Spiritual Warfare, Intercession and a Closer Walk

Ariel · #1 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

Some months ago, I began posting a series of notes I had developed for my Sunday School classes. I did not anticipate the response. While there has been some disagreement, for most part these notes have been well received.

Some of you especially have been very kind, and given me much encouragement along the way. For this I wish to express my deepest gratitude. You have been so kind, and so helpful.

At this date, Oct. 29, 2007, there have been over 5,000 hits on the original thread. I can only hope that many people have been helped. It is my continued prayer.

I am rewriting my original notes, in part because as I began posting I realized that I couldn't just give my notes in their original form. So the format changed, going from outlines to discussion and even to my sharing personal experiences where the Lord taught me. I have tried to bring some of these changes to the earlier notes.

I also wanted put all the teaching together, in order, and to put the appendices at the end, instead of somewhere in the middle.

I need to save room as well for additional material. I am still working on this!

Therefore, I am reposting these notes together, and I am reserving spots for the entire series.

Please feel free to comment at the end of the series. This is not a debate forum. That would have to be taken elsewhere. Still, I value your input!

Some of you have asked if you could use these notes for your classes or online publications. I am giving you permission to do so. As this material may be published at some future time in hard copy form, please be sensitive to the fact that these writings are original to me and are copyrighted. Therefore, I am asking that if these notes are shared elsewhere for my real name to appear with them.

Thank you again for your all your kind words and support. It is with you in mind, my readers, that I am again offering this teaching.

Ariel
Oct. 29, 2007

Ariel · #2 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

Spiritual Warfare, Intercession and a Closer Walk

I. Spiritual Warfare

Christians speak of being attacked by the enemy. It is no wonder! Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, John 10:10. This is his nature. Furthermore, he hates God and hates God’s children. What better way to hurt God than to hurt God’s kids?

There is a further reason why Satan hates God’s children as well. He is afraid of their power. Here is a truth every Christian know:

Every person who has asked Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior has authority in Jesus’ name over Satan and over his demon hosts.

While Jesus was still one earth, He commissioned 70 disciples besides the original 12, and sent them out to heal the sick and to preach the Gospel. They returned rejoicing, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name,” Luke 10:17. Jesus responded that He had seen Satan fall like lightning from heaven, and then spoke these words which I believe are for every disciple of Christ:

Luke 10:19 “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.”

That Christians have authority over demons is attested in other parts of the Bible as well:

Mark 16:17 (Jesus speaking) “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons….”

1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…”

Psalm 149:5-9 “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand. To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment--This honor have all His saints.”

Furthermore, we are given instructions in how to fight the enemy:

Ephesians 6:10-18 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…

Every believer, we are told, is to put on the full armor of God, to take up the sword of the Spirit, to resist Satan and to stand steadfast in the faith. This is our responsibility!

Consider also the example Jesus gave us. He addressed demons. He did this out loud:

Matthew 17:18 “And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

Luke 8:29 Jesus “commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.”

Furthermore, when Jesus fasted in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan, he countered every attack with the Word of God, Matthew 4:1-10. Jesus Himself took up the sword of the Spirit.

We should do likewise!

I hear pastors praying, “Oh Lord, please fight the enemy for us.” This is not Scriptural! While it is true that God is our refuge and fortress, and that He will fight for us, it is also clear that we have a responsibility to lift up the sword of the Spirit as well. God does fight for us: He fights as we fight. Like the children of Israel who were told to take the promised land, we must fight as well. It is then, like them, that we will find that the Lord God of Hosts is fighting with us!

Basic Spiritual Warfare

There are five steps in basic spiritual warfare. These are found in James 4:1-10.

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of sin in your life.
In James 4:1-6, several sins are listed: wars, fights, desire for pleasure, lust, covetousness, friendship with the world. The sin that is the root of all of these is in verse 6 where James admonishes, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The root sin was pride. Similarly, ask God to search your heart and show you any sin--and its root--which you may need to be cleansed from,

Ps. 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”

2. Submit to God, James 4:7. Repent of any sin God shows you. Be assured that if you confess your sins, He cleanses you from ALL unrighteousness,

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Be aware that Satan, the accuser of the brethren, Rev. 12:10, will try to tell you that you cannot be forgiven, or that you are not completely forgiven. Rest assured that if you sincerely ask God to forgive you, then you are completely forgiven.

3. Resist the devil and he will flee from you, James 4:8. Do this out loud. Say, out loud, “In the name of Jesus, I resist you, you unclean spirit of ________and I command you to flee. Scripture says resist the devil and he will flee from you. I resist you now, and you must go!”

Speak this out loud. I don’t believe that Satan’s demons can hear the thoughts of a Christian. Remember also that our authority is always in Jesus’ name. Make sure that you are clean before you come against the enemy. If there is ongoing sin in your life, you will not have power over the demons in that area. Rather, they will have authority over you.

4. Draw near to God, James 4:8. The fastest way I've found to draw near to God is by praise and worship. Thanking God, calling out Jesus' name (Proverbs 18:10; Rom. 10:13) and crying out to Him are also effective. Reading Scripture out loud and using it as a basis for prayer and declaration also help you draw near. Remember, though, that you must be clean, James 3:11-12.

5. Practice the opposite behavior of the sin you have confessed. Compare James 4:6, where the root sin was pride to James 4:10, where James is telling the people to do the opposite: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up..” Humility is the opposite of pride. If practiced by the people, it would tear down the sin of pride. We can do this as well.

Do you have a choice?

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

There is no choice. It is naïve to believe that if you leave Satan alone, his hordes will leave you alone. Yet I've heard Christians say this!

Warning: A Christian with unconfessed sin in their life DOES NOT have authority over the powers of darkness. Instead, demons have power over them.

Consider these Scriptures:

Psalm 106:2-3 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise? Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times.

Psalm 50:16-17 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?”

Psalm 7:10 My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart.

The privilege of declaring God’s Word and using it to combat the enemy is for those who are clean. Therefore, ask the Lord to cleanse you before you start, 1 John 1:9. Learn to hate sin because of the authority the enemy gets by it, for Satan uses legal means to attack us:

Ps. 94:20 “…the throne of iniquity (Satan)...devises evil by law…”

Confess sin as soon as you are aware of it. Walk in holiness:

1 Peter 1:15-16 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

Therefore, the most important step in spiritual warfare is to make sure your heart is clean. Ask God to search your heart, Psalm 139:23-24, to cleanse you from secret faults, Psalm 19:12-14, and to create a clean heart within you, Psalm 51:10. Here are the Scriptures:

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 19:12-14 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back you servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not rush through this step. Get rid of any unforgiveness, offense, pride, and wrong motives as well as overt sin. Set your heart to live at peace with others, so far as you are able, Romans 12:17-21. Set your mind to seek God and to serve Him with all your heart, Mark 12:30.

Romans 12:17-21 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore, "If you enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

Note on Romans 12:17-21: Those who take vengeance themselves make it impossible for God to move on their behalf. Hence, it says, "give place to wrath"--God's wrath, that is. If you want God to move on your behalf, then don't move yourself, except to bless that person! Also, "heaping coals of fire" on someone's head was a blessing. In those days, if your fire went out, you would go to a neighbor to get live coals. You would transport them in a container on your head. Someone who attacked you probably doesn't even have a fire, "fire" here can mean passion for the Lord, which sustains us! You need to help them get their fire going again by helping them!

Mark 12:30 (Jesus speaking) "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."

Ariel
Copyright October 2007

Ariel · #3 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

II. The Authority of The Name

Consider the following:

Acts 3:6-8 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Acts 3:16 “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know….”

Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to you all…that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth… this man stands before you whole”

Acts 4:29-30 “Now Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants…that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Acts 16:16-18 “…a certain slave girl, possessed with a spirit of divination met us….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.”

How were miracles effected in the early church? Miracles were always done by the authority of Jesus’ name!

There is power in the name of Jesus:

Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We often use Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 to speak about initial salvation, but I believe that calling on Jesus’ name is also effective in any situation. Just saying the name “Jesus” out loud is effective prayer!

I have some dear friends who, when seeing that without God they were going to be in a head-on collision, called on Jesus' name. That is the only prayer they had time for. Suddenly, there was a barrier between them and the car that was about to hit them, and that car went from about 70 miles an hour to a dead stop. No one was hurt. The point is that because you belong to Christ you have access to His name, and to the authority of His name.

Call on Jesus’ name. Use the authority of His name. Notice, too, that the name ‘Jesus’ was not used alone in these Scriptures. Jesus is identified completely, as "Jesus Christ of Nazareth," for example.

Prayer

Testimony____________________

There was a time in my Christian walk when I was afraid to pray to the Father, so I prayed to Jesus instead. The Lord started correcting me. Then I came across John 16:23 where Jesus tells us to pray to the Father in His name:

John 16:23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

I was still too afraid.

This was when my oldest children were still very young. I would get up at night to pray, because the days were too filled!

One night while praying in my children’s room, their little bodies slumbering on either side of me, I heard the Lord say that He was going to show me the Father. Suddenly in a vision I was in the throne room. I was kneeling, way in the back. Before me there was a throne. I could see the Father, that is, I could see Him sitting on the throne. I could see His white robe, His hands and His feet. I could not see His face. There is glory--extremely bright light--which comes out of Him and completely covers His face. I also felt His love cover me and completely encompass me. As I looked at Him still more love came over me like waves. There was no disapproval in that love, no correction. Just love. Just complete unconditional love.

I lost my fear after that. I still am full of the fear of the Lord, that is, reverance for God. But I knew in that moment what it means that God is my Father. Do you understand? He is Lord, Master of the Universe, Creator of all the earth. Yet He is also my Father. He is beloved, holy, excellent in every way--and my Father.

If you have asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior He is your Father, too!
____________________

We are told in John 16:23 to pray to the Father in Jesus‘ name. Here is a sample prayer, “Father, I love You. Be with me today. Cleanse me and heal me. Forgive me for all my sins. Help me to bless someone today. I pray this in Jesus' name.“

But what does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? To get a fuller understanding of what this means, it helps to put several scriptures together:

John 14:12-14 (Jesus speaking) “…whatever you ask in My name I will do….If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Therefore, to pray in Jesus’ name means to pray using Jesus’ name, and also:

John 14:15, 21, 23 (Jesus speaking) “If you love Me, [you will] keep My commandments….He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me….If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word….”

to keep His commandments, and also:

1 John 5:14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us….”

to pray according to His will, and also:

1 John 3:1-3, 10 “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!….And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure….In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, is nor is he who does not love his brother.

to purify ourselves, that is, to allow the Holy Spirit to correct us, to walk in righteousness, and to love our brother.

So then, putting these Scriptures together, “To pray in Jesus’ name” means to pray using Jesus’ name, to keep His commandments, to pray according to His will, to purify ourselves, to practice righteousness and to love our brother.

If one of these requirements is not met, then our prayer life is weakened.

Moreover, if there is active, ongoing sin in our lives, our prayers will be totally ineffective:

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

Always, always ask the Lord to show you your heart and forgive any sin as you go into prayer. Also remember, that the more you live according to the requirements for praying in Jesus' name, the more effective your prayers will be--both for yourself and others. Be blessed!

Ariel
Copyright October 2007

Ariel · #4 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

III. The Power of the Blood

I was listening to a Christian missionary testify in a church one day when I was surprised to hear him say that he had experienced terrible problems with demonic attacks on the mission field. Now, the attacks didn’t surprise me. Christians ministering in other dark places had told me of similar experiences. But what surprised me is that this man said that he didn’t know what to do about them. So in desperation, he went and got a minister "from one of those other churches” (his words) to come and pray for him and the work God was doing. The particularly horrific attack he described stopped immediately, and other attacks were diminished.

Since that time I have asked other missionaries how they prayed for their churches. Many had the same answer: they asked God to cover their ministry, their homes and their families with the blood of Jesus Christ and to put a hedge of protection around them. They even prayed this from day to day.

So is this scriptural? I believe that it is. Look at what Scripture says:

Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

In Revelation we are told of a terrible battle between the saints of the Lord and the enemy. The saints will overcome, we are told, by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus‘ blood, and by the word of their testimony. I believe that this is an ongoing battle, daily coming against the enemy with the Word of God, and with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Going back to the Old Testament, consider Job, a servant of God. What did Satan complain about?

Job 1:9-10 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land.”

According to Job 1:1-3 this hedge of protection protected Job, his seven sons and three daughters, his possessions including seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, complete with servants. Notice that these children were adults!

How did this hedge of protection come about?

Job 1:5 Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This Job did regularly.

Here we have the reason why there was a hedge of protection. The blood of the sacrifice Job made on a regular basis was the foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus Christ which is available to us now. Job sacrificed on a regular basis and all his household was covered. Similarly, I believe that we should ask for the blood of our sacrifice, Jesus Christ, to cover us and all our families and households on a regular basis.

Again, looking at the New Testament, we see this verse:

1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct….but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

The blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us. Together with Rev. 12:11 quoted above, we know that we are redeemed and can overcome Satan by of the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Looking again at the Old Testament, there are several instances of blood sacrifice. When giving instructions for the Passover, for example, God told Moses:

Exodus 12:3-7 “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying” ‘On the tenth of the month every man shall take for himself a lamb…for his household….Your lamb shall be without blemish….And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it,

Also, Exodus 12:13 (God speaking) “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike that land of Egypt.”

When the Temple and Aaron‘s sons were consecrated, the blood of sacrifice was sprinkled on them, Lev. 8:10-15, 19, 21, 30. Cleansing was also done by applying the blood of sacrifice for the Leper, Leviticus 14:1-18, esp. vv. 7-8, 13-14.

Consecration and cleansing was always done by using the blood of sacrifice.

The general principle is in this verse:

Hebrews 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Something else that is apparent in Scripture is that the blood was always applied. It was taken out of the bowl and sprinkled or smeared on the things it cleansed and consecrated.

We see in the Old Testament, for example, that the priest would sprinkle with hyssop, a small woody plant, that was dipped in the blood of sacrifice. By sprinkling with hyssop, people were made clean and consecrated. In Ps. 51:7, after his terrible sin with Bathsheba, David writes, Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. I believe that he is referring to cleansing his sin by sprinkling with the blood.

Look at these passages as well:

Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.

Heb. 9:19-21 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the blood itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.

Moreover, I believe that every believer is sprinkled by the blood of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 52 and 53 are prophetic passages that speak of the torment, crucifixion and death of Christ. Look at this passage:

Isaiah 52:13-15 Behold My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations....

We believers are those nations that have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood, to make us clean and cleanse us from all sin:

1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

I believe that every believer is cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ blood upon salvation. I believe also that we can ask for that blood covering from day to day. Just as Job sacrificed for his household and enjoyed a hedge of protection, so can we. The blood must be applied.

Sample Prayer: Father, thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, and for His precious blood that was shed for us on Calvary. Father, I pray for You to cover me and my household with the blood of Jesus Christ, and to put a hedge of protection around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Ariel
Copyright October 2007

Ariel · #5 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

IV. Curses and Word Curses--What They Are and How to Break Them

Testimony_______________________________________

It was one of those dreary Saturday mornings when the sun just wouldn't come out. I had been up early, and I was feeling depressed. I'd say one thing to my husband, and then another. Sometimes he'd respond. He was trying to read the paper, and I was trying to put the kitchen back together after the night before. There was nothing remarkable about that morning, except that the Lord spoke to me.

He spoke into my heart in that still small voice. He asked me to start labeling everything I said that morning as either positive or negative. Just that. I wondered, but decided to obey. So for the next two hours I started listening to myself. Negative, negative, negative. Everything I said was negative. It was then I noticed that every time I made a negative statement or observation, my dear spouse's shoulders would slump down a bit further. He was listening, and it was affecting him, too.

I began repenting. I asked the Lord to forgive me for being so negative. I decided to start throwing in some positive statements. I realized that this was something I would have to work on.

As I prayed for further understanding, the Lord showed me something that I still think about today. When I spoke so negatively, I was releasing a negative confession spiritually. A dark atmosphere came over my home, something you couldn't see naturally, but that was definitely there spiritually. It looked like dark clouds, darker than anything outside. The Lord took me to the book of Proverbs and asked me to keep track of scripture about speech. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit, Proverbs 18:21 said. There were many others. I began pondering how the tongue could bless or curse, and thought about the scripture in Proverbs 14:1 where it says, The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." Would I build my house, using positive speech, blessing my husband and children? Or would I pull them down with my negative words?

It was a battle, my old self didn't want to obey. But for the next six months I kept track of my speech, asking myself the question, was that positive or negative? Then the Lord spoke to me again and gave me a further challenge that I'm still trying to master today. He asked me to start labeling my thoughts. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, Jesus told us in Matthew 12:34. I needed to catch those thoughts before they came out of my mouth. And I needed to be more vigilant about what kind of stuff was going into my heart. This is still a challenge!

But I learned, and am still learning. As Christians, we have tremendous power with our words. A parent can break a child or build them up, just by words. A mother can color her family's whole day, just by her attitude and words. She is the heart of the home. She can make a difference to everyone.

_____________________________

A. Curses caused by words we or others have spoken.

Curses are negative words we speak about ourselves or others. These words may seem innocuous and harmless at the time, but they are not, for Scripture is clear about the power of the spoken word:

Prov. 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit

Prov. 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Just as positive words can build up, comfort and encourage, leading to life, negative words can tear down, discourage and destroy, leading to death. In James 3, we are told that a perfect man has perfect control of his tongue. Would that we were all perfect! But why does James emphasize the power of the tongue in this passage? Obviously because of the damage that can be done by it!

James 3:2, 6 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body…And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity! The tongue is so set among our members that is defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Many Christians agree that we must guard our tongue. And Scripture agrees:

Prov. 21:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

What seems less clear to Christians is the power of the tongue to curse others, and even put a yoke of oppression on them. Look at the link between cursing and oppression in the following Scripture:

Isaiah 58:9(b) If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk (NIV)

Ps. 17:8-12 Keep me as the apple of Your eye, hide me under the shadow of Your wings, from the wicked who oppress me….With their mouths they speak proudly….As a lion is eager to tear his prey….

Ps. 10:7-8 [The wicked] is full of cursing and deceit and oppression, under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.

Ps. 12:3-5 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own, who is lord over us?” "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."

Ps. 55:2-3 Attend to me and hear me, I am restless in my complaint and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, for they bring trouble down upon me, and in wrath they hate me….(see also vv. 9-11)

Curses cause oppression. Oppression is not like depression. Depression comes from within, and is often based on anger. Oppression comes from without, and can feel like a thick cloud of spiritual darkness. It can make you feel sick, isolated and cut off from God.

These curses can be broken:

Prov. 11:9 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

Prov. 12:6 The words of the wicked are, "Lie in wait for blood," But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

Prov. 14:3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Notice that the curses are broken through knowledge, and by the mouth of the upright. We break these curses in Jesus’ name.

Sample prayer: In the name of Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I break all curses against me and my household and family. I declare that no weapon formed against us shall prosper
(Is. 54:17), and nothing by any means shall harm us (Luke 10:19). I declare that the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped (Ps. 63:11).

The tongue of any person, Christian or non-Christian can curse. But these curses can be broken, as stated above, by knowing about them, by speaking against them and by breaking them in Jesus' name.

On the positive side, the tongue can bless. There is a story a pastor told my church about a man who spoke blessings over his family from day to day. Apparently, he not only blessed his immediate family, but his seed as well--the generations in the future. My pastor then read the list of persons who had descended from that man. The list included judges and representatives, doctors, lawyers and other esteemed professionals. It was an astonishing list.

The extent of that list bore witness to the fact that blessings are far stronger than curses. Look at this passage from the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:5 …For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

I experienced this truth, that blessings are strong. I have long been in the habit of blessing the people in schools and other public places as I drive by. One day as I was blessing a school, I became aware that someone had already blessed that place. I told the Lord, this has been blessed, and asked who did it. “You did,” He answered, and reminded me of a time a month previously when I had been praying for that school, its teachers, administrators, students and staff. I was blessed that day, to realize the power of our spoken words!

Given the power to bless, is it any wonder that when talking about being cursed, Jesus told us to bless those who curse us:

Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."

Matt. 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."

Jesus’ teaching is consistent with that given to Moses:

Lev.19:1,18 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “...You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Also, we are given David’s example in the Book of Psalms:

Ps. 109:4 In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer.

Paul gives us a similar teaching as well:

Romans 12:14, 21 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.

Regardless of how badly we are treated, we are told to not take vengeance but rather bless those who come against us.

I believe further, that when we bless others and pray, we can effect good in them, because Paul told us do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good, Romans 12:21. A Christian always has the ability to bless and thus make a difference. But because they have been sinned against, I believe that a Christian who is hurt and prays blessings anyway is praying a more powerful prayer, because God sees their hurt, their obedience and their sacrifice. He knows what it is costing them.

God is just. He hears the heart cry of those who have been hurt, but are determined to pray for those who have hurt them and desperately need Him:

Ps. 12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise, says the Lord.

Paul, who worked so hard to preach the Gospel, was cursed, reviled, whipped, beaten with rods and even stoned and left for dead. But here is what he tells us:

1 Corinthians 4:12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure, being defamed, we entreat….

Lest we are still tempted to curse, here is our example:

Luke 23:34 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other one the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

B. Curses caused by sin.

A second kind of curse occurs when someone sins and thus opens the door for demonic attack. This is especially true of recurring, habitual sin.

This truth was taught by Moses in the Old Testament when he told the people that if they obeyed God’s laws they would be blessed, but if they rebelled they would be cursed, Leviticus 26:3-46; Deuteronomy 28. He told them that they would have a choice:

Deut. 11:26 ”Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse; the blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.”

Deut. 30:19-20 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…."

The power of the blessing that comes with obedience--and the curse with disobedience--is illustrated by the story of Balaam, a prophet of God who was hired by a heathen king to curse Israel. In the book of Numbers (chapters 22-24), we see him repeatedly try to curse Israel--to no avail. Every time he opens his mouth to curse, a blessing comes out instead. In exasperation, the king berates him. Later, however, we are told that Balaam told the king how Israel could be cursed. Get them into sin, he counseled, Num. 31:16. So the king sent his temple prostitutes into the midst of Israel, Num. 25:1-3. The men fell for the ploy, joining themselves with a demon, Num. 25:3; 1 Cor. 10:20. The blessing over them disappeared. Instead they were cursed because of their sin, and a plague broke out. 24,000 of them fell that day, Num. 25:9.

Sin opens the door for Satan. By sin, we are joining ourselves with this enemy of our soul, and giving him legal right to attack us:

Psalm 94:20: The throne of iniquity [Satan]…devises evil by law…

The idea that obedience leads to life is also delineated in the Beatitudes where Jesus says, Blessed are the poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…the merciful…the pure in heart…the peacemakers…those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, Matt. 5:3-10. Their reward, we are told, is that the kingdom of heaven is theirs, and they will be comforted, inherit the earth, be filled, obtain mercy, see God and be called the sons of God, Matthew 5:3-10. Nor are these the only blessings for those who go on with Christ. There are many more blessings they will enjoy, both here and in eternity. True, they will suffer, John 16:33, and they will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12. But overwhelmingly they will be more than conquerors, Rom. 8:37, and overwhelmingly they will be blessed, Rev. 19:7-8.

By contrast, in Romans 6:23, we are told that the wages of sin is death, and even in the New Testament, a sinful lifestyle is recognized as cursed, Matthew 25:41 and 2 Peter 2:14.

Therefore we see that obedience, in both the Old and New Testament, results in blessing, and sin in death. Those who sin against the Lord open the door for demonic attack--for Satan to come to “kill, steal and destroy,” John 10:10.

Especially when sin is habitual, its deadliness is evident. Sin results in a lifestyle that is leads to death, and is cursed.

The curses that are caused by sin can be broken by doing three things:

(1) Repent of the sin, (Lev. 26:40-42; 1 John 1:9)
(2) Break the curse. Do this out loud in Jesus’ name;
(3) Be obedient to Scripture: Walk against the sin, and practice the exact opposite behavior. For example, practice humility instead of pride, compare James 4:6 to 4:10.

How to Overcome Sin

We can strengthen the hold sin has on our lives, or we can weaken it. An anecdote related years ago by one of my pastors, Rick Merrill, is that of an old Native American who had gotten saved and complained that ever since he got saved felt like he had a dog fight going on inside of him. He said he felt like there were two dogs, one evil and one good, and they were ripping at each other. “Well,” his pastor asked him, “which one is winning?” “The one I feed,” the Native American replied.

This is so true for sin. You get what you feed. The more you resist sin, the stronger you will get at resisting it. The more you give in, the stronger sin’s hold on you will be. Look at this:

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Who wants to be a slave of sin, which leads to death? I’d much rather be a slave of obedience, leading to righteousness--even though it costs me something at the time.

I have found it useful to use James 4:7-8 to help me get rid of sin in my life. When there is habitual sin, it seems there is always some demon attached to it, tempting me to fall into it again. So I apply the steps in these verses: first, I submit to God by confessing the sin, then I resist the sin out loud, saying something like, “You demon of (name the temptation), I resist you now in Jesus’ name and command you to flee!” Then I do the third step, and draw near to God by praising, worshiping, quoting Scripture, or even just thanking God for His goodness and for His love for me.

Something else I do when tempted is quote Scripture. A good place to quote are several passages in Romans 6, and especially these ones:

Romans 6:6. 11, 12, 14, 18 [My] old self was crucified with Christ….[and so now I am] no longer a slave to sin…[Therefore,] I reckon myself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus [my] Lord….Therefore, [I will not] let sin reign over my mortal body, that I should obey its lusts…for sin shall not have dominion over [me]…[for I have] been set free from sin, [and now I am a] slave of righteousness!

By the way, notice the context of the Roman 6 passage. It talks about our ability to overcome sin because we have been baptized into Jesus’ death, Rom. 6:3. This is one of the reasons I believe that we should get our new converts baptized as soon as possible.

How long does it take to break a sin habit? This will vary. I do know this: the more you walk with Christ, the less hold sin will have on you. You will sin less often. You will hate sin more. You will know how to attack the demon that comes with the temptation. And finally, you will have the wisdom of knowing when to run, 2 Timothy 2:22.

Breaking Curses in Intercessory Prayer

I will be going into more depth on intercessory prayer later, but I am going to give the intercessory application for breaking curses here. If you don’t understand this application, then wait, I will explain more fully later.

Because of sin in previous generations, demonic oppression, possession and attack can be passed down in a family, a group, or a church from one generation to another. These generational curses (e.g., Ex. 20:5), can be broken by first asking for forgiveness for the group or family, similarly to individual repentance and prayer.

See for example Nehemiah 1:1-7. In 586 B.C. Jerusalem had fallen, and Israel taken captive. In about 445 B.C., (141 years later) Nehemiah prayed to God, confessing Israel’s sin. He was heard. Also look at Daniel, who was taken captive in about 605 B.C.. Some 60 or so years later (around 545 B.C.) he says, “I was. . . confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,” Dan. 9:20. An intercessor can confess the sin of a group of people who lived even generations before them. In Jesus’ name, and by the prompting and power of the Holy Spirit, you can intercede this way as well.

Remember, Satan only has authority if there is unconfessed sin, Ps. 94:20. If that sin is confessed and covered by Jesus’ blood, then he no longer has authority in that area of your life, or the life of your family, group, or church.

However, it takes three things to break the curse that comes because of sin: First by prayer, confessing the sin. Second, breaking the curse in Jesus’ name. Third, the intercessor must obey God and walk against that sin, especially practicing the behavior required by Scripture that is opposite the sin. If, for example, the sin of a people has been pride, then humility must be practiced by that intercessor, even when--especially when--Satan uses the people they are praying for to come against them. Fighting and divisions are broken by peacemaking (without compromising the Word of truth), slander by blessing, stealing by reimbursement and generous giving, and so on. The teaching for this is in James 4, as I taught earlier.

Also, pray for God to save that person or people and fill them with the Holy Spirit so that there will be no room for ungodly spirits to return, and no legal hold:

Matt. 12:43-45 [Jesus speaking] “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then He says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first….”

So then, when curses are broken, always pray blessings, and especially the blessing of being turned away from iniquity and turned to God, Acts 3:26.

One last word: God loves His intercessors. They are blessed. Someday others will come to you and say, "I'm here because you prayed." Be blessed!

Ariel
Copyright October 2007

Ariel · #6 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

V. Tests Every Christian Goes Through: Forgiveness and Dealing With Difficult People

The ability to forgive, I believe, is a test every Christian faces. It certainly is also one of the stumbling blocks Satan uses to try to bring us down. I know, because I was one of Satan's victims once, bound up in unforgiveness. But the Lord in His graciousness reached out to me and helped me get out of the awful prison I was in.

James Dobson used to say that when a Christian gets hurt, the person most in danger spiritually is not the one who did the hurting, but the person who got hurt. It seems so unfair, but he‘s right. Often the person who hurt you has no idea what they've done. Do you remember how on the cross, Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34? They didn’t know. Like the Romans, often hurtful people are completely oblivious. But the person who got hurt is in tremendous spiritual danger if they become offended and don’t forgive.

If you don’t forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive you:

Matthew 6:14-15 (Jesus speaking) "For is you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Moreover, if you don't forgive, your prayers will not be heard:

Psalm 66:18 if I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

If you don’t forgive, you’ll be like the servant who would not forgive his fellow servant for a debt of about twenty dollars, even though his master had forgiven him for a debt of something near a million dollars. He was thrown into prison, Jesus tells us in Matthew 18, where he was tormented day and night. (Matthew 18:21-33)

I know about those tormentors. They used to come and visit me at night as I lay awake reviewing all the horrible things people had done to me. That prison of unforgiveness was a terrible place. I recommend forgiveness instead.

If you have problems with forgiveness, as I did, Colossians 3:13 helps. It says that we are to forgive one another, “even as Christ forgave you, you also must do.” I was reading that one day when I finally saw it. Of course! When Christ forgives us, He gives us the grace to forgive others. I can forgive other people because God forgave me for so much more.

Another Scripture that helped me was 1 Corinthians 6:7 where Paul says, “Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” As I thought about that one day, I realized that I would rather be wronged and cheated than to carry such a heavy load of unforgiveness. With tears running down my face, I prayed to the Lord, “Father, I am angry, and I have every right to be angry. But I’d rather be wronged, I’d rather be cheated than to carry this anger. Please forgive me. I am giving up my right to be angry. I’m giving it to You.” From that moment, I felt God take the burden of my anger away from me. And interestingly, it was from about that time that God began dealing with the people who had hurt me so badly that I had PTSD.

I also learned that forgiveness is a walk. Do you remember how Peter offered to forgive up to seven times, and Jesus answered more like 70 X 7 times? (Matthew 18:21-22) That would be 490 times. Sometimes I felt like I forgave all 490 times--in one week. But I was determined to forgive, and when those thoughts came into my mind, I would tear them down casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. 10:5. I also would say out loud that I chose to forgive! And then I would rebuke any tormenting spirits, and tell them to flee, in Jesus' name, James 4:7.

The Lord also continued to teach me how to deal with difficult people. Consider the following:

1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

Together with other Scriptures--Prov. 11:16 a gracious woman retains honor; and Romans 12:21 do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good, there is a pattern the Lord gives us of a gracious person who deals with others graciously and overcomes evil with good. He or she treats others with honor, yet at the same time retains his or her own honor and dignity.

I have seen this work! I’ve seen gracious words completely change unkind people! When I deal with others, I am determined to be kind, gracious and loving. I look for ways to give kind words to others--true words that are also kind. So, for example, I said to a woman who had been very unkind to me, that I really thought she looked well. I noticed her blouse and remarked what a nice color it was on her. All true comments. I remember this conversation because she was totally dumbfounded. She had been going around making cutting remarks about me. She knew that she didn’t deserve my kindness. And yet I was kind to her--with plenty of help from the Lord (Romans 5:5!).

That woman totally changed her treatment of me. Today when she sees me, she comes up and hugs me. Amazing.

Each of us can be a gracious person, as God directs, for Romans 5:5 says that the love of God is poured out by the Holy Spirit who is given to us. Romans 5:5 says that we have God’s love in us--isn’t that so amazing!

As for blessing, here is a Scripture you can pray even for your worst enemy. In Acts 3:26, where Peter is addressing the crowd on Solomon's porch, he says that God sent Jesus Christ to bless them, in turning every one of you away from your iniquities. What is the greatest blessing you have? Isn't it knowing Christ? Pray this blessing for your enemies, that they will come to know Christ, and that God will turn them away from their sins. Even if the person who is hurting you claims to be a Christian, pray for them to come to know Christ more deeply, and for Him to turn them away from their sin. Also remember that if they are coming against you, they are coming against the blood of Christ which covers you, 1 Peter 1:2. God will deal with them--as long as you don't get in the way.

In almost every case, being gracious and kind helps tremendously in dealing with difficult people. There are times, though, when another approach is appropriate. Jesus didn't stay around the Pharisees when they were set on destroying Him. He retreated, John 11:54. Similarly, when a person is set on destroying you, retreat. You may also have to go to the governing authorities and ask for help. Ministering authorities are, after all, given to us by God to protect us, Romans 13:1-4.

Even in retreat or going to authority, FORGIVE. Forgive, and firmly give the situation to the Lord. Forgive, and continue praying blessings on the person who has hurt you, especially the blessing in Acts 3:26. You cannot change them. Only Your Father in heaven can do a work in them at that point--and His work will be hindered if you try to take justice into your own hands.

So forgive, and return good for evil. And bless, so that your Father in heaven can bless you. Because God does bless those who are like Him--kind, forgiving and loving, pouring out mercy even when it is not deserved.

Ariel
Copyright October 2007

Ariel · #7 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

VI. Worship and Warfare

How often we feel the presence of the Lord as we worship! And this is scriptural, for Psalm 22:3 says that God is enthroned on the praises of His people.

I believe there is more to this as well. When we worship, I believe we are lifted into God's presence, Heb. 12:22-24. I believe that the presence of God on our lives--His presence which each of us received upon salvation--increases. And I believe that while we are in worship God fights for us. His very presence on us causes every unclean thing to leave.

This link between worship and warfare is clear in Scripture. For example, Psalm 149 enjoins the saints to be joyful and praise with a two-edged sword in their hand. Then look at the next part, where that sword is used to execute the written judgment on nations:

Ps. 149:5-9 Let the saints be joyful in glory,
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand.

To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the Lord!

I believe that nations in Psalm 149 are the enemies of the saints referred to in Ephesians:

Eph. 6:12 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.

Who has this honor to worship and war? We do--all of us!

The link between worship and warfare is apparent in other Scripture as well. For example, there is an amazing account of a king of Judah who faced three enemy kings. Believing that God would fight for him, he put his singers and worshipers ahead of his army. Look what happened:

2 Chron. 20:21-22 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, and they went out before the army and were saying, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.

As remarkable as this story is, it was not the first time the Lord had fought for His people. Jericho was a fortified city. Yet it was taken by a people who were determined to follow the Lord in spiritual warfare. Told by the Lord to circle the city silently once each day for six days, and then seven times the seventh day, the people obeyed. They were also told to be silent until told to shout on the seventh day. The only sound was the continual blowing of the shofar--ram’s horns all seven days, Joshua 6:13. This was worship. Look at what happened:

Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and the took the city.

By the way, I believe that the walls did not fall down, in part because of the phrase “every man went straight before him,” and also because Rahab’s house was on the wall and she was not hurt. There was no rubble. Those walls, I believe, were pushed into the ground.

Psalm 22:3 says that God is enthroned on the praises of His people. Worship brings the presence of God, and when God is so overwhelmingly present, He fights for His people. Sometimes this worship doesn’t make sense to us.

Consider for example this example--warfare with tambourines and harps:

Isaiah 30:32 For through the voice of the Lord, Assyria will be beaten down, as He strikes it with the rod. And in every place where the staff of punishment passes, which the Lord lays on him, it will be with tambourines and harps; and in battles of brandishing He will fight with it.

The principles to learn from all these instances, I believe are these: Realize that worship magnifies the Lord and His presence with us. Also realize that this worship may not make sense in the natural--but the Lord will fight for us. If there is a key principle, it is follow the Lord, John 12:26, even in worship.

Here is an experience which dumbfounded me:

A Vision____________________________________________

We were in church, praising and worshiping when suddenly I had a vision in the Spirit. I could still see us praising and worshiping, but I could see the effect in the spirit as well. Our praise looked like pure, crystal water coming out of our mouths. It was beautiful and glorious, filled with glints of light. As we continued praising, the level of the water kept getting higher. It seemed to cover our heads and go up to the ceiling. Then I looked at the stage where the worship team was. One woman was standing and praising, but water wasn’t coming out of her mouth--mud was. A stream of mud came out of her mouth as she sang, and hit the stage. It went down instead of up, and was filling the stage around her with mud.

Disturbed, I knelt at my chair and began crying out in the Spirit. What is wrong, I asked the Lord. He answered that she had been slandering our pastor. I cried in intercession for God to show her this and correct her.

I didn’t tell anyone what I had seen, not until much later. I believe that when God gives a vision like that, it is not for public consumption, but rather so that someone will pray. I didn’t even go to the woman, because God didn’t send me. I just quietly prayed for her. During that week I found out that what the Lord had said was right. She had been slandering our pastor.

Is that scriptural, I wondered. And what was God trying to teach me?

_________________

Is it possible--as in the vision above--for worship to be an abomination to the Lord?

After this experience, I searched the Scriptures. I needed to know if this was right. And this is always good to do when you have a spiritual experience. God’s Word is sovereign. If your experience does not line up with the Word, throw it out, 1 Thess. 5:21.

But I believe that this experience was valid. The Word of God does teach that worship can be an abomination to the Lord.

Consider the following:

Prov. 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

Prayer with wrong motives is an abomination to the Lord. A New Testament example is the Pharisee who prayed, trusting in himself that he was righteous and despising others, Luke 18:9-14. This man was not justified by God, Jesus tells us.

James 3 is a well known passage on control of the tongue. But realize that this passage is also a comment on praise that is offered to God from the same lips that slander a brother or sister in the Lord. This kind of praise is not accepted by God!

James 3:2-12 …[i]If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses‘ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell….But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing….Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree…bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Is it possible to bless God, and at the same time curse men who are made in the image of God, James 3:9? James makes it clear that this is impossible. A spring doesn’t bring forth both fresh and brackish water, James 3:11.

Similarly, it is impossible to worship God, curse others and expect God to be pleased with our worship. A person who slanders others and then comes to worship does not bless God. The worship of someone who is slandering others is an abomination to God.

What then is effective worship?

1 Peter 2:5 and 9-10 is a glorious picture of spiritual worship:

1 Peter 2:5 …you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

But notice the verses before and after these passages:

1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking…

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul

We all fall short of the glory of God. How can we worship when we have sinned against God? Hosea tells us, take words and return!

Hosea 14:1-2 O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity; take words with you, and return to the Lord, say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips."

What words?

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

àPlease note that this verse was not written to unbelievers. It was written to believers

In summary, the attitude that worships the Lord is an attitude of brokenness. It is a crying out to God to make our heart clean, to turn us from sin, to help us hate evil and every false way. It is an attitude that loves God and puts Him first in every way.

Be blessed!

Ariel
Copyright October 2007

Ariel · #8 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

VII. A Closer Walk

Testimony________________________________________________________

We met over a chess board. I had pushed my knight down the board, threatening him with a rook-queen fork. The next move would have taken out one of his major pieces. He took a long look at me. “Let’s start again,” he said.

Thirty six years, eight pregnancies and six children later, we are still very much in love. But even we had problems ten years ago when his job changed and he began working 80 hours a week. He was gone before breakfast and almost never home for dinner. He was trying to survive on four hours of sleep at night. Our relationship was like ships passing in the night, a tired acknowledgement of each other as we went by. Our marriage, as solid and loving as it had been, began to feel flimsy. Something had to change.

Finally, we sat down together and realized that the sacrifice was too great. I could take all the burden of the family off of him, I could handle the kids’ problems, do the school pick ups and drop offs and manage the household alone, but I still needed him. I needed him just to talk to me every once in a while. We rearranged our lives, rearranged his schedule, and decided that no matter what, we would have an appointment to sit and talk at least once a week. Gradually his hours became more flexible and his job less demanding. He still often works 60 hour weeks. But we have found the formula that keeps our marriage strong: time together, time just to sit and talk.
__________________________________________________________________

Where did Jesus’ power come from?

Was He born with it? I don’t believe so. When Jesus came down from heaven and was born as a baby, He stripped Himself of all His own power, glory and dominion:

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Later, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and we are told that as He came up out of the water, “the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him,” Matthew 3:16

Jesus set aside all His power and glory, was born as a man, and then was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. We know this about Him as well: He was well versed in Scripture, even from childhood, Luke 2:46-47, and knew Scripture from memory. When Satan tempted Him, He used three different verses from the book of Deuteronomy to ward him off, Matt. 4:1-10. He knew His authority, and He knew the Word of God. Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer, Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; 9:28. We also know that Satan had no dominion or authority over Jesus, because Jesus said that the ruler of this world was coming, but “he has nothing in me,” John 14:30. Jesus was tempted, as we are, but He never sinned, Hebrews 4:15.

I believe that believers who follow Jesus in His manner of life will also be like Him in character, and will walk in His power. If there is a lesson to be learned from studying Jesus’ life it is this: Know the Lord, be baptized, be filled with the Holy Spirit, spend time studying the Word of God and in prayer, and make certain that Satan has no dominion over you in any area of your life. Know who you are in the Lord, and use your authority.

There is more: Jesus never did or said anything unless the Father did or said that first. His motive was always to please the Father, to do what the Father wanted, and to do it for His glory alone. Jesus was completely dependent on the Father. This dependency is especially apparent in the book of John:

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

John 5:19, 30 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner….I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.”

John 6:38 ”For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 7:16, 18 Jesus answered and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me…..He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks that glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness, is in Him.”

John 8:29 “And He who sent me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

John 12:49 ”For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak….whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.

John 14:10, 24, 31 ”Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works….the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father‘s who sent Me…as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.”

Here, I believe, is the principle for successful ministry: seek to do our Father’s will, do what the Father asks, speak what the Father speaks, seek always only to please the Father, and seek to glorify God and Him alone.

Why the complete dependence? This was obedience, certainly. It also was love. Jesus loved the Father:

John 14:31 ”But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do.”

He also loved us:

John 15:13 ”Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Something else to note: Jesus focused completely on the Father. Psalm 16 is a messianic psalm, in that it talks about the Messiah to come. Peter quotes this psalm in reference to Jesus in Acts 2:25-28 and 2:31.

I especially like the NAS translation of these two verses:

Psalm 16:8 I have set the Lord continually before Me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Acts 2:25 ”For David says of Him, ’I was always beholding the Lord in My presence; for He is at My right hand that I may not be shaken.”

In summary, a study of the life of Jesus shows us how to walk closely with our Father God. First and foremost, love God. Second, focus on Him. Seek to please Him in everything you do. Let the motive of your heart be to glorify God. Develop a closeness in your relationship with Him: spend time in prayer and Bible study. Seek to follow Him, always.

A life lived this way, I believe, is a life that is pleasing to God, which will bear much fruit. The following are suggestions for a closer walk in Christ.

1. Choose to live for Christ.

This verse used to puzzle me:

Matthew 11:12 (Jesus speaking) “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”

The violent take the kingdom by force? Then one day I realized that there is a kind of force available to every believer: the force of will.

Following Christ always involves our will. We can choose to ask Jesus Christ to come into our lives or not. We can choose to seek Him. We can choose to grow in Him. Jesus Himself said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Choose to live for Christ, even if that choice means denial of self.

2. Fix your eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…. (NIV)

The context of this verse is a race, where the racer fixes their eyes on the goal and runs with perseverance, laying aside “every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,” Heb. 12:1.

Have you ever watched an Olympic sprinter? I was watching Jackie Joyner Kersee. I noticed that this is exactly what she did--she focused her eyes on the finish line, and readied herself to run. She never took her eyes off of the goal, not even to look at the people beside her. She just ran!

Hebrews 2:1 counsels us also not to drift. Here is another analogy: a person in a row boat, rowing to a point onshore, let‘s say a lighthouse. If they don’t focus on that point, they will have difficulty getting close to the lighthouse. But if they fix their eyes on that point and row steadily, they will make progress.

Jesus is our lighthouse. Would you like to get closer to Him? Then fix your eyes on Jesus, and row steadily!

Continuing this metaphor, what could the oars be? Prayer and God’s Word! If both are used with perseverance, then it is possible to grow in the Lord--and get closer to Him!

Carrying on this comparison a bit further, what would happen if you only used one oar, say prayer, but no bible study? Wouldn’t you go in circles? Similarly, bible study but no prayer will not result in much spiritual progress.

And bible study without prayer and without faith is completely dead!

Hebrews 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

3. Spend time with the Lord everyday. Pray.

Here is one definition of prayer: Prayer is a cry from the heart that is couched in relationship with God.

Prayer doesn’t have to use words. Hannah, for example, was praying and moving her lips, but no words came out. The priest thought she was drunk, 1 Samuel 1:13. God heard her prayer. Prayer can be with tears, Ps. 126:6, but it does not have to be with words.

The most effective prayer, I’ve found, comes with brokenness, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, these, O God, you will not despise,” Ps. 51:17. Do you recall Jesus’ account of two men who went to pray at the Temple? One was self-satisfied. The other was humble and prayed for God‘s mercy. Which one was justified before God? Luke 18:9-14.

Prayer is strengthened by relationship. Just as a marriage is strengthened by spending time together, so is your relationship with God strengthened by spending time alone with Him. The psalmist said, “Seven times a day I praise You!” Psalm 119:164. Whether this is a literal number, or just descriptive of a close relationship with God, here is a challenge for us all. The point is to spend time with the Lord, from early morning to late at night, praying on the go sometimes, but also spending time alone just focused on the Lord. Praise Him. Worship Him.

This is an effective way to come into prayer:

Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.

Here is a practical help if you have difficulty praying. Just thank the Lord for His goodness to you, your family, your home, your life. Thank Him for His kindness in revealing Himself to you. Thank Him for His character.

Also, another help. Try to find a regular time every day just to pray. It may only be a few minutes at first. But pray, make it a habit. As in my testimony above, even the best marriage suffers if there is not time alone together. Similarly, your relationship with God will also suffer if you don’t have this time with Him on a regular basis.

There are several hindrances to prayer. The biggest is sin:

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

As in the example Jesus gave in Luke 18:9-14, prayer filled with pride and self involvement does not please God. And prayer from a sinful heart is not heard at all.

There is only one prayer that God hears from a person in sin: the cry for forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 was written to believers:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Also look at the next verse:

1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

I have found it useful to always ask God to search my heart as I go into prayer, Ps. 139:23. I ask Him to show me anything that I need to change in my life as well as any sin. Correction is a blessing, always, Ps. 141:5.

4. Spend time reading the Word of God everyday.

Psalm 19 expresses this so well. It says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” (Ps. 19:7).

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul talks about our spirit, soul and body. Each of us is a spirit. Each of us has a soul. Each of us lives in a body. When you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior, your spirit became Christ’s. Your soul, however, is still in process of being sanctified. Your soul is your mind, your will, and your emotions. Both Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 counsel putting to death the deeds of the flesh and putting on the new man you are in Christ. This is the process of sanctification, becoming holy in every part of your being. Going back to Psalm 19:7, see how reading the Word of God everyday can help, for God’s Word converts the soul!

Reading God’s Word also strengthens faith. Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Here is how to grow in faith: read God’s Word! Put it into practice. Love God by honoring Him and obeying His commandments, John 14:15, 21.

John 14:15, 21 (Jesus speaking) If you love Me, keep My commandments....He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and manifest Myself to him.

Didn't Jesus ask us to love God?

Mark 12:30 …you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

How to love God: read His Word and obey what He teaches!

Here are some suggestions for reading the Bible:
a) Always pray before you read and ask God to teach you. Thank Him that He will.
b) Pray as you read, especially when you find a passage that applies to your life. Ask God to help you obey Him.
c) Obey what God teaches you in the Word. This is the fastest way to grow in the Lord.
d) Read every day. Don’t let a day go by without spending at least a few minutes reading your Bible.

One last tip--may I suggest? If you have never read the Bible before on a continuing basis, or if it has been a long time, start reading in the book to John. This is God’s love letter to you. Read a chapter a day. Read slowly enough to pray through passages. Honor God by obeying what He teaches you.

Once you have read through the book of John, read Matthew, Mark and Luke. Then read the rest of the New Testament. Then start reading in Psalms and Proverbs. Finally, read the Old Testament. Jesus said that every scribe (scholar) who is instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven “is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old,” Matthew 13:52. Would that all of us were able to delve the richness and the depths of both the New and Old Testament! For both parts speak of Christ, from Genesis to Revelation, and both testaments hold truths that can help us in our walk with Christ today.

5. Follow Jesus.

Jesus gave us the instruction to follow Him:

John 12:26 ”If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him my Father will honor.”

We follow Jesus as we obey Him. In a still deeper sense, we follow Him if we live as He did, setting the Father always before Him, and never doing or saying anything unless God was in it. Imagine the godliness of this kind of life.

Be blessed!

Ariel
Copyright October 2007

Ariel · #9 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

VIII. How to Hear God’s Voice

Hebrews 1:1-2 God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last day spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds….”

God has spoken to us by His Son. Here, in this first verse of the book of Hebrews, we find that God has spoken to us by giving us His Son, by sending Him into the world to die for us, so that through His death we could be saved. How much more eloquently can God tell us that He loves us?

As we read the Old Testament we also see the “various ways” by which God spoke. God spoke directly to Noah, Gen. 6:13-21. Moses saw a burning bush, and heard an audible voice, Exodus 3:1-4. Jacob dreamt a dream of a ladder and angels, and heard God speak to him in a dream, Genesis 28:10-15. Joseph dreamt dreams that made his brothers burn with jealousy, Gen. 37:5-11. The Lord spoke directly to both Moses and Aaron, Exodus 12:1, and when Moses spoke with God, his face shone, Ex. 34:29-30. Elijah heard God speak in a “still, small voice,” 1 Kings 19:12. Samuel audibly heard the Lord’s voice when he was still a young child, 1 Samuel 3:1-10. Ezekiel had visions in which God’s Spirit lifted him up and showed him different cities, Ezek. 8:4; 11:24. Daniel was told Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its interpretation in a “night vision“, Dan. 2:19. Another time, an angel of the Lord appeared to Daniel and spoke with him, Dan. 9:21. These are just a few. Realize that God can and has spoken in a variety of ways in Old Testament times.

But does God still speak to us today? I believe He does. First, Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit:

John 14:16-18 (Jesus speaking) “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. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

John 16:13-15 ”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.”

This promise that we will hear the Holy Spirit was so immediate and so strong, that Jesus promised that even in times of extreme trial we would be able to hear Him speak to us through the Holy Spirit:

Mark 13:11 (Jesus speaking) ”But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

The ability to hear God’s voice, I believe, belongs to all of God’s children:

John 10:27 (Jesus speaking) “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

Jesus’ sheep hear His voice, not just upon initial salvation, but from day to day as they follow Him. Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “My extra-special, extra-long, extra-woolly merino sheep hear My voice, “ or, “Only My male sheep with staggeringly big horns hear My voice.” Jesus just said, “My sheep.” If you are God’s sheep, you should be able to hear His voice.

But how to hear God’s voice? And also, how can you be sure that what you hear is God’s voice, and not your own voice--or the enemy’s?

First and foremost, remember that God’s Word is His voice. This is the foundation for hearing God’s voice. It is also the measure used to determine whether something is from God or not.

Do you want to hear God’s voice? Then spend more time in His Word. A good rule is that the more you are in God’s Word, the more His Word will be in you. Reading, studying and memorizing the Bible will strengthen and increase your faith, Rom. 10:17. It will also enable you to know His nature and character. Finally, it will enable you to recognize His voice, because you are already listening to Him from day to day as you read the Word of God.

When it comes to spiritual matters, GIGO is true! GIGO is a business acronym that stands for “garbage in, garbage out.” What we put in our spirit is what we can expect to hear. Jesus said, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” Matthew 12:34. Therefore, put good things into your spirit! Turn off the voices of the world--TV, newspapers, books, at least for a while, and spend time in God’s Word instead. Read, study, memorize. Compare spiritual things with spiritual. This more than anything else will help you hear God speak to you, through His Word, and in other ways as well.

There are several other ways we can hear God’s voice, but here is a foundational principle which must always be applied:

There is only one Holy Spirit. He wrote the Word of God, 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us. He does not speak against Himself, He does not deny Himself and He never contradicts Himself. Therefore ANY other guidance you get from the Holy Spirit must be consistent with God’s Word. If it is not, then throw it out.

No matter how lovely, how spiritual, or how convincing a vision, dream or experience may be, if that experience is not consistent with God’s Word and character, then DO NOT ACCEPT IT.

Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Throw out a bad word, even if you’ve seen an angel!

2 Corinthians 11:14 …For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Remember that Satan can do miracles, Exodus 7:11-12, 22; 8:7, he can quote God’s Word, Matt. 4:1-10, and he can even appear as an angel, 2 Cor. 11:14. EVERY word received, whatever the source should ALWAYS be tested by God’s Word. NO EXCEPTIONS. To accept any word that is inconsistent with God’s Word is to open yourself to deception.

God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. He can also speak to us in other ways, just as He spoke in Old Testament times. Moreover, we have the promise of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth. We also have this promise:

Acts 2:17 (Peter quoting Joel 2:28) ”‘And it shall come to pass in the last days,’ says God, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.’”

What promise is given in this Scripture? Is it not that both men and women would prophesy, see visions and dream dreams? We saw that several men of God had had these same experiences in the Old Testament. Now God says that He is pouring out His Spirit on “all flesh.” This includes us!

As we read the book of Acts, there are several examples that show us how God’s guidance can be manifested. For example, in Acts 9:11, God tells the prophet Ananias to “go to the street called Straight“ and look for Saul of Tarsus at the house of someone called Judas. In Acts 10:19-20, Peter is told to go downstairs and meet three men and go with them. This directive resulted in the salvation of Cornelius’s household, Acts 10:44. In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit told the church at Antioch to separate Paul and Barnabas for God’s work. In Acts 16:6, 9, 10, Paul had a night vision of a man in Macedonia pleading him to come and help him. Paul correctly interpreted this as a directive from the Holy Spirit to go to Macedonia and preach the Gospel. In Acts 18:5, Paul felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to testify to the Jews in Corinth that Jesus was the Christ. In Acts 21:4, Paul was warned not to go to Jerusalem. In Acts 27:23, Paul tells of seeing an angel the night before, who reassured Paul that the lives of those on the ship he was on would be spared.

These New Testament examples are instances of personal guidance, sometimes given through others, but nevertheless witnessed by those who received it. Does God still give personal guidance today? I believe He does. Here are the reasons I believe that God still gives words of personal guidance today:

1. We have been promised that the Holy Spirit will speak to us, John 16:13, and that He will teach us and bring His Word to our remembrance, John 14:26; 1 John 2:27
2. We are told that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer, Acts 2:17-18.
3. We have the example of guidance in the book of Acts, a book given to us, I believe, to show us what the Church should look like, and how it should operate.
4. We are told by Jesus Himself that He will never leave us or forsake us, Heb. 13:5, and also that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Hebrews 13:8.
5. We are still in the same covenant that was sealed by the blood of Christ, and evidenced in the book of Acts. Therefore, everything we see in the early church can and should still be happening today.

Therefore, it should be possible today to hear God’s voice, either audibly or in one‘s spirit, to be guided by God in a dream, to have a vision, to be directed in ministry, and to be called to ministry by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Our problem, of course, is that we can hear more than one voice. Realize that there are three sources of guidance:

First, and most likely, your own voice. This can be the voice of your soul--your mind, your will and your emotions. Included are the “tapes” you may have left over from childhood, voices from the past that have been deeply embedded into your soul.

Second, there is the voice of the enemy, probably not Satan, as there is only one of him and he is not omnipresent. But certainly Satan assigns demons against Christians, and these demons can interject thoughts into a person’s mind, even if they are Christian. Remember that Satan tempted Jesus, Matt. 4:1-10, and therefore can also tempt you. Most demonic directives come with craftiness and a negative emotion, such as fear, despair, confusion, a feeling of isolation, or even pride. A demon can interject a thought into your head, something like, “I’m so sick and tired of…” or, “I hate such and such….” These can be discerned, as I will discuss below.

Third, there is God’s voice, who may speak Himself, or may speak through your spirit, Prov. 20:27: The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.

How to get God’s guidance? Ask for it. Spend time in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of His word, and to lead you and guide in all truth, John 14:26. Remind yourself that God does promise you His guidance:

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

When asking God for personal guidance, I have found it useful to spend time shutting off the other two voices that are not God: my own thoughts, and those of Satan.

To do this, I first practice James 4:7-8. I submit to God, asking Him to show me any sin I need to confess and turn from. Second, I resist every devil that would try to speak to me. I do this out loud, in Jesus’ name. Third, I spend some time in worship, drawing near to God.

I still need to deal with my own mind, will and emotions, however! I quote verses like Galatians 5:24, that I am crucifying my flesh with all its passions and desires. I choose to be dead to self. I also tell God all my own great ideas and tell Him that I am putting these on the altar. I tell Him that I will not act on any of these ideas unless I know that He is giving them to me. I choose to wait, and listen. This may take days, and even longer. There is a test here--am I willing to wait on God? But many times I hear from God quickly, and I know the answer in my spirit.

When God speaks, He may speak without words, just a sense of knowing what to do, and a deep sense of peace about it. The answer may come in other ways as well, perhaps as a Scripture that rings through your spirit. Perhaps you are reading God’s Word, and find your answer right in front of you, in your daily reading. God can also speak with words, audibly, or, more likely, in that “still small voice” Elijah experienced, 1 Kings 19:12. God can speak through a dream. These dreams are not the usual dreams. They are clear, and clearly remembered. They also are filled with peace, regardless of the content. God can speak through visions. Most likely these visions will be things you see not with your eyes, but with your spirit. God can also speak through an open vision which you see with your eyes, but this is rare.

The question is, how to discern what is truly of God, and what is not?

Here are some guidelines:

1. First and foremost, any word or guidance must be consistent with God’s Word.

--For example, I had a pastor once who as a young man believed that he had a word from God that he should divorce his wife. Clearly, this was not God, and thankfully, he didn’t do it!
--Similarly, a “word” that says that Jesus is coming on a specific date is also not from God, because the Word says that we will know neither the time nor the season when Christ returns, Matt. 24:42, 44, 1 Thess. 5:1-2.

2. Any word or guidance should also be consistent with God’s character. For example:

--A prophetic word that condemns a person is not from God. God never condemns His people, Romans 8:1.
--A prophecy that is full of confusion or causes confusion is not from God, James 3:16. Our God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, 1 Cor. 14:33.
--Similarly, suspect a prophecy as bogus if the “word” is changed. Again, God is not the author of confusion, and He won‘t give a word and then change it.
--A prophecy that makes people fearful is not from God. Our God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, 2 Timothy 1:7.
(Do you remember the “Y2K” dire prophecies? They were filled with fear.)

3. ALL prophetic words or guidance, AND those who give them should meet the standards of James 3:17-18:

James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

--For example, if a “word” causes covetousness, it is not from God. It is not pure.
--Similarly, if a so-called “prophet” is living a sinful lifestyle, reject any word from him or her. They are not pure.
--Here is another example, that actually happened at my church: a woman came in who was not part of the church, nor submissive to any pastor, and gave a “word” that if we didn’t buy the land that was near us, the children in our nursery would not grow up to serve God. She then became angry when she was asked to sit down. Consider the indications that this word was not from God: this woman was not in submission to anyone, she was not willing to yield, there was no mercy and no peace, and her word was filled with fear, ‘If you don’t do this, your children won’t serve God!’

4. God’s word comes with peace, always, James 3:17-18, above. Satan can do miracles, quote Scripture and appear as an angel of light, but I have never known him to be able to imitate God’s peace. If you are being directed by the Holy Spirit, there will be a sense of peace in your spirit, always. Satan pushes with fear. God leads with peace.

5. Ask what the fruit of that word is. Jesus said that we would know false prophets by their fruit, Matt. 7:15-20. The same test can be applied to prophecy. What is the fruit? Fear? Confusion? Despair? Peace? Encouragement?

6. A word that is truly from God will draw you to Him, not drive you away. This same test can be applied to any sermon or teaching. For example, if you are given a word that generally says that you are no good and you might as well give up now, that is not God.

7. If you are a child of God, then any prophetic word should speak to your spirit as well. The same Holy Spirit who can give a word through another person lives in you, Romans 8:9. Therefore, your own spirit should testify whether or not a word is a good word.

8. Test the spirits! Any spirit speaking to you should be able to say that Jesus is Lord, and that He has come in the flesh, 1 John 4:1-3, 1 Cor. 12:3.

For example, suppose you believe that the Holy Spirit is telling you to do something. Say something like, “In Jesus name, I command you to tell me if Jesus is Lord, and if He has come in the flesh.” If the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, He will affirm both statements. He will also be pleased that you are testing the spirits, as 1 John 4:1 commands. If, on the other hand, a demon is speaking to you, that demon will deny both statements--or disappear. There will be no affirming statement.

I have heard of this test being used on people as they were giving demonic words. Because they were under demonic influence, they were not able to say these two statements, that Jesus is Lord, and that He has come in the flesh. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the boldness to try this test myself while another person was speaking, even though I knew that the word they gave was not from God. Too bad! Many people were misled by these so called "prophets."

9. A final test: Did that word come to pass? If the word given doesn't come to pass, then suspect that this word was not from God. Remember, though, that even the most positive prophecy is contingent on obedience for fulfillment. The word given may have been a good word. For example, Israel was told they would go to the promised land. Was this word fulfilled? It was fulfilled only for two of the original people, Joshua and Caleb, because of Israel's disobedience and unbelief, Heb. 3:18-19.

In summary, it is possible to hear God’s voice. God’s word tells us not to despise prophecies, 1 Thess. 5:20, but at the same time, the next verse tells us to “test all things.” We should not be gullible. God can speak to us today, but every word should be tested, always.

Diana Clancy
Copyright, November 2007

Ariel · #10 29th October 2007, 12:18 PM

IX. When We Pray for Others--Intercession

Many years ago, as I was reading in the book of Ezekiel, I came across this verse and began crying. Surely this is one of the saddest verses in the Bible:

Ezekiel 22:30 (God speaking) So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

Some people think that God wants to go around punishing people. I even heard a woman say to her young daughter, “God is going to get you!” I wanted tell her how wrong she was. I didn’t. We were at a party at the time. I could only sit there, stunned, feeling so sorry for her daughter who must have a dismal image of God.

God is not out to get people. God is love. He desires to be merciful. Yet He can’t always be so, because He has to follow His own Word, Ps. 138:2, and He must judge sin, Deut. 32:4, Ps. 9:7-8, Ezekiel 7:27; Hebrews 10:30. Yet His heart is not for evil, but for good. Look at these other verses from the book of Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 18:23 “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?”

Ezekiel 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!“

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, “As I live,” says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?”

God does not want to punish sin, yet He must. Still, if there is an intercessor to plead with God, then judgment can be averted. One function of an intercessor is to plead for God’s mercy for another person, city, people or nation.

An intercessor is a person who stands in the gaps:

Ezekiel 13:5 (God addressing false prophets) “You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord.”

What are these gaps? Here is the definition from Strong’s Concordance:

Gap Strong's # 6556 (Heb.) "perets" A break, breach, gap.

There are two gaps. One is between God and the person an intercessor is praying for. Here is one example:

Psalm 106:23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.

In the above verse, Moses stood between God and the children of Israel.

Here is an example of a second gap:

Psalm 106:30-31 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped. And that was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forevermore.

Phinehas stood between the children of Israel and the plague they had invited when they gave Satan authority by worshiping Baal of Peor, and thus joining themselves to a demon, Numbers 25:3, 1 Cor. 10:20 .

There are TWO gaps: a gap between God and man, and a gap between man and Satan

When we pray for others, we stand in two gaps: First, between God and the person we are praying for; and, second, between the person we are praying for and the destruction that person should be reaping.

Here is a question someone asked in a Sunday school class I was in: Can God change His mind? Every other person said, no, absolutely not, God doesn’t change His mind. I insisted that He can and does--and was vigorously outvoted by somewhere around 18 to one!

But look at these verses:

Jonah 3:4-5, 10 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them…..Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Jonah 4:1, 10-11 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry….But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left--and much livestock?”

God can change His mind. Even when a prophecy for disaster is given, that judgment can be averted by the way that prophecy is received. In this case, the people of Nineveh turned from their sin.

A negative prophecy can also be averted by an intercessor standing in the gap for someone, and praying for mercy. Here is an example:

Exodus 32:7-13 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!'” And the Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all the land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'” So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.[/b]

An intercessor standing in the gap, as prompted by the Holy Spirit, can change God’s mind. In the example above, look at some of the elements. In the beginning, God says that the people are Moses’ people. Moses, however, responds that these are God’s people, and then puts God in remembrance of His promises to His people. We can do the same thing as we pray today. We can identify a people as God’s people, and remind God of His promises to them, asking for His mercy.

It is also possible for an intercessor to confess the sins of a people as their own, even a people who have lived generations before them. Here is an example:

Daniel 9:1-20, especially verses 4-7, 20 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even to departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land….Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God….

See also the complete passage, Daniel 9:1-20. Notice how many times Daniel confesses sin for himself and his people, and how he interjects his plea for mercy based on God’s character and His promises.

Another example is Ezra, Ezra 9:1-15 , especially verse 6:

Ezra 9:6: (Ezra praying) “Oh my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.”

Still another example, Nehemiah in Nehemiah 1:1-11, especially verses 6-7:

Nehemiah 1:6-7 (Nehemiah praying) “please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which you commanded Your servant Moses.

It helps, of course, to have a list of sins to confess. I have found it possible to seek the Lord, asking for such a list for my own family, my church, my city and my country. I have also included an appendix at the end of this series called "A Partial List of Sins." This is useful to have when praying for others--or ourselves!

Confession for others is possible for:

Your family:

Job 1:4-5 And his sons would go and feast in their houses…So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

Your church:

Joel 2:17 Let the priests who minister to the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach.”

God‘s people:

1 Kings 8: 57-58 “May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.”

Nehemiah 1:5-7 And I said: "I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statues, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses."

Your country:

Daniel 9:3-8 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes, and I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments, neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day…O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.”

Your forefathers:

Lev. 26:40-42 (God speaking) “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me….if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt--then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land.”

Your enemies:

Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Conditions for intercession.

Over the years, I have spoken with intercessors, some of whom told me that they didn’t like praying for others because they always got attacked, physically, financially and or in their relationships. I took this to the Lord to gain wisdom, and realized that this was part of the reason He had been teaching me to always make sure before I intercede that I am clean, covered by the blood of Jesus, and that I have broken curses against me. These lessons are covered in the first four sections of these notes, but just to reiterate,

Remember that any kind of sin makes prayer ineffective:

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

An intercessor must be clean. God is holy. He cannot bear to look on sin. Any person who means to approach such holiness must first be cleansed themselves. Prayer is not effective without it, but we have an Advocate with the Father who will cleanse us if we ask Him, 1 John 1:9.

Second, intercession involves active warfare, often standing between the enemy and the person being prayed for. There can be no sin. Sin--any sin--gives the enemy a legal hold, and a right to attack, Ps. 94:20. Again, we must be clean.

We must be covered as well. We should ask for the blood of Jesus to cover our household and family and for a hedge of protection around us, Job 1:5, 10. Before going into battle also, we need to break curses against us and our household and family. This will greatly reduce the intensity of the battle.

Is this burdensome? How foolish would it be for a soldier to go into battle without first checking and cleaning his gear? How foolish is it for a Christian to say that they have not sinned? 1 John 1:10.

Also, consider how foolish it would be for a soldier to fight without first hearing from his commander. Wouldn't this soldier completely fail? We have a Commander as well. We should listen to Him.

Here is a general pattern for praying effectively for others:

1. First spend time in worship, Psalm 100:4. We need to come to Him with a humble spirit, choosing to honor God and choosing to be submitted to Him.
2. Remember the three C’s--be clean, be covered, and break the curses against us.
3. Follow the Lord, John 12:26.

The most powerful intercession is that done while following God. He may give a verse of Scripture to pray, or remind the intercessor of a promise to claim. He can direct how to pray specifically for a person, but what is needed is the humility to listen, and the capacity to do so.

Be blessed!

Diana Clancy
Copyright November 2007