Pray Network Forum

Enemies (11)

THE BLESSING OF SHOWING MERCY

Posted by David Young on September 24, 2018 at 14:41

Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

This is the first of the Beatitudes that may come close to making sense to modern Westerners. However that is because we really do not understand. This almost sounds like Jesus was saying, “If you are nice to people, they will be nice to you.” There is some truth to that. But it misses the reality of human nature and society. The world is not made up of nice people who will always be nice to you. If you only know those kinds of people your life is indeed sheltered.

I recently heard a testimony of a man who shortly after coming to faith in Christ heard Brother Andrew, God's Smuggler, talking with a prominent Near Eastern Sheikh who was ordering the death of 8 Israelis because 4 Palestinians had been killed. Brother Andrew ask him, “But where does forgiveness come in?” The sheikh answered, “That is only for those who deserve it.”

Much closer to home, I heard a woman tell about a man in her child’s Public School who mistreated and lied about her daughter. This was a horrible time for their family. Later she got some perspective on the events because the man was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She said, “I can forgive him because we found out his behavior was affected by the tumor. But I can't forgive other School Employees, and even friends in our church, who believed him when he said those things, even though they had known our daughter all her life.”

I understand her hurt, and why she said what she did, but that was not what Jesus taught. Christian Mercy does not end with those who are excusable. Later in this same chapter Jesus tells us we are to be like our Heavenly Father who sends sunshine and rain on the just and the unjust. We are even to love our enemies with the love of God.

What some of you are already thinking is important to understand. It is not true that your enemy will show you mercy, if you show him compassion. What then did Jesus mean? Like all of the Beatitudes this looks beyond the rewards given by other humans on this Earth. Jesus was pointing to the ultimate mercy of our Heavenly Father.

Toward the end of Mark 11 Jesus gives us one the most powerful promises of praying in faith. And then in verse 25 he extends what he says about faith with these words.

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Jesus clearly links trusting God to forgive our own sins with forgiving those who have wronged us.

Matthew 5 concludes with the words, “Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” How in the world are we ever going to obey this command? The only way we could do it is through the gospel. When we receive Jesus Christ, we receive His mercy, His righteousness, and His forgiveness for all who who receive Him. Are you striving and praying to show His mercy toward those around you? We receive His power in our lives to love and forgive as He forgives. But we will not know our final Christ-like perfection until we stand before the Father in His forgiveness and grace.

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http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

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PTAP: Spiritual Conflict - Heavenly Places

Posted by Merton J. Hershberger on April 13, 2018 at 15:29
"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
Our battle, our fight, is not against flesh and blood. There is a tremendous battle going on in the heavily realms over people that do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. There are spiritual forces that are battling. The Muslims in the Arab Gulf are not the enemy of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Muslims in the Arab Gulf are not our enemy. Satan (and his forces) is the enemy. Satan has blinded the minds of all unbelievers so they cannot see the Living God.
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Pray for believers in the Arab Gulf to see the spiritual battle raging over the lives of the Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula. They people are caught up behind the false religion of Islam. Pray for Islam to loose its grip over the Arabian Peninsula.
Pray that believers in the Arabian Peninsula and around the world would increase the work in the battling in the heavenlies to see Arab Gulf Muslims released and enter into His great Kingdom.
Pray for Arab Gulf Muslims to repent and turn to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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PRAYING YOUR POLITICS

Posted by David Young on April 12, 2016 at 0:27

1 Timothy 2:1,2 reads,

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

Are you submitted to this injunction? Have you been praying for your president?  Are you praying daily for your governor, your senator and congressmen?

This command includes those you do not agree with. It even includes those you believe are destroying our country. Paul was not only calling for prayer for pagan local potentates. He wanted the churches to pray for Tiberius Caesar!

Praying my politics also includes praying my ignorance. When we come to politics, we often assume knowledge that is beyond our purview. I am not saying we should vote anything but our convictions. But when we come to prayer we need to recognize that we do not understand all that God may be doing. He is capable of using the foolish to bring about His wisdom and the wicked to accomplish His purposes.

This may mean no more than admitting to God that I trust His sovereignty to allow, or even bring about, things I do not understand. It surely means asking God to show me what to pray for, and being open for Him to change my mind. 

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PRAYING FOR OUR ENEMIES

Posted by David Young on April 16, 2015 at 17:10

How are you loving your enemies? It should not surprise us that Jesus Himself applied this impossible command with a prescription for prayer.

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.[i]

I recently read something on the web from a man who works as a Christian apologist that severely attacked Bill Nye (the science guy). I wrote a comment about loving and praying for Bill Nye. The man wrote back somewhat offended thinking I was saying he should abandon his ministry. I admit that that I may not have been as kind or loving as I should have been to the apologist with my public comment. But it is crucial for believers to base our polemics in the love of Christ.

This requires prayer because it is impossible in human strength. I need to regularly pray for God's power to love my enemies. I need to ask God to help me love members of ISIS and radical Islam.  And this needs to be specific. I need God to help me pray by name for my Muslim Medical Doctor and the News anchor who will twist the News to get people to support same sex marriage. And yes, the television personality who would lead my grandchildren into sin and unbelief.

And I don't know about you, but I have trouble figuring out how to do and even think about this. I need God to show me how to love, my family and friends. How much more do need Him to show me how to love my enemies?

I just saw a great interview on this on http://www.radical.net/blog/ . I want to recommend this blog to all serious Christians. And certainly more pressing to the point of this subject I want to recommend this particular video whose link I found on it. http://www.rosariabutterfield.com/ This video and others on this site are particularly on loving my homosexual neighbors, but they establish the principle of prayerfully loving real people.

I discipline myself to pray for many people that stretch my prayer life. I have wondered if I should make a special prayer list for my enemies and for enemies of Christianity in general. At this point I have decided not to pray for them in a specific list. First, I have enough trouble praying for them when they are mixed with people who are not as difficult to pray for. And I need to see prayer needs as a mixture of growth and joy. And the greatest of these elements often flow out of the love for the same people. Father put Your love in me for enemies all around us.

 

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

http://www.radical.net/blog/

http://www.rosariabutterfield.com/

 

 


[i] Matthew 5:44,45

 

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PRAYING IN DISCOURAGEMENT

Posted by David Young on January 22, 2015 at 13:20

Luke 18 begins by saying Jesus spoke a parable that we might always pray and not faint. Jesus then tells us there was a wicked judge who didn’t fear God or care about men. Is there any place in society where corruption is as despicable as in the judiciary? The judge’s bench is to be our last protection against lawlessness.  And a certain widow woman came before this crooked judge who had been cheated by swindlers. She didn’t even have enough money left to hire a lawyer, but she came to court anyway. At first glance the crooked judge tore up her paperwork and threw it away. But the next day as he set on the bench his clerk handed him her papers painstakingly filled out again.

“There isn’t anything in this for me,” he shouted at his clerk and threw out her paperwork again. But the next day and the next she was there again. Week after week, month after month she sat there before him determined to find justice. Finally, the wicked judge said, “I don’t care about what is right, but I am going to grant this woman justice against her enemy just to keep her from wearing me out.

Jesus concluded, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

We face at least 4 unjust judges in our lives. Luke says the focus of this parable is discouragement that causes us to give up on our prayers. These four unjust judges seek to do just that.

Pray in spite of the judgment of Your Life Circumstances

We face situations in a fallen word that cause us to be discouraged in our prayers. Believers are not exempt from evil circumstances around us. You are a child of God on a mission from your Father in an unfair world. If you don't keep praying when life is not fair, you will miss a great part of the purpose of prayer.

Pray in spite of the judgment of Your Moods

Our own moods discourage us more than circumstances. In fighting moods that plague me nothing benefits me as much as focusing on the goodness of God. The unjust judge is not a picture of God in this parable. He is a contrast to God. Jesus points us instead to the goodness of God, the faithful love of God and the fact that God chose us to be His own. Have you ever sung the little chorus taken from 1John 3:1? “Behold what manner of love the Father hath given unto us, that we should be called the children of God.” I find praise songs to be a wonderful antidote to discouragement and depression. This one notes the awe that takes over the heart of a believer when you get a real grip on this truth. You are a child of the living God!

Pray in spite of the judgment Other People

Do you remember the story of story of blind Bartimaeus? The crowd was telling him to shut up rather than cry out to Jesus. People will often try to discourage you. I got a call from a chaplain friend this week who had received a terribly discouraging text on his phone 5 minutes before the chapel service was to begin. I told him, “That was done on purpose. I think the man who sent the text intended to discourage you. But even if he did not, our real enemy meant it so.”

Pray in spite of the judgment of Your Enemy

Believers need to know that we are in the midst of spiritual war. And the enemy of our God is the enemy of our souls. He will try to discourage you from doing anything God wants you to do. And he is especially terrified by your prayers. If he can keep you from praying, he will defeat you in every area of your life. But if you pray even when you are discouraged, he will not be able to keep you discouraged and God will shake the earth.

 

 

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

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Why pray for the desert tribes?

Posted by Merton J. Hershberger on January 13, 2015 at 12:30

The news is filled with stories of people from the Arabian Peninsula who have developed a reputation as terrorists. Some would call them enemies.

 

Jesus commanded us to pray for our enemies. To pray for our enemies is to pray for them the way Jesus did: to pray that they would find forgiveness as they repent and discover the mercies that are new every morning in the Messiah.

 

The Messiah did not die in a way that seemed noble. But His nobility was vindicated through the resurrection. Some who pray for the Arabian Peninsula, are called to go there in Jesus name. We must also pray for them. While there is no guarantee that they will be "successful" in terms of winning thousands by themselves. Those who follow Jesus faithfully will have success in the resurrection.

 

Peace,

Mert Hershberger

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PTAP: ISIS is impacting the Region

Posted by Merton J. Hershberger on March 11, 2015 at 11:40

PTAP would ask that we would pray for those suffering under the hand of ISIS and also pray for ISIS to be convicted of sin. Our continued battle is not with flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces that cause people to act with such evil. Attached is a 30 day prayer guide you can download and pray through this situation. ISIS is effecting Syria and Iraq, but also the whole world. So please pray and seek His face during these times.

 

https://files.ctctcdn.com/198b864e001/6acfa5e8-226c-4d65-ba54-a52a6a52a689.pdf

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PRAYER THAT PRODUCES LOVE

Posted by David Young on October 16, 2014 at 13:27

Prayer is certainly bound together with love. Prayer is the expression of love. And love ought to be the motivation for our prayers. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus commanded His followers, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” You do not love your enemies, if you are not praying for them. And prayer is a powerful means of developing love for those who are difficult to love. I believe it is an expression of love to pray for someone you bitterly dislike, simply out of obedience. Because God has told you to someone, you struggle to ask Him to work in her life. But as you carry that out day by day, the love of Christ for that person will grow in your heart and mind.

 

I would like you to try this exercise. Make a list of people you have trouble loving. Maybe it is someone who wronged you or someone you care about. Maybe it is a person whose attitudes or behavior you do not approve. The very thought of them irritates you. Most of us can come up with a list of 4 or 5 such people off the top of our heads. You may ask God to bring such people to your mind. When you have the list, take time to pray for these people every day for a week. You may be tempted to pray for God to bring them into judgment, but you don't want to pray that kind of prayer for someone Jesus died to redeem. I think it is acceptable to begin by praying for God to change them or bring them to repentance.  From there you can ask God to show you how to pray for them. At the end of the week take an assessment of your attitude toward them. It will have changed. You will be drawn nearer to the heart of God.

 

 

http://daveswatch.com/

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Problems That Are Not From The Enemies

Posted by Dr Daniel K. Olukoya on August 26, 2011 at 4:59
I would like you to open your mind and be very attentive, as you read this message. Don’t allow the enemies to make you miss one sentence from what you are about to read now. This message discusses the problems that are not from the enemies. A careful search of the word of God will make us to understand that there are five sources of sufferings for a Christian.

1. It could be due to satanic activities: Job 2:7 confirms this, "So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown" Job’s problem therefore was as a result of satanic activities. The woman in Luke Chapter 13 that Jesus healed; the woman called the daughter of Abraham was bound up by the devil for 18 years. Jesus himself confirmed the fact. It is an established fact therefore that Job as well as the daughter of Abraham were both afflicted by Satan.

2. Ungodly men: 2 Timothy Chapter 4 verse 14 says, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; the Lord reward him according to his works”. It is certain therefore that a believer’s suffering could come from ungodly men like Alexander the coppersmith.

3. The world system: 2 Peter Chapter 2 verse 8 says, "For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." The world system too could constitute a problem for the righteous men. They really harass the souls and spirits of believers everyday.

4. A believer’s suffering could come from man’s fallen nature: Roman Chapter 7 verses 14 and 15 say, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would that do I not; but what I hate, that do I”. Man’s fallen nature without any doubt, could give him problems.

Carnal Christianity: Philippians Chapter I verses 15 and 16 say, "Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of goodwill. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds. "2 Timothy Chapter 4 verse 10 says; "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica."

Beloved reader, the five sources of believers’ sufferings as far as the Bible is concerned, are what you have just read. It is important to locate the source of one’s problems. Remember the story of a farmer in Matthew, who planted wheat on his farmland, but from nowhere, tares started growing amidst it. The farmer knew straightaway that the enemy performed the wicked task. Whenever God plants good things in a place, the enemy or Satan is usually unhappy. It does not come as a surprise therefore that the enemy will make moves to destroy, pollute or choke them.

I don’t know whether you will like what I’m about to say. It is very tempting to blame everything that goes wrong on the devil. When things go wrong, people complain bitterly and say that it is the devil that pushed them to do it. The question is why did such people supply their backs for Satan to ride on? God does not at any point in time expect you you supply your back to the devil. He does not expect you to turn your back to the enemy and run. He expects you to wage war against him.

A long time ago in England, there was a cartoon in one of the major newspapers. It was the picture of a church and of the devil. The devil was standing outside the church, crying bitterly. Then somebody came to Mr. Devil to find out why he was crying bitterly. The devil responded tearfully that he was usually blamed for all the evil taking place in the church. The devil then narrated what happened at a christian naming ceremony. He the devil had afflicted the food to be served there, He said that a greedy brother who was supposed to have only one plate of food collected three rations. The brother became greatly afflicted by his own greediness, he had serious cholera. The devil said that the brother in question was responsible for the affliction that visited him.

The problem in our lives, in many instances are not always demonic in their source, no matter how we sometimes claim to be innocent. The blunt truth is that most people are the cause of their problems. Many of man’s problems will disappear if he can just remove selfishness from his life. He will also get freedom if he thinks first before acting. The selfishness of a man or a woman can land the whole of his or her family in trouble. A lot of problems would disappear from your life if selfishness is removed from your marriage. Many people shut themselves off from blessings, they are concerned only about their own comfort.

You must know this fact, that most of those that were blessed in the bible by God, had always blessed others first, both in cash and in kind. Have you ever thought of the fact that if Jesus was selfish, he would not have come to die for us. The bible says that one might even offer to die for a good man. But when a person decides to die for somebody who is evil, then there is need to think of the selflessness of that person. You and I are saved today because Jesus was not selfish. Selfish people often harm themselves.

There was this story of a man, who had an accident and was rushed to the hospital. The nurse on duty was supposed to close at 8.00 p.m. For the simple reason that the man who had an accident was brought to that hospital at about 8.00 p.m. the nurse refused to attend to him. She chose instead to paint her lips and change her clothes. The fact that the situation was an emergency one did nothing to change the heart of the lady. All pleas to make her change her mind fell on deaf ears. She insisted on going home. She went home only to discover that her husband was not at home. By the time she ran around to know where her husband was, she found out that her husband was the injured man to whom she refused to give the necessary service the previous night. The man died thereafter. Now if I may ask you this question, was the devil responsible for the woman’s affliction?

Many Christians may not like to face this fact, but a lot of believers are very selfish. Majority of the prayers that most Christians pray are for themselves. All forms of anger that most people engage in, are motivated by selfishness. Most people are angry because somebody has violated their rights. May be you are fond of saying, ’A whole me’, the big question is "who are you?" If God withdraws your breath for five minutes, where will you be? When you are bitter against somebody because he or she has done something to harm your pride, you are undoubtedly a selfish person. Although this is very difficult for many people to admit, many problems are of people’s own making and a lot of people have specialised in what is called "Blame shifting". Try to accept blame for your own wrong doing and stop putting the blame on someone else.

Many problems we bring on ourselves are as a result of our words and/or deeds. When you speak words carelessly in an angry way, those words could be missiles that have irrevocable result. The principle that the Bible highlighted in Galatians Chapter 6 verse 7, can never be defeated. It says that, "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." You cannot push it aside. David sowed a seed of family destruction, took another man’s wife, and killed the man. David then reaped the harvest of family destruction from his son, Absalom. If you must throw mud at others you would first of all have to stain your own hands. You must therefore not throw mud at people. It is just a simple law of repercussion.

God Himself can also be the source of our problems. Therefore, not all problems are bad problems. God can design problems that will make you come closer to Him and also make you more prayerful. Naaman was a proud person who didn’t get his healing until he dumped his pride and moved closer to God.

The flesh is another source of problem. Our own carnal nature could be the source of our problems. It is the old man. The demons and the evil spirits are like vultures that eat our flesh or our carnal nature. That is why problems from evil spirits can be solved by expelling the evil spirits. But if the problem is from your own flesh, death is the only solution. That flesh must be crucified.

I remember the story of a serious Christian brother who boarded a bus and somebody gave him a dirty slap. Although the other commuters wanted the brother to retaliate, he refused bluntly. He said he would not slap the man back as his hands have been nailed to the cross. In essence, the brother was saying that his hands and indeed his entire body have been nailed to the cross.

Beloved reader, the question you need to answer is this, can you do what that brother did? I am quite sure some Christians would rather deal countless blows on the person involved. Such people have not crucified their flesh. Satan will always send his demons into an already bad situation, if you are not weary. All you have to do is to avoid certain things. Every bit of anger that you put up could be your problem activator. Every exercise in worry that you engage in, could be your problem activator. A good prayer point is for you to know your problem activator. Sometimes, by memorising and confessing scriptures that speak to certain life’s problems, Satan and his agents will stay away from you. You have to determine to do this or else, the flesh will keep you away from confessing the scriptures.

Most things posing as problems to Christians cannot withstand regular bombardment of prayers, but the flesh will not do the regular bombardment of prayers. By the time people come to church and they are able to absorb the word of God, they will be able to deal with spirit of worry, discouragement, impatience, etc. They will also be able to repent, and resist temptations. The problems would then disappear. By the time you come to the house of God and you refuse to work on other people’s agenda, 90% of the problems are over.

It will interest you to know that not all problems require casting out demons from believers’ lives. For example, if the enemy has removed a part of somebody’s body, such a person does not need deliverance, he needs a creative miracle. So it is a great prayer to ask for creative miracle where it is necessary in your life. Deliverance will not restore or replace any part of the body that is lost. Somebody that is not feeding well and becomes sick as a result of this does not need deliverance. He needs to feed very well. Sometimes it is after a situation has gone bad and terrible, that the devil will send his demons there, meanwhile, the demons were not there originally. A creative miracle is required in those kinds of cases.

Let me tell you one big truth today, most Christians need to check what they eat. You will find that the food recommended by the bible is not expensive, but the problem is that what most people need is not what they eat. Mark 12:30-31 says, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" There are three groups of people for you to love; you must love God, you must love your neighbours, then you must love yourself. Many would say they don’t need a lecture on how to love themselves.

The truth is that a lot of people have intense hatred for themselves. God made the body, soul and spirit. God is undoubtedly interested in every department of your life. You are the temple of God. So if you are destroying the temple of God which is your body, or you are misusing it, you will have problems with God. It is destruction and you will think it is witches and wizards not knowing that it is God.

God is interested in what you eat. A lot of Christians consume terrible poison everyday. When you over eat flesh, sugar, butter, etc they would overtax your digestive organ, because your body cannot process the food fast enough and unless you use up that energy supply that you have, you will begin to have problems which you will think is demonic, whereas there is no demon involved. A lot of Christians kill themselves daily because of what they eat. Some people have become tea addicts, soft drink addicts, canned food addicts, chocolate addicts, e.t.c. Some hate fasting in any form, not knowing that it is another way of purifying their systems.

God sometimes calls people fools, because they don’t know what they are supposed to know. And right now, even as you are reading this message, do you know that you could be your own enemy? You may be fighting actively against yourself. But one thing is certain, malfunctioning in anybody’s life, is not God’s fault. People don’t like facing the truth. A lot of people have turned themselves to masquerades. They are the ones pursuing themselves.

How long will you run away from yourself? When will you stand up and acknowledge the truth about yourself? Acknowledging the truth about yourself is the first step in the school of spiritual maturity. For how long will you repeat the mistake of Adam? Adam did not point at himself, he said ’the wife thou gavest to me, she gave to me and I did eat.’ As far as you do not want to face the truth about yourself, you will give your enemies a hiding place in your life. The person then becomes a student in the dangerous school of self-deception, then you will be fighting against yourself.

A person cannot succeed in christian life when he or she is lazy. A spiritual sluggard cannot pray and cannot read the Bible. A lazy christian would listen to music for three hours, watch television for four hours and pray for fifteen minutes. A lazy Christian would come to the house of God only to collect blessings, and not to really do according to God’s words. So a lot of people are battling against themselves, while they think they are battling against the enemy.

Apart from the devil, a man has only one other enemy; that enemy is his own self. When self is at work, God’s work will cease, and man’s work will continue. The enemy or the devil knows that you are doing your own will and not God’s will. The devil will then move in and contaminate you. God’s work has ceased in many people’s lives. Anything you do for God that is not energised by His spirit is of little value. So the subject with the highest mark in God’s school, is deliverance from self.

A lot of people are in bondage to themselves. They are spoiling themselves and pampering their own lives. The subject with the highest mark in the devil’s school is self exaltation. Pride is exaltation of self. Every postponement of repentance is pride and is tantamount to wrestling against God. The senior prefect in the school of self-exaltation will rather die than to ask for forgiveness or to apologise. Such people are fighting actively against themselves. Failure to carry our self analysis, or coming to terms with yourself is dangerous. It may lead to fighting against yourself. The bible says ’examine yourself, whether you be in the faith or not.

You need to turn the searchlight of the Holy Spirit on yourself now. You need to ask yourself questions like, ’am I not proud?’ Do I not tell lies? Am I not impatient? Do I really like fasting and praying or am I doing it because other are doing it? Do I not love Jesus for the bread and butter that he supplies? Do I really love Jesus? Can I die for him? Supposing ten people are asked to go for evangelism in a village that is demonic, how many will be willing to go? Am I serious with God when I am rich? Is it not when I am broke that I am serious with praying? Am I not lazy in prayers? Do I not keep malice? Do I have love? Do I like being told the truth about life, or do I avoid those who tell me the truth about my life? Do I enjoy being criticised or do I hate criticism in any form? Do I have faults?

Am I fully obedient to God? Am I the kind of person who likes to be noticed? Do I really have the baptism of the Holy Spirit or I’m still relying on one funny dream I had a long time ago? Do I tell lies against God? Do I say God said when He didn’t say anything? Do I think or meditate on immorality? What do you think when you are on your bed alone at night, as a bachelor or as a spinster? Do I like committing secret sins?

Face the truth, beloved, if not, you are fighting yourself. Except you do this, you will be making a mistake fighting against all the forces of darkness. It is like that boy who was preaching a message on putting on the whole armour of God. In order to make people understand the message, he brought physical helmet, shield to church and was wearing them one after the other. He put on the helmet, shield, and everything he brought to the people. Then he asked the members of his congregation where the devil can attack from now after wearing all that. Then one old man of God who was sitting there told the young man, that the devil could come from inside!

If you are wearing the armour of God, and the devil is already inside , you are just using the armour to cover him inside. What have you done about the one inside of you? It is that one that constitutes your greatest problem. The bible says, touch not my anointed, if you are being touched, then carry out self analysis. The enemy will use your weak point and the unconfessed sin in your life to attack you. Those who don’t want to carry out self analysis are running away from themselves, they are fighting themselves, and God likes sincere people.

How can God invest so much in a person and the person is not yeilding any fruit? What type of fruit is your life bearing? Or have you forgotten that Jesus does not put value on fruitless Christians. He however does not want you to be cut down. Remember that God is continuously crying that He saved many people, filled them with the Holy Ghost, brought them to His sanctuary, yet, they are not bringing any fruit. It is useless for you to be fighting witches, wizards and herbalists when you are not bearing fruits for God.

Things cannot move for you until you allow God to possess you and your fruits. Do you want God to replace you? My prayer is that you will not be replaced in Jesus’ name. I also pray that you will bring forth fruits, such that God’s heart will be filled with joy.

Many Christians will get into trouble because of their families. The bible says pour your anger on the family that calls not on the name of the Lord. If your own family does not come together every morning and every night to worship God and to pray to Him, then you can be convinced that you are on your own. May God have mercy on you. What fruits are you producing for the Lord with all your intelligence, academic success, good job, financial position, influential personality, capacity to communicate, and your natural leadership ability. Of what use are you putting it to further the course of the Kingdom? A fruitless Christian is fighting against himself. Many keep saying, "I will fully participate when the Lord solves my problem." What a pity, you cannot blackmail God.

Do not allow God to push you into where there is utter darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. God can do it if you refuse to use the talents He gave to you. If you keep on burying your talents, you are giving your enemies opportunities to destroy you. Think about it. If you engage in strife, then you are giving enemies a chance to plant a stronghold in your life. You will also be hindering your own blessings. If you are keeping demonic invasions.

You cannot attack demons successfully when you have their properties in your body or house. All the amulets and the waistband will only strengthen the battle against you. If you obtained partial deliverance and you are attacking the enemies, you are only attacking yourself because part of the enemy is still in you.

All those engaging in sexual immoralities cannot win any war against the enemy. It does not matter whether or not the person is your fiancee. You may think you are enjoying yourself now, but you are actually waging a serious war against your own life. The bible says that children that are disobedient to their parents are only inviting short life and they are fighting themselves. Those who are seeking worldly pleasure are killing themselves because they are strengthening their enemies. Why should you be strengthening your enemies? Why should you be fighting against yourself? Why should you not face the truth about yourself?

Why not say "Lord here am I". I want to be free from sins. Not all problems are caused by the enemies. Many play serious roles in their own problems. Before you bind a problem, examine it carefully so as to be sure that you are not binding your own self. I want you to face the truth because one thing is certain, if you are blameless and you pray fire prayer, no witch from the bottom of hell fire can stand against you. If you then notice that something is hindering you, self analysis must be carried out. Ask yourself questions, and make confessional prayers. Now if you know that after reading this message, you have an adjustment to make with God, just put your hand on your chest and speak to the Lord yourself about that particular area.

Face the truth, do it now and don’t allow the enemy to be using your weakness against you, so that when you spit fire in your prayers the fire will function. Make sure you do it very well. What you are doing now is tantamount to taking legal action against the devil, by removing his stronghold. By so doing, the devil would not be able to operate successfully in you.

Pray the following prayers points for the week with fire in your spirit.

Prayer Points

1. Let every evil desire and expectation of the enemy concerning my life collapse now in the name of Jesus.
2. I challenge every department of my body with the fire of God (Lay your right hand on the head and the other one on the stomach) in the name of Jesus.
3. Let every stolen organ from my body be restored now in the name of Jesus.
4. I reject every counterfeit blessing, I claim the correct blessings in the name of Jesus.
5. O Lord, reveal to me who I am (a lot of people are masquerades to themselves, they don’t know themselves. Yet they want to be attacking their enemies).
6. O Lord, I repent from everything that I have done to aid the enemy.
7. O Lord, deliver me from every accusation of the evil one against me in the name of Jesus.
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My Sermon Outline for 9/11

Posted by Bruce Sidebotham on September 7, 2011 at 11:05
Point 1: Love conquers fear (1 John 4:18). Terrorism inspires fear. Fear causes response of flight (“Islam is peaceful”) or fight (“Muslims are evil”). Without love, we lack objectivity, become reactive victims, and follow popular paths of least resistance into either denial or anxiety. With love we seize productive initiative.

Point 2: Prayer for enemies inspires proper attitudes (Matthew 5:44). When Jesus told his followers to love enemies and pray for persecutors, he compared that response to God’s response to us. God sends rain on both the righteous and the wicked. God is never a victim and always has the initiative. Human behavior does not manipulate God.

Point 3: Stephen prayed for Saul (Acts 7:60 & 8:1). Triumphing over the perpetrators of this 9-11 evil takes radical initiative.

Application: Consider “adopting” a terrorist for prayer from ATFP.org .
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Love (and pray) for Enemies?

Posted by Reimagine Curator on April 19, 2010 at 18:26

...everything changes when Christians get power. When Jesus said "Love your enemies," he was talking to people who didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. Sure, they could rebel (and they did), but it was always short-lived and futile in the wake of Roman retribution. American Christians today stand in a very different situation than did Jesus or Paul.

Power changes love, somehow seducing it by reminding us what we have to lose. And when love has something to lose, it wavers. The love of Jesus is unhindered, unwavering, exuberant. I don't know if brown is the new black or if Muslims are the new Nazis But I do know that there is no "new love" to offer our enemies in this world. The old one, demonstrated so well by Jesus, works just fine, and remains the only answer, albeit a disturbing one, to this perplexing question.

Are Muslims the New Nazis?
Dave Datema, General Director, Frontier Mission Fellowship
Mission Frontiers March-April 2010
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