We fight two battles over the same issue or problem. The initial battle, to get free; and the second battle, to stay free. (Graham Cooke, Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior, p.83, Brilliant Book House)

It’s amazing how many Christians get free from some bondage, only to loose it again in a week or two. When they do, they decide that nothing really happened initially. In their mind, God’s “divine weapons” did not work for them, so they default back to a pre-spiritual warfare mindset and a passive approach to faith and overcoming issues.

A number of believers receive freedom through the ministry of other believers but then loose it shortly. The reason is that very few believers have been taught how to fight. Very few are aware of the authority that they have been given. Very few confront and defeat the enemy when their world is crumbling under his attack. Very few even think in terms of spiritual attack. Instead they think that God is punishing them or ignoring their pain that comes from bad luck or victimization by bad people. Many “defeated” Christians simply take on a victim’s mentality and resent God for not protecting them or blessing them when they have been commanded to fight against the enemy.

Notice the language of the following scriptures:

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. (2 Cor. 10:3-4)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God… (Eph.6:10-13, ESV)

I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. (Col.2:1)

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith ….. (1 Pet.5:8-9)

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. (Heb.10:32)

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:19-20)

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Ja.4:7)

These verses contain the language of warfare – war, weapons, struggle, resistance, trample, overcome, suffer, contest, wrestle, demolish, strongholds, stand your ground, etc. Although the ultimate victory has been won and Satan’s legal right to own and dominate believers has been taken away, the enemy still wages an illegal war against God’s people.

He cannot snatch away our salvation but he can harass and afflict us so that we are distracted and ineffective in our assigned mission. We don’t fight to win the victory but to enforce it and most often we have to enforce it in our own lives with the truth of who we are and what Jesus has done. The first volley of any battle must be the declaration of truth over the enemy’s lies followed byn the exercise of faith and authority.

The number of believers that are afflicted by demons without recognizing that they are under spiritual attack or without having any idea what to do about it is significant. The freedom that these believers often experience through the declaration of truth and the exercise of our authority in Christ typically astounds them. But they must learn how to wield their own authority in order to maintain their freedom. The enemy will not give up territory without a few attempts to reclaim it.

I believe that every church in America needs some level of ministry available to help believers find freedom and equip them to keep it while helping others find freedom as well.   Even if it is just a few individuals or couples in a congregation who know who they are in Christ and who have experience in a few facets of spiritual welfare, the difference they can make over several years can be exponentially significant.

Declarations of truth, intercessory prayer, inner healing, deliverance, breaking curses, etc. are all divine weapons that need to be in the arsenal of every congregation and every mature believer. The goal of these ministries must not be to minister deliverance and healing only, but to teach the individuals they minister to how to fight with an expectation that they will maintain their freedom and help others do the same. The church has that mindset in evangelism. After we bring someone to Christ, we believe that they then know enough to lead someone else to Christ and we encourage them to do so. Most churches offer classes to further equip their members in a simple approach to evangelism. We should have the same mindset concerning spiritual warfare.

Even in charismatic churches, those who minister healing and deliverance are often seen as a few elite that everyone comes to for ministry. But every believer walks in the authority of Christ and every believer will have to face the enemy. Some may have more experience than others, but everyone should be equipped for the day-to-day battles that come with living in enemy territory.

If you agree with this perspective but are not in a church that operates in the gifts of the Spirit, healing, and deliverance how do you get trained? Tomorrow I will give you some perspectives on that and recommend some resources. Blessings in Him.

I was sitting through a training on Christian life-coaching two days ago when the presenter, pastor David Houston, spoke about a self-help gospel that is so often preached in America these days. As he talked the Holy Spirit downloaded this phrase to me: “The gospel doesn’t promise a better you, it promises a new you.” I thought about that and it is absolutely true.

Jesus talked with Nicodemus about being “born again” (Jn.3:3) as if we don’t just receive a course correction when we come to Jesus but, rather, we start over entirely with a whole new set of potentials and a new nature.   Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Too many of us view ourselves as being somewhat upgraded rather than transformed. We think of ourselves as struggling sinners saved by grace rather than God’s ordained representatives on the earth. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:5-6, KJV).

Many of us grew up singing the classic hymn, At the Cross, by Isaac Watts. The first verse says, “Alas! and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sov’reign die? Would He devote that sacred head,  For such a worm as I?” If Isaac was referring to our state before the cross, he might be correct. If he was referring to those who have already been saved, then he was miles from the truth. I have heard many sermons announcing our state as believers as still worm-like, arguing that the only difference between us and the unsaved is that we are forgiven. I’m sure those messages were an effort to keep us from being self-righteous and to help us maintain our humility – but they were wrong.

We are new creations as different from the worm as the butterfly is from the caterpillar. We know that transformation in nature as metamorphosis. In his letter to the Romans, Paul commands us to no longer conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom.12:2). The Greek word that is translated as transformed is metamorpho. In addition to this verse, that word shows up in several other New Testament passages:

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18)

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,             who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Phil. 3:20-21)

There he was transfigured (transformed) before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (Mt. 17:2)

In each of these verses, the referenced change is radical change. Some word study guru’s suggest that the term implies a glory or a nature from within, finding expression on the outside. On the Mount of Transfiguration (same word that is translated as transformation), it is as if the glory of Christ’s spirit in the eternal realm, suddenly manifested in the natural realm. Our transformation suggests that the change that has taken place in our spiritual nature, is to make itself known in the natural realm – Christ in us, being seen and experienced through us.

Since that is true, we are not worms nor broken sinners that are merely forgiven, but carriers of God’s Spirit, his glory, and his eternal promises. We are children of God, ambassadors of the King, Messiah’s inheritance, citizens of heaven, his holy ones, priests of the Most High God, and personal friends of the Commander of the Armies of Heaven. That’s not a bad resume. When we came to Christ, our status in heaven was changed from sinner to all of that and more.

If we hold on to our old, pre-salvation identity we will progress very little for “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov.23:7, KJV). As we recognize and acknowledge our transformed status, our condition will begin to align with our position…from glory to glory. Paul reflects on that change in his letter to the church at Corinth. “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor.6:9-11).

Notice the past tense. And that is what some of you were. By the work of the Holy Spirit, these men and women had been changed, their very nature altered. There were not who they once were but were radically different. Their status had been changed as well as their identity. They were not just “drunkards” whose sins had been forgiven. They had been transformed. They were someone else.

I think 12-step programs have done a great deal of good in the world but they tend to deny that the very heart and nature of a person can change. Even if a person has been sober for 15 years, the introduction is still, “Hi, I’m Bill and I’m an alcoholic.” I know some former alcoholics who were delivered from that bondage by God and they are no longer alcoholics. They don’t just manage the addiction, they are free from the addiction. Transformation has taken place.

If you struggle as a follower of Jesus, you may want to spend some considerable time meditating on who you are in Christ. Don’t worry that you don’t feel like you are those things. If God says you are, then you are and you need to say that you are. His truth does not depend on your feelings to be true. We are all of those things in his eyes and his Spirit will help us begin to see ourselves in the same way if we will take hold of those truths. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have standing in heaven is much more than any president, celebrity, billionaire, dictator, athlete, or supermodel. Get that in your heart and everything changes. Continued blessings in Him!

We can never overstate the importance of prayer. I need to be reminded of that from time to time so I assume you may need to be reminded and encouraged as well. So I want to issue a reminder today for myself as well as for you.

What if God refused to do anything until he received a request? What if God refused to do even the things he wanted to do or willed to do until he received a request? What if God had issued a directive in heaven stating that he had turned the rule of planet earth over to his people and that no agent of heaven could move on any project until requests had come in from his governing body on earth? If we believed that nothing out of the natural order of things would ever happen unless we prayed, we might pray more. My questions may overstate the case a bit, but not as much as you might believe.

For instance, while James was writing under the influence (of the Holy Spirit), he told his audience, “You have not because you ask not.” An amplified version might say, “There are many things that you desire which your heavenly Father would be willing to give…but not until you ask.” I know that God does give much without our asking because he is a loving Father who enjoys gifting his children. But, James clearly tells us that many things are left undone because we haven’t asked or prayed about them even though God is willing.

But isn’t God always going to do what he wants to do, with or without me? The standard view of God’s sovereignty would tell us that his will is always accomplished but, apparently, that is not always the case. For instance, Ezekiel records a lament of God when he says, “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them…” (Ezek.22:30-31)

In this text, Jerusalem’s sins had come up before God and his holiness was demanding judgment. However, his heart did not want to judge Jerusalem and was looking for a man who would stand before him and plead for the city as Abraham had done for Sodom and as Moses had done on several occasions for Israel in the wilderness. Mercy triumphs over judgment and God was searching for a man who would plead for that mercy. However, he could not find one and so he had to execute judgment when it was not his first choice. Prayer would have made all the difference, but no one asked.

In 1 Kings, Elijah had prayed for drought and famine in Israel, at God’s prompting, as a discipline on a wicked nation led by King Ahab. After three and a half years of severe drought, God told Elijah, “Go and present yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the land.” Elisha then told Ahab, “Go, eat and drink for there is the sound of heavy rain.” But then, Elisha took his servant and climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel and began to pray for rain. He offered seven prayers before his servant finally saw a small cloud forming over the Sea of Galilee.

Why pray for what God had already declared? This scenario only makes sense if God had declared first that even his prophetic declarations would not be released on the earth until someone prays. The Book of Daniel also speaks to this principle. In Daniel 9, the prophet discovered a prophetic promise in the writings of Jeremiah that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years and then the city would be restored. He was aware that the 70 years was close to fulfillment.

n response to this discovery, Daniel began to fast and pray for God to fulfill the prophecy and even prayed a prayer of confession and repentance for the nation. But if God had already prophesied the restoration of Jerusalem, why pray about it? Wouldn’t it happen just as he declared whether anyone prayed or not? And wouldn’t praying for it almost be an expression of unbelief, as if God had to be reminded or talked into keeping his promise?

Again, Daniel’s actions only make sense if even the things God wills or declares are only released on the earth after his people pray. God’s love is unconditional but most of his promises are conditional. At a minimum they require some level of faith. Often they require repentance and confession. Many will not come to us if we do not forgive others, etc. One of those conditions must also be prayer and, sometimes, sustained and enduring prayer.

The key to faithful prayer is understanding how much responsibility God has given us in the affairs of the Kingdom of God on earth. God has placed us here to rule and establish his kingdom. He rarely inserts himself without our requests or declarations over a situation. God is very relational and very committed to our maturity. Think of it this way. What if a CEO made you a manager over a part of his company, but then continued to micromanage and make decisions for your department before you could even submit plans or by overriding your plans each time they were submitted?

First of all, you would never grow into management and, secondly, he would undermine any authority that “theoretically” was attached to your position. When God gave you the position of “ambassador” or “his representative” on the earth, he attached authority to your position – authority to represent and to govern. Authority means that we are responsible for directing the power of the kingdom through our prayers, declarations, and actions as we push back on the kingdom of darkness.

Ideally, the Holy Spirit will put the impulse in our hearts, then we come into agreement with the Spirit through prayer and as we do the plans and power of heaven are released on the earth. In Revelation 8, prayers from the saints are mingled with incense given to an angel and the incense and prayers of the saints rise together before God. After that, power is released or poured out on the earth. The symbolism seems to be that the prayers of the saints mix with the activities of heaven and then power is released on the earth.

I am certain that God will do some things with or without our prayers but I am also biblically certain that much of God’s will may not be accomplished if we do not pray, pray fervently, and continually. The failing is not on God’s part, but on ours. I simply wanted to remind you and myself of how important our prayers are and hope that if your prayer life has grown cold that you will rekindle it. People around you need your prayers. Our nation needs your prayers. The world needs your prayers. God wants your prayers so that all of his will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. Be blessed.

For the past week, the news has given microscopic coverage to the latest shooting on a school campus that reflects the brokenness of our culture. It took only minutes for those who seek greater gun control to speak out and for those who want more guns to reply. We are a culture that wants to focus on symptoms rather than causation. More or less gun control is like trying to find a cure for AIDS rather than addressing the sexual behaviors that produce and maintain AIDS in a society fueled by the emptiness of the hearts that try to find some semblance of love and belonging in promiscuity.

The problem is not guns or AIDS but the human soul that needs regeneration by the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of God that pushes back against sin. Genesis declares, “Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years” (Gen.6:3). Two verses later, we are given clarity about this verse. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen.6:5).

God’s Spirit had been striving or contending with man’s sinful nature that had been corrupted beyond the “fall of man” in the Garden. The presence of demonic spirits on the earth had magnified the problems of a fallen nature. As a result, man had become almost incurably evil. What restraint there had been, was produced by the Holy Spirit contending against evil in the hearts of men. It is no different today. The primary constraint against sin in the world is the activity of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men.

As we fumble around trying to find solutions to STD’s, school shootings, terrorism, racism, and so forth we seem to miss the essential cause – the broken and sinful hearts of men. Man has a fallen nature that will only deteriorate as he distances himself from the Spirit of God. So…let’s remove prayer from public life; forbid the reading of the Bible; forbid mentioning the name of Jesus in our schools and universities; strip any suggestion of the Ten Commandments from public buildings; push back against Christian standards; put people in jail for trying to be faithful to those standards; lobby to eliminate the term Merry Christmas (Christ Mass); and ridicule anything or anyone who stands for Biblical truth. In essence, let’s quench the Spirit, ridicule the Word of God, and create as much distance as possible between our culture and the Spirit of God – who restrains sin – and wonder why our culture is deteriorating.

Not only that, but let’s short-circuit another of God’s established restraints against sin – personal responsibility. Paul clearly states this principle when he says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal.6:7-8). God has established a law that says we reap consequences from our chosen actions.

Negative, sinful actions produce negative consequences, which should then act as teachers to point us to better decisions. If I put my finger in a fan, a painful consequence arises. If I am teachable at all, I will learn not to put my finger in the fan. If I touch a hot stove, the painful consequence should teach me not to duplicate that action. That is God’s Learning Channel. Make good decisions and reap positive consequences. Make bad decisions and reap pain and sorrow.

But our culture is bent on erasing both the notion of personal responsibility and the consequences of bad behavior. Everyone gets a trophy – even if you didn’t try or didn’t care. Everyone will be supported by the taxes of hardworking people – even if you have the capacity to work but choose not to. For the sake of self-esteem, there will be no real negative consequence if you are nine years old and disrupt a classroom daily, year after year. Any negative decision will be assigned to genetic predispositions or brain chemistry. We could go on, but you get the drift.

I’m not saying there should be no grace and forgiveness for people in those situations, but I am saying we no longer point to the sin that brings the consequence but only work to eradicate the consequence without holding anyone responsible for their actions. Negative consequences for bad decisions are part of God’s grace to restrain sin in the world. I’m not saying they eradicate sin, but I am saying they were designed by God to restrain or inhibit sin. When we hold no one responsible for their negative actions, remove discipline from the classroom, or take away from those who worked hard and reward those who have made no effort, we undermine God’s principles.

When a culture chooses to distance its people from the influence of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and biblical principles, what is left to restrain sin? When people are severely broken, counseling will only get you so far because the dangerously broken people will not show up for counseling. If you take away the gun of a bitter, broken, angry person he will simply drive his car into crowds or learn how to make explosives out of household chemicals. He will poison water supplies and explode dirty bombs.

Government is busy trying to control and reduce the influence of the only thing that can change hearts and heal a culture – the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who heals and reconciles. We are in a downward spiral that our leaders recognize but for which they offer no solutions – except more control. Who then will control the controllers who also have a fallen nature? Spiritual revival in this country is the key to solving shootings in our schools, snipers on our highways, drug dealers on our street corners, and racism in our hearts. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph.6:12).

The church needs to say so and we need to lead others to Christ in this nation in unprecedented numbers. Government has no solutions, only temporary stopgaps. The church offers the only lasting solution because Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God are the only antidotes to sin. Waiting for government to come up with a program or platform to stop school shootings or any other tragedy is a pipe dream. The battle is in the spiritual realm and our constant prayers for this nation are critical.

We need to pray for God to elevate faith-filled leaders who will point this nation to righteousness once again. We need to pray for a spirit of revival and reconciliation to be poured out on America. We need to pray against the spirit of anti-Christ that is so evident in Washington and against a host of other spirits that are trying to possess this nation and our children. We must also do our part to share Jesus with those around us because the Kingdom of God typically advances one heart at time. Pray for the families who lost loved ones in Oregon but also pray for

God’s hand to rule this nation once again – not guns or government. Remember peace and grace come from our Lord Jesus Christ. Be blessed today.

I’ve always been fascinated by the focus of Jesus. His reference point for life was not found in the natural realm but in the spiritual. He didn’t make decisions based on natural logic but rather spiritual logic and those are diametrically opposed. The world says that the first shall be first and the last is a loser. But in the spiritual realm, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. In the natural realm, the rich and powerful will be remembered and venerated but in the spiritual realm, the servant of all will be considered the greatest. In the natural realm, the narcissist and the self-indulgent will get ahead but in the spiritual realm, he who gives up his life will save it. In the natural realm resources are finite. In the spiritual realm there is no lack. In the natural realm raw power and aggression get their way but in the spiritual realm the Spirit of God always carries the day. Jesus always lived by kingdom principles with the kingdom of heaven as his reference point.

The church in the past century has faithfully taught the gospel of Jesus Christ and has defined it as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins – and that is definitely good news. But it is more than that. Jesus taught an amplified version of that gospel which was called the good news of the kingdom of God. John the Baptist preached that the kingdom of heaven was near (Mt.3:2) which is a phrase synonymous with the kingdom of God. Jesus preached over and over the good news of the kingdom of God. The good news was that the kingdom was suddenly within reach for those who would believe. After his resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days on earth showing himself to many people and talking about the most needed things. Luke tells us, “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

The gospel or good news of Jesus is that he died for our sins. But there is more. His death, burial, and resurrection not only purchased forgiveness but also opened up the kingdom of God to us and made us citizens of heaven now. Jesus even taught us to pray daily about the Kingdom. “They kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So what exactly is the kingdom of God?

The definition of the kingdom is the “king’s domain.”  It is the rule and reign of God and heaven is heaven because God’s will for his people is expressed perfectly there. When we think of heaven we usually think of majesty, joy, peace, eternal life, perfect health, lack of want, overwhelming love, angelic beings, etc. Those things are expressions of who God is and his will for his people. Jesus taught us to pray that experience down to earth – for God’s will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

Many believers agree with that prayer but assume that it refers to the millennial reign of Jesus or to a restored earth after the final judgment. Jesus, however, clearly taught that an experience of heaven is available now. “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Lk.11:20). Both Jesus and John the Baptist declared over and over that the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven was near. They didn’t mean that the kingdom was near in the sense of “coming soon,” but rather that it was within reach of those who believed. In heaven there is no demonic affliction, no disease, no death, no bitterness, no fear, no turmoil, and no lack.

Jesus declared that, by faith, we can touch heaven now. Two essential qualities of the kingdom are love and power. God is both love and ultimate power. Both of those permeate the kingdom. The truth is that every believer needs both in his or her life now – the love of God and the power of God. Both are available through Jesus and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The love of God alleviates fear, bitterness, sorrow, anguish, rejection, and turmoil. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. The power of God can set us free from the demonic, sickness, poverty, and every form of bondage. Those things are available now. That is God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.

If we live with our hearts and minds anchored in heaven as Jesus did, then we can anticipate the provision and protection of heaven in our lives. When Jesus was faced with feeding 5000 men plus even more women and children with only a few loaves of bread and a few fish, he wasn’t dismayed. The power and provision of heaven had come to earth and he was confident that he could draw on that reality to get the job done. By faith, heaven was expressed on earth. Every person had plenty to eat with twelve baskets full of bread and fish left over. God’s love approved of the provision and his power provided it.

Today we have the same God with the same love and the same power and it is available to those who believe. As we count on both, heaven comes to earth. Most Christians believe in the love of God but are uncertain about the power of God in their lives. However, from Genesis to Revelation, it is clear that God desires to express both in the lives of his people. If I love you, but have no power, I can sympathize with your dilemma and even weep with you but I cannot help you. If I have power but no love, I won’t care to help unless it increases my power. It takes both for good outcomes. Great love coupled with great power is the ticket out of every dilemma.

Power directed by love is the mark of the kingdom of God. Both are there for you today. In whatever circumstance you find yourself, God is willing and able to provide your solution. God is the same – yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus modeled the reality of the kingdom of God on earth. He died so that we might possess the kingdom. It is time for the church to anchor its thoughts and expectations in heaven rather than the natural world. It is time for each of us to do the same. Ask for it, expect it and wait for the love and power of heaven to be expressed in your life today. Blessings in Him!

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.  (2 Tim. 1:6-7)

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:15)

Timothy was a young man who had a pastor’s heart but, at times, was plagued with self-doubt and fear. If you read Paul’s letters to Timothy you will see him encouraging Timothy to step up to his calling and ministry without allowing others to intimidate him. Fear is Satan’s primary weapon against God’s people. Fear comes in many forms but it keeps us from stepping out and stepping up.

Many of us were wounded in our childhood by anger, rejection, neglect, or abuse that came from authority figures or even strangers in our lives. Each time we experienced one of those actions or attitudes we felt ashamed and experienced profound pain in our hearts. We felt helpless and victimized at the hands of hurtful people and finally felt as if something were wrong with us that invited that response from people who should have loved us. As adults, the fear of being wounded again or of being abandoned again still haunts us and keeps us from stepping into the full destiny that God has for us.

The fear of man hinders most of us. For many it is simply the fear of rejection experienced as criticism, a snub, a loss of reputation, and so forth. Most of us do not carry a healthy sense of significance and worthiness within us. We think we need the acceptance or approval of others as validation that we matter, that we are competent, or that we are worthy of love. When we experience disapproval in its many forms, we are taken back to our childhood years. We re-experience the fear that there is something wrong with us that keeps others from approving, valuing, or extending love to us. The pain comes from our fear that we are not okay or that we are inalterably defective and we choose to avoid circumstances that might affirm our fear. Satan loves to fuel that fire and to stoke the fear that comes with it.

Think about it. What keeps us from sharing the gospel with others? What keeps us from praying for a lame man at Starbucks? What keeps us from writing the book that’s been on our heart for years or from leading a ministry for which we have a passion? For most of us, it is fear of failure or a fear of disapproval that keeps our mouths shut. Why should that even matter, especially, coming from people we will probably never see again? It only matters if the response of other people is what sets our sense of being valuable, acceptable, or significant. Our deepest fear is that we will have our belief confirmed that we are not okay and not acceptable.

We should know that we will never meet out full potential in Christ if the fear of man and his or her response to us continues to shackle us. So how do we overcome that natural fear? We simply do it by changing reference points.   Paul says, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15). John chimes in with this theme when he says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love” (I Jn.4:18).

When the Father, truly becomes our reference point for whether we are significant, acceptable, worthy of love, competent, etc. then we lose the fear of man because the opinion of man does not set our value. Besides, I’ve got news for you. If you are in Christ and serving Christ, most people will not approve of you anyway because most people belong to the world. The world disapproved of Jesus and it will disapprove of those who remind them of Jesus. Jesus himself said, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (Jn.15:19).

To a great extent, the church has lots its power and authority because of compromise with the world. We have taken soft stands or no stands on vital issues so that we can be friends with those outside the church – so that we can fit in with society. In other words, we have tried to win both the approval of God and the approval of man. I’m not saying we should intentionally alienate the world, but as we stand for godly values we will inevitably be labeled as judgmental, homophobic, Islamophobic, self-righteous, intolerant, etc.

Those words sting and suggest that there is something wrong with our views or our hearts so we back down or try to meet the world halfway. When we do, we have chosen the praise of men over the praise of God. When we do that, God’s power and authority will decrease in the church. When we do that as individuals, his power and authority will decrease in our own lives and ministries.

The only antidote for this fear is the love of the Father and love for the Father. To know who He is and who we are in Christ is all that will take away our fear of rejection because we will know our significance, our worth, and our competence in Him. Then we will be confident as we seek the approval of heaven and not the citizens of this world. Don’t get me wrong. We are to do good in this world and sometimes that brings praise even from the world. Mother Theresa has become iconic for sacrifice and her work among the poor in India. The world approves. When the church responds to natural disasters or world hunger the world approves. When the church ministers to AIDS victims the world approves.

But notice, that the world approves when we try to alleviate the pain associated with the consequences of sin in the world…and we should as an expression of God’s mercy. But when we stand against the sin itself, the world quickly turns on us. Eventually, we will have to stand against sin in the world or an individual’s life if we are truly interested in his or her salvation and ultimate healing. Even to alleviate many of the consequences of sin, we will need to invoke the name of Jesus for healing or deliverance. That will draw many to Christ but will offend others. If we fear the offense, we will not be able to minister the grace of God, which comes only through Jesus.

The love of the Father is the key. When we know how much he loves us then we can be secure and confident in who we are and in our significance. After all, we are sons and daughters of the Most High, ambassadors of Heaven on this earth, carriers of the Holy Spirit, those who will judge angels, and those who direct the power of Heaven by our prayers and declarations. We are more than conquerors and destined for eternal glory. We can do all things through Christ and awesome angels serve us. It doesn’t get more significant than that. If we get that truth in our hearts, the fear of man will fade away.

Continually ask God continually for a greater revelation of who you are in Christ. When you get it in your heart, everything changes. Seek the applause of one and not of many and be blessed in your significance today.

There are individuals today who have the capacity to see into the spiritual realm. They typically see both angels and demons from time to time. This is called the gift of spiritual discernment or distinguishing between spirits (1 Cor. 12:10). They often have the gift of prophecy as well but not always. Many of the Old Testament prophets had the capacity to see into the spirit realm and were called seers. Elisha demonstrated that capacity when he saw chariots of fire surrounding Dothan when enemy troops had come up during the night to capture him.

What is not clear is whether seers see angels and demons as they are or as symbolic representations of what they are and are doing. God shows his people many things that are related to the spiritual realm in dreams, visions, and open visions. He may open up the spiritual realm as we dream as he did with Jacob when he saw angels ascending and descending on a ladder or a stairway to heaven (Gen.28:10-17). God also reveals things through visions that come to individuals who are awake but slip into a trance-like state where they are unaware of anything else going on around them (see Acts 10:9-16).  Open visions come to individuals who are seeing things God wants to show them while they are still quite aware of their surroundings. Elisha at Dothan might be a good example of an open vision. Cornelius would be another example. “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius…One day about three in the afternoon, he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God who came to him…’ (Acts 10:1-3).

Jonathan Welton, in his book The School of the Seers, says the he sees angels superimposed over the natural realm. He doesn’t see them as clearly as a person in the flesh but he sees them with “spiritual eyes.” We have several individuals on our Free Indeed team at Mid-Cities that see angels and demons from time to time as we minister to people. In our setting (spiritual warfare), they are typically dressed in armor. Some are eight feet tall. Others are much taller. Some are on the floor. Others are close to the ceiling. Sometimes, as we read the Word of God, our seers will see angels kneel in reverence to the Word. On several occasions, as we have been doing deliverance with large groups of people, our seers have been aware of an angel close to the ceiling next to a whirlwind sucking up unclean spirits as they are cast out. Is that literal or is God showing them symbolically what is happening in the spirit realm? I don’t know. Our seers will also see demonic spirits on those days as smoke leaving individuals, as serpents crawling away, and so forth.

Many seers see angels in worship settings. Welton recounts one such experience. “As worship began, I saw two angels standing on the stage and they were unlike anything I had ever seen. They were about 15 feet tall and there was fire coming out of them – six feet in every direction. I was standing in the front row of the church with Randy, so I was closer to the stage than the rest of the crowd around me when the closest angel began to walk toward me. I wanted to run or get out of his way but I was unable to move. He came straight at me and reached out his hand. When he touched my chest, I collapsed to the floor on my side…The spiritual fire from his touch remained on me causing me to create my own puddle of sweat on the cement floor of the church…

Over each section (of the sanctuary) I saw another angel of fire about the size of a human man and fire only emanated out of them about six inches. As the worship intensified, I saw more of these smaller angels come down through the ceiling and join the crowd of worshippers. The worship grew so intense that at the height of worship, while the fire angels continued to join in, the crowd looked like a field of grass on fire, an extreme wild fire of worship” (Jonathan Welton, The School of the Seers, p. 29). At the end of the service, Welton asked another person, with the gift of spiritual discernment, what he had seen and he described exactly what Welton had perceived.

I was at a conference in south Texas once where an individual was taking digital photos of the dark ceiling of the sanctuary during worship when only the stage lights were on. Afterwards, he showed me the pictures and there were orbs of light all around the dark ceiling. He believed those orbs indicated the presence of angels. You will have to decide what you think.

Here is what we know. Angels were created as ministering spirits who minister not only to the Father but also to the children of the Father – that is you and I. They play a prominent role throughout scripture in the lives of God’s people and in the life of the nation of Israel (think Six Days War). Sometimes they are not seen, except by those whose spiritual eyes are activated to see into the spiritual realm. Sometimes they are seen as amazing creatures who often inspire awesome fear. They are seen in dreams, visions, and open visions. Sometimes they come to people and do not inspire fear such as when Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she would carry the Messiah. Sometimes they appear as humans and, according to Hebrews, many of us have entertained angels unaware of who they were. They are powerful. One angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night. They love to worship God as we do. Sometimes they work on our behalf for protection, provision, and direction and sometimes they are fellow servants serving alongside us to accomplish God’s purposes.

Perhaps, the major takeaway from this little study on angels is that God is “sooooo for us” and has provided for us in remarkable ways. His Son died for our sins and intercedes for us now. The Holy Spirit lives within us and leads us into all truth, equips us with spiritual gifts, and provides us with divine weapons. Magnificent angels watch over us and work beside us. He hears every prayer and knows even the number of hairs on our heads. And scripture declares, “If God is for us who can be (stand) against us?” So as the angels say, “Don’t be afraid.” Live with joy. Walk with confidence. Do not fear man or Satan because you are filled and surrounded by the immeasurable power of God who cares for you. Be blessed today and keep an eye out for angels.

The first mention of an angel in scripture is found in Genesis 16. Hagar, pregnant with Abram’s son Ishmael and mistreated by Sarai, had fled into the wilderness. The angel of the Lord found Hagar, gave her a prophetic word about her son, and then directed her to return to her mistress Sarai and submit to her. Our first encounter with an angel, then, is a result of God watching over a pregnant outcast who is in danger of dying in the desert. Most of us believe that a primary function of angels is to watch over or guard people from harm. Is the idea of guardian angels a biblical concept or just wishful thinking on our part?

There are several verses that suggest that angels are assigned to individuals to care for them. The first suggestion of this is found in Genesis. “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm — may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth” (Gen. 48:15-16). This mention of an angel is found in Jacob’s blessing over Joseph’s sons. The phrase, “The angel who has delivered me from all harm” suggests that an angel had been assigned to care for him throughout his life.

The word translated as “angel” here is the Hebrew word malak which can be translated as angel, messenger, envoy, representative, or ambassador. The context determines how it is translated. Some scholars believe that Jacob’s reference is an Old Testament reference to Jesus – not as a created angel but as a representative of the Father to man. There are several places in the Old Testament where the Lord seems to show up in some physical form to interact with God’s people. In Genesis 18-19, there are two angles interacting with Abraham and, apparently, also the Lord. Many believe that Melchizedek (King of Peace), to whom Abraham offered a tithe in Genesis 14, was also an O.T. appearance of Jesus. In addition, Joshua encounters the commander of the Lords army on Holy Ground in Joshua 5:13-14. These occurrences are most likely the Son of God who is the member of the Trinity that represents God to man and man to God.

Another scripture that suggests guardian angels comes from the lips of Jesus. “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Mt.18:10). Some people have taken this passage to mean that when children die they become angels who stay in the presence of God. But we have already determined that humans don’t become angels after death (sorry Clarence), so what does this mean? To me, this passage suggests that angels are assigned to children and always have immediate access to the Father on behalf of children because children have such a favored place in the heart of the Father. Would that angelic protection be for all children, only covenant children, or only children whose parents pray for that divine protection? You would have to decide.

A third passage that suggests guardian angels is, “If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the Lord, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.      You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name” (Ps.91:9-14). This verse is also quoted in the New Testament regarding Jesus (Mt.4, Lk.4).

There is no question that angels show up to minister to God’s people for protection, provision, rescue, a word from the Lord, and so forth. The question is whether an angel is assigned to you for a lifetime, never leaving your side as a guardian angel. You would have to decide yourself but most of scripture suggests that the answer is “no.” If that were the case, an angel would not have to be “sent” to Daniel in Daniel 9-10 since an angel would already be present. We are told that “an angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring” in Genesis 16. If he had been assigned to her 24/7, he would not have needed to find her or search for her. In Luke 1, we are told that, “God sent the angel Gabriel” to Mary. The flavor of most encounters in scripture is that angels come and go on assignment. It is possible that some assignments are lengthy.

To a great degree, the presence of angels might be in response to our prayers. James told the recipients of his letter, “You have not, because you ask not” (James 4:2). A consistent prayer for divine protection from the enemy and from hurtful people might be your best guarantee for angelic protection for your children and yourself. The Lord taught us to pray for daily bread and for God to keep the evil one from us. As we pray for daily bread we may also need to pray for daily protection. I’m not saying that angelic protection is never provided if we don’t pray, but I prefer not to take things for granted in our relationship with the Lord.

In our ministry, we often ask the Father to assign angels to watch over those who are traveling, to keep the enemy from homes we have just cleansed, from those who are vulnerable to the enemy, and for those who are in dangerous places. We also pray for their presence when we do deliverance. There are a few folks out there that believe we can command angels because of who we are in Christ. Since Jesus is the commander of the armies of heaven, I think it might be best to ask him to command angels on our behalf. Nevertheless, angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation (Heb.1:14). They are real, powerful, and protective so feel free to pray for their presence and ministry in your life and in the lives of those you love.

In my next blog I will quote some seers who see angels in the spirit realm so that we get a sense of what may be going on around us as we serve and worship the Lord! Be blessed today and may the Lord’s angels watch over you.

There is a lot of cultural misinformation about angels. Many people have developed an informal theology about angels from “highly reliable” sources such as movies (It’s A Great Life, Michael, etc.), television shows (Touched by an Angel), the History Channel (Yikes!), and the Internet. Let’s talk first about the appearance of angels from biblical sources.

Apparently, not all angels are created equal. In scripture we run across several classes of angels in the Old Testament. There are the heavenly hosts which seem to be the great number of angels sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation (Heb.1:14) and those who minister to the Lord in heaven.

Then there are archangels or “angelic princes” such as Gabriel and Michael. Both of them are mentioned in the Book of Daniel and then in the New Testament. We are told in Revelation 12 that Michael and his angels fought against the dragon (Satan) and his angels and drove them from heaven. Gabriel, of course, was the one who told Mary that she would give birth to Messiah. These archangels seem to be very powerful, commanding angels. Catholics would count seven archangels whose names are listed in books and writings that are not found in the Protestant Bible.   In Revelation 19, John sees Jesus riding out on a white horse leading the armies of heaven. Jesus, then, is Lord, Savior, and Commander-in-Chief of angelic armies.

Some contemporary religions teach that Jesus was an angel before being “promoted to Son of God.” However, the Book of Hebrews is extremely clear that Jesus was not an angel but the very Son of God who created the angels (See Hebrews 1).

In Isaiah 6, we encounter another order of angels – Seraphim.  These creatures surround the throne of God and sing his praises. They have six wings with which they fly, cover their faces, and cover their feet and declare the glory of God constantly. These are like the royal chorus.

Cherubim are also present and surround the throne of God. They have wings and were represented on the lid of the Arc of the Covenant as those angels who uphold the holiness of God. The Old Testament often speaks of God as the one enthroned between the cherubim. I liken these to the palace guard. In the book of Ezekiel, God is seen in a vision coming in judgment on Israel, carried on his throne by cherubim as a conquering king might come in his war chariot. God also set cherubim at the entrance to the Garden of Eden to keep fallen man from re-entering the Garden. In Ezekiel 10 they are described as having wings and four faces – the face of a cherub, a man, a lion, and an eagle. Those faces could simply be symbolic of qualities of the cherubim – angelic, intelligent, powerful, swift, etc. or could be literal.

Believers who have the gift of seeing into the spiritual realm often see angels that are seven feet tall, others that are twenty feet tall, and some even taller. Some appear with wings, while others do not. All biblical references refer to them in the masculine gender. They are a created group of beings who do not reproduce or marry. Therefore, there is no need for a female gender. People do not die and become angels. Angels are a distinct creation, created before man was shaped by the hands of God.

Sometimes angels are seen by men and those whom they are protecting and at other times they are unseen. In 2 Kings 6, Elisha and his servant are in the city of Dothan and find themselves surrounded by the enemy. Elisha’s servant panics but Elisha calmly declares that those that are with them easily outgun and outnumber the enemy. He then prays that his servant’s eyes would be opened and suddenly he saw the hills full of chariots of fire. They were there ready to take part in protecting Elisha, whether they were seen or not, but Elisha had faith and anointing to see them.

Sometimes they appear as angels and, at other times they appear to be merely human. In Genesis 18, angels appear to Abraham as traveling strangers and even eat a meal with him on their way to judge Sodom and Gomorrah. In the Book of Hebrews, we are told to be careful how we treat strangers because many have entertained angels unaware of who or what they were (Heb.13:2). On the other hand, many saw angels as angels and often trembled in fear before them. In fact, it seems that the opening line for most angelic encounters in scripture is, “Don’t be afraid.”

Primarily, angels enforce the will of God whether as a blessing, a judgment, or a discipline. The heart of God is always to bless his people and even those who aren’t his people. Remember that God sent Jonah to Nineveh so that they might repent and avoid his judgment. He also says, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live” (Ezek.18:23)?

The Bible is replete with stories of angels watching over God’s people: defeating enemy armies, providing food and water for a starving Elijah or Hagar, ministering to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, delivering messages from the Father, announcing the birth and resurrection of Jesus, orchestrating jail breaks, closing the mouths of lions, protecting God’s people from the flames, fighting wars against demonic princes in the heavenlies just to answer a prophet’s prayer (Dan.10), bringing warnings of impending danger, and so forth. On occasion they also bring judgment on the wicked, when their actions demand it, and even on God’s people when they are stubbornly unrepentant.

These angels are majestic, powerful, joyful, and plentiful. “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” (Heb.12:22). These angels minister to God and minister on your behalf. Sometimes you will be unaware of their activity and at other times you may know that angels are involved.

They minister to you because you are supremely important to God. And although they are awe-inspiring beings, you have even greater standing than the angels. Jesus is greater than the angels and since you are in Christ, you share his standing with the Father. In view of that, Paul tells us that eventually we will judge angels (1 Cor.6:3).

Angels are finite beings. They are not all-powerful nor are they all-knowing. In fact, God has revealed his plans through the church and it was through the church that angels have heard what they longed to know for millennia (See 1 Peter 1:12). As amazing as angels are, you are more amazing in the eyes of God! Be blessed in knowing that.

In my next blog we will discuss “guardian angels” and I will share with you what “seers” see when they perceive angels in our midst.

So…what do you think about angels? After talking about demons, I thought we should talk about the good guys, the ones that are on our side. Most of us like the idea of angels and see them sprinkled throughout the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but how much do we really know about them from Biblical texts? We really need to know because they are one of the amazing helps God gives us in our lives as believers…and, lets face it, some days we need all the help we can get.

Our launching point will be from the Book of Hebrews. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb.1:14)? That verse should encourage you immediately. Angels are awesome, there are myriads of them, and they are sent forth by the Father to minister to you if you are in Christ.

So lets take an overview of angels and see how that view might effect your life and your prayers? First of all, we need to affirm that angels are created beings. Speaking of Jesus, Paul says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him” (Col.1:15-16). Jesus was instrumental in creating not only the visible or natural realm but also the invisible or spiritual realm and the powers within those realms.

In another place, Ezekiel prophesies to the King of Tyre and makes an analogy between the king and Satan. In essence he talks about the glory that Satan had as an angel in the courts of God until his pride caused him to rebel and he was cast down to earth. He is warning the King of Tyre that he also is about to lose his glory because of his pride. Ezekiel says, “ You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you” (Ezek.28:14-15).

Don’t think of cherubs as little, pudgy infant- like creatures. These are a class of angels that are essentially the palace guard. They stand in the presence of God and guard the way to him. They are awe inspiring and powerful. Satan was one of these amazing angels but notice he was “created.” Angels then are created beings. They are not a race that marries and reproduces, but have been created as spiritual and eternal beings.

They were not, however, made in the image of God as we are. They were made before man but, it seems, they were made on behalf of man. In the Book of Job we are told that angels witnessed the creation of the earth and so preceded man. “On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:6-7)?

Angels, like man, were created with free will and the capacity to rebel against God. Satan and, perhaps, one third of the angels in heaven did so and were cast down to earth. Angels are soldiers and servants and do the bidding of God. “Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will” (Ps.103:20-21). His angels always work to fulfill his purposes and also work that you might fulfill his purposes in your life as well.

Sometimes angels work on our behalf and sometimes they work with us in fulfilling God’s purposes. John encounters an angel in his vision that we call the Book of Revelation. Forgetting himself he responded to the angel as if he were worthy of worship. “At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God” (Rev. 19:10)! It is clear that angels can be overwhelming in their appearance but they are not to be worshipped under any circumstance.

In this text he calls himself a fellow servant with John and the church. In one sense, we are working in the natural realm to effect things in the spiritual realm while angels are working in the spiritual real to effect things in the natural. When we pray according to God’s will and are working to achieve it, we can be sure that we are not laboring alone. God said that he will never leave us and never forsake us. His Spirit is always with us and his powerful angels will often be with us as well. So, when anxiety, fear, and doubt begin to creep in, take heart, the mighty power of heaven is working on your behalf!

In my next blog or two we will explore what angels do, what they look like, if there are guardian angels, and so forth…all for your encouragement. Be blessed.