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.

Most of us have been in a huge mall that we are unfamiliar with and have looked at a site map to see where we were in relation to a store or restaurant we were wanting to find. That little red dot with the balloon over it saying, “You are here,” became your reference point. Your next step, your plan for navigating the mall, the time you allotted to finding your favorite store, or whether you even had time to attempt to visit that store all depended on your reference point. Your reference point determines your belief about where you are, where you are going, and if your goal is even possible.  Your next steps were organized around that perspective.

But what if the reference point was inaccurate or out of date or what if you read the map incorrectly? What if some joker had changed the reference point on the map so that you were not at all where you thought you were? When your reference point is wrong, life become a mess and you keep ending up in unintended and undesirable places.

Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is a reference point for the Christian life. It is a reference point for living and it makes all the difference. A clear example of that difference in found in a familiar story in John 6. Jesus was teaching along the shores of the Sea of Galilee where huge crowds were following him. In this account, Jesus asked Philip where they might buy bread to feed the crowds because they had not eaten all day. Philip immediately began a strategic analysis. First of all, there were about 5000 men plus women and children in the crowd. That translated to least twenty or twenty five thousand people in the crowd. Secondly, they were isolated and miles from any place that sold bread and it was highly improbable that anyone would have that much on hand even if a place were available. The final straw was cost. Philip quickly estimated that it would cost eight months wages to buy enough bread to feed the crowd anyway. If we assume that a month’s wages was equivalent to $4000 today, then we are talking about $32,000 to feed that mob one meal. The little band of disciples had nothing like that in their budget. Philip then deduced that the number might be reduced if there was already food in the crowd so a quick inventory was taken. The only inventory they could find was five small barley loaves and a couple of sardines. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that these people were not going to be fed. Perhaps, they should simply be sent away to find food for themselves.

The reference point for the apostles was the natural realm in which food and money are finite and numbers determine “real world” outcomes. However, Jesus lived from a different reference point. The apostles saw themselves rooted firmly in the natural realm while Jesus saw himself firmly rooted in heaven. There are no resource problems in heaven – no food shortages, no lack of money. Jesus simply determined by faith to draw on the resources of his Father’s kingdom. He blessed the barley loaves and sardines and then began to break them into pieces and place them in baskets to be distributed.  When the entire crowd had their fill, the apostles took up twelve baskets still full of food. Each apostle had his own basket to consider.

Our tendency is to assign the miracle to Jesus as something only he could do. That would miss the point. The point is that we ourselves are currently children of the King, citizens of heaven, and representatives of Christ on the earth. By faith, we have as much access to the resources of heaven as Jesus did. He came to show us what was possible in the kingdom of God for every believer not what was impossible.

If our reference point for living is the natural realm, then we will always be faced with impossible circumstances – not enough money, not enough time, incurable diseases, the fear of terrorism, etc. If our reference point is the kingdom of heaven, then there is a solution to every one of those needs. We may not know what the solution is or how it will come, but by faith we can know there is a solution available.

We should be clear that heaven does not promise that we will never find ourselves in a storm. In fact, Jesus said that is this world we will have troubles. He himself seemed to move form one “storm” to another. But as we find ourselves in a storm, we can know that heaven has a solution. That reference point allowed Jesus to sleep in a boat that was being tossed around in a violent squall while the apostles were gripped with fear and the anticipation of doom. Our anxiety levels in life are directly proportional to our reference point for living. If our reference point is our own resources or our own abilities, then we have every right to be filled with anxiety. If, however, our reference point is the resources and capacities of our Father in heaven and his willingness to share those with us, then why should we worry at all?

Think about it. What is your reference point for living? What are God’s promises concerning his care, protection, and provision for your life in this world? By faith, we have free access to heaven’s resources. If our faith is small, we can ask for more. God is pleased to give.

The elections are over but the fighting seems to have just begun. Whether you voted for Trump or not, he is now the president and our responsibility is now to pray for him. Millions of Christians prayed for God’s hand to be on this election, and now it is a matter of faith as to whether we believe God answered those prayers.

There are a number of “prophecies” floating around the internet that declare that God will use Trump for the benefit of God’s people as he used Cyrus, the King of Persia, in the days of Jewish exile. Some prophecies declare that Trump will be anointed by the Spirit of God and that he will enter the office whispering the name of Jesus but leave proclaiming it. All that remains to be seen.

Undoubtedly, the Never Trumpers will be cynical about these prophecies. Prophecies certainly need to be tested but Paul tells us not to despise prophecies (1 Thess. 5:20), so, perhaps, we should be hopeful. Certainly, God has historically acted in unlikely ways and worked through unlikely people. Having grown up in the sixties and seventies with the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, and Watergate I also tend to have a cynical streak that immerges from time to time along with a bent toward conspiracy theories.   However, I once received a prophetic word in which the Lord told me that I was a man of faith but my cynicism often worked against my faith. He encouraged me to jettison that mindset. It is a mindset that assumes the worst rather than the best and God is always about producing the best. Cynicism is the enemy of hope and God is all about hope.

So if we prayed sincerely for God to author the outcomes of this election, we should have hope that he will use Donald Trump to further the kingdom of God in America and the world. In that hope we should thank him for the outcomes and then begin to pray for his Spirit to move on this man and on his cabinet like never before.

The very fact that those who actively oppose Israel, promote abortion, and presume to redefine marriage and gender hate Trump with such venom may suggest that he is God’s man. Why else would the dark side of the spiritual realm be so filled with hatred for him? Regardless, our part should be to speak life and faith over this administration and to believe that God is up to something positive because he hears the prayers of his people. Our words have power. The tongue has the power of life or death. If we want America to prosper and be unified, we must speak blessings rather than curses over the nation and the new administration.

Throughout the history of Israel, most of her kings were evil and there seemed to be an irreversible decline in the culture. But every once in a while, God would raise up an unlikely man who turned things around…at least for a generation or two. True worship would be restored. Justice would be re-established. Integrity would be returned to government. Peace and prosperity would then mark a generation in Israel. We have four years to pray and believe God for good things in America before any progress we have made will be on the line again. We need to make the most of this window of opportunity that seems to be opening. President Trump is not the poster child for Christianity. He is not a spiritual leader. But he may well be the man God uses to reverse the decline of godly values in America by giving the church a voice again in American culture.

The truth is that for the tide to turn and continue to move in godly directions, these four years must be overwhelmingly positive in the outcomes for this nation. I hope we will each pray and speak into the success of this president for a great deal is at stake. As we begin to actively support Israel again, allow military chaplains to pray in the name of Jesus once more, and perhaps, return prayer to public schools, I expect blessings to come to America – a better economy, fewer natural disasters, the demise of political correctness, peace, and even racial reconciliation. I am hopeful, not because of Trump but because of a God who answers his people’s prayers.

But God works through his people and often waits for us to ask before he moves. The Holy Spirit puts things on our hearts that God wants to accomplish that even angels are unaware of. As we begin to pray and then to declare the word of God over situations, angels them receive their assignments and the spiritual realm begins to move. We cannot be cynical and silent or even content and silent for God will make of this presidency what we, as his representatives on earth, pray and declare over this nation. The world is an unstable place. Presidential bravado will not solve those problems but only the wisdom that comes from above along with the blessings and favor of God. I hope you will consistently pray for our leaders to receive both from the Father. Here’s hoping for a blessed four years and beyond.

There are several books that I like to read annually or, at least, review on a yearly basis because they have had such an impact on my thinking and, I hope, on my doing. One of those is Dutch Sheets’ classic book, Intercessory Prayer. I was scanning it again this evening, when a section once again caught my eye. I want to quote from his writing and then make a few of my own comments. It’s a little section on the difference between information and revelation and is worth thinking about.

“We need to understand – and I’m afraid most of us do not – the difference between information and revelation. Information is of the mind; biblical revelation, however, involves and affects the mind, but originates from the heart. Spiritual power is only released through revelation knowledge. The written word (graphe) must become the living word (logos). This is why even we believers must not just read but also abide or meditate in the Word, praying as the psalmist: “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law” (Ps.119:18). The word “open,” galah, also means “unveil or uncover” – revelation. Information can come immediately but revelation is normally a process.

As the parable of the sower demonstrates, all biblical truth comes in seed form. Early in my walk with the Lord, I was frustrated because the wonderful truths I had heard from some outstanding teachers were not working for me. When I heard the teachings, they had seemed powerful to me. I left the meeting saying, “I will never be the same!” But a few weeks and months later, I was the same. As I complained to God and questioned the truth of what I had heard, the Lord spoke words to me that have radically changed my life: Son, all truth comes to you in seed form. It may be fruit in the person sharing it, but it is seed to you. Whether or not it bears fruit depends on what you do with it. “ (Dutch Sheets, Intercessory prayer, p.173).

The process of changing seed into fruit is all about cultivation and exercise. Many of us are full of biblical information. We quote what others have told us and, in a sense, live our Christian lives vicariously through them. When they talk about hearing from God, we feel as if we have heard from God through their experience although we have yet to hear from God personally. When they talk of supernatural moments, we revel in what God is doing out there somewhere, but we have never personally laid hands on a stranger we just met on the street and asked God to heal him. We rejoice in stories of what God is doing on the mission field, but we have yet to go there ourselves.

Information is rather one dimensional like ink on a page. However, it begins to take on additional dimensions when we begin to chew on it, ask questions about it, pray over it, fuss with God about it, imagine it happening in our own lives, and most importantly when we begin to actually act on it. As we do that, the Holy Spirit begins to reveal its reality to us and adds layers of meaning that we could never know apart from actually attempting what scripture calls us to do.

In his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey summarizes the wilderness temptation of Jesus as a moment when Satan tempted Jesus with a shortcut. Satan told Jesus that he would give him all the kingdoms of the earth if he would only worship Satan. Jesus came to be king, and he could be a king without suffering on the cross if would only worship the devil. In effect, Satan offered Jesus a crown without the cross. But in the kingdom, we must all experience the cross before we get a crown. Revelation is the crown that comes after some hard work, long prayers, lots of questions, some frustration, and a bit of risky behavior. Too many believers live their Christian lives in the same way as a man might read a book on fly fishing, then start lecturing others on its merits and techniques without ever actually having put a line in the water. You really don’t know fly fishing or understand why you do certain things and avoid others until you have tangled your line in the bushes, lost a record rainbow because you tied a knot carelessly, or tried to cast a four ounce line into a 30 mph wind. The experience turns information into revelation.

The sacrificial and supernatural life of a believer was never meant to be lived vicariously through others. We are all meant to plunge into deep water, live with spiritual successes and failures, be content to live without all the answers, cry out to God when we get egg on our face, and become more determined to go deeper because we prayed for someone without effect and commanded a spirit that never budged.

As we stumble through the process, God’s seeds of truth become fruit that has substance, understanding, and deeper insights about God and life in Jesus. Importantly, that revelation has now come from our own hearts, rather than the heart of another. Jesus put it this way – we are to be doers of the word and not just hearers only. Hearers get information, doers get revelation. Jesus also said that if we keep his commandments (doing) he will come and show himself to us (revelation). So…when the revelation seems to dry up, we probably need to start living it out again (or for the first time) rather than living through others. Now quick, go do something spiritually risky! Blessings today in Him.

This is one of those “food for thought” blogs….something for you to consider. I was listening to a Bill Johnson sermon on YouTube a week or so ago, and he said something that resonated with me and that I have been mulling over since then. He said that whenever there is a prevailing spirit (demonic) over a people group, a city, or a nation, the church is either in active opposition to that spirit or is being influenced by that spirit. There is no middle ground.

I believe that is a true statement and, if it is true, there are a number of implications. First of all, there are certainly spirits assigned to nations, cultures, people groups, and individuals to promote evil there and oppose the works of God. In the Book of Daniel, we see demonic spirits referred to as the prince of Persia (Dan.10:13) and the prince of Greece (Dan.10:20). These were spirits of significant authority that were warring against Michael, the archangel, in order to hinder the work of God and to further the purposes of Satan in those nations. In the Book of Revelation, John wrote to the church at Pergamum and spoke of the city as a place where Satan had his throne (Rev.2:13), which speaks of a city over which Satan had great influence and spiritual authority.

In our own times, we clearly sense the influence of prevailing spirits in the Middle East that oppose Christ, his people, Israel, and life in genral. The unrelenting hatred and extremism of some groups there can only be understood by the influence of demonic spirits. When you look at Stalinist Russia, Nazi Germany and other places where millions died in concentration camps and mass graves, only a powerful demonic influence can account for such atrocities. We see the same level of influence now in Isis.

Even in America there are the prevailing spirits of Anti-Christ, anti-Semitism, sexual immorality, perversion, violence, and abortion that are having their way in our culture. The rapid acceleration of cultural decline in a once Christian nation is a clear indicator of demonic influence. For the past 50 years, most of the American church has been in passive opposition to these prevailing spirits rather than in active opposition. We have moaned about the decline of the church and our culture but have done so quietly over coffee or while cocooned in Sunday School classes. By and large, the result is that the church has been influenced by these spirits rather than these spirits being pushed back by the church.

How can any Christian church approve of abortion, active homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and the idea that Jesus is a Savior but not the only Savior? And yet many churches in America and many individual’s who identify themselves as Christians hold those cultural views. We have become toxically politically correct which is another way of saying that we don’t want to offend anyone by suggesting that they may be wrong or that their actions might be unacceptable. In that environment there can be no call to repentance. This political spirit is also a prevailing and highly manipulative spirit. Try running a household full of kids that way and see how well it goes. Running a nation that way has even greater repercussions. In recent decades, we have not shaped the culture but the culture has been busy shaping us. I believe it is because we have not actively opposed the prevailing spirits that have been and continue to influence America.

Lets transfer the principle from a national grid to a personal grid. Whatever prevailing spirits in our culture are doing to influence us individually, if we are not actively opposing them, then they are likely influencing us. Most believers are passive in much of their own spiritual lives. We hear cultural input day after day justifying and rationalizing unbiblical and ungodly values and lifestyles. We are likely to absorb the value only minutely day after day, but the accumulation effect impacts us as the months and years pass. Television and movies normalize sinful and perverse lifestyles so that we are no longer shocked or offended when we encounter those things. We hear proponents of abortion and same sex marriage offer their arguments day after day on talk shows and never hear a sermon or a teaching at church that pushes back against those arguments. Our kids hear those values promoted at school and see those who oppose them demonized. Unless we recognize the devil’s agenda and actively oppose those values in our minds, our prayers, and our actions, we will slowly be coopted into a mindset of excusing those behaviors or assigning them to moral gray areas.

We have often heard the maxim that if we are not growing spiritually we are actually loosing ground in the same way that if we stop exercising we don’t stay at the same level of fitness but rather lose strength and endurance. I know that to be true by personal experience. You probably do as well. In reflection, it might be a very good thing to begin to identify the prevailing spirits in our culture, our community, or our families and encourage our churches to actively oppose those spirits while we do the same in our personal lives.

I’m not speaking primarily of picketing, demonstrating, or writing blazing op-eds, although there may be times for that. But where there is a prevailing spirit of divorce in a family or community, the church should be actively providing ministries that strengthen marriages and families. Where teen suicide is on the rise, the church should be finding ways to connect with teens at risk and infusing hope into that segment of the community. If a spirit of poverty seems to prevail in a community or over a people group, the church might be working to provide pathways out of poverty for that group. Where abortion thrives, funding abortion alternatives, volunteering at Life Centers, and promoting adoption would be an active way to oppose those spirits. For every strategy of Satan, God has a powerful and creative answer. Doing similar things in our own lives would be helpful. Although spiritual warfare begins with massive amounts of prayer, spiritual warfare can have a very practical side that goes beyond prayer and deliverance and that takes territory back in whole communities.

Let me encourage you to consider what prevailing spirits might be having the most influence in your community, your church, or your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment to identify those spirits, and then pray for creative ways to actively oppose those spirits in your own life and your community.   To take a passive approach might mean you are actually losing ground. Just….food for thought. Blessings today in Him.

There is a principle in spiritual warfare that we need to be reminded of from time to time. The principle states that whatever we come into agreement with, we empower. If we come into agreement with an idea, we empower it. For instance, suppose I wake up one morning with a few aching muscles, mention those aches to someone, and they say, “You must be coming down with the flu.” At that moment, I can think that aching muscles can come from many sources and the flu is highly unlikely or, at that moment, I can think that person could be right. After all, it is flu season. Some people at work have had the flu and now maybe I have it now. For the rest of the day, I will search my body for every symptom of the flu and obsess on every small indicator – imagined or real. I will feel fatigue just because I have been worrying all day and I will turn down offers to go out to eat with friends because I might be coming down with something. I have given the idea power over my life.

If I come into agreement with a spirit, I also give it authority in my life. Adam and Eve came into agreement with Satan and ended up forfeiting their rule over the earth. If a spirit comes along and whispers that my spouse is such a horrible person that I should get a divorce and go find someone who will give me the happiness I deserve, and I entertain that thought long enough, I will come into agreement with it. That will become my prevailing thought about my marriage. When that happens I give the enemy authority to establish a foothold in my life. The prophet Amos declared, “How can two walk together unless they are agreed?” The corollary is that when we agree, we walk together. We have formed some sort of alliance.

When our thinking and our words stand in opposition to the Word of the Lord, then what we are thinking or saying is a lie and that persistent lie invites the Father of Lies (Satan) into our life. Every demonic oppression begins in our flesh with our own choices about what to believe and speak when those things are opposed to God’s truth. If we persist, then we open up a door and the enemy can move in. Rotten thinking invites demons in the spiritual realm like rotten food invited flies. The enemy then amplifies the lie and distorts our perceptions so that those lies seem even more true.

Fairly often, we minister to people who have made a number of bad choices in their past. Maybe they were involved in drugs, stole things, had multiple sexual partners, were prostitutes, had abortions, and so forth. These men and women are often demonized and when we begin to minister deliverance we hit a roadblock. The roadblock is often their agreement with demons that they are beyond forgiveness. The inability to “forgive ourselves” is primarily unbelief in the encompassing grace of God. The unbelief empowers the enemy and gives a spirit the right to remain. When the spirit is not cast out, then the person is all the more convinced that he or she is beyond God’s love and forgiveness.

The most necessary conviction in spiritual warfare is that God’s word is true and every thing that disagrees with that word is a lie – regardless of how we feel. Lies are really the only weapon Satan has to use against us. It was true in the Garden. It is still true. When he whispers his lies, our first test should be the Word of God rather than whether or not that thought feels right. Any agreement with Satan constitutes unbelief at some level. That unbelief gets in the way of both deliverance and healing.

Too often, I find myself chasing spirits of rejection, condemnation, shame, self-loathing, etc. which all need to be expelled, but I sometimes forget to find out what the person truly believes about God’s love, grace, and forgiveness for him or her. If a spirit of unbelief or a lying spirit is operating, the person’s continued agreement with the enemy makes it very difficult to dislodge those spirits. Leading a person to repent of unbelief in the complete forgiveness they have in Christ and to renounce that unbelief is a simple thing but can be overlooked in ministering to people.

It might be worth asking some basic questions to begin, such as, “On a scale of 1-10, how much do you believe that every sin in your life is totally forgiven and forgotten?” “On a scale of 1-10, how much do you believe that God totally loves and accepts you?” “On a scale of one 1-10, how much do you truly believe that you are a beloved son or daughter of the King?”

Satan always wants to hide our identity from us and distort it so that we forget who we are in Christ. He wants us to believe that we are weak and sinful people despised by God rather than who we truly are in Christ. When we come into agreement with that distortion, we empower him and give him a place in our lives from which he can grow in influence. His power is taken away when we align ourselves with the Word of God because when we agree with God’s word, we empower it in our lives. Too many of us pay no attention to out thought life which is the in indicator of what we truly believe. We talk about what we think we should believe, while being ignorant of what we truly do believe. Since the Holy Spirit leads us into truth, a good exercise might be to ask Him to show us what we really believe about things so that we can maintain our alignment with the Father through frequent course corrections in our thought life. Whatever we agree with, we empower so lets be careful to agree with God.