Sickness is the Power of the Devil

8/13/2019 Sickness is the Power of the Devil

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Sickness is the power of the devil

Acts 10:38

If you study out this verse in the Greek, you will find that the word

oppressed means under the power of. (At least one popular translationwords it this way.) Jesus healed those who were under the power of thedevil. If there is sickness in your body, the power of the devil is at

work in your body. This does not mean that there is a moral failure on

your part. It simply means that when there is sickness, the devil is incontrol of something. Sickness is his power, not God's.

According to Colossians 1:12-14, Jesus has already delivered you from

the power of darkness. This is not a promise; it is a fact. You arealready delivered from the power of the devil because you are now in

the kingdom of God's Son. Since sickness is part of the power of the

devil, you are therefore delivered from sickness. You could tell thatfrom 1 Peter 2:24 and Matthew 8:16-17; this is just another way of

proving it.

Jesus gave his disciples power over all devils and all sicknesses (Luke

9:1-2). You cannot object that you are not called to preach as they

were, because the Great Commission applies to you as a believer. Thiscommission includes the laying of hands on the sick for their recovery.

You have power over the power of the devil. Greater is he that is in

you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)! You have already

overcome him (1 John 2:13-14). It follows, then, that you do not haveto put up with the power of the devil in your physical body. You have

overcome him and have power over his works. The Son of God, who

was manifested to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), lives inyou. Since Jesus, and not Satan, rules your life, you get the things that

go with Jesus (healing) instead of the things that go with Satan

(sickness).
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Why the World Flesh and Devil in Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare and the "World"

The moment a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and receives God's Holy

Spirit, that person is instantly and literally translated from the kingdom of darkness of this worldinto the kingdom of God's light by God's Holy Spirit of truth. The Apostle Paul describes this

process as the "mystery" revealed, which is "Christ in you" the hope of glory.

Col 1:13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the

kingdom of his dear Son:

Col 1:27 to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of thismystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

God rescued us from the power and bondage of the world, the flesh, the devil, andsupernaturally. . .

Why the

World,

the Flesh,

& the

Devil, in

Spiritual

Warfare

?

When did the world, the flesh and the devil become our enemies?

Spiritual Warfare and the " World"

The moment a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and

receives God's Holy Spirit, that person is instantly and literally translated from

the kingdom of darkness of this world into the kingdom of God's light byGod's Holy Spirit of truth. The Apostle Paul describes this process as the

"mystery" revealed, which is "Christ in you" the hope of glory.

Col 1:13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath

translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Col 1:27In whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the


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glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of

glory:

God rescued us from the power and bondage of the world, the flesh, the

devil, and supernaturally empowered us with the light of His truth, love, and

Holy Spirit. The power of darkness is anything that blinds a person to thereality of sin, the true love of God, and the victory we have in Christ. It is the

power of darkness that blinds a person to his or her need for salvation, andfrom receiving God's free gift of Holy Spirit. God draws humanity from

enmity towards Him to an illumination of truth that leads to salvation in Christ

by the cross, preaching of His Word, and the conviction of His Holy Spirit.The world represents people, religions, governments, or worldly systems that

oppose Christ. The world that rejects the truth of Christ is under the control or

deception of the god of this world, which is the devil. Scripture states,

1 John 5:19 "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the

evil one."

2Co 4:4 in whom the god [devil] of this world hath blinded the minds of the

unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the

image of God, should not dawn upon them.

Jesus Christ sent the Apostle Paul to preach for the following reason,

ActsTo open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the

power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and

inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

1Jo 4:6We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God

heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Another aspect of our spiritual warfare is the flesh.

Spir itual Warfare and the " F lesh"

1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the

eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

The second part of our spiritual warfare as Christians concerns the flesh.What is meant by the flesh? In this context, the flesh is the fallen, natural,

carnal state in which we are born, or our sinful nature that seeks to satisfy its

own lusts and expresses itself in our thoughts and actions in a way thatopposes the spiritual nature and life of God. The Apostle Paul said,

Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I


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myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

When we walk according to our fleshly lusts we are walking according to the

law of sin from which we have been liberated in Christ.

The inclination to sin is present in our flesh and we continue more or lessto struggle in some of these areas. The flesh spoken of here is not about

experiencing the good things that God has given to us for our enjoyment. Incontrast, it is the part of our nature that is spiritually destructive, or wasteful to

ourselves and others because it's fruit is spiritually dead. Whereas, when we

walk according to God's truth we bear the fruit of God's Spirit (love, peace,joy, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance;

against such there is no law, Gal. 5:23.

If we sow according to the flesh we will reap dead works, but the fruit ofthe Spirit gives life to the soul. Abiding in the realm of the flesh renders us

powerless against our spiritual enemies, the devil and his kingdom. At thisjuncture, we are on his territory and not God's. When we received Christ, Hegave us His righteousness and we are righteous because of God's gift to us. It

is a gift of God's grace and no one can ever take that away from us. However,

the manifestation of that righteousness in the life of a Christian is experiencedonly if we walk in the righteousness that He has already given to us, for the

Lord calls us to righteousness.

Col 2:11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made

without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the

circumcision of Christ:

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your

flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Phi 3:3For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and

rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections

and lusts.

Crucified - In our behalf, Christ already crucified the sinful flesh to the

Cross. We take hold of Christ's victory over the flesh and overcome ourselfish passions through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the bodyof sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Some of our greatest conflicts will be experienced in overcoming our own


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fleshly nature.

Gal 5:17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the

flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the

things that ye would.

Gal 6:8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; buthe that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

The life of God that is given to every believer is made manifest in our heartsand lives when we walk in the Spirit. But if we live according to the lusts of

the flesh we continue to reap corruption.

Gal 5:19-21Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,

variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. envyings, murders,

drunkenness, revellings, . . ."

1Co 15:57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our

Lord Jesus Christ.

The battleground between the flesh and the Spirit is between the life of the

Spirit and the fruit of the flesh which is spiritual death, therefore our spiritualwarfare also takes place in the realm of the flesh to be overcome by the power

of God's Holy Spirit on a daily basis. This is also a battle between love and

hate. The Apostle John states in the book of 1 John,

1Jo 2:9 He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother, is in the darknesseven until now.

1Jo 2:10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is no

occasion of stumbling in him.

Spir itual Warfare and the " Devil and H is Devil Spir its"

The third part of our Christian battle is the devil. The devil or Satan is the

god of this world system and is called evil in 1 John 5:19 as demonstrated

above. The idea that the devil is the god of this present age in which we live

is confirmed in the gospel of Luke, when Jesus was led into the wilderness tobe tempted by the devil. We read,

Luke 4:5 - 8:And he [the devil] led him [Jesus] up, and showed him all thekingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, To

thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been

delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wiltworship before me, it shall all be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto


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him, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt

thou serve.

This position of Satan was obtained when both Adam and Eve ate of the

fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, being tempted of the devil in the

Garden of Eden. The lure of the temptation of Adam and Eve was to be likeGod. Satan hates God and His creation and seeks to win humanity over for its

destruction. All dominion over the earth was originally given to Adam andEve, but because of their sin, all of humanity and nature itself fell under the

destruction and power of the devil. All of Gods creation, the plants, the

animals, sea life, and of course humanity itself began to suffer and die. Thisaccount is found in the first 3 chapters of the book of Genesis. The sins of

Adam and Eve brought the curse of sin to all the earth, in which we have our

redemption only in Christ. It is only Christ, the Son of God, Who suffered the

penalty of this curse to set us free and bring us back to God; therefore Christ isthe only way in which we can be saved.

Satan, who is the author of all sin, sickness and death, was once a beautifulangel of God, but fell from his original position when he attempted to

overthrow God so that he himself would be glorified as God. These records

are found in the Old Testament in the prophetic books of both Isaiah 14:12-17and Ezekiel 28: 12-19. Satans original name before his rebellion against God

was Lucifer.

However, below is a brief summary of an account of Satans rebellion towardsGod found in Isaiah chapter 14, he said,

1. I will ascend unto Heaven.2. I will exalt my throne above the angels of God.

3. I will sit also upon the mountain of the congregation.

4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.

5. I will be like the Most High.

Instead, Satan was overthrown by God, however, he took one-third of the

angels with him and he won power over the souls of humanity. Defeated in his

quest to overthrow God, he decided he would attack God by overthrowing

humanity, in which he did by causing Adam and Eve to also rebel againstGod. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world from the powers of

darkness and the curse that fell upon mankind as a result of their sin, and willsave anyone who calls upon the name of Christ.

To be more than a conqueror in Christ over the powers of darkness, those

who have accepted Christ as their Savior, must first understand that they are

saved by grace and not by works. When we receive Gods Holy Spirit we aregiven spiritual life, a new nature, that no person on this earth can create for

themselves by good works. We can never redeem ourselves or make ourselves


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good enough to be saved. This is a life giving gift from God and God alone,

and is freely given to those who ask Christ to save them. Salvation is a onetime act. (Click this link for more on salvation-What is Salvation & Can We

Know if We Are Saved?

By our understanding of the aforesaid, we can see that ultimately ourspiritual warfare is against the principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and

the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. The Apostle Paulgives us this scripture in a letter he wrote to the Ephesians' church, he states,

Eph 6:12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against theprincipalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness,

against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Our battle against the devil is a battle against good and evil, the goodnessand power of God against the evil and power of the devil. Therefore we are in

direct conflict with the god of this world, "the devil." He has power over theworld and the flesh and is our ultimate enemy. However, we are promised thevictory in Christ!

Reflection: Is it any wonder why Scripture says, "Yea, and all that will livegodly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, 2Ti 3:12. We are in conflict

with sinful flesh, the world systems, and the god of this world, the devil. But,

God is more powerful than all of these.

1Jo 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because

greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a

far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the thingswhich are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things

which are not seen are eternal.

Rev 22:20 He which testified these things saith, Surely I come quickly.

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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Why Did

Jesus

Say, " I

Am the

True

Vine?"(John 15:

1-20)

"I Am the True Vine" John 15: 1-20

A Response

Jesus Christ portrays Himself as the true vine of God to His disciples

for a two-fold purpose: First, to let His disciples know that even though

He would not be physically present with them always, He would sendthe Holy Spirit to be with and in them (Joh.14:17 ASV). Second,

He uses this opportunity to instruct them to remain in close fellowship

with Him, the only True Source of life, through the power of the Holy

Spirit, that they may bear spiritual fruit, receive answers to prayer, andhave fullness of joy.

Although I prefer to use the KJV, the verses below, regarding theTrue Vine, were taken from the 1965 Bible in Basic Engli sh,because

of the difficult language sometimes used in the King James Version.

Some explanations have been added in brackets for a clearer

understanding of certain verses.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 15: 1-20

1 I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.

2 He takes away(Greekair [to raise up, elevate, lift up or redirects])

every branch in me which has no fruit, and every branch which has

fruit he makes clean, so that it may have more fruit.

Christians who continue to bear fruit will also continue to grow and

rosper spiritually. The Lord will continue to purge us from all sin, inthat He "makes clean" for the branch to bear even more fruit. In First

John we read,

1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have

fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son

cleanseth us from all sin.


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God's Word instructs us,

Rom 6:4". . . that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the

glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Walking in newness of life is the same as abiding in Christ.

3. You are clean, even now, through the teaching which I have given

you.

4 Be in me at all times [in fellowship or relationship with Him] as I am

in you [by the Holy Spirit]. As the branch is not able to give fruit ofitself, if it is not still [remaining]on the vine, so you are not able to doso if you are not in me[walking in the Spirit].

5. I am the vine, you are the branches: he who is in me at all times as

I am in him, gives much fruit, because without me you are able to do

nothing.

Jesus Christ is the source of life unto the branches or the body of

Christ. Christ is the Head or "source" of life to the church (the body ofChrist). As children of God, we have Christ in us through God's gift of

the Holy Spirit given to every believer. He is in us at all times; and

therefore, we are to abide in Him at all times, and not the carnal orsinful nature.

The Apostle Paul reveals the mystery, "Christ in you" the hope of

glory, Col. 1:27. We need to walk with the Lord in order to abide in

Him, and manifest the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

6. If a man does not keep himself in me, he becomes dead and is cut

off like a dry branch; such branches are taken up and put in the fire

and burned (consumed).

This verse simply means that a person who is not abiding in God,

then he or she is not growing spiritually in the knowledge and ways of

God, and is lacking in the fruits of the Spirit. This person is or becomesuseless in the things of God, and is similar to a withered branch that

men would gather and burn because it bears no fruit. This is an analogy

that Christ uses and does not mean that He is literally or figurativelygoing to take us, throw us in the fire, and burn us because we are notbearing fruit. This verse has been terribly misunderstood.

In the KJV they interpret this part of the verse as men will gather

ou and throw you into the fire clearly this is not God, but as it states

men. In a sense, a Christian who is not bearing spiritual fruit will belacking in true purpose and also be lacking in Gods power to stand up


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under, and overcome many of the assaults of life, as well as their witness

or Christ.

Jesus Christ said,

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to becast out, and to be trodden under foot of men (Mat 5:13).

7. If you are in me at all times, and my words are in you, then

anything for which you make a request will be done for you.

8. Here is my Father's glory, in that you give much fruit and so are

you my true disciples[truly committed to Christ]

9.Even as the Father has given me his love, so I have given my love

to you: be ever in my love.

We are to remain in the love of Christ. The next verse explains how weare to remain in the love of Christ.

10. If you keep my laws, you will be ever in my love, even as I have

kept my Father's laws, and am ever in his love.

If we continue to do what Christ has told us to do, we will remain in His

love.

Rom 5:5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shedabroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

11. I have said these things to you so that I may have joy in you andso that your joy may be complete.

The verses above confirm Godspromises to those who walk by His

Spirit or in other words remain in Christ. They that remain in close

ellowship with Him will reap spiritual fruit, receive answers to prayer,and have fullness of joy.

What an offer!

12. This is the law I give you: Have love one for another, even as I

have love for you.

Jesus clearly states what He means by keeping His laws. Love one

another as He has loved us.


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As stated in 1Jo 1:7 above, "we have fellowship one with another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

13. Greater love has no man than this, that a man gives up his life

forhis friends.

14.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not

what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that

I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you,

that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should

remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he

may give it you.

Here Christ is speaking to the first disciples gathered together with

Him just prior to His Crucifixion. As we will see below, Christ is

reparing them for the hate and persecution that these first disciples willendure from the unbelievers in the world. Christ has chosen them out of

the world to go forth and proclaim God's Truth and for this they will be

hated.

17. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated

you.

19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but

because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the

world, therefore the world hateth you.

20. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not

greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also

persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

The Holy Spirit will guide and direct our lives through God's Word, and

empower us as we yield our lives to Him. By remaining in the vine, weremain as lights in the world, and remain as the salt of the earth being

witnesses of Christ.

Joh 13:35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have

love one to another.

Fellowship is the believer's key to fruit, answered prayer, and


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in spiritual warfare, in order to build the kind of faith that will move

mountains, and fulfill God's promise of victory in our lives.

What are " Pri ncipali ties, Powers, World Rulers of Darkness, and

Spir itual Wickedness in H igh Places" ?

The Apostle Paul instructs us to put on our spiritual armourbecause our battle in this world is a "spiritual" one. A warfare that

involves the trickery and power of the devil, as opposed to a human

battle. Even though human beings will certainly play a role in linewith the schemes of the devil, but they are being used by these entitiesor the purposes of accomplishing evil. Evil spirits are the true power

behind those who oppose the things of God (knowingly or

unknowingly). We read,

Eph 6:12: For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but

against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulersof this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the

heavenly places.

Our Spir itual Warfare is Against " Principaliti es"

The concept of principalities is understood by the Greek wordarche meaning chief or ruler. These principalities are ruling devil

spirits possessing executive authority or governmental rule in the

world. As we will see, this ruling power usually involves a particular

nation, people or race. There are evil angels ruling the kingdoms of

the world that oppose the truth of God, and of which Satan is the chiefrince or ruler, of both the world system and its organization of

demons, as noted in the gospel of Matthew.

In Matthew 12:24, the devil is called "Beelzebub" meaning lord of

the dwelling, in which these wicked spirits are subject to and operateunder Satan's dominion. They, like their chief prince, direct, control,

rule and carry out the present darkness of this world.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines principalities as:

1. A territory ruled by a prince or from which a prince derives histitle.

2. The position, authority, or jurisdiction of a prince; sovereignty.

The idea of prince devil spirits ruling or controlling a region is

supported in the Old Testament book of Daniel, chapter 10. Daniel isvisited by an angel in response to his prayer to God. This angel, who


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was sent by God to answer Daniel's prayer, was delayed for 21 days

because of a battle that took place between God's angel and "a princeof the kingdom of Persia."Daniel reveals the angel's message in the

ollowing verses:

Dan 10:12-13

"Then said he [the angel] unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the

irst day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten

[humble] thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I amcome for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstoodme one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes,

came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia."

The spiritual battle, for this angel, was of such magnitude thatMichael, the archangel of God and designated prince of Israel,

assisted the angel in battle. Another enemy of God, the prince ofGreece, is also mentioned in the verses below.

Dan 10:20-21

"Then said he [the angel], Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee?

and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am

gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee

that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none thatholdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince."

The book of Daniel gives us an excellent example of how theseunseen spiritual entities fight to increase and maintain their realms of

influence and control in order to hinder God's purposes. In addition,

as previously stated, these princes are named after the nations orrather their principalities in which they rule.

It is Satan's purpose to deceive these nations and to keep them fromobtaining a knowledge of God's truth and salvation through His Son

Jesus Christ. In the book of Revelation, chapter 20, Satan is depicted

as a deceiver of nations. The Greek word for deceive is planaho, and

according to Strong's Greek Dictionary, this word means to "cause to

roam from safety, truth or virtue, go astray, seduce, wander, and to beout of the way."

Satan's major success, in deceiving a nation, is due to a lack of

discernment on the part of the people. The people are blind to the

invisible forces of supernatural evil that are operating and influencingtheir visible human agents of political, social, religious and

hilosophical programs. Satan's greatest victory would be to convince


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the world that he just doesn't exist. However, God signifies the devil

as the author of sin, sickness and death, and warns us to be alert andvigilant because the devil, as a roaring lion roams about seeking

whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

The devil controls the kingdoms of the world and we are not tounderestimate his influence and power, nor believe that this is the will

of God. God is telling us to "stand" against these evil forces byequipping ourselves with the power of God, and looking unto Christ

as our example.

Luke 4:5-7: And the devil, taking him (Jesus) up into an high

mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment

of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee,

and the glory of them: for that is delivered (to surrender or yield up)unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt

worship me, all shall be thine.

These are "kingdoms" - From G935; properly royalty, that is,

(abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm(literally or figuratively): -

kingdom, + reign.

There will also come a day in which we are told in the book of

Revelation,

Rev 11:15: And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great

voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the

kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign foreverand ever.

However, until this Scripture is fulfilled we can only conclude, as

the Apostle Paul instructs, that our wrestling involves principalities or

eoples or regions under the influence and deception of Satan. Satan

is the prince or ruler of the kingdoms of this world, also described inthe Bible as the "kingdom of darkness," in which we have our spiritual

warfare. In addition, let us not be fooled, because Satan can and does

rosper evil people in the world.

Our Spiri tual War fare is Against " Powers and World Rulers ofDarkness"

The Greek word for "powers" is exousia which means derived or

conferred authority, the warrant or right to do something, or

delegated influences of control. Although the word "powers" is leftunclear as to Paul's precise meaning in the verse, this expression is

used elsewhere in scripture to infer the powers that be in authority. In


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keeping with the context of this verse, this would include all high-

ranking, evil supernatural powers and the power of sin and evil inoperation in the world. The fruits of this type of evil can probably be

seen in drug cartels, gross poverty, plagues, terrorism, and other

heinous crimes against humanity, even toward the animal kingdom.

Some Christian authors also associate "world rulers" with magic

and demonic pagan gods such as the Ephesians' Artemis and seems tobe in line with the pagan culture of ancient times, in which temples

were dedicated to these demonic pagan deities. And let us not forget

"Molech," the national god of the Ammonites' in Old Testamenthistory. The priests would place the sacrificial children into the brass

hands of the image, in which these helpless victims would slip into the

ire below. This is described in Scripture as the "abominations of the

nations" (2 kings 16:3 ASV).

Our Spiri tual War fare is Against " Spiri tual Wickedness in HeavenlyPlaces"

The Greek word for wickedness isponria and means depravity and

articularly in the sense of malice and mischief, plots, sins, andiniquity (Strong's Gk. Dict.).

Malice [A. H. Dict.] is defined as:

1. A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or

spite.

2. Law -- The intent, without just cause or reason, to commit a

wrongful act that will result in harm to another.

Satan is also depicted as the prince of the power of the air

Since Satan is the prince of the power of the air, these wicked

spirits, in high places, are often understood to be the collective

organization of all of Satan's devil spirits. These malevolent spiritswork evil and mischief and operate in our atmosphere. They operate

as close to the very air we breathe, and reach to realms beyond. All

kinds of spiritual filth are propagated, in these realms, for the purposeof humanity's deception and subsequent destruction. Prior tobecoming a Christian we too walked according to the prince of the

ower of the air.

Eph 2:2-3

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this


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world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that

now worked in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we allhad our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling

the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the

children of wrath, even as others.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the

eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.(This verse will be treated in a separate post)

As Christians we are delivered from the power of the prince of theair, and from the sinful nature that once ruled our path in life. When

we received God's Holy Spirit, at the moment of our conversion to

Christ, we were translated from the kingdom of darkness to the

kingdom of God's light, in which we now have God in Christ in us. Weare continually delivered and empowered by God as we walk

according to His Word and Spirit that He has given us. As we do this,we take our seat in the heavenliest with Christ, for scripture reads,

Eph 2:5-7

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with

Christ, (by grace ye are saved ;) And hath raised us up together, and

made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in theages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his

kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Jesus is also called a Prince, He is called the Prince of Peace andof Life (Isa. 9:6 and Acts 3:15) Whose kingdom plays no part in this

resent world system of darkness. Prior to His arrest, Jesus said to

His disciples,

John 14:30

Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this worldcometh, and hath nothing in me.

John 18:36

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom wereof this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be

delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."

Please note: Jesus is not speaking against the Jews, for Jesus andHis followers were Jewish. He is speaking against the hypocritical

religious authorities who would have Jesus killed versus lose their

sphere of control over the people of God, in which their own belly was


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their god.

The details of God's plan, His provision of escape from Satan's

kingdom of darkness through faith in Christ, was kept a mystery from

the beginning of time. It wasn't until the revelation of the Son of God

on earth, and His complete victory in His death and resurrection forthe salvation of humanity, that the mystery of salvation through Christ

is revealed to us. The Apostle Paul states,

1Co 2:7-10: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even

the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our

glory. Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had theyknown it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is

written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into

the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that

love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the

Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."

In other words, if God's enemies knew that the Lord's death wouldbring the Kingdom of God and His power into the hearts of every

believer, with His gift of Holy Spirit, and thus bring God's light into

the world, they would not have crucified Him.

Who is your pr ince?

For the Christian, Jesus Christ is our Prince of Peace and Life, and

we will reign with Him forevermore.

The Mystery Revealed

The Mystery Revealed - Col. 1: 26-27

The mystery revealed is stated in Scripture as, "...Christ in you, thehope of glory." Jesus Christ, Who came as a light in the world, a light

that the kingdom of darkness tried to extinguish. But through the

sacrifice of Christ, the Son of God, God's gift of Holy Spirit is givento every believer in Christ (Christ in you), in which, through the

manifold wisdom of God, one Lord and Light, continues to sow a vast

Kingdom of Light.

1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they

known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Updated: May 20, 2011

(orig. post 8/18/05)


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1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to

be revealed in the last time.

If we choose to live a half spiritual and half carnal life, we jeopardize much of

our victory in Christ. Although, at the moment of conversion we received Christ

and are assured of our salvation, our hearts still need to be right with God in ourcommitment to follow Him. When we follow Him we build a sure foundation in

which Christ said,

Luk 6:47 - 49 "Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeththem, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house,and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the

stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was

founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without

a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beatvehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great."

As Christians, we are deceiving ourselves if we are not walking with Godfrom the heart. This has nothing to do with religion, legalism or ritualism because

these have nothing to do with true religion, but sadly foster self-righteousness.

True religion is a matter of seeking to understand God's love and committing yourheart to follow the way of Christ. God says,

Jam 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visitthe fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from

the world.

This verse is speaking about compassion and moral goodness versus the manyphilosophies of the world that are in opposition to the love and justice of God.

Our liberty in Christ sets us free from these worldly entanglements.

Jam 1:25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth

therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall beblessed in his deed.

The devil hates the righteousness of God with a pure hate, as well as God'screation, especially those who follow after the righteousness of God.

We are told in the epistle of Peter to:

1Pe 5:8 Be sober (discreet), be vigilant (awake and watching); because your

adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking (in a bad sense toplot against life) whom he may devour (to gulp entirely).

In stark contrast to the devil, God also searches the earth but for a different


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reason:

2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to

shew himself strong (to fasten, seize, strengthen, cure, help, repair) in the behalf

of them whose heart is perfect (peaceable, especially friendly) toward him[God] .

. ..

Since we have a very powerful and hateful enemy, we need to be watchful of our

thought life and hearts and to remain in close fellowship with God, so that His

power can effectually operate in our lives. Scripture tells us,

Psa 91:14 Because he hath set his love (to cling, join, delight in, to love, desire)

upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath

known my name.

The first step to take in preparation for the spiritual warfare that is before us, is to

get our hearts in the right place. To set our love upon God, is to walk with God,and when we walk with God, we remain in His presence and promised protection.

How to Set Our Love Upon God

Joh 14:15If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1Jo 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his

commandments are not grievous.

1Jo 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of

his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

His Promises To Those Who Love Him

Joh 14:21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that lovethme: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and

will manifest myself to him.

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my

words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our

abode with him.

God loves us unconditionally; however, by responding to His love we know

God by experience. When we sow God's Word in our hearts and act upon it, we

will reap the supernatural power and love of God. God will bring it to pass, andwe will know God in a way we never thought possible. We then begin to

understand the meaning of living on the holy mountain of God or in the presence

of God.


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In Psalm 15,David expresses the righteous love of God in a believer and his or

her dwelling place in God's holy hill.

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He

that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his

heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nortaketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is

contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his

own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor takethreward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

The love of God works the righteousness of God. Our achievements do not

genuinely profit us when they are not motivated by the love of God, not even our

greatest gifts and sacrifices. God tells us that love alone will not fail.

1Co 13:1-6Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not

charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I havethe gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and thoughI have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am

nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my

body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity sufferethlong, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,

thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. . . ..

God desires the heart of an individual, and if we make a decision in favor of

what is given to us from His Word, we will reap the wonderful promises of God,

and obtain a sure footing for the battles of life. If our intentions and purposes arelined up with those of Gods, we will profit in everything we do, and obtain God's

deliverance from all evil.

This however does not mean that we move along in life, and take no

precautions for our own safety because we are walking with God. We always do

our best to care for ourselves and rely on God to do the rest.

God cautions us to the following:

Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls

before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

and again

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye

therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.


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What A Righteous Heart I s Not

Does a righteous heart mean that we must be perfect in order to receive His

promises?

If we become distracted by an ideal of perfection, we will find ourselves lost ina revolving door that takes us further away from the pure path that is set before

us, and once again we become entangled with the works of the flesh andcondemnation. The Christian life is not about a million do's and don'ts, its more

about do unto others what you would have them do unto you.

Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy

neighbour as thyself.

To possess a perfect heart before God, means that our intentions, motives andpurposes agree with the heart of God. We acknowledge His love for us, and have

made a decision to return that love because He first loved us, but our perfectionwill not be complete until our full redemption in Christ at His 2nd Coming.Conforming to the image of Christ is a process of growth in the knowledge and

power of Christ as we draw nearer to Him. Like a baby, we first receive the pure

milk of the Word, and as we mature spiritually, we are able to digest the meat.God is full of mercy and grace towards His children, and seeks to deliver us out of

trouble and restore us back to fellowship with Him, if we should fall away. When

our heart is right with God, we are motivated by the things of God, but by no

means does this guarantee that we will never fail God or others.

The righteous will continue to acknowledge their mistakes and change their

course or direction in life. A true believer is in a continual state of repentance byputting off the works of the flesh and continuing in the things of God. A Christian

may suffer from his or her errors, but to remain in a state of condemnation and

retardant growth because of them does not work the grace or righteousness ofGod. God looks at the intent of the heart and not our weaknesses and failures.

God doesn't judge us according to the standards of men, but He always looks on

the heart. The apostle Paul says,

1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the powerof God.

Paul explains that a true Jew is circumcised in his heart and not in the letter of the

law.

Rom 2:29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the

heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

The Psalmist said,


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Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell,behold, thou art there.

The Opposition and the Reason for Our Spiritual Warfare: The World, the Flesh,

and the Devil

The World, the flesh, and the devil are in opposition to Christ. We are

forewarned to put on the whole armour of God so that we can overcome these

obstacles through the power of God. This is also a part of the Christian walk; yourheart may be in place but so is your spiritual battle. (Please see Post #1 for moreon the world, flesh, and devil, by clicking the link below)

Why the World, Flesh, and the Devil in Spiritual Warfare?

When a believer is gaining ground for Christ in any of the 3 realms, whether

we are winning souls for Christ, or overcoming obstacles to our personal walkwith God, we will experience resistance in the world, the flesh, and the devil. Be

not afraid, this resistance will come and is a sure mark of your progress!

Some Words of Encouragement to the Weary

There will be times when it is necessary and also an act of wisdom to retreat orstep back a little from forging ahead spiritually, and to take the time to reflect,

renew our strength and to gain perspective for our lives. We may even begin to

feel a sense of relief and become complacent. If we are tempted to remaincomplacent, we should remind ourselves of the lives we will never touch, the

spiritual heights we will never reach, and the force of faith that will no longerimpact the invisible world to keep the enemy at bay. There are legitimate

struggles in life, and we can become discouraged, but even if we feel discouraged,and we keep placing our trust in the Lord, He will not fail us. Some battles may

be lost because lesser obstacles were overlooked at the start, and there are times,

out of enthusiasm, we move ahead of our present capacity. It is not wise to tackleunfamiliar territory unless we are led by the Lord, to do otherwise is to witness

the casualties of spiritual warfare. As a pastor once advised, when we fail, get up,

and dust off our clothes and keep moving on.

Christians experience real problems, and doing our best to overcome them

through the power of God, will involve struggles and wrestling's that Paul definedas "warfare."

Is your battle personal? Are you fighting fear, doubt, depression, physicalproblems, condemnation, obsessions, worry, despair or hopelessness? Is there an

attitude, a habit, or a part of your flesh that is destroying you and you know it, but

you cant seem to get a handle on it? Has your good intentions to win family andfriends to the Lord now turned into a personal attack against you? Are you
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threatened by the hostility and hate of others, do you fear isolation or how others

can hurt you? Are you disturbed by your own hardened heart? Then seek God forHis deliverance because He has provided a way for each one of us in Christ, set

your love upon Him and He will deliver you.

Psa 34:19Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth himout of them all.

Psa 34:4I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all myfears.

God will transform our hearts and cause us to prosper in Him.

Psa 37:5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it

to pass.

Psa 37:4Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires ofthine heart.

Sickness is the Power of the Devil

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