Do You Have the Power?

The person of the Holy Spirit has been described in many ways; the third person of the trinity, the Comforter, a dove, etc. What about as "power"? Jesus called the Holy Spirit, "The Promise of the Father"(Luke 24:49). He described the Holy Spirit as being clothed with power from on high, and as power to witness(Acts 1:8).

When the Holy Spirit did come in Acts 2:4, listen to how the Apostle Peter describes the gift of Holy Spirit...

 

These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.    –Acts 2:15-19

 

Read that passage carefully… The Apostle Peter says that what Joel is describing, is the coming of the Holy Spirit. Now does that describe the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Prophesying, dreams, visions, signs and wonders, POWER? Also notice that the Gift of the Holy Spirit is not limited to spiritual leaders, older believers, or a particular gender. The “Promise of the Father”, the “power from on high” is for everyone; men, women, young, old, those in leadership, and the common man, and they will ALL prophesy.

The Apostle Peter in Acts 2, the Prophet Joel in Joel 2, along with the Lord Jesus in Luke 24 describe the Holy Spirit as a prophetic anointing with charismatic power. Now, since we are all different, the work of the Holy Spirit in each person will look different. That being said, it cannot be overstated, that Jesus said that a believer's life should be one marked by supernatural power…

 

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will recover.”       -Mark 16:17-18

 

After Jesus left this earth in this ascension, we see that “those who believe” engaged their community with the power of God on their lives.

 

Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.    –Acts 2:43

 

When was the last time you saw the Holy Spirit at work like that in your life? Would you describe this precious third person of the trinity as being “clothed with POWER from on high”? Take an honest look at your spiritual life. Is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life a true fulfillment of “what was spoken by the prophet Joel” as Peter said it should be?

Jesus wants more for you than to just be saved. He wants to clothe you with power from on high so that you can do what He has called you to do on this earth.

 

“For John baptized you with water, but in a few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  –Acts 1:5

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you….    –Acts 1:8

If your relationship with the Holy Spirit is not one of charismatic power with a prophetic anointing as described by the Prophet Joel, seek Him today. He is the “Promise of the Father”, “The Gift”, and He is just waiting for you to receive.

Ending Gun Violence

It has happened again. Another mass shooting has come to what should be the safest country in the world. As usual, Americans on all sides of the political spectrum are having knee jerk reactions.

Some Americans point to this repetitive pattern of gun violence as clear evidence for gun law reforms or even stricter gun laws. There are renewed calls for an assault weapons ban, mandatory universal background checks, a national gun owner registry, and even gun owners insurance.

Other Americans maintain that this tragedy is just another reason to relax current gun restrictions. The call for banning "Gun Free" zones is gaining momentum as these tragedies take place where citizens have been prevented from protecting themselves. Shooters pick these gun free zones because they know that they will be “gun free” and therefore have no defense.

Our nation hasn't always had this gun problem. As a matter of fact, from 1927-1990 there were less than 10 mass shootings in our schools. Then from 1990 on there has been at least one school shooting every year, most recently, multiple school shootings every year. So what was different about our society back then? Certainly there weren't more gun free zones. In fact, decades ago you could carry guns in more places than you can today.

I remember my grandfather telling me of a time when everybody had a gun and sometimes, kids even carried them to school. He told me that "back in his day" you could wake up early, go hunting, go to school after hunting and leave your gun in your truck in the school parking lot with no problem. Yet, there were hardly any schools shootings back then like there are every few months today.

So what was different? Consider America's attitude to God, faith, and the Bible back then. Our society embraced faith back then. We were a people of faith. We upheld the teachings of the Bible and at least tried to govern with its guidance. And we honored God. Morals and right living were not seen as antiquated, restrictive, and "judgmental" as they are today. Immorality was condemned, shunned, and spoken against from the highest office. Not encouraged and legislated like it is today. If we want to stop the cycle of mass shootings in our nation, we need to return to that.

The answer to ending gun violence is neither more gun control nor more relaxed gun laws. The only way to end gun violence is for America to return being a nation of faith, that is committed to biblical principles, and honors God. We have taken prayer out of school, the Ten Commandments out of the courthouse, and the name of Jesus out of our prayers. We have allowed society to degenerate into corruption and to drift away from God, and we wonder why we see a mass shooting on the news every few months. 

The increase in mass shootings in not because of more gun laws neither is it because of the NRA. It is because our nation has abandoned the practice of teaching people what is right and what is wrong. The violence we see today is a direct manifestation of our neglect to encourage each other to live righteously, ethically, and within certain moral boundaries.

We, as a society, have been conditioned to flinch and cringe at the very thought of "moral boundaries". That was from a different time, an oppressive time... It was also from a time where 7 year olds weren't being slaughtered in their classrooms...  Not because of political and ideological control and manipulation, but because our culture reflected our values. So these atrocities were the tragic exception not the routine.

Gun control will not stop this, neither will the NRA. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can stop this. The lifechange that comes from the Gospel will change the direction of our society in numerous ways including gun violence. Sadly, it may take a generation to get back to where we need to be. But we must start today. Let's start today. Not in book of the law in the house of Congress, but in the book of the Bible in the House of God.

Why You MUST be Born Again

"Are you a 'Born Again' Christian?" I remember when somebody asked me that question. I thought it was so weird. I mean, am I a born again Christian as opposed to what? Is there a difference between "Born Again" Christians and everyone else? According to Jesus Christ, if you are not born again, you are not a Christian.

Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

                                               -John 3:3

Except a man be born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

                                              -John 3:5

You should not be surprised by my statement; "you must be born again".

                                              -John 3:7

The New Testament authors also testified of the necessity of rebirth.

Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone, and a new life has begun.

                             -2 Corinthians 5:17

This aside, there is a major theological reason why we "must be born again". We cannot receive God's salvation as we are because we are still sons of Adam. As children of Adam, we carry within us the curse and it's results. We have been cut off from God because of our sin, and alienated from Him due to our corrupt nature.

Even if we were to simply have our sins pardoned we still could not be redeemed.  In order to be granted salvation we needed a new nature and a new spiritual identity. In order to be redeemed our life as a son of Adam must end and our life as a son of God must begin. Children of Adam cannot inherit the Kingdom because Adam is the father of death. Only Children of God can inherit the Kingdom because He is the Father of life.

That was the purpose of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If our sinful behavior was the only problem, God could have stopped with the death of Christ. In His death, the judgement and wrath of God for our transgressions was satisfied. Our debt was paid. He rose from the grave because not only did we need to be pardoned of our sins, we need a new life, a new heart. That is why Christ said, "you must be born again".

You Don't HAVE to Be Holy, You GET to Be Holy

I can't narrow down a date in history, but at some point, holiness became a bad word in the church. Somewhere along the line, encouraging people to live right before the Lord became a judgmental discipleship method. In the 21st century, preaching against sin, and exhorting people to turn away from a sinful lifestyle and abstain from immortality is seen as counterproductive and sending the wrong message. For some reason, we have adopted the mentality that not contaminating ourselves with the world, and living as a separate people is a self righteous world view.

If that wasn't bad enough, we question God's moral standard for our lives. Every time a minister encourages believers to stop living in a way that displeases God, someone responds, "But why?" Whenever people hear the Bible condemn behaviors and lifestyles that are pretty much normal and accepted today, they ask, "Should we still believe this?" or "Do I really have to obey the Bible like that?" Who do these people think they are? I don't know what makes people, especially Christians, think that they can question God Almighty! Who are we to say, "You know God, I'm not so sure that's appropriate anymore. That's just not how I feel about that". Who are we? How arrogant we have become!

Why did this happen? What in the world makes us think that this is an acceptable view of the Christian life? Don't get me wrong, I am all about grace. As long as the Lord lends me breath I will proclaim the message that we are not made right with God by religion or what we do or don't do, but solely by our faith in the finished work of the cross. We are not righteous before God by our own efforts, but because God declares us righteous based on our faith in His Son Jesus. Romans chapter 4 actually says that when we put our faith in Christ, God "credits" our faith as righteousness.

But that's the point! Holiness is not something we strive for, it is something we get to be! It is a gift from God. If holiness was something we had to work for, I could understand how it would be burdensome. It would be an obligation. But it's not. It is a life that we have the privilege to live. God by His grace has made us His chosen people. How cool is it that we get to live like that?

We need a return to holiness. Not only do we need to preach holiness we need to live and practice it. In Romans 12 Paul writes, "Be not conformed to this world..." We should not compromise the Word by aligning ourselves with the world's moral standard. We are not meant to fit in with society. We are a chosen people. Called out to live separate as a holy nation.

We should not shy away from this kind of rhetoric. It is not due to our own efforts or godliness. It is not through our discipline that we are a holy people. It is by the grace of God! We have been given the righteousness of Christ through faith. God has adopted us into His royal family. We are now co heirs of the Kingdom with Christ. We should take pride in the fact that we get to live differently than everyone else. We should take pride in the fact that because Christ has saved and liberated us from sin, we get to abstain from it. We don't have to be holy, we get to be holy!

Christians Belong on the Wrong Side of History

What do you do when you're on the wrong side of history? Has anyone ever thought to ask, who gets to decide which side is the "right" side? There seems to be a trend in society. If you take a biblical worldview on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, you're on the wrong side of history. In this article I am not going to try and make the argument that we are not on the wrong side of history. I am simply going to ask the question, so what if we are?

What if thirty years from now, children are being taught in schools that we were the bad guys, that we were the ones in the wrong? Should that possibility cause us to reexamine our convictions. I want to challenge you to answer with an affirmative, "no!" I want to challenge you to stand your ground and defend the faith, but I also want to warn you, that you most likely will be on the wrong side of history.... Are you ready for that?

I can't put a date on the calendar, but somewhere in the course of Christian history in America, we adopted the belief that everybody should like us. That pretty much everyone should have a high opinion of Christians. We took on a mentality that if society ever started despising us and ever started treating us with contempt, we messed up somewhere along the way.

I have no clue where we got that crazy idea from when in fact, Jesus taught us that it should be the exact opposite! Over and over in the Gospels Jesus tells His followers that they would be persecuted, mistreated, taken advantage of, slandered, lied about, etc. In the Gospel of John, He even warns us that the world will hate us. In other places in the New Testament we are warned that persecution and being very unpopular come with the title, "Christian". Persecution is a way of life for the believer.

So is it any wonder that we are now, even in "Christian" America, even in the "Bible Belt" we are called hateful, bigots, intolerant, and "on the wrong side of history"? It comes with the territory brethren. We keep hoping that one day, our name will be cleared. That one day, many years from now, history will set the record straight and show that we were right all along and society was out of step.

People of God let me tell you, that day will not come so quit holding your breath. If you take stand for a biblical worldview on social issues, this world system will describe you in history as one of the bad guys, like the politicians in the 60's who thought they were doing the right thing by opposing the ending of segregation.

THAT'S what you will be compared to in the history books. Are you ready for that? Are you ready to be "on the wrong side of history"? Let me assure you, if you want to follow Jesus, you will be. He warned those who wanted to follow Him by saying, "Count the cost". We should do the same. It seems, more often than not on social issues, Christians belong on the wrong side of history.

Casting Out Demons: Stages of Possession

Contrary to what the movies tell us, possession doesn't happen in this sudden dramatic instantaneous event to an unsuspecting victim. People are possessed by demons slowly and gradually a little bit at a time. It happens to people bit by bit, piece by piece until overtime they give Satan complete control over their lives. It starts off as something simple, ordinary and common to everyone. Then it spirals downward from there. Let's go over the seven stages of demonic possession.

Regression

Regression is when an individual begins to "back slide". They regress or fall back into old behaviors. Even if they are not Christians, they can still regress into a more sinful lifestyle. The devil does this to distract them from any spiritual progress they may have made. The signs to look for will be an acceptance or tolerance sin, and a lifestyle of said sin. When a Christian who formally took a stand against profanity, drunkenness, sexual immorality, etc now doesn't find these behaviors so distasteful, it's a red flag. When they shrug their shoulders or wink their eye at something they would have condemned, they need a caring brother or sister in Christ to pull them a side and have a talk. Something is happening in their spiritual life, and it most likely id regression caused by evil spirits. Likewise when someone starts falling back into old patterns of the flesh, red flags should go up.

Repression

After slipping back into their old ways, the next step toward possession is repressing everything that testifies to their new life in Christ. Where as regression is moving toward sin, repression is moving away from a relationship with Christ. One of the first things that begin to go away is their devotional life. Before they may have spent time regularly with God in His word and in prayer. Now, that has slowly disappeared over time. I can attest to this in my own life. My spiritual maturity and my closeness with God has always been proportional to the depth and regularity of my devotional life. When my devotional life was strong so was my spiritual walk. When I let that area of my life slip, my spirituality reflects that neglect. So it with a person under demonic influence. After the devotional life is repressed of course the next piece to be chipped off is their involvement in the local church. Not only regular church attendance, but involvement in the life of the local church is essential for personal growth. The Christian walk was never meant to be a solo walk.

Suppression

This is the last step of possession while simply under Demonic Influence. Remember this is not possession. The person is not under demonic control. Neither are they oppressed in such a way that they are being driven to further spiritual instability. Their thoughts and behavior are simply being influenced by demonic forces. Think of it like suggestion. During the suppression stage, the demon begins to assert control. During repression, the victim is choosing to neglect and suppress Christ in their life. When they reach suppression, the life of Christ is literally being suppressed in them. They stop talking about Jesus and His gospel. You will stop hearing the name of Jesus on their lips. Instead of saying Christ, or Lord, they will simply say, God or "The Man Upstairs". This is very dangerous stage. This is the turning point. IF the person in suppression isn't rescued, they are almost at the point on no return.

Depression

When someone reaches the depression stage, they are almost beyond reach. They are overcome with hopelessness. Most people can't even even pray at this point. They can no longer see who they are in Christ. This could also be called the deception stage because it is a stage where the victim is so vulnerable that they will believe any lie from the devil. Satan can tell them that they are weak, useless, unworthy, unlovable, dumb, etc and they will believe it. In fact, it is the lies that cause the depression!

People don't just enter into this stage under depression, they are under suppression. When Christ is completely suppressed in a person's life, the truth is suppressed. When the truth is suppressed, the devils lies can take root. If your life is defined by thoughts such as, "I'm unlovable, I'm unworthy, I'm a failure, etc" you need to do a self inventory. Those are Satan's lies bombarding your spirit, and it may be that the truth has been suppressed and the devil sees it as an opportunity to sow the seeds of depression. It is really important to immediately intervene in this person's life.

Oppression

This is the point of no return. Once a victim of demonic attack reaches this stage, they are so overwhelmed, a simple counseling or prayer session will not work. In the previous stages you don't need to cast any demons. At this stage however, you will need to take authority over the demons and cast them out. The lies that Satan have sowed into the victim have begun to chart a new course for the victim. It's as though they go from seeing themselves as worthless, unlovable, a failure, etc to now living a lifestyle that demonstrates that belief.

Obsession

This is the last and final stage before full blown demonic possession. Depression, the victim embraces the lies of Satan, in oppression, they start living the lies of Satan, in obsession they are a snow ball. The person they once were is completely gone at this point. What is left is this new person with an identity based on the lies they began to accept all the way back in the depression stage.

Possession

This is where Satan has completely taken control. You see, obsession is a bad stage. That's when good people turn bad. It's when the man you know who once was a good man, turns over a new leaf. Possession is when that downward spirals to the extreme where demons are controlling the victim. Their goal? To completely ruin the victim. To leave them broken beyond repair physically, mentally, and spiritually. If the victim is left in this stage too long, that will be the result.

It's a process. Possession happens when people slowly and gradually give Satan influence over their lives bit by bit, piece by piece. Jesus commands us to help such people. He said in Luke chapter 10, "I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy." Authority over how much of the enemies power? ALL! As Christians, we have the authority to take control of demons, bind up their power, and cast them out of people's lives. Lets help our brother or sister that is sliding down this slow destructive path.

Casting Out Demons: Types of Demons and the Entry Ways

Some have taught that you can't cast out a demon if you don't know it's name. I don't know how much of that is true, but I do think it is important to know the different types of demons, how they operate, and how they enter our lives. Quite honestly, we let them in slowly and subtly by letting our guard down. Very rarely is there a full on instantaneous possession like the movies. Its a process by which we give up control a little bit over a period of time. Now, there is a difference between the types of demons and demon hierarchy. In this post we will mainly focus on the types.

Jealousy

The spirit of jealousy is a spirit that brings with it anger, rage, and hatred. This demon like many others grows like cancer. It starts with simple jealousy. Innocent, just a little envy. That's the door, the entryway. It is not necessarily evil or demonic, but it is a cracked door that if not shut, can let in a lot of evil.

A person with this demon will always talk about other people in a negative way. They make every effort to point out how the success of others will eventually lead to failure. Depending on how they let this demon influence their lives, simple jealousy will lead to anger, hate, and rage. If left unaddressed, this evil will consume the individuals life, typically leading to a tragic end. Murder is often a result of this demon

Lying

The lying demon, like all demons begins as a small deviation in behavior, which serves as an open door for our lives. People say once you tell one lie, you have make up other lies to cover up that lie, and so on. Lying will become a way of life. Being fake, hypocritical, and manipulative is a sign that this demon has been given significant influence in a persons life.

Familiarity

This demon should be obvious. It is brought in through dabbling in the occult, astrology, horoscopes, tarot cards, oiji boards, etc. Getting involved with these types of activities is dangerous and the quickest route to full blown demonic possession.

Perversion

This demon distorts the truth. When people start looking for ways to excuse their behavior or beliefs, that's an entryway. Compromise is also a sign of this demon. People with this demon will always be trying to twist morals, standards, right and wrong, etc. They are the ones always asking why the Bible speaks against a certain behavior as though look for a way around God's standard. This spirit also brings with it lust, adultery, pornography, and all other forms of sexual immorality.

Heaviness

The spirit of heaviness, is a demon of burden. It is a demon of hopelessness, rejection, and gluttony. People give this demon influence over their lives when they allow themselves to be a victim of their circumstances. Once again, not a big deal, but it is an entryway by which the devil can get a foot hold.

Whoredom

Contrary to what it's name implies, this demon doesn't mean sexually immoral. It is a demon that causes people to feel such an emptiness, such a missing piece of their lives, that they will try everything to fill the void. It starts out as simply looking for a way to fill the void, then downward spirals until the person is living every destructive lifestyle imaginable just to have a little fulfillment.

Infirmity

Obviously not all sickness is caused by demonic activity, but some is. In the same way that depression, stress, anxiety, etc can bring on sickness. When someone allows one form of evil in their life, it can eventually lead to sicknesses caused by demons.

Deaf and Dumb

This is not a deaf demon, nor a demon that causes hearing loss. It is simply the name that Jesus gave the demon that caused a young boy seizures. This demon causes insanity, suicide, mental instability, etc. It gets it's foot in the door when people start losing their mind by the life they are living.

Fear

This is a very common demon of influence in our society. It brings about anxiety, worry, insecurity, identity issues, phobias, paranoia, etc. People give this demon control through a false perception of themselves and their situation. The end result is a downward spiral to horrible possession. We must remind ourselves of who we are in Christ.

Pride

The one thing that got Satan out of heaven.... pride. This demon, really gets it's foot in the door not when someone starts having a puffed up ego, but out of insecurity. This insecurity leads to comparing themself to others, looking for every way to see others as inferior. This often manifests as gossip or mockery.

Bondage

This demon is very simple and straight to the point. When a person gives themselves to drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc, this will eventually lead to complete control and possession.

Antichrist

This demon wrecks more havoc and carnage on the Body of Christ than any other. It is also surprisingly, the most common in the church. It could also be called the demon of legalism. It is the demon that teaches acceptance by God, or attaining salvation through our own efforts and godliness and not solely through the finished work of the cross.

Churches that teach women should only wear dresses, no make up, no jewelry, no cutting of hair, etc.... Spirit of Antichrist. Churches that only allow one style of music, or don't allow certain expressions of worship..... Antichrist. Christians that focus on not celebrating birthdays, Halloween, holidays, Harry Potter, KJV being the only REAL Bible, etc.... Antichrist. The reason is because this is all these people talk about! They pride themselves in being "true" Christians living the way God really wants them to live. Their strict lifestyle is what makes them right with God, not Jesus. That's the demon of Antichrist at work.

If you have noticed, all these demons take control gradually. Very rarely do you see an instantaneous full blown possession like portrayed in the movies. It is a gradual process where a person lets the devil in a little bit at a time. In the next post, I will go into more detail on the process of possession.