[This is the 3rd installment of an article I wrote on cleansing locations, especially houses, from the demonic spirits that have established some kind of permanent presence there. In Part 2, I began to discuss “open doors” that allow these unclean spirits to gain access to a home.  We begin this blog with the 3rd open door.]

A third source of demonic presence in homes is the presence of those who serve demonic spirits knowingly or unknowingly.  I am certain that our friend from India had no malice towards Susan and I. He most likely prayed to his “gods” on our behalf or simply prayed to them in our house and that prayer opened the door for their presence in our home as he honored them. We have discovered demonic spirits in new homes without a history, but sensed that some workman who built the house left something of himself there after he moved on. There are also individuals who willingly and formally serve Satan (cult members, etc.) who will dedicate their work to the enemy.

It is also possible that the home was built on property to which some spirit had laid claim. We have discovered that some spirits affect a house because of the property it sits on rather than something in the house – perhaps a location where violence occurred or over a place of worship where false gods were honored or their names invoked. We have also cleansed houses where satanic rituals, witchcraft, séances, etc. took place in the past. These homes can have intense manifestations, especially if the house or property was dedicated to Satan.   A dedication is like handing a deed over to the enemy. That deed has to be nullified by someone with greater authority. In the case of believers, Jesus is the one with more authority.

A fourth source of demonic presence in a home are curses that have been spoken over a family, a home, or property. A curse is an appeal to the demonic realm to visit failure, death, disease, poverty, divorce, etc. on a person, family, tribe, nation or location (See Numbers 22 – the account of Balaam). A curse may come as a result of prolonged, unrepented sin or as a result of words spoken deliberately or sometimes in anger or haste. Demons may be assigned to enforce the curse. Sometimes, it is difficult to define the source of a curse because it may have been assigned to a location or a family in previous generations. Exodus 20 tells us that the sins of the fathers will be passed down to the children to the third and fourth generations. It may be a good practice to make a declaration renouncing and repenting of any sins of your Fathers and asking Jesus to break and nullify any curses that have been operating in your house or family. A sample declaration is provided in the Suggested Declarations at the end of this article.

Solutions:

If any of this resonates with you, then your next question is probably, “What do I do if I think demonic spirits are operating in my house, my business, etc.?” Great question!

Let me take you through a simple process that has always been effective for us. This process is essentially the same as deliverance for individuals and involves aligning ourselves with Christ, renouncing the enemy and his works, declaring authority over the enemy and exercising that authority.

Alignment:

If you are not a believer, the devil has access to you at all times because you have not yet been delivered from the dominion (authority) of darkness (see Col.1:13). Your only way out is to sincerely make Jesus your Lord and Savior. If you are a believer, Jesus has taken away Satan’s legal right to oppress you or afflict you. However, you or those you are connected to may give him back that right. Satan may gain access to you or your home through areas of your life that are not aligned with Christ. He may also have access through the actions or words of others who have touched your life or home in significant ways after they had given Satan a foothold or a stronghold in their own lives.

Jesus taught us to pray “and deliver us from the evil one” (Mt.6:13). It’s always good to begin with a prayer of protection from the schemes, the influence, and the attack of the enemy when you are confronting darkness. After that, in house cleansings, the first step of alignment is to have the one(s) with authority in the home make a verbal declaration of his or her faith in Jesus as the Son of God and his or her allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Savior followed by a verbal renunciation of Satan and all of his works.

You might begin by making a verbal declaration like this:

Heavenly Father, I declare my faith in and allegiance to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and willing place everything I am and everything I have under his authority and lordship. In the name of Jesus I renounce Satan and all the works of Satan and repent of any and all sin in my own life.

If the owner or head of the home has areas of unrepented sin in his or her life or if someone who lives in the home has areas of unrepented sin, that sin may be an open door to the enemy. Sincere confession and repentance followed by renouncing the sin disarms the enemy in that area of an individual’s life and removes Satan’s authority to harass that individual and his or her family. Scripture tells us, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Prov. 28:13, emphasis added).  “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices” (Ezek.14:6, emphasis added)!

In addition to personal repentance, we ask the owner, renter, or head of the household (both husband and wife should do this together) to verbally place the house, contents of the house, and the property under the Lordship of Jesus and to dedicate all of that to his purposes. In doing so you transfer dominion of the house and any part of the house from the enemy to Jesus. Joshua declared, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

You should verbally declare something like…

In the name of Jesus, we dedicate and consecrate this home, it’s contents, this property and our family to the service and Lordship of Jesus Christ who has all authority in heaven and on earth. And in the name of Jesus we renounce and nullify any claim that the enemy has had on this house, this family, any contents in this house, or on this property. In doing so, we declare that Satan has no right and no place in this home, in this family, or on this property and is declared a trespasser.

Lastly, we look through the home to identify any objects that may be giving the enemy a place in the home such as the ones listed above – souvenirs, books, dvd’s, music that glorifies sin or violence or death, occult items, pornography, jewelry, etc. that, by their presence, provide an open window for Satan rather than honoring God. We also ask the Holy Spirit to highlight any other objects or areas that need to be removed or given special attention in the house such as places where sin has occurred – beds where adultery was practiced, tables on which occult activities took place, etc. We then ask those in authority to verbally renounce any sins that those objects clearly represent – pornography, idolatry, magic, false religions, fortune telling, adultery, sexual abuse, etc.

Say something like:

In the name of Jesus we renounce and repent of (name the sin) and ask forgiveness for its presence in this house and for our involvement in (name the sin).

Where unforgiveness is involved you may pray something like:

In the name of Jesus, I forgive (name the person) for the wrongs I have received at the hands of (name the person(s)). Because Jesus has forgiven me for the wrongs I have committed, I forgive (name the person(s) and no longer require payment for the wrongs done to me. I release (him, her, them) from the debt they owe and release all judgment to the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, Jesus I ask you to bless them as you see fit and to work on their behalf for their salvation.

When that has been done, then the owners of the house and the house itself have been aligned with Christ.

IN my next blog, I will finish this article with the process for cleansing and a summary of the declaration a person might make over a house or other location where unclean spirits are present.

[This is the second part of an article on cleansing houses from demonic spirits.  In part one, I established the biblical context for demonic spirits being given assignments over territories and locations such as houses. I’ll continue now with part two, beginning with some examples we have dealt with.]

Now let me share a few representative experiences we have had in conservative West Texas as we have prayed over numerous homes and apartments in our area over the past ten years. We typically call these “house cleansings.” I will not use the actual names of people we met in these accounts.

One afternoon, I received a call from Jenny, one of our Freedom Ministry team members. She worked with Marie, a faithful member of a local Baptist church. Her life was falling apart. She had a teenage son and had remarried after a destructive divorce. When Marie had first remarried, her son and her new husband got along well. They had the typical “blended family” stress but nothing out of the ordinary. A few months before we met Marie, she and her family had moved into a comfortable red brick home in the older part of Midland. Soon after the move, her son and husband began to have verbal fights that appeared to be seriously escalating and becoming physical. She and her son also began to fight. Her son would go into such rages that she slept with her bedroom door locked and was actually terrified that her son would break in some night and kill her. She felt especially vulnerable because her husband’s business took him out of town on a regular basis. The “odd thing” was that when they would go on trips as a family, they got along well until returning to the house where all the anger and hostility resurfaced. Marie said you could feel the tension in their car increase as they neared the home and pulled into the driveway.

Jenny suggested to her friend that something spiritual might be at work. Although that was a foreign concept to Marie, she was desperate enough to try anything. So…on a weekday evening, while her son was with friends and her husband was out of town, we met at the home and prayed over it for about forty-five minutes (details later). We specifically commanded spirits of anger, rage, abuse and murder to leave the house. We left and Marie reported that almost immediately all the anger, hostility and rage subsided and the family was at peace again. I don’t think she ever told her son or husband what we had done.

On another occasion, a family called us who were members of our church. They had moved into an older house on the west side of Midland where they had lived for about six months. Bob and LeeAnn had three small children and for the past few months had been regularly experiencing disruptions in the middle of the night. Their television would come on full blast, cabinet doors would open and slam shut, and they would hear footsteps in the hallway outside of their bedroom. When they would look no one was present. However, the children reported seeing “an old man” walking up and down the hallway at night. When we arrived at the house we noticed that their neighbor had a sign on the front of her home advertising that she was a practicing witch…even in West Texas. We prayed over the house and the property as well as praying against the activities next door and all manifestations ceased immediately and did not recur.

About three years ago, my wife Susan and I were visited by a newly married couple. Sophia had been a foreign exchange student from Russia hosted by my wife years ago. She had since married a nice young man from India who was a devout Sikh. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit and hoped to share Jesus with Sophia’s husband once we built a relationship. Each morning we would visit with the Sophia over breakfast while her husband spent time in our guest room reading and praying. After a three-day visit they left with a promise of coming to see us again.

The day after our friends left, my wife Susan and I were sitting in our living room talking about Sophia’s and her husband’s visit. Suddenly a large picture with scripture on it, mounted in our entry way, fell from the wall, shattering the glass and breaking the frame. The wall anchor seemed secure but it was in a location subject to wind when the front door was open and the vibration of a door being opened and closed multiple times each day. It was odd enough that a thought crossed my mind, wondering if Sophia’s husband had left something spiritual in our house, but I didn’t pursue the thought. The next day, Susan and I came home from running some errands and found a shelf that had rested above the guest bathroom window on the floor with the pictures and clock that were on the shelf broken and scattered all over the floor. The anchors, on which the shelf hung, were still solidly in the wall. After some serious praying over the house and anointing windows and doors with oil there have been no more “accidents.”

We have had numerous, similar experiences over the past five years. Noises, smells, voices, feelings of terror, experiences of being pinned down on a bed in the middle of the night, and children seeing “scary old men” and “witchy” looking women in their rooms have all been dealt with. Each time we have prayed in the name of Jesus and these manifestations have ceased.  We don’t try to differentiate between demons and “ghosts” since scripture gives us very little insight into “ghosts.” We simply treat them as spirits that should not be in the house (primarily demonic spirits posing as whatever) and command them to leave.

Anytime you know that trauma, occult activities, or sinful lifestyles have occurred  in a house in which you are living,  a cleansing is in order. Everyone should do it when they first move into a house or apartment or even before spending the night in a hotel room. Even if the home is new construction, it is a good idea. In addition, weird noises or smells in the house that persist, doors opening and slamming by themselves, runaway fear, lust, or anger in the house that subsides when you are away, voices, the appearance of demons, demonic dreams that persist, unexplained shadows, etc. are all indicators that a home or location should be cleansed.

Open Doors:

I believe there are several open doors for demonic spirits that draw spirits to a location or give spirits a legal right to be assigned to homes or property to afflict the residents.   The first open door is persistent sin that has taken place in that home in the past or that is currently taking place. Abuse, adultery, violence, tragedy, untimely death. occult activities, and so forth beckon spirits and give them legal access to the location of those events. They may attach themselves to the parties who are involved or to the residence and remain there to afflict individuals or families who move in next.

Unforgiveness is one of the most common doorways open to the enemy. Jesus clearly says that our forgiveness toward those who have sinned against us is a condition for the Father’s forgiveness to be released in our lives. A verbal declaration of forgiveness is always in order where that has been hurt or betrayal in the past. I’ll give an example later in the “suggested declarations” section. Remember that we forgive those who have wronged us not because we deserve it, but because Jesus deserves it. We are not required to let hurtful people back into our lives and forgiving them does not take them “off the hook” with God. Forgiveness simply releases the judgment of those individuals to the one who judges perfectly and takes us “off the hook” with God.

Forgiveness in scripture is most often pictured as a debt that has been forgiven so that payment of the debt is no longer required. When we forgive, we simply determine to no longer act in ways that make someone who has wronged us pay for what he or she did. We should also ask the Lord to bless them as he sees fit because we are commanded to bless even those who curse us. Forgiveness is for your benefit much more than for the benefit of those who wronged you. In fact, it may not benefit him or her at all but it will keep bitterness and resentment from crowding out love, trust, and thankfulness in your own heart. It will keep your resentment and bitterness from opening a door to the enemy.

Ephesians 4:27 may give us some insight into the dynamic of unrepented sin giving demonic spirits access to us our homes. Paul says, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” The idea of this next is to deal with offense quickly so that anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness does not invited Satan in our lives or our families. The word translated “foothold” is “topos.” It means a designated place and can refer to pagan shrines and high places where demons were worshipped. When we come into agreement with Satan through unrepented sins and lifestyles, we create a place for him…a sanctuary where he is honored in our lives because we are choosing his will and ways over Jesus. Homes, rooms, or properties that have hosted the works of Satan may create a kind of sanctuary that Satan claims to establish his presence.

A second source of demonic presence in a home may be objects in the home that have demonic spirits attached to them or that honor pagan gods which scripture says are demons. It is amazing how many Christians go overseas and bring back carved idols and other religious artifacts as souvenirs with no thought about their purpose or history. Idols open the door for demons to harass and afflict those who possess the idol and give them a place in a home. Speaking of Israel’s idolatry, scripture tells us, “They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons who were not God” (Dt. 32:16-17). The psalmist declares, “They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons” (Ps.106:36-37).

Devil dogs from China, figurines of Buddha, dragon carvings, fertility gods from Africa, American Indian artifacts, dream catchers, tribal masks from the South Pacific, totems from the Pacific Northwest, Samurai swords – all of these could have been carved or decorated in honor of a pagan god (demonic spirit) and dedicated to that god. When something or someone is dedicated to Satan, a demonic spirit is often attached to that person or place. Having it in your home is a welcome mat to that spirit or his cousin.

Other occult items and experiences can also open the door – books about the occult, jewelry that represents occult organizations, Ouija Boards kept as a curiosity, Tarot cards, or books promoting false religions along with books on astrology or witchcraft can all give access to unclean spirits because in some way they summon or honor the spirits behind them. Some artwork, music, and movies about the occult or the supernatural can also open the doors. Seances, horoscopes, or psychic readings can also open the door for demonic involvement as those activities are seeking connection with the demonic…even if the participants are just doing so for fun. Objects that represent and promote sin, such as pornography, can also open the door. I don’t want you to burn down your house but to be aware that certain objects have the potential to give the enemy access to your home as well as past or present sinful or tragic events in the home.

Again, our cultural worldview rejects such notions. However, the book of Acts confirms that spiritual properties can be attached to objects. “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 19:11-12). A woman simply touched the hem of the robe Jesus was wearing and was healed. The spiritual realm has substance and sometimes that substance is attached to objects. That is not only true for the Holy Spirit but for demonic spirits as well.

More Open Doors in Part 3,

In the past few weeks, we have had several requests for “house cleansing” or driving demons from homes. I have written about this from time to time time in the past but feel that it might be helpful to do so again.  I have a lengthy article on this topic that is a practical guide to “house cleansing”  that I am going to offer here in several parts.  I hope it is helpful.

Taking Out the Trash

A Practical Guide to Cleansing a House from Evil Spirits

For many believers, the idea of demons lurking in a home would seem far-fetched and hyper-charismatic. Many believers don’t acknowledge that demons target people, attach themselves to some, and inhabit others much less believe that demons may be assigned to homes or other locations to afflict and harass whomever is within their reach.

However, Paul counsels us, “And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” ( 2 Cor. 2:11, NRSV). Most translations read schemes rather than designs. Paul also tells us, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph.6:11). The truth is that Satan uses intelligent designs or schemes to entrap and sidetrack God’s people. If we give him no thought or assume he has no interest in us or our children we will certainly step into his trap. As believers, we have no need to fear this enemy because He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world, but we are instructed multiple times to be alert, to be aware, and to keep watch so that the devil does not gain access to us or our family. Remember, in describing Satan, Jesus said that he is a thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy (Jn.10:10). He doesn’t wait for us to search for him. He comes. Unclean spirits assigned to locations attempt to do the same through influence. They especially want to steal your peace, your faith, your love and destroy your family in order to draw you away from the Father. They want to impart fear, sorrow, anger, lust, and conflict which then undermines your peace, faith and love.

With that in mind, let me make a case for demonic spirits being assigned to locations (homes, businesses, geographical areas) so that they can influence or harass those who come into their arena. To begin with, let’s consider Pergamum. Jesus spoke to his church there and said, “I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives” (Rev.2:13). In one sense, Satan’s influence and his demonic servants can be found in every city, but a throne represents exceptionally strong rule and dominion. Over the centuries, Satan had established a stronghold of influence in Pergamum. Pagan worship invited and fueled the presence and influence of demons. Satan desires to be worshipped as well as those who reflect his nature. Satanic or pagan worship draws unclean spirits. So great was the influence in Pergamum that Satan had stirred up persecution against those who followed Jesus to such an extent that Antipas had been put to death.

We see the same demonic influence in Ephesus where the temple of Artemis (Diana, Moon Goddess) stood as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. As the apostles preached Jesus in that city (Acts 19-20), many sorcerers saw the power of Christ, repented, and burned their books and scrolls full of incantations. Soon, however, Satan stirred up other men who then stirred up strong opposition in the city in opposition to the church. These cities represented strongholds of the enemy where there was an exceptional concentration of demonic influence and power.

If you have traveled much and have any spiritual sensitivity you have experienced this spiritual reality that can be felt in the natural realm. Believers who visit certain sections of New Orleans, Salvador (the spiritist center of Brazil), Las Vegas, Haiti, pagan temples in Asia, etc. will tell you that they feel something in the city and even sense a dimming of the atmosphere on cloudless days. These cities, nations, and locations are thrones or places where Satan has an elevated level of authority because sin has been promoted and encouraged and because demons have been honored and worshipped.

In Peru, the ancient gods of the Inca’s are still worshiped. Their influence is so great that some have been incorporated into Catholic worship. One of those ancient demons is Pachamama, the earth goddess. In some Catholic churches in that nation you will find statues of Mary, Jesus, and Pachamama. Missionaries have had encounters with this spirit while working in Peru. A few years ago a demonic spirit appeared in the hotel room of two missionaries who were holding meetings in the area, identified itself as Pachamama, declared its rule over the valley, and threatened to kill them if they didn’t leave. They didn’t leave but went on about their business. This is an example of territorial spirits who have been given dominion over geographical areas by Satan and by those who surrender to their influence.

Paul is clear about such spirits when he says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph.6:12). Realities of the spiritual realm are reflected in the natural realm. There are rulers in the spiritual realm and rulers in the natural. There are armies in both, battles in both, and assignments and strategies in both realms.

Authorities in the natural realm rule over nations, territories, cities, organizations, groups and individuals. It is so in the spiritual realm as well. In the book of Revelation, the letters to the seven churches of Asia in Chapters 1-3 are each addressed to the “angel of the church in….” This could just be a literary construction or angel could be translated “messenger,” but would we really reject the idea that God would assign an angel to watch over and minister to a group of believers that we call a church? After all, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb.1:14)? In the book of Daniel, a demonic prince fought against an angel that God had sent to Daniel. That spirit is identified as the prince of the Persian kingdom (Dan.10:13). That was a demonic principality that had been given authority over a nation and assigned to influence its people and events for the dominion of darkness. We are told in several texts that pagans who sacrificed to idols were sacrificing to demons. It is not unreasonable to assume that the “high places” or geographic locations where demons were worshipped would be infested with demonic spirits waiting to affect those who came to the altar or go home with worshippers.

If demons are assigned to establish dominion over nations, territories, cities, people groups, probably churches, and organizations why not to lesser locations as well – homes, businesses, areas of a town, etc.? It is not unreasonable to assume that they gather in places where they are worshipped or where sin is promoted or where occult practices take place. All of these things occur in homes as well as in pagan temples and cities known for their immorality.  Wouldn’t demons be attracted to these places no matter whether they are in Haiti or West Texas?  As in the natural realm, those who are assigned to larger areas typically have more authority while those who are assigned to lesser locations typically have less authority. I say “typically” because some smaller locations and individuals are very strategic and may be assigned to a spirit with greater authority.  Many houses have more than one spirit operating in them and some can be more powerful than others.

Part 2 in my next blog.

On Monday morning, pastor Donnell Jones shared some essential thoughts with our staff on overcoming that moment when life and ministry seem overwhelming. I want to share the gist of his message along with some of my own thoughts but wanted to make sure that you knew Donnell was the primary source and that his thoughts were seriously worth sharing with you.

In his gospel, Matthew tells us, “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’” (Matt.26:36-39).

As we read the gospels, we always see Jesus unafraid, in control, and the master of every situation. But the night before the cross, he confesses something that must have stunned his inner circle of Peter, James, and John. In the darkness of the Garden, he confesses that his soul is overwhelmed with sorrow or heaviness to such a degree that he needs them to watch and pray with him. They have always needed him, but now he desperately needs them. The idea of Jesus being overwhelmed is disconcerting. Yet we have to remember that Jesus faced the cross as a man, not as God.

Secondly, we need to note that his soul was overwhelmed, not his spirit. Our soul is not our spirit. Our soul is comprised of our will, our mind, and our emotions. Our spirit is the eternal part of us that the Holy Spirit quickened and renewed when he took up residence within us. It is that part of us through which the Spirit leads us, reveals God’s will to us, and through which he renews and transforms our thoughts, emotions, and will. But that is a process. The soul is a kind of middle ground or even battleground between the spirit and our fallen nature or “the flesh.”

When the enemy attacks us, he either attacks us through the flesh with infirmity or disease or attacks our soul where he fills our minds with thoughts contrary to the will of God and with thoughts that stir up the negative emotions of fear, hopelessness, shame, lust, anger, and so forth. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the enemy was attacking Jesus with fear, heaviness, and maybe even doubt that what he was about to do was even worth the suffering that lay ahead.

In his soul, Jesus was tormented and overwhelmed. When we feel overwhelmed by life, it is our soul that is overwhelmed. As Graham Cooke says, “ Our circumstances are not the problem. Our perspective of our circumstances is the problem.” When our soul looses sight of the Father, his goodness, his resources, and his vast, unconditional love for us, we can feel overwhelmed and sorrowful unto death. Those who contemplate suicide are in that position. That is where Jesus found himself that night, just minutes before his arrest and a few hours before the beatings would begin.

In that moment, Jesus asked, “Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”   At that moment, Jesus only wanted out. His soul saw no way to face what lay ahead. And yet, as he confessed his fears and sought God, his prayer changed. “He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matt.26:42). Before, Jesus prayed, “If it is possible….” Now he prays, “If it is not possible…” The word “if” can often be translated “since.” Jesus could have been saying, “Since it is not possible to take this cup away….” Something has shifted from his soul not being able to see his way through the next few hours to seeing that the Father would walk with him through the suffering he saw ahead, no matter how hard. His soul was no longer so overwhelmed because he had poured his heart out to the Father and had received strength from the Spirit. We are told by Luke that an angel came and ministered to him in that moment and strengthened his resolve. His third prayer was the same as his second.

When our souls are overwhelmed by sorrow, loss, difficulty, or even responsibility, we often look elsewhere for comfort rather than going to the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter. We go to friends, food, therapists, medications, and assorted addictions to get us through, rather than to the Spirit who is our friend, our counselor, and our guide. Friends are good. Therapists are fine. Food is essential. But only the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are enough. When Jesus went to the Father three times, he was engaging with the Spirit and heaven responded with a ministering angel. His soul began to receive hope and strength and the feeling of being overwhelmed with sorrow unto death began to lift.

We should take heart from Jesus who is our model. First of all, even those who have great faith and an intimate relationship with the Father can come to a place where his or her soul feels overwhelmed by life. That is not sin…or Jesus sinned. Jesus did not suppress those feelings but shared them with those he was close to for prayer and encouragement. But more than that he cried out to the Father and asked for strength, hope, and encouragement from the throne of heaven. He pressed in until the Spirit ministered to his spirit which then ministered to his soul. His perspective changed. Light could be seen in the darkness.

The goodness, love, and power of God became anchor points for the soul and Jesus was able to move ahead. He is our model. When life feels overwhelming we should follow in his steps. At some point, Jesus was given or given back a supernatural perspective that looked beyond the cross to all that his suffering would accomplish. The writer of Hebrews spoke of that when he said, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb.12:2).

In the midst of feeling overwhelmed, Jesus was given an eternal perspective by the Spirit that everything he was enduring was worth it…even to the point of joy. There are times when we need that perspective. That is why Paul counseled us, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9). In every circumstance, God has a purpose for our good. He does not always create the circumstance but he will always use it for our benefit. Sometimes, we need a glimpse of his purpose. Like Jesus, we can ask for it and when we receive the eternal view of what we are going through, our soul will be strengthened.  And remember, it is your soul that is overwhelmed, not your spirit – so tune into what the Spirit is saying to your spirit. In that moment, even your prayers will change.

The gift, the gifts, and the fruit of the Spirit seem to create confusion from time to time. What do these terms refer to?

The gift of the Spirit is spoken of in several places. One of those texts occurs in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. We are told, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38). The gift of the Spirit is the Spirit himself taking up residence within each believer, quickening our spirits, teaching us, leading us, counseling us, enlightening us, and transforming us.

But in other places, the gifts of the Spirit are referred to. “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Heb.2:4). The gifts of the Spirit are the charismata or spiritual gifts discussed and listed in 1 Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12, and other texts. These are the gifts, abilities, or capacities given by the Spirit to each believer that enables him or her to be effective witnesses for Jesus. These spiritual gifts include prophecy, teaching, healings, miracles, tongues, mercy, encouragement, administration, generosity, hospitality, service, and so forth.

The fruit of the Spirit is listed by Paul in his letter to Galatia. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Gal.5:22-23). These are character traits and qualities of Jesus that also belong to the Spirit. He wants to impart those qualities to God’s people. We see all of these in Jesus. The Spirit himself descended and remained on Jesus at his baptism. Then we see Jesus operating in power through healings, miracles, teaching, discernment, casting out demons, and so forth. But, we also see in him the qualities of love, joy, peace, gentleness, self-control, etc. God’s desire is for each of us to be like Jesus – filled with the Spirit, reflecting the Spirit’s character, and administering God’s grace in the form of spiritual gifts to the people whose lives we touch in his name.

In these last days, God is restoring everything to the church. The offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, teacher, and pastor are being restored in remarkable ways. The Spirit is distributing all his gifts again in unprecedented measure and in unprecedented numbers. Legitimate, world-wide ministries of healing, prophesy, evangelism, demon-busting, miracles, raising the dead, and so forth are abounding. More than that, the gifts are being given not just to a few “leading lights” in the church or a few spiritual superstars, but are being distributed to the rank and file of God’s people. I love seeing that. It’s exciting. I want to be part of that.

It’s easy to love the gifts. Who doesn’t want a priceless prophetic word? Who doesn’t want to be able to pray over a loved one or a stranger racked with cancer and see him or her walk out of the hospital cancer free? Who doesn’t want to see angels in the sanctuary or raise a dead child at the scene of an accident and hand her back to her distraught mother? Who doesn’t want to feel the Spirit speaking through us in tongues or watch hundreds or thousands come forward in response to a gift of evangelism? Who doesn’t want to minister in music in a way that takes God’s people into the very throne room of the King?

We love the gifts, and yet the character of the Spirit is of even greater value. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul dedicates an entire chapter to love. The chapter rests in between two chapters entirely about spiritual gifts in an effort to curtail their abuse. Paul tells us early in his letter to the church at Corinth that they lacked no spiritual gift (1 Cor.1:7). Authentic spiritual gifts were rampant there, but so was the misuse of these gifts for personal glory and status in the church. The gifts, in large part, were being exercised for personal exaltation and feelings of “super-spirituality.” A kind of spiritual pecking order was being established there. Paul corrected the situation, not by telling them to curtail the gifts, but by telling them to be motivated by love to use the gifts for the benefit of others rather than themselves. In order to emphasize the importance of the fruit of the Spirit over the gifts of the Spirit, Paul told them that the time would come when gifts would cease to operate but that faith, hope, and love – the fruit of the Spirit – would always remain.

Sometimes men and women are given impressive spiritual gifts. At the same time, they are expected to grow in the fruit of the Spirit because only when the gifts are directed by the character of Jesus in our hearts, will they bear the true and lasting fruit that Jesus desires. Not all of them live up to that expectation. History records a number of men who moved in the power of the Spirit in remarkable ways but whose ministries and lives came to miserable ends because they allowed their gifts to run ahead of their character. They became proud and arrogant and even immoral, believing that their gifts demonstrated God’s approval of their actions. Speaking to the church at Corinth that was abounding with impressive spiritual gifts, Paul said, “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” (1 Cor.3:1-3).

Operating in spiritual power without spiritual maturity is like a sixteen year old being given a shiny new Lamborghini with a top speed of 201 miles per hour. The combination of the two represents lots of possibilities – most of them disastrous. As we love the gifts that are being liberally distributed by the Spirit, we should remember to love the giver more than the gifts and to seek character ahead of power and influence. Even with amazing gifts of preaching, healing, prophecy and so on, the rule still applies that God exalts the humble and humbles those who exalt themselves.

In the Kingdom, greater gifts are always given to the man who has been a good steward of the gifts already entrusted to him.   According to Paul, good stewardship of anything is not so much about ability as it is diligence, faith, faithfulness, and love. As you pray for the gifts (and you should), be sure to pray first for the fruit of the Spirit that will make you an effective steward of what God entrusts to you. Simon the Sorcerer saw the gifts of the apostles and became enamored with them (Acts 8).   He was so affected by the miracles he saw that he wanted to buy them. Peter rebuked him strongly and told him that his heart was captive to sin. In these days of increasing miracles, we would be wise to guard our own hearts in this matter. Paul instructs us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. We should do so, but always with a heart for blessing others and glorifying God rather than feeling the rush of the gift or glorifying ourselves. May we have wisdom to always place his presence and his character before his gifts. Blessings in Him.

When participating in spiritual warfare, the Word of God is essential. It is essential not just for discerning what is “scriptural”, although that is extremely important, but it is a powerful weapon to use against the enemy. When confronting the enemy who is harassing, tempting, or afflicting you or someone else, the word of God is essential.

As the Olympics have been broadcast day after day in the past week or so, I have caught several fencing matches. Those who won gold were confident, aggressive, always moving forward, not hesitating to use their weapon. They were also practiced in the use of their sword so that most moves were familiar and automatic. We should wield the word of God against the enemy in the same way.

Paul tells us, when speaking about the armor of God, that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17). The writer of Hebrews also tells us that the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb.4:12). In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of Jesus and says, “In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword” (Rev.1:16). That picture of Jesus establishes him as one with great power and authority. His words leave his lips as a sword, saturated with power, as he judges his enemies.

In the wilderness temptation recorded in Matthew 4, Satan came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil always shows up when our strength (spiritual, emotional, or physical) is somehow depleted. We should anticipate that when we have endured a spiritually, emotionally, or physically exhausting season. We should stay focused on Jesus in those seasons and ask others to cover us with prayer. Satan approached Jesus after forty days of solitude and fasting. His energy levels were low and he had been without the encouragement of friends or family for over a month. Satan, believing Jesus to be extremely vulnerable, came to tempt him as he did the First Adam. Jesus fought back with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Jesus quoted scripture in response to every temptation of the enemy. The declared word of God accomplishes several things. First of all, the declaration reminds us of what and who is true. It reminds us of our standing in heaven and the power and faithfulness of God. It reminds us of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf and who we are in him. In addition, the declared word of God establishes authority. It is like waving a warrant in the face of a felon that establishes our position as the authorized representatives of God who have come to make an arrest.

The declared word of God gives us the moral high ground over the enemy. In essence, the word of God establishes God’s law over the enemy and makes it clear that we are present to enforce that law. As believers, our words carry authority and power when they are aligned with the Word of God. Quoting scripture ensures that alignment. In the spiritual realm, our words have substance and weight. But if our words have substance, how much more do the very words of God spoken from our lips. Again, we are told that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. I believe when we declare that word with faith and conviction it cuts and bruises the enemy. When we are confronting the enemy, declaring appropriate scripture has a powerful affect that afflicts and torments demons.

Declaring the authority of Christ over the enemy is a powerful use of the Word. Scripture is filled with such verses declaring that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, that Jesus has a name above every name, that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, etc. In the wilderness temptation Jesus did not give chapter and verse, but simply said, “It is written… We can do the same when confronting unclean spirits. Satan obviously knows scripture and twists the meaning of God’s word as he tempts us. That means that we must know what God’s word truly says so that we will not succumb to Satan’s deception. Jesus resisted the devil with the Word and the devil left his presence knowing that his ploy was futile. We should resist in the same way.

Declaring scripture strengthens our own faith in the moment while it weakens the enemy and torments him. Demons do not always depart with the first command. If a stronghold exists, you may have to “assault the walls of the enemy’s fortress” more than once with numerous commands. Declaring the word of God over that person or a situation takes big chunks out of the walls of enemy strongholds.

Every believer should have a catalogue of scriptures on hand to wield against the enemy: scriptures that declare who Christ is, who we are in Christ, the defeat of Satan, the victory of the church, God’s willingness to heal and set captives free, the Lord’s immense love for us, and scriptures that defeat fear and temptation of every kind.

As believers and those to whom Jesus has delegated authority, our own words carry authority, but the very words of God from our lips, carry even more power and authority with which to defeat and torment the enemy. Make a list of scriptures, memorize them, and keep them handy. It won’t be long before you will find yourself dodging the thrusts of the enemy. That is when you will want to respond aggressively, skillfully, and confidently with the sword of the Spirit.   In the panoply of the armor God, that word is your offensive weapon. Use it often and well.

I believe most of us, as followers of Jesus, find a personal relationship with God difficult because he seems so abstract to us. Father God seems distant and too often we lay the template of our earthly father on our heavenly father. For some, that is a wonderful template of love, protection, strength, gentleness, wisdom and so forth. For many others, it is a template of absence, anger, criticism, and inconsistency. That makes the Father difficult to relate to and makes the idea of intimacy with him unreachable.

Jesus is easier. We have records of him in the flesh. We have childhood pictures of Jesus loving little children, carrying a lamb in his arms, and being kind to everyone…a spiritual Mr. Rogers. That works when you need comfort and understanding, but it is a stretch when you need a warrior or a champion on your side who is fiercely loyal to you and wields a sword like a ninja. But that is also who Jesus is – the commander of the armies of heaven.

The Holy Spirit seems even more abstract. I wonder what the apostles were imagining when Jesus kept talking about the counselor, the comforter, and the teacher who would come to them bestowing power for ministry. They could imagine Yaweh as the God on Sinai and the fierce father who brought his people out of Egypt. They had walked with Jesus for three years and spent time with him after his resurrection. But the Spirit was….well… a spirit. He didn’t even have a name we could relate to like Abba or Messiah or Jesus or Elijah or Bob. What do we do with that and how do we develop an intimate relationship with him?

One of the reasons I value Graham Cooke’s writings is that he has an intimate relationship with God – all three aspects of God- and his descriptions help me know them better. Let me share some of his thoughts about the Holy Spirit. It might help you relate to him with more clarity. Cooke says, “I love the Holy Spirit. He is the happiest, most cheerful person I have ever encountered. It’s possible to grieve him, but incredibly difficult. Most of us will never manage it personally. The Godhead dwells in an environment of astonishing, everlasting joy. The Holy Spirit is a delight. He is cheerful, exuberant, and amazingly enthusiastic about us. He loves his role as comforter, tutor, and come alongside friend. He gets to talk about Jesus (whom he adores) and equip us to fellowship with the Father. He is an absolute genius at life, a brilliant mentor who knows everything. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is a powerful advocate and warrior. He is never fazed at circumstances but loves to lift us up to see more from his perspective. He is a gorgeous, amazing paradox. He is recklessly cheerful and incredibly wise. He is full of majesty and yet astonishingly gentle. He is completely and radiantly holy, yet comforts us in our struggles and teaches us the ways of righteousness. He is inspirational, generous, kind, gracious and endlessly patient in redeeming us to live in Christ” (Graham Cooke, Coming into Alignment, p.68-69, Brilliant BookHouse).

I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to know the Spirit better. I may not know what he looks like, but sometimes that’s better because we so often judge a book by its cover rather than its content and, in doing so, fail to become familiar with the book. We can certainly hear his voice and feel his heart towards us. And maybe that is the best way to know him.

We also know him by the fruit of the Spirit that Paul delineated for us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal.5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit is simply his character that he is trying to impart to each of us. Definitely sounds like someone I would like to know. If fact, knowing him will make me want to know the Father and Son in greater ways, as well, because they all share the same character and the same heart for us. Too often I think that God is so serious that I can only come to him in formal prayer, serious, and intense about what I am asking. But no friendship is like that. That are serious moments but there are also lots of chats, jokes, and just doing life together. I think we need more of that in our relationship with the Father, Son and Spirit.

But just for fun, the next time you want to grow your relationship and hear from the Spirit, ask him to tell you about Jesus or the Father. He does love to talk about them and you may be surprised at what he says. Blessings today as you chat with the Spirit.

On several occasions, Paul spoke of being a spiritual father to other believers – those he had not only brought into the faith but had helped grow up in the faith. To the church at Corinth he wrote, “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Cor. 14:15). In addition, he often spoke of Timothy as his true son in the faith.

Paul knew that making disciples did not stop at the “sinner’s prayer,” but continued in a relationship of teaching, encouraging, and sometimes correcting. As a culture, America has lost her fathers. Half of all children will grow up in a single parent family during part or all of his or her childhood. Research indicates that the identity of most children is formed from the father. His opinion of a child carries much more weight than even a loving mother’s opinion. If the father speaks and acts in ways that communicates value and significance for a child, that child will grow up with a healthy sense of self and self -worth. If the father is abusive, critical, or absent the child will grow up with sense of defectiveness and inadequacy. God has created us in such a way that a father is the primary parent for communicating identity, safety, and security to a child. It’s just the way it is.

Kris Vallotton shares a story that underlines this reality. “Curses are the powerful and painful cost of absent and broken covenants. I know this firsthand…After the death of my father, my mom gave birth to my little brother Kelly, the son of my first stepfather. Their marriage disintegrated when Kelly was five years old. After their divorce, Kelly’s dad would call drunk, about once a month to exercise his visiting rights. He would say, ‘I’m going to pick Kelly up at 5:00 tonight.’ Kelly would be so excited to go see his dad that he would be packed early in the morning. He would take his little suitcase and sit out on the front porch, usually an hour or two early. He would sit there hour after hour whether he was in the blazing son or in the freezing cold winter. He would wait outside late into the night…He would fall asleep on top of his little suitcase and I would pick him up and carry him to bed…This pattern continued for years, resulting in deep wounds and a broken heart” (Kris Vallotton, The Supernatural ways of Royalty, p. 132-133; Destiny Image). Kris goes on to say, “The same condition is prominent in the Kingdom. Much like my little brother who was not fathered, we in the Church have given birth to children and then left them fatherless and trying to survive on their own. Jesus never intended for us to maker Christians but rather to make disciples”

I know your first response might be to say “No way.” But think about it. Hundreds of churches teach their members how to share their faith and bring someone to Jesus by leading them through the sinner’s prayer. Then they tell them they love them and go on as if that is all there is. Many times we bring these “spiritual newborns” into the kingdom of God and then immediately leave them to fend for themselves. The great majority of those who are not discipled in a continuing relationship will soon slip back into the world. I have read follow-up studies on all the great Billy Graham crusades of the past where people packed into stadiums to hear this famous man preach.

Through the years, tens of thousands went forward to be “counseled” by a stranger who led them in their confession of faith with an encouragement to go find a great church. The majority didn’t know what a great church was nor were they connected to believers who continued to walk with them. Follow-up research discovered that only a tiny fraction of those men and women continued in their faith. Most slipped back into the world they knew.

Those just born again need spiritual parents in the faith who continue to sow into that man or woman imparting value, identity, and spiritual life skills. They especially need men to sow into their lives but spiritual mothers make a huge impact as well. Parenting is inconvenient most of the time. It is costly and time consuming. It requires loving someone on days when you don’t even like him or her. There will be days when you bandage spiritual scrapes and cuts and days when you wonder if that newborn will ever grow up. But, in time, with the right investment, they will grow up and become spiritual parents on their own.

We need men and women in churches all over America to step up and be parents to new or immature believers. The kingdom is not about programs or sheer numbers, but about relationships. Jesus taught us to identify God as our Heavenly Father, first and foremost. It’s not complicated. For the most part it is spending time with that new believer, speaking spiritual greatness into his or her life, praying with them, imparting values by example, taking them with you to serve, and talking about the things of the Kingdom.

If you are not already being a spiritual parent or mentor to someone, you may feel that no one would want you to be a spiritual mother or father to him or her. What I have found is that a fatherless world is clamoring for someone to be a father or a mother – to value them and to believe in them even if they are already forty years old. If nothing else, just let your pastors know that you are willing to invest in a new believer. Invite a new believer to your home for a meal and start a conversation. Invite a long time believer who hasn’t matured much to your home or your group and ask that person if he or she wants to get on an accelerated growth curve. Commit to give them a year of meeting on a regular basis, doing Bible study together, serving together in a ministry, speaking greatness over them, and answering lots of questions about faith and life. Doing life together is God’s way of making disciples much more than attending another class or reading another book.

Most of the brokenness in the world comes from father wounds. Those wounds will not be healed without the touch of our Heavenly Father through spiritual parents in the church. Without a mentor or a spiritual parent, our growth in the Lord becomes years of trial and error with lots of opportunities for the enemy to capitalize on our mistakes. Like children without a biological father or mother, we can spend years trying to discover who we are and wondering about out true value in the world or the church – usually looking for love in all the wrong places.

If you are that new believer or an immature believer truly wanting to grow in the Lord, ask someone you know and admire to give you some time to help you grow and discover who you are in Christ. Even breakfast or lunch, once a month for a year could be invaluable. The relationship you establish over those twelve months will last a lifetime and bless both of you in innumerable ways. If the first person you ask is too busy, don’t take it as rejection. They may, in fact, be too busy to take on another relationship at this time and do it justice. Ask God to connect you with just the right person for your growth and development and trust that he will. You may also join a small group and find a group to mentor you rather than just an individual. God wants none of his children to be orphans. Don’t be too proud to ask for help and don’t be too busy or insulated to offer it. God delights in those who are fathers to the fatherless.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 ( KJV)

Most of us are familiar with the proverb quoted above. In contemporary language, it means that a man typically lives up to his self-image – the view he holds of himself. If he sees himself as small and insignificant, incompetent and failure prone, he will accomplish little in life because he will attempt little. He will never see himself as a leader and, therefore, will not step into that role even if it is offered to him. He will settle for lesser jobs than he is capable of because he doesn’t believe that he is capable and will settle for lesser relationships because he will feel he doesn’t deserve more. It’s not just men who are crippled by a small and insignificant self-image, women fall into that trap as well.

I am the convinced that the church has fallen into that trap as well. The church, typically, has a much smaller view of herself than God does. The enemy has done an outstanding job convincing us that the words of Christ are not really true when he said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church.

Somewhere, Satan planted a distorted interpretation of certain passages in the Bible that has become a prevalent theological view, especially in the past 50 years. The view is that in the last days, evil will abound more and more and that the church as well as goodness will dwindle and become week. The idea is that things will get so bad and the church will be so down trodden that Jesus will simply pull his people out in moment called the rapture. Basically, this view declares that Jesus will have to evacuate his people from a lost cause. Of course, then after the tribulation, he will return with his saints and establish his millennial reign. Scriptures do say that the world will get darker in the last days but light always shines brighter in the darkness. The question is how do we respond to this growing kingdom of darkness. Does the church find herself helpless to push back or do we walk in the authority of the King and take planet earth back in his name?

Many prophecies declare just the opposite of this view that in the last days the church will seemingly have no power against the darkness. Isaiah declares, “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isa.2:2-4).

This is a picture of the church that has been exalted above earthly governments and the nations are drawn to the wisdom and glory of the church. Isaiah says that this will occur in the last days. In Acts 2, Peter declared that the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marked the “last days.” Many theologians refer to this period as the church age. We are still in those days and believe it or not, many leaders of nations around the globe are meeting with God’s prophets in private meetings in search of wisdom and problem solving for their nations. They are already coming to the church for answers and finding those answers just as Isaiah prophesied.   Entire nations such, as Honduras, are inviting the church in to preach and share the gospel in schools, universities, and even police stations because they sense we have the answer to something they desperately need.

Habakkuk also prophesied, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab.2:14). Later, Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations because he had been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt.28:18-20). In recent years, the church has decided that Jesus meant for us to make a few disciples in every nation rather than to make disciples of entire nations. We have settled for less.

In the Book of Acts, Peter preached, “Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:19-21)

What restoration is Jesus waiting for? Could it be the restoration of the church to its intended glory – the bride of Christ, strong and radiant, and reigning on the earth so that she is a glorious bride waiting for her glorious groom? For centuries, Christians believed that they had a hand in the return of Jesus and that when they had preached the gospel to every creature under heaven he would return. Now, many Christians believe that the trigger point for his return is when the world inevitably gets bad enough and the church inevitably gets weak enough that we must be rescued. With that view, who would even try to redeem culture or nations? Who would even try to cover the earth with the knowledge of God, disciple nations, and draw world leaders to herself? Even if a believer has a desire to do those things, he or she is told that it would be futile because it is not God’s plan. But what if Jesus is waiting until the church restores the glory and leadership of God’s people that he always intended? What if he is waiting for the church to restore glory to the Kingdom so that nations come to us as in the days of Solomon when kings and queens travelled to Jerusalem to seek his wisdom and see his glory?

Much of the church today does not see herself as the glorious bride of Christ triumphing in victory over the enemy and bringing in a harvest of nations for her king so that God’s intent – that his children will rule this planet as his representatives – will be restored and then Jesus will return. We are like the Israelites who saw giants in the land and saw themselves as grasshoppers in comparison. Even though God had promised them that he would give them the land and every place they set their foot, as grasshoppers, they saw no point in even making the effort.

At this point, most of the church is suffering from a poor self-image – the bride of Christ, weak and worn, tarnished and looking desperately to escape this planet rather than winning the war. It is true that Jesus came the first time as the meek and submissive Lamb of God who would not lift a hand to defend himself against the enemy. But he rose as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Rider on the White Horse and the Commander of the Armies of Heaven with all authority in heaven and on earth. It is not his nature to role over and give the earth to Satan after he died to take it back. It is not his nature to retreat when he declared that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church and it must not be the nature of his church or our nature, as followers of the King, to retreat or see ourselves as weak and helpless either.

As the church thinketh in her heart so is she. We need to redefine our view of the church and with that to redefine our view of ourselves as those who make up the church. There are sports teams who have a tradition of winning and confidence that they will continue to win. When they walk on the field or the court they see themselves as the victors before the game even begins and they walk with a certain swagger that intimidates their opponents. Even when things get hard in the game they still believe they will win in the end because, in their hearts, they are champions. We need to believe that we are champions because the leader of our team cannot be defeated and that leader lives within each of us.

The Lord tells us that we are more than conquerors, that we can do all things through Christ, that we have been given power and authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, that we can make disciples of all nations, and that Satan himself will flee when we resist. How does that add up to a desperate church waiting to be evacuated from the planet their King died to redeem?

If I know I am part of a winning team, then I can see myself as a winner. If I know I am on a championship team then I can see myself as a champion. As we define the church, we define her members. We define ourselves. We need to begin to speak and prophesy victory rather than defeat, glory rather than insignificance, and exaltation rather than humiliation. We are the body of Christ in this world and Jesus doesn’t lose. As you go out today, walk and think like a champion because that is who you are in Christ.

Whenever we review the events of our lives apart from the blood of Jesus, we subject ourselves to the influence of the spirit of deception. In reality, my sinful past no longer exists. The Lamb of God purchased it with a payment in blood, forever removing my sins from the records of Heaven…The devil keeps records of our past. Yet those records are powerless without our agreement. He is the accuser of the brethren, but Jesus is our defender. We make an agreement with the accuser whenever we look at our past apart from the blood. When we agree with the devil, we empower him. When he is empowered, he devours. On the other hand, agreeing with God empowers us…This empowerment is not independent of God; it is empowerment because of God. (Bill Johnson, The Supernatural Ways of Royalty, p.51, DestinyImage Publishers)

When you can’t say something better than the way someone else has expressed it, a quote is on order. I really like Bill Johnson’s quote above and it expresses a truth that the majority of believers, including myself, need to get more deeply in their hearts. It is true, that Paul tells us to examine ourselves and to even judge ourselves in 1 Corinthians 11, but he is not talking about an examination or rehearsal of our pasts, but only the present. As soon as our present sins are confessed with repentance, they also are part of our pasts.

Peter echoed this truth in a sermon to the Jews recorded in Acts 3. There he counseled them, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord^” (Acts 3:19). The idea of blotting out something is to erase it so that no record of it remains. In the first century, some documents or records were written on parchment or vellum. These materials were made of animal skin because they lasted much longer than the forms of paper that were used. The ink used at that time had no acid that ate into the skin. It simply dried on the surface and set on top of the parchment lightly bonded to it. A wet rag would erase it from the parchment like dry erase markers from a white board. That was “blotting out.” When it was gone, there was no evidence of what had been written before. Scripture says that your sins have been treated that way in heaven. That is why, when speaking of the New Covenant, God can say, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Heb.8:12). John also tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The truth is that the blood of Jesus washes away our sins. The blood doesn’t file away our sins or bury our sins for later retrieval. As we confess with a heart of godly sorrow, our sins are washed away and blotted out. When you stand before Jesus, two things will be read from the books…your name that is written in the Book of Life and your service to God which will be translated into rewards. No sin records will be brought out to shame you or condemn you because no records exist. Scripture declares, “Those who trust in the Lord will never be put to shame.”

The enemy loves to role out his records, but they have no legal standing in Heaven. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:1). As much as he wants to shout out our failures, he will be silenced in the courts of Jesus. We need to remember what Jesus taught us to pray – “on earth as it is in heaven.” If there are no reminders of our past failures in heaven, we should not allow them on earth either. For a believer, those condemning thoughts are illegal.

If you continue to dwell on your past and if you constantly feel shame and condemnation for things done months or years ago, you are coming into agreement with the enemy. God says that your past is gone. The enemy says that it is very present. Every time you lift your past up again to God, asking for forgiveness, you are expressing unbelief in his Word that says the past is forgiven and forgotten – as if the blood of Christ is not sufficient for your failures. But it is!

Satan’s goal for your feelings of shame, guilt, and condemnation is for you to feel disqualified to serve God in significant ways or disqualified to have your prayers answered. In that setting, discouragement reigns rather than triumph. But Jesus has qualified you and your past does not affect that at all.

Susan and I paid off our house a few years ago. When we did, we got a legal paper from the bank saying, “Paid in full.” The bank has no claim on our house whatsoever. If some guy from the bank showed up at our house telling us that we needed to pay more on the loan, we simply have to wave our “paid in full” receipt in front of him and send him on his way. That is how we should treat Satan when he comes calling and telling us that our debt is not paid. It is paid. Paid in full. And we need to say so. As far as God is concerned, that is the gospel. Don’t let anyone tell you different! Be blessed today and know that your past mistakes and failures are fully and totally covered. They are covered by the eternal blood of Christ. You will be resurrected, but your past never will. Rest in that.