s take a look at this passage:

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:32-38

Looking at the bigger picture here, Jesus was clearly speaking about persecution that we will endure for His sake. He even says that those of our own household will be our enemies (providing they do not accept the truth about God and His Word), and we need to be prepared to have even those closest to us turn against us for Jesus’ sake.

Some might say, “But Jesus carried our sickness and diseases on His cross!” Well, He also took our sins too… are we supposed to carry our sins as Jesus did? Absolutely not! He carried our sins, sicknesses, and diseases so that we don’t have to.

Jesus carried a cross of persecution, and He also requires that we carry one as well.

…If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. John 15:20

Persecution is just a fact of life for those of us who desire to take the Word of God seriously.

What about Joni Eareckson Tada?

It seems you can’t get into a conversation about healing and faith, without Joni coming up somewhere in the discussion. Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I do not hate Joni in the least bit way, shape or form. It would bring me much joy to see her healed if she were receptive to the truth in the Word of God concerning her healing.

I would like to point out a few things about Joni’s case in particular that most people may not be aware of. As a result of her trauma, she became bitter with God for not healing her right away. Bitterness against God will block a healing in anybody’s life. Unfortunately, I do not believe this root of bitterness was fully resolve, as it is still evident in her when she attacked the Word of Faith movement like she did. In an interview, she claimed that Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland never called her to invite her to one of their crusades – why should they have to call her? Did they do wrong by not calling her? These people did nothing wrong to her, and even if she did go to their crusades and was prayed over, if the unresolved bitterness was not dealt with, it doesn’t matter who prays over you, that healing may never manifest. In my experience with working in the area of deliverance and spiritual bondages, a comment like this came out of a heart of bitterness. She has taken offense in her heart against them because they did not call her, and when the right time came, it bubbled out of her in front of an audience of thousands and thousands of people – she slammed her brothers in Christ when they did nothing wrong! Most people will deny any sort of bitterness in their heart, but Jesus said that out of abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Comments like this come out of somebody who’s heart has unresolved issues of bitterness.

…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  Matthew 12:34

Unfortunately, she misleads other believers by proclaiming that it is not always God’s will to heal, simply because that has been her own personal experience. Joni’s experience (which does not consider all the facts) is being preached over what the Word of God has to say about divine healing. Her experience, excluding all the facts, is devastating to the body of Christ, because it attempts to prove God’s Word as unreliable and untrue – it proclaims that it can be God’s will for His children to suffer when Jesus paid a steep price for our physical healing when He shed His blood!

Why some are not healed

There are a lot of factors to consider when seeking a healing. Often when a person is not healed, there is a reason for it, just as when a person’s deliverance fails. Wouldn’t it be silly to give up on a stubborn demon in somebody, and consider it God’s will for them since it won’t come out at the first command? Goodness gracious!

Here are some common reasons why a person may not receive their healing:

1. They do not know the will of God concerning their healing, therefore their prayer is a prayer of hope and not faith. In other words, because they do not know God’s will, they cannot have true Biblical faith to receive their healing.

2. There may be mental, emotional, or spiritual roadblocks to their healing. For example, if a person’s heart holds unforgiveness towards somebody who has wronged them, it will cause them to abide in spiritual death (see 1 John 3:14) and keeps their own sins between them and God (see Matthew 6:15). Fear is another roadblock to healing, because it is not trusting or believing that God will take care of them.

3. They may need to go through a deliverance, because we’re finding that many diseases are instantly leaving as demons are being cast out of people! Like the woman in Luke 13 or the man that was mute in Matthew 9, there are many cases of physical infirmities that are caused by an unclean tormenting spirit. I believe that Benny Hinn and Perry Stone, along with others will tell you that cancer is almost always a demon. If you’re praying for a healing, when you need to be casting out demons, then you might be praying yourself right into your grave.

http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/faith_healing.phphttp://www.greatbiblestudy.com/faith_healing.php

http://billyburke.org/PrayerMinistryRoom/JourneyofYourPrayerRequest/tabid/142/Default.aspx

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PROSPERITY III IV

The silver and gold here on earth

Some religious folks think that God doesn’t have anything good for us here on earth, but that’s not what the Bible tells us. God wants to bless us right here on earth, and then in heaven too!

Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed [rewarded] in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner. Proverbs 11:31

Then Jesus pointed out that we shall can be blessed or rewarded for our deeds right here on earth!

And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold [abundantly] more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. Luke 18:29-30

Who do we think that God deposited all the gold, silver, and wealth of this earth for? Who do you think God wanted to enjoy the riches that He’s blessed America with? Was it for sinners and the heathen? Or was it for His children, who seek first His kingdom, and are obedient to His Word?

God’s Word even talks about His people taking over and enjoying the WEALTH of the gentiles!

But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. Isaiah 61:6

What kind of wealth is being spoken of here? Folks, money is the only kind of “riches” they have, since they don’t have Jesus!

Here again in Proverbs, we find the same thing – the wealth is laid up, or just waiting for the righteous to inherit it!

A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. Proverbs 13:22

The idea that God wants His children poor, unhealthy, and miserable, while the wicked are free to enjoy the good things that God has put here on earth, paints a terrible religious picture of our Heavenly Father that I am here to tell you, is 100% demonic! Of course Satan wants us to think that the sinners are going to have all the good things, and those who follow God are going to live just above the starvation level! God’s Word tells us differently though.

Jesus’ poverty to our benefit!

We all know that the forgiveness of our sins is included in the work that Christ has done for us, and you probably already know that healing and deliverance are also benefits that God has purchased for us. But did you know that Jesus also redeemed us from the financial curse that Adam brought upon himself? The Bible tells us that Christ redeemed us from the CURSE of the law.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 3:13

In Deuteronomy 28, we find that financial abundance is considered a blessing, and financial lack is considered a CURSE!

Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store…. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. Deuteronomy 28:3-5,12

Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep…. The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. Deuteronomy 28:16-18,43-44

I don’t know about you, but those list of blessings sound a LOT better than those list of curses!

Now let’s get to the point: as Jesus redeemed us from the CURSE of the law, He also redeemed us from financial LACK. Does the Bible stop there? No, it actually comes right out and tells us that Jesus was made poor and lived a life of poverty, so that we could be RICH!

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Let me ask you this: was this poorness a mental poorness? As in, He was humble so that we could be prideful? Was this a spiritual poorness? Not when we see Him raising the dead, casting out demons, and healing the sick! So what kind of poorness is this speaking of? Material poverty is the only thing left. Now if we look up that word ‘rich’ in the NT Greek, we find the Greek word plouteo, which LITERALLY means:

“To be (or become) wealthy (literally or figuratively): – be increased with goods, (be made, wax) rich.”

To further prove my point, if you look up the word “poor” in the above verse, it refers to a BEGGER! Jesus became a poor begger, so that we could become wealthy and increase in goods. We can reason that away all we want, but if you want a literal interpretation of God’s Word, that’s what it tells us!

I think it’s also interesting that over half the chapter of 2 Corinthians 8 speaks of financial giving, and verse 9 is right in context with finances.

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the prosperity gospel (when it is Biblically based), just like I LOVE health and healing, and I LOVE deliverance and freedom. I LOVE to receive the good things that my Savoir has so lovingly purchased for me!

How to be blessed

Now your question is, how do I enter into these blessings? While I won’t go into all the details, I do want to leave you with a basic education on some Biblical principals that lead to financial blessing. The first key is to realize that it is the blessing of the Lord, not money, that makes us rich.

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22

How do we receive this blessing that makes us rich? We start by fearing the Lord, and seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness:

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:31-33

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.  Proverbs 3:13-16

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Psalms 112:1-3

Another key to financial blessing is hidden in the concept of sowing and reaping. When we fail to give unto the Lord, it proves that we don’t trust Him when His Word tells us that it will be given unto us running over. Jesus taught that when you give, it will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto you. Giving to the Lord through tithes and offerings is a foundation to financial blessing.

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38

Yes, RUNNING OVER financial measure shall be given unto us when we apply Biblical principals and give unto the work of the kingdom! Giving is a way of acting out our faith and trust in God as our provider. Paul tells us that sowing and reaping are keys to supernatural blessing and financial gain (the below verse was in context of financial giving).

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

Why did God tell His children to tithe? Because He wanted to bless them abundantly! Does God want His children OVERFLOWING with SO much wealth that they cannot contain it? According to this Bible passage, that’s exactly what is being said!

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:10-11

Some use a verse in 2 Corinthians to say that we are no longer obligated to tithe, but if you look at the context, it isn’t referring to tithing, but rather an offering that Paul was taking up outside their local church. Proverbs also tells us to give unto the Lord from the firstfruits of our increase:

Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

God’s Word also tells us that those who give to the poor shall not lack. God cares very much about those who are poor financially, and He’s made it a key to prosperity when we give to those in need.

He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Proverbs 28:25-27

Yes, there are people who are poor due to laziness (some don’t want to find a job, because they would lose their government support checks!), but there are also very legitimate cases where they are poor due to circumstances outside their control. God cares very much about these people, and wanted to make it clear that those who bless them will be blessed.

Another key is through honoring God’s ministers through our tithes. When we honor God’s messengers, we honor God, and He will in turn honor us. In one teaching I remember telling how God takes it personally how His children are treated and His ministers are no exception. We are told to give double honor unto those who labor well, especially in Word and doctrine, and not to muzzle the ox that is laboring because they are worthy of their reward.

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. 1 Timothy 5:17-18

Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Galatians 6:6

How do we eat of the good of the land? For one thing, we must be willing (our heart attitude) and obedient (our actions). This is key to eating the good of the land. Not only is obedience to what God’s commands is vital to your prosperity, but also your heart attitude while you’re walking in His ways.

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:19

God’s Word tells us that those who delight in the law of the Lord (His commands, and His ways) shall prosper in whatever he does. Now that is a blessing if I’ve ever heard one of!

But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doeth he meditate day and night. And he shalbe like a tree planted by the riuers of water, that bringeth foorth his fruit in his season, his leafe also shall not wither, and whatsoeuer he doeth, shall prosper. Psalms 1:2-3

Another key, I believe, is doing all we can to get out of debt and live within our means. God’s Word tells us to owe no man anything, but love.

Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Romans 13:7-8

I believe that God gives revelation knowledge and wisdom to His children, which helps them in their businesses and careers. If God starts giving you wisdom on how to better run your business, then don’t be afraid to follow His leading. This is one of the ways that I believe He increases us.

And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:4

I have heard some very powerful testimonies from those who have done this. One man was about to close a loan for $100,000 to purchase dirt to fill a large hole in his property, then before signing the loan he was given that verse in the Bible and felt convicted. He didn’t go through with the loan, and within a short period of time, out of nowhere some contractors across town knew about his desolate property and called him because they had to move a mountain of dirt, and were willing to give him $50,000 just to dump their mountain of dirt (which filled his hole!) on the property. This man saved $150,000 just by standing on this one verse alone!

The Duggar family is another amazing testimony of God’s provision with this concept. I know that both Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, who are very much Bible believing ministers have applied this principal in their own lives and have seen some amazing supernatural provisions from God’s hand in their lives. So with those few stories, I tend to believe that there’s something very special in store for those who purpose to get out of debt and do their best to stay out of debt!

One day I felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to me about the “owe no man anything” concept, and as I thought about all these Christians being in debt, I felt this bubble up in my spirit, “What do you think that does for my reputation?” You know, it just makes sense, God Almighty, being our provider, carries a terrible reputation when His people are always in debt to others.

God’s Word tells us that those who borrow are a servant to their lender, and those who lend are ruler over those who are borrowers:

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7

And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. Isaiah 24:2

God’s Word also speaks of making His people the head and not to tail, and that if we walk in His ways, we will be the ones to lend, and we will have no need to borrow!

For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. Deuteronomy 15:6

I do believe that God wants us to rely on Him for our provision and not the world’s system of credit cards. I know that some people can’t help it, but our motive should be to purpose ourselves to get out of debt and stay out the best we can. I’ve heard that when people begin to do that, that’s when God begins to step in and begin to provide the means for them to become debt free and live according to God’s provision.

Righteousness or prosperity?

I have read this passage in Psalms many times, and always associated righteousness with holiness:

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalms 23:3

But the other day I was thinking about how holiness is something you would expect God to cause us to walk in for His sake. However, that verse just doesn’t sound right. The other time that stands out to me where God does something for His sake, is when He chose to forget our sins for His name sake. It was telling us that it was for His sake, because otherwise we would naturally think it was for our own sake. You wouldn’t think that His forgetting our sins would be for HIS sake… but that’s what it says!

But I felt the Lord leading me to do a little bit of research on the Hebrew root word behind ‘righteousness’ in this passage. What did I find?

“From H6663; the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity: – X even, (X that which is altogether) just (-ice), ([un-]) right (-eous) (cause, -ly, -ness).”

Apparently, that word can mean more than holiness, but also prosperity. Now that makes more sense the way that the passage was worded. He forgives our sins for His sake, and He also causes us to walk in paths of prosperity for His sake as well. God’s Word tells us that He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant (see Psalms 35:27), so this should come to no surprise to us. This is just the nature of our God!

Now let’s look at the context of this passage in Psalms 23. In verse 1 we read “I shall not want”, while verse 2 speaks of green or lush pastures, then in verse 5 we read about how “out cup runneth over.” Is this speaking of holiness, or prosperity? I think it’s talking about prosperity!

To help add weight to this interpretation, the Lord also turned my attention to Psalms 112, where it speaks of financial prosperity that He desires that we walk in:

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness [or prosperity?] endureth for ever. Psalms 112:1-3

There’s that same word righteousness, which I believe is clearly surrounded in a financial context. We’re talking about wealth and riches here in the same sentence!

The love of money is evil!

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.1 Timothy 6:10

Now that we’ve broken down so many religious strongholds, I think it’s important to keep a balanced perspective on Biblical prosperity. God’s Word tells us that coveting is considered a sin right along side fornication, blasphemy, idolatry and so forth. God’s Word warns us that such people have no inheritance in the kingdom of God:

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians 5:5

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. 2 Timothy 3:2-4

God’s Word even goes on to tell us not to keep company with those who claim to be Christian, yet go around coveting the things of this world.

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.1 Corinthians 5:11

Then we’re given a warning that those who seek after riches will fall into temptation and a snare:

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich [meaning, those who desire to be rich] fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.1 Timothy 6:7-9

Pursuing the things of this world will choke out the Word of God in a person’s life.

And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. Mark 4:19

We also need to remember to store up our treasures in heaven, and not live greedily here on earth. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy financial abundance here on earth, but rather not to let it be the treasure of our heart.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.Matthew 6:19-21

A treasure is something that is very important to us. I like how Kenneth Hagin said that we ought to take the things of the world lightheartedly. When they become treasures in our heart, that is where sin enters the picture, for the love of money is the root of all evil (see 1 Timothy 6:10).

In 1 Timothy, we are given the secret to keep ourselves from falling into these terrible snares; be thankful for what you have!

But godliness with contentment is great gain.1 Timothy 6:6

I’d like to wrap up these warnings with a solution on how God wants us to go about things:

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:31-33

When we put God first, and make the fear of the Lord our priority, then we are positioning ourselves for His blessing, and God’s Word tells us that it is His blessing that makes us rich (not the money). Not only does the Blessing make us rich, but there is no sorrow with it!

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.Proverbs 10:22

So what does this blessing look like when it manifests in somebody’s life?

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.Psalms 112:1-3

Satan seeks to hinder the church!

Toiling the earth for a living was a result of the CURSE of sin. It was not a blessing or something God intended Adam and Eve to experience. God’s heart was that Adam would not even have to work, but live a life of fellowship with Him, having his every need provided for.

Poor people are unable to financially support ministries and missions, where lives are impacted and changed for the sake of the kingdom. Poor ministers cannot afford expensive tickets to go on mission trips and preach the gospel to those in other countries. Poor churches cannot do much in terms of outreach ministries, because everything in this world costs money. Poor church members make for poor churches. Do you see why it is important for God’s people to have an abundance? So that they can be a blessing to the world around them, and sow into the kingdom to further the message of Christ and impact the lives of people around the world! We are told to go into all the world and share the gospel, but how is that going to happen if we’re slaving just to put food on our own tables, say nothing about buying a $2,000 plane ticket to visit Africa and share the good news with precious souls over there? And $2,000 is just the plane ticket, say nothing about all the other expenses involved. I’m telling you, God’s people are hindered for lack of money! If Satan can keep the church poor, then the church won’t be able to do all that God has called them to do. Poor people are unable to help others who are in financial need, they are unable to afford the travel costs and such of delivering the gospel to other countries, and the list goes on. The Bible speaks of God’s people giving generously, but that is just not possible when they don’t have enough themselves.

My partner Jay Bartlett has ministered not too long ago to somebody in a poor area, and the demon in that person came right out and boasted about how it’s intention was to keep the people in poverty in that city or area. This ought to come as no surprise to us because Jesus had made it clear that it is the enemy who came to steal, kill, and destroy. Might I add that Satan came to render the church ineffective and unable to reach and impact lives for the kingdom?

Some closing thoughts

It’s a false humility that stands behind this whole idea of God calling His church to be poor. False humility, not faith in God’s Word, is nothing more than dead religion and spiritual pride. You can drive a rust bucket and be proud of it (“hey folks, look at me, I’m giving up everything to serve Jesus!”) or you can drive a spanking new Cadillac and be humble and thankful in your heart for what God has blessed you with.

I make such a strong point of how God wants to prosper us, but I also want to clearly define true prosperity gospel before I close. Yes, God does want to prosper us, but He also doesn’t want us to covet (longing to have the things of this world) or seeking God so that we can be rich.

True prosperity gospel is not about being rich, but seeking first the kingdom of God, and then experiencing the favor and blessings of the Lord. God’s Word tells us that the blessing of the Lord makes us rich, and adds no sorrow to it (see Proverbs 10:22). The whole idea is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then receive the blessings of God that He wants to bestow upon us.

http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/prosperity_gospel_biblical3.php

http://billyburke.org/PrayerMinistryRoom/JourneyofYourPrayerRequest/tabid/142/Default.aspx

Free Christian Ebooks http://walthope.tripod.com
https://walthope.wordpress.com
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COMPLETE DELIVERANCE http://goo.gl/EYySIi
ALL IS YOURS http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Az
GOD’S WILL IS PROSPERITY http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2Av
PROSPERITY 1,2 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FI
PROSPERITY 3,4 http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2FN