Set the captives free

The Gospel to the Romans

2009-03-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

Paul was such a student of the Word of God, and he knew the scriptures,
But he missed it all.

Throughout the prohets that foretold that this light will breakout amongs the gentils and they will all come to it.
Paul said to himself "How have I missed that". How could I have missed it. He must have though about those thirthy years after Christ.

All that time, he had missed it
While other people was believing on Him he was out trying to kill them.
He must have think

How could I make such mistakes ? How could I have missed it ? I heard it when I was a boy, from my mama, from my relatives.... How could I miss it

Then he must have though about those who crucified him.

He was glad at the time they did, but later Jesus was resurected and Paul get converted and fall passionately in love with Him.
He thinks now, I have to take this good news to all of them: they need to hear that

It's the good news about the one predicted by all the prophets that would come

And Paul's thinking about this and is concerned by those romans: "They are like me, they killed him and delighted to kill him, they gamble on his garments, they were delighted when they kill that rebels"

Romans did it and I was so glad...

Then he might have begun to weep. How could the grace of God come to mee in such a way, that I may have this revelation....Look how wicked I was.

I knew all the scriptures but ignored them all.

I was on a campaign to destroy Jesus. How could the grace of God come to me that way ? In a vision. Why would God send this light to me ?

I wasn't the only one out, trying to round up the christians for Nero....

Why me ? How could I have been so fortunate ?

But that light shined to me

I realized now, that before I was separated from my mother's womb that God called me....to reveal his Son in me.

Never forget that, that's what we are called for.

And Paul is thinking with such reflexion, such depth of compassion

These romans are just like I was: they are doing it for legal reasons, political reasons, ... because they think that this rebel, sooner or later will lead a riot in the city... and I was doing it for religious reason... Which begottery was the worst ? Political begottery or religious begottery ?

Who are you (II)

2009-02-13T05:01:00.000-08:00

I am a healer
I am a blesser
My purpose on earth is to be a witness of Jesus Christ and produce proofs that HE is ALIVE today.
And as HE was on Earth so Am I today.
God loves me and blesses me
And HIS love lifts me up to his level
And gives me HIS very nature.
That's what Jesus Christ came to show me
I am a Jesus Person in today's hurting world.
And because HE lives I live also.
His Power Rests upon me and give freedom to the captives.
I have a DIVINE Purpose.
I am Important
I am hooked - up with God
I am not only a person for a village named Kollo
The son of God is alive in Me
and I am his instrument
I am his voice
He's got tongue, hands, feets, eyes, mouth... in me
I've got all his wonderful blessings
And I can share it
Like Peter, I have good stuff that I can give and that will fix you,
Whatever need you've got, it will fix it.
I believe it's God's will that I keep saying this,
Until we, intelligent world citizens catch on to it.
But let's remember that we don't learn until we do.
Our creeds should become our deeds or it's dead
Our creed should take flesh and become our deeds.
This is a blessing time from God
he has called us, ordained us, put as there and bless us
And there is a ministry of love, kindness and blessings to bring to people.
The Holy Ghost commandment is still the same for the "sent ones"
And I am one of them. Are you ?
Jesus came with the message "Follow me" and HE went where people were....
He healed Simon's Peter's mother, than a great crowd.
The night He went to pray while the disciples went to bed.
The next day they wanted to stay and rehearse the blessings
But Jesus was already thinking about the next town.
We are sent not to rehearse blessings over and over to oursleves, but to receive and share to the next person and the next person, and the next person
That's my ministry.
I recieve it and I like it.
As I go among people, I will obey Jesus and heal the sick, cast out devils.
What I've got heal the sick when I mix up with people,
It delivers the people from the devils.

Who are you ?

2009-02-12T03:13:00.000-08:00

The sons of Sceva were asked "Who are you ?". If you wre ever asked this question, what will be your answer ?

It's very important to know who we are, because our identity determines what we do, how we do it and how we react to the events in this world. Moreover it enables us to act instead of re - act.

Jesus gave one call : He said "Follow me !!!". So we are first of all Jesus followers.
What happens when we respond to this call to follow Jesus ?

1. He will teach us in the new covenant with God
1.1 He will show us what it means
1.2 He will interpret the scriptures for us
1.3 He will ask us to watch him minister
1.4 He will ask us to hang on with him for a while
1.5 He will send us
2. We well become sent ones.

Jesus said : "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21).

Jesus declares somewhere that a disciple is not greater than his master, but a well trained disciple is just like his master.

What was the master like ? What was his character ? What did he do, how did he behave, how did he act, how did he react, who did he claim to be ?

The Bible attributes this elements of traits, or of character or actions to Jesus

- He was full of wisdom
- He was filled with the Holy Spirit
- He was a teacher
- He was a toucher
- He was full of compassion for people
- He was always going where He could reach hurted people
- He was a preacher
- He was a shepherd of lost people
- he was a doctor
- He was an evangelist
- He was an apostle: He was the great apostle of our confession
- When he touched people they were healed
- He was going about doing good: healing all who were oppressed by the devil
- When he preached, the power of the Lord was present to heal the people
- When people touched him, virtue got out of him and healed the people
- He healed people by his word
- He cleansed the lepers
- ...
- He called God his father
- He said "I come from above..."
- He called believers "His mother, and brother and sister...."
- ...

This is Jesus, full of Glory and Power. This is Jesus.... And the Bible declares, so He was in the world, so shall we be also, and this is for all believers, not for a few chosen, frozen people.

God in the new covenant has gone public, A people God, not a system God.
He wants anybody to have Him inside of him
He wants manybodies, anybody, any race, either sexe, allbodies, all colors, all professions, all sizes, all wieghts, all nationalities... He wants everybody to know Him and to have Him inside of him.

This is my God.....

This is what I am, this is my identity, this is who I am.

Is there any fatality in life ?

2009-02-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

Some people think there is fatality. Everything is foreordained and no matter what we do things goes in the direction they were commanded to go before we do them. Here is my point of view.

God is love and has always been love. He was love from eternity past, is love today and will be love in eternity future. When we consider what he has done for man, since the beginning, we can certify that it was all love. But man betrayed his love so many times and God always came back to him with a way to bring him back in fellowship with God so that he would enjoy and benefit from the love of God. And in these end times God manifested his love by paying the ultimate price, giving the life of his son as a ransom for us.Now we are free !!! free from the penalty of sin, free from the claims of the evil one, the accuser, free to enjoy all of God’s blessings.

The Bible declares:“For ALL the Promises of God in Him [Christ Jesus] are Yea, and in Him Amen,unto the Glory of God by us”(2Corinthians 1:20).

This scripture is enough for me to know that all my needs are being granted by God and even more.

Because Romans 8:32 declaresHe who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

So we know we have free access and full answer to all our requests as long as we are asking in a rigth attitude. But The Word also declares “He that doesn’t work, let him not eat also”.

So we understand that God’s blessings come to us through work because he says “The worker deserves his wages”.

The idea according to my understanding is this. God wants to bless us, he wants us to be frutfull, to enjoy wealth, health, prosperity, peace, joy, love, but he doesn’t want us to be lazy !!!! And beyond this the Lord wants to use us in his Kingdom, that we may share his authority and dominion in ruling his Kingdom affairs.

For this reason God allows trials to come in our lives in order to develop our character and mentality, so as to give us the mentality of the overcomer. He has already promised us that no trial shall overcome us…

One day we will be assigned a position of authority in God’s Kingdom. God wants us to be ready for it, earth is the training ground for us.

Blessings

Like the air

2008-04-10T08:42:00.001-07:00

Free like the air

Resting in the Wind

Looking up on your Fire

Feeling your Peace

Enjoying your ways

Praising your Name

Exalting your Glory

--
Alain Lompo
Excelta - Conseils et services informatiques
MCT
MCSD For Microsoft .Net
MVP Windows Systems Server / Biztalk Server
Certifié ITIL et Microsoft Biztalk Server

How to receive power

2008-02-09T08:52:00.001-08:00

Most of us desire to become more efficient in sharing our faith with unbelievers, but some time we don't know how to become efficient
The key is TO BE FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT
- How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit ?
- How do I know that I am filled with the holy spirit ?
- What I am going to do then ?
- Is there a specific technic that will allow me to be a more efficient and power clothed witness to Christ ?

7 rules of faith that bring you what you want

2007-09-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

The Healing of a famous general (2 Kings 5:1-15)

There is an unlimited power – available now – in God which each of us can have through the proper use of our faith. Limitless available power now.
This power is available at the instant command of anyone who brings himself into harmony with the rules of faith.
The vast, hidden forces of nature are gradually being tapped by those men who obey the laws governing this universe. Long before Benjamin Franklin flew and discovered the principles of electricity, that power was existent in the elements. It remained only to be discovered and put to the use of mankind.
Hidden in God are the unlimited powers that bring healing of man’s spiritual, mental and physical life.
God is not exhausted, neither is he unwilling.
He waits only to be recognized, to be believed and worshipped,
His power to be utilized and put to work for the deliverance of the human life.

Thousands of thinking people the world over are discovering that God’s power is available, and has been, for their hurts and ills.

The power of God is not given indiscriminately to any man but anyone can have that power who will seek God and will bring Himself into harmony with his laws and rules.
The story centers around a famous man : General Naaman of Syria. Naaman was a commander in chief of Syria’s expeditionary forces and because of his outstanding military successes, had been hailed as a national hero.

It was shocking news when the general’s personal physician found that his chief had contracted leprosy which was largely prevalent in those days.

Across the nation the cry went up “General Naaman is a leper – our beloved leader is a leper!”
Leprosy means living death – slow, torturous and isolating suffering.

Disease is a fool and inhuman thing which is not numbered among God blessings. Jesus Christ came against it in the power of His pure and Healthy humanity, laying his healing hands upon the sick and tormented, making them “every whit whole” (Math 9:35).

Mark 6:56 “As many as touched Him were made whole”.

Now as I tell you the story of Naaman’s miraculous healing through his faith in Almighty God, I wish to point out to you seven rules of faith that will bring you what you want.

Rule 1) Recognize sickness and disease as the “oppression of the devil”

Peter the great apostle knew the savior’s love for the lost and suffering humanity. After the resurrection of Christ Peter was preaching to the soldiers in the house of Cornelius in Caesara.
He said “…. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him”. (Acts 10:38)

So Peter is saying that Satan is a destroyer of human life while Jesus is the destroyer of the oppressions which means human afflictions of the devil.
Some references to this healing power coming from Jesus out of compassion to mankind

Math 14:14
…. How Jesus found the people oppressed with “all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” and “demons” and he healed their sick

Also Mark 5:30

Jesus was a healer and so is he today. He did not turn any person away who had faith. Making no difference as to race he demanded only one thing.
“As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee”. (Mark 8:13)

Healing power was given to the followers of Jesus Christ and many of them were outstanding successful in delivering people. Peter’s shadow was used as a point of contact and those upon whom it fell where healed (Acts 5:15)
This was after the day of Pentecost. Similarly Stephen and Philip, laymen of the early church, brought through faith, outstanding healing to many oppressed people (Acts 6:8; 8:5-8).

It was the apostle Paul who described the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor 12 including the gift of healing, the gift of miracles and the gift of discerning spirits. These three gifts are given to certain believers, principally ministers, for the direct purpose of healing the sick and casting out demons. These gifts are additional stimulants to faith and will bring deliverance when other means fail.

One time only in the Bible are we told that Jesus was powerless to heal? But even this has a reason. The people of Nazareth were his boyhood acquaintances and they were skeptical; they looked upon the accounts of His Wonders with cynical scorn and when he came to preach to them they met Him with cold unbelief. The gospel writers do not omit the failure of Jesus in his own hometown but record it in a terse tragic sentence “He could not do there no mighty work”, because of their unbelief (Math 13:58).

This means that in the use of His miraculous power He requires faith in those who where to be healed.
God who is busy with the affairs of an entire generation has both time and power and desire to save, to heal to reward and bless. Wherever there is human need, He is present to heal.
The power of God to heal human life is still active today – in the faith and love of His people in all churches and in all walks of life. God honors their faith for their faith honors God.

Remember rule 1) Satan is the oppressor of human life; God brings life with health, peace and happiness.
A little girl knows the way

General Naaman has made a victorious march across the bible land of Israel and had taken captive a little maid to be the servant of his wife.

This child was familiar with God and His prophets and knew they could heal. Seeing the general was a leper, she said, “Would God my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria (Israel) for he would recover him from leprosy”.

Naaman was grateful for his hope, believed the little girl’s message and made preparation to leave at once for Israel.

Rule 2) believe the message
It doesn’t matter who the message is coming from. Even when it comes from a little servant. The message of God is more important than who brought it to you.

Today church is becoming so denominationalized that people wouldn’t believed a messenger unless he wears the “good label.
God does not place as much stress upon our different theological emphasis as we do.
See Mark 9:38, 39

The message is above the messenger as much as the Lord is above his servant.
God does not compel us all to wear the same denominational label, but rather that we work with His anointed people, whoever they are and to bring about another world – wide revival.
Peter and John brought God’s healing power to a lame man and were called before the religious authorities to answer for this miracle of deliverance. They were chiefly accused as being “ignorant and unlearned men” (Acts 4:13)
Peter and John were both well educated and deeply intelligent men but because they had not been schooled in certain theological seminaries, they were classed as unlettered preachers and upon this basis their miracles were rejected.
Christ says if we find it difficult to believe theologically then we should believe for the very work’s sake (John 14:11)

The little Jewish maid said “Would God my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria for he would recover him of his leprosy”. This is also the basis for the

Rule 3) Go where the power is

That’s true expecting healing we should go where the power is. And the power is in Jesus Christ: so we should go where Jesus Christ is. The Bible declares “where two or three gather in my name I am in the midst of them”.

In the story of Naaman Israel represented God and Elisha, who lived there, was God’s prophet. Syria was a worshiper of idols and Naaman must get away from the old haunts of sin and connect himself with God. “Go where the power is”, the little girl is saying.
Which means “Back to God, back to moral vows and saving religion”

This is profound truth – God is everywhere present because He is omnipresent and omnipotent – His all prevailing power Is usable by the people who maintain right attitudes and whose faith creates an atmosphere conductive to human deliverance.

A place where faithful believers gather is surrounded by a goodly atmosphere which benefits to the release of miracles and healing.
Even in His day, Christ found some places were antagonistic to His truth. These cities became the objects of His bitterest denunciations (Math 11:20-24).

To receive the power of God within us we should be some full gospel believers. In fact many believers are not full gospel believers. While fully believing in man’s scientific and medical skill, they shut their eyes in the face of God’s healing power. The herbs from which our most curative medicines are extracted were made by God and the skills in their most effective use are a gift of the Almighty. I, too, believe in medical science, in our great hospitals, in our medicine, but I know, and you know, that no doctor can heal, he assists nature only. Only God can heal. What a man cannot do, our heavenly father can do.

The blessings of God are upon medical science for all healing power is of God. However God is not limited to earthly powers and human skills which we know to be, by their own admission limited and restricted

He is God of miraculous power and gives to certain of His humblest and most believing servants His gifts which complement the doctor’s skill and rise above the laws of nature and bring forth mighty miracles of Bible deliverance.
We believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and that all who believe may be healed from all manner of sickness and disease.

So general Naaman acted upon the advice of the little maid and set forth on his trip to the land of Israel. But he made a serious mistake. Instead of going to the prophet, he went to the king of Israel. The king was outraged and declared he could do nothing for him. About that time, a messenger came into the king’s court with word from Elisha.
“Let him come to me now and he shall know there is a prophet left in Israel.” This is important for it has to do with

Rule 4) Put your faith in God not man

The little girl has clearly told Naaman that the prophet would teach him how to use faith to be recovered from leprosy, instead he had gone to the king.
I cannot insist too strongly that you put your faith in God. Have confidence in His servant or prophet, but put your faith in Almighty God, not man.

The person God has chosen to help you receive healing is an instrument only – the means to an end – your deliverance is by faith in the power of God.

At the prophet’s house

Naaman rode up to the house of Elisha and sent his servant to announce his arrival. Being forewarned by God that Naaman’s attitude has to be changed and discerning the general’s pride and arrogance, the prophet acted accordingly.
Elisha was the servant of God – the human instrument only – he was in the delicate position of having to deal with a proud, dying man and to govern his acts according to the rules of faith. Faith must be

gendered in Naaman otherwise he will return home and die. A man’s heart must be right with God, his soul in tune with his maker. God, not the prophet or preacher is the healer.

In order to receive healing from God who is love, the seeker must be a partaker of that love. Faith is based on love. Else how could God believe in us or we in Him. One must love to believe. Any attitude of selfishness, pride, stubbornness makes it impossible for faith to work. When God’s minister can help you, let wrong attitudes gives way to love, as he is doing you a real favor and making it possible for you to be healed by the power of God.

With great detachment Elisha remained in his house. He sent the famous general a message by his servant “Sir the prophet said for you to go and dip seven times in the Jordan river and your flesh shall be clean”

Naaman was astonished the enraged and commanded his aides to depart at once. As he went away he muttered “Go dip in that filthy river. Bah, I though he at least would come out to me and do some great thing and recover me. If I wanted to bathe I would have stayed at home; at least the water is clean in the rivers of Syria.”

Elisha saw him leave and perhaps said, “Yes, that is the way it goes with the proud. They are bound by their own little conceptions and notions, never once thinking that when they ask for healing they are dealing with Jehovah God and that there are rules that govern faith. Humility, repect for God’s message and His prophets, a desire to give up sin and to worship the true God – these attitudes help a man get in harmony with God and help him believe.”

How many precious people are letting some little preconceived idea keep them from being healed.
This thought occurred to one of Naaman’s servant who said “Master, we want our lord to be recovered from his leprosy. We know that the prophet is right sir, you were expecting the prophet to do some great thing over you and because he did the opposite you were offended and now you are returning to die. Master in your servant’s humble opinion, it is better to go wash and be clean”

What a wonderful way to reason things out among friends. This means

Rule 5) Accept the correction of God

Naaman listened and when the servant finished he nodded his head and agreed. Said he, “You are right”. I am wrong, I came here that way. Ah this Elisha is a great one – saw right through me. And his God must have shown the prophet the kind of man I was. “Go dip in the Jordan the prophet says. Surely I can do that let’s go”.
It takes a great and humble spirit for one to change like that. This is a marvelous thing. It doesn’t take long for a man to change if he wants to. When he accepts God’s correction, the Spirit of Christ enters him and he is a “new creature”
Repentance is a change of mind before it becomes a change of heart.

General Naaman gave the order and they went to the river. With Elisha’s message ringing in his ears, “Go down and go wash” he plunged into the muddy, yellow waters of the famous river Jordan. There was only a few ripples on the water revealing that the great man was all under. This is the accomplishment of

Rule 6) Lose yourself

What a contrast. The man went to the wrong place for healing, who was rude to God’s prophet, who was bound by his own creeds, who was a very mad man, the man who had refused to obey, a famous but dying man is now losing himself.

There are a lot of things we would better off without. Losing ourselves in obedience to God, linking ourselves with the limitless power of Christ, getting in tune with the Savior – these are the things that count most when we seek to be healed through faith in God: lose yourself (Mat 16:25).
Naaman has come a long way since he left Syria. Who would have believed the national hero would now be dipping in a river despised by his countrymen? But here he is and enjoying every moment of it.

For something was going on in Naaman’s spirit. He is willing, joyously willing, to make the seven – fold plunge. Through it he believes he will be cured. This leads to what many believe to be the most important rule of faith.

Rule 7) Use a point of contact and recover yourself as you want to be

The prophet Elisha has said if Naaman would dip seven times his flesh would be clean from leprosy. What is it but a point of contact or a means through which he could ‘turn his faith loose’ . He was to dip seven times, no more, no less in a designated river. He would find by the time he had got willing to do this he would be in the right attitude, the proper frame of mind, to believe for a miraculous recovery.

He said “Now I see it all. This is to prepare me for believing that God will cure me.”

He dips once, twice, thrice ---- and the seventh. He is all under. His pride is under, his attitude, his all.

“Just this seventh time and it will be done. I know God will heal me.”

Your point of contact can be one of several things.
The points of contact I will use is my right hand, the word of authority and the prayer of faith. All these kind of point of contact are confirmed by the Bible in the New Testament. So when I pray for a sick prayer of faith and say some word of authority commanded the evil to go and lay my hand on his head or shoulder, at this very moment my faith becomes very strong, and I can be sure God is releasing the gift of healing to this brother through me.

The point of contact helps me believe, for healing comes only through faith in God. It also helps the person seeking healing. Our faith makes contact with God and the person is delivered from disease. This is the point of contact to use in our meetings.

However there are many other point of contact such as the anointing of oil of James 5:15, the laying of hands in Mark 16:17, the blest cloths of Acts 19:11,12 and so forth.

What does it matter what the point of contact is if he helps you turn your faith loose. God won’t reject any of them: therefore if the anointing of oil is your point of contact for receiving healing, go and find an ancient of the church who will do it for you and you will be healed as written in James 5.

Naaman came up out of the water the seventh time, crying, “I’ve done it! Now the Lord God will recover me.”
With unhampered faith in a limitless God, he walked out on the river bank believing his leprosy would go. He had done what the prophet said, he has brought himself into harmony with God, he was turning his faith loose and… and it happened.

“And his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (2 Kings 5:14)

He was so grateful he returned to the prophet’s house and as befits all true servants of God, Elisha would receive no private gift for the miracle wrought.

The general made his vows to the true God that he would worship him and henceforth would serve no other gods.

What a fitting climax – he obeyed the rules of faith and got what he wanted. But he did not forget God who had healed him. His leprosy was gone and God had come into his life.

A new Naaman returned to his land, a healthy man again; he had been healed by a miracle through his own faith.

What God did for Naaman, He will do for you brothers.

Leading a life of a true son of King

2007-07-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

The grace and peace of Jesus Christ the Lord unto you brothers.

The title of my message is “Leading a life of true sons of King”. The main passage on which it is based is in
Matthew 17:24-26
24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?"
25 He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?"

26 When Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are exempt.
27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and me."

In this passage we see Jesus and Peter confronted to paying taxes. This proves us how ordinary was the man. This tax of two drachma has its origins in the law of the pantateuq quoted in Exodus 30:13-16

Exodus 30:13-16
30:13 Everyone who crosses over to those who are numbered 1 is to pay this: a half shekel 2 according to the shekel of the sanctuary 3 (a shekel weighs twenty gerahs). The half shekel is to be an offering 4 to the Lord. 30:14 Everyone who crosses over to those numbered, from twenty years old and up, is to pay an offering to the Lord. 30:15 The rich are not to increase it, 5 and the poor are not to pay less than the half shekel when giving 6 the offering of the Lord, to make atonement 7 for your lives. 30:16 You are to receive the atonement money 8 from the Israelites and give it for the service 9 of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial 10 for the Israelites before the Lord, to make atonement 11 for your lives.”

A shekel is a piece of coin equivalent two four drachmas. Thus a half shakel is two drachma.
I have read this passage many times and used to consider it as one more great miracle of Jesus Christ. In fact it’s a great miracle because Jesus is speaking a word of knowledge given to him by the Holy Spirit.

I used to think that Jesus did it only in order to manifest his glory again, but we noticed this event occurs in chapter 17 of the Gospel of Mathew… so guess how many miracles did he perform before this time: so many….

Since chapter 8 we can see him healing someone from leprosy, then the servant of the centurion, then Peter’s mother-in-law and in the evening of the same day many came to him and he healed them. In the same chapter we see him calming the storm and healing two demon possessed men.

Waou so many miracles in one chapter of the gospel, and it continue the same way until this one.
So I really believe that the value of this text is more than the accounting of another miracle.
So what is it really about? Why is there such a text in the gospel and how can we understand it and apply this teaching in our lives.

The Exodus passage we just read says that this tax was given as a memorial and to make atonement for the lives of the Israelites.

But there before trying to pay the tax Jesus is asking Peter this amazing question “From who do you think the Kings collect duty and taxes?”

And obviously as we can expect Peter reply from the strangers and that’s the truth. Who has ever heard of a son of a King paying taxes?

A son of King doesn’t pay any kind of taxes
- He doesn’t pay rent
- He doesn’t pay water
- He doesn’t pay electricity
- He doesn’t even need to pay food or clothes because all that is provided to him by his servants

So Jesus said “thus we are exempted”.

Jesus is saying to Peter “we are exempted of paying theses taxes because we are the sons of the King who owns them: so we don’t have to pay them”

Jesus is saying this temple is our fathers, thus we don’t have to pay any tax.

A son of King also owns all the richness of the country where his father is reigning. I me quoting that so that we will fully understand what this text means to me today.

And as we acknowledge Jesus to be the truth the life and the path we understand that we are some true sons of King if we abide in his teaching. So knowing that how is it that in our daily life it’s not like we are benefiting from all the richness of our father? Why are we not leading a lavish life? Some of us for sure may be leading such a life but not most of us. The answer to this question is in the same text.

In verse 27 it’s said
27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and me."

What an amazing and wonderful scripture: let’s see what it teaches us about our kingship.

1) God doesn’t want us to offend our neighbors (those who are not yet sons of God and those who won’t become it at all). For this reason he uses a special mean to provide Jesus and Peter with the amount of money necessary for them to pay the tax. The coin was one shekel which is four drachma and as the tax is two drachma for everyone this is exactly what was required from them

2) So the same text shows us that God’s provides exactly what we need. It’s highly improbable to get a coin into a fish even if you spend a whole night fishing and catching many fishes. And moreover it is more improbable to get a coin of exactly the money they were expecting. So this is clearly a supernatural manifestation of the way of provision God uses for us.

The question why doesn’t Jesus want them to be offended by not paying taxes. The reason is for sure because offend is a bait of Satan and those people around them when offended by their attitude could become no more receptive to the Gospel.

For example in John 6 a truth claimed by Jesus about his sacrificial nature (the fact that his body was a real food and his blood was a real vine) offended many of his disciples and they stopped following him from this time. Which means also that they were lost?
So we see that offense can scatter people and hinder them from hearing the gospel.
In Mathew 13:24-43 the parable of the sower illustrate this fact to show us that God really cares about the lost ones and give them time to repent. For this same reason he didn’t want them to be scandalized

Just like the Lord delays the harvest of the field which is the world because he does not want that the ryegrass is confused with the good seed, he also wishes that those there are not scandalized so that they will have a chance to hear the gospel.
each time people were scandalized one sees them to move away from God. And this attitude occurs the same way nowaday.

Many of those who are around us are called to know Jesus but God who in His sovereignty has chosen to make us responsible for reaching them by the witnessing of Jesus Christ.

If the Lord would allow us to lead our royal life in a scandalous way the enemy the sower of the ryegrass would be able to easily divert them from God by the mean of the scandal. The same way Satan accused Job to lead an integrity life because of the full blessings of God granted to him, the same way Satan would accuse us in their heart because of the scandal. Whatever this thing which scandalize them is.

So it is because God want to reach those who don’t know him through our testimony that he makes us enter into our blessings without causing scandals around us. This shoul encourage us and raise up our understanding of the way we should behave.

Let us clearly understand that God won’t deprive us from our blessings and their fullness, he simply wants us to receive them without scandalizing people around us.

In the text we have read today the way Jesus and Peter receive it is through a fish. But it takes Peter to obey also the voice of the Lord in a faithful manner to see it happens. So if we are faithful in obedience to his command then will we see his blessings flowing in our life in various providential ways? Because he is so faithful and he is master of time and circumstances. Our circumstances are maybe very difficult but the circumstantial solution He will provide for you will feet the issue. Amen

Because of that let us be patient when we are facing trials. Because the aim God had it is that we exert our royalty on this ground. To have this wire stature of king it is advisable that we pass by such tests without which our character will not be forged, without which we do not arrive at the level of maturity God is expecting us to reach.

Revelations 5:9-10
And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

This is the aim of our father and these are the roles he wants us to play. And he wants us to obey his without opposing him by reasoning but obeying faithfully. And after some time of trials he will completely restore us. If Peter didn’t obey Jesus faithfully this miracle wouldn’t occur for sure. God prefers obedience to sacrifice as we can read in the book of Samuel.

Thus we have insurance of his support when we obey him. We also lack nothing while we are doing his work because he says that the worker deserves his salary. So let’s get more and more involved in working for the advance of his kingdom.

1 Jean 1 declares « see of which love the Father loved us so that we are called children of God».
So from this point we can ask ourselves
« What is the work God is calling me to do? »
“Am I obeying the Lord’s voice ? Am I doing what he is asking?”
« How can I obey his commands? »

What work is God calling me to do ?
Brothers and sisters if God didn’t want us for a special purpose on this earth He would have raptured us the day we get saved. When we give our lives to Him he cleanses us and washes us from all our sins. Thus this is an ideal time to rapture us and not to let us here unless there is a special purpose for that.

Is not God able to rapture us the day we get saved? Yet he is powerfully able to do it and he has already demonstrated that through Henoch who has been raptured after testifying the perversity of his generation. He also raptured Elisha after he finished his works and after finding him a successor. After Jesus accomplished everything he was raptured also. So why not us?
This purpose is present in God’s call for our lives and in our involvement to be witnesses of Jesus Christ.

So it’s time for us to fully realize who we are in Christ, who we are in the sight of God Almighty
In

Jean 1
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,
13
8 who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God.

So we can see from this text that we are born from God. This also means that our real origin is not our earthly birthday but another far time in the ancient days when God conceives us through the counseling of his sovereign will.

This is necessarily done in the ancient time as we can account it for a work of God, but the Bible declares that on the 7th day he took rest of all his works, and somewhere in the letters it is acknowledged that all the works of God were finished before this 7th day: thus our conception also was already finished this day.

This means that we are some spirit beings with the same nature as Jesus Christ. That’s why the Bible declare him the firstborn of all God’s sons.

And about Jesus Psalm 2 : 7 says
will proclaim the decree of the LORD, who said to me, "You are my son; today I am your father.

Jeremiah 1 :5 also quotes this

3 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you

We are in the same condition as the prophet Jeremiah because God knew us while we weren’t formed in the womb he already knew us, and he already define what purpose he wanted us for on this earth. So let’s trust Him in his mightiness and faithfulness and let’s give him a full access to our life so that he will achieve his aim in our lives.

This aim is similar to the king of activities Jesus did on earth (Witnessing to the truth and building up the church). God conceives us from all eternity but he chose an appointed time to sow us in the field of the earth so that we may be a good seed for the ground. So he put us in time and space by the same kind of choice he made to introduce Christ in this world to do the same kind of works as Christ.

In John 14:12 Jesus declares
12
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.
13
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

So we see clearly that we have the same origin as Jesus as well as the same purpose on this earth: this is mostly to manifest the Glory of God through the Son Jesus Chris. To be his witness in Jerusalemen and Samaria in all Judea and to the extremity of the world.

And while we will be doing that Chris will continuously keep his promise to do whatever we ask in his name, because God will be glorified through that as we are staying aligned on the direction defined by the Father

So let’s rise up our faith to see God moving in a powerful way in our lives. The Bible declares that God pay attention to accomplish his Word

The Lord send his orders on earth and his Word run quickly and also in Jeremiah 1
5 The word of the LORD came to me with the question: What do you see, Jeremiah?

"I see a branch of the watching-tree," I replied.
12
Then the LORD said to me: Well have you seen, for I am watching to fulfill my word.

Being a witness of Jesus Christ is not a specific call to some belivers but it’s a general call to all Christians, it’s our duty and it shall be done everytime and everywhere. Witnessing to Jesus should cover the whole time and space. We use to sing these words of the Bible
“Your glory will fill the earth like the water the sea”.
We are here to sow a good seed of the truth on the earth every time and everywhere: this is the ultimate goal for which we are here. This is also the reason why the Lord allows us to enter our blessings without causing scandals otherwise there is a risk that the testimony we sowed in the heart of those who are around us may be uprooted.
So witnessing is a global call but what is particular to each of us is the way we are going to fullfill it and the way we are going to participate to the body of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, are we still working to this testimony in our daily lives ? God is not asking us to convert people as conversion depends only on the sovereignty of God, but our responsibility is to be some faithful witnesses of Christ, which means to practice what we preach.
Are we getting involved in the works of the heavenly kingdom or are we only busy for the works of men? If we truly desire to serve him then we can’t lack things to do in the church because there are so many needs there. But it will requires from all of us a personal step forward to serve Christ through his body.
Everyone in the body of Christ has a special role to play. He is gifted with some unique combination of talent so that will be able to participate in a unique way to the body of Christ and for the advance of the Lord’s kingdom.
If we behave this way then the Lord will realy delights in us as he acknowledges the person who keeps his commands to be the one who realy loves him.
But if we are lethargic and drowsing or lazy, let us fear the right anger of Holy and True God, God of Justice who did not save his own son in order to establish his Glory through Justice.
If we think that getting involved in the work of the kingdom is not so serious or maybe less important than other things or that we can’t do anything let us remember the man who had received only one talent and which buried it in the ground instead of putting it in bank.
Let’s consider also these words of Christ in Luke.
Luke 12
42
And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time?
43
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
44
Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
45
But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' 9 and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk,
46
then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
47
That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;
48
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Brothers and sisters it’s time to make a bold step and to make a difference for the advance of the kingdom of our master. We all know our talents we don’t need anybody to tell us them and he also knows them because he is the donator.
Its talents are unjust and unmerited richnesses which we have but who are for us an occasion to make us friends who will accomodate us in the eternal gate vaults when we have suddenly missed these unjustified richnesses. (This is from the scripture Luke 16: 1- )
There are so much needs in the body of Christ so much works God has prepared from all eternity to be done only by you brother and sister and he is expecting you to cease to look at your difficult circumstances and to begin to look at you so numerous blessings and to stay patient and faithfull enough to experiment the other blessings. Because our life here is experimentation by faith of all the blessing God already grant us: this is our priviledge as a true son of king.
We can get involved in various activities like worship service or ushering or prayer services and so.

Are there any difficulties which are binding us and hindering us from working for the Lord? Is it some financial issues, job issues our family issues? Whatever it is God has the answer. And in the midst of all these issues Christ is still saying “Seek the kingdom of God first and all those things shall be added onto you”. He is asking us to react to our difficult circumstances like true sons of the King and to remember that God want to use everything to mature and empower us for his use. Each trial we overcome let us strengthened. Thus let us remember that We have a royal authority to exert on our difficulties
As sons of King our rank deserve an authority and we can exert it through prayer. Our position in heaven is not like our position on earth. Remember that the apostles of Chris we fishermen, tax collector and people who were not much considered on this earth. But these guys will judge the nations with Jesus and their seats are some thrones and God used them so powerfully. Paul experienced why He was able to use weak people
2 Corinthians 10
7
because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore, that I might not become too elated, 3 a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
8
Three times 4 I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
9
5 but he said to me, 6 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
10
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 7

We are to experience similar life as the apostles if we decide to obey Him faithfully and to behave in conformity with this faith.
So let’s go in the heavenly places and claim with authority our victory through Christ over our circumstances and wait patiently to see in the visible realm what is already gained in the invisible realm.

Brothers and sisters while I am finishing this message I would like to ask those who are here and don’t know the Lord but are willing to get saved and to experiment being born from all eternity and from the will of God and to see concretely what that means to be a true son of a King, I would like you to raise your hand symbolically for the Lord as a confession to Him of your desire to be saved.
I would like also to call the brothers and sisters who already know the Lord and they are striving against a sin in their life whatever it is. To prepare their hearts to receive forgiveness from the Lord. The Bible declares that If we sin, we have a lawyer and a defender near the Father
Jesus Christ the righteous.
But the Bible also declares that those who loves the Lord do not practice sin. Which means they are not living in sin and they are not committing a periodic sin. So if someone is fitting this case I ask him to really repent to change his heart and give every part of his life to Jesus. Because living continuously in sin is a proof that this person has not known the Lord and he may for sure fall under a divine condamnation
There is a key for those who want to stand firmly and overcome sin and this key if « A genuine love of God in our hearts and the knowledge of his Word ».
In Romans 6: 9 – 11

9
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.
10
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God.
11
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
A dead man won’t react to anything, anykind of pressure and any problem won’t affect him. He is the most resistant person to trials because no trial can affect Him.
Think of yourselves as living for God in Christ Jesus.
Someone living in Christ will lead a holy life first because Christ as lived without sin in a complete holiness. Then he will do the same works as Christ and even greater if he obey his commands

Let’s pray.

To Him be the Glory

2007-03-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self - control
Proverbs 25:28

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool
Proverbs 26:1

Wait, ... It is coming

2006-05-17T04:35:00.000-07:00

Steps to Your Miracle
By A.L. and Joyce Gill

Many of us need miracles in our physical bodies, our emotions, or in our relationships with God and others. Our God is a God of miracles! If we truly desire to receive a miracle from Him, there are practical steps in His Word. The Word of God will build our faith and position us to receive and keep our miracle.

1. Why am I in this situation?
– Have I been disobedient, or did I miss God? – Is there anything I need to repent of, or change in my life? Most things don't "just happen." There are causes and effects. If we don't understand
the cause of our situation, we need to ask God for supernatural knowledge and understanding.
Facing ourselves honestly is the first step to being healed.

Psalms 139:23,24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see
if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

2. Forgive others – ourselves – God

Forgiveness is an act of our will, not an emotion. We choose to forgive regardless of how hurt we have been, how despicable the other person, or persons are, or how tragic the situation is. We must forgive others, ourselves, and even God if we feel. He let something happen He could have prevented. Mark 11:25,26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Colossians 3:12-15 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

3. Meditate on God 's Word regarding the need. To meditate means to spend time thinking about, to ponder, and to contemplate. It means to think about what the Word has said and ask yourself, "What does this really mean to me? How do I apply it to my life?"
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to" that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

4. Ask for direction expecting to hear from God. Instead of rushing headlong into a situation, we should ask God what we are to do. The Word says God hears and answers us, so we need to develop an attitude of expecting to hear from God. Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; He is a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.

4. Forgive others, ourselves and God
No matter how tragic the situation is. We must forgive others, ourselves, and even God if we feel He let something happen He could have prevented.
Mark 11:25,26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Colossians 3:12-15 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another;
even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

5. Take time to listen, and hear God's voice. Just as we must stop in the rush of life to hear what another has to say, we must stop and take time to listen to God. We can hear the voice of God through His Word and also as He speaks to our spirits. Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.

6. Faith comes
Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. True faith is not based on what another says. A person's testimony to us brings hope, but faith is based on knowing what God's Word says about our situation. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Abraham is our greatest example of faith. Romans 4:13,17-22 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the",

Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

7. Believe what God has spoken
What God has written in the Bible is for you, for me, for each individual. Take God's Word and apply it to your own situation. Meditate on a verse, and reword it to apply to yourself. For example, "Jesus said to me, 'Kathy (or Joe or Alice), if you can believe, all things are possible to you when you believe.' " Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Hebrews 11:1,6 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see .
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

8. Write down what God has spoken When we take time to write down what God has said through His Word or personally to us and how it applies to us, it makes that word more a part of our being.
Habakkuk 2:1-4 I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am reproved. Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry. "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith."

9. Boldly declare what God has spoken When faith comes, it speaks. It tells others. Faith does not stay hidden away "in case it doesn't work."
Romans 10:6a But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way...
vs. 8-11 But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart" (that is,"
Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
'Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."
Romans 4:9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. We read again,
Romans 10:6 But the righteousness of faith speaks...

10. Obey! Act! Just Do It!
Jeremiah 7:23 "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.
1 Samuel 15:22,23
Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and toheed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles\nanswered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men."

11. Have Patience Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Hebrews 10:35-37 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

12. Give Thanks
Psalms 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
Psalms 107:1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
v. 8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!",1]

Your Miracle Will Come!
The Bible makes it so simple. All that is evil comes from Satan. All that is good comes from God.
John 10:10 The thief (the devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I
(Jesus) have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Joshua 23:14b And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you, and not one word of them has failed.
Psalms 84:11b The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold From those who
walk uprightly.
God desires only the best for us! In His redemptive work, God has already provided every miracle that we need in our lives. He wants to bless us with our miracle more than we want to be blessed. We position ourselves to receive our miracle through repentance and forgiveness. We must meditate on God's Word regarding the needs in our life – asking, listening and expecting God to give us His direction. Faith comes as we hear from God, as we believe, and write what
He has spoken to us. We can boldly speak in faith for our miracle. We can obey and
act on what He has spoken to our hearts. We can give thanks to God as we patiently
wait for the manifestation of our miracle to come.

The Law is now in the hearts

2006-05-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

"The days are coming, says the Eternal, when I'll make a new covenant with the house of Israël and the house of Juda, not a covenant like the one I have treated with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to draw them out of the land of Egypt, a covenant they violated, in spite of the fact that I was their master, says the Eternal. Mais here is the covenant I'll make with the house of Israël, after these days, says the Eternal : I'll put my law inside them, I'll write it onto their hearts. I'll be their God and they will be my people"

Jeremiah 31:31-33

How big is your God

2006-03-30T01:39:00.000-08:00

‘Upon your walls, O my city, the Lord has set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You, who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest and give Him no rest until He establishes my city and makes it a praise in all the earth’.

What about spiritual oppression over nations?

How do we approach great battles like Apartheid, Human basic rights violation in many countries and so on? Do we just see them as political phenomenon, or are we really aware of the fact that beyond the visible is an invisible world with precise rules and structure. And that most of the mentioned above are owned by spirits?

How do we shatter the power of the spirit beyond such issues like War in Iraqi?
Through yielded rights and humble servanthood.

We can rebuke the devil all the day long and still be powerless unless we apply Faith and Obedience to a God-directed strategy

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicle 7:14)

All over the world, praying Christians are agreeing about the nature of the battle for individual cities. For example, the prayer warriors of London believe they are battling a spirit of unrighteous trade that has influenced the world for hundreds of years through that great city.

Today, apart from Hong Kong, Singapore, still-surviving Luxembourg and a few others, the world consists of entities we call nations, and nations often have several world – class cities within their borders. In fact a nation is a geo – political alliance among its cities. Cities are where the national myth is largely enshrined. The land between is relatively empty and serves only to sustain the life of the city. A nation is the sum of its cities

As we dream of discipline nations, we need to understand their urban makeup. The gospel must transform the spiritual, philosophical and physical life of a country’s cities. If it does anything else we have failed to win the battle.

To effectively penetrate the cities, the nation with the gospel, we must understand some truths of spiritual warfare.

* Satan’s kingdom is a limited hierarchy of evil spirits

* High ranking, supernatural personalities, referred to as principalities and powers in Ephesians 6, seek to dominate geographic area such as a city, with all its people and subcultures.

* We as believers are taught by God’s Word to treat such beings with respect, but ‘to take captivity captive’ – to tear down the rule and authority of evil one

* God’s power is strategically applied by discernment of the unseen realm.

* We must overcome the enemy before employing other methods of ministry among men and women.

In a given battle for a person, a family, a church or a city, discerning the nature of the enemy’s lie is half the battle. Only after his deception is exposed can we exercise the authority of the Scripture to thwart his schemes. Jesus resisted the devil this way during his time of temptation in the wilderness.

Whole countries are kept in darkness by satanic lies that have become cornerstones of a particular culture.

Isaiah 60 says that the people of the earth sit in gross darkness. Can you imagine walking into a darkened room filled with people who have spent their entire lives sitting there watching the TV images flickering in front of them, thinking that is all there is to reality ? Imagine flipping the light switch on and asking everyone to examine the mundane equipment responsible for the illusion. Satan is a projectionist, an illusionist, a deceiver, the father of lies. The Bible says that one day we will look upon him in amazement saying, ‘Is this the one that made the nations tremble ?’(Isaiah 14:16). He will be seen in reality as being small and impotent.

How can you contribute to victory in the battle for your city or nation ? Begin by identifying the spiritual opposition and its unique manifestations

1. Look at your city’s secular history. Ask yourself the question why is your city here? Is it just the project of geography and commerce or does God have a redemptive purpose in mind ? Jonas was surprised at the way God looked at Nineveh. You too, may be surprised when you discover what is oppressing people today. Psalm 115:16 says, ‘The heaven belongs to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all mankind.’ In other Words, this is our planet and the only authority that Satan has stolen is man’s authority. He initialy gain this authority when at some point in history, human beings believe his lies and are seduced into allegiance to his plan.

2. Look at your city’s Christian history. Research the life of God’s people in your city, particularly during time of revival. During time of revival the supernatural realm is seen with great clarity, and often records are kept which contain important insights. Ours is a covenant- keeping God keeping God, and you may be amazed at the promises received by past generations – your spiritual forefathers engaged in the same battle. It is an important spiritual principle of humility to acknowledge and honour those who have gone before. It also inspires our faith. Because of God’s covenant with David, Josiah’s generation lived in a time of revival rather than judgment.

3. Identify your city prophets, intercessors and spiritual elders. In every city there is what I call a hidden eldership – a group of saints that you will not find listed in any book. It consists of God’s circle of mature believers who ‘stand in the gap’ until victory comes. Isaiah 62:6 says ‘Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You, who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in all the earth’. Some of these watchmen are obvious such as veteran pastors. Other may be intercessors in obscurity or prophetic people with a premonition. If there is a common theme among those who are sensitive to the Spirit’s guidance, you’re on to something. God always confirm a strategy through several witnesses, and this is particularly important when dealing with demonic forces.

4. Study your city demographics. It is amazing to me how ignorant we often are of the basic realities around us. Where do the people live? How many are in poverty? Why are they in poverty? Are there subcultures, ethnic groups, changes in the economy, an aging population – what’s really going on? Spiritual warfare doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Jeremiah 29:7 says ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ This is an exhortation to Jews in Babylon who, like some modern believers, had a tendency to dream of a distant Jerusalem instead of recognizing the task at hand, Instead of seeing the spiritual Jerusalem of all those of the cities of this nation God wants to set free. Couldn’t these words apply to Casablanca, Marrakech, Tangier, Fes, Mohamedia, Tetouan, Essaouira, Kenitra, … where there are so many human which can’t distinguish their right hand from the left one and a lot of animals ? Be grateful for your city. Study its potential, and you will receive the insight you need. ‘Upon your walls, O Casablanca, the Lord has set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You, who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest and give Him no rest until He establishes Casablanca and makes it a praise in all the earth’.

Once we know what we are up against what should we do?

1. Begin with worship. Everything born of God goes through a very natural process. Worship is like an act of love that is followed by conception, gestation, travail and birth. So always begin with worship. So always begin with worship. It is in the place of thanksgiving and praise that God conceives within us his mind and heart for our city.

2. Wait on the Lord for insight. Don’t rely on finite reasoning or human cunning; what worked at Jericho didn’t work at Ai. Learn to listen to God with child-like dependency, and he will guide you into victory. The scripture are full of exhortations about waiting on God. Psalm 40:1 says, ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined unto me and heard my cry.’ We are promised that God will speak if we seek him. ‘My sheep hear my voice and they follow me’ (John 10:27).

3. Identify with those you want to reach. When Nehemiah prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem, he didn’t pray for the city as though he were not a part of it. He said, ‘I and this people have sinned’ (Neh 1:6). Ezra went even further when he said, ‘O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown even to the heavens’ (Ezra 9:6). Both were righteous men. You too, may e a righteous man who is not involved with our city vices. But we can all identify with the root of any given sin. Take for example the shedding of innocent blood in the act of abortion. You may never have participated in an abortion, but all of us have been guilty of the root sins – lust, the love of comfort, the love of money, rejection, unbelief. These common struggle can help us identify honestly with the sins of our city when we ask for God’s mercy.

4. Minister in the opposite spirit. Is the enemy tempting you to be stingy or greedy? Come against it with exuberant generosity. Overcome pride with humility, lust with purity, fear with faith. Paul said ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13)

Travail in prayer until God’s purposes are birthed. That which is conceived by God eventually comes to birth. Just as the contractions of the uterus herald the beginning of labor, there are times when our souls are stirred by God’s Spirit to seasons of intense prayers. Anyone who earnestly seeks God experiences such travail, but when the united Christians of a city are at this stage, it signals impending revival.

How do you perceive God? How big is He? The size of your God is revealed by your plans and expectations. His objectives are plain enough. Envision this, for example: God’s heart for the city becomes your heart. You and your team-mates begin a city prayer movement. There is a revival in the local churches, followed by an awakening among non-Christians, reformation of society (change in laws and times), and new expression of world mission. Is your God big enough for that? He waits for people who will see him as he is and then follow him to victory.
I seek among them a man who bricks up a wall, which is held with the breach in front of me in favour of the country, so that I do not destroy it; but I do not find any. (Ezekiel 22:30)

Is my God big enough in my eyes so that I could answer to him? And say ‘Here I am Lord, send me’.

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Who will I send, and who will walk for us? I answered: Here I am, send me. (Esaie 6:8)

Behind the visible

2006-03-21T04:40:00.000-08:00

The visible and the invisible

Behind many visible aspects of the world around us may be spiritual forces, invisible areas of reality that may have more ultimate significance than the visible.

2 Cor 4:18

We do not look at things which are seen but at things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The gospel is also veiled…to those who are perishing
Because the god of this age has blinded their minds

According to Paul’s message the essential battle for world evangelization is a spiritual battle and that the weapons of this battle are not carnal but spiritual.

But maybe the point many will not agree with is that God has given us a mandate for intelligent, aggressive, spiritual warfare.

Understanding this well can lead us to raise more prayers for the advancing of the kingdom of God

Understanding the difference between the visible and the invisible is one of the overall battle plan to break the hold the enemy has on lost and perishing soul.

Igniting the wrath of God

The key biblical passage on distinguishing the visible from the invisible is Roman 1. Just a few books talk about the wrath of God, nevertheless wrath is an attribute of God. This means it is not just some mood that comes and goes, but a part of the very nature of God. God is a God of wrath. But he is also a God of Justice, a God of Love, a God of mercy and a God of holiness.

Romans 1:18

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness

This maddening unrighteousness has directly to do with the visible and the invisible. Let me explain.

God created the world in order to manifest His glory. Through the things that are made or the visible aspect of the creation, God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen.

Everything we see in God’s creation, without exception, was originally created to reveal “His Eternal Power and Godhead” (Romans 1:19-20)

This means of course that every human being was created to glorify God. As we are the only ones who were created in the image of God, humans occupy a higher level than other objects of creation.

So was angelic being, animals, plants, heavenly bodies, mountains, icebergs, volcanoes and uranium and also human culture.

Corrupting God’s creation

An important part of creation has choosen not to glorify God, and this is a serious problem. Certain human beings have taken created things and corrupted them so that they no longer revealed the glory of God. They have changed God’s glory into an image made like corruptible man – and birds and four – footed beasts and creeping things. (Rom 1:23)

Gos is very infuriated when he sees what was designed for His glory being switched to specifically, humans, birds, animals and reptiles.

When such visible objects are intentionally crafted to represent supernatural powers, they released the wrath of God.

When attempting to trace the references to the wrath of God through the Bible it becomes clear that nothing comes even close to upsetting God as much as serving the creature than the Creator (Rom 1:25). God especially hates it when human beings use visible to glorify Satan and other evil demonic beings

Horrible things reported in Jeremiah 1-19
Saying to a tree: you are my father and to a stone you give birth to me (jer 2:27)

It was some adultery to the eyes of God: “You have played the harlot with many lovers” (Jer 3:1).

He said Israel defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees (Jer 3:9)

All the Ten Commandments are very important but they come after first and second commandments. The first commandment has to do with the invisible and the second has to do with the visible.

You shall have no other god before Me
You shall not make for yourself any carved image

According to this we can say that no sin is worse than using the visible to give honor and glory to demonic principalities. Nothing so provokes God to jealousy and wrath.

Illustrations of things that could be very worse sins

Japan and the rising sun
Many people in Hawaii focused on lava rocks especially those from Kilua volcanoe (Glory to pele instead of glorifying God)
The Grand canyon
…Egyptian spirits, tower of Ra,Cheops pyramids, Osiris temple, hindu principalities, Vishnu greek, Rama shrine and many many others and all this according to Roman 1 is still raising the wrath of God.

Affirming culture

It is become fashionable today to reaffirm culture and to advocate a multicultural society. Christians should not be blindsided by this.

We have to expose it to the light of visible and invisible

Behind cultural forms just as behind lava rock in Hawaii, can lie the invisible Power of the Creator or invisible demonic power. If we are ignorant to this we can make ourselves unnecessarily vulnerable to devastating waves of high – level demonization.

Culture is a part of God’s creation, so it is good in itself.
è One of the visible elements designed to glorify God
è Very very important point !!!!!

The tower of Babel

Cultural origins are revealed in Genesis. There was a time according to genesis 11 when the human race was all one culture. Presumabily, however, God’s original purpose was to have the human race scattered over the earth and develop into diverse cultures.

But the people, true to their fallen nature, though they had a better plan than God. So they decided to reverse the scattering process by consolidating around a tower, the Tower of Babel. “Lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Gen 11:4)

The tower was visible structure. What was invisible then? Archeologist tell us it was a ziggurat, a well known ancient structure designed for occult purposes. They wanted a tower “whose top is in the heavens” in order to draw on satanic power for their desired one world movement. They used the visible to glorify the creature rather than the Creator.

God’s reaction was predictable. He became angry. In one stroke he ruined their plans by confounding their languages, and they proceed to scatter as God intended. The human race ended up, “separated into their lands, according to their families, into their nations” (Gen 10:5)

A little bit about spiritual warfare

2006-03-21T04:34:00.000-08:00

God’s kingdom implies tribulations

We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God
Acts 14:22
2 Tim 3:1-5

All who desires to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecutions
(2 Tim 3:10-12)

While Satan was reigning on the earth as the god of this age, Jesus came and invaded his Kingdom with the kingdom of God. Satan power was broken through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Since this invasion, violence has erupted both in the heavenlies and hear on the earth. That’s why Jesus said “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12).

Jesus changed the picture

When Jesus invaded Satan’s kingdom the long period of time covered by the Old Testament changed. Jesus brought a new covenant.

When ?
On the cross

Col 1:13
.the Father has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the son of His love

We have redemption through his blood (Col 1:14)

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Col 2:10)

Jesus temptation was a high level power encounter which Satan conclusively lost

Four key dimensions to spiritual warfare

In approaching spiritual warfare wisely, there are four dimensions which must be carefully considered:

1) Our weapons of warfare;
2) Our spiritual authority
3) Our engagement with the enemy
4) Our plan of action

Our weapons of warfare: the most difficult lesson to learn

Peter Wagner has found by personal experience that one of the most difficult lesson to learn for the average Christian is that our weapons for spiritual warfare are spiritual weapons.
It sounds simple in theory but realy difficult in practice because even those who are biblical Christians still live much too much of our lives in the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (2 Cor 10:3-4)

We are so used to trying to solve social and economic problems through politics, or legal problems through the courts or personnal disagreements through arguing about them, or international relationships through war, that to hear that God has a higher and more effective way through spiritual weapons is regarded as wishful thinking, even by many born – again chrisitians

Stand against the oppressors of influent church men

2006-03-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about the powerfull men of God but it leads me also to think about how much some supposed to be men of God use their influence in the church to gain a good position, some special priviledges, some goods or even to catch a woman in their web.

In 1 Chronicles 13: 10 It is said that the anger of the Lord burst againts Uzza and God hit him because he extended his hand to the Ark. Uzza dead there before God.

I don't really know who was Uzza, but he certainly knew the rules for serving before the Ark of the Almighty God: so why did he acted like he did ? Maybe just a reflex, or may be was he looking for a way to personnaly glorify himself as the one who rescued the Ark ? After such an act would'nt had he became a hero ?

In number we see a son of Levi Kore and Dathan and Abiram that get rebelled against Moses with two hundread fifty men saying "Why do you put yourself higher than the assembly of God?"...... (Number 16:1-40).. But in verses 9-10 Moses explained the real reason why the guys performed such a rebellion. It was envy and jealousy and because the were searching to gain the sacerdotal position, they were not contended in the position God gave them.
But God had burried them all publicly, and I can say God has judged them publicly. And their sins were revealed to the whole community: they entered alive in the place of the deads (Number 16:33): it was such an amezing and terrible judgment that all the community was afraid.

It is somewhere similar to what happened to Moses brother Aaron and Marie when they talked against Moses regarding to the ethiopian wife he took and they just said "Is it only by Moses that Go speaks doesn't he speak also by us". And God heard it. But Mose was someone very very humble. (Number 12:1-15). And this time again God judgment came upon Aaron and Mary and it was just like God as a father split on Mary and she was impure for seven days (verse 14)

What was the problem with Aaron and Mary ? They tried to use their influence in the community to take Moses position. They just tried to take advantage of this fact of "Moses takin the ethiopian wife" to accuse him of sinning and use It as an evidence of the fact that the spirit of prophecy has left him and come upon them.But all this was not God will and they got the judgment of God upon them.

The last example I looked at in Bible is in 1 Samuel were we see the two sons of Elijah, the tutor of Samuel, acting in such a bad way that irritates God. 1 Samuel 2: 17 Said that: those young men were making themselves guilty about a very great sin before God because they were not considering the offers to God. and verse 22 says When Elijah was old he heard how his children were acting before all Israel, and he learnt also that they were sexualy involved with the girls that gathered at the entry of the assignation place.

God send a prophet to rebuke Elijah because of the sins of his children and to prophesy their death, and of course that's what happened.

Why Am I talking about all this ? Because theses kind of abuses take place every time and every where in churches, in particular in our african countries.

Because of our culture a man of God is always seen as a powerfull and spiritually protected servior of the lord. In our culture we easily assume that spiritual things preceed material ones and we know that the strongest man is not the one very strong physically but the fight is won spiritually. So people just let themselves be deceived and used by those kind of men of God, and in Africa it is not rare to hear that a pastor or his right hand man has commited such faults.

Moreover when it is not about trying to get more important position, in the church or in a financial institution, or any kind of powerfull stuff, it deals also with social matters like mariage: because people are afraid to resist to the influence of a pastor or his right hand man, thinking that if they do it, they would not be well considered in the church, may be they will be excommuniated or so....

But in general those persons are not deeply involved in reading the Bible and living trought the word that's why they are easily deceived. And this fact doesn't mean they are not good christians: they can be good christians in the fact that they really believe in the power of cross, but as the child can recognize his mother and goes only to her so as can they know that jesus is the true God without knowing how to follow him. I don't know if this kind of situation is frequent in Occidental countries but in West Africa it is very common.

My concern is how is God seeing those kind of christian influent personnalities that used their influence in such bad ways ?

According to the word of God their is a judgment coming upon them, in spite of the fact that church or the people around see them as good guys, God is the one who really know evrything and weight the spirit of every man. Only he can really judge the deeper nature of a man. Every man can wear a mask for his public life.

In fact I really believe that this is an important issue to the eyes of God,as in Ezechiel 8, God shows to the prohets all the horrible hidden practices made by 70 ancients of Israel and between them there were some very well known ancients.

God shows the prophet how much the true things were far away from the facts he considered as true everyday.

So I would like you brother, if it doesn't disturb you to pray a little prayer before God, asking him to change the hearts of such christians which generaly are basicaly good christians but have catched themselves in a lying system with some false appearance, always trying to look good to the eyes of the men, but seem to be unconscious of the fact that the only judgment which is important is the one of God.

It's like they become very proud and see it as a personnal defeat to recognize they were wrong in one area or another, like what we are doing here on earth is most important thant standing before the Eternal glorious face of the Lord.

Thank you for praying God to send his holy spirit again in their lives so that he will convince them about rightousness, truth and judgment.

Thank you for praying God to change their hearts so that they become humble before him: not to the eyes of a man. And so that their adoration to the Lord be done in Spirit and truth.

Blessings

Break them all - Cause your Lord has overcome them all

2006-03-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

The church is presently faced with two substantial external challenges to its continued expansion: “demonic entrenchment” and “the lateness of the hour”

Demonic entrenchment

- Found in Egypt by Hebrews
- Found in Babylon
- Found in Ephesus by Paul

In some places of earth demonic pacts have been serviced continually since post- diluvian time and spiritual light is nearly imperceptible

The lateness of the hour (from a human time perspective)

Rev 12:2

The devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows that he has a short time

If we are to successfully overcome the works of the enemy, “We must learn to see the world as it really is, not as it appears to be”.

Therefore we must superimpose our understanding of forces and events in the spiritual domain onto places and circumstances in the material world

Those who practice spiritual mapping already possess a keen understanding of the spiritual domain

Spiritual mapping is a means whereby we can see what is beneath the surface of the material world; but it is not magic.

Today spiritual battlefield

The church of Jesus Christ must not shrink back from taking a long, hard look at the spiritual obstacles that stand between it and fulfillement of the great commission.

It has become obvious that something is out there, and this something is manifesting itself in our material world.

* Spiritual darkness is increasing and is becoming more sophisticated
* There is a geographical pattern to evil and spiritual oppression
* They do not understand the spiritual dimension as well as they thought.

Territorial strongholds

The Bible touches on the subject of spiritual territoriality in both testaments. The most cited instance is the prince of Persia in Daniel 10. (see also Ezekiel 28:12-19; Deuteronomy 32:8, Ephesians 6:12)

Why …

- Are some areas more oppressive ?
- More idolatrous ?
- More spiritually barrens than others ?
- Why does darkness seem to linger where it does ?
- For instance has Mesopotamia put out such a long string of tyrannical rulers ?
- Is the nation of Haiti the premier social and economic eyesore in the western hemisphere ?
- Do the andean nations of South America always seem to rank near the top of the world’s annual per capita homicide statistics ?
- Is there so much overt demonic activity in and around the himalayan mountains ?
- Has Japan been such a hard nut to crack with the gospel ?
- Does the continent of Asia so dominate the 10/40 window ?

There is in fact a great research challenge

It is helpful to think of this process in terms of the medical researcher who has just identified a certain virus as the causative agent behind a particular disease. He or she has made an important discovery, but much hard work is ahead if this knowledge has to be translated into practical help for those who are suffering from, or endeavoring to treat, the ailment in question

Acknowledging the role of spiritual territoriality, therefore, is only the departure point for any quest to understand the whys and wherefores of the modern spiritual battlefield. For example :

- How are spiritual strongholds established ?
- How are they maintened over the time ?
- How are they reproduced in other areas ?

Two universal characteristics of spiritual strongholds

- They repel light
- They export darkness

Teritorial strongholds are inherently defensive and offensive in nature: while their dark ramparts ward off divine arrows of truth, demonic archers are busy launching fiery darts in the direction of unprotected targets abroad. While their spiritual prison camps retain thousands of enchanted captives, evil command and control centers are releasing manifold deceptions through the spiritual hosts of wickedness in their employ.

How are territorial strongholds established

If we are to understand why things are the way they are today we must first examine what happened yesterday. Concluding that territorial strongholds exist is not enough, we must also solve the riddle of their origin. Where did they come from ? How where they established ?

Babel : the obvious starting point

Genesis 11 informs us it was from the plain of Shinear in ancient Mesopotamia and Zachary 5:5-11 teaches us about the woman sitted down in the epha. Thiw woman was the iniquity and it is said in Zachary 5:11 she will be built a house in the country of Shinear.

Zachary 5:5-11

5 Then the angel who was speaking to me came forward and said to me, “Look up and see what this is that is appearing.”

6 I ask, “What is it?”
He replied, “It is a measuring basket.” And he added, “This is the iniquity of the people throughout the land.”

7. The the cover of lead was raised, and there in the baskek sat a woman!

8 “This is wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the bsket and pushed the lead cover down over its mouth.

9 Then I looked up – and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings ! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.

10 “Where are they taking the basket ?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me.

11 He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When it is ready, the basket will be set there in its place”

This is the the text from my Thompson chain – reference Bible it says Babylonia instead of Shinear, but in my french scofield Bible version Louis Segond it is said at verse 11

11 Il me repondit: elle vont lui batir une maison dans le pays de Schinear; et quand elle sera prete {la maison} il {l’epha = basket} sera depose la dans son lieu.

There in Shinear, The coherent people were dispersed by God into the four corners of the earth.

- But what happened to this ancient people as they migrate from Babel ?
- Do ancient artifacts and oral traditions offer us any clues ?
o And if so, will these clues have any relevance to our quest to understand the origin of
territorial strongholds ?

But we should remember the fact that demons are found wherever there are people and that they have no reason to be anywhere else. There is no evidence in scripture that they are interested in inanimate or nonmoral creation such as mountains, rivers, trees, caves, stars and animals, unless and until people are there. Their bitter mandate is to steal, kill and destroy that which is precious to God; and clearly human beings created in the divine image are at the top of heaven’s list of valuables.

This is the underlying explanation for the darkness that seems to engulf so many of the world’s cities. Wherever people congragate in force, demons will be attracted to the scent. Was this not why Babel prompted such swift intervention by God ? Is it hard to imagine that he unique concentration of humanity in Shinear would have precipitated the most profound ingathering of demonic powers in history ?

We don’t know much about the original movements of the first people groups out from Mesopotamia, what it seems that these movements were made with at least one experimental common denominator : traumas (inability to traverse forbidding mountain ramparts that blocked their paths, sudain lack of sustenance brought about by severe climatic conditions, mortal combat,…)

These traumas bring people face to face with their desperation. How would they resolve their challenge ? Each case was loaded with moral implications. Each circumstance was an opportunity for a specific people in a specific place to return to God in repentance, thereby establishing Him as their rightful ruler and sole deliver, but unfortunately the sackcloth prostrations of Nineveth have proven to be a rare exception to the rule. The overwhelming majority of people down through history have elected to exchange the revelation of God for a lie.

Heeding the entreaties of demons, they have choosen in their desparation to enter into quid pro quo pacts with the spirit world. In return for a particular deity’s consent to reslve their immediate traumas, they have offered up their singular and ongoing allegiance. They have collectively sold their proverbial souls

It is through the placement of these ancient welcome mats, then that demonic territorial strongholds are established. The basis of the transaction is entirely moral.People make a conscious choice to suppress truth and believe a falsehood . In the end they are deceived because they choosed to be.

(Roman 1:18-25)

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, beeing understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

21 For altough they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their fulish hearts were darkened.

22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

23 and exchange the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is foever praised. Amen

Because many of the oldest pacts between people and demonic powers were transacted in Asia, and Asia now hosts the planet’s greatest population centers, it should not surprise us that the continent presently dominates the great unreached frontier known as the 10/40 window. Population and pact lognevity both have a great deal to do with the territorial entrenchment of spiritual darkness.

Ishmael

There are many territorial strongholds in this country. I just don’t know right know all of them and the hierarchy between them but those of Ishamel are there also. Their demonic power may be upon Rachid and some other men that commited their lives to them. We should ask God to unveil these men identities and their wickedness acts and also the strongmem who are ruling them so that we can take authority against them and get them bound and layed down to the feet of the Lord, having in the same time their victims blessed in the name of Jesus and set free

Jeremy 33:3

3 Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

3 Invoque moi et je te répondrai, je t’annoncerai de grandes choses, des choses cachées que tu ne connais pas

Genesis 16: 1-16

This scriptures tell us how Sarai, Abram’s wife acted when she saw that she could not give birth: she asked Abram to sleep with her maidservant so that she could build a family through her”.

Surely Sarai was thinking of doing good but shed did something very wrong. It reminds me also of Uza.

In 1 Chronicles 13: 10 It is said that the anger of the Lord burst againts Uzza and God hit him because he extended his hand to the Ark. Uzza dead there before God.

I don't really know who was Uzza, but he certainly knew the rules for serving before the Ark of the Almighty God: so why did he acted like he did ? Maybe just a reflex, or may be was he looking for a way to personnaly glorify himself as the one who rescued the Ark ? After such an act would'nt had he became a hero ?

So Sarai did wrong things while trying may be to made the promess of God realised. And the drawbacks of her acts are still visible in this world. The spiritual strongman who is ruling Ishamael is, from my point of view one of the most influent over mankind.

Genesis 16: 11-12

11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:

“You are now with child and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard of your misery.

12 He will be a wide donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers

How are territorial strongholds maintained ? What sustains thems ?

- If the misplaced choices or acts of earlier generations allowed demonic forces into certain neighborhoods, how do these evil powers maintain their tenancy rights across centuries or millenia ?
- How do they manage lease extensions once those people who signed the original paperwork have passed on ?

The authority transfer

- During religious festival
- Ceremonials
- Pelgrimages

See the book The twilight labyrinth

The release of these spiritual powers during such manifestations is accompanied with :

A heightned sense of oppression
Increased incidentsof persecution
Wholesale manifestations of demonic signs and wonders

Notice that religious festivals, ceremonials and pelgrimages are taking place somewhere in the world every week of the year ( Halloween, Islamic Hajj, Kumba Melha in India, Inti Raymi in Peru, summer Bon celebration in Japan, Foley Fori in Niger, many religious festivals with no biblical fundations in roman catholicism) and they attract huge numbers of participants as well

Dusting off ancient welcome matts

In spite of the fact that these ceremonies seems to be just benign, qaint and colorful cultural spectacles they are really (beyond the visible aspect of things) some conscious transactions with the spirit world. They are opportunities for contemporary generations to reaffirm the choices and pacts made by their forefathers and ancestors. They are occasions to dust off ancient welcome mats and extend the devil’s right to rule over specific peoples and places today. The significance of these events should not be underestimated.

Once a people have given in to vain imaginations, demonic powers are quick to animate resulting mythologies. In a manner reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz, manipulating spiritual agents practice the art of shadow – ruling from behind the scenes.

The authority and allegiance rendered to so-called protective deities is quickly absorbed – and from that moment on, the lie is enchanted.

Traditions and the enchanted system

Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of children are born into these enchanted systems around the world, and the majority of them has no one to lead them on the right way, to open their eyes so that they could see the Light of The Lord. Nearly all of them grow up hearing about the lie, but it is during the course of puberty rites and initiations that many of them feel its intense gravitational suction for the first time. The power of the lie, fueled by demonic magic, is called tradition; and it is tradition, in turn who sustains territorial dynasties.

Other means used to keep the enchamtment

Tradition is not the only means the enemy uses to maintain territorial dynasties. Of course tradition is a very important mean, but there is another strategy as important as tradition which is called “adaptive deception”

The enemy use adaptive deception when tradition for whatever reason begins to lose its potency in a given society.

Adaptive deceptions are, depending on how one chooses to view them, either necessary course corrections, or upgrades to the devil’s “product line.” They work because of humankind’s propensity to try new things

THE DEVIL HAS LEARNED THAT THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CAT

Examples of adaptive deception

Folk Islam
A combination of animist and islamic beliefs
Japanese new religions
Curious synthesis of budhism and materialistic concepts

In terms of number of adherents and practicioners, both are hugely successful

Adaptive deception do not replace preexisting ideological bondages, they augment them. In this sense, they are analogous on a collective level to the biblical account of the demon that returns to the undefended human vessel with seven other spirits more wicked than itself (Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26)

Prevailing bondages and root bondages

Now that we are armed with an understanding of the roles that adaptive deception, traditions and religious festivals play in maintaining territorial dynasties, we must learn one final lesson.

It has to do with descerning the the difference between “prevailing bondage” and “root bondage”

Due to the lack of teaching on this subject, Christian warriors are often misled by surface appearances when they endeavor to identify territorial strongholds

An example

A few years ago a large number of people insisted that the spiritual stronghold over Albania was Stalinist communism, it was no doubt that it was the prevailing bondage at that time but maybe not the root bondage if we consider the fact that communist did not become the predominant ideology in the country until 1944.

The expansion of the darkness

- How can we understand the territorial expansion of the kingdome of darkness ?
- Is this kingdome geographycaly dynamic ?
- If so, how are the characteristics of certain strongholds reproduced in other areas ?

The Banyan way

Starting from a massive trunk, the banyan’s sinuous branches extend laterally in all directions. From these, in what is surely, the tree’s most remarkable feature, aerial roots descend to the ground to form new trunk. In this fashion the banyan can more laterally over great distances – creating as it does, an often impenetrable thicket of twisting, vine-like branches and trunks.

These extending branches and descending roots represent the two ways territorial expansion takes place: “ideological export” and “trauma-induced strongholds”.

Ideological export

Ideological export is a latteral extension of territorial strongholds and it is accomplished through the broadcast of ideological or spiritual influence from transmission sites, or export centers, in various areas of the world

- Cairo
- Tripoli
- Karbala
- Qom and Meca (muslim world)
- Allahabad and Varanasi (hindu world)
- Dharamsala and Tokyo (budhist world)
- Amsterdam, New York, Paris and Hollywood (materialistic world)

Trauma – induced strongholds

Having learned from past experience how effectively desperate circumstances can draw men and women into his web, the enemy will often use the greed, lust and dishonesty of depraved individuals to create fresh crises.

Example

In Haiti, taking advantage of the greed of Efik tribesmen and french slave traders, huge number of West Africans were brought to the Caribbean and mistreated to the point of desperation. Choosing to resolve their conflict by entering into fresh pacts with the spirit world, these slaves established an animist-based system of worship and secret rule known as voudon. Today the dark reward of this system are widely known.

The Threshold generation

As the armies of the Lord Jesus Christ begin to collapse the remaining task of world evangelization on the 10/40 window, it is curious that the geographic centerpoint of this region should be the site of ancient Eden (i.e in the area of Iraq, also see Gen 2:8-14). Could it be that it is God’s plan for his church to complete the great commission on the very selfsame soil where the original commandment was delivered to earth’s first family (Genesis 1:27-28)

Whatever the answer is it is clear that Christian warriors who dare to march this final road will face formidable opposition from an implacable and invisible adversary. If their mission to liberate enchanted prisoners is to succeed, they will require accurate intelligence of the enemy command and control centers, and the spiritual equivalent of the military’s night vision goggles The hope is that the readers who are contemplating imminent rescue missions be aware of the fact that new tools are becoming available to guide them through the twist and turns of the twilight labyrinth.

Reflection questions

- Do we agree with the fact that The Kingdome of Satan may be well organized with evil principalities assigned to different geographic regions ?

- In which ways can we apply the concept of “spiritual territoriality” to the country we are living in ?

- What are the spiritual strongholds of our city ? Can we try to draw a spiritual mapping of the country, with detailed mapping for the big cities.

- In Ezechiel 28, we see Satan personnalised by the King of Tyre and the same in Esai 14:9-17. Moreover the book of Daniel unveil the fact that Nebuchadnetsar was the Gold head of a spiritual complex empire. In fact Nebuchadnetsar was certainly ruled by a very powerful darkness entity, and I do believe it was Satan itself. On the same pattern do we know something about the history of this country which can lead us to unveil the demonic powers which were ruling the influent men of the country ?

- Religious festival, ceremonials and peligrimage can reinforce the authority of evil powers over an area. Name and discuss as many of these festivals as you can think of. Are they taking place here ?

- Demonic strongholds over a city or nation can be induced by traumas. Can you think of any such traumas in the history of your city or nation that might have produced strongholds ? Check through the history of the country and see.

Stay protected

2006-03-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him

Proverbs 26:27.

Back to Life

2005-12-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

Ezekiel 37:1-12
1. The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and he set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
3. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said "O sovereign LORD, you alone know."
4. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5. This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD'"
7. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones come together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them but there was no breath in them.
9. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain and they may live.'"
10. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.
11. Then he said to me: "Son of man, theses bones are the hole house of Israel. They say 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off'
12. Therefore prophesy and say to them:' This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I'me going to open your graves and bring you up from them
14. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD' "

Let 's the Word speaks by itself

2005-12-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

1 Cor 2:1-5

1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Welcome to this blog

2005-11-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
This blog has as aim to discuss about the Lord Jesus under this theme: "He has come to set the captives free". We hope that I'll be entirely dedicated to the glory of the Lord and that many souls will be blessed

Blessings