When you read early Christian writings there is always a great deal of emphasis on Christ’s admonition to take up our cross daily in order to follow him. The theology of the cross is that God uses hardship to conform us to Jesus and to teach us to make him our source of strength and supply.  In America, where comfort and plenty have defined many lives, the idea of taking up our cross is rarely proclaimed and is even a bit offensive if we are honest. In some corners of the kingdom, a prosperity gospel has been preached which suggests that material abundance and ease are God’s will for his people on earth and proof of his favor. Preachers of that gospel tend to live on lavish estates and raise money for twenty-six passenger jets to fly around the globe preaching to the poor.

I’m not opposed to believers making a great living. It is believers with means whom God can use to fund the kingdom here on earth and actually care for the poor. What I question, even in my own life, is how much I have bought into the notion that sacrificial living is no longer an essential element in pleasing God and drawing close to him.  In fact, American believers tend to see hardship in our lives as proof that somehow God is displeased with us.  If that were the case, then Jesus and those who first followed him must have been very displeasing to God. I am reminded of David’s words when he said, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offering that cost me nothing” (2 Sam.24:24).

Taking up our cross daily is not necessarily a call to poverty or persecution.  It is, however, a call to setting our personal agenda aside each day while we genuinely seek God’s agenda for us.  It is saying “No” to the natural man who demands to have his way, demands to be treated with respect, demands his rights, demands to be first, demands to be given the seat of honor, refuses to submit to anyone, and who is always self-focused and concerned about his comfort, his success, and his well-being.

The truth is that most of our pain and discomfort in life comes from our self-focus. It is that focus that measures every interaction to see if we were given due deference.  It notices every ache and pain in our body and keeps score in every relationship.  It takes offense, issues judgments, justifies our own shortcomings and rings the “victim” alarm every time we feel that life hasn’t been fair. Our self-focus keeps pulling the scab off of our own wounds as we constantly rehearse the scenes where those wounds were inflicted and keeps Jesus at bay because we feel such a need to protect ourselves by being in control.

Taking up our cross daily puts the focus on Jesus and others, rather than ourselves.  It actually reduces our pain even though we believe our pain would increase. It is something, I believe, that only the Holy Spirit can do in us, but won’t due without our constant permission. We all want to be filled with the Spirit but if we are filled with self, there is little room for the Spirit to move and work.

In a culture that promotes self-love, attending to our needs first, and entitlement it is difficult to take up our cross.  We would rather pay someone else to carry our cross for us. Unfortunately, that task cannot be outsourced.  The paradox, of course, is that the key to abundant living is dying to our own demands. The key to freedom is surrendering to Jesus…not just the parts we don’t care about but everything. I believe it is also a key to greater anointing and power because when we carry our cross, we will steward those things as Jesus would, rather than for our own affirmation. I need to consider this reality in my own life today.  You might need to as well.

 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? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 2 Corinthians 6:14

Having stated the principle of separation, Paul gives a list of reasons for the separation. In general, he makes the case that because the Spirit of God lives within you, you are sacred and set apart for exclusive service unto God just as the temple was. Anything that is profane or secular that touches the sacred defiles it. To underline his command, he simply asks a series of rhetorical questions.

He first asks, “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common?” and “What fellowship can light have with darkness?” He lists two incompatible things that are polar opposites. In many cases, we are so desensitized to the world that we often don’t see wickedness for what it is. The Greek word is anomia which means lawlessness. Righteousness is living based on God’s standards or God’s law. Of course, we don’t always measure up to his standards but we have an “imputed” righteousness through the blood of Christ and an innate desire to live up to the standards. An unbeliever does not submit to the law of God nor does he desire to but lives by a set of worldly standards that have been established by the prince of this world. Although those standards may have an appearance of goodness and morality, the basis for the standards is polar opposites. The righteousness of the kingdom is based on the moral nature of a holy God who will judge men and nations. Worldly standards always place man as the judge of all things and truth as his truth rather than the creator’s truth.

The world can imitate goodness and morality but at the core, righteousness exalts God while wickedness exalts man and self. Eventually, that road will lead us away from God and the fallen nature will have its way. When speaking of light and darkness Paul simply reminds us that they too are incompatible. Fellowship implies close and harmonious association. Darkness is the absence of light and light pushes out darkness. They cannot coexist in the same space. From God’s perspective, believers are incompatible with unbelievers because the Holy Spirit living in us makes us so different from the unredeemed that we can only be contrasted not compared. Again, I think our desensitization to the sin and self-centeredness around us dims our awareness of how different children of light are from children of darkness. But God does not lose sight of the vast difference.

Paul then raises he question, “What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” Belial seems to be one of several Greek names for the god of the underworld and is a reference to Satan. Believers belong to Christ while unbelievers belong to Satan. Most unbelievers are unaware that Satan owns them and would deny that they serve him but there is no spiritual Switzerland – no neutrality in the spiritual realm. We either belong to Christ or we belong to Satan and the two have declared war on one another. There is no peace between the two kingdoms and to be yoked to an unbeliever opens the door to the presence of the enemy. Satan will always use his subjects to draw you away from Christ. To be in a binding relationship with an unbeliever is making an alliance with the one who rules over him or her and that “ruler” is bent on destroying you.

Paul then summarizes his point by asking what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever. Of course, you might answer that you both like baseball or that you both need love and purpose and those things would be true, but Paul is talking about our natures, our allegiances, our purpose, and our destination. From Paul’s perspective, you have nothing eternal in common with an unbeliever.

Paul finishes with the rhetorical question, “What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.” This again raises the question of the sacred mixing with the profane. The temple and everything in it was dedicated to the service of God. Because the presence of God was in the temple, great care had to be taken to purify all of the grounds and instruments related to the temple from sin. Sacrificial blood was sprinkled on everything on a regular basis to cleanse the temple and its furnishings from the defilement of sin. Any bowls, knives, plates, tables, censers, etc. that were used in the temple services were to be destroyed if they were ever used for ordinary purposes. Once you have been dedicated to the service of God you are not to involve yourself in anything that will defile you. In addition, idols are always associated with demon worship in both the Old and New Testaments and so Paul is declaring that to be yoked with unbelievers not only connects you to profane things that defile your sacred standing with God but also brings you into agreement with demons and empowers them in your life.

Our problem is that we don’t value the presence of God within us and the holiness of God as we should. We become careless with it and often compromise with the world and may even yoke ourselves to what is unholy in the eyes of God. But God calls us to be separate and to serve him only. He is not calling us to isolate ourselves from the world because them we could not rescue the lost from the dominion of darkness but we are to maintain a separation in our hearts and refuse to make alliances binding agreements, and covenants with anyone or anything that is not willingly submitted to Christ and made clean by his Spirit. Those relationships will always pressure us to compromise.

That does not mean that we separate ourselves from the lost or refuse to love them because God loves them. Jesus associated with sinners but never came into agreement with their values and never bound himself to them in order to win their approval or even their love. He never compromised his allegiance to the Father or his mission. Paul’s challenge is this section of scripture is for us to never forget who we are, who we belong to, and who lives within us. We must consider ourselves and all those who have the Spirit of Christ within them as sacred – as holy ground. We must also remember that those outside of Christ belong to the devil and have the spirit of disobedience within them. Our job is to bring them into the light not to participate with them in their darkness. You are holy. You are sacred. You house the presence of God. Live like it.

This is the final installment of an article I wrote on cleansing houses from demonic spirits. It is a bit long but I wanted to finish this series and get on to other things.  The length is due to sample declarations that a person might make over a house in which unclean spirits are manifesting.  In Part 3, I talked about open doors for spirits to be present in a location and harass those living there. I also talked about aligning ourselves with Christ before exercising authority over any spirits present.  In this installment, we will look at actually exercising our authority as followers of Christ.

Exercising Authority:

All those who believe in Jesus and have his Spirit within them have been given authority to deal with the demonic. Because of that, we then lead the owner(s) of the house or those who have authority in the house to command all unclean spirits to leave the house and property and to never return. Of course, all this is done in the name and authority of Jesus. If the people in the house have experienced fear, anger, sexual issues, or have seen or felt spirits, we name or describe those spirits specifically as well as commanding all unclean spirits, in general, to leave.  If they are aware of past events in the house that may have invited these spirits in, we command specific spirits that are suggested by those events.

Note: If married, it is obviously best if both spouses are present and involved, but at times that is not possible or one spouse may not be a believer or may not believe in spiritual warfare. Whoever is a believer should go ahead with the process knowing that an unbelieving spouse or a spouse that is mired in sin may be an open door to the enemy which may inhibit the cleansing or make it necessary to do it again or on a regular basis.

You may command something like:

In the name of Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, I command you, spirit of fear (or any other spirit you know by the fruit it has born in your house or simply by calling them uncleans spirits) to leave this house and this property immediately and go to the feet of Jesus. You have no right here and no place here. You are trespassing on property that has been dedicated and consecrated to the Lord Jesus Christ. In his name I command you to leave immediately and never return and I command you to do so without hurting or harassing anyone in this house.

Once those with authority have made their declarations and have commanded the spirits to leave, we agree with them. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Mt.18:19-20). We agree by moving throughout the house commanding spirits in each room, garage, property, and outbuildings to leave and never return while always being sensitive to the Holy Spirit for direction in what we are doing or declaring.

When objects are encountered that may be giving the enemy a legal right to “set up shop,” those items should be taken from the house and destroyed or at least dumpsterized. When Joshua led Israel into the land God had promised them, they were to destroy any idols, altars, or high places related to false worship. Wherever the enemy or his ways are honored, he has a place. Objects, such as a bed where sin or violence may have taken place should be prayed over, anointed, and consecrated to holiness and the purposes of God.

As we move through the house, we smear a drop of anointing oil (olive oil) above each door and window (like blood over the Hebrew doors on the first Passover) as a way of consecrating that space to the Lord or marking that house as belonging to God. We often do that around the perimeter of the property (fence lines, etc.) and on outbuildings as well.   In the same way, oil was poured on priests to dedicate and consecrate them and their service to the Lord. Those needing healing and deliverance were anointed also with oil in the New Testament. There is nothing magical about the oil, but I believe it symbolizes the Spirit and as the Spirit marks us as those belonging to Christ, the oil also marks homes and items in the homes as those dedicated to and belonging to the Lord.

Having anointed the house and having commanded all unclean spirits to leave and never return, we ask the Lord to place angels around the house to prevent the enemy from returning. We bless the family living in the house, encourage them once again to get rid of any objects that may be giving the enemy access to their house and we leave. We have rarely had to return except where individuals held on to objects that should have been taken out or destroyed. On occasion, when an object is questionable but not clearly highlighted by the Spirit such as keepsakes or furniture, we specifically anoint that object and verbally consecrate it to the Lord for his purposes.

Let me add one more thought to this process. Consecrating the house to the Lord along with repentance and renouncement of the works of Satan should come from the heart of those who have authority in the house. Just saying the words without conviction communicates a heart without conviction or real intent. God measures the heart. I believe demons do as well.

The same is true when commanding spirits to leave. Command with the authority that flows from faith in the authority of Jesus and faith in the Word of God. That word declares that he that is in us is greater than he (satan) that is in the world (1 Jn.4:4). If we command half-heartedly or with no confidence then our commands carry very little weight. Commanding demons is not about our ability, our authority, or even our spirituality as much as it is about who Christ is and knowing that we are in Christ and that we represent him. When you command – mean it and have confidence in the one whose name you wear. Do not ask spirits to leave, do not beg them to leave, but command them to leave. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus said to his followers, “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” (Lk.10:19-20).

The most common spirits we run into in house cleansings come from trauma, violence, sexual sin, and forms of witchcraft or other  occult practices. These will be spirits of fear, jealousy, anger, death, witchcraft, rebellion, and sexual immorality or adultery. Of course, there are many others but be sensitive to the ones just listed.

There is also one more thing to consider. Where witchcraft or satanic rituals have been practiced, homes and families are sometimes dedicated to Satan. According to Francis MacNutt in his book, Deliverance from Evil Spirits, when individuals or families are dedicated to satan, a kind of spiritual seal is often placed over a spirit that protects that spirit from ordinary approaches to spiritual warfare. I believe this could apply to homes as well.

He recommends making something like the following declaration to remove that seal:

In the name of Jesus, I renounce Satan and every work of Satan. I renounce the evil powers of this world that corrupt and destroy the creation of God. I renounce all sinful desires that draw us away from God. I repent of any involvement I have ever had in the works of Satan. I declare that Jesus is Lord over my life, my family, this house and all my possessions and I place all of these things under his Lordship. In the name of Jesus and by the sword of the Spirit I now break and nullify every seal of Satan assigned to this house or this family.

After that declaration, go on and command all spirits of witchcraft and false religion to leave. If there has been an accomplished practitioner of Satanic rituals involved, you may need to make the declaration three times.  We have found that “removing satanic seals” can be helpful when our usual approach has not been effective in delivering individuals and may be helpful in cleansing homes on occasion.

Final Note:

After cleansing the house, do not invite the enemy to come back by returning to sin, unforgiveness, etc. Walk in repentance. Fill the house with worship music and the word of God and make daily rounds commanding any lingering spirits to leave in the name of Jesus while declaring that as for you and your house, you will serve the Lord. If someone comes to your house that you know is involved in occult practices or gross sin or that you feel uncomfortable with, you may want to do a quick cleansing as soon as he or she leaves. I hope this has been helpful.  A list of suggested declarations for this process is listed below.

Suggested Declarations:

These are suggested declarations for the process of cleansing your house. Some have been suggested in the article above and may be similar. These are not formulas or incantations, they are simply samples of ways you may pray and command.

Alignment (Declare something like the following when you begin):

Heavenly Father, I declare openly and willingly my faith in Jesus Christ – that he is the risen Son of God sitting at your right hand as King of Kings and Lord of Lords with all authority in heaven and on earth. I declare my allegiance to him and willingly submit all that I am and all that I have to his Lordship. I dedicate and consecrate this house (apartment, business, etc.) to his purposes and place it and everything in it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

In the name of Jesus, I renounce Satan and all the works of Satan. I specifically renounce fear, anger, sexual immorality, false religion, witchcraft, abuse and violence (name whatever has been sensed operating in the home or that has been identified in the history of the family or home). I also repent of all sin in my own life and personally confess anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and pornography (whatever personal sins have not been confessed and repented of by those in authority in the home or apartment).

In addition, I also forgive (whoever has wronged you) for (whatever he/she did to you) and no longer require payment from him for the wrongs done to me. I release him to your perfect judgment and ask you to bless him as you see fit. (Name all those who have wronged you and toward whom you have held bitterness. Forgive then verbally and release judgment to the Lord asking him to bless them as he sees fit).

Nullifying Curses (Declare something like the following):

The word of God declares that Jesus became a curse for me that I might receive the blessings of God. In the name of Jesus, I sever and nullify any curse that has ever been spoken against this house or this family. By the authority of Jesus, I declare those curses null and void and of no effect and by the authority of Jesus, I cancel any demonic assignments based on those curses.

Exercising Authority:

[Those in authority should declare something like the following statement as they anoint their home or if others are helping they should declare something like this as they move through the house anointing doors, windows, furniture, or property outside. We declare it in every room.]

Now, in the name of Jesus and by his authority I command any and every unclean spirit in this house or on this property to leave immediately and never return. You will harm or harass no one as you go and you will go now. I command the spirits of fear, abuse, sexual sin, witchcraft, death, and violence to leave now and never return (Declare by name spirits that have most likely been operating in the house. You will know them by the emotions they have stirred or the actions they have prompted). I declare this house, this property and all of its contents to be under the blood and the Lordship of Jesus. All legal rights for you to be here have been removed by the authority of Jesus and you must leave now.

Final Prayer and Declaration: When you have cleansed the house, property, and outbuildings, finish with something like the following declaration.

Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are the risen Lord exercising all authority in heaven and on earth on behalf of those who love you and call on your name. Lord we ask that you establish everything we have declared here today and place your angels around the perimeter of this house (apartment, business, etc.) to prevent the enemy from returning. We ask your blessing and your peace on this house and that you will exercise your Lordship here and in our hearts. Thank you for all you do and for your great gifts to us. We ask and declare all of this in Jesus’ name.

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.      But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down…Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Rev. 12:7-12

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2

The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into a battle that took place in the heavenlies at some point in the far distant past. Satan, desiring to be on the throne instead of God, formed a rebellion and was cast out of heaven and hurled to earth along with the angels who had sided with him. He is described as the accuser of the brethren who accuses them day and night. In this text, he is said to accuse them before God but one of his primary strategies is also to accuse the brethren by accusing them in their own minds day and night. Satan is a master at bringing up the past and framing our weaknesses and mistakes as things that disqualify us from serving God or from receiving his blessings.

As a strategy, every time life happens to a believer and a challenge arises or a painful moment comes our way, Satan jumps in to accuse us and plants the thought that we are being punished for our misdeeds or rejected for our weaknesses. In a flurry of thoughts, he loves to heap condemnation on us and reinforce an identity of being a gross sinner, a target of God’s wrath because of our evil hearts, an abandoned child because of our misbehaviors, and a hypocrite who should be ashamed for even posing as a follower of Jesus.

Not only do those condemning thoughts rob us of our security but they also take away our joy and our peace. In addition, they prompt us to become accusers of those around us. Since accusation is based on performance, we find ourselves wanting to point out all the faults and failings of those around us in an effort to level the playing field. If you are prone to fault-finding in others or blaming others for the problems in your life, you are likely living with law as a reference point rather than grace.  You are trying to relate to God on the basis of your performance rather than his grace. Paul points out in Romans 8:1-2 that condemnation thrives in an environment of law in which a record is kept of every violation. Satan has the most success with those of us who still tend to view our relationship with God as a relationship defined by law rather than grace.

Law defines my relationship with God as a relationship based on performance. Under law, I am always asking the question, “Am I good enough or have I done enough to be loved, forgiven, and blessed by God?” Under law, our Father in Heaven becomes a perfectionistic parent withdrawing his blessings and affection every time we fail to live up to his lofty standards. On the basis of law, everything is open to accusation and condemnation. Under a mindset of law, Satan is free to accuse us not only of blatant sins but even of our attitudes by degree. Where we have repented, he will suggest that we did not repent enough. When we think about our love for God, he will accuse us of not loving God with all of our heart. When we acknowledge a weakness he will call us hypocrites for pretending to love Jesus when we still fail so often. When we give generously, he will always suggest that we should have given a little more. The accusation and feeling of condemnation is never ending….day and night.

The only escape from the devil’s scheme is to absolutely know that there is no condemnation in Christ because the blood of Christ has removed us from a system of law and placed us in a relationship based on the unfailing love of a Father who does not love and bless on the basis of performance but only on the basis of his heart. You must know that Jesus became sin for you that you might become the righteousness of God. You must know that you have been given positional righteousness in the eyes of God based on what Jesus did, totally apart from your own righteousness or your own spiritual performance. The good news is that God does not love you because you are perfect, but because he is perfect.

The proper response to the accusations of the devil when he brings up your past or even present weaknesses and whispers that you are falling short of God’s standards is, “Of course, I am falling short. So what? That is why Jesus died for my sins and because of that, God does not hold my sins against me. I live in a condemnation free zone by the blood of Christ and by the grace of God. Satan you have no power here and your accusations have no weight. My past has been blotted out. My present is in process and my future is secure. I am justified in Christ and it is you that are condemned. Now go away!”

When accusation comes, don’t brood but respond with God’s truth. When condemnation raises its head, dismiss it as a lie. When Satan runs up the flag of rejection, ignore it because that sign has no meaning in the kingdom of God. Too many of us believe that punishment motivates us to change. If that were true, there would be no repeat offenders in prison. Too many of us believe that accusation, condemnation, and self-loathing will prompt us to do better and so we agree with Satan’s accusations.

But accusation, condemnation, and demeaning criticism only solidify our identity as broken and worthless. When the prodigal returned, he was given no lecture, no condemnation, no probation. Instead his return was celebrated and he was immediately given back his identity as a son. His true identity as a respected son of a proud Father was reinforced and that is what will bring our own growth and transformation. So remember, when the devil knocks on the door of your mind, post your Condemnation Free Zone sign and send him on his way.

Okay…so I grew up in the late 60’s and 70’s when Jesus freaks and the Jesus Movement were a part of the underground, hippy culture. There was a song called Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum – a kind of a one hit wonder. It sounds very new age with contemporary ears but the theology behind it was sound if you got a little explanation. One verse declared, “I’m not a sinner, no I’ve never sinned. I’ve got a friend in Jesus.”

To some that sounded arrogant or downright blasphemous. After all, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23). But another verse confirms the theology. “Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb.10:14). On the one hand, we certainly have all sinned and continue to do so less that we did, but on the other hand, God does not count those sins against us. If you inspected the ledgers of heaven, you would find no record of sin – past, present, or future. As far as God is concerned, you’re not a sinner, no you’ve never sinned cause you have a friend in Jesus. We need to get that truth in our hearts.

So many of us focus on our past, our sins, and our failures while God is focusing on our righteousness in Christ. It’s not that he doesn’t recognize our sins, but he does not define us by those sins. He defines us by the righteousness that is ours in Jesus. The passage above from Hebrews declares that by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. By the sacrifice of Jesus, you have been given a positional or legal status of sinlessness – forever – which extends both into the past and the future. God always relates to us on the basis of our position while he works on our condition. He is in the process of making us holy – matching our condition to our position – but he is not focused on our sin but, rather, who we are in His Son.

We would do well to so the same. Too many believers get focused on their sins, failures and spiritual shortcomings. Whatever we focus on becomes our identity. If we see ourselves and define ourselves as sinners in Christ, we will constantly live up to that expectation. If we see ourselves as righteous and holy in Christ that will become our identity and we will begin to live up to that set of expectations.

Many of us try to motivate ourselves to be more like Christ with criticism and name-calling. If we did that to our children we would be labeled as bad parents, maybe even verbally abusive. We recognize the power of self-image (identity) in our children and work to encourage and affirm them at every opportunity but often fail to recognize that principle in ourselves. Faith declares that what God says is true is true, even if it does not appear to be that way. By faith, we need to say what God says is true about us, so that God’s truth is deposited more deeply in our hearts and minds. It’s not arrogance; it is good theology that appreciates what the blood of Christ has done for us.

So…the next time the devil stirs up accusation and condemnation and tries to convince you of what a spiritual failure you are, just pull out a little Norman Greenbaum and sing in his face, “I’m not a sinner, no I’ve never sinned. I’ve got a friend in Jesus!” It’s good theology. Be blessed and sinless in Him today.

But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow. (Exodus 8:22-23).

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? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. (2 Cor.6:14-18)

In Exodus 8, as God was in the process of delivering Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, he declared a distinction between his people and all others. Goshen was the region of Egypt where Jacob and his family had settled after they were invited to stay in Egypt because of Joseph’s service to Pharaoh. It was a fertile area of approximately 900 square miles on which one to two million Hebrews lived – first as farmers and ranchers and later as slaves. In the text above, God told Moses that from that point on, the plagues that were impacting Egypt would not touch Goshen nor his people living there. There were several reasons why God would treat them differently from all other tribes and nations. First of all, he chose Israel as a man would choose his bride. A man may treat women, in general, with kindness but he should do more for his wife and do it sooner than for anyone else. That is how God relates to his chosen people.

In the same vein, God treats his people differently because he has a unique relationship with them that is described by words such as bride, household, priesthood, sons and daughters, family, saints, chosen, and even friends. Those are words that describe intimate and even covenant relationships. In a sense, God may know all people, but he is not intimate with them nor does he consider them sons and daughters. In addition, God says that he will make a distinction between his people and all others because he is with them. God is with his people and his presence makes a difference. As they say…membership has privileges and we are members of Christ.

It is clear throughout the Bible that God makes a distinction between his people and all others but scripture also reminds us that we are to make a distinction as well. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians quoted above, he emphasizes the distinction again and draws a contrast between those who belong to the Father through Jesus and all others. Those distinctions are: righteousness vs. wickedness; light vs. darkness; Christ vs. Belial (Satan or a high ranking demon); believer vs. unbeliever; and the temple of God vs. idols. According to Paul, God still calls us to “come out from among them and be separate. Touch no unclean thing.”

In my experience, many Christians don’t see themselves as chosen and distinct from all other people. They don’t see themselves as different nor do they make much of an attempt to be different other than church attendance. God is not calling us to withdraw from society, move into the desert, and form monastic societies. He is not calling us to some form of ritual cleanliness.  What he is doing is calling us to be distinct – first in our own minds and, secondly, in our ways.

What we need is the “salmon anointing” (not a biblical term) that makes us a people who are always willing to swim against the current and the culture of the world rather than embracing it or compromising our faith in order to “fit in.” God has not commanded us to fit in but to be different – as different as night and day. Jesus said we should be “in the world” but not “of the world.”

Sometimes we want God to do supernatural stuff in our lives. But if we want God to “act like God” in our lives with miracles and blessings then we must “act like his people” and as sold out citizens of heaven rather than comfortable citizens of this world. How many “unclean” things do we touch in a day by choice – especially with our eyes and our ears? How often do we compromise our faith “just a little” at school or at the office in order to gain membership or standing with those who don’t know or don’t care about the Lord? How often do we forget that God is with us when we swim with the culture rather than against it?

A church that has forgotten who she is will be a powerless church. If we desire to see the power of God we must remember that power is not given until it is needed. It is not needed as long as we are “going with the flow.” When we remember who we are; when we see ourselves as distinct from all other people; when we push back against the world; when we get busy destroying the works of the devil; ands when we choose to swim upstream toward the source – then, power will be needed. When it is needed it will be released. So…let’s go for the salmon anointing. Let’s swim as hard we can against the current, reproduce ourselves, and encourage as many as possible to swim with us. Then he will be our God and we will be his people. Then we will be distinct from all other people.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (Rom.8:26-27)

This is one of the great promises and revelations of the New Testament and another indicator of how much God is for us. How often do we feel orphaned in this world when life seems to be caving in on us – when a marriage is collapsing, when children have opted for a destructive road, or when we are sitting in a dark hospital room waiting for the inevitable loss of someone we love? And yet, we are never alone, never abandoned, and God is working powerfully on our behalf even when we are unaware. “For he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’  So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me” (Heb.13:5-6)?

There is no greater expression of his commitment to his children than the cross and his Spirit living in us. Paul tells us that in our worst moments, not only is Jesus interceding for us but his Spirit is interceding as well. He is interceding for us even when we don’t know how to pray or are too weary to pray. God is aware of our inherent weakness, even if we are not, and he has supplied a friend, a counselor, a comforter, and a go-between for us. The word translated as “intercede” means to plead, petition or appeal. It also carries the idea of arranging a meeting between two parties.

The Holy Spirit then, like Jesus, is constantly presenting our needs before the Father. He is not presenting our needs in some clinical, dispassionate way but is actually pleading on our behalf. I believe the Spirit does so even when we are not praying or not even thinking about praying but I also believes he engages with is when we pray – especially when we pray in tongues.

The idea of praying in tongues has been a source of controversy in churches for a hundred years but more and more believers are receiving and exercising the gift of a spiritual language. Paul discusses the idea of praying in tongues extensively in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Jude also references this form of prayer when he says, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 20-21). The original text allows for the idea that praying in the Spirit builds us up in our faith or strengthens us spiritually in areas where we need to be strengthened even if we are unaware of our spiritual shortfall.

I think the question often becomes, what value is there in praying in the Spirit (praying in tongues, exercising my prayer language) if I can’t understand what I am praying? The value is in trusting the Spirit to offer up my real needs and my greatest needs through expressions to the Father that I can’t even understand. The idea of praying in a spiritual or prayer language that I don’t understand also relinquishes control to the Spirit and teaches me to trust who I cannot control which is a big need in most of us.

Secondly, when I pray in the Spirit, I release the Spirit to pray for what I need rather than what I want. I release the Spirit to0 pray in ways that are perfectly consistent with God’s will. For instance, if I’m single I may be asking for God to medicate an emptiness in me by bringing me a spouse when the real need is to heal the emptiness so that I don’t place unrealistic demands on a spouse when that prayer is answered. I may be fervently praying for God to change someone in my life when the real need is for my own heart to be changed. You get the drift.

The great blessing of the Spirit praying for me – with or without my involvement – is the perfect prayer being offered up for the perfect need. Without my participation, the Spirit will pray for my essential needs just as God will typically meet by basic needs even if my prayer life is weak. To go beyond the basics and to experience all the power and transformation in my life that Jesus provides, I need to engage God in a great deal of prayer and participate with the Spirit by praying in tongues. I know people involved in world-changing ministries who pray in the Spirit at least an hour a day in addition to the prayers they offer with their understanding. Paul instructs us to do both (see 1 Cor.14:15).

There is great comfort in knowing how much God has provided for our salvation and our victories in this life. Later in this chapter, Paul cries out, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The Spirit’s ministry in your life is the very power of God in you waiting to be released by your faith and willingness to fight the battles that come your way. Be blessed in Him today and trust that the Holy Spirit is interceding for you even now!

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesusbecause through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Rom.8:1-4)

This blog is dedicated to helping people find freedom in Christ through the power that is inherent in the kingdom of God. The foundation of that freedom is always found in the Word of God and one of the great sections in the entirety of scripture is Romans 8. As we launch this new year, I want to take a few blog entries to dissect this chapter to see what it has to say about the power of Christ to set us free and to overcome the power of the enemy.

Paul begins this chapter by reinforcing the truth that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. It’s my experience that we must know where we stand with God before we can stand against the enemy. Paul says that where we stand with God is a “condemnation free zone.” The key knows that Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor.5:21). Because Jesus died for our sins, the Father relates to us on the basis of our position rather than our condition.

Many believers assume that God’s evaluation of them is based on their performance as a Christian and most of us find our performance lacking. Because of that, we assume that God is not generally pleased with us and, as a result, he is not quick to answer our prayers or deliver us from the trouble that attaches itself to us in this world. Satan fuels our assumptions with feelings and thoughts of condemnation so that we feel disqualified to serve our God in significant ways or to receive his blessings. As a result we pray with little faith that God will hear our prayers and less faith that he will act on our behalf. We ask for little and expect little because we assume that we are always in God’s disfavor. When we have that mindset, we feel helpless against the enemy and the troubles that come our way. Our testimony fails and so does our courage.

That is one of Satan’s greatest lies. God’s view of us is not based on our performance but on the cross. The covenant that we have with God was not established by our sterling character and righteous works but by the blood of Christ. We are in Christ, covered by Christ, and carried by Christ. We have a position of righteousness before the Father even though our condition does not match that position. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb.10:14). In other words, God counts us perfect based on the sacrifice of Jesus (our position) while he works on our condition. God is not indifferent to our sinful or weak condition but his promises come to us by faith not performance. It is all about his goodness not ours.

As a result, we can walk in the knowledge that our heavenly Father does not reject us or hide himself from us when our lives have some tarnish. As long as our hearts are turned toward him he sees us as sinless and is more than ready to answer our prayers and work through us. We still walk in the authority of the king and the enemy must still answer to us as long as we submit our imperfections to the grace of God. In Christ, there is no condemnation and any whispers to the contrary are lies. When condemnation begins to sap out strength and our confidence, we can call the enemy a liar and command him to be silent because in Christ we are the righteousness of God. Romans 8 begins with that great assertion and builds on that truth. It is a truth on which everything in our life with Jesus stands and a truth that we should ask the Holy Spirit to write on our hearts with indelible ink!

We just concluded a season of what we call Free Indeed at our church in Midland, Texas. Free Indeed consists of eight weeks of study and small group interaction related to finding healing and freedom in Christ. We conclude the eight weeks with a weekend (Freedom Weekend) of inner healing and deliverance. This past weekend we had 60-65 in attendance and when the weekend had concluded about 95% reported that they had received significant healing or deliverance over the weekend. Some of these were new to the faith while others had been believers for decades.

One of our new leadership couples is from South Africa. After experiencing their first Freedom Weekend, I asked them about their observations since they would have seen what we do with fresh, non-American eyes. Both of them were very surprised at the amount of brokenness and bondage (demonization) among so many Christians. What they saw was our typical weekend comprised of people who love the Lord, attend church regularly, and who serve in the church. By the way, a number of participants also come from mainline churches in our area where they attend regularly and serve.

Our South African friends have a legitimate question. Why are there so many broken and demonized believers? I believe it is because the church in America has majored in getting people saved but not sanctified. We have been great at getting people to pray “the sinner’s prayer” but we have not taught them how to wage spiritual war and how to be transformed by the Spirit of Christ.

Over the years, even believing families have accumulated a lot of spiritual baggage that has been passed down from generation to generation. Those who have come to us from the world have typically been abused, molested, involved in sexual sin, and in occult practices – all of which give the enemy an open door into their lives. Very few of these have been taught how to deal with their past, their shame, their secret bondage, or the parts of their lives that are out of control. They have been taught to attend church, give, and serve in the children’s ministry but they have not been taught how to drive the enemy out of the promised land of a transformed life. Many pastors don’t even know how to drive the enemy out of their own lives or marriages so they certainly can’t teach their congregations how to wage war with divine weapons.

As I mentioned earlier, we have a number of believers from other churches who attend Free Indeed – a significant number being pastors, former pastors, or family member of pastors from other churches. They consistently report that they have never received teaching or heard a sermon on the basics of spiritual warfare. In their churches, the demonic realm goes unnoticed and uncommented on so that their people are poorly armed against the assaults and schemes of the enemy. The idea of believers walking in real authority is vague at best. The lack is not intentional. We simply pass on what others have passed on to us. But when you look at the American church something is missing. The lives of many, many Christians don’t stand out all that much when compared to the lives and families of unbelievers. That is evidence of a people who are saved but not sanctified.

Jesus and his followers preached the good news of the kingdom of God and then demonstrated its power through healing, deliverance, raising the dead, and radically changed lives. We should be doing the same. My hope is that more and more believers will soon discover the power of Jesus Christ to not only save them from an eternal hell but also from a hell on earth that many believers experience daily believing that nothing more is available to them until after the funeral. Not so. Jesus is so ready and able to heal and set free now and has done so for many. May we assist him in doing the same for many more.

One of the keys to a growing relationship with the Lord and the power of the Spirit flowing through us is the practice of confession and repentance. Confession is the act of agreeing with God about sin and repentance is a commitment and often a recommitment to align our hearts and actions with the will of God.

David’s confessional psalm (Psalm 51) after his sin with Bathsheba has always impressed me with his lack of self-justification. Because of the gravity of the sin and his fear of the possible repercussions for him, Bathsheba and the nation, David kept quiet for nearly a year after his sins of adultery and murder. When God finally confronted him through Nathan the prophet, David made no excuses but fully owned his sin and the consequences.

Most men or women who faced such dire consequences would have made an attempt to spread the blame around, excuse his or her behavior or at least minimize it in some way. It would have been easy for David to point out Bathsheba’s culpability in bathing outdoors where she might be seen or her eager willingness to come to his apartment. After all, David was just a man and couldn’t help himself after she threw herself at him the way she did. He might have blamed Uriah for not being a husband who met his wife’s emotional needs so his failure as a husband actually set up both of them for an inevitable affair. Not only that, but it was a one-night stand based on impulse – not a long-term, premeditated affair. David could have confessed his years of struggle with sexual addiction and checked into a clinic for 30 days. He could have easily tried to justify himself and excuse his actions as being only human.

However, David simply owned his sin and entrusted himself to the mercy and unfailing love of God. He made no excuses. He simply declared his sin and took full responsibility for his actions. He responded with godly sorrow and asked for cleansing and mercy rather than attempting to convince God that he simply couldn’t help himself or that he was the real victim in some twisted view of reality. God’s response was immediate forgiveness and a promise to walk with David through the consequences of his actions.

I see many believers today who do not walk in an intimate relationship with God or who are not filled with the Spirit because they continue to justify or excuse sin in their lives. Godly sorrow for sins is hard to come by in a culture that wants to hold no one responsible for their actions and excuses sin based on past wrongs done to the person, genetic predispositions, or brain chemistry. We live in culture of double and triple standards that makes everything a “shade of gray” where right and wrong have no meaning and, thus, the idea of confessing a wrong and repenting of it loses all meaning.

The recent tragedy in California where white policemen shot and killed a young black man demonstrates our confusion. As soon as word got out that a white policemen had shot an unarmed black youth, many leaders in the black community immediately decided that the cop was a racist who had gladly shot down a black man in cold blood. Racism is about unwarranted stereotypes that project negative qualities on an entire race or class without considering the individual.

In California, the racism was first apparent not in the policeman but in the community that quickly assumed that every white cop would gladly gun down a black man if given the chance without looking at the facts or the individual. But no one called that rush to judgment racism. No one pointed out the double standard and so many judged (possibly unjustly), many rioted, many stirred the waters of racial hatred and no one called it sin. The white policeman may, in fact, turn out to be a racist but his sin cannot justify or excuse the racism and sin of others or nothing changes. Sin is sin and needs to be owned and confessed in order for God’s grace to touch a life, a situation, a neighborhood, or a nation.

Two people will never be reconciled and two races will never make peace until they both acknowledge their sins and their need for the blood of Jesus. We can no longer excuse or rationalize sin and refuse to hold anyone responsible for their actions because God still holds them responsible. The answer to sin is not excusing or denying but confessing and repenting. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 Jn.1:9-10).

The Spirit of God brings healing and transformation when we own our sins and lay them at the foot of the cross. We cannot give away what we do not own. We cannot give our brokenness or sinfulness to Jesus until we own it. If you’ve ever thought that you wanted to be like David, it starts with no excuses. Be blessed and know that God is so willing to forgive when we acknowledge how much we need it.