Podcasts about sovereign god

The Hills Church - Know God - Love Others - Live the Gospel

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2025 48:42

July 27, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

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Our Good and Sovereign God and Incomprehensible Tragedy - 07.13.25

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2025

Sermon: Our Good and Sovereign God and Incomprehensible TragedySpeaker: Pastor Tom WilsonText: Luke 13:1-5Date: July 13, 2025...

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Summer Psalms #73

Risen Church NC

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2025 49:44

Psalm 73 presents to us a very relatable scenario, in which a believer is struggling with all that's unfair and lopsided towards injustice our world. Asaph confesses his faith in a Good and Sovereign God, yet admits his confidence had been shaken. Listen as we seek to understand Asaph's plight and compare it to our own battles. We'll see how he found perspective and hope, and how we might as well.

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Day 2679– New Testament Orientation – “The Church, Salvation and Eschatology: God's Unfolding Plan”

Wisdom-Trek ©

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2025 39:12 Transcription Available

Welcome to Day 2679 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomDay 2679 – New Testament Orientation – “The Church, Salvation, and Eschatology: God's Unfolding Plan”Putnam Church Message – 07/20/2025Sermon Series: New Testament Orientation Message 12: “The Church, Salvation, and Eschatology: God's Unfolding Plan” Last week, we explored "The General Letters of the New Testament:” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT) 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[a] a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy.”[b]This week is the 12th and final message in our New Testament Orientation Series, and we will learn: The Church, Salvation, and Eschatology: God's Unfolding Plan” Ephesians 2:13-14 (NLT) "But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united us both into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us."Opening PrayerOur Loving and Sovereign God, as we reach the culmination of our journey through Your New Testament, we pause to reflect on the grand tapestry of Your plan for Your Church, for our salvation, and the culmination of all things. We pray that You would open our eyes to see these profound truths with the clarity and anticipation of the early believers. May we grasp the depth of Your reconciliation, the wonder of Your salvation, and the glorious hope of Your coming kingdom. Empower us, by Your Spirit, to live as Your unified people, eagerly awaiting the Day of Christ. Amen.Introduction: The Final Unveiling of God's Purpose We've journeyed from the Jewish roots of the Gospels, through the explosive growth in Acts, and explored the profound theology of Paul's letters and the General Epistles. Today, we bring it all together by considering three essential topics that define the conclusion of God's unfolding story: the Church, the nature of Salvation, and Eschatology—the doctrine of last things.Our core verses from Ephesians 2:13-14 serve as a magnificent summary of the radical new reality Jesus inaugurated: "But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united us both into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us." This passage speaks of a profound reconciliation, not just between humanity and God, but between the two great divisions of humanity: Jew and Gentile. This reconciliation defines the very nature of the Church.For the early...

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"Audacity: How Dare You, Sovereign God!"

Calvary Baptist Church - Northern Kentucky

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2025 40:22

Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 Pastor Eric Mounts

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Jesus Delivered Us (6) - David Eells - 7.20.2025

UBM Unleavened Bread Ministries

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2025 119:55

Jesus Delivered Us (6) (audio) David Eells – 7/20/25 We don't want to look too far down the road or worry about the “giants” that are in our Promised Land, because the Bible says, (Mat.6:34) Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Just take the steps that are in front of you to come against the flesh and come against the spirits. Do the spiritual warfare that you can. He says, “Oh that my people would hearken unto me … I would soon subdue their enemies.” If you just walk in the right direction and swing your Sword, you are going to win the battle. (Jos.10:8) And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thy hands; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. If you repent of what you know is wrong and hold fast to faith, you cannot help but win the battle. (Psa.81:14) I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries. (15) The haters of the Lord should submit themselves unto him: But their time should endure for ever. (16) He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat; And with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee. These are God's promises to us, but in your Promised Land, it is up to you, not the Lord, to give no place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). Nowhere in Scripture are we to pray for the Lord to conquer our Promised Land. He gave us that authority, and He told us to take up our Sword and put the original inhabitants of the land to death. (Exo.23:32) Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. These are the lusts of the flesh and demon spirits. Make no covenant, no treaty, with them, although it's very easy to do because your flesh is always trying to bribe you or buy you out. Your flesh is always trying to get you to justify your position so that you can feel good while you live in the lusts of the flesh, but God says, “Make no covenant with them.” Have no affinity, no accord, with them. Do not humble yourself to them; instead, be merciless. God told them when they went into the Promised Land to have no mercy. (Deu.7:2) And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them: thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them. He wanted them to kill their enemies who controlled their land. There was one tribe, the Gibeonites, who deceived the Israelites into making a covenant with them (Joshua 9), and God was angry about that. Those Gibeonites ended up being a real thorn in their side (Joshua 10:1-28; 2 Samuel 21:1-14). (Num.33:55) But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then shall those that ye let remain of them be as pricks in your eyes, and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. God said, “Have no mercy; slaughter them.” This is a type of us coming against our old lusts. He warned, (Exo.23:33) They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me; for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. This is the truth, and so He said, “They shall not dwell in your land.” Remember that God does not order us to do anything that we cannot do through His power. (Php.4:13) I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. People love to use this verse for material things but think about the spiritual things for which you can use this verse. You can overcome any lust of the flesh. Pray and examine your life and see what lust it is that has been taking advantage of you. Write it down and give some thought to it. Exercise faith against it because you have authority over that lust, and you will win when you swing your sword. That is God's promise. The best defense is a good offense, and when you go against the devil, being on the offense is the thing that brings him confusion. If you do not act to swing your sword, he is going to conquer you. That means we don't have any other choice but to take up our Sword and go into our Promised Land and win this battle. I know there are a lot of groups out there promoting instant sanctification through deliverance. People say, “Make it easy on me! Just cast all the demons out of me!” Well, we're wrestling with principalities, powers and rulers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12) and there are no shortcuts; there are some things we have to do. You have to obey the Word of God, understand your authority, and exercise your authority over these demons. If you do that, the results can be dramatic; however, there is no way to get around repentance. You cannot cast demons out of people who will not repent; you will just waste your time and the demons will run you in circles. The Bible says, (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Unrighteousness not only includes the demons, but also the lusts of the flesh. Demons come and prey upon the lusts of the flesh. The Lord Jesus said, (Joh.14:30) … for the prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me. There was no “place,” no foothold, no ground in Him. (Eph.4:27) Neither give place (That's the Greek word topon meaning “place” or “region.”) to the devil. If you are “giving ground” to the devil, he will be there, and if you try to cast him out, he is still going to be there. If you are giving ground to him, he has a legal right to be there and he knows it. The devil knows his rights. The devil is a really good lawyer and he knows this Word better than you. There are no shortcuts, Saints. If you want deliverance from a demon that has been giving you trouble, maybe all of your life, you first have to confess your sins. The demon may have been passed on to you through your parents or come through your giving in to sin; if there is no confession, you will not prosper against that demon. (Pro.28:13) He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper (He is not going to conquer his Promised Land, but it goes on to say,): Whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. There's the condition, and here it is again. (Pro.28:18) Whoso walketh uprightly shall be delivered; But he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once There is no shortcut in deliverance. If you don't confess but still somehow manage to get the demon out, he will come right back. He will just laugh at you or feign obedience and hide himself. You will not have accomplished a thing. You'll soon find out that you have the same problem and you'll wonder why it did not work. The reason it didn't work is because you did not obey. Do you want deliverance that gives you power and authority over the devil? Repentance with confession is the only way. It is the Blood that causes the death angel to pass over, and how is the Blood “applied”? (1Jn.1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. It takes repentance to walk in the light, but a lot of people don't want to hear about the repentance part. They say, “Just come and cast these demons out of me.” This is why I say to examine yourself and find out if there is something you need to confess, and not just confess it to the Lord. The Bible says, (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another… Find somebody who is trustworthy and confess your sin to them; you don't need to confess your sin in front of everybody unless you have offended everybody. You see, God wants to humble you; that's why He says to confess your sins one to another. God does not want us to cover up our sin. It's easy to confess your sin to God and then just go on covering it up. There's a great motivation to turn from sin when you know that God expects you to confess your sin to someone. It has to be true repentance when confession is made. Don't be fooled by self-pity, because that can look a lot like repentance, but it might just be self-pity, which is what Esau had, and he lost his inheritance. (Heb.12:17) For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind (That's what “repentance” is, it's a “change of mind.”) [in his father, (Not in the Greek)] though he sought it diligently with tears. He could not change HIS mind. You may have seen people cry, with tears running freely, yet they never change their ways. “Repentance” is not crying; “repentance” is “changing your mind.” There are many people full of self-pity because of the curse upon them. They want the curse off of them, but they're not willing to pay the price to get it. (Heb.12:14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord (This doesn't sound as if sanctification is an instantaneous process here, if He said to “follow after” it.): looking carefully lest there be any man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled (Yes, bitterness can defile a lot of people, and this is why it needs to be dealt with immediately.); (16) lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat (He was following after the flesh.) sold his own birthright. (17) For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected (He was “reprobated.”); for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears. You may wonder, “Well, what was wrong with his repentance?” It looks as if it was just self-pity. Godly sorrow brings repentance that does not let you turn and go back. (2Co.7:9) I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance (The Greek word there is metanoia and it means “a change of mind, change in the inner man.”); for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing. (10) For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret (You will not fall back into the sin.): but the sorrow of the world worketh death. Do you know why “the sorrow of the world worketh death”? It's because when people are “sorry” in the way that the world understands “sorry,” they think that's all they need for God to forgive them, but then they fall right back into the sin. Seeing no power of God, they become discouraged and just go back into the world. We are responsible to repent, not just to be sorry. We must have sorrow unto repentance. The Bible says you have to change your mind and changing your mind may not even involve tears. I've seen people who blame all their problems on demons. These people run around looking for somebody to get the demons out of them, and if you try to help such people but fail, they'll blame you. In their eyes, it's your fault. It's always everybody's fault, except theirs. Getting demons out of people who sincerely repent and believe is not a problem, but the shallower a person's depth of commitment and repentance, the harder it is to get the demons out. If commitment to discipleship and repentance is deep, it's very easy to get demons out because God is always on your side. He is always there with discernment and direction. He is always there to force the demons to the surface. It's easy to get demons out of a repentant person. It's very hard to get them out of a person whose “repentance” is very shallow. Now, when we talk about the warfare of our mind, the Bible says we are to be (2Co.10:5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. This is our spiritual warfare, because the primary way that the devil gets a foothold is when you don't cast down thinking that is not of God. Most demons come because you have given in to sin, and demon spirits are also passed on to us genetically through the blood. You can do something about that, too, but before or even after you came to the Lord, in some way, you gave in to sin. If you ask, “David, do you mean that before I came to the Lord, I had demons, and I still have them now that I've come to the Lord?” Yes, you need to remember that the Lord said He would not drive them all out at one time, and He meant that. Now it's possible that when people come to the Lord, some may receive total deliverance over areas of their lives that you're still wrestling with. You are wrestling with something; they are wrestling with something else. Some parts of their lives have been cleansed, and some parts of your life have been cleansed. God has left you some enemies to fight, and He has left them some enemies to fight. There are things in your former life that were dealt with by the Blood of Jesus, and now they are gone, and their gods are gone, too. They have been conquered. I am not talking about going back and dealing with sins that are covered by and washed in the Blood or things from which you are already delivered, but there are some things that we had in our former life that we carried over into this life. The temptation, the struggle, and the demon are still there. Those things that may still be troubling you were there in your former life. Before you were born again, that demon entered in and that's why you're having to deal with those temptations right now. Maybe it's a temptation that you've had all of your life, and demons are still taking advantage of you because that sin has not been washed in the Blood. Otherwise, you would have been cleansed of all unrighteousness. (1Jn.1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. This is the cleansing, washing away, of the nature of sin. Of course, our whole life is under the Blood by faith, but when God pulls back that Covering, letting you see a particular sin, then it's time for you to take the Sword and come against it. But when you're in a trial of your faith, don't go back and dredge up those things that are gone, because that's just the devil trying to condemn you for things done in your past. The apostle Paul tells us how to deal with that problem. (Php.3:12) Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing [I do], forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, (14) I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. God led His people through the Promised Land to be faced with enemies one at a time, and that's the way for us every day. Little by little, we are faced with our enemies, our temptations, and that's when the old flesh rises up and gives you the chance to swing your Sword. You might never have seen that particular enemy without a trial that caused the temptation to come to the surface. People like to pray away trials, but you see, God brings us through trials to show us the enemy. You cannot pray away trials because (Act.14:22) … through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. It is tribulation itself that causes you to enter into the Kingdom. You are faced with something that causes the lusts of the flesh to surface, so that you get to see them and fight them and get free of them. This reminds me of Peter speaking to Ananias. (Act.5:3) Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit …? Ananias was responsible for that sin. Peter was not blaming the sin on the demon; he was blaming the sin on the person. (1Co.5:7) Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump… In this chapter, Paul speaks of fornicators, liars, drunkards, and so forth, telling them to (1Co.5:13) … Put away the wicked man from among yourselves. You may protest, “Wait a minute, David! They just have demons! They need deliverance!” No, the Bible says those people are responsible for giving in to that demon, so that means the demon is not responsible. If people are believers, then they have the power to repent and conquer that demon. When we understand that we are responsible for sin, then we understand that we have to repent. There is only one instance in the Scriptures where it teaches that the person to be delivered does not have to repent. (Mar.5:1) And they (the apostles) came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. (2) And when he (Jesus) was come out of the boat, straightway there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. You find in Scripture that these spirits are called “unclean spirits.” “Spirits of infirmity” are also called “unclean spirits.” (Mark 1:23,9:25; Luke 9:42; etc.) Well, an “unclean spirit” is just a demon, and all demons are unclean. (2) …, straightway there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, (3) who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could any more bind him, no, not with a chain; (4) because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been rent asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: and no man had strength to tame him. Christians have physically wrestled and fought with those who have demons, but you should never do that. Your authority only stands as Jesus' authority. He gave you the authority to cast out demons. If you get out from under your God-given authority and into the flesh, the demons can hurt you. Just exercise your authority and command them to “Sit down and be quiet in the Name of Jesus.” Believe and they will obey you. (Mar.5:5) And always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones. (Every last one of these demons causes one to be self-destructive, and they are out to destroy you, too.) (6) And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him; (7) and crying out with a loud voice, he saith, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? (When they become excited or are faced with authority, many times, they cry out with a loud voice.) I adjure thee by God, torment me not. (8) For he said unto him, Come forth, thou unclean spirit, out of the man. The Bible says, (Mat.8:16) … and he cast out the spirits with a word. With the man in the tombs, He commanded it, upsetting the demon, and the demon began speaking. Sometimes when you command them to come out, they will start speaking. They will sit and talk with you all day long if you encourage dialogue, because they would like to deceive you with all kinds of information. This is not what you want. Our example is (Luk.4:35) And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt. Just tell them, “Shut up and come out.” Do not seek knowledge from a demon by speaking with them. This is an abomination in the sight of the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:10; Exodus 22:18; 1 Chronicles 10:13; etc.) People like to use this next verse to say that we should ask demons questions, but as we can see, this is not the norm. (Mar.5:9) And he asked him, What is thy name? (This is the only example in Scripture where Jesus asked a demon, “What is your name?”) And he saith unto him, My name is Legion; for we are many. There is generally a “captain,” a lead spirit in the bunch, who speaks for all, and many people in deliverance ministry have gotten this revelation by talking with demons. Here, it is very clear. (Mar.5:9) … My name is Legion; for we are many. (10) And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. In another account, the demons asked not to be sent to the pit. (Luk.8:31) And they entreated him that he would not command them to depart into the abyss. Commanding demons to go to the pit seems to be common among deliverance ministries. Well, we do not have that example, not one, in Scripture. Jesus did not command that here, and if there had been a reason to put those demons out of commission, don't you think that Jesus would have sent them to the pit? Demons have a good purpose on this earth, and that is to torment those who love sin, as we learned earlier. Remember the example of Paul turning Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan (1Ti.1:20) … that they might be taught not to blaspheme. It was to teach them a lesson. Another example from Paul was the man in fornication with his father's wife in (1Co.5:5) to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. When a person has repented, Jesus wants them to be delivered, but the job of demons is to make life miserable until you decide to repent. Even if all the demons you ever cast out were sent to the pit, there still would be more than enough left to handle the job. Let me share a testimony with you: Sins of Flesh Fell Off Me by M. G. I was living and working in Japan when I first heard David speaking the real gospel of Jesus. I was always looking into eschatology and prophecy because I reckon the Lord was softening me up to hear the truth. I was a bit afraid of the end, as I was not a very godly person…. I'm not really sure how I found the teachings. I was at “The Edge Radio Show” on the internet and decided to listen to David in the archives. I had never heard of him. To my knowledge, I wasn't looking for anything he had to say, but the Lord led me to listen. I was raised Baptist and heard all that “fire and brimstone” from shouting, gasping old-time Baptist preachers. It never did that much for me. I've heard what the Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, and even some Pentecostals had to say. But I never heard anyone speak with true power, authority and anointing, till I heard him speak that day on the computer. It knocked my socks off! I had never heard anything like it! And it was shot through completely with the glow of TRUTH. It spoke to my heart. I listened to all that he had to say and put it in my heart. It didn't lead me down the road right away to the crucified life and/or even a much closer walk with the Lord, but the seed had been planted. I was covered up with the cares of this wretched world. It probably took me another year before I started going to the UBM website, listening to the audios and coming to the Paltalk meetings. [Paltalk was an interactive chat we had during the live broadcast; we now have online teachings and the Outreach conferences twice weekly.] I started praying and seeking the Lord. I was devouring the teachings online with every free moment, learning a great deal. I received the baptism of water and the Holy Spirit. A lot, but not all, of the sin of my past life just fell away. I sought prayer in faith and agreement from UBM to quit smoking and drinking to excess, and it happened. My deliverance was not overnight, but all that stuff just withered on the vine over a period of weeks. I never even had any withdrawal symptoms. I just never smoked, or wanted to smoke, another cigarette ever again. All these things happened by the power of the risen Christ. I would never have been able to do it on my own. I had been a big smoker and drinker for almost thirty years. Try as I might, I had never been able to give up those bad habits. I praise God for His love and mercy on me. I've never been tempted to smoke another cigarette, ever. I never get the feeling, “Oh, boy, do I need a drink!” It just doesn't happen. Praise His Name! Whenever I feel weak in my faith, I always hang on to the knowledge of the deliverance given to me by my loving Father through His Son, Our Lord Jesus. Now, demons are going to seek a body to live in because that is where they have what they call “rest.” The demon addressing Jesus said in (Mar.5:7) … What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not. They know that they are supposed to have rest until the “time” (Matthew 8:29). Jesus said (Mat.12:43) But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. He returns to the house out of which he came. They do not find rest in “waterless places.” It would be like you having to go through a desert; it's not where you want to go, is it? You would like to go where things are comfortable and cool, where there is plenty of water. It is torment to a demon to be outside of a body because in the pit, the abyss, there is no flesh for them through which they can fulfill their lusts. That's the problem for them, so on earth, they always want a body to inhabit, even if that body is an animal. (Mar.5:11) Now there was there on the mountain side a great herd of swine feeding. (12) And they besought him (Jesus), saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. (13) And he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered into the swine: and the herd rushed down the steep into the sea, [in number] about two thousand; and they were drowned in the sea. They really want to fulfill their lusts through people, but if they cannot have people, they will use pigs, etc.. I have talked to demons and there is a chain of command with them, a hierarchy. A lot of lower demons are extremely stupid; the lusts consuming them trip them up. For instance, they may be so prideful and so arrogant, wanting to show themselves, that they'll tip their hand. You will know what they are doing. And you'll find that the further down the line you go, the more stupid they are. Didn't the demons know that pigs cannot swim? How long are demons going to last in a herd of pigs that have been run off into a lake? The Bible tells us that Satan's wisdom was corrupted because of his beauty. (Eze.28:17) Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may behold thee. If he had wisdom, he would have stayed where he was in heaven, but instead, his wisdom became corrupted. Demons cause destruction, as with the demoniac and the pigs. They cause whatever flesh they are in to be self-destructive. (I'm going to share some testimonies showing demons' destructive tendencies.) Notice that at the beginning of the story of the demoniac, it's just the leader, Legion, who is speaking (Luke 8:26), but as soon as Jesus commands them to come out, all of them start speaking (Luke 8:31-32). Many times when you are dealing with demons, more of them will manifest, and after you cast one out, sometimes another one will manifest. The Holy Spirit is causing them to manifest themselves as the Lord is driving them out before you. If you suspect something else is there, you have the authority to command a demon to manifest. You should be aware, also, that demons love to distract people and they'll put on a show for you, but don't get caught up in their theatrics. (Mar.9:25) And when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together (He did not want a spectacle.), he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. Some people will help the demons put on a show, but we should avoid that at all costs. Our example is Jesus, and nowhere did Jesus let them put on a show. Actually, it's best to avoid having conversations with them. I have read quite a few books by deliverance ministers who got into trouble because they talked to demons that lied to them. There was one man who had a good understanding of deliverance, but this man was casting “tongue demons” out of everybody. He didn't know that all demons can talk in tongues. The Bible says, (1Co.13:1) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels… There is no “tongues” demon since all demons talk in tongues because they are fallen angels. These demons were obliging to this man's false doctrine by playing along with it to keep him in bondage. They will deceive you any way they can! This deliverance minister needed tongues, more than anything else, in order to cast out demons. Demons hate tongues. People report that demons actually spoke to them, saying, “Don't speak in tongues! That is a perfect prayer! Don't do that! We hate that!” I have had them scream out because they hated the Gospel being preached, and they do not like the Blood of Jesus. If you cannot do anything else, pray in tongues. Well, because this man had let the demons talk, they had deceived him into thinking that tongues were no good. Because he had let the demons talk, they had deceived him into believing that this was a “tongues” demon, a deceiving spirit. Now, remember that speaking in tongues doesn't make you holy. Many people who speak in tongues are in sin. Do you recall the people about whom the apostle Paul was writing that they should be thrown out of the church? (1Co.5:11) But as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat. These people spoke in tongues, but that does not mean you are holy; following and obeying the Holy Spirit makes you holy. The Bible says in (Rom.11:29) For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of. God will give you a gift that will stay with you to the grave, even if you are going to hell. Paul said, (1Co.9:27) but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. And this man said in 1Co 14:18 I thank God, I speak with tongues more than you all: A lot of deliverance ministries believe in casting demons into the pit, but that's not what Jesus did. Jesus never sent them to the pit. Let's read the rest of this story. (Mar.5:12) And they besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. (13) And he gave them leave. Why did Jesus permit the demons their request? Most people, according to reasoning, would have said, “Send them out of the country. That way, they won't be able to bother anybody else.” I personally have had demons ask me whether they could enter into a dog, and I told them, “No, but you can find the nearest cockroach and enter into it!” Usually, I say, “No, you just come out!” You do not have to permit them to enter into anything. Demons are going to search until they find a vessel that they can enter because that's how they fulfill their lusts, and there's a demon for anybody who wants to sin. It makes no difference where you send them. You are not going to get rid of them. (Rev.9:2) And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke (smoke represents demons.) out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. There are millions of them, enough to darken the sun, so sending them to the pit does not make sense. If God wanted them out of the country or in the pit, that is where they would be, but He does not want that. They are here to torment mankind until men and women repent and come under the Blood of Jesus. Jesus did not send them out of the country because He understood the sovereignty of God. (Mar.5:13) And he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered into the swine: and the herd rushed down the steep into the sea, [in number] about two thousand; and they were drowned in the sea. Obviously, Jesus thought that this one man was worth more than two thousand pigs, which Jews were not supposed to have anyway. (Mar.5:14) And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they came to see what it was that had come to pass. (15) And they come to Jesus, and behold him that was possessed with demons sitting, clothed and in his right mind, even him that had the legion: and they were afraid. Unclean spirits like people to take off their clothes. And you know, there's certainly a lot of half-naked people walking around these days, and they all probably have unclean spirits. I want to emphasize one particular point about “the man with the unclean spirits.” Think about what that last verse says, “clothed and in his right mind.” When this man first saw Jesus, he was not in his right mind and so there was no way he could have repented. You cannot demand repentance from a person who is this demon-possessed. Some people say, “Well, a Christian cannot be demon-possessed because they are possessed by the Lord,” but Scriptures use the term “possessed” (Matthew 8:16,9:32,12:22; Mark 1:32,9:17; Luke 8:27; etc.) To be considered “demon-possessed,” a person could have a demon in possession of only one particular part of their Promised Land. It might possess them as an infirmity or in an area of their lusts. A possession of part of your nature has nothing to do with possessing your whole character, and very seldom does it go that far, however, “Legion” was possessing this man's whole mind. This man could not use his mind rationally at all, and since Jesus said, (Mat.15:24) … I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel, I suggest to you that this man was a Jew, and as a “child of God,” he had a Covenant right to deliverance. Otherwise, Jesus would not have done it. There are certain conditions under which we can cast demons out of a person without the person's permission. Jesus did not get permission from this man, but Jesus knew that He had a legal right to deliver this person. Just keep in mind that repentance is demanded in almost every place where a person has the mental capacity to repent. We do not generally have a right to go to demon-possessed people who are in the world. An exception would be where we consider that the faith of their family is involved; they are exercising faith for this person. Another exception would be that they are Christian, overcome by lusts of the flesh, and by the devil. Another would be by God's direction. Here's another testimony: Healed of Epilepsy by the Lounsbury Brothers Email #1 (From Guatemalan missionary Wes to his brother Walt): The Lord has put someone in our path that needs HIS healing. She's around seventeen years old with epilepsy. Six years ago she had a seizure and fell into a fire. She must have been there for quite some time because her feet almost got cooked off. She went to a clinic. They carved out some of the burned flesh, leaving her feet resembling stubs. Besides the massive amounts of scar tissue, she has an external ulcer that has not healed from the accident. Yesterday she came to the orphanage with her mother and sister. We prayed over some hot water and had her soak her foot with the ulcer in it. The raw flesh on the ulcer was yellow, like dried pus. After about forty-five minutes of soaking, we took out the foot, cleaned it and wrapped it with a gauze bandage. They came back today for us to change the bandage again. We soaked the foot again to loosen the gauze, which was saturated with some type of dried, oozing substance. Getting that last part off, which was directly in contact with the ulcer was difficult because it had adhered quite strongly. As we pulled it off, we noticed that the once yellow tissue had turned a very healthy pink! The capillaries were so close to the surface that there was a small amount of bleeding. Trevor and I BELIEVE that God is healing this girl. Think of Joshua circling Jericho for seven days before it fell. He would have felt pretty stupid walking around with a trumpet if the Lord hadn't PROMISED him beforehand. The same thing applies here. Please spend time in prayer for her and give David a call, asking him to pray, also. When Trevor blessed her today, he asked the Lord to make her healing a witness for all those who know of her. Truly, this is our hope. I've been wondering if she wasn't demonically possessed with epilepsy—she was thrown into the fire, much like the mad man cutting himself with rocks and the epileptic that Jesus healed by casting out the demon. I never like thinking someone has an evil spirit inside of them. Could you ask David if he knows how to determine such a thing? He said in “Sovereign God” that he has the gift of discernment of spirits. As much as you can help would be greatly appreciated. Email #2 (From Walt to David Eells): Please pray with me and ask the Lord for a miracle to heal this young girl down in Guatemala. Emails #3 & 4 (From David Eells to Walt): We will pray and agree with you. Epilepsy is a demon spirit. (Mat.17:15) Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is epileptic, and suffereth grievously; for oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft-times into the water. (16) And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. (17) And Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you? bring him hither to me. (18) And Jesus rebuked him; and the demon went out of him: and the boy was cured from that hour. (19) Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast it out? (20) And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Is the girl a Christian? If so, she has a Covenant right to deliverance because it is the children's bread. If not, only God can give permission to cast out. Otherwise, the demons will just come back worse. Ask her to confess her sins. My suggestion is to ask those involved to pray for discernment of spirits. Demons rarely act alone. Gather several people with faith, preferably filled with the Holy Spirit, and command the demons to come out in Jesus' Name. Then believe that they have to obey because Jesus gave us total authority over the demons. (Mar.16:17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons… Don't believe whatever they say because they often lie. Ask them to believe to heal and restore her body. Jesus paid for that too: (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (1Pe.2:24) Who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. (Psa.103:1) Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. (2) Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: (3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; (4) Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies. (Mat.8:16) And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick: (17) that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases. (Act.3:12) And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this man? or why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk? (13) The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. (14) But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you, (15) and killed the Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. (16) And by faith in his name hath his name made this man strong, whom ye behold and know: yea, the faith which is through him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. (Act.5:16) And there also came together the multitudes from the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. Emails #5 & 6 (Between Wes and David in a Q & A format) Wes: Hi! Walt forwarded your email about the girl with epilepsy to me. She, her mother and sister are staying with us now. The open ulcer on her foot is getting better every day. David: Praise God! Let's continue to believe for a total restoration of the foot! God is big. We shouldn't underestimate Him. Wes: Two nights ago I couldn't go to sleep, although it was 1:00 a.m. and I was exhausted. I decided to go downstairs and work on a paper I was writing. I was using a computer program to search for texts. I can't remember which words I was searching, but I came upon the story in Matthew about the epileptic. Now this might sound very strange to you, but I'm almost certain that I read the word “epileptic” from the “King James Version.” It wasn't until the next day, when I read it again, I realized they had actually translated the word as “lunatic” in the KJV. Could it be that the Lord actually had me read “epileptic” instead, because of this girl? David: Absolutely, Wes. God has done such things as that to me, also. I have heard people tell me things that I needed to hear. Later, I questioned them as to why they said it. I would then be told by the person and everyone around them that they had actually said something totally unrelated. Wes: What struck me most about the story was when the father said to Jesus, “Have mercy on my son: for he is epileptic, and suffereth grievously; for oft-times he falleth into the fire.” That's EXACTLY what happened to this girl! Six years ago her mother left the house and went to town to get something from the store. (They live in complete poverty in a village a few miles from here.) The girl usually woke up later in the morning, so her mother felt it was safe to leave early. When she came back, she found her daughter lying in the fire, the flesh completely cooked on one foot and third-degree burns on the other. After I read those verses, I wondered if this girl had an evil spirit. Their stories are so similar. David: She has an epileptic spirit and possibly more. Wes: I don't know exactly what I should be looking for. I feel uneasy about making a judgment as to whether someone DOES have a demon. Anyway, the next morning, my wife went to use the internet. She printed out your email that Walt forwarded to me. She didn't mention it; she just left it folded on the desk. I opened it up and read it. I knew immediately that God had given me a second witness, so that I could be SURE. I still have a lot of questions about what to do. I've never been in a position like this. I prayed last night that God would give me the discernment of spirits, but I don't really know what it means. I know that God has brought this girl to us, not only because of her foot, but because of this spirit afflicting her. I have a good friend down here with me who is strong in the faith; he could stand with me. This is strange territory for me. Is all I need to do is command the spirit of epilepsy to leave in the Name of Jesus? David: You need to know that you have authority to do this. Demons know when you have faith. That is the only condition on your part. (Mar.16:15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. (17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons… (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. It would be good to make sure she is a Christian and get her to confess her sins. (Jas.5:16) Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. Wes: Should I expect the demon to say something before it leaves? David: Not necessarily. But if the Holy Spirit moves you to command them to give their name, do it. Wes: What if she just sits there silently? Does it mean my faith isn't great enough? David: They don't always come out immediately. But you don't have to hang around till you see something. Walk by faith. Just know that they have to obey you. Wes: Should I ask how many spirits are in her? David: If you feel so to ask, yes. Wes: How can I believe them if they did tell me? I wouldn't want to leave one in there. David: They will obey you if you command them to tell their name, unless this is a mute spirit. Email #7 (From Wes to David): The spirit of epilepsy has left the girl! A pastor, his church, and I prayed over her. The spirit never responded. But the girl began to thank the Lord and cry. She finally fell down after about five minutes. She was “as dead” like the scripture speaks about the epileptic boy. In the midst of this “sleep,” she started to praise God very loudly and then went back under. It was very strange to me, nothing like I expected. She went to bed shortly after she woke. The next morning she and her mother were talking about the medicine she takes to fight off the epilepsy. Her mother told her, “The devil is tempting us not to believe!” Then they threw the medicine away. She is perfectly fine now. Her face looks different. Her eyes are more alert. These people are such awesome witnesses of faith to me. They cannot even read the Bible. But they understand the Gospel more than educated Christian Americans. Thank you very much for replying to my other email. All the information was very useful. Email #8 (From David to Wes): Praise the Lord! See how simple it is. That poor girl would have suffered the rest of her life if she had not run into someone like you who was willing to stand in faith. Sometimes the demon will try to come back by temporarily putting a symptom on you. When you accept it, he has permission to re-invade. Tell the girl and her mom to never accept it back. They have authority over the demons. Now, just pray and believe for the restoration of her foot. Jesus paid for a complete healing. Awesome! Praise God!! Christians who know their authority can, and should, cast out demons. I was doing it as a baby Christian, and although I didn't know a lot about it, I got some people delivered. (Mar.16:17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons… The only condition was to believe. Let me give you an example. Jesus was casting out an unclean spirit from a deaf and dumb man. (Mar.9:17) And one of the multitude answered him, Teacher, I brought unto thee my son, who hath a dumb spirit; (18) and wheresoever it taketh him, it dasheth him down: and he foameth, and grindeth his teeth, and pineth away (This sounds like an epileptic dumb spirit.): and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast it out; and they were not able. Why were they “not able”? (Mar.9:19) And he answereth them and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I bear with you? bring him unto me. His rebuke was for their lack of faith. The only condition in the scriptures for casting out demons is faith on the part of the person who is doing the casting out. (Mar.9:20) And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him grievously; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. (21) And he asked his father, How long time is it since this hath come unto him? And he said, From a child. (22) And oft-times it hath cast him both into the fire and into the waters, to destroy him (There is that destruction again.): but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. (23) And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth. (Again, the condition is belief.) (24) Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mar.9:25) And when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. In the case of a child, Jesus said basically, “Come out of him, and do not go back!” You don't see Him doing this with adults. This is because they have their own choices to make, and if they choose to go back into the world, then the demons are going to return. If they fall back into temptation, the demon will come back, but children are not as responsible. The child's father said that the demon entered “from a child,” and so we see that Jesus gave us an example here, saying, “Enter no more into him.” You do not do that with adults. Also, the father wanted help from his unbelief: I.e. “I believe with the faith I have. Deliver me from my unbelief.” (Mar.9:26) And having cried out, and torn him much, he came out: and [the boy] became as one dead; insomuch that the more part said, He is dead. (27) But Jesus took him by the hand, and raised him up; and he arose. Here's another testimony from C.C. Jesus Delivered Me from Familiar Spirits by C. C. In 2003, I was not a Christian. I was just a man living for himself. I had been a banker in Seattle when I began to hear faint voices in my head as I went to sleep. The voices grew stronger as time went by. There were many of them, different each night. I thought they were the voices of the dead speaking from beyond the grave. After several months, one of these “dead spirits” became more vocal with me. He called himself “David,” saying he was the soul of the brother of one of my best friends, who had died in a car wreck three years previous. This spirit's voice became so clear as to seem present in the room with me. [Note: C.C. had unknowingly become a “medium,” which is someone who is possessed with a spirit guide, a familiar spirit who mimics the dead.] He began telling astral and worldly “secrets” that I found fantastical at the time. He explained many things about the “after-life,” including how I had lived many lives myself and had been reincarnated several times. This spirit explained that he was my “guide,” sent by the “White Lodge” to help me achieve my “final potential.” He explained that he had to help guide my “last life” so I could go to heaven through gates guarded by a group of angels called the “Brethren.” He showed me many images and pictures of these gates. Souls would be permitted to pass through them when they had learned enough compassion through their many lives. He also turned me on to many New Age beliefs. In addition to him, I would speak to other spirits at night while in my bed. They would ask me to do things for them. One such example came from a spirit called “Misty” who wanted me to deliver some flowers to her dying grandmother. The spirit gave me the name and address of the hospital where this elderly lady was located. I went and delivered the roses anonymously to her. I thought I had some special gift to talk with the dead, as I experienced incidents of communication, and received “confirmation” and “insight” from the things these spirits revealed. The voice of the “spirit guide” began to become stronger as time went on. It got to where it was all I could hear. He always seemed to be as close as my throat, speaking from behind my head. It was a very unsettling feeling at the time. This went on for some time, with me learning and trusting all that this spirit “David” revealed to me. There came a night when I awoke in my bed to see a specter cloaked in darkness, black as pitch. He even seemed to suck the darkness into himself. I was terrified! Frozen in my bed as I stared at it, I noticed that my breath was visible in front of me, as if it were a winter night. The specter seemed to want to kill me. When I thought it would move to harm me, the presence of my “spirit guide” entered the room and scared it away. I could sense that it was afraid of him. He explained to me that it was a lost soul who sought me because of my gifts. He said that I was like a “light in the darkness” that all such spirits could see and would gravitate towards. The same thing happened the following night and onward for six nights. Each night, one more spirit came until, by the sixth evening, there were six of them at the foot of my bed. I could not have been more terrified, as they would all point at me with horrible, black, lifeless faces, seeming to want my death. By morning I was exhausted from the fear, hyper-vigilance, and lack of sleep for six full days. Upon waking, I heard the spirit “David's” voice, rushed and louder than ever. He said, “Hurry up and get dressed. You have to get downtown toward your work now, as fast as possible. Hurry up! Do it now!” I asked, “Is someone in danger?” He replied, “Yes. Hurry now!” Startled, I got dressed and drove downtown to see what was happening. While I was driving he kept saying, “Hurry, hurry!” When I got there, nothing was happening; it was just a normal day. Surprised to see nothing wrong, I asked him why he told me to rush. He replied, “I just wanted to see if you would obey me. I was testing you.” All day, I ignored him while I worked, as I was very angry. I was continually disturbed by his words, “obey me.” When the day was done, I went home, ignoring “David” the whole way, and wanting very much to understand. A friend once had told me the Bible discussed spirits and the dead; I decided to look it up on my computer. As I sat down to search the internet, I looked out over Puget Sound from my windows and could see nothing but blackness. The clouds had covered everything in such a dark, ominous way. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, especially so early in the evening. As I started to find Bible passages, the spirit's voice said accusingly, “What are you doing?” Agitated, I replied, “Nothing. Don't worry about it.” I came upon (Deu.18:10-13) There shall not be found in you one who passes his son or his daughter through the fire, one that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or one divining, or a whisperer of spells, or a magic charmer, or one consulting mediums [Hebrew for “consulter with a familiar spirit.”], or a spirit-knower, or one inquiring of the dead. For all doing these things are an abomination to the Lord. And because of these filthy acts the Lord your God is dispossessing these nations before you. You shall be perfect with the Lord your God. As I finished reading the words, I heard “David,” with a tone of deep aggression, say, “Don't read that!” Startled, I turned to see that he was now visible on my right. He looked just like one of the dark specters that had previously gathered around my bed. The room instantly grew cold. I was terrified, but replied, “I can read it if I want to!” He lunged for my throat with his dark, outstretched hand, taking a swipe at me. I fell sideways out of my chair and thought I was going to die, right there, in that dark room as he came upon me! I was on my knees. I called, “Lord, please save me!” A hole to the heavens opened up through my roof. I saw a flaming Sword coming down from heaven at me like lightning. It flew straight down and entered through the top of my head and traveled through my body, and pierced into the ground through me. A blast wave that was like a spiritual nuclear bomb went off from the fiery Sword within me, traveling like light through my entire place, destroying the spirit “David” as it flashed out from me. I sat there on my knees as the light went out from within me and the Sword left me. I then immediately saw a large bright light outside on my patio. As I squinted at it, I realized what I was seeing. In my mind, I heard the name “Michael.” He was holding the sword that had just been in my body. I was amazed and afraid! He was huge, bearing armor as bright as the sun, with many colors coming through it, shining brightly. He was looking at me through the large windows. I jumped up to my feet to run outside and see him. But as I opened the door, the light was gone. No one was there. I went to the spot where I had seen him standing, half expecting to see the ground melted away. I dropped to my knees to feel the ground as I thought it would be hot for some reason. When I looked up, the blackness of the clouds had given way to the setting sun. It seemed to not only pierce through the clouds, but to push them out of the way, making what seemed night turn into day! I stood there, utterly emotionally exhausted and physically tired from not sleeping for a week. I awoke the next morning on the seventh day of the ordeal. I had slept as soundly as a baby, without a single interruption or dark visit. I felt so good that morning. I can still remember how good it was—I felt like a million bucks! I got dressed and was thinking about everything that had happened to me and what it all meant. I no longer heard any voices. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was in my “right” mind. I got into my truck and headed to work, feeling wonderful. As I came to the apex of a large bridge, I closed my eyes for a second. When I opened them, I was no longer in my truck! [Note: There was something spiritually that kept his truck humming along during this experience.] To my utter confusion, I was standing on a dirt road. My first reaction was to put my hands on myself to see if I was okay. As I looked down, I had all of my clothes on and was still wearing my boots. Bewildered, I saw a dirt road stretched out for as far as the eye could see. To the right and left, fields of golden wheat, ready for harvest, were moving back and forth as a warm wind blew over them. The sun was setting. It was casting the most beautiful rays of light through the waving grains of wheat. The soft color was unlike anything I had ever seen on earth. It was beautiful. My thoughts went back to myself. Where in the heck was I? I turned around to look behind me. I saw darkness. As I was trying to look into where the road behind me went, I felt a presence… I cannot even begin to explain in words … I turned around to see a man standing in the road before me. He was dressed in white. His clothes were of olden times and spotless. He had long, golden brown hair and a beard. As I looked at him, I realized Who He was. I could tell that He could see all of the things I had ever done wrong in my life—everything… As He looked at me, He put before me images of all of the wrongs I had done. Seeing them, I felt so heavy that I fell to the ground, my face falling into the dirt. I began to beg aloud, “Lord, please do not let me be before you. Please let me go. I am not worthy. Please let me go from before you, Lord.” It was so painful that He could see all of my sins. Feeling crushed onto the ground, my breath and tears mixed with the dirt of the road. As I tried to push away from Him, I looked up through my tears to see His perfect sandal in front of my face. I reached out and placed my hand upon His foot and said, “Lord, please forgive me. I am so sorry for what I have done against you…” Then I felt His hand on my shoulder, lifting me up off the ground and setting me onto my feet. He took His hand and reached before me, touching my chest, seeming to reach inside of me! He pulled out a black shining orb, which was spinning within His hand. I looked up from the orb into His face. He smiled at me and looked back down at the thing spinning in His hand. He then closed his hand around it and crushed it. When He opened His hand again, the orb had become like dirt that was on the road. He turned His hand, and the dirt fell back onto the road. At that moment, I felt SO FREE! All that had crushed me and held me down in life had been taken away forever! I looked into His eyes and saw them clearly for the first time. Amazingly beautiful, they were the same color as the light that I had seen shining through the shafts of wheat. As I looked, I felt (words could never portray): the love of my friends, the love of my brothers, the love of my mother, the love of God! I was so overcome with thanksgiving, I threw my arms around Him. His frame was as powerful as a rock, but gentle as a lamb. Then I held myself apart from Him. Looking into His smiling face, I said the most embarrassing thing that I have ever said in all my life! Looking at the long road, I said, “Lord, do you think we could stay here and play soccer together?” He laughed and, as I looked up from the road, turned and walked a few paces from me; I could see His perfect footprints in the dirt. I felt frozen, not knowing what to do. As if sensing that I felt paralyzed, He looked back, smiled and extended His hand, and motioned for me to follow Him. Even though He did not say the words, I could clearly hear the words “Follow me” in my mind. Looking down, I took my first foot and put it perfectly into His footprint. As I was about to take the next step, I closed my eyes for a second before trying to look back up at Him. And poof! Just like that—I was back in my truck, driving on my way to work. As I sat there, I cried, heaving deeply for the gift that He had just given me. I was so entirely undone. There was no greater happiness that I had ever known in my entire life. Then, the radio played a song called “Dead Man's Rope,” sung by Sting, recorded on the album called “Sacred Love.” I shall never forget listening to this song through my tears, barely being able to drive. The song speaks of how we try to walk away from our trials, not understanding that our trials will lead us to walk toward Jesus and His forgiveness. After this song ended, it began to rain heavily upon my truck just as the song describes… My life has never been the same since. Wow! Praise the Lord!

god jesus christ fear father lord israel spirit bible japan gospel kingdom truth walk christians holy spirit blood seattle pray holy write satan teacher scripture greek exercise jerusalem praise saints exodus ephesians jews kingdom of god rev chronicles act covenant repentance demons godly spirits scriptures souls sword frozen covering behold pilates hebrew deliver gentiles remove jos israelites sins mat guatemala bless emails rom sting baptist psa outreach shut new age legion cursed healed promised surprised promised land catholics ye purge gal hurry heb his son esau rope confess dead man eph speaking in tongues praise god sufficient num ananias methodist thy kjv brethren epilepsy php jas unclean i believe luk puget sound commanding sovereign god most high god joh deu exo king james version voices in my head gibeonites lutherans bewildered eze pentecostals unrighteousness righteous one anglicans gerasenes 1co agitated our lord jesus startled 2co 1jn christian american familiar spirits 1pe from david ubm david you sacred love lord deuteronomy jesus delivered straightway white lodge paltalk david they david not

Daniel 9:1-19 - The Sovereign God to Whom We Confess

confess daniel 9 sovereign god

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2025 44:34

July 20, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

Our Sovereign God May Not Return to Us If Jesus Followers Do Not Lead America's Return to God; You Are Here for These Times

Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2025 0:57

Our Sovereign God May Not Return to Us If Jesus Followers Do Not Lead America's Return to God; You Are Here for These Times MESSAGE SUMMARY: If enough of us get serious with God, then, perhaps, God will heal us and this land. When we, as both individual Jesus Followers and as a country, turn to the Lord, will we hear God's call and answer as in Isaiah 6:8: “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.'”. As Jesus Followers but in our non-Christian behavior: we are mean; we are angry; we are judgmental; and we are selfish and self-centered. Also, in our non-Christian behavior, we are often in bondage to debt, drugs, and extramarital sex. In all these non-Christian behaviors, we are not different from the unbeliever next door. Therefore, we are not very different from God's people in the time of Hosea described in Hosea 11:7,10-11: “My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High {God}, he shall not raise them up at all . . . They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD.". We need to ask ourselves: “Am I being faithful to Jesus Christ and what needs to change in me and my life? Also, we need to ask ourselves “how am I disobeying the Lord?”. Will you then say to God: “Here am I! Send me.” If NOT ENOUGH “Self-Identifying Christians” answer God's call to lead America in our “return to God”, then God, in His sovereignty, will not return to America – you are here for times like these! TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Inconsistencies. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Faithfulness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hosea 11:1-11; Isaiah 6:8-13; Matthew 13:13-17; Psalms 13:1-6. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Prayer for America” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

america god jesus christ lord spirit holy spirit psalms galatians faithfulness hosea in jesus inconsistencies assyria sovereign god most high god jesus followers zondervan god may kindle edition god here scazzero emotionally healthy spirituality day word from the lord website

Sovereign God, Saving Faith (Romans 9:14-33)

The Exchange Church

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2025 52:54

Sovereign God, Saving Faith (Romans 9:14-33) by Josiah Graves

romans 9 saving faith sovereign god faith romans

Daniel 8 - The Sovereign God Who Is Silent

silent sovereign god daniel 8

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2025 62:35

July 13, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

Blessings of the Fear of God - David Eells - UBBS 7.9.2025

UBM Unleavened Bread Ministries

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2025 113:58

Blessings of the Fear of God (1) (audio) David Eells 7/9/25 Psa 111:10 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all they that do his commandments: His praise endureth forever. The fear of the Lord is a teaching that is all over the Bible. We all need a proper reverence and awe of God, which is the beginning of true knowledge and wisdom. Without a proper respect for God's Word, we won't gain true knowledge or wisdom. When we have a holy fear of God, we get understanding, contentment, confidence, blessings, and a desire to walk in obedience to Him. It causes us to desire a right relationship with God. The fear of the Lord is not about being paralyzed by terror, but about a deep respect and submission to the Almighty God, Who is holy, righteous, merciful, but is also the author of all chastening for His children. We also need to know that the wrath of God comes to those who continue in sin and rebellion against Him. The prophets of old show us to have a deep, humble respect for God and His Words. His judgment upon willful sin and His wrath on the wicked in this world should humble us to His will. Knowing of His sovereignty in all things helps us to read the signs of His opinion of man's works. Having a holy fear of the Lord will cause us to stay within His boundaries and make good choices. Let's look at some scriptures today to help us all get a better understanding of the fear of the Lord and what it means. When I began my study of the sovereignty of God, I gained an understanding and then experience of His sovereignty, which has borne much fruit in my life in the area of rest, peace, faith, and respect for Him. It has sharpened my fear of God and removed my fear of man's conspiracies by the devil. It has given me a strong sense of the awesomeness of God. Others have shared similar stories with me. It says in (Dan.4:35) And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Nobody can push God's hand away and say, “What are you doing?” Nobody can stop Him from doing what He wants to do. This should give us faith, rest, and the fear of God. It is important to God that we know He is sovereign. Without this knowledge, we will not have the peace, rest, and the fear of God that we need in the midst of trials. We will always be wrestling with people and circumstances and trusting in our own strength, instead of seeing God's hand in it and trusting in His strength. Isa 43:13 Yea, since the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who can hinder it? Many have deceptive doctrines that appease their selfish desires such as doctrines of materialistic prosperity rather than bearing our cross, unconditional eternal security so that they may live after the flesh without fear of God's warnings, rapture without sanctification through trial, eternal life without discipleship and holiness, etc. God's people have justified just about anything to appease their flesh such as unscriptural divorces, abortion, drunkenness, drugs, lying, stealing, etc. Peace for the flesh is deception. Satan and his ministers are anxious to tell us what our flesh wants to hear. We are told in 2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. God would not tell us to do something that we cannot do by faith in Him. He wants us to be sanctified in truth. Let me share a testimony with you. The Fear of The Lord Anonymous A few months ago, I was looking around online for some books by Watchman Nee and I ran across your website. Being brought up by what I now know to be the apostate church, when I saw “America's Last Days”, that's something you don't want to hear about because it is never taught. I entered the site (sovereignly) and began looking at the Sovereign God book. I read one line that changed my life, doctrine, and everything I had been taught – ‘that God is in control of the evil, as well as the good.' I thought some things just happened and the devil did some things. Right then the fear of God came on me and has not left. Although I have been saved for several years, I never knew what the fear of God was until I experienced it that day. Once saved, always saved, right? Wrong. I knew then that if God had not intervened, I might be in for a surprise, should I have died in that state. God had something better for me. I walk more cautiously before the Lord and want to obey Him; I've seen what He can do. Fear of man and fear of Satan are out of the question compared to what God can do. Thanks for submitting to God and allowing the word of knowledge and wisdom to flow through you. Revelations are keys and He's given us the "Keys of David" (Eells) to unlock the treasures of God. The Name of the Lord is to be feared. When Moses asked God to see His glory Exo 33:18-23 And he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live. 21 and Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: 22 and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by: 23 and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen. Exo 34:5-7 And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. 6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. Meaning the sins of the fathers are inherited through the blood and association by the children. Deu 10:17 For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. Psa 47:2 For Jehovah Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth. Psa 99:3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name: Holy is he. Psa 66:3-5 Say unto God, How terrible are thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4 All the earth shall worship thee, And shall sing unto thee; They shall sing to thy name. Selah. 5 Come, and see the works of God; He is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. Psa 86:11 Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; I will walk in thy truth: Unite my heart to fear thy name. Psa 102:15 So the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, And all the kings of the earth thy glory. They saw what God did for Israel at the Red Sea and feared them. Isa 59:19 So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Jehovah driveth. 1Ki 8:41-43 Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake 42 (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thine outstretched arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house; 43 hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. Luk 1:49-50 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is unto generations and generations On them that fear him. Deu 7:21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a great God and a terrible. We need to learn the fear of God so we do not sin. It says in Exo 20:19-20 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not. God gave His people the Commandments and the Law and showed the curse of breaking the law so that they would fear Him. In Deu 31:11 when all Israel is come to appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah your God, and observe to do all the words of this law; 13 and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear Jehovah your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it. Deu 6:1-2 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Jehovah your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it; 2 that thou mightest fear Jehovah thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. (The fear of the Lord's commandments prolongs life and prosperity.) Deu 6:13 Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; and him shalt thou serve, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; 15 for Jehovah thy God in the midst of thee is a jealous God; lest the anger of Jehovah thy God be kindled against thee, and he destroy thee from off the face of the earth. (The “other gods” we are told are demons and they rule over the lusts of the flesh. Those who fear God will not follow their lusts.) Psa 119:9-11 BETH. Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: Oh let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I laid up in my heart, That I might not sin against thee. Pro 2:1-8 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; 2 So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For Jehovah giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding: 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to them that walk in integrity; 8 That he may guard the paths of justice, And preserve the way of his saints. (Seeking wisdom and understanding brings the fear of the Lord.) Pro 1:7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. Psa 2:11 Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear Jehovah: Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Psa 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Jehovah. Psa 66:16 Come, and hear, all ye that fear God, And I will declare what he hath done for my soul. Psa 19:9 The fear of Jehovah is clean, enduring forever: The ordinances of Jehovah are true, and righteous altogether Psa 96:9 Oh worship Jehovah in holy array: Tremble before him, all the earth. Psa 99:1 Jehovah reigneth; let the peoples tremble: He sitteth above the cherubim; let the earth be moved. Pro 8:13 The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate. Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for; And by the fear of Jehovah men depart from evil. Pro 1:24-30 Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh in the day of your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as a storm, And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of Jehovah: 30 They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof. Pro 23:17 Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long: Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil. 8-9 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil. 9 Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Scriptural humility is to humble ourselves to the Word and will of God. Do you want to be honored of the Lord, the angels, and man? Humility needs to come first before we can receive the blessings of God, all those great promises we are believing Him for. Pro 15:33 The fear of Jehovah is the instruction of wisdom; And before honor goeth humility. And Pro 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of Jehovah Is riches, and honor, and life. How many people have lost their lives, spiritual or physical or both, because they didn't humble themselves to God's Word? Isa 66:2 For all these things hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word. Eph 5:15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (We are told His will is to walk in sanctification) 18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; 19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ. (I.e., Humility to one another.) Blessings come with the fear of God. Isa 33:6 And there shall be stability in thy times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah is thy treasure. Psa 25:12 What man is he that feareth Jehovah? Him shall he instruct in the way that he shall choose. Psa 31:19-20 Oh how great is thy goodness, Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee, Before the sons of men! 20 In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man: Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psa 34:9 Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints; For there is no want to them that fear him. Psa 85:9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, That glory may dwell in our land. Psa 103:11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him. 17 But the lovingkindness of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, And his righteousness unto children's children; 18 To such as keep his covenant, And to those that remember his precepts to do them. Psa 112:1-3 Praise ye Jehovah. Blessed is the man that feareth Jehovah, That delighteth greatly in his commandments. 2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: The generation of the upright shall be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house; And his righteousness endureth forever. Psa 115:9-13 O Israel, trust thou in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust ye in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield. 11 Ye that fear Jehovah, trust in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield. 12 Jehovah hath been mindful of us; he will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless them that fear Jehovah, Both small and great. Psa 128:1-6 Blessed is every one that feareth Jehovah, That walketh in his ways. 2 For thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands: Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. 3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, In the innermost parts of thy house; Thy children like olive plants, Round about thy table. 4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed That feareth Jehovah. 5 Jehovah bless thee out of Zion: And see thou the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. 6 Yea, see thou thy children's children. Peace be upon Israel. Psa 145:18-20 Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth. 19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; He also will hear their cry and will save them. 20 Jehovah preserveth all them that love him; But all the wicked will he destroy. Psa 147:11 Jehovah taketh pleasure in them that fear him, In those that hope in his lovingkindness. Pro 10:27 The fear of Jehovah prolongeth days; But the years of the wicked shall be shortened. Pro 19:23 The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life, And he that hath it shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil. Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil: 8 It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones. Pro 14:26-27 In the fear of Jehovah is strong confidence; And his children shall have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of Jehovah is a fountain of life, That one may depart from the snares of death. (You can escape death.) Mal 3:16-18 Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, even mine own possession, in the day that I make; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Ecc 8:12 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his days, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him: 13 This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. Judgment/Wrath of God Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy, and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion and death to the old man. God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. We know the judgments that are coming upon the world will restore the fear of the Lord, and many will depart from evil. They will run to Zion, which is a place of safety, but Zion is a place of holiness, too, a place of separation from the world. When the Man-child comes as the white horse rider in Revelation 6, he will come with the latter rain anointing and the judgments of God. We see Jesus in the Man-child in Isa 11:2-3 And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears; Isa 50:10 Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that obeyeth the voice of his servant? he that walketh in darkness, and hath no light, let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and rely upon his God. Hag 1:12-13 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Jehovah their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him; and the people did fear before Jehovah. 13 Then spake Haggai Jehovah's messenger in Jehovah's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith Jehovah. Isa 8:13 Jehovah of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. Jer 5:21-26 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; that have eyes, and see not; that have ears, and hear not: 22 Fear ye not me? saith Jehovah: will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it? and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it. 23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. 24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; that preserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. 25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good from you. 26 For among my people are found wicked men: they watch, as fowlers lie in wait; they set a trap, they catch men. Psa 119:120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; And I am afraid of thy judgments. Jer 10:10 But Jehovah is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation. Mic 7:17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their close places; they shall come with fear unto Jehovah our God, and shall be afraid because of thee. Mal 1:6 A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I am a father, where is mine honor? and if I am a master, where is my fear? saith Jehovah of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? 6 For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. Psa 76:6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep. 7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared; And who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? 8 Thou didst cause sentence to be heard from heaven; The earth feared, and was still, 9 When God arose to judgment, To save all the meek of the earth. Selah. 10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: The residue of wrath shalt thou gird upon thee. 11 Vow, and pay unto Jehovah your God: Let all that are round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. 12 He will cut off the spirit of princes: He is terrible to the kings of the earth. Mat 10:28 And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Heb 10:30 For we know him that said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Dan 6:26 I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and stedfast forever, And his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed; and his dominion shall be even unto the end. Heb 12:28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Paul's instruction to Timothy in 1Ti 5:20 Them that sin reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear. And our example of how fear came on everyone in Act 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 While it remained, did it not remain thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy power? How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart? thou has not lied unto men, but unto God. Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it. 6 And the young men arose and wrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him. 7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much. And she said, Yea, for so much. 9 But Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them that have buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out. 10 And she fell down immediately at his feet, and gave up the ghost: and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things. Rom 13:1-4 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from the same: 4 for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. 1Pe 2:17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness; Rom 12:19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. Rev 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? Rev 14:6-7 And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having eternal good tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters. Rev 14:10 he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 19 And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great winepress, of the wrath of God. Rev 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having seven plagues, which are the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave unto the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. Rev 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go ye, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth. Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. Truth Poured Forth from My Anointed Is Bringing the Dead to Life Debbie Fenske 6/29/23 I want to share a word Jesus shared with me early this morning as I was sitting before Him, praying, and just waiting on Him. I heard Him speak a couple of thoughts to me. After writing down the second thought, Jesus just kept speaking this encouraging word. “Many, so many who have, in the past, been a part of UBM, are beginning now to understand the evil, and the dangers of faction. The truth that they are receiving from Me is instilling a holy fear within them. This is why I rise up in David, My servant, moving within him to keep talking and warning about this. It has been imperative for him to do so, for faction is a disease killing many. So many who have not understood this are now finally listening, and repenting, and many will return to My ministry of UBM to receive truth once again. For they are aware of the great deadness of their spiritual womb. My truth, and a holy fear of Me will produce life in them once again.” “My servant, David, must not stop speaking about these things, for I will have My way, which is revealing to all I have chosen, the true condition of their hearts. My truth will break out again like a wildfire through the mouth of My servant, for My anointing will not leave him. And My anointed chosen will soon be revealed, and many, many blind eyes will be opened, and the deaf ears will hear. Hearts will be healed, and they will rush under the presence of My anointing, and will grow, and will with much Joy, and spiritual vigor, produce much fruit which will come forth from My life within them.” “My provision, in every way, will flow once again. Press in, and I will give abundant blessings. Receive them now, as you press into Me, that I may make them manifest to you. For My Spirit is moving, stirring hearts to come back to Me, and My anointing. They are coming back to the truth. Trust Me, and wait on Me, and you will see, soon, the outpouring of My Spirit, and My great supply of provision for my people, as the unleavened bread continues to go forth from My anointed, and spoken forth from all who have received, and believe, and are walking the unleavened walk.” “The time is set for My Life received to pour forth from you, a flowing stream of Life. Remain faithful, humble, and pure. I have not, and will not fail of any of My good promises to My unleavened bread ministry.” Before I got on the Zoom meeting this morning, I prayed that God would somehow, someway, confirm this word. And I believe that He did that through some verses that were shared this morning. Deb Horton's scripture she shared was Jeremiah 32:6-15. The confirming verse is the second part of verse 8. “Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.” I also felt confirmation was received in verse 15 of her scripture verses. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Houses, and fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” Shay shared Philippians 4:19-23. Verses 19-20: “And my God will supply all your needs, according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God, and Father glory forever and ever. Amen.” Amen! Yes, Lord. All glory belongs to You! Thank You, faithful Father, for delivering and rescuing those who You will from the evil faction, and opening the eyes of those who just could not see to receive the awful truth about faction, and so gave up and set aside Your truth. Thank You for Your blessings now, and those You are about to abundantly bestow upon UBM, and for Your faithfulness to all, all over the world, who are faithful to You in giving out the unleavened truth of Your Word. Amen!

"Our Sovereign God: His Unfathomable Grace" Rev. Kathy Wafer July 6, 2025 Scripture Matthew 20: 1 - 16

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2025 73:11

"Our Sovereign God: His Unfathomable Grace" Rev. Matthew Hulbert July 6, 2025 Scripture Matthew 20:1 - 6

matthew 20 sovereign god scripture matthew unfathomable hulbert

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2025 73:32

Romans 9 - Daily Bible Devotional

Excel Still More

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2025 5:03

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comRomans 9 God is almighty in His plan to save. Salvation is not the result of human effort but God's mercy and purpose. Paul begins by expressing deep sorrow for Israel's rejection of Christ despite their unique privileges as God's chosen people. He explains that God's promises have not failed, as true Israel is defined not by ethnicity but by faith in God's promises. Examples like Jacob and Esau highlight that God's choices depend on His mercy, and He has the right to extend mercy wherever He chooses. God has every right to shape His plan like a potter molding clay. He chose to bring Christ through the Jewish people and to extend salvation to Gentiles. These decisions are uniquely His to make. Salvation is open to everyone through faith in Christ. Christians trust in God's authority and embrace His will, even when His ways are beyond our understanding. His choice is to bless “children of the promise,” meaning those who pursue faith in the likeness of Abraham. God's choices regarding mercy are not always easy to comprehend, like choosing Jacob over Esau or hardening Pharaoh's heart. We have no right to find fault with God's decisions concerning Jews, Gentiles, or anyone else. We simply need to trust Him. We know there are “vessels of mercy” who are blessed by God, and that we can be among those people if we honor His sovereign power and achieve righteousness through faith in Jesus. Those who do so faithfully will never be disappointed. Sovereign God, we praise You for Your mercy, which cannot be earned by our works but is given freely through Your kindness in Your Son. Your ways, from the beginning, are higher than ours. Your merciful choices, actions in the lives of people, and divine will are beyond anything we can fully understand or control. Lord, we choose to trust You. Your ways are good, and Your help is abundant for those who place their faith in Jesus. May His authority never become a stumbling block for us but serve as the unbreakable foundation upon which we build our lives. Thought Questions: - Paul sincerely laments the faithlessness of the Jews. Do you feel likewise about people in your life, and how do you deal with that sorrow? - What do the examples of God choosing Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau teach you about His sovereignty and will? - The Jews pursued righteousness by works instead of faith and did not achieve it. What would that mistake look like in your life?

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"Our Sovereign God: His Boundless Love" Dr. Steven Bell June 29, 2025 Scripture John 13:1 - 17

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2025 82:42

"Our Sovereign God: His Boundless Love" Rev. Emily Blair June 29, 2025 Scripture John 13: 1 - 17

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2025 64:55

Strange Place, Small Start, Sovereign God

First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2025 28:35

In the strange places into which God may send you, in the small starts that tempt you to disappointment, in every area of life be comforted that your God numbers your days, he counts your tears, and he's close enough that he numbers every hair on your head. No one can thwart his purpose in the world and nothing can thwart his good purpose for you.

god strange sovereign god

Strange Place, Small Start, Sovereign God

First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2025 28:35

god strange sovereign god

Sovereignty of God - Pt 3 ( The Perfect Tension Between The Absolute Sovereignty of God and The Free Will Of Man) #sovereignty #sovereign #God #Godisincontrol #freewill #itstime #aimingforjesus

Follow Him Ministries Daily Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2025 8:18

Sovereignty of God - Pt 3 ( The Perfect Tension Between The Absolute Sovereignty of God and The Free Will Of Man) #sovereignty #sovereign #God #Godisincontrol #freewill #itstime #aimingforjesusThank you for listening, our heart's prayer is for you and I to walk daily with Jesus, our joy and peace aimingforjesus.com YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@aimingforjesus5346 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aiming_for_jesus/ Threads https://www.threads.com/@aiming_for_jesus X https://x.com/AimingForJesus Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@aiming.for.jesus

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Jesus Delivered Us - David Eells - 6.22.2025

UBM Unleavened Bread Ministries

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2025 116:25

Jesus Delivered Us (audio) David Eells – 6/22/25 Father, fill us with faith as we discover what has been accomplished for us by the sacrifice of Jesus. How that he bound the strong man and delivered us from evil. Give us understanding that we be not ignorant of satan's devices. Help us to stand on Your Word and swing our sword of the Spirit which the fallen angels cannot resist. We ask for your grace and power to open up Your Word to our hearts and minds and make us all the spiritual warriors You have called us to be. The enemy fears those who know their rights. Saints, I'm going to talk to you today about what Jesus provided for us and our deliverance from the demonic hoards. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, He replied, (Luk.11:19) And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. (20) But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. (21) When the strong [man] (The word “man” is actually not in the original; it was added-in later. Jesus was calling the devil “the strong” when He was spoiling his kingdom.) fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: (22) but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. (23) He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. So it actually reads, (Luk.11:21) When the strong fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace. These “goods” Jesus is talking about are the things that the devil, “the strong,” has been given authority over in this world, and the “court” here represents his kingdom where he, “the strong,” rules and reigns. (Luk.11:21) When the strong fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: (22) but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him (That was Jesus who overcame him!), he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted. Did you know that the devil has no armor? His kingdom has no armor. He and his demons have no armor if we believe it. They have no protection against the authority that God has given to us. The protection has all been taken away from them. His “whole armor” has been taken away since it is God in (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. And He gave us authority in (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. This is something that has already been accomplished; it isn't something that we have to accomplish. God has given us authority to partake of everything that Jesus did for us at the Cross. (Col.1:12) Giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet (The Greek there is “made us competent or able.”) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Whatever a saint walking in light is entitled to, God made us able to partake of that, so if you think that you lack ability, you are just wrong and you need to study the Scriptures. For example it says in (Eph.6:13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God (So we have been given God's armor and the devil has none), that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (16) Withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. So, through faith in this Word we can cast down all of his weapons against us. We are invincible. And in (Php.4:13) I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. Jesus made us able to be a partaker in whatever we need. He made us able to plunder the devil's kingdom, and the devil's kingdom is wherever the devil rules or his curse reigns. Wherever the devil has ability, we now have the ability to take it away from him. The devil has no power if we believe this. Do you remember when Joshua and Caleb were seeking to bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land? After spying out the land, these two said that their enemies' defense was removed from over them. We read this in (Num.14:9) Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. The demons and the people they use are the ones who should fear us. All that the other ten spies could see were the giants, but Joshua and Caleb saw that the enemy had no armor. That's the way we have to see the enemies of God's Kingdom. It makes no difference whether those enemies are the lusts of the flesh, works of darkness, demons, the devil, or whatever. Their defense is removed from over them. They have no power against the Word of God. Jesus was the “Stronger” Who came and took away their whole armor (Luke 11:22). Praise be to God! So Jesus has already divided the spoils for us. Those “spoils” of the devil's kingdom are all the places where he has taken advantage of your life or taken authority over the things or circumstances that God has put in your hands. All these add up to “spoils.” When Jesus went about doing good and “healing all who were oppressed of the devil” in (Acts 10:38), He was spoiling the devil's kingdom. If you are being oppressed of the devil, Jesus destroyed this oppression. He broke this power everywhere He went. Whether it was hunger, sickness, demonic possession, or mental need, it didn't make any difference; Jesus broke the oppression and He told us to do the same thing because (Mat.12:30) He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. The devil's power over God's people rests in the fact that God's people don't know that his power has already been broken, and they don't know the authority that's been given to them. Although the Word speaks it plainly, it still has to be a revelation that you pick up and use like a sword. The Bible says of Jesus in (Col.2:15) Having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. He already made spoil of our eneies. “Triumphing” is not the victory. “Triumphing” is celebrating the victory that has already been won. Jesus triumphed over the devil and He rubbed the devil's nose in what He had accomplished on the Cross. The victory was at the Cross; what came after the Cross was the triumph, which is our responsibility. (2Co.2:14) But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. We are to simply celebrate His victory. Hallelujah! What we need to do is repeat what the Word says about our circumstances or situation, and we do that by stating what the Word says about our authority and righteousness. All we have to do is believe that. The devil wants us to look at ourselves and our failures and the curse around us, but we just need to remember that we have authority over that curse. We've been crucified with Christ and we're not alive anymore; now it's Christ Who lives in us. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we remember what the Word of God says about us and about our circumstances, we can celebrate the victory. When we are praising God for what He has done, this is triumphing over the devil; it's celebrating the victory! Praising God is not necessarily singing songs, and some songs that you sing in church don't really praise God. Many songs don't even confess the Word of God. They don't celebrate the victory, and as a matter of fact, a lot of them just confess the problem. We are not under the curse anymore because (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (He became accursed for us so that we could have Abraham's blessings.) So, how was Abraham blessed? (Gen.24:1) … And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. (Gal.3:15) Brethren, I speak after the manner of men: Though it be but a man's covenant, yet when it hath been confirmed, no one maketh it void, or addeth thereto. (16) Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (17) Now this I say: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul, so as to make the promise of none effect. (18) For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise. So, now we are celebrating the victory that He has already accomplished. Jesus said in (Joh.16:33) … In the world ye have tribulation: be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. And He said in (Joh.19:30) … It is finished… That's what we have to remember when we look around us and, instead, we see the very opposite. If we apply the Word to the problem, we are going to spoil the principalities, the powers, and the rulers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). The Bible says when Jesus took away the devil's armor, He divided the spoil. (Isa.53:12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death… Jesus said in (Luk.11:23) He that is not with me is against me… He's talking there about those who are dividing or plundering the spoils. If you are with Jesus, then you are going to do what He did, and what He did was plunder the devil. All of His physical life, He plundered the devil, and by His victory over the devil, He made it possible for us to plunder the devil's kingdom too. We should be spoiling the devil's kingdom; we should be destroying the curse around us. We should be bringing people into victory by putting faith in their hearts. We should be delivering those who are captive by casting out demons. And we should be delivering those who are oppressed of the devil by healing the sick. We should be doing everything our Lord Jesus did. Jesus went on to say, (Luk.11:23) He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. So you are either going to be “gathering” or you are going to be “scattering.” That means you are either going to be on the attack or you are going to be on the run. You're going to be doing one or the other, and sad to say, most Christians are on the run because they don't understand what Jesus did. They don't understand what the Word of God says. They don't understand what their position and calling is in this world. As believers, we are on the attack. We are going into the Promised Land to take this land for Jesus Christ, and not a man there can stand before us. The Lord said in (Jos.1:5) There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Most Christians don't understand that the victory has already been given to us. We are not supposed to go in there and lose people; we are supposed to go in there and conquer the enemy. It's been given to us to conquer the enemy. Jesus said in (Joh.20:21) … as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. God did not send Jesus to fail. He sent Him with the Word of God and He sends us with the Word of God too. He says in (Eph.6:17) And take the … sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We have to take the Sword of the Spirit and we have to fight, because if we don't fight, we are going to lose. If we are not plundering, if we are not gathering the spoils, we're being scattered. The word “scattereth” there is from the Greek word skorpizo, and this is where we get the English word “scorpion.” It's from the same root as the Greek word skorpios, meaning “to penetrate and to put to flight.” When a scorpion stings with its tail, it penetrates and puts to flight because of the pain and misery it inflicts. Jesus spoke about scorpions. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. In the kingdom of the devil, scorpion spirits are tormentors. When a scorpion spirit stings you, just as with a real scorpion, it hardly ever kills, but it's very painful. Scorpion spirits can torment your body with sickness and pain, and they may also torment you with fear. (1Jn.4:18) …fear hath punishment… If you are not plundering, the devil is going to penetrate you with one of these spirits, causing you to flee. If you are not plundering, then your thinking is contrary to the Word of God and you are not going to stand up to the devil. (Luk.10:18) And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority… If your Bible says “power” instead of the word “authority,” then it has the wrong word because the Greek there is exousia, and it means “authority.” “Authority” is the “right to use power.” You have been given the right to use God's Power. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (Now that word is the Greek word dunamis, meaning, “power.”) of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you… This is talking about serpent and scorpion spirits. These are different kinds of spirits and they have different works. In the kingdom of the devil, the serpent spirits have authority. While the poison a scorpion inflicts is in its tail, the poison that the serpent inflicts is in its head, and as the saying goes, it's the head that wags the tail. The Bible says in (Deu.28:13) And the Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God… You are going to be above and not beneath; you are going to be the head and not the tail, just as Israel was supposed to be the head and not the tail. The tail reveals something about the head in most of God's creatures. For example, you can tell a dog's attitude when you look at its tail. If his tail is standing up in the air and wagging back and forth, you know that dog is happy and content, not fearful. But if his tail is tucked down between his legs, you can tell he's feeling guilty or fearful. You can read his mind by looking at his tail. The superior authority is always the head and not the tail. And the serpent's poison being in the head symbolizes that the serpent spirit poisons the mind. The job of the serpent spirit, mostly, is not to bring about torment, but to change your mind. Their job is to deceive, as the Bible says in (Gen.3:1) Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. He was subtle. He was crafty. He was wise in an evil way. (2Co.11:3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness (So the “serpent” is a beguiler.) your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. Serpent spirits beguile. They are deluding spirits and deceiving spirits. They want to change your mind, just as the serpent changed Eve's mind, because he wanted to pervert her knowledge. He wanted her to partake of knowledge that was forbidden. (Gen.2:17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it… He wanted her to partake of knowledge that wasn't legal. Scripture tells us about different ways we can receive things through the spirit realm that are illegal. Let's go to (Deu.18:9) When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. (10) There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, (11) or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. (12) For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. (13) Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. (14) For these nations, that thou shalt dispossess, hearken unto them that practise augury, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. (20) But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. (21) And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? (22) when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. You see, there is false or deceptive knowledge. Going to consult familiar spirits or deceiving spirits, even if they claim to be prophets, is illegal. Going to consult wizards or necromancers is not allowed. All these operate in forbidden knowledge. But the devil wants to give you forbidden knowledge because he wants to delude you. He can make the “tail” do whatever he wants if he can change your mind, if he can change the knowledge that God has given you. If he can do that, then he's got you. That's why these serpent spirits have been given authority in the devil's kingdom. They are higher spirits than scorpion spirits because their primary purpose is to deceive you. Some of these “serpents” are “seducing spirits” that operate by giving you false doctrine. (1Ti.4:1) But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. They seduce you by giving all kinds of flesh-pleasing reasons why it is advantageous for you to believe their doctrines. There are seducing spirits forbidding you to eat meats, or to marry (as in this context), and so on, because if you have a false doctrine, that head is going to wag that tail. The devil knows the rest of the body is going to follow. The most important thing for the devil is that you accept the spirits that work in your head; that's the way he can control the rest of your life. Remember, we are not to receive forbidden knowledge. Instead, we're supposed to be (2Co.10:5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. You'll win the battle if you start with the head, but if you have spirits of rejection, fear, anxiety, condemnation, or guilt, then the devil has a stronghold in you. If you have anything that he can use against you, then you've got a “spy in your camp”. And the devil has rights now, because one demonic spirit can open the door for other demonic spirits so that you won't be able to stand up against the devil, who is looking to destroy you. We read in (Mat.12:43) But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. (44) Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. (45) Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation. The devil's seducing spirits are “double agents.” They talk in your mind as if they are your friend and as if they belong to you, but whatever is speaking in your mind that's contrary to the Word of God is a stronghold of the enemy by which he can conquer you. You have the authority to cast it out. Get rid of it! Father, continue to grant us repentance as You bring to our attention where we have read or listened to things that are not according to Your Word and accepted those things we might have once believed as true that were not. Lord, help us to search our hearts and minds for any past church doctrines or religious beliefs that are not true. We only want what is True to be what we base our faith in. Father, help us to discern and destroy the strongholds we may have and get rid of them! Amen. Thank You Lord! The Bible says in (Rev.9:1) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth (That's speaking of Satan.): and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss. (2) And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (3) And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (4) And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads. (5) And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it striketh a man. As we've learned, the tormenting spirits are scorpion spirits. In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-35, the Lord says that He will turn you over to the tormentors until you should pay what is due (Matthew 18:34), and those tormentors are these scorpion spirits. Nobody is ever going to see with their physical eyes the creatures described here from the bottomless pit, because they're coming to the second heaven. It's like the angel here in (Rev.14:6) And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven (The Greek word means “middle heaven.”), having eternal good tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people; (7) and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters. “Middle heaven” means the angel is in the second heaven. That means you don't see him, although the angel is right here with us in the devil's kingdom and he's preaching the Gospel. We can see what's in the first heaven, but the second heaven is a different realm, a “twilight zone,” if you will. And so this scorpion spirit of Revelation 9 has been given five months to torment those people who don't have the seal of God on their foreheads, but they are not able to see this spirit that came out of the bottomless pit. Satan has authority to loose these angels that the Bible says were held for the end of time, for a time and a season when God was going to judge the earth. (Rev.9:1) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss.) (Rev.13-15) And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God, (14) one saying to the sixth angel that had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates. (15) And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men.) Satan was given authority to loose them when he was cast out of heaven, and that's what is happening here. The Bible says, (Rev.14:11) And the smoke of their torment goeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name. As we read, both smoke and torment are also mentioned in Revelation 9. Out of the smoke came tormenting spirits that were like locusts and like scorpions, and we've seen that these are demons with the authority to penetrate and to put to flight. Other demons are mentioned often in the Scriptures. For instance, (Rev.16:13) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: (14) for they are spirits of demons… People who have a gift of discerning of spirits have seen frogs in the spirit realm, and those frogs were evil spirits, just as the scorpion spirits are evil. You know, the devil always sends his “big guns” after you when you get into a deep trial, a heavy trial that will have a really terrible outcome if you lose it. The Bible says in (1Jn.4:18KJV) … Fear hath torment… During a battle or a trial, you may have suddenly felt a spirit of fear just come down on you. That's another one of the devil's “big guns,” and if you listen to it, if you give in to it, you are going to run from the devil. Now we are commanded in Ephesians 6 what we should do! (Eph.6:11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. (13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We should put up a shield of faith to quench those “fiery darts” of the wicked one. What does a fiery dart do? Just like the tail of the scorpion, it's made to penetrate and put to flight. It's made to conquer you, but with the shield of faith, you can quench rejection, fear, depression, anxiety, condemnation, or any other of these fiery darts, which are tormenting spirits that come against you, because they can only come against you if your mind isn't right. But if you have faith in your mind, how is it possible for fear to come into you? If you have faith in your heart, how is it possible for depression, or anxiety, or any of these other spirits that seek to take hold of you, to conquer you? Remember what the Scripture says about you. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. Don't ever think that whatever the spirit may be that's coming against you, is you. When these kinds of deceiving spirits speak into your mind, that's when you have to use the armor and put up your shield of faith. Don't accept those thoughts as yours. They're not coming from you, and they don't belong to you. There's a doctrine in the apostate church about the “holiness” of oppression, the “holiness” of sickness. They want you to believe that this martyr's syndrome is good for you, but you know if God promised you an “egg,” He's not going to give you a “serpent.” (Luk.11:11) And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask a loaf, and he give him a stone? or a fish, and he for a fish give him a serpent? (12) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? The serpent and scorpion represent doctrines of death, but an egg represents life. What some churches have is actually a doctrine of death because they think that God is going to send them a “scorpion” or some other curse. And as for sickness, they think they are going to have to put up with it but Jesus and the apostles didn't. They claim that Paul's “thorn in the flesh” was sickness, but it never was, and Paul even said it wasn't sickness. (2Co.12:7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. I am not stating that there was a demon inside of Paul, but an angel of Satan was humbling him. The word “messenger” in the Scriptures, 181 of 183 times, is translated as “angel,” so an angel of Satan was sent to buffet him, and the word “buffet” means “to beat or strike repeatedly.” Paul was not talking here about an infirmity or sickness; only the KJV says that Paul's “thorn in the flesh” was an “infirmity.” No Bible derived from the ancient manuscripts has this translation because that's not the word “infirmity”; it is the word “weakness.” Scripture says that Christ was crucified through weakness. (2Co.13:3) Seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in me; who to youward is not weak, but is powerful in you: (4) for he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. This same Greek word asthenes translated as “weakness” in 2 Corinthians 13:3 by the King James, is what the King James in 2 Corinthians 12:9 claims is “infirmity.” Paul did not have an infirmity. The Bible says, (Psa.103:2) Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: (3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases. God is not going to turn around and say, “No, Paul, you keep this disease. It's good for you.” This is not our God. Those churches claim that it was sickness in order to make a person who is going through sickness and suffering feel righteous, but most of the suffering that God's people go through is because they don't believe the Word. God promises an egg while the devil wants us to settle for a scorpion, and it's sadly true that for most people, what's ruling their life is a scorpion. If you listen to rejection, anxiety, fear, or guilt, you are being ruled by the devil. If you listen to shame or unbelief, you are being ruled by the devil. (Rom.6:16) Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves [as] servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? You can't listen to what God says and listen to what the devil says at the same time. (1Co.10:21) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. You can't partake of the Lord's Table and the table of demons at the same time because everything demons will feed you is contrary to the Word of God. God promised us in (Exo.23:27) I will send my terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. (28) I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. A hornet is like a scorpion, because it also penetrates and puts to flight. It's a little bitty thing, but it can move a great big man. So you see, God can make our enemies fear us, and they do fear us if we know our authority. If we know what the Word of God says and we step out and swing that Word of God like a sword (Ephesians 6:17), they fear us. Our daughter had a dream once about five chickens that represented five evil spirits that were bothering my mother. Well, those chickens were “chicken,” because just as soon as we gave them the Word, they ran. Evil spirits do fear us, but they recognize whether or not we know the Word of God. And they know whether or not we're standing on the Word of God, but they'll try to bluff us as long as they can. The devil wants us to fear him, and he is constantly trying to make us fear the “fiery darts” of the curse that he administers. But we know the Word of God says we've been delivered from all that. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; (14) in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. And the Bible tells us who we are in Christ. (Rom.6:11) Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (18) And being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. Now that's a sword. That Word is a sword for you to use against the devil's lies. The devil wants you to act on what he says, but the Lord wants you to know who you are in Christ and act on what He says about you. If you don't act on what the Lord says, you don't get anything, because (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. The devil's kingdom operates the same way. He can come by and put a little thought in your mind, but if you don't accept or act on it, if you don't chew or meditate on it, you are not guilty. The devil can put these little thoughts in your mind but you can reject them, and if he gets a little stronger, you can get a little stronger. You can speak up and just rebuke him! You can throw the Word of God into his face as Jesus did! Our faith and understanding of what Jesus did for us make us free from being fearful of any weapon the devil has. Remember, we read that Christ took away the devil's “whole armor” (Luke 11:22). He took away all of his power (Matthew 28:18). He delivered us out of the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13). All of this is our shield, and you need to use this knowledge. You don't fear the devil when you know who you are and that you don't have to give in to him. However, many people do give in to the devil; they give in to the spirits he sends against them, because they don't believe they have any other choice. Well, there's a reason that the Gospel is called the “Good News.” We do have another choice; we have authority over the devil. He has to move when we say, “Move!” If we step out and exercise that authority over him, he has to move. Thank you Father! As we've seen, the word skorpizo, refers to scorpion spirits, and the devil comes to scatter. Jesus said in (Joh.16:32) Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered (That's the word, skorpizo.), every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. Fear scattered the disciples when the men came for Jesus in the garden (Matthew 26:50-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47- 53; John 18:1-14). They were afraid the same thing was going to happen to them, but we know that (Joh.3:27) A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. The devil sent a spirit there to put fear in them so they would just abandon Jesus in his affliction. To be perfectly just, He had already told them that this is what He came for, so what could they do? The devil also comes to divide. There's another word used in the Scriptures, which is diaskorpizo, and it means “to scatter and separate.” A good example of that is, (Joh.11:52) And not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad. That means not only are they scattered from their land, but they are separated from each other, and the devil did it through those scorpion spirits. They divided, they separated, and scattered the Body of Christ, just as God warned us through the apostle Paul. He said in (Act.20:29) I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; (30) and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. All of God's people are supposed to be coming out of the bondage they're in and back to this one land. Do you know what that means? It means that we are supposed to be one. Jesus said, (Joh.10:16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd. This is what the Tribulation is going to do. God's people are going to become one Flock with One Shepherd, but for now they are diaskorpizo, they are “scattered abroad,” separated. They wanted to hang out at Jerusalem and have Church but the persecution scattered them to spread the gospel. Scorpion spirits separate the Body, separate the Flock, and they do this with false doctrine, false understanding, and false thinking. I've heard people say about our teachings, “Well, aren't you doing the same thing?” No, and when you look around us, you see people from all different backgrounds here. We all get along very well. We want the Flock to be one, but there is only one way the Flock is going to be one, and that's to give up sectarianism, because sectarianism is a work of the flesh. Let's read that in (Gal.5:19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties (The three Greek words there mean “contentions,” “dissentions,” and “sects.”), (21) envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Demon spirits come in to make you believe the lie that you are something great, or that you have everything you need without the rest of the Body, but the Bible tells us in (1Co.12:13) For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit. The Body needs to be one, because the Body has different parts of God's knowledge and different parts of God's gifts. When all are put together, the Body is edified, it's “built up.” (Eph.4:15) But speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; (16) from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love. God wants His Flock to be one, and we want His Flock to be one, but the devil is warring against this unity. The devil knows that when God's Flock is one, it's going to be a powerhouse, and so we want to learn not to be separate from our brethren. We want to know what it is that has deceived our brethren to make them separate from us. Babel always seeks to be one but their motives were evil and God scattered them, most likely with scorpion spirits.. The mind-deceiving serpent spirits deceive different members of the Body in different ways to keep them from knowing the truth. Since the head wags the tail, the rest of that body, whether it's one person or a group of many people, is going to follow whichever way the head leads. That's the job of the serpent spirits, but other demon spirits do the same thing. They sow their seeds of fear, doubt, unbelief, anger, lust, and so on, and if you receive their seed, your flesh will take on their nature. Your flesh will take on the nature of these demonic “gods” of the lusts of the flesh. Now Jesus sows a Seed, too, and if we believe and act on and live on it, we take on His Nature. The Spirit of Christ is come in order to sow His Seed in our hearts so that our hearts take on His Image. What's an “image”? Well, it's an imagination. The Bible says, (Rom.1:21) Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings… In other words, they “became vain in their imaginations.” So, what is a “vain” imagination? The Scriptural word for “vain” is mataioo, and it means “aimless, foolish, futile, without purpose.” A “vain” imagination is not doing what it's supposed to do; it's not working for God anymore. Your imagination was created to do something for you on this earth for God. If it's not fulfilling that purpose, then it's fulfilling another one, and it is vain. (Rom.1:21) Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. If you become vain in your imagination, if you have the kind of imagination that, for instance, brought the Flood (Gen.6:5-7) And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (7) And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them.), then your senseless heart is being darkened, because those imaginations are evil; know that the gods of the lusts of the flesh are taking advantage of you through this ground that they've gained in you. We need to be (2Co.10:5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. This is talking about re-taking the ground, these high places, that those spirits have taken from us. Anywhere you are being ruled by any lust, there's a demon around. He doesn't necessarily have to be on the inside; he might be on the outside, but he's still there. You can rebuke him, and when you rebuke him, he has to leave. If you know who you are in Christ, if you know the authority you have in Christ, and if you repent and believe it, when you rebuke the demon, he has to leave. So whatever problem you may have or situation you may currently be dealing with, you don't have to keep it. You don't have to be ruled by it any longer. You can take the authority you have in the Name of Jesus, and it has to leave. Any stronghold in your thoughts, or evil imaginations that the devil has used against you, you bring them into the obedience of Christ and cast them all away. Amen. Now, I want to remind you that the most important thing is to submit yourselves unto God. (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We do this by repenting and believing what the Word says about us. “Resist the devil, and he will flee” is a promise to us from the Word of God. If we submit to God and resist the devil, he has to flee, but the devil's not going to tell us that. He's going to try to convince us that he doesn't have to leave. He's going to try to convince you that you're in bondage to this lust. No, we're not in bondage to this lust. We've been set free from that bondage because Jesus bound the strong man and then He plundered him. Jesus crippled the devil. In the animal kingdom, when the mothers want to teach the babies how to hunt, the predator mother cripples the prey first. It may be a bird or a rabbit, and she sends the cub after it. She's teaching that cub how to be a predator. We need to understand that's what our Lord did for us. He went and crippled the devil. And not only that, He also took away his armor. Our Lord made it possible for us “little cubs” to run out there and jump on that old, mean devil. We can see a parable from God when we look at the animal kingdom. So now the devil is crippled, he has no armor and he's defenseless before us, but we have to know it and we have to believe it. We have to speak the Word of God; we have to swing the Sword! Now I'd like to share with you the following testimonies: God's Word Gave Faith for Deliverance From Ten Afflictions - Anonymous Wonderful things have taken place in our lives since reading “Sovereign God, For Us and Through Us.” We have been delivered of Asperger Syndrome (autism), bipolar disorder, asthma, sinus infections, food allergies, acid reflux, esophagitis, lacking a thyroid, broken toes, and smoking, over less than a five-month period through faith in the Word. My oldest son, at eleven years old, has been healed of Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, and bipolar disorder. Since my faith was awakened, I took courage in the promises of God and took him off of all his medication, which amounted to seven pills a day. He had been taking pills for five years to control behavioral problems. We were able to finish the school year with minimal problems, he had absolutely no withdrawal symptoms. By faith I called the school to tell them we were taking him off of all his meds because we had prayed and believed that God had healed him. It was a great opportunity for his teachers to see a miracle. Since then, we have had trials of our faith. The symptoms tried to come back. But I had already been through “hell on earth” from this demonic activity that we had earlier mistaken for mental illness. There was no way I was going to accept it back, once I knew the truth! The medications that he had been taking made him a zombie! They took away his personality and stunted his growth. Now he is happy, with an animated personality. He is able to eat and has gone through a big growth spurt! My middle son, aged five years, was healed from severe asthma! He was taking two inhalers twice a day, Singular pills, and Nasonex nasal spray for chronic sinus infections. In addition, he had to have nebulizer treatments. He has not had to take any of it since we stood on faith for his healing! We have had trials of our faith for him also. Twice it tried to come back, but I rejected it and cast it out again. He runs around and jumps on the trampoline and doesn't have problems breathing or being out of breath or with chronic sinus infections anymore! My youngest son, at age three years, has been healed from food allergies and severe acid reflux. He had been allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. Every time he would eat these foods he would have constant reflux and esophagitis so bad that he would almost lose his voice and would wake up crying all night. We stood on faith for this also. He has not had any problems with reflux or allergies to foods since. Again, when we were tested on this, we stood firm on God's promises. The symptoms left very quickly. My husband was healed from severe acid reflux disease and has not had to take Nexium for four months now! He can eat whatever he wants without any trouble. My son had also recently broken two toes on his right foot, so we prayed over them. They were completely healed within two days! He is able to fully bend them and move them now. He had injured the same foot years ago by dropping a weight on it and had not been able to bend those toes for years. But since God healed them, he has regained the motion in his toes on that foot! God delivered me from smoking, too. The thing that seemed like such a mountain to me just six months ago is just a side thought now. I had tried to quit smoking once, but had done it with more of a white-knuckle approach. I mostly went about it through my own willpower. Satan would tempt me often to start again. I would be jealous when I saw others smoking because I still wasn't depending on God for strength. I needed my crutch back. I started smoking again. Later while reading Sovereign God, I knew I needed to forsake this idol for good. This time I prayed to God to take the desire away for smoking. If any part of my deliverance came from my flesh, it would be another struggle, and possible failure again. After I prayed to God to deliver me, I knew instantly that I was delivered. I still had some cigarettes that I finished up, but I realized that the desire to smoke had left me. When the last one was gone, I knew I would never again want another. (Note: It might have been better to throw that partial pack away, but, thank You, Lord, for my deliverance.) It has been that way ever since – like I've never smoked a cigarette in my life! Praise God! These deliverances all happened simultaneously once I realized what Christ really did at the Cross. He still offers the same healing today that He did during His ministry on earth! I have received a tremendous miracle. Ten years ago, I had my thyroid removed because of a cancerous tumor that had been growing in it. Since then I had taken total replacement hormone for my body systems to function. If I missed more than two or three days in a row of taking it, I would not be able to hear my alarm to wake up in the morning or to think clearly that day. The doctors had told me that I could not live without this replacement hormone – the body cannot function without it indefinitely. All the body systems would shut down and I would eventually slip into a coma and die. About a year ago the doctors kept having to retake my thyroid blood levels and adjust my prescription dosage down. Every six weeks, when I would go in to have the blood level drawn again, it would still be too high! Because I didn't understand what was happening at the time, I was becoming frustrated at the lab and the doctor. After I read “Sovereign God,” I realized that God had been growing my thyroid back all this time in preparation for the coming wilderness time ahead! I reached up to my neck and felt around the scar. Sure enough, there was something there again! I had wondered about this situation in a wilderness-type environment, with no access to meds or health care. Now I don't have to be concerned about it anymore because I have received a tremendous miracle. I have been off my thyroid replacement meds for three months now. I feel more energy now than while taking it. God is good! He truly will meet all our needs even before we ask or before we have come to fully know the truth! God has wonderful things for me to serve Him with in the near future. I won't leave this earth until He is finished with me. Thank You, Father, for Your gifts! Another testimony: Set Free from Unforgiveness by A.L. I had unforgiveness in my heart toward someone. The Lord said it was time to be delivered, and He started working with me. This took about one year. It was rough at first. The enemy didn't want to leave, trying several times to keep me from forgiving. I put up a wall when this person was around. It was my way to keep from being hurt anymore. Some encounters were better than others, but the more I prayed, the better they got. Oftentimes, my memory would be flooded with all the hurtful things that I had buried inside. But I would cry out to the Lord and ask Him to forgive me for holding onto them and to please take them. He always did. There were times that I would be mad or aggravated with this person and would start ranting about what they had done. These rantings, the out-loud ones, were always to my mom. The rantings in my mind were to the Lord. He would always settle me down and take that memory so that it would be gone. My mom would very gently and lovingly look at me and tell me to let it go and remind me that I had to forgive this person. Most of the time it worked, but a few times I would fire back at her out of frustration and tell her, “I know. I'm working on it, but it doesn't go away overnight.” My mom prayed for me a lot, probably more than I realized. During this time, the Lord had me listen to the audio of “The Curse of Unforgiveness” series. [This is also in book form and available at no charge from ubm1.org as a PDF.] I downloaded it to my iPod and would go for a walk and listen to it. I listened to it several times. The more I prayed and overcame, the more layers the Lord peeled off. During the winter months, I like to stand or sit in front of the fire to pray. It's always quiet and peaceful. One night, the Lord put this person in my mind, so I started to pray. As I was praying, I asked the Lord to forgive me for having unforgiveness, anger, hurt, and bitterness in my heart. I asked Him, “Would You please take it?” As soon as I said those words, I felt it all come out of my chest. It was gone. I can't explain, but the feeling was great! I started praising the Lord with tears streaming down my face. I was free! The next night I was in my same spot, praying. The Lord brought this person to my mind again, only this time, I had to ask for love. I told the Lord, “I don't love this person. Would You please forgive me and give me love for them?” As soon as I said those words, I felt the love of God go right in through my chest. This feeling is indescribable – a hundred times better than the night before. I stood with tears streaming down my face, praising the Lord for His grace to get me through to the end. I love this person now and pray for them. I can be around them without it bothering me. There are no more buried memories. The Lord tilled up all of the roots so they could be plucked up and He could plant His Seed. Whenever I am delivered of something, I ask the Lord to fill that spot with something from Him. Thank You, Heavenly Father for Your grace to get me through to the end. We learn that it is the Father Who turns people over to the tormentors. Scripture consistently tells us God uses demons for chastening (Matthew 18:34). When we want to take away a demon's authority, we need to make sure that the groundwork has been done first so that we have the legal right to take away his authority. We must forgive. Jesus tells a story of a master who had forgiven his servant a great debt, but this servant went out and would not forgive his fellow servant a much smaller debt. Jesus said that His Father would turn that unforgiving servant over to the tormentors until he should pay what was due. Let's read that parable. (Mat.18:21) Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? (22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven. (23) Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would make a reckoning with his servants. (24) And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand talents. (25) But forasmuch as he had not [wherewith] to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. (26) The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. (27) And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. (28) But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred shillings: and he laid hold on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay what thou owest. (29) So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee. (30) And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay that which was due. (31) So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. (32) Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: (33) shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. The Lord said He will turn you over to the tormentors until you pay for what you have done because if you don't forgive, you are not forgiven. The devil knows when he has this right. He knows when you are not forgiven and he torments you, and his demons will continue to torment you, until you take that right away from him. This is necessary because you can't be saved while you are holding on to unforgiveness. If you don't forgive, you are not forgiven, which is the very foundation of salvation. If you want to take away the demons' rights over you, you need to forgive and you need to believe that Jesus delivered you from them at the Cross. That's the key. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us (it has already been done) out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. Like this person's testimony, if you will be sure to forgive everyone and exercise your faith toward God's promises, you will be a new person who is free to love and to associate with good people. I say that because so many of these people don't feel comfortable around good people and don't associate with good people. When they're around good people, they feel convicted. In my experience most demonic torment and much sickness is based in unforgiveness. See - The Curse of Unforgiveness

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"Our Sovereign God: His Incredible Wisdom" Dr. Steven Bell June 22, 2025 Scripture Daniel 2:17-23

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2025 72:52

"Our Sovereign God: His Incredible Wisdom" Rev. Matthew Hulbert June 22, 2025 Scripture Daniel 2:17-23

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2025 65:09

Daniel 7, Part 6 - The Sovereign God of History

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2025 48:12

June 22, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

"Our Sovereign God: His Awesome Power" Dr. Steven Bell June 15, 2025 Scripture Ezekiel 37:1 - 14

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2025 66:54

"Our Sovereign God: His Awesome Power" Rev. Matthew Hulbert June 15, 2025 Scripture Ezekiel 37:1 - 14

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2025 53:26

Daniel 7, the Sovereign God of History, Part 5

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2025 50:43

June 15, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

The Sovereign God is Faithful to His Promises

The Daily Nugget

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025

Today on the Daily Nugget, Mike talks about the incredible truth that our sovereign God is faithful to His promises. In a world full of broken commitments and shifting circumstances, it's easy to become skeptical or discouraged. But God's promises never fail. From Abraham to Jesus to your life today, He has always fulfilled what He has spoken. Mike reminds us that trusting in God's sovereignty isn't blind optimism—it's anchoring our lives in the reliability of His character. Whether you're waiting for a breakthrough, carrying a burden, or just wondering if God sees you, this episode will renew your confidence that He does—and He always keeps His word.

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Daniel 7, Part 4 - The Sovereign God of History

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2025 55:30

June 8, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

West Hills Community Church

Praying to the Sovereign God

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2025 42:25

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The Apostles’ Creed: We Believe in a Sovereign God

King's Arms Church - Bedford, UK

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025

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Daniel 7, Part 3 - The Sovereign God of History

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2025 49:17

June 1, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

Central Parish Radio's Podcast

THE SOVEREIGN GOD---PASTOR E.A.ODEYEMI

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2025 57:31

Send us a textMinistration by Pastor E.A.Odeyemi (Continental Over seer, RCCG West & Central Africa) at the 2025 Elders Congress of RCCG Central Parish, Abuja, Nigeria.Listen to more sermons on the word of God on Central Parish Radio via www.centralparishradio.org and Central Parish Radio App. Our App is available for download on Google Playstore.For enquiries or feedback please send an email to info@centralparishradio.orgDon't Forget to subscribe to our Podcast to receive notifications of new uploads that will bless you greatly.Follow us on our Social Media Handles for details and more; we are on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) @centralparishradio

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Ep. 189 "The Prepared Army: A Divine Message" - Joshua 1:10-18

"Married....Now What?"

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2025 30:59

"The new generation of Israel, which is made up of those who just waited for the elders to die, is now ready to and take the Promised Land. This initial episode is setting the stage for all of Israel to be prepared for the campaign to come. But first, they must be sure they are moving forward as a united people following the Sovereign God."In this lesson, Levi Mattes takes us through Joshua's initial address to the people of Israel after being commissioned by God as their new leader and their response to this change at an important point in her history.

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Daniel 7, Part 2 - The Sovereign God of History

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2025 46:24

May 25, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

Daniel 7, Part 1 - The Sovereign God of History

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 42:27

May 18, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

Daniel 3 - The Sovereign God Who Is Able

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2025 51:17

March 2, 2025Pastor Paul Fuller

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Daniel 4 - The Sovereign God Who Rules