Much is being said and written currently about the “end times” when Jesus will return and history as we know it will grind to afinal and sudden stop. In Matthew 24, his disciples asked Jesus what the signs would be when the “end” would come that he had foretold along with the destruction of the Temple. Jesus responded by saying that the day or hour of his coming was known only to the Father…not even the angels know. However, he said we should be able discern the season and know when these things are at hand. He warns us to be alert and not caught off guard at his coming,

Several decades ago I determined not to spend too much time sorting out the end times. If we live everyday as if Jesus is coming back we will be in a good place at his return. I decided that because it was a season when many people (prophets, preachers and authors) were trying to determine the day and the time of his return, even though Jesus said it couldn’t be known. Each prediction was spread across headlines and each time the prediction failed to materialize, it seemed the church lost more credibility with the unchurched. On top of that, I was watching people I knew pour all their energy into “discerning the headlines,” rather than serving God or sharing the gospel. It appeared to be a great distraction.

However, in the past few years I have reconsidered. I have begun spending a little more time thinking about the season of his return as I see clear prophetic lines being crossed. I certainly believe we are in the season. I think three major prophetic markers point to the return of Jesus.

The first occurred in 1948 when Israel became a nation again and then in 1967 when Jerusalem was returned to control of Israel. When Jesus returns he will not place his foot down on the White House lawn, but in Israel and, specifically, in Jerusalem. That prophetic line has been crossed. If you are not aware, the Jews had no homeland for 2000 years. They were scattered all over the world which was God’s pronounced judgment if Israel would not turn their hearts back to him and if they rejected Messiah. In 70 A.D., Rome destroyed the Temple and banished Jews from Jerusalem. However, the prophets also foretold, over and over, that, in the end times, God would gather the Jews once again in Israel As I mentioned, that historically unlikely event took place in 1948.

A second major prophetic line is found in 2 Thessalonians. Here Paul declares, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 These. 2:3-4, emphasis added).

The word translated rebellion in this text is apostasia which can be translated apostasy or the “falling away.” Most scholars believe this is a “falling away” that occurs in the church. This word can also mean abandonment or rebellion. In the past few decades we have seen that occur in the western church. Many have abandoned the faith but more destructive are those who have continued to declare that they are true followers of Christ while compromising with the world and bending scripture to embrace their own standards rather than God’s.

Where the Bible clearly declares that practicing homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord, a number of main line denominations have embraced it as an acceptable lifestyle even among church leaders. Other churches no longer defend the inerrancy of scripture and others no longer maintain that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Other “churches” celebrate abortion for any cause and seemingly few churches clearly speak out against sin anymore. There is a clear movement, even among “Christians” to form a new world or universal religion that takes the “best of all religions” and combines their tenets into one faith. Clearly, there is a great apostasy or “falling away” occurring now

The third prophetic line is also mentioned in Paul’s comments above. The “man of lawlessness” (the anti-Christ) will set himself up in God’e temple, proclaiming himself to be God. There may be two ways to understand this. If the church is the “temple” Paul is referring to, then some individual man ascend to prominence and have influence over the church…perhaps, in a universal religion scenario. More likely, however, the temple here is the temple in Jerusalem.

Of course, there is no temple in Jerusalem at this moment. The last temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 a.d. But fear not, the orthodox Jews are on the brink of building a third temple in Jerusalem. They have everything they need to do just that. This will be the third prophetic line that will announce that Jesus will be coming soon. Just so you don’t get too comfortable, that Temple can be built in months rather than years.

All of this is to say that we are definitely in the season of his return if not absolutely on the brink. This should motivate us to do several things:

First of all, let’s examine our faith to see if we have given into cultural pressure and deception and watered down the word of God in our own lives. God is unchanging and his word is unchanging. Cultural “evolution” nor agenda driven “science” does not change his standards of righteousness or judgment.

Secondly, we must evaluate our love for God. How seriously do we take obedience in our own lives. Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commands.” How many commands do we “exempt” ourselves from because they don’t conform to our preferences? Who have we not forgiven? Who do we continue to judge? How compromised are our relationships? What addictions do we rationalize and what “idols” are we devoted to more than Jesus?

Thirdly, if there is someone you need to share the gospel with or whose salvation you need to be praying for…I wouldn’t delay. C.S.Lewis put it this way. “When the author steps onto the stage, the play is over.” In other words, when Jesus returns, the opportunity to say “yes” to him will have passed.

We are in a crazy world where everything seems out of control. Unwelcome changes seem to happen at light speed. But we, like the sons of Issachar should understand the times and press into our Savior more than ever. Jesus says there will be great deception in the last days so that even the elect might be led astray. Get into the Word. Stay connected to a Bible believing church. Stay connected to a group of serious believers who will pray for one another and look out for one another in these last days. We certainly want to be ready for his return and be unashamed at his coming.

Jesus said on several occasions that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  To truly love God, our minds and hearts must be aligned with his truth.  Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn.14:15). We won’t keep a commandment that we don’t agree with…at least not consistently.  

Most of us are in the process of alignment.  We consistently obey Jesus in some areas but not in others. At our best, we begin to think or respond in a certain way, then think about what Jesus would want and, after some internal debate, surrender to him.  That is a good step, but the renewed mind goes to what Jesus would want first, without having to reason our way to that conclusion. When our mind and heart are both aligned with God’s Spirit, then we are truly renewed.  

The mind is renewed by constant time in the Word and in meditation on the Word. The Greek word translated meditation, is the idea of “chewing on something for a while.”  We need not just mindlessly read the Bible, but also  think about what we have read.  Discuss it with other believers.  Read or listen to someone else’s thoughts on the passage, etc.  As we do so, what seemed to be counterintuitive at one time, now seems to make perfect sense because we are training out minds with Kingdom logic, rather than worldly wisdom. If our mind is not renewed, we will not be transformed.  Paul declared, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).  

Along with the mind, our hearts need to be renewed as well. God’s truth can find its way to our heart in many ways, but the most powerful way is through revelation, when God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit about his truth so that the life-giving Word of God replaces a lie that has affected us for years (Rom. 8:16). The lies of Satan are deadly but the truth of Jesus Christ gives life.  Adam bit on Satan’s lie in the Garden and death entered into the world. But when Jesus touched the dead, the dead breathed again. When Jesus touches a lie, he drains it of its deadly poison and breathes his healing truth into a wound that was releasing its toxin into our life. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words (rhema)  I have spoken to you are spirit andthey are life “ (Jn.6:63).

There are two general words in the Greek language that describe a word from the Lord.  One is logos and the other is rhema.  Typically, logos refers to the written word of God revealed to the prophets and penned by them as well.  Rhema is typically a spoken word of God that give fresh revelation to an individual.  It may be a revealed application of the written word or simply a direct world to a person through the Spirit.  We need both logos and rhema.

I believe the written logos is most needed to renew the mind while the spoken rhema is most effective at changing the heart.  Logos makes sure that rhema is consistent with the will of God and keeps us from spinning off into theological space.  It also is a way we experience God directly which increases our faith.  Paul said, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (rhema) of God. “  Truthfully, I am more transformed By a genuine experience with God than by a sermon or daily Bible reading.  The experience needs to be tested by the written word, but the spoken word or experience with God opens my heart up to a greater level and expands my mind to a deeper understanding of the written Word.

Churches that preach about God, but rarely experience him are not greatly transformative.  Churches that are mostly experience and little Word are prone to theological error and can be more “fleshly” than those churches who deny the Spirit.

Jesus declared, ”The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words (rhema) I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (Jn.6:63).  We need the words of Jesus…both written and those heard in our spirit.   

Let’s read the Word, let’s listen to good sermons, let’s read good books to help us understand the Lord more…but then let’s listen for his rhema.  Let Jesus speak to you about his Word, your plans, your hurts, your disappointments and even your successes.  When Jesus speaks your heart is transformed.   

When both our minds and hearts are renewed, we will commune with God in greater ways than we have ever known. That should be our truest and highest goal for living.

 I’ve been reading through the Book of Hebrews once again.  it is heavily laden with references to the temple and the Levitical priesthood.  For most of us, those references only faintly ring a bell.  We have a general sense of what that is all about but to the Jews, but it was at the core of their culture.  Animal sacrifices emerge from the pages of the Bible in the early chapters of Genesis when Cain and Abel came before the Lord with their sacrifices.  Immediately after departing the Ark, Noah built an alter and offered sacrifices of some of the “clean” animals he had taken with him. The next major figure in scripture is Abraham who built numerous altars for animal sacrifice and even for his son Isaac if God had required it.  Finally, an entire sacrificial system was codified after Moses led Israel from Egypt to Mount Sinai where God revealed the Law by which Israel was to live.

The Law outlined how Israel was to relate to God and to one another.  The temple code was detailed and complex.  If you read through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy you will see the difficulty of it all.  That is why most people skim the texts or skip over it all together. It outlines in detail the construction of the temple and all of its components. It spells out who the priests could be and how they were to dress. It detailed instructions on how and when to offer sacrifices. Each of these details were seen to be inflexible and holy.  You ignored the details at your own risk.  Priests offered sin sacrifices for Israel every day and once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer the blood of animals before the Ark of the Covenant which represented the throne of God.  The moment was full of fear for the nation because if God did not accept their sacrifice, he would no longer protect and provide for the nation.  

The message of the sacrificial system was that sin was deadly serious in the face of a Holy God.  We tend to compare ourselves to the righteousness of other sinners and live as if God grades on a curve.  But our righteousness is compared to his righteousness and against that standard, no one has a chance.  Many of the great prophets, when confronted by the holiness of God or even his angelic representatives, fell to the ground terrified because they fully felt their sinfulness in the presence of his holiness.  

In the face of that great differential, the sacrifices also communicated that the just penalty for sin (rebellion) was death, but that God would accept the death of an innocent on behalf of man.  The greatest Old Testament witness of that truth was probably found in the Passover when a lamb without blemish had to be sacrificed and the blood smeared above and beside the door of each house.  When God’s angels came in judgment on Egypt, judgment passed over all those who were covered by the blood.  Each blood sacrifice after that was a reminder of the truth that only by the blood shed by an innocent substitute could man escape the judgment of God.  On certain feast days, primarily Passover, Jews crowded into Jerusalem to offer up sacrificial lambs for each family.  Jewish historians report that perhaps 150,000 lambs would be sacrificed on one day.  The amount of blood that ran from these animals had to make an impression of every Jew.

The problem with animal sacrifices was that they had to be offered day after day and year after year, which left the people of Israel feeling that something was missing. And if the animal was insufficient according to the Law or if the priesthood was inadequate or even wicked, then the sacrifice would not be accepted and sin would not be dealt with.

But then enter Jesus…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Enter Jesus our perfect and sinless high priest who offered a perfect sacrifice (his sinless self) once and for all. On top of that, as our High Priest he lives forever. We never have to wonder if this year’s sacrifice is adequate or whether this year’s high priest is acceptable.  The details are taken care of.  

The perfect sacrifice to which the Law of Moses pointed has been offered and is enough for all those who believe in him…forever. Not only that, but this High Priest also intercedes for us with the Father…he (the beloved of God) takes our needs and our failures before the Father…not as a group but as individuals. We do not have to enter into his presence with fear and trembling but can come before his throne of grace with confidence because the sacrifice offered for us and the one who offered it are perfect.  

I often think that as a Gentile, I miss so much of what Jesus has accomplished for us.  A good reading of Hebrews helps close that gap.  If you haven’t read it in while. I recommend a fresh reading. It will never be just us standing before the Father, but it will always be us and Jesus.

Today is a day of remembrance in America as we memorialize those who lost their lives on September 11, twenty-three years ago. There are ceremonies all around the United States today as large cities and small communities remember the attack and the loss of life associated with that day.  Remembrance is a good thing.

God is a God who remembers.  All through scripture we are told that he remembers his covenants and remembers his people.  He even placed a rainbow in the sky as a reminder of his covenant with Noah and his creation.  But God calls us to remember as well.

He called on Israel to remember what He did to Pharoah (Dt. 17:18) on behalf of his people.  We need to remember the things in our past from which God has delivered us.  We are told to remember the Lord our God who gives us the ability to produce wealth (Dt. 8:18).  We need to remember that God is our provider so we give thanks to him for all we have.  Israel was commanded to remember their departure from Egypt through the celebration of Passover from generation to generation.  The Lord’s supper calls us to remember his sacrifice and our deliverance from bondage each time we partake of the bread and the cup.  

It would be wise of us to mark off certain times in our lives to intentionally remember who God is and all the things he has done for us…provision, protection, salvation, belonging, and the promises of eternal life that still lie ahead.

To be casual about these things leads to a failure to remember. In scripture, remembrance is more than just checking a “fact box” about the past, but it is remembering to the depth that we re-experience the moment. For those surrounding the Twin Towers Memorial this morning and reading the names of the dead, they are reimagining the sounds, the odor, the dust, the shock, the fear, the horror of the morning as well as countless expressions of bravery and sacrifice.  That kind of remembrance stirs us to act or to resolve.  We will not let certain things happen again and we will aspire to be courageous like those first-responders who ran into the towers on that morning.

The danger in forgetting is real.  Nehemiah, speaking of Israel in his day, said “They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them.  They became stiff- necked in their rebellion…” (Neh. 9:17).  To forget is to risk becoming stubborn and rebellious because remembrance is one of the things that keeps our self-centered, self-sufficient, and rebellious flesh in check.  

Morning devotionals are a great time to remember.  Sundays while we worship are a great time to remember. Spiritual birthdays, Easter, and New Years are great times to remember.  Take the time.  Be intentional.   Write down the things God has done for you, saved you from, blessed you with, and saved you for.  Keep a record that you review and add to each time you remember. Remember to remember.

Recently, I wrote a blog referencing Gideon and the call of God on his life.  I want to go back to draw another lesson from that story.  In Judges 6, the text reads…

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:11-15).

The angel of the Lord called out Gideon’s destiny as a “mighty warrior,” but Gideon clearly did not see himself as the Lord saw him.  We are told that he was threshing wheat in a wine press because he was hiding from Midianite raiders.  He had little faith in God to work though him because, from his perspective, God had abandoned Israel.  That is not the mindset of a mighty warrior.  And yet, that is what God said he was.

As you read through Judges, you see the steps that God took with Gideon to bring him into his destiny.  It wasn’t an immediate transformation but a progression that took time and a number of experiences with God.  His first assignment as the “deliverer of Israel” was to tear down the altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that accompanied the altar and to build an altar to God in its place.

That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering” (Judges 6:25-26). 

As you read further in Judges 6, you discover that Gideon was obedient but not particularly bold.  He tore down the altar at night and took ten men with him.  But that was a first step in learning to trust God.  As the story develops, God asks him to do harder things…but a little at a time, giving him assurances as he went.  Sometimes we find ourselves being timid when God calls us to do something and then feel as if we have failed altogether because we were not aggressive and bold in doing what he asked.  But God is willing to let us grow in faith and boldness. 

God told him to “go in the strength you have,” not in the strength he would have in five or ten years. So, be obedient to the extent that you can and know that God is growing you into a “mighty warrior.”  Don’t beat yourself up because you weren’t a fearless evangelist or a fearless healer the first time God gave you an opportunity to share the gospel or pray for healing. Do what you can and then pray for more opportunities and more boldness the next time.  Your willingness to entertain a “next time” is the main thing.

Secondly, in order for Gideon to step into his destiny, he had to tear down false altars and build a new and authentic altar to God.  If we keep worshipping at false altars, Satan will have his way with us.  If we try to worship at the true altar and still show up at our false altars we will also fail to move ahead. Jesus said we cannot serve two masters.  All the false altars have to be destroyed. How do I know what my altars are?  They are simply the things I give the highest priority in my life.

There are altars of comfort and safety.  There are altars of recreation, career, addictions, fame, money and even family.  If I put one or more of those altars ahead of God, then those altars must be torn down. Whatever organizes my life in terms of how I spend my time, money, or energy is my actual altar.  

Many of us will profess that the altar we worship at is the true altar of God, but that is often an aspirational value, not an actual value. If our job consistently keeps us from church and from serving God, then we most likely are worshipping at the altar of career or materialism. If we miss months of connecting with spiritual family and serving in the kingdom because we are chasing our kid’s club team around the country, we are most likely worshipping at the altar of family. If we disappear for months every year because we are at the deer lease, we are worshipping at the altar of recreation or self-fulfillment. If I never step out of my comfort zone to pray for someone or share the gospel at an opportune moment, then I am likely worshipping at the altar of comfort and safety (my personal favorite).  

These altars must be torn down and one altar erected to the one true God if I am to fulfill the destiny God has ordained for me.  It’s quite easy to justify our altars to ourselves and those we know, but not to God. I am not advocating an austere life in which we never take a vacation or go to the deer lease or watch our kids play ball.  Those things are not sin…until we give them a higher priority than serving God and loving his people. 

Whatever false altar we worship at, we demonstrate to our children, our co-workers,  or our friends that there are things more important than knowing and serving God.  For instance, in an effort to support our kids and show them love, we often demonstrate that their interests and desires are more important than the desires of God.  We demonstrate that the world revolves around them, instead of Jesus Christ.  Later, when they simply give God the leftovers of their life in a very casual relationship with him, we wonder what happened. They noticed the altars at which we were worshipping. 

These are serious considerations for those who want to follow Jesus and become the man or woman he wants us to be.  Ask him to reveal any false altars that are keeping you from your destiny and ask how you are to tear them down.  Then ask the Holy Spirit to build a true altar for the living God in your heart.  These are the first steps in being a “mighty warrior” for God. 

The Lord has been reminding me lately of a truth I know well, but still sometimes forget.  It is the authority with which we speak as children of God.  Sometimes my prayers feel powerless and my commands seem to have little impact.  Sometimes I begin to forget who I am in Christ and feel totally ineffective. I begin to feel as if my words don’t matter. Sometimes I need a refresher course in the power God has entrusted to his people. 

The first chapter of Jeremiah is incredibly instructive about the power of our words.  Early in the chapter, God reveals to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer.1:5).  Like many others called by God, Jeremiah’s first response was, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young!” Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, and others strenuously objected when God called them to their destiny.  Each felt inadequate.  Each was acutely aware of his weakness.

But then God goes on to say, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.  You must go to everyone I send you and say whatever I command you…I have put my words in your mouth. See. today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and over throw, to build and to plant’” (Jer. 1:7-10).  

As you read the remained for the book, you discover that Jeremiah never led an army or directed a revolution.  Yet, by simply declaring the words of the Lord, he launched initiatives in the heavenly realms that tore down nations and built them up.  God could have certainly done those things without any prophet declaring them.  But God chose to use men to whom he had given authority on this earth. God waited on his people to declare what he was going to do before he would do it.  God honors the authority he has given us.

Remember, God’s original intent was to give men who represented Him dominion and authority over all the works of his hands (Ps. 8:6). Jesus demonstrated that perfectly in his ministry.  He walked in the Father’s authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, multiply bread and fish, and still the squalls of the Sea of Galilee…with words.  Then he gave authority to his disciples, who also healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demon…with words. Jesus then declared that those who would follow and believe in him would not only do what he had been doing but would do even greater things (Jn.14:12).…with words.

As followers of Jesus, our words have power and authority.  But how often do we feel helpless and weak.  In a sense, just as Jeremiah recognized his own inadequacy, we too are inadequate by ourselves.  But, like Jeremiah, God makes us adequate by giving us and our words authority and backing up that authority with the power of heaven.  Our failure is to focus on our own abilities rather than His.

When we pray, we pray with authority.  When we command demons, we do so with authority.  When we command illness, we do so with authority.  Certainly, the outcome is not always immediate or automatic.  ‘There are many times we must contend for the outcome with persistence, faith, and fervor.  But when we are aligned with God’s word and will, then it is his word going forth from our mouths just as it was with Jeremiah. Then the promise is that whenever God’s word goes forth, it always fulfills its purpose.  

In the moments when you feel weak and are on the verge of giving up, remember who you are and the authority God has granted you. His word does the work, but we are the ones who must declare it. As followers of Jesus, we walk in authority.  When we are aligned with the Father, heaven heeds our words and the spiritual realm moves on our behalf. The key to authority is believing that we possess it as representative of Christ on the earth. From time to time, I encourage you to refresh your faith and remember who you are because of Him.

In judges 6, we find one of the great stories of the Old Testament…the story of Gideon.  As the chapter opens, we are told that because of Israel’s sin, God gave had given them into the hands of the Midianites, who severely oppressed Israel for seven years.  This was a familiar cycle in the life of Israel.  God would give them victory over their enemies and bless the land with fruitfulness.  But after a few years of blessing, Israel would forget God and reject his commands.  They often pursued the “gods” of the nations around them and slipped fatally into idol worship. In an effort to turn the nation back to him, God would then discipline them by letting their enemies oppress them once again.  They would then cry out to God and repent.  In response, God would raise up a man or woman as a judge over Israel who would lead them in victories over their enemies and restore their freedom. After a season of blessing, they would turn away from God once more.

In Judges 6, the people began to cry out to God again and he raised up an unlikely champion to lead them in battle against the Midianites. If you read the account, you will see that Gideon was highly resistant to the call of God to lead the nation, but finally began to trust Jehovah and won Israel’s freedom.  When God first commissioned Gideon to lead his people, his initial command was for Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it (Judges 6:25).  Baal was the god of fertiltiy and Ashera was his concubine. He was then ordered to build a proper altar to God in place of the pagan altar.

The Old Testament is clear that behind every altar and idol was a demonic spirit.  When the pagans offered sacrifices on these altars and prayed to their “gods,” demons were released to fulfill the desires of the worshipper.  You may recall in Numbers 22, that Balak asked Balaam to place a curse on Israel so that he might defeat them in battle.  Hoping that God would give him permission to do so, he built seven altars.  We are told that Balaam was a sorcerer and we can safely assume that he would have offered sacrifices on those altars and called on the powers of darkness to wage war against Israel if he had the opportunity. God did not allow him to do so, but it was in his heart to do it if he could.

Here is the principle.  When demonic assignments are made from an altar dedicated to demons, the assignment stands as long as the altar stands.  The demon is honored and empowered by the sacrifices made on that altar. In addition, the altar Gideon destroyed was a family altar that would have continued to give demons access to Gideon.  Perhaps, that is where his initial fear and doubt came from. That is one reason God always commanded the altars to be utterly destroyed.  Not only would remaining altars tempt Israel to begin to worship at them again, but their assignments against Israel would stand as well.  

You cannot maintain peaceful coexistence with demons. By their very nature, their only intent is to kill, steal and destroy. While you ignore them, they are plotting new strategies for your destruction. That is why Israel cannot trust in treaties made with their enemies because their enemies are not just driven by politics but by the dark forces of evil.  Any treaty simply allows the enemy to regroup and rearm themselves for the next inevitable attack.  

We would also be naïve to believe that there are not thousands of demonic altars operating in America right now where witches and warlocks are offering sacrifices and repeating incantations in an effort to curse God’s people, his churches, and those who stand for life, biblical values, and freedom in this nation.  We need a worldviews that includes spiritual dimensions for Paul says our true battle is not against flesh and blood but the spiritual powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12).

As I mentioned earlier, we cannot peacefully coexist with these agents of darkness.  We need to be clear that there is more than politics going on with these agendas.  We are not to hate the men and women Satan is using for his enterprise, for they are truly deceived. But we must resist and take back the territory that has been relinquished in this nation to Satan in the arenas of government, media and education. Prayer and spiritual warfare will need to increase among God’s people.   Holiness and alignment with the Lord will have to mark our churches.  We will need to begin to operate in the authority of Jesus Christ at a much higher level if we are going to be the instruments God uses to restore America.  Ultimately, turning the followers of Satan into followers of Jesus is our best strategy to save this nation.  

If this sounds like an impossible task, it is not. In Acts 19, Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus which was a stronghold of witchcraft and pagan worship. God did “extraordinary miracles through Paul” (Acts 19:8) in that city. .  As a result, a godly fear fell on the population and the name of Jesus was held in honor.  We are told that a number of sorcerers brought their scrolls and burned them in the public square. Many Satanists have come to Jesus already in America.  A Satanist does not have to be convinced of the reality of Jesus. He or she already believes that. What they need to discover is that Jesus is more powerful than Satan.  Once they discover his power, they know they have been deceived by the prince ion this world and they quickly embrace the kingdom of light. In view of that, the church must begin to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit more than ever before and tear down and utterly destroy the altars of demons in this nation. 

The future of America and even this election will not be determined by politics but by spiritual warfare on both sides.  We must pray, fast, declare, and evangelize if this nation is to stand.  I hope we will all take our assignment seriously at the altar of the Lord.  

Throughout the gospels, Jesus healed people in every village and crowd. On numerous occasions, he healed them by casting out a an unclean spirit. Typically, it was a spirit of infirmity or a deaf and dumb spirit. These spirits manifested as physiological conditions. Among those who were healed when spirits were cast out were the deaf, the mute, the blind, those with chronic back problems and those who suffered from seizures and mental illness.

As you scan the gospels, these healings by deliverance were fairly common. When the spirit was cast out, the source of the condition was removed and healing followed quickly. These spirits produced conditions that mimicked real physiological and psychological conditions. But Jesus and his disciples knew the difference.

In his gospel, Matthew records, “Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics and paralytics; and He healed them” (Mt.4:24; NKJV). Later Matthew tells us about a father who sought the Lord for is son. “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water” (Mt. 17:15; NKJV). In that case, Jesus drove out a deaf and dumb spirit and the boy was healed.

Over the past few years we have seen many healed as a result of deliverance. Two of those we have seen healed were told by doctors if they could not find the cause of the illness their lives were in jeopardy because their health was deteriorating so quickly, One woman was in her 40’s and had already been told by doctors to quit her job and stop driving. She was weak. She could not lift her hands above her shoulders and she was losing ground quickly. After visiting with her, we discovered that she had been raped in college, but had never told anyone. She had not forgiven the rapist…a professor of hers. She had not forgiven herself because she felt partly to blame. After forgiving him and herself and after breaking soul ties with him, we cast out a spirit of infirmity. She could immediAtely raise her arms above her head and within a week was back at work and driving again. Ten years later she is still going strong.

A second woman told us that the doctors had given her only months to live but they could not diagnose the source of her illness. Her health was simply deteriorating at a rapid pace. After visiting with her, the Lord revealed that a witch was putting a curse on her. Immediately, she knew who the woman was that was directing demonic spirits against her. After breaking the curse and casting out a spirit of infirmity, her health was restored within weeks.

Certainly, not every illness or condition is demonic. But many are…especially those that defy diagnosis or treatments that are usually affective. When you pray for people to be healed, be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. If you sense a leading that the illness is spiritual, then deliverance is in order. If, as you begin to pray, the pain gets worse or begins to move around within the person, that definitely suggests a spirit’s involvement.

Sometimes we are hesitant to bring up the possibility of demonic affliction because it seems too weird or we think it will “freak out” the person we are praying for. But their healing is worth it. However, before commanding any spirit to leave, a brief interview is in order. You may need to visit with them too see if they were ever involved in witchcraft or occult activities of any kind; if there is someone they need to forgive; or if their is a sin they need to confess and repent of. Those things can give the afflicting spirit a right to be there and so that right needs to be removed before deliverance.

Deliverance is not always instantaneous. In fact, that is the exception. Usually you will need to command a spirit several times as well as declare the Lord’s authority over that spirit before it will leave. The spirit will often resist in an effort to tire you out or intimidate you so you give up. But persist. If the spirit continues to remain after a reasonable amount of time, you may need to visit more to see if there is something else giving the enemy a right to continue the affliction. Those rights are often found in the sins of the fathers or, in our culture today, the source may be witchcraft targeting the individual. If you can discover who might hold a grudge agains the sick individual, you may know the source. If a wrong has prompted the curse, then the sick person can repent and do their best to make amends. You can then cancel the curse by the blood of Jesus and cancel any assignment a demon might have on that person. Then you can drive out the enemy.

What I find among believers is that we often jump right into healing prayer without discovering whether there is some sin that may hinder our prayer or some spirit that is the source of the illness. Taking a few minutes to ask the right questions can make your prayer and ministry much more effective. Blessings in Him.

We usually take great pleasure when our enemy falls or fails.  After all, they would delight in our demise as well.   We may take their defeat as personal vindication or as a triumph of justice.  The following scripture adds a different dimension to our reaction that we should consider:

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him. Proverbs 24:17-18

We know that David was deemed to be “a man after God’s own heart,” so his life should be instructive to us.  King Saul falsely accused David of wanting his thrown and made numerous attempts to kill him.  Finally, when Israel engaged in battle against the Philistines, Saul and his three sons are killed. Saul had relentlessly hunted David and his men for several years.  David had been forced to live in the desert wilderness during that time with the threat of death hanging over his head daily.  

When the report of Saul’s death reached David, it seems it would have been cause for celebration, but his response was somewhat unexpected.  The text says, “Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan…” (2 Sam. 1:11-12). Saul would have gladly killed all of them if he had been given the opportunity.  He had branded them as outlaws and many had been separated from their families for months or years because of Saul’s jealousies. And yet, instead of celebrating they mourned.

This response reveals the heart of God toward those who oppose him.  Sometimes we view God as an angry God who takes delight in destroying the wicked. However, God laments, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live” (Ezek. 18:23).

This does not suggest we cannot celebrate a victory, but our heart towards our defeated enemies must be one of compassion rather than vengeance.  We should, at least, regret the loss of what could have been if a nation or person had taken a different path.  We might regret the fact that a wicked man will never have an opportunity to repent and be saved if his life is taken. The key is to value all men and women who have been made in the image of God and to mourn or regret what could have been if other decisions had been made.  Remember, Jesus still calls us to “love our enemies.”

As we enter the last few months of this heated election season, it might be good to remember that those who hold very different views than we hold are still made in the image of God and are still loved by him.  Some may even be destroyed politically in this season and we, as God’s people, should not gloat or rejoice at their demise.  Instead, we might that God might use their humiliation to bring them to a place of repentance and salvation if needed. 

We see wickedness in this world and want it to be defeated.  That is a godly desire.  But how we view those we see as enemies is a place where we all need to guard our hearts.  I am sure that you, like me, would love for God to say that we are a man or woman after God’s own heart.  

I’m reading through 1 Samuel again and the accounts of Saul and David.  As you recall, Saul was the first king of Israel.  He was anointed to be king by Samuel and in the beginning seemed promising.  He appeared to be humble but the humility turned out to be massive insecurity and fear.  His reign was marked by moments of disobedience to God’s clear commands while always rationalizing why he had no options but to violate the commands.

In 1 Samuel 15, a revealing incident takes place. The Lord commands Saul to attack the Amalekites and totally destroy them for what they had done to Israel as they came from Egypt.  We are told that Saul attacked the Amalekites and killed most of them.  However, he took their king Agag prisoner and saved the best of their sheep and cattle. After the battle he encountered Samuel and said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’sinstructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied.  Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” (1 Sam. 15:13-21)

Saul’s character is revealed here and, to some degree, his view of God.  Saul seemed to think that if he generally did the will of God, he had done all that God had commanded.  He took the commands of God and then modified them to fit his situation, but then insisted that he had been fully obedient.  How many times do we obey God in some areas, but then find reasons to justify the part where we disobey while convincing ourselves that we are fully surrendered to God?

Over the years, I have known believers who were involved in immoral relationships but somehow decided that since they “loved one another” and were “faithful” to their lover that God was okay with what they were doing.   Others have embezzled money from their  company to “meet the needs of their family” and because the company owed them that money for all the years and hours they had put in without a raise or promotion.  Somehow, they were able to justify themselves because they “had to provide for their family” and because they were correcting their company’s injustice. I know others who have forgiven some, but have assigned others a special status where unforgiveness was justified because of how great the betrayal had been.  I have also known church leaders who excused their porn addictions because their wife wasn’t meeting their sexual needs and they were not having an actual affair. In all these instances, like Saul, they believed that because they were obedient in some things, they were obedient in all things.  Satan can blind us to the realities of our life and our disobedience to God.  If you had asked these individuals if they were submitted Christians who walked in obedience to God, they would have assured you that they were. 

Before we feel smug, I am pretty certain that we all have blind spots like these that we do not count as disobedience because we are obedient in many other areas and we find “reasons” why our disobedience should be acceptable due to “extenuating circumstances.”  Perhaps, we don’t give to the Lord or give to the poor as we should because we have other financial obligations – our boat payment, the big house we just purchased, the top-of-the-line pickup we really needed, the European vacation we had promised our spouse, etc.   Perhaps, we don’t serve at church because we are too busy with career, kid’s sports, our favorite recreational activities, etc.  Often, when we are financially blessed, we give money but not our time and so feel our money makes up for our time we don’t give the Lord because we are busy enjoying all the things money can provide.  None of these things are wrong in themselves except when they keep us from obedience.  Then, when we ignore or rationalize our disobedience, we have become like Saul. We fall into the view that God is pleased with “close enough.

We are all going to fall short in our obedience to God.  But our proper response is confession and repentance rather than rationalization and our insistence that we are submitted followers of Jesus in every area of our life. As we continue to read 1 and 2 Samuel, we see David fall into disobedience as well – the Bathsheba incident.  In many ways, what he did seems to far out rank Saul’s failures as sin.  The difference was that David acknowledged his sin, made no excuses, and threw himself on the mercy of God. Saul consistently denied his disobedience, insisted that circumstances had left him no choice, or blamed others for “forcing” him into his bad decisions.

As a result, God removed the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David.  Samuel declared, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices in as much as obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice.”  May we be aware of our failures to obey, but repent rather than rationalize.  And may our prayer be the same as David’s: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”