The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Isaiah 61:1-2

The text above is one of the most famous Messianic prophecies in scripture. We know that it was a passage looking ahead to the ministry of Jesus because Jesus said as much in Luke 4. If Jesus were crafting a “mission statement” for his non-profit that passage would be it. If you reflect just a bit, you will recognize that those verses summarize his three-year ministry to Israel.

For three years Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom of God to the oppressed. Some translations say that Jesus preached to the poor but the better translation from the Hebrew is the “afflicted” or “oppressed.” The language harkens back to the Hebrews in Egyptian bondage and the days of Moses. In the days of Jesus, the Jews found themselves under the merciless boot of Rome. Under the power of Rome they were certainly afflicted and oppressed. That was true, not only in a political sense, but spiritually they were in the same boat. Not only were they in bondage to sin but the legalism of the Law as interpreted by the Pharisees and Levites was just as crushing. Speaking of the religious establishment, Jesus said, “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger” (Mt.23:4). Peter called the Law a “yoke of bondage” (Acts 15:9). The preaching of the Kingdom of God and the grace God had for his people must have been a breath of fresh air. In contrast to the hundreds of laws the Jews had generated for God’s people, Jesus boiled it down to loving God and loving others. He said that the works of God were simply to believe on him. So Jesus came preaching the good news of God’s grace and mercy.

In addition, Jesus declared that his purpose was to bind up the brokenhearted. In other words, he came to heal broken hearts or bring emotional healing to people who were crippled by emotional trauma and shattered identities. It is amazing how many believers are still in bondage to past experiences that painted them as worthless, insignificant, and as orphans – someone that nobody wants. Jesus brought a different message calling us sons and daughters of God as well as friends of the King of Kings. He declared our worth and significance in the heart of God and the cross put the exclamation point on our value in the kingdom of heaven.

The third part of his mission statement, in general, was to set captives free. The idea was to release men by the power of the cross from bondage – bondage to sin, to disease, to infirmity, to fear, to addictions, and to the devil. When he referenced bondage, he spoke of two groups – prisoners who were in bondage due to their own choices and captives who were ambushed by the sins of others and the devil. Jesus came to liberate both.

Jesus delivered on his mission statement throughout his ministry. Everywhere he went he preached the good news, healed the sick, cast out demons, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead. He loved the sinner and the “down and out” people of this world and his unconditional love as well as power transformed people like Mary Magdalene who at one time had seven demons and was, perhaps, a prostitute. Through God’s touch, she was no longer a woman tormented by sin and demons but was honored by being the first to whom Jesus appeared after his resurrection.

The pattern of preaching the good news, loving people, healing the sick and the brokenhearted, casting out demons, and raising the dead was carried on by the twelve, then by seventy-two others he sent out, and then by the church who was given spiritual gifts so that they could continue to do what Jesus did.

The point is that it took all of that to enable most people to live effectively for Jesus and to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised. What most people get today from the body of Christ is a salvation message and a little love from time to time. But their hearts are not effectively healed, they are not set free from sickness and infirmity, and they are not set free from demonic affliction. In many settings, the church is saved but still crippled. Due to the church’s inability to help set people free, many are sent out from the church to see secular doctors and therapists or “Christian counselors” who have only been equipped with the weapons and strategies of the world. They have little to no training in the use of divine weapons and are often powerless against the schemes of the devil.

My Bible says that the world should be coming to the church for solutions because we have the Holy Spirit who possesses all wisdom, creativity, and power. If we ever have to look to the world to fulfill the mission statement of Jesus, something is very wrong and something is very missing. Freedom ministries are beginning to take root in churches where people are finding freedom, healing, and truly transformed lives but the percentage of churches that minister at that level is very small. And yet, that kind of ministry should be as much a core of the church as evangelism, Bible study, and giving to the poor. That was the core of Christ’s ministry and he expects us to do what he did when he modeled the redeemed life on this planet.

I hope that if your church doesn’t have a “freedom ministry” of some kind where people find healing and freedom through the Holy Spirit, that you will pray about such a ministry and visit with your leadership about it. Many churches that have these well-developed ministries are glad to train and help other churches find their own expression of Christ’s mission statement. If the church is going to walk in the power and glory of God, her people cannot continue to be crippled by emotional wounds, lingering illnesses that never find a cure, and demonic oppression. That doesn’t look like “on earth as it is in heaven.” May every church be more committed to reproducing what Jesus did in the power of the Spirit rather than offering the world the best than we can do in the strength of men.

One of my favorite contemporary prophets is Graham Cooke. I have never met him personally but have heard him at conferences and read his books. One of the things I have heard him say that is worth pondering is that, as believers, we tend to be obsessed with our sin while God is obsessed with our righteousness.

His point is that we constantly worry about our past failures and let the enemy beat us up with condemnation and accusation. We often confess the same sin over and over and tell God how sorry we are for what we did years ago when God has completely blotted out any record of that sin in heaven. God is not thinking about our sin because that has been taken care of by the blood of Christ. He is thinking about establishing us in the righteousness that is ours in Christ.

I believe God’s great challenge with most of his children is to get us to understand who we are in Christ. We tend to live up to the view we have of ourselves. If we define ourselves as wretched, struggling sinners who are barely saved by the blood of Christ then we will continue to be just that. Our self-image will not allow us to paint very far outside the lines of our self-definition. Some of us feel like condemnation is the way to maintain our humility and, thus, be pleasing to God. But if that were the case, why would God tell us all these amazing things about ourselves in scripture.

Biblical humility is not self-rejection and abasement. It is the mindset that rejoices in who we are in Christ but always remembers that who we are is a gift from God and not something we have achieved by our own efforts. We do partner with God in many things, but our identity and our standing in heaven is still a gift of grace. If we spent the same amount of time and energy thanking God for who we are in Christ that we use to remind ourselves of our failings, we would be much further ahead. The proverb says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov.23:7). God says that in Christ we are sons and daughters of God, a chosen people, friends rather than servants, priests of the Most High God, saints, holy ones, the righteousness of God, the household of God, those seated with Christ in heavenly places, the temple of the Holy Spirit, ambassadors of Christ, the loved, the accepted, the forgiven, the anointed of God, and so forth.

If we thought we had earned that position and that standing with the Father, we might certainly become proud and arrogant. If, however, we remember that all of that is a gift and an expression of God’s unconditional love for us, then it can only produce thanksgiving. To ignore our standing in some misguided effort to remain humble is to ignore or even reject the gifts of God and to leave much of what Jesus purchased for us on the table.

It is certainly a biblical matter to acknowledge and confess any sin that does arise in our life, but we should confess it quickly and leave it at the foot of the cross rather than carrying it with us. It should never define us. It should never become our focus and certainly not our obsession. Jesus should be our obsession and who he has made us by his blood and his grace should be the only thing that defines our life.

If you are in the habit of rehearsing your past failures over and over and continuing to bring them up before the Lord, let me encourage you to trade that habit in for a better one – rehearsing who you are in Christ and bringing that up before the Lord with an abundance of thanksgiving. That has much greater transformative power than living in the past and is a powerful acknowledgment of what Jesus has done for you. Blessings in Him.

This is the third part of a short series on our capacity in Christ to impart life and blessings to others through our words. I want to say again that because, as believers, we have been given authority to represent or re-present Jesus to the world, our words are much more than sentiments hoping that God will be kind to someone. Our words literally direct the power of heaven because we have been commissioned to go and do what Jesus did. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (Jn.14:12-14).

Jesus modeled the life that every believer is capable of living by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to reveal the Father to us. Remember when he told Philip that if anyone had seen Jesus he or she had seen the Father. That is the definition of representation. The question then is simply how did Jesus operate as a representative of the Father while he was on the earth in the flesh. We know he lived a perfect life and loved everyone. But most of his representation was accomplished through his words as he directed the power of heaven.

When he said, “Be healed,” the power of heaven was released into a person’s body and God’s will was done on earth, in that body, as it is in heaven. He released the freedom of heaven by his words when he commanded demons to “Come out!” He overcame untimely death with his words when he commanded the dead to “Come forth.” He stilled storms that were putting lives at risk when he declared, “Peace, be still.” The words of the Son of Man who was representing the Father directed the power of heaven. Jesus had been given a commission by the Father. He spoke of that commission when he said, “The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon be because he has anointed me to preach good news …bind up the broken hearted…set captives free” (Luke 4). Where there is an anointing there has already been an appointing or a commissioning. God doesn’t commission men and women without giving them authority and power to carry out the assignment. Jesus understood his authority and the Father’s willingness to back him up and so he fulfilled his commission, primarily through the words he spoke – prayers, declarations, and commands.

We are now the representatives of Jesus and have been given a commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Jesus has commissioned us to go and do what he did in his public ministry as the Son of Man. We too are to heal, to bless, to set free, to calm the storms of life, and so forth just as he did. Like Jesus, we will do most of that through our words as we direct the power of heaven and the presence of God into the lives and situations of others.

Now…like all things in the kingdom, our words must be accompanied by faith in order to move heaven. We should have faith in the authority of our words because of what Jesus has done for us and because the very presence of God lives in us as the Holy Spirit. Peter tells us, “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). Peter’s command suggests that our words should be purposeful and intentional and that we should be aware of the authority attached to them. When we say to someone, “The Lord bless you,” we should fully expect a blessing to be released to that person because we have directed that blessing. When we say, “Be healed,” we should fully expect the power of the Spirit to be released and for healing to occur because we have directed that healing. When we command, “Come out,” we should fully expect the angels of God to enforce our command because our words direct the power of heaven.

If the tongue has the power of life and death and we are to be dispensers of life, then we can expect God to make good on our representation of his Son as we administer his grace to those we encounter. This position is, of course, a great privilege and a great responsibility. We should not be a people who are careless with words or a people who feel that our words are merely sentiments. We are to be intentional dispensers of life – God’s love and blessings – in this world and he has appointed us and anointed us to do so. When we speak, we must speak as we believe Jesus would speak in that situation and have faith that the Father will move to re-present his son through us. Have faith that he will and see what happens. Our words of faith that reproduce what Jesus did while he was on this earth bring glory to both the Son and the Father and all of heaven is poised to do just that. Speak life and expect heaven to move. Be blessed as you bless others.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

We are continuing to look at the power we have to impart life through our words. We can do so primarily because we have been given the authority of Christ to establish God’s will on the earth and we do so by directing heaven’s resources with our words. God’s original intent was to rule earth through his servants to whom he had given dominion over the earth. That dominion was lost through the sin of Adam but regained through the cross of Christ. In Christ, we have been given authority to take back from Satan what was stolen. We will do that through our words expressed in prayers, declarations, and commands. For the most part, it is how we will establish God’s kingdom on earth. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of health, life, freedom, and blessing and our words have the power and authority to release those things on the earth.

Most of us understand the dynamic of prayer. When we pray, we simply ask God to set things in motion in the spiritual realm to create an effect in the natural realm. Our prayers may be long and specific or short and general. We may ask God to give favor to a person for a specific job he or she is pursuing or we may ask God to heal a specific hurt or disease. We may pray for safety for a person we care about as they travel or ask God to anoint a teacher as he or she steps to the podium. We may also pray for God to open a specific person’s heart to the gospel.

When we pray these things, we either anticipate angels moving invisibly to influence people or situations or we anticipate the Holy Spirit operating in someone’s heart. By faith, we expect God to respond to our words uttered in prayer and activate power in the spiritual realm. These kinds of prayers constitute blessings or positive outcomes in the life of the person we prayed for. As representatives of the Father on earth and ambassadors of Christ, we have heavenly authority to direct the power of heaven toward an earthly situation when we ask according to the Father’s will. When we ask things that are revealed in his word and consistent with his will, we are acting within the parameters of our assignment. When we have a scripture to stand on and declare that scripture in our prayer then the word of God has also gone out from our mouth to fulfill his purposes – on earth as in heaven.

We often think of prayer as a time when we get alone with God and enter into a time of worship, thanksgiving, and requests. But a prayer can also be as simple as a phrase like “Bless you.” If we have the authority of Christ to direct the attention of heaven, then short blessings as well as declarations over people and situations can move the Lord to establish positive outcomes in the lives of people and over situations. He responds to the authority he has given us. What we often carelessly say as a sentiment, truly has the power to direct blessings if we have faith for that.

A prayer based on the written word of God and his promises can be powerful, but a prayer based on a rhema from God can be even more powerful. A rhema is a fresh word from God for a specific situation and if he has told you what to pray for or how to pray for something specifically, you can pray with exceptional faith. Paul tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom.10:17). The “word” referred to in that particular passage is rhema ( a fresh, spoken word from God) rather than logos (the written word). When we ask God how he wants us to us to pray in a certain situation or what he wants us to speak or declare over someone and we hear him, we can be absolutely certain that our prayer will be answered and as our prayers are answered in powerful ways, our faith will grow in exceptional ways. When we ask God what he wants us to say or declare we are partnering with him and he has effectively put his word in our mouth. Too often, we fail to remember that God has chosen to do much of his work through us and much will be done based on our words.

Elijah received a rhema word from God after a three and half year drought in Israel during the reign of Ahab, the wicked king. The Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land” (1 Kings 18:1). Following a confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is a sound of heavy rain” (1 Kings 18:41). Elijah then climbed back to the top of Mt. Carmel and began to pray for the rain God had just promised. Was that a lack of faith or something else? Perhaps, he was also declaring over the drought what God has just spoken to him. Even after a promise and a revelation that rain was at hand, it seemed that God waited on the prayers or declarations of Elijah to activate the promise. It’s as if God stored the promise in heaven, but the words of his servant pulled the promise down to earth.

John Wesley said that God does nothing until his saints pray. That may be an overstatement but it is not a great overstatement. God honors our dominion over the earth and so leaves much of what he will do in our hands. That is more responsibility than many of us want but it is also an honor and a privilege. Think how much more God would do on the earth if every Christian believed that his prayers and declarations were required before God would move and so every believer was diligent in prayer and declarations. If only a small percentage of believers understand the power they release through their words, then God is only doing a small percentage of what he is willing and desiring to do in the earth. When we believe our words don’t matter, then Satan has won a great victory.

More in Part 3

We all know the scripture that says, “The tongue has the power of life and death…” (Prov. 18:21). It seems that discussions or writings about that verse seem to focus on the “death” part or curses established by our negative words. I want to focus on the “life” part for my next few blogs.

Life may be imparted through our words in various ways. In general, any statement that has the intent of bringing positive, life-giving outcomes to a person or circumstance can be seen as a blessing. As followers of Jesus, we have been commanded to bless those around us – even our enemies.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9

But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. James 3:8-12

As those who represent the Father on earth, we are to represent his character. The first impulse and desire of God is always to bless. In the famous chapter on blessings and curses for Israel in Deuteronomy 28, the Father listed the blessings first because that is his desire and his first impulse. In the same way, he told Balaam who, for a price, was wanting to place a curse on Israel, “You must not place a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (Num.22:12). God wants to bless until our continued, unrepented actions force him to do otherwise. Our first impulse should also be to bless.

Jesus took it even further when he said, “Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you” (Lk.6:27). He also told us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Mt.5:43-45). To be sons of someone is to have the same character as that person. If we are to have God’s character we will love even our enemies, pray for them, and bless them.

There is a time for discipline and judgment but it always comes after a prolonged refusal to repent and it comes in the perfect measure that only God can know. Even when God’s judgment is required by the actions of men, it has a redemptive intent. Initially, God calls men to repentance through his kindness (Rom.2:4) and we are to be dispensers of that kindness through our spoken blessings and prayers for blessings. God calls us to represent his grace to others and leave any judgment to him. Peter tells us, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Pet. 4:10-11). The exercise of our spiritual gifts and the words we speak are to be outlets of God’s grace to not only the church but to the unbelieving world around us as well, so that the kindness of God may bring men to repentance. As a representative of Christ, walking in his authority, your blessings actually direct the good intentions of heaven toward a person.

Just the presence of God brings blessings because there is no other experience in heaven. After David became king over Israel, one of his first acts was an attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. As you recall, David did what seemed right in his own heart without consulting the Lord, the word of God, or even any priests who should have known how God had commanded the Ark to be moved. It was only to be moved by consecrated priests carrying it by poles inserted through rings on the sides of the Ark. David, however, placed it on an oxcart to move it to Jerusalem and in an awkward moment when the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, a man named Uzzah touched the Ark to steady it and died because of his “irreverent act” (2 Sam.6:7). Out of fear and uncertainty about how to move the Ark safely, David parked the Ark at the house of Obed-Edom. Remember that the Ark carried the presence of God and after three months it was reported, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the Ark of God” (2 Sam.6:12). Simply the presence of God created an atmosphere of heavenly blessings or shalom – health, protection, provision, peace, etc. We too carry the presence of God.

Jesus instructed us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and when we pray or declare a blessing over someone, we are asking heaven to come to earth in the life of that person. As believers, each of us are to be Arks, carrying the presence of God and extending blessings to the atmosphere around us. The decision to be a person who always speaks life and blessing over others…even when they do not return the favor – makes Jesus very attractive to people as he is seen in us. Our commitment to extend the atmosphere of heaven around us alters the atmosphere wherever we go whether it is in the home, the office, or on the basketball court. If there is anything that would make God’s people stand out in this world, it would be our commitment to speak life and blessings over every situation and person we encounter. If that is not your habit, try it this week and see what happens in your heart and the hearts around you.

A leadership group that I am apart of is reading a book by Roberts Liardon entitled God’s Generals. It is one book in a series on men and women who led movements and revivals over the past 150 years. This first book examines the lives and ministries of great healing evangelists such as John Alexander Dowie, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Evan Roberts, Charles Parham, John G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Aimee Simple McPherson, Kathryn Kuhlman and others. Although we are not quite through with the study yet, there are some common denominators found in the life and ministries of these amazing people that can be instructive to us.

These were men and women that did not have the advantage of mass technology in their worlds. Some were born right after the Civil War and others around the turn of the century. No television, no CD’s, and few if any even found their way to radio. Yet their preaching touched thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions. Most preached and healed and had hundreds and even thousands of well documented miracles of healing in their ministries. Most felt a compelling call from God at a young age and grew up in families that were faithful believers that made prayer and Bible study a center piece of their family. Many of their parents were involved in Bible study groups and prayer groups and let their children participate at a young age. Some received a call from God later in life after they were married and running businesses. Most were not well educated by the world’s standards but had faith and once they surrendered to the Lord, were totally sold out to their calling. A number of them were strong willed. So was the Apostle Paul. Several were almost eccentric in nature. I’ve noticed that God often uses extreme people in extreme ways. Many came from working class families who were always just one step ahead of poverty. Hours of prayer were always at the heart of their ministries. God did amazing things through each of these individuals but sadly and disappointingly, many finished poorly and some very poorly.

Without being critical of any of these individuals, I want to share a few things that seemed to contribute to those who did not finish well after having world-changing ministries at one time. We too should guard ourselves as we serve the Lord. One thing that came up over and over was the fact that many of these evangelists were so consumed by their ministries that they did not take care of their health. They were sleep-deprived months on end. They did not exercise or learn to deal with the stress of ministry to thousands. They did not rest, did not take time off, and did not manage the demands that so many put on them. There is a real trap in feeling indispensible – as if all those making demands on you cannot live without you. Eventually they experienced emotional and spiritual burnout which often manifested in psychological issues which tended to discredit their ministries.

It may sound spiritual to “keep answering the 24/7 call of ministry” but Jesus often went off by himself, left the crowds when they were clamoring for more, and found time to sleep even in the midst of storms. Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry and his schedule never seemed to be out of control because God set his agenda rather than men or the demands of ministry. We must rest, exercise, take mental health days, and maintain some margins in our lives for the unexpected moments that God arranges that are not already scheduled on our calendars. God created us to need those things like food and water and to ignore them for weeks, months, and years invites disaster.

Secondly, most of these individuals felt that God had called only them to their ministry. They rarely equipped others to minister as they did or asked the Lord to impart their gift or their mantle to another. They prepared no one to take their mantle as Elijah prepared Elisha. When they died, when their health failed, or when they stumbled there was no one to continue the revival or the healing ministries. It simply began and ended with them. They equipped no disciples as Jesus had done to continue the work he began. The next generation was unable to build on the foundations laid by these great revivalists. The next generation was often left to start from scratch. As we lead and develop ministries, we must train and empower others to lead in better ways that we have ever led. We must pray for their giftings and anointing to be greater than our own. And we must be willing to turn the reigns over to them when they are ready.

Another of the things that is clear in the life of these men and women who finished poorly was that when they began, they saw themselves as inadequate servants of Christ totally dependent on Jesus and the Holy Spirit for their ministries. As time passed, they came to draw their sense of significance from the ministries they led, the reviews they received, and the miracles that men attributed to them. They began to take the glory that was God’s and stuff it in their own pockets. They became jealous, arrogant, possessive, and angry at anyone who questioned them. Suddenly they were above correction and criticism. Since God often speaks to us through other people, they began to miss the correcting voice of God and ended up in the ditch. They forgot that God exalts the humble but humbles the proud.

Related to that, it is remarkable how few of these great men and women had close friends who could speak into their lives and tell them the truth…especially as their ministries prospered. Most likely the hectic schedules and travel tore them away from whatever relationships they had once enjoyed so that those relationships grew cold. Many had families that they essentially abandoned for the “great works” God had given them. Since they had no long-term friends to watch their lives objectively and warn them if they were wandering from a godly path, they wandered. Sometimes their theology drifted way off course. Sometimes their attitudes and perspectives became skewed. Although they were surrounded by thousands they still lived in isolation from friends who loved them enough to tell them the truth before they were so far away that they could no longer hear anyone.

Everyone of us needs people in our lives who know us and who have permission to speak to us about concerns they have for us. Jesus surrounded himself with twelve and within that group he had three, Peter, James and John, that he held even closer. Of course, he didn’t need correction but even he needed companionship and encouragement. Even Jesus needed those close to him to pray for him and stand with him in times of persecution. We need that as well. When we isolate ourselves because we are too busy or because we don’t want people to tell us what we don’t want to hear, trouble is on the way.

Finally, as these men and women grew amazing ministries they often began to expand their vision for what they were doing or their ministry associates began to expand the vision. The ministry became a business. Some decided to build utopian cities where only believers would live and Christ would reign. Some saw themselves as the mayor or governor of that city and soon they were planning roads, marking out subdivisions, drafting budgets and raising money rather than preaching the gospel as they had been called to do. God was in their preaching but not in their city building. The planned cities failed and so did the ministries that were neglected because of the distraction of a vision God did not give. We need to stay on track and within our gifts as we fulfill God’s call on our lives. The distraction of good things that are not the thing God has called us to do often keeps us from being truly effective in anything.

These are just some thoughts I have had as I have been reading about God’s Generals. Maybe they can be useful thoughts and markers for you as well.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30.

The two quotes above are both from the Gospel of Matthew but they seem almost contradictory. Most of us are drawn to the second quote about the easy yoke of Jesus but somewhat repelled by the first quote which instructs us to take up our cross and follow the Master. Most sermons seem to present the idea of taking up our cross as living a life of self-denial – you know…no desserts, pray and fast instead of watching the Superbowl, give all your discretionary income to missions rather than taking your family on a vacation, no cable, drive a twenty year old Honda with peeling paint, etc.

Many give the passage a flavor of asceticism which was first a Greek philosophy that suggested that the way to peace and spiritual enlightenment was to be totally unconcerned about the body or the material universe and only think about the spiritual realm or learning to the neglect of health and hygiene. Although Paul agrees that we should set our minds on things above, he would not support ignoring our physical needs or even refusing to enjoy some material blessings from the Lord.

The Greeks believed that the body and even the material universe was evil and was simply a prison for the soul. The biblical view is that God created us body, soul, and spirit and we should steward each part with care for his glory. The revelation that Jesus attended wedding celebrations and even contributed to the wine supply erases the notion that denying ourselves means that we should become hollow, gaunt zombies who deny ourselves any pleasure or enjoyment in this life and whip with wires ourselves to bring the flesh under control.

Many non-Christians have a view of our faith as joyless, cold, somber, and humorless. That view probably comes from stereotypes related to an ascetic Christianity which some Catholic monks practiced in the past. Even Martin Luther as a Catholic monk in his younger years slept naked in the snow to subdue and discipline his body. The practice ruined his health and plagued him for decades even as the great reformer.

But if “denying ourselves” does not mean that sort of no frills, suffering lifestyle, what does it mean? The word translated as “deny” is aparneomai. It means literally to “say no,” or to “transfer allegiance.” In an article entitled “What Does Taking Up Your Cross Really Mean?” from the Navigators web page, Bill Tell says that it means to “refuse to follow.” Jesus is simply saying that we must transfer our allegiance from ourselves to him. We no longer come first, he does. We no longer follow ourselves as master but we will follow only him. It really is the old axiom of stepping off the throne of our own lives and letting him assume the position of Lord. I am simply refusing to follow myself as Lord and Master of my life any longer. After all. I usually make a mess of things anyway.

That sounds more in line with the other teachings and practices of Jesus but then what does it mean to take up my cross? Those with ascetic leanings would interpret that phrase as living a life of suffering just as if we were hanging on a cross. Most teachers assume it means to die to ourselves which is a very biblical principle and is very consistent with denying ourselves. In his article, Bill Tell has an interesting take on it. He says that those in the first century world would understand the idiom to mean that we are taking a one-way journey from which we will not return. Perhaps that journey will also include others persecuting us or ridiculing us as those who lined the streets when Jesus marched to his crucifixion.

Jesus often spoke of a disciple as one who refuses to turn back or even look back once he becomes a follower of Jesus. In the mind of Jesus, following him is all or nothing – no double- mindedness for the true disciple. The unexpected turn is that Jesus called that life a yoke that is easy to bear. How can it be easy when we are committed to a one-way trip that may involve persecution and ridicule? How can it be easy when we are constantly having to resist our own inclinations to be in charge?

What I find true in my life is that I need resolution to conflicts, especially internal conflicts, in order to be at peace. Uncertainty, second-guessing, and internal debates rob our peace and our energy. To simply decide without reservation that this is the rode I am taking and that Jesus is driving, is an easier and more peaceful way to live than other options. Not only that, but when I am totally sold out and allow Jesus to be Lord of every part of my life, I gain his help and strength in every circumstance.

Life is hard when we withhold slices of our life from Jesus that we still want to govern. To do so not only creates an “off limits” area for Jesus so that we are on our own in that part of our lives, but it also opens the door to Satan so that he has access to kill, steal and destroy. Those unsubmitted places in our life become an open door and an invitation to the enemy. Not only that, but when we are totally submitted to Jesus, he is responsible for the outcomes rather than us. The pressure of “making it happen” no longer weighs on us through sleepless nights because our role is to obey and his is to “make it happen.”

Simply said, Jesus is inviting us to renounce ourselves as king and let him rule. He is also inviting us to commit to a one-way ticket and to take a journey with him from which we will not depart. He promises to fit us with an easy yoke because peace comes from letting him direct us and allowing him to bear the responsibility for the outcomes. When we were children, our role was to be obedient to a father. His responsibility was to protect us, feed us, clothe us, and pay the bills. If he was a good father and capable of work, we never had to write a check. We never had to defend the family. We never had to drive through blizzards on icy roads. In fact, we probably slept through the trip because dad was at the wheel. We had peace. That is the life Jesus is calling us to rather than a life of deprivation and self-imposed suffering. He is calling us to an abundant life and I think that is good news.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, 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 overthrow, to build and to plant. Jeremiah 1:9-10

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. John 6:63

For the word of God is living and active. Hebrews 4:12

These four verses are incredibly significant and not well understood by the majority of Christians in America. They are based on the very nature of God. In the opening verses of Genesis, we discover two essential things. The first is that God exists. The statement, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” tells us immediately that God exists and that he predates everything in this universe both seen and unseen. Within the next few verses, we also discover that this God has the power to speak things into existence that never existed before. The Hebrew construction in those first few verses insists that God did not rearrange existing matter into a new configuration but rather made something where absolutely nothing existed before. God said, “Let there be light and there was light…” His very words contain creative power.

In Isaiah 55, God announces that because his words contain supernatural, creative power whenever they are spoken they fulfill their purpose. They have power to direct matter, energy, angels, hearts, and circumstances to produce the purposes of God. Biblically, some of those purposes manifested in seconds or minutes while others took decades and even centuries to fully develop, but what God had declared with his words came to pass.

Now here is the lesson for us. God’s word is most often declared through the lips of his people. He whispers his word in our spirit and then, as we verbally declare his words, his purposes are activated. It’s like the angels can’t start their work until they hear from us. God whispers the work order to us, we declare it, the angels here his word from our lips, and then they get busy making it happen. Most believers are unaware of their part in that process. The prophet Jeremiah clearly illustrates the point.   Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, 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 overthrow, to build and to plant.

God did not declare his word but put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth for him to declare. These were words about kingdoms and nations that Jeremiah declared prophetically (by the direction of the Spirit). After he declared them, forces in the spiritual realm were activated so that God’s words came to pass. These prophetic declarations were like a starting pistol that put things into motion.

Jesus added a bit to the concept when he said that his words are spirit and life. When his words are declared either by him or his representatives, they move in the spirit realm to create life or again to bring God’s purposes to fulfillment. When we declare his words over a person or situation, because were are his representatives on the earth, the same effect takes place. Think of God’s word as a bullet – a projectile full of power that goes forth and makes it’s impact. Whether it is fired from God’s gun or ours, it will still have the same impact.

Declarations are like prayers except that we are not asking God to move but rather are declaring what he has already purposed to do. What I am discovering these days is that, like prayer, most things require persistent prayer before they come to pass and most things take persistent declarations before they come to pass. James says that we have not because we ask not, so we should pray. The witness of scripture is also that God’s purposes often don’t move ahead because we are not declaring his purpose….his word is not going forth from our lips.

Let me give an example. God’s will for his people is that we are to be strong and courageous. Sometimes, we don’t feel courageous. In those moments we need the Holy Spirit to infuse us with courage so we pray and ask for that courage. But we should also declare God’s word and will over that situation to empower the prayer. We might declare, “The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). That is the word of God for his people. When we declare it, his word is once again going forth and will fulfill its purpose. By declaring God’s word, we activate a process by which we will begin to manifest a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind rather than fear. It also gives notice that any spirit of fear that is afflicting you is doing so illegally.

If the will of God is clear and his word speaks to it in scripture, we should declare his word over a situation until it manifests in the same way that we should pray over a situation until a prayer is answered or the Lord releases us from the prayer. If we have received a prophetic word from another believer or if we have received a promise in our heart form the Lord, we should declare that as well. I agree with Dutch Sheets that our prayers and declarations seem to release or direct spiritual energy. Every prayer and every declaration strengthens us and weakens the enemy’s position. When we have prayed and declared enough, the enemy stronghold will crumble and victory will be ours.

Overcoming the enemy and establishing the Kingdom on earth can be hard and persistent work. The greatest part of the battle lies in the arena of prayers and declarations – sending forth God’s word over and over until it inevitably fulfills its purpose. The passage form Hebrews quoted above says that God’s word is living and active. The word translated as “living” means that something has physical vitality like a man, an animal or a plant. It has substance and life within it. It moves and produces after its kind. The word translated as active means a “cosmic force.” So the word of God contains cosmic force and its own life that gives birth to God’s purposes. It is a divine weapon that we need to use on a frequent basis. It is sent forth by our declarations. If declaring his word and his promises over your situation is not a significant part of your daily time with Him, you may want to add that as a powerful weapon in your spiritual arsenal.
Blessings in Him!

We do a number of house cleansings each year in our area. A house cleansing is needed when demonic spirits inhabit the house (or the office). They are not attached to the people but the location. They harass any people who come into their territory. When they are present they affect the atmosphere and often enforce curses over the residents. These spirits can be present as a result of past activities in the home such as sexual immorality, violence, or occult activities. But they may also be present as a result of objects in the house. That’s what I want to discuss briefly in this blog because I think his source of demonic activity is often overlooked.

Can objects in the home open doors to demons?

As people brought up in western culture, which tends to either reject the spiritual realm altogether or highly separate it from the spiritual realm, the concept of demonic spirits being attached or attracted to inanimate objects may be a bit of a stretch. But I believe this is a biblical principle and my experiences agree with that principle.

There is a great deal of emphasis on spiritual objects in the scriptures especially when God was speaking to Israel. The warnings were frequent because the tiny nation was always surrounded by cultures that were heavily immersed in occult activities. For example, God told Israel, “When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations…you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy…Do not intermarry with them…for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods…Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God…the images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them and do not take it for yourselves or you will be ensnared by it for it is detestable to the Lord your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction” (Dt.7:1-6, 25-26).

Let me add two other verses. “They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons which are not God” (Dt. 32:16-17). “Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold. You will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, ‘Away with you’” (Isa.30:2).

Now, let me connect some dots. Idols, graven images (handmade objects), embroidered representations, paintings, etc. that were in any way connected to the worship or the honoring of false gods were to be totally destroyed. In most cases these objects were to be burned or ground up. Scripture is clear that idol worship is worship to demons. In the Isaiah 30:2 passage, God’s people were instructed to throw those kinds of things away and say, “Away with you!” The Hebrew is literally, “Come out!” or “Be gone.” Those are the very words most often used in the New Testament when people were being delivered from demons.

The principal here is that anything that is an object of worship or that honors something detestable to God can invite the presence of demons. If an object has been dedicated to a demon that object may have a demon attached or assigned to it. If not, these objects will still attract demons. Having something “detestable” (something God hates) in your house is a welcome sign to the enemy. For the Israelites to have something in their homes that honored a demonic spirit was to invite that spirit in. When a spirit is invited, he has a right to operate there and to enforce curses in that home.

Why were marriages forbidden to foreign wives and husbands and why were people groups eradicated in the Old Testament? I believe demonization is the core of the issue. The Deuteronomy 7:25-26 passage above says that those objects, if not destroyed, would ensnare or trap the Israelites. Those words are also used to warn believers of Satan’s activities in the New Testament. Those objects, if not destroyed, would give demonic spirits a continuing right to inhabit the land and afflict Israel.

As for the neighboring tribes, the entire bloodline of those tribes that had worshipped demons for generations was polluted and demonized. The influence of those demons would eventually draw God’s people away and subject them to judgment. Before Jesus began his public ministry which lead to the cross, there was no spiritual cure for demonization. Before the cross, God’s people were to insulate themselves from demonic sources rather than commanding and casting out demons.

Even under the New Covenant we’re are told, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? … ‘Therefore, come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you’” (2 Cor. 6:14-17). Even after the cross, the Lord draws a line between things and people that are of Him and things and people that are of Satan. He instructs his people to touch no unclean thing and he connects unclean things to darkness, Satanic influence and idols.

God is not an egotist who simply is angry because we develop some affection for an inanimate object. That would still constitute unfaithfulness but the bigger issue is that our possession of such things invites the devil and activates curses. God told Balaam that he was not to curse what God had blessed. God wants to bless his people and keep us free. Opening our homes to “detestable things” not only dishonors God but also opens the door for demons and subsequent curses.

Even when we treat these items as art or souvenirs and have no heart to worship them…they still invite demons. We may leave food out on the countertop or on the kitchen floor with no intent of inviting roaches or mice into the house, but the presence of the food that has been carelessly left around will draw them regardless of our intent. Once mice or roaches have found a way in they will multiply. In order to get rid of them, we must not only do away with the food sources that drew them there in the first place, but we must then take steps to get rid of the mice as well. In the same way, in a house cleansing, the objects that attracted demons must be destroyed or removed and the demons themselves must then be commanded to leave in the name of Jesus. Otherwise, the house cleansing will be only a temporary fix.

So what kinds of objects do we need to be concerned with? Obviously, anything that has an occult background or that is associated with false worship must go first. Many people go to Africa, Asia, South America or the South Pacific (or even Mardi Gras) and bring home tribal masks, carvings of fertility Gods, statues of Buda, devil dogs, etc. as souvenirs from their trip. To them they are historical or art pieces but these objects have most likely been dedicated to demonic spirits. They are an open invitation into the homes where these objects rest. Some people will have Ouija Boards, horoscopes, crystal balls, and Tarot cards in their house as curiosities. These are invitations to the enemy as well. There is currently a real fascination with eastern religions, philosophy, music, and yoga. For centuries, all of those things have been designed to put the practitioner in touch with demonic spirits posing as gods. American Indian artifacts that were used in worship or that were dedicated to a spirit (bows, arrows, knives, tomahawks, clothing, etc.) can have insignia’s on them that honor a spirit that Indian’s worshipped. New age signs and symbols, some jewelry, or Masonic signs and symbols have the same effect. There are a host of items like that in Christian homes that we don’t associate with the spiritual realm because we make such a separation between the spiritual and material realms.

Books, movies, music, etc. that celebrate violence, death, immorality, witchcraft, vampires, sinful life styles, etc. honor the things of Satan rather than God. These are detestable things and can be open doors to the demonic. I don’t want to be hyper-charismatic here and have you carry out every item in your house but there are obvious objects that need to be dealt with and the leading of the Holy Spirit may point you to others. I invite you to seriously consider the possibility that demons may take up residence in a home or office if certain objects attract them and give them a right to camp there. If you are serving God but still experience sickness more frequently than normal, always struggle financially, have children who seem to be more rebellious than the average child or teen, or if prayers of faith still seem to be hindered there may be a curse operating in your house because of some object.

If you have demonic manifestations in your house, pray and ask the Holy “Spirit to lead you to any object that has given unclean spirits access to you and your family. When you find it, destroy and then command the enemy to leave in the name of Jesus. If this sounds like superstitious nonsense to you, pray about it. Ask the Lord to speak to you about and see what he says or what he puts on your heart. We have literally seen lives and families changed almost overnight by house cleansings and many of those had objects in them that clearly needed to be removed. We simply need to be wise in the ways of the devil and practice godly principles that the Father has established for his people since the days of the patriarchs. Blessings in Him.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-7

This passage is familiar to most of us. However, I find that the most familiar passages are the ones that we begin to take for granted and stop looking more deeply into the passage because we feel like we know it so well. The truth is that the Holy Spirit offers multiple layers of meaning so that each time we go back and mine the passage for more, we discover that there are still nuggets and veins of gold each time we dig a little deeper. I thought I would take another look at this familiar passage to see what else the Lord might highlight.

To begin with, Paul is writing to a church that has an elitist and disobedient faction within it. They have created division and hurt in the church through their own spiritual arrogance and tolerance for sin. They have brought worldly attitudes, values, philosophy, and rationalizations into the church and Paul is confronting them. In fact, he is threatening to make a personal appearance to deal with them if they do not repent soon.

Paul begins by saying that we, meaning the spiritually mature, do not fight with the weapons of the world but we have, at our disposal, weapons that are empowered by God. Those who want to oppose God are always in the position of bringing a knife to a gunfight. They will always be out-matched. The problem is that when we are attacked with the weapons of the world, we too often respond with the same weapons. When anger comes against us, we respond with anger. When we are criticized, we criticize in return. When we are slandered we get busy defaming our attackers. When someone pulls a power play at work, we try to respond with a greater manipulation of power.

When we fight as the world fights, we come into agreement with Satan. When we agree, we empower him instead of overpowering him. That is why Paul clearly told us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom.12:21).   To be overcome by evil simply means that we have surrendered to the impulses of the flesh and have responded as the devil would respond, rather than as Christ would respond. We overcome evil in our own hearts first by doing good and then overcome evil in the world by the good we do to others. Our first step toward defeat is giving in to evil thoughts. Evil thoughts are simply ways of thinking that agree with Satan’s perspective rather than the mind of Christ.

An essential truth of spiritual warfare is that Satan gains access to us in the arena of our thought life. As Joyce Meyers put it, the battlefield is the mind. Paul’s statement to the church at Corinth was that these divine weapons would, first and foremost, tear down or demolish strongholds. The word that is translated as stronghold can also mean fortress. I think immediately of the fortresses in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. A fortress or stronghold is a strong place of protection where armies reside except when they go out to raid or do battle, then they once again withdraw to their stronghold. Sometimes, it is even a hidden place that the opposition cannot find such as David found with his men when evading King Saul.

Paul’s point is that wherever our thinking is not aligned with Christ, we give the enemy a place in our thought life to hide and to fight against us at opportune moments. A stronghold is not a random thought but is a pattern of thought that opposes the truth of God. It may be a pattern of thought that opposes the truth about Jesus but for believers, more often, it is a pattern of thought that opposes God’s truth about who we are in Christ, about forgiveness, about godly principles for living, or about God’s immense love for us and our security in him. Those thought patterns have been with us so long that we often are not even aware of how pervasive they are and how they color our thinking. When we minister deliverance to people, these belief patterns that have not been identified and repented of give the enemy a place to hide and the right to remain there.

When the moment comes, these thought patterns that are reinforced and amplified by the devil rise up as arguments against the truth of God’s word. Jesus declared that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free. God’s word is truth. When we insist on his word as the standard of truth rather than the wisdom of the world or our own past experiences, we are wielding a powerful and divine weapon.

However, when we say, “Yes, but…” to God’s word, we are inadvertently revealing our agreement with Satan and a stronghold inevitably exists. When we begin by saying “but…” we are almost always beginning to offer an argument as to why God’s word is not true in our case. We are the exception. To do so, aligns us with Satan rather than Jesus and automatically gives him authority in our life. It is important to identify these strongholds, renounce them, and repent of them. Then it is important to declare the word of God over any situation or feeling as the standard of truth upon which we will act and upon which we will stand.

The goal is to make every thought captive to Jesus Christ. The word for captive here is the word for prisoner of war. It is a military term that means not only to defeat an enemy who may run off and then engage us in battle again but to defeat and imprison that enemy so that he can no longer attack us. We do so by imposing the will and truth of God on patterns of thought that are in opposition to the word of God. Confessing the word of God over and over in opposition to patterns of thought I have identified in myself is a powerful strategy. We must only say about ourselves what God says about us. We must only say about a circumstance, what God says about that circumstance. We must not subject ourselves to sources of unbelief such as unbelieving friends or family members who constantly undermine our own faith. We must not subject ourselves to movies or songs that undermine our faith in God’s truth (the Da Vinci Code, etc.). We must not allow anger and unforgiveness to give Satan a place in our hearts. We must not allow lust to have its way with our thoughts.

When thought patterns and rationalizations that oppose God’s truth and standards become apparent, we must deal with them quickly and take them captive. The word arguments comes from the Greek word logismos. We immediately see the root of logic or human reason there. Human reason and worldly wisdom always rise up against God’s truth. All the foolishness about same-sex marriage and identifying as male or female based on your feelings is worldly wisdom that has already crept into the church because it sounds scientific, tolerant and non-judgmental. But it “sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” If you read the early chapters of 1 Corinthians you will see how the church had been impressed with worldly knowledge, eloquence, and education and had begun to give those things greater standing than the word of God. Paul declares that those strongholds must be torn down and taken captive.

Interestingly, strongholds in the days of Paul were actually fortifications within the walls of a city. If the walls were breached, then the army retreated to the stronghold or citadel which was an inner fortress that could be defended by fewer soldiers. Once the stronghold was taken, the battle was over. Too often we stop short in the battle. We push back against the devil, get a little relief as he retreats from his outer defenses, and then stop our pursuit. We fail to persist in getting God’s truth in our hearts or going deeper to find other thought strongholds that are still out of alignment with the Father. We breach the wall but don’t stay after it until the stronghold is demolished. We often speak about “removing another layer of the onion” in spiritual warfare. This reality of strongholds behind walls may reflect that truth.

The word pretensions alludes to high places or towers on a wall. These are places of pride and arrogance that do not want to surrender to God or to acknowledge being wrong or the need to repent. When these attitudes are not rooted out as well, the enemy comes back and we wonder why. These high places seem to allude to the Tower of Babel in Hebrew thought. That was a project based on man’s pride, his arrogance, and his desire to be independent from God. In essence it was the first expression humanism.

In spiritual warfare we have to identify and uproot the lies of the enemy and keep taking and retaking ground in our thought life. We have to identify pockets of pride and places within our hearts that we do not want to submit to Jesus. That is the process of renewing our minds. It is a joint effort between us and the Holy Spirit that, in most cases, will take a lifetime.

Our thought life is the primary place where spiritual warfare occurs. We must be active in the battle rather than passive. We need to find the hiding places and tear down strongholds without mercy. We need friends to point out those strongholds because they will often recognize them before we do. The Holy Spirit will reveal those strongholds if we sincerely ask and will provide the power to dismantle them. Paul tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Freedom is God’s will for each of us and he is ready for us to go to war with Jesus at our side.