Jonathan Brenneman's Blog, page 15

Why Couldn’t We Cast Out The Demon?

[image error]When I started ministering healing, it soon led to ministering deliverance. I tried to learn as much about healing and deliverance as I could in order to be more effective. I initially accepted several popular teachings, but I couldn’t get away from the questions that came to me as I read scripture. I eventually concluded that these popular teachings had hindered me rather than helping me.

Please don’t be offended at this post. I know from experience that this topic has the potential to spark angry reactions. I do have friends who think differently! If you have questions about the implications of my view, please ask. I’m not discounting all counseling or the importance of dealing with heart issues, but I am examining common beliefs about what it takes to cast out a demon.

These are the taboo questions I began to ask myself as a young believer reading scripture, but I hardly dared to ask anybody else. Even as I half-accepted many of the popular teachings I read, I couldn’t shake these questions from the back of my mind. Join me on my thought-journey, and you’re welcome to share your own thoughts in the comments.

How Did Jesus Cast Out Demons?

How did Jesus cast out demons?

Matthew 8:16 (NIV) When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

All it took for Jesus was “a word?” He didn’t even need two words? Surely, out of all the demon-possessed people that they brought to Jesus, there must have been a few demons that required a little more work to expel! Surely, some of those demons must have had a “legal right” to afflict the person. After all, how did they ever enter in the first place? Can you imagine Jesus saying “It’s not working. The demon is holding on because we still haven’t found how it entered or dealt with the generational curse it’s holding on to. “

And how could Jesus do all that in only one evening? When you have so many deep-rooted issues to work through, it takes a lot of time!

I’ll be honest. With some of the methods I learned about for ministering, an evening would only be enough time to get the demon go. That is, if it wasn’t a really deeply rooted issue that would take several ministry sessions to deal with. But Jesus cast out many demons in one evening, and he did it “with a word!”

When Jesus Couldn’t Cast Out A Demon

 Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit? Since Jesus is our model, we should look at the life of Jesus to answer this question. There’s one problem. Scripture doesn’t record any instances of Jesus being unable to cast out a demon.

It does, however, record an event in which the disciples were unable to cast out a demon. The story is found in Matthew 17:14-21 (NIV):  

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.  “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 

Notice what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t say:

“You couldn’t cast out that demon because it had a legal right to the boy’s life.”
“You couldn’t cast out that demon because you find and close the door that allowed it to enter.”
“You couldn’t cast out that demon because you didn’t deal with a generational curse affecting the boy.”
“You couldn’t cast out that demon because you didn’t know its name.”

Jesus said “You couldn’t cast it out because of your little faith.”

Wait! What an offensive statement! Jesus’ disciples had already cast out many demons and healed many sick people, going through all the towns and villages to declare the gospel! They were experienced! Wasn’t something more complicated than that going on?

I guess not. I have to admit that Jesus must have been right!

What did Jesus do? He cast out the demon with a rebuke. “Go!” That was all it took for Jesus. Notice what he didn’t do:

He didn’t have a counseling session.
He didn’t ask if anybody else in the family had similar problems.
He didn’t ask “When did this problem start and were there any significant events around that time?
He didn’t lead the father and son through prayers of repentance.
He didn’t have a drawn-out interview with the demon.

Since Jesus said that those who believe in him would do the same works as he did and greater, there has to be a place of walking in communion with God where we do what Jesus did and it’s just as simple for us as it was for Jesus. If Jesus cast out demons with a word or with a touch, it must be possible for us too. When Jesus so much as got near evil spirits, they knew their time was up.

Mark 3:11 (NIV)  Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

The Gadarene Demoniac

Mark 5:1-10 (NIV) They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

If anybody needed to go through a process of dealing with heart issues before he could be free, it was the Gerasene demoniac. He was messed up!

But he wanted to get free. And all he needed was to encounter Jesus.

Notice that Jesus addressed one evil spirit, in the singular. Yet every single evil spirit knew they had to leave when Jesus spoke. They immediately began to beg Jesus not to send them out of the area.

How many deliverance sessions did it take for Jesus to set this man free? How long did it take to get rid of all those demons? It took only a command. They knew Jesus had authority, and they knew that they couldn’t convince Jesus that they had a right to stay.

Unfortunately, all too often evil spirits have been able to convince Christians today that they have a right to stay. Instead of inventing reasons why we were unable to do what Jesus did, let’s let scripture challenge us to grow in Christ.

Next week we’ll look at how the book of Acts confirms the observations in this post. Then we’ll go on to examine the notion that evil spirits have “legal rights” to oppress people.

 

 

 

The post Why Couldn’t We Cast Out The Demon? appeared first on Go to Heaven Now!.

If You Remit Anybody’s Sins, They Are Remitted

[image error]Two weeks ago in Does God Forgive You Before Or After You Repent? we saw that Jesus forgave people before they repented, but forgiveness isn’t necessarily the same as salvation. It makes salvation possible. The New Testament message is “God has forgiven you, so repent and be saved.” We then continued last week with God Is Not Counting Men’s Sins Against Them. Today we are looking more closely at how understanding this helps us to bring people to Christ.

God Gave Us Authority To Remit Sins

The first week of this series we talked about the paralytic who Jesus healed in Mark chapter two. Jesus proclaimed forgiveness without the man showing any sign of repentance. The Pharisees weren’t offended at the notion that God could forgive sins. They were offended that a man had the authority to forgive sins.

Mark 2:6-8, 10 (NIV) Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?… But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

Although Jesus is God, he became like us in every way. He had every weakness that we do, and he had to rely on the Holy Spirit just as we do. In everything, Jesus was a model for us. Jesus demonstrated the authority that God gave to mankind, and he revealed God’s purpose of working in partnership with people.

To make it really clear, Jesus told his disciples that they also had the same authority to forgive sins.

John 20:23 (NIV) If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Lifting The Burden Of Guilt Off Of People So They Can Come To Christ

I mentioned Henry Gruver in another article. He’s a man I met who’s traveled the world walking and praying. Henry is one of the most sincere and genuine people I’ve ever met, and I learned some valuable truths from him.

Henry teaches from John 20:23 about “remitting sins.” When he prays for people he “remits their sins,” proclaiming that they are forgiven.

Some people, for lack of understanding, have accused Henry of being a false teacher. But Henry is clear that he’s not saying an individual doesn’t have to repent and turn to Christ for themself so they can be saved. Henry says that “remitting sins” is “lifting the load of guilt that is keeping people from turning to Christ.” Receiving that forgiveness and responding with repentance is up to the individual, and that’s what results in salvation.

Henry’s teaching isn’t just theory. His life has been in danger more than once, and people lost the desire to kill him as Henry quietly “remitted their sins.” One man had a knife to Henry’s throat, but he dropped the knife as Henry quietly proclaimed “your sins are forgiven.” 

Henry has also seen men with unspeakable sin in their past turn to Christ as he proclaimed forgiveness. When I met Henry I had already realized that understanding “God is not counting men’s sins against them” helps us to share the gospel with unbelievers. Henry’s teaching and stories helped me to better understand how this works. Jesus made it clear that God has given men authority to extend his forgiveness to others.

Salvation After Remitting Sins!

A few years into when I started ministering healing to others, people started showing up on Youtube doing “street healing” videos. Some of them really encouraged and inspired me to keep going. It was just nice to see that there were some like-minded people out there.

One of those guys was Tom Fischer. I hadn’t seen anything of Tom Fischer for quite a while, but for some reason, after writing last week’s post I remembered Tom and decided to check out what was going on with him. I think it was the Holy Spirit who reminded me! I ended up watching a few of his videos and I noticed how often he said when ministering to someone “Your sins are forgiven.”

That was just what I had been writing about! Tom often tells people “your sins are forgiven,” and then he teaches them to repent. I’m happy to be able to share a video today demonstrating exactly what I’ve been talking about in these last three posts. In the video below, Tom says “your sins are forgiven” a little after the one minute mark, before the guy is healed. He says it again a little before the three-minute mark, and then leads the person in a salvation prayer.

 

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God Is Not Counting Men’s Sins Against Them!

[image error]Last week in Does God Forgive You Before Or After You Repent? we saw the scriptural evidence that God forgives before men repent. We then talked about how forgiveness and salvation are not the same. Jesus’ sacrifice atoned for the sins of the whole world and made the way of salvation for every man, but men must still come and put their faith in Him to be saved. Today we continue with a look at how understanding this helps us to minister to unbelievers.

God Isn’t Counting Your Sins Against You, So Be Reconciled To Him!

The message in the Old Testament was “repent so that God might (maybe) forgive you.” (For example, see Jonah 3:9, and Joel 2:14) The words “who knows?” weren’t very reassuring!

In the NT the message is “Repent, because God has forgiven you and is offering reconciliation.” For example, look at what Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians:

2 Cor. 5:18-21 (NRSV) All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What does it say? God is not counting the world’s sins against them. Our message is “God isn’t counting your sins against you. He has forgiven you, so be reconciled to Him through Jesus.”

Do you remember the message that angelic heralds proclaimed at Jesus’ birth?

Luke 2:14 (YLT) `Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace, among men — good will.’

Do You Understand God’s Attitude Towards Sinners?

When I was a teenager I was heavily influenced by certain preachers and “prophets” who were heavily into the Old Testament judgement passages. They often applied those passages to the United States, prophesying fires, earthquakes, war, and other disasters in retribution for the nation’s sins.

When you are always expecting God to pour out his wrath on sinners, it’s hard to have much faith for miracles in their lives. If you think the latest disaster was God showing his anger at someone, it’s hard to have faith in the next moment for God to heal that person. It’s double-minded.

One of those leaders prophesying judgement on America was one of the most respected Christians leaders in the US. He truly did leave a great legacy, including helping many people to get free from drugs and alcohol. He said that judgement would “surely” come before he died, and that no amount of prayer or repentance could avert this disaster. He died a few years ago, and what he said didn’t happen. This man had taught me valuable truths, but his view on God’s attitude towards sinners harmed me. To be honest, there is a long legacy of failed predictions among people who hold to the mindset he had. And as Kris Vallotton has pointed out, it’s not hard to prophesy an earthquake in California!

God is yearning for sinners to come to know him! He loves healing them. He loves blessing them. Sinners are enemies of God, but God loves his enemies!

Colossians 1:21 (NIV) Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 

Matthew 5:44-45 (NRSV) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

As my theology about God’s attitude towards sinners changed, I began to see so many more miracles when I prayed for sinners. You have to understand how God’s heart is bursting with goodwill towards people who don’t know him in order to have faith for the miracles God wants to do in their lives. If you don’t understand God’s heart, it will hurt your faith.

What About God’s Judgement?

This teaching on forgiveness may bring up questions about God’s judgement. Yes, scripture teaches that God will judge the world and will judge every man. How is that truth compatible with what we’ve been talking about today?

If you’ve seen much injustice, I think you understand the need for judgement. Judgement isn’t necessarily about forgiving or not forgiving. It’s about setting things right. It’s about bringing truth and light to every area. Men who do not respond to God’s forgiveness continue to abide in death. God’s wrath is against unrighteousness itself. (Romans 1:18) God’s judgment is giving men over to what they have chosen. (See Romans 1, for example.)

Isaiah 61:1-2 (NIV) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God

Notice that this scripture says the “year” of God’s favor but only the “day” of His vengeance. Jesus stood up in the synagogue and quoted this passage, but he stopped short of saying “The day of the vengeance of our God.” Then he said “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (See Luke 4:14-21) Why didn’t Jesus quote the whole thing? Because it was not yet the day of God’s vengeance.

Do you believe that we are in the year of God’s favor and he is not counting men’s sins against them?

Next week we’ll talk about the authority Jesus gave his disciples to remit sins.

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Does God Forgive You Before Or After You Repent?

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Guys, some people assume that if God’s forgiveness comes before repentance, everybody is saved and we have little reason to preach the gospel. I do not believe that everybody is saved. I don’t equate forgiveness with salvation. Forgiveness is what makes salvation possible. I know this is a complex subject and what I share may bring up many more questions.  However, I’d like to share a few scriptural reasons that I believe God forgives before people repent. One of the reasons I feel this is important is that it changes the way we relate to unbelievers, helping us to share the gospel with them and bring them to salvation.

Forgiveness And Healing

Scripture shares the story of a paralytic in Mark chapter 2. Jesus was speaking in a crowded house, and four of the paralytic’s friends made a hole in the roof and lowered him into the middle of the crowd….

Mark 2:5-12 (NVSV) When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—  “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.”  And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Note the connection between healing and forgiveness. Healing is a demonstration of God’s forgiveness. Jesus considered it proof of his authority to forgive sins.

This passage says nothing about the paralytic repenting or saying anything before Jesus proclaimed that he was forgiven. Did he first repent in his heart and then Jesus told him he was forgiven? Scripture doesn’t say. However, consider the story of the invalid at the pool of Bethesda in John chapter 5.

The invalid had been lying at the pool, sick for 38 years. Jesus approached him and asked if he wanted to be made well. Then Jesus told him to stand up, take his mat, and walk. The invalid was healed instantly. Jesus encountered him again later.

John 5:13-15 (NIV) The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

This invalid didn’t even know who Jesus was. As we saw in Mark chapter 2, Jesus considered healing a demonstration of God’s forgiveness. Jesus healed the invalid first, and then later commanded him to repent.

Does God Command Us To Forgive Before Or After Somebody Apologizes To Us?

I think most of you would agree that we should forgive those who sin against us even if they have not repented or apologized. Why would we think that God does any less? What is right for us is right because it’s God’s nature.

What did Jesus say on the cross?

Luke 23:34 (NIV) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus didn’t wait for his enemies to repent to extend forgiveness. He forgave them as they were still crucifying him. And Jesus and the Father are one. (John 10:30)

Stephen did the same as the Sanhedrin was stoning him.

Acts 7:59-60 (NIV) While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Why Forgiveness And Salvation Are Not The Same

Peter later preached to those who crucified Jesus. He did proclaim their sin to them. But he proclaimed God’s forgiveness, before they had repented. Then he commanded them to repent. And they did.

Acts 3:13-23 (NIV) The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.  Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 

Scripture is clear that Jesus had already forgiven his murderers, even as they were killing him. But why did Peter say “Repent, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out?”

A person can be forgiven and continue to sin, and the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Forgiveness alone does not wipe the sin off the slate of men’s hearts. Forgiveness alone does not bring a man from death to life, and from the kingdom of darkness into the light. You can be forgiven and still dead in your sins, controlled by the power of sin, and blind to God’s truth.

God’s forgiveness makes salvation possible. Salvation is coming to know God as a participant in his nature. (John 17:3)Men must still respond to God’s forgiveness with repentance and faith in God. It’s only when people respond to that forgiveness that God’s power, through the gospel, wipes out the sin in their hearts and transforms their nature.

1 John 2:2 (NIV) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Romans 3:23 (NRSV) whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. 

Romans 3:23 (NET) God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith.

Jesus extended forgiveness as he died for the whole world, but His sacrifice is effective through faith. Men must still put their faith in Him to go from death to life. He is the mercy seat for all men, but men must come.

1 Timothy 4:10 (NIV) That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

God is the savior of all, because He has done all necessary to save every man. A drowning man still must take the hand offered to him. Many reject the Savior, like a wounded animal biting that hand that would help. That is why God is “especially” the savior of those who believe.

Next week we’ll talk about how our perspective on this affects our ability to minister to non-Christians and to have faith for the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives.

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Overcoming Attack By The Demon Of The City!

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Last week I shared some of the things we’ve faced recently, including death threats by a crazed drug addict. I was struggling in my heart over how to respond. Then not long after that happened, I realized that God had highlighted Psalm 91 to me a few weeks before. I didn’t know why God was emphasizing it, but I took some time to read and re-read Psalm 91, and I knew God was speaking. Then not long after that, a pastor prayed for me and prophesied about God’s protection.

When I remembered this I realized in my heart that God was preparing me, and I must not be moved by fearing the threats of a man possessed by demons. I’ve heard the stories of other Christians who walked in divine protection, and one of the keys was fearlessness.

What Really Causes Needless Casualties Of War?

The theme of fearlessness before natural threats carries through into the subject of confronting supernatural enemies. I found this video of one of Shawn Bolz’s stories after I’d written my book “What Really Causes Needless Casualties Of War.”

Many of us were taught that Christians do not have authority over territorial spirits (principalities), and so confronting them is presumptuous and leads to “needless casualties” of spiritual warfare because it is leaving God’s protection. I initially accepted that teaching, thinking it was a needed correction, but I had questions in the back of my mind. Over time I became convinced that scripture clearly teaches we have authority over every form of evil, including territorial spirits.

In “What Really Causes Needless Casualties Of War,“ I presented many problems with concluding that “territorial spirits” are outside our realm of authority. You can read one of them in the article Do Christians Have Authority Over Territorial Spirits? I went on to share a more accurate diagnosis of what really causes “needless casualties” of spiritual warfare. People get hurt when they confront evil without standing in a “gospel position.” I touched on that in Trying To Break The Devil’s Power Is Like Denying Jesus’ Death. One of the more specific things that make us vulnerable to demonic attack is fear. I shared a little about that in I Will Sing Your Praise Before The “Gods.” 

If I’d heard this story of Shawn’s before I published that book, I would have included it. It fits exactly with my conclusions about the real causes of “needless casualties” of spiritual warfare, and it has a lot in common with other stories of people who’ve had encounters with territorial demons.

Shawn Bolz Threatened By A Territorial Spirit!

In the video below, Shawn shares the story of an experience he had in Korea. He was in a small city that was the center of the spiritualist movement in Korea.

Shawn and his friend were going to minister the next day. They were in a small hotel with no windows, so it was way too hot inside even though it was freezing cold outside!

Shawn’s friend, Jesse, fell asleep, but Shawn was laying there awake. It was totally dark because there were no windows, but somehow, something darker than the darkness appeared in the room. It was swirling, like some kind of portal, Shawn was completely fascinated as he looked at it but at the same time, he felt demonic chills.

A monster came out of the dark, swirly thing and started crawling towards him. Shawn started screaming like a child, terrified, “Oh my God, oh my God!”

The thing screamed “Get out of my city! I will kill you! I’m going to give you a heart attack!” It continued threatening “I almost got you when you were young.” (Shawn had a heart problem when he was young, but was healed.)

Shawn looked over at his friend Jesse, and Jesse was staring at him with eyes rolled back in his head, saying “Help me! Help me! Help me!” Shawn was terrified, screaming at the top of his lungs and saying “I don’t believe in this! I have authority!”

Then suddenly, Shawn thought “These are going to be the best meetings in my life.” Everyone Shawn knew who had a demonic encounter experienced something wonderful right after it, so he realized this monster was here because God was doing something great. With that thought, even though he was still terrified, Shawn said out loud “This is like the best thing ever!”

When the monster was almost there, Shawn suddenly said “I don’t even need to rebuke you. This is stupid. I can’t believe you’re doing this. This is like the dumbest thing you could have done.”He went out of a place of fear and “turned on the lights” in his spirit.

When the “light” in Shawn’s heart came on and the fear was gone, the monster ran out of the room. Shawn didn’t even have to say “In the name of Jesus go away!”

The spiritist leader in that city had sent this spirit against Shawn. The next day when Shawn ministered, he and the church decided to pray for God’s mercy on this wicked leader. As they were praying, they heard mourning bells sounding. The leader of the spiritist religion in Korea had died—of a heart attack.

If you’d like, you can listen to Shawn tell the story in the video below.

My Observations About Shawn’s Experience

This story of Shawn’s experience has several things in common with those of others who’ve been confronted with evil spirits. Personally, I can relate very well to Shawn’s statement “It was like I turned on the light in my heart, and I wasn’t afraid anymore.” Here are a few of my thoughts…

1) Shawn was just going to that town to preach. He didn’t go there and decide “we’re going to try to pull down the principality over the city.” But just by being there and following Jesus, he was challenging something. If you are walking with the Lord, you will always be challenging something just by acting in love and proclaiming truth. (I don’t recommend trying to “pull down” principalities because according to Ephesians 1 and 2, we are seated far above them if we’ve been raised with Christ. Instead, we trample on the enemy. You can’t pull down something you’re seated far above, and if you try to do so, you are leaving a gospel position.) 

2) The territorial spirit that challenged Shawn held influence by the invitation of wicked men, not by God’s permission. A single wicked man invoked it in order to destroy Shawn. Surely, God’s righteous people have the authority to undo anything that any wicked person does. Evil spirits gain their place of influence through the wicked, and sometimes a principality holds influence primarily through the invitation of a single wicked person. Likewise, a single righteous person can remove it from its place of influence.

3) Satan has no authority of his own. He feeds off of ours. This evil spirit could do nothing when Shawn was no longer afraid of it. Refuse to give Satan your fear or the attention that he wants so badly!

4) Struggling and fighting really hard isn’t necessarily a place of faith. A gospel position is one of understanding Jesus’ victory and total defeat of Satan. Our battle is not to break Satan’s power. Jesus has done that. Our battle is simply one of gospel truth vs. lies. There is a fight for our attention, and we must give our worth-ship to the Lord. When the light of the gospel came in in Shawn’s heart, the thing fled immediately. Shawn didn’t even have to do anything.

5) The Shaman died from the very thing he sent against Shawn. This is a common story. It often happens when a person tries unsuccessfully to send a demon and kill a Christian. Those who worship demons are the ones who fear them the most, and that fear enables them to act. In fact, I heard a story about David Hogan raising a witch doctor from the dead after the same thing happened. The witch doctor tried to kill David and died instead. (I’ll have to look for a link to the story.) So many deceived people think that the demons which empower them are their friends. They aren’t! I’m glad I’m in the kingdom of light and I’m not on that side!

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to check out my book What Really Causes Needless Casualties Of War.  Others who have read it say it’s cleared up a lot of confusion and taken away the fear and uncertainty about how much authority they have as Christians. It contains similar stories of others who’ve been challenged by monsters and found victory in Christ. I’ve not yet heard from anybody who has read this book without reconsidering the teaching that God’s people do not have authority over territorial principalities. My heart is for the body of Christ to catch a vision for nations and regions being transformed and filled with the knowledge of God’s glory!

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Zeal And Striking Your Enemy

[image error]I was praying a little while ago and a picture of someone striking the ground with something flashed through my mind’s eye. It reminded me of a Bible story I hadn’t read in a while:

2 Kings 13:14-19(NRSV) Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, King Joash of Israel went down to him, and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows”; so he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow”; and he drew it. Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. Then he said, “Open the window eastward”; and he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. Then he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! For you shall fight the Arameans in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” He continued, “Take the arrows”; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them”; he struck three times, and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Aram until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.”

The Arameans were oppressing Israel. God gives us what we need to completely wipe out every oppressor, but we must not stop short of totally destroying the enemy. God often gave Israel victory over pagan nations that were oppressing them, but the oppressors arose again as Israel became complacent and fell into idolatry.

Personal Oppression

To some people, the Arameans symbolize something causing personal oppression, such as an addiction or unforgiveness.

Many Christians have had a great victory in an area of their life, only to fall back into oppression. Satan the liar says “You never had victory! You’ve always been a slave.” If you’re in that situation, remember the victory that God gave. It was real! Call on the Lord again, and He will save you. Now is the time to completely destroy that enemy once and for all! Don’t become complacent after only striking the oppressor two or three times.

I believe that the arrows symbolize our words. We strike the enemy by declaring Jesus’ victory. We strike the enemy by declaring the gospel and speaking “God’s will be done now!”

Ministering Healing

Often when we minister healing, a person has reduced pain after the first time we lay our hands on them but they aren’t yet completely pain-free. That’s why we teach people to use a scale of 1 to 10 when they minister healing. A person could have half of the pain after a minute of healing ministry, but if we simply ask “does it still hurt?” they will say “yes.”

I’ll be honest, I’d love to see more people instantly whole and pain-free the moment I touch them, but it’s far more common that I pray 5 times, each time speaking life and rebuking the disease for a minute or two, or just saying nothing and holding my hand over the problem area. The pain decreases until it’s nothing. The tumor or cyst gets smaller each time until we can no longer find it. It’s not instant, but it’s still worth getting rid of the problem!

In this area, I’ve learned to keep striking until my enemy is totally destroyed. My enemy is the sickness or pain that is afflicting that person. Often, I minister to someone who is happy enough to have less pain, to be pain-free but have limited mobility, or to be free from one physical issue even though they have others. That’s why I keep interviewing the person and I keep striking again. I want them free of every bit of pain and every problem.

In Dealing With Surgical Steel, I shared the example of one man who was happy to be free from pain but still had restricted mobility. I had to be assertive about ministering to him again, and the next time he touched his toes!

Praying For Your City And Region

Early in 2017 God spoke to us about declaring the dominion of His peace in our neighborhood. I began focusing more on praying for my neighborhood and striking the enemy by declaring the dominion of God’s peace. However, since leaving on my trip to the US in October I’d been really busy and I had let up on praying for my neighborhood.

Not long after the Lord reminded me to keep striking the enemy, we saw some old enemies show themselves again. Remember, the “enemies” I’m talking are the spirits of violence and evil that deceive people.

Some of you will remember our two car wrecks earlier this year, due to highway bandits. On Tuesday my wife was going around a curve on the highway ramp and a guy popped up in front of her waving a gun. She didn’t have time to stop so she just ducked and accelerated even more. Thank God, this time the car wasn’t damaged!

In earlier posts, I shared the story of how we rescued an old man from bandits and then the guy behind the crime threatened to kidnap our daughter. In Jesus In Me Can Love People When I Can’t, I shared the story of how I ended up praying for the guy who threatened her, and then things calmed down. Well, on Tuesday this guy robbed the church my in-laws used to go. He also entered and threatened to kill everyone if they didn’t give him money. Then he came to our place, shoved my father-in-law, and threatened to kill him and my wife. Again, the old enemy of a spirit of violence rearing its head!

When the enemy rears it’s head again, Satan says “Did God really say you are to declare the dominion of his peace? It’s useless. You can’t change anything” Our Adversary tries to get us to doubt the victories we have already seen. Don’t be discouraged! 

King Joash of Israel lacked zeal and only struck the ground three times. Don’t lag in zeal! Keep striking the oppressor and don’t settle for just a temporary victory!

Romans 12:11 (NRSV) Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.

P.S. I’ve been near the end of my rope this week, but God rescues us. I highly appreciate your prayers in these difficult times, for us and for Brazil. I can relate to Paul’s words:

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (NRSV) We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Thank you!

 

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Feelings May Lie But Truth Remains!

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Trust The Instruments, Not Your Feelings!

I just finished teaching English and realized it’s early Wednesday morning! (12:50 AM) Christmas and the erratic schedule threw me off a little bit on what day it was. I won’t have much free time tomorrow, so I decided to do my blog post now and share what the Holy Spirit did one week ago.

A Rocky Relationship

Last week I wasn’t feeling very good. I felt quite wounded and upset by the behavior of somebody close to me. It seemed so difficult to see from God’s perspective of love and have compassion, knowing that wounded people wound people. I know that when I’m living for the Lord, only what His love has spoken should have the power to move my heart, and not what anybody else says. I know that when Jesus died on the cross, he wasn’t wallowing in self-pity. He was giving His life for the very people who were killing him! Jesus didn’t say “Father, look at what they’re doing to me! Listen to what they’re saying about me!” He said “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” As Dan Mohler says, Jesus hurt for people, not because of them.

1 John 2:5-6, 9-11 (NRSV) By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked. Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

I know that walking in the light means walking in God’s love and forgiveness. I know it means loving our enemies and overcoming evil with good. But it felt so hard. Angry thoughts were brewing in my mind, and although I tried not to dwell on them, I wasn’t doing a very good job of it!

When You Feel Like You’re Not In The Place To Minister…

Some friends asked me to go lay hands on a young guy. They thought he had cancer but they weren’t sure. The doctors weren’t sure what it was either. He had a lot of pain around his stomach and kidneys. He had been bedridden and barely eating for a while. He gave his life to the Lord the day before when my friends visited him, and he’d improved since then. He’d gotten up and eaten. However, he was still in pain.

I didn’t feel like I was in the right place spiritually. It felt like I was fighting all these negative, angry thoughts. I didn’t feel like I could forgive.

I write about experiencing and manifesting heaven now. It’s not that I’m just writing a theory. But sometimes I’m challenged to keep walking in what I know is truth. Last week I didn’t feel like I was in heaven. But I’ve learned that knowing truth brings us into the experience.

Feelings can lie, but truth remains. An airplane pilot flying in poor conditions sometimes can’t tell which way is up and which is down. Feelings can be deceptive. Yet pilots are trained to trust the instruments instead of their feelings. I’m learning to stand fast in the truth that Christ lives in me and he is able to manifest his nature through me, even if I feel like it’s impossible. Jesus in me can love people when I can’t. I stand fast in the truth that God loves me and has made me righteous, because no matter what I feel, God has spoken through his Son, and that is truth!

I’ve listened to Dan Mohler’s message “Love And Forgiveness” several times, and it always moves me to tears. Even though I know I’ve fallen short so many times, oh how I long to love like Jesus does and to forgive with His forgiveness when I hear that message! One of the things that I often encourage my readers to do (as in last week’s blog post) is to focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in your life instead of focusing on your shortcomings. Even when I feel like I’m not strong enough to love like Jesus does or able to silence the angry thoughts, I focus on the fact that Dan’s message on love and forgiveness moves my heart because of the work the Holy Spirit has done in me. And so I ask God to help me to do what I can’t on my own.

What do you do if you blew it? What do you do if you just spouted off angry words at somebody? The fact that it grieves your heart reveals the work the work of righteousness that God has done in you! What if you feel like you can’t help but messing up again? We need the Holy Spirit to manifest Christ’s character, and He has given us the Holy Spirit. (If we’ve been born again.) Feelings lie, but the truth is that the Holy Spirit is able to manifest Jesus’ character through your life. No matter how helpless you feel, ask the Holy Spirit to help you and invite His work in your life.

I told my friends I would pray for the guy. I didn’t back out because I felt like I had a dark cloud hanging over my head. I didn’t say “no” because I felt like I wasn’t in the right place spiritually, and also really low on sleep! I didn’t want to miss this opportunity! I chose to recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart and act righteous even though I didn’t feel very “right.”

Everybody Healed!

When I got to that house, it was indescribable! God’s love for the family overwhelmed me, and I knew I was in heaven! Every face was so beautiful! Within a few minutes, the young man was completely free from pain!

I asked who else needed to be healed. Several other family members had serious pain issues, some of them unexplainable. Each one I laid my hand on was totally pain-free within a few minutes. Then I shared a simple vision with the mother to encourage her.

The first guy had just given his life to Christ before I visited. Some other family members had been born-again, and some hadn’t. One of the other guys who was healed said he’d turned to Christ but been “away” for 10 years. I got to talk about freedom from guilt and condemnation, walking in righteousness, and walking in Christ just as we received Him. I talked about seeing God through Jesus and not through anything else, and forgiving the church for when they’ve misrepresented Jesus to us.

I started laughing as I spoke the truth and shared the good news. I love sharing with people in their houses and seeing God heal them!

My heart was so melted with God’s love that I could no longer harbor bitterness against the person who had wronged me. My heart was overflowing with God’s glory, tender with love, but whole, broken for others but no longer wounded.

Maybe we need to stop trying to hard to love and just let the river of God’s love flow. Maybe if it feels like it’s hard to let God’s love flow through you in one area, the best thing to do is stop struggling and find another way to let it out!

I hope this encourages you if you’ve struggled with guilt and condemnation, or if you don’t always feel like you’re in the right place spiritually. The fact that you might feel like a piece of crap doesn’t mean God sees you as a piece of crap!

The dark cloud of heaviness is a lie! Let God’s light shine! He loves you, He is for you, and He’s not about to give up on you!

*P.S. By talking about forgiving, loving our enemies, and repaying evil with good, I do not imply that anybody should remain in a physically or sexually abusive situation. I want to clarify this because I’ve known people to stay in a physically abusive situation thinking they were helping an abuser by doing so., but they were actually endangering themselves and children by remaining. 

Experiencing God’s power by exercising the gifts of the Spirit has often softened my heart and helped me to walk in the fruit of the Spirit. If you like today’s post, check out my book The Power & Love Sandwich

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The post Feelings May Lie But Truth Remains! appeared first on Go to Heaven Now!.

Feelings Lie But Truth Remains!

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Trust The Instruments, Not Your Feelings!

I just finished teaching English and realized it’s early Wednesday morning! (12:50 AM) Christmas and the erratic schedule threw me off a little bit on what day it was. I won’t have much free time tomorrow, so I decided to do my blog post now and share what the Holy Spirit did one week ago.

A Rocky Relationship

Last week I wasn’t feeling very good. I felt quite wounded and upset by the behavior of somebody close to me. It seemed so difficult to see from God’s perspective of love and have compassion, knowing that wounded people wound people. I know that when I’m living for the Lord, only what His love has spoken should have the power to move my heart, and not what anybody else says. I know that when Jesus died on the cross, he wasn’t wallowing in self-pity. He was giving His life for the very people who were killing him! Jesus didn’t say “Father, look at what they’re doing to me! Listen to what they’re saying about me!” He said “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

1 John 2:5-6, 9-11 (NRSV) By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked. Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

I know that walking in the light means walking in God’s love and forgiveness. I know it means loving our enemies and overcoming evil with good. But it felt so hard. Angry thoughts were brewing in my mind, and although I tried not to dwell on them, I wasn’t doing a very good job of it!

When You Feel Like You’re Not In The Place To Minister…

Some friends asked me to go lay hands on a young guy. They thought he had cancer but they weren’t sure. The doctors weren’t sure what it was either. He had a lot of pain around his stomach and kidneys. He had been bedridden and barely eating for a while. He gave his life to the Lord the day before when my friends visited him, and he’d improved since then. He’d gotten up and eaten. However, he was still in pain.

I didn’t feel like I was in the right place spiritually. It felt like I was fighting all these negative, angry thoughts. I didn’t feel like I could forgive.

I write about experiencing and manifesting heaven now. It’s not that I’m just writing a theory. But sometimes I’m challenged to keep walking in what I know is truth. Last week I didn’t feel like I was in heaven. But I’ve learned that knowing truth brings us into the experience.

Feelings can lie, but truth remains. An airplane pilot flying in poor conditions sometimes can’t tell which way is up and which is down. Feelings can be deceptive. Yet pilots are trained to trust the instruments instead of their feelings. I’m learning to stand fast in the truth that Christ lives in me and he is able to manifest his nature through me, even if I feel like it’s impossible. Jesus in me can love people when I can’t. I stand fast in the truth that God loves me and has made me righteous, because no matter what I feel, God has spoken through his Son, and that is truth!

I’ve listened to Dan Mohler’s message “Love And Forgiveness” several times, and it always moves me to tears. Even though I know I’ve fallen short so many times, oh how I long to love like Jesus does and to forgive with His forgiveness when I hear that message! One of the things that I often encourage my readers to do (as in last week’s blog post) is to focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in your life instead of focusing on your shortcomings. Even when I feel like I’m not strong enough to love like Jesus does or able to silence the angry thoughts, I focus on the fact that Dan’s message on love and forgiveness moves my heart because of the work the Holy Spirit has done in me. And so I ask God to help me to do what I can’t on my own.

What do you do if you blew it? What do you do if you just spouted off angry words at somebody? The fact that it grieves your heart reveals the work the work of righteousness that God has done in you! What if you feel like you can’t help but messing up again? We need the Holy Spirit to manifest Christ’s character, and He has given us the Holy Spirit. (If we’ve been born again.) Feelings lie, but the truth is that the Holy Spirit is able to manifest Jesus’ character through your life. No matter how helpless you feel, ask the Holy Spirit to help you and invite His work in your life.

I told my friends I would pray for the guy. I didn’t back out because I felt like I had a dark cloud hanging over my head. I didn’t say “no” because I felt like I wasn’t in the right place spiritually, and also really low on sleep! I didn’t want to miss this opportunity! I chose to recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart and act righteous even though I didn’t feel very “right.”

Everybody Healed!

When I got to that house, it was indescribable! God’s love for the family overwhelmed me, and I knew I was in heaven! Every face was so beautiful! Within a few minutes, the young man was completely free from pain!

I asked who else needed to be healed. Several other family members had serious pain issues, some of them unexplainable. Each one I laid my hand on was totally pain-free within a few minutes. Then I shared a simple vision with the mother to encourage her.

The first guy had just given his life to Christ before I visited. Some other family members had been born-again, and some hadn’t. One of the other guys who was healed said he’d turned to Christ but been “away” for 10 years. I got to talk about freedom from guilt and condemnation, walking in righteousness, and walking in Christ just as we received Him. I talked about seeing God through Jesus and not through anything else, and forgiving the church for when they’ve misrepresented Jesus to us.

I started laughing as I spoke the truth and shared the good news. I love sharing with people in their houses and seeing God heal them!

My heart was so melted with God’s love that I could no longer harbor bitterness against the person who had wronged me. My heart was overflowing with God’s glory, tender with love, but whole, broken for others but no longer wounded.

Maybe we need to stop trying to hard to love and just let the river of God’s love flow. Maybe if it feels like it’s hard to let God’s love flow through you in one area, the best thing to do is stop struggling and find another way to let it out!

I hope this encourages you if you’ve struggled with guilt and condemnation, or if you don’t always feel like you’re in the right place spiritually. The fact that you might feel like a piece of crap doesn’t mean God sees you as a piece of crap!

The dark cloud of heaviness is a lie! Let God’s light shine! He loves you, He is for you, and He’s not about to give up on you!

*P.S. By talking about forgiving, loving our enemies, and repaying evil with good, I do not imply that anybody should remain in a physically or sexually abusive situation. I want to clarify this because I’ve known people to stay in a physically abusive situation thinking they were helping an abuser by doing so., but they were actually endangering themselves and children by remaining. 

Experiencing God’s power by exercising the gifts of the Spirit has often softened my heart and helped me to walk in the fruit of the Spirit. If you like today’s post, check out my book The Power & Love Sandwich

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The post Feelings Lie But Truth Remains! appeared first on Go to Heaven Now!.

Don’t Let Anything Hinder You From Fellowshipping With The Holy Spirit

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This is Part 3 of a series on fellowship with the Holy Spirit. In Part 1 we saw that God is an invisible Spirit, but his nature is revealed through people in communion with his Spirit. Part 2 demonstrated that we must have something in common to have “communion,” thus the only way we can have communion with God is receiving God’s gift of righteousness. To have communion or fellowship is to share joy in the same things.

What Spirit Are You Communing With?

Colossians 3:1-5 (NIV) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Matthew 12:30 (NIV) “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

My thought when I read these verses is that we are always communing with something. If our minds aren’t set on things above, they will be set on earthly things.

I’ve learned how real the spiritual realm is because I’ve seen so many miracles triggered by words or even thoughts in agreement with God. But I’ve also seen people hurt by “fellowshipping” with the wrong spirit. That often happens through rejoicing in music or movies that are full of darkness.

I worked with the youth group at our local church for several years, and we were always concerned when one of the youth go heavily into music with dark, angry, depressed, or even suicidal lyrics. I can’t tell you how many times a young person said “I’m only listening because I like the music.” Yet we soon saw the torment that was in the lyrics end up manifesting in their lives.

Michael Van Vlyman shared a story of watching a werewolf movie that he found flipping through the channels. He wasn’t really planning to watch it, and it didn’t feel good about it, but it caught his attention. Maybe some of you can relate to watching something on TV that you don’t really feel good about but you’re curious. You intend to turn it off or change the channel but instead of keep watching.

His little girl was on the other side of the house with closed doors between them, and she couldn’t hear what Michael was watching. But she woke up screaming  “Daddy, there’s wolves in my room.” 

I mostly learned about the reality of the spiritual world through positive experiences, but it works both ways. It’s not that I haven’t gotten hurt by communing with the wrong spirit, but at that time I was mostly blinded to the nature of what was happening and why. Many Christians might think I’m really picky about what I watch on TV, but I think more people would be if they were more aware of the spiritual realm!

Walking in the light is walking in love, which is God’s nature. When we participate in God’s love, we are communing with God. We are always fellowshipping with something. What are your thoughts, the meditations of your heart, in harmony with? That’s the spirit you’re fellowshipping with. 

You Have To Know Who God Is To Commune With Him

We have to know who God is to commune with Him. Many Christians have a hard time communing with God because their image of HIm has been distorted.

2nd Corinthians 4:4 (NIV) The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Jesus is the image of God, yet many Christians have a perception of God which looks different than Jesus. Although the verse above is talking about unbelievers, it also applies to “believing unbelievers.” Wrong beliefs about God give a distorted perception of who He is.

2nd Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

If we have a perception of God that looks different than Jesus, we must find and recognize the arguments that are raising themselves against the knowledge of God. For more on this, check out the article I Know God’s Will Because Jesus Came In The Flesh.

Going From Sin-Consciousness To Christ-Consciousness

Another issue which hinders many Christians from communing with the Holy Spirit is guilt and condemnation.

When we are young Christians we often get caught up in trying to become light by doing what’s right, but the truth is that we walk in the light because we understand by faith that God has made us light. If we are caught in sin-consciousness we will keep struggling with the issue. The fact that you care so much about righteousness and desire to manifest Christ’s character demonstrates that God has changed your nature, made you light, and made you righteous. Instead of focusing on your failures, keep focusing on what God has done in you. Then since He has made you light, walk in the light.

Todd White was a drug addict for 22 years. He was going to end his life, but God led him to find a church in a phone book. He met Dan Mohler. Dan taught him about righteousness and life in Christ.

Todd would come to Dan burdened with guilt and condemnation, saying “I messed up again. I got high.” Dan was excited! He said “Todd, you used to not care if you used drugs. The reason it bothers you now is that God has changed your nature!”

The free gift of righteousness was what empowered Todd to get free from drug addiction, even though he stumbled along the way. Received God’s free gift of righteousness which joins you to Christ, and you will fall out of sin and into righteousness!

Romans 8:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives lifehas set you[a] free from the law of sin and death.

We read the exhortation in Colossians to put to death things that belong to the earthly nature, such as sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed. Remember that communion is sharing joy in something we have in common. Walking in immorality certainly isn’t communing with the Holy Spirit, because it isn’t in God’s nature. 

But think about this: is wallowing in guilt and condemnation sharing anything in common with God? Does God have guilt and condemnation? No! Does God have a sense of sin-consciousness? No! Does God walk in shame? No!

Guilt, shame, and condemnation is still communion with the wrong spirit, which is why the law brings death and causes sin to multiply.  That’s why we must receive God’s righteousness, based on Christ’s sacrifice, as a free gift. It doesn’t do any good to keep wallowing in shame until we have changed our external behavior by sheer will-power. Contrary to what some of us have been taught, guilt and condemnation are powerless to make you holy or help you get your life right! They aren’t our friends!

Going from sin-consciousness to righteousness-consciousness changes the spirit you are communing with. It puts you in communion with the Holy Spirit. Communion with the Holy Spirit is where the life, the love, and the power flow. It’s also what changes our behavior. No matter how many times you have messed up, freely receive God’s righteousness now, purchased with Jesus’ blood! Don’t wait another moment! Keep returning to communion with God, and your habits and desires will change.

I hear so much about our failures and our sin in many prayer meetings, in many sermons, and in some Christian songs. I consider this sin-consciousness to be one of the primary causes of powerlessness and frustration in the church. To many Christians rarely experience intimacy and sweet communion with God because guilt and condemnation are not something we can share in common with God. Get sin-consciousness out of your prayers and meditations, and start to focus on what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. You must know that God has given you His nature if you are to walk in communion with Him!

Preachers who continually remind Christians of their failures are interfering with the very source of life for the believer-communion with the Holy Spirit. Instead of preaching sin and failure, we must preach righteousness, holiness, and participation in God’s nature. Righteousness means that you are in Jesus, the Father loves you with the same love he has for Jesus, has given you the same glory he gave to Jesus, God is not ashamed of you but rather He delights in you as he delights in Jesus, and you have the same boldness as Jesus himself does to approach Father God!.

 

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Communion With The Holy Spirit

[image error]Last week we talked about the fact that God is Spirit. We must be born of the Spirit to see His kingdom. Christianity as God intends it should flow out of a spiritual connection. I ended with the phrase “The nature and personality of God’s invisible Spirit become visible through our communion with that Spirit.”

The fruit of the Spirit comes from our connection with the Holy Spirit. The manifestation of God’s power and glory also comes through our fellowship with God’s Spirit. Today we’re looking at a certain kind of prayer, which is fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This is one of the ways we are strengthened in our innermost being with God’s glorious might.

What Does This Spirit Connection Look Like?

1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV) God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 1:3 (NIV) We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We see here that we have fellowship with Jesus and with the Father. How? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus and the Father to us. Remember that we can’t even see God unless we are born of the Spirit?

Romans 8:9 (NIV) You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV) May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

God’s life flows through our fellowship with the Spirit of Christ. What does this fellowship look like? How can we cultivate fellowship with the Holy Spirit?

Spanish and Portuguese Bible translations translate the word “fellowship” as “comunión” or “comunhão,” like the English word “communion.” The word “common” is “común” in Spanish, and similar in Portuguese. It’s the first part of the word “comunión.” Fellowship is based on having something in common.

What do friends “fellowship” around when they’re hanging out together? Some people “fellowship” around a game of football. Others find that they have a love for outdoor activities in common. Other friends may have an interest in art, literature, or something else. In general, we connect with people around common interests. We share joy in the same things. That’s how we have “communion” or “fellowship.”

What Do You Have In Common With God?

What do you have in common with God? You are light. Jesus said he was the light of the world, and then he told his disciples “You are the light of the world.”

Only light can have fellowship with light. God had to make us light so we could have fellowship with Him.

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

Ephesians 5:8-11 (NIV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)  and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 

How did you become light? God’s free gift of righteousness makes us light, because whoever is in Christ is a new creation. You had to receive God’s nature in order to have something in common with God so you could have communion with him.

I remember when I began seeing God heal people. I often spent three hours at a time reading all the healing testimonies I could find. My heart burned inside of me.

When my mind wanders I imagine seeing people healed, touched by the Holy Spirit, and giving their lives to Christ. These fantasies often move me to tears.

Jesus is beautiful. His patience, mercy, and compassion move my heart. He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked, and he loves his enemies. Even though I don’t always represent Him accurately, my heart burns to do so.

Why do these things move my heart? I’ve received the free gift of righteousness. God has planted his nature in me. The fact that these things move me shows that I’ve been born again of the Spirit. When I think about these things and my heart burns inside of me, I am having communion with God. It’s actually a kind of prayer. This is where the Spirit connection is. This is where the power flows. This is how the Holy Spirit strengthens me with God’s glorious power. When you understand this, you understand how it’s actually possible to “Pray without ceasing.”

You have to be light to have communion with God, and you can only become light by receiving God’s free gift of righteousness, available through of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

When we are saved God’s power changes us from darkness to light, enabling us to have fellowship with God. We continue in that fellowship be walking in the light.

1 John 1:1-7 (NIV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

We Can Only Understand The Things Of God’s Spirit Because We Have God’s Spirit

We can only have continuing communion with God’s invisible spirit and understand God because he has put the same spirit in us. I wanted to share this whole chapter of 2nd Corinthians, but it was a bit long to do so. If you get the chance, I recommend reading the whole chapters of Ephesians 5, 1 John 1, and 1 Corinthians 2, in the light of understanding communion with God.

1 Corinthians 2:7-14 (NIV) No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,

    what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived”—

    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Sometimes we spend a lot of time asking God to do things that it’s here very nature to do. It’s God’s nature to heal. He is healing, and the manifestation of His glory heals. What we need isn’t for God to finally decide to act, but to be strengthened with His power through communion with the Holy Spirit. Walking in communion with the Holy Spirit is like being a battery or a capacitor being charged with electrical current. We can get so full of God’s power that when we speak or act, there’s a spark. Jesus sometimes spent the whole night in prayer and communion with the Father. Then when people so much as touched the edge of His clothing, God’s power out and healed them.

God’s presence, like electricity, is all around us. We see the manifestation when a conductor makes a connection between the different charges. Lightning occurs when clouds become so heavily charged with electricity that the air itself becomes ionized and becomes a conductor connecting to the earth.

The reborn spirit of Man, created in the likeness of God, connects to the charge from heaven through communion with the Holy Spirit. This is how God’s invisible Spirit manifests and becomes visible like lightning.

As you walk in unbroken, intimate fellowship with God’s Holy Spirit the awareness of His glory increases until you are walking in heaven on earth. Yet many Christians only every experience this sweet communion for moments at a time, if ever. I lived too many years of my Christian life just longing for the next time I could feel close to God. Next week we’ll look at what hinders Christians from walking in communion with God.

 

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