Spiritual Warfare--Tearing Down the Strongholds

The majority of mental strongholds started with, or will begin with, some form of hurt or trauma. A person in a weaken state becomes easy prey for strongholds. The plan of Satan is to separate you...separate you from yourself and to separate you from God. He will use a hurt or a trauma to have you brokenhearted and to become fleshly, leading you into a place of separation.
Our strongholds are erected by our wounded souls trying to protect us...to keep pain and rejection out of our lives.

Hurt, pain and trauma broke our hearts.

We then began to indulge in sinful thinking.

We took part in sinful behavior.

We then defended our sinful thoughts and sinful living.

A stronghold is what our mind will use to defend sinful thinking against any opposition. We will use the hurts and traumas of our lives as reasons to defend the sinful life we live and the sinful way we think. The devil, ready any time of course, rushes in to reinforce our bitterness, jealousy, resentment, rejection, self-pity, ect. The devil knows exactly what hurt or trauma it will require to allow a stronghold to take hold. He knows what to do that will lead us to fortify those strongholds and to build new ones. Of course, his demons are drawn to strongholds and we must tear down and destroy any stronghold at once. We can not allow it to become stronger and stronger.

Christians don't set out to build strongholds, they build them piece by piece. The devil's armour is constructed of sinful reactions that we have chosen to indulge in.

Unforgiveness

Resentment

Judgement

Anger with sin

Hatred

Self-hatred

Violence

Elimination

Aggression

Murder

Fear

Pride

Witchcraft

It is now that a stronghold has been built, with bitterness lodged, rooted and protected in our minds. In Ephesians we are told to rid ourselves of "all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander...". Our greatest weapons are the Word, prayer and repenting before God. We must pray scriptures to tear down the strongholds rooted in our minds, praying that God will reveal each of them to us. We must declare the Word of God, waging war against the devil and his strongholds. It is our choice to live with Godly responses to hurt, pain and trauma. We must purify our hearts and our minds, from all sinful thinking and sinful lifestyles. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you".

Spiritual Warfare--Our Enemy

In this spiritual war that we fight, there is no neutral ground. We are either with Jesus and against Satan, or against the Lord and with Satan. We will either fight for the Lord, or fight for Satan, there is no neutral ground. The war is being fought, which side can you be found on.

The enemy, our enemy, in this war is Satan, that old serpent the devil. If we are to identify him and recognize him we must understand the construction of his army, his armour, and those things that he covets. As the prince of the power of the air, Lucifer, he has at his command over thousands of rebellious angels [Ephesians 2:2, 6:10]. He as Beelzebub, the prince of demons, has millions of earthbound evil spirits at his command [Luke 11:24]. We are told in 2 Cor. 4:4 that he is the god of this present world and its system.

He is a thief, that has come but to steal, kill and destroy. The armour he wears is composed of the forces of sin and rebellion. These are manifested in many forms, such as sickness, drunkenness, poverty, fear, despair, divorce, mental anguish, and addictions. The devil seeks to have for himself the lives of the sinners, the backslid christian, all that lives and all the earth's resources. All of creation come into subjection to Satan when Adam fell allowing the devil to have control. Satan rules through a well-organized army of angelic princes, governors and generals. They war against us by hindering us in our prayers, and blocking the Holy Ghost from moving in our lives. As Beelzebub, his demonic forces try to possess, oppress and harass people to cause total destruction in their lives if they can. They will bring complications to any situation that they are allowed to. These forces accomplish their tasks by using fear, mental disorders, sickness, disease, confusion, addictions, and religious errors.

Our weapons are spiritual and not natural or carnal. If we are to war against spirits, then we must use spiritual weapons. The Word, the blood, praise, the Name, and our testimony are five weapons we possess in our spiritual arsenal. We must testify to what the Word says, apply the blood, use the mighty weapon of praise, and at the Name of Jesus every knee must bow. Every knee. We must prepare ourselves by staying vigilant in our prayer life, being sensitive to the Holy Ghost and study the Word. We are more than conquerors through Jesus, and the victory is already ours.

Spiritual Warfare--The Devil's Tactics

If we are to be successful in Spiritual Warfare, and battling the enemy, it will be through the Holy Ghost anointing and the Word of God. This will be only means to victory for the believer. We must rely upon the Holy Ghost to lead us and to teach us, and anoint us to do battle.

If we are to engage the Devil, and be effective against him, we must learn the tactics he will use. Then you and I must learn how to counteract those tactics. Jesus demonstrated his mastery over the powers and forces of the enemy, by challenging the devil at every opportunity. We cannot allow ourselves to leave a door open for attacks and assaults by the enemy. The devil is cruel, wicked and powerful, but he is also a coward. He will run away at the sound of the name of Jesus, or when he hears the blood being plead. The devil is no match for the blood of the Lamb, he's already lost.
Just remember, we are not at his mercy, we can defeat him in Jesus' name.

Satan wants to destroy the work of the church. Period. His desire is to destroy people and deliver them into hell. Knowing his destiny, an eternity spent in the lake of fire, he wants to take as many of us with him as possible. The devil is willing to use any means to force people to listen to him and follow him, follow him into eternal punishment. We must be prepared to fight the enemy and wage war against him. It is a war, a war filled with many battles.

We need to realize that our war is not with other people, it is with Satan, who holds people captive. It doesn't matter how bad a person may be, they are only a "conduit" for spiritual war. We can't get our eyes on people when doing spiritual warfare, we must focus on the enemy of our soul. The devil will attempt to keep people in spiritual darkness, away from hearing the Word of God. For if one should hear the Word, they would then know truth and be able to stand against him. You and I, on our own, would be helpless to fight against the devil. We must lean on the Holy Ghost and allow Him to lead us into battle. Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Eastern Tennessee and The Anceint Hebrews

In our history books, the "Yuchi" Indians have not been represented very well. This may be because of several reasons, one of which is that disease ravaged the tribe, after the Spanish made contact with them. The evidence tells us that the Spanish visited the Yuchi in what is now Eastern Tennessee. The tribe was known to have villages that extended from Florida to Illinois, and reaching from the coast of Carolina to the Mississippi River. It has been generally accepted that the Yuchi, settled throughout the Southeast, represented the original inhabitants of the area prior to the Iroquoian and Algonkian People. It is known that the Yuchi were of the Mound-building people and among the oldest known residents of the Southeast.

The Yuchi were a distinct tribe that were known for their insistence on "descent from the Sun", a religious belief that was a part of the Mound Building Sun Worship. They as a people, while living among other tribes, kept themselves distinct and remained separate. The language of the Yuchi, "Uchean", has never really been classified for certain. It does not resemble any of the known languages of the Americas. A practice of the Yuchi was to bury their dead laid out flat, and most often buried in wooden or stone lined pits. It is these cultural traits found among the tribe that separates them from their neighboring tribes.

There is some proof that there is at least some connection between the Yuchi and the ancient Hebrews. A similarity found in the religious practices of both people have led some to this conclusion. A more compelling proof is the "Bat Creek Stone" which was removed from a mound in Eastern Tennessee. The stone on its surface, has what has been interpreted as a Hebrew inscription. The stone was reportedly found under one of nine skeletons in a mound. Dr. Joseph D. Mahan Jr. of the Columbus, Ga. Museum of Arts and Crafts photographed the stone's inscription and sent it to Dr. Cyrus H. Gordon, professor of Mediterranean studies at Brandeis.

Dr. Mahan was convinced that there was a connection between the Indians of the Southeastern U.S. and the eastern Mediterranean people in ancient times.

Dr. Gordon, once he studied the inscription, discovered that five of its letters are in the writing style of Canaan, the "promised land" of the Israelites, located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The fifth letter he stated, corresponds to the style of writing you would find on Hebrew coins of the Roman era. Gordan translated the inscription as "for the land of Judah". He goes on to say that the inscription attests to a "migration" of Jews.

There is compelling evidence that the Indians of Eastern Tennessee were visited by the Hebrew people. Just as this detail of the The Bat Creek Stone illustrates. We now know for certain that North America was visited by various cultures many years prior to Columbus. The ancient Hebrews are now believed to be a part of those people.

Spiritual Warfare--A Lifestyle

In the modern day we are living, it is imperative that we learn that spiritual warfare is a "lifestyle" and not just an every now and then event of rebuking the enemy. The believer must be prepared spiritually at all times, ready to combat the enemy. The Bible tells us that our enemy is continually on the prowl seeking whom he may devour. The believer must be ever vigilant, maintaining a "warrior's awareness" of the unseen battle that continually rages around him. This understanding must become a natural part of the believer's life.
The spiritual warrior must be on guard, watching over his own mind and heart, as well as the world and the devil. It is not only a battle against the enemy, but also against our own sinful nature, which will desire what is contrary to God. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Cor. 10:4-5:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ".
The believer can not claim he is free from the "battle" with his sinful nature, just because he might not struggle with the "bigger" sins. We must bring every thought into captivity. There are many of us who continue to possess mind-sets which we know are not pleasing to God. Attitudes that prevent us from living as we should. These mind-sets and attitudes will allow the devil to get a foothold in our lives, and suddenly we are no longer where we should be spiritually. If at all possible, the devil will find ways to encourage and provoke the "sinful nature" in our lives. The enemy's goal is to have the believer consumed by sinful desires day and night. The book of Galatians, 5:19-21--list some of the acts that result from the "sinful nature":
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
The Word tells us that Adam and Eve were the first humans whom God created. In the beginning, their spiritual nature was completely and totally yielded unto God. It was their spirit which dominated and directed their soul and body, causing them to think and act in ways that were pleasing to God. However, Adam and Eve rejected God's Word and His authority, instead following Satan and his words. The result was spiritual death, and they became corrupt (sinful) and so then sin entered the world. With their souls and bodies no longer directed by the Spirit of God, Adam and Eve became dominated by the sinful nature and its desires and passions. The same is true of all people today, if they have not been born again.
In this age we live, Satan is well aware of people's weaknesses, and he continually tries to get them to disobey God, indulging in every kind of sin. We must be on guard against the enemy's attempts to lead us into sin. Spiritual warfare is needed to win not only the battles against the devil and the world, but against our own sinful nature. We are to be spiritually minded, occupied with what the Holy Spirit desires and not allow ourselves to be under the influence of the sinful nature. The final outcome for a spiritual warrior is "Victory", over the enemy and the sinful nature.

When Mercy Walked In

There's no greater gift than God's mercy. I can still remember when "Mercy Walked In", and found me. Here are the lyrics to the song "Mercy Walked In", I pray they will bless you.

Mercy Walked In

I stood in the court room the judge turned my way
It looks like you’re guilty now what do you say
I spoke up your honor I have no defense
But that’s when Mercy walked in

Mercy walked in and pleaded my case
Called to the stand: God’s saving grace
The blood was presented that covered my sin
Forgiven when Mercy walked in

I stood there and wondered how could this be
Someone so guilty had just been set free
My chains were broken I felt born again
The moment that Mercy walked in

Mercy walked in and pleaded my case
Called to the stand: God’s saving grace
The blood was presented that covered my sin
Forgiven when Mercy walked in

Mistakes--God Turns Them Around

Today, I want to speak a word of encouragement to all of "us" who have ever made a mistake. Can I tell you that in the midst of any circumstance or trouble, God understands...and He can turn it around. In fact, God can take a mistake and turn it into a "miracle". We all make mistakes. There is not one of us immune from them, and at one time or another, we have all made a wrong choice or simply messed up. In these times, I'm sure we have even felt like we were trapped, when the solution to problem would seem worse than the problem. And yes, those mistakes we make may lead to circumstances that seem awfully hard...but, remember--God can turn it around.

Maybe today, you find yourself having done the wrong thing, made the wrong choice, done something you knew you shouldn't do and now, you are feeling the consequences of what you have done. Consequences that are all around you. It doesn't matter what mistake you have made, or what tragedy has struck, God is well able to take your mistake, your awful circumstances and turn them around. In the hands of God, your mistakes will be changed into a "miracle". God is on your side, and you can not lose. He will take whatever mistake you have made, and...turn it around.

The apostle Paul, in Romans 8:28, says "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose". Let me encourage you today, when I tell you that this verse tells us of God's ability to turn our "situations, circumstances and mistakes" around. "All things" include our failures, our shortcomings, our mistakes and our "mess ups". He will take them all and turn them around for good, if we will pray...love Him and seek to do what He wants us to do.

Today, know that God can turn any situation around---period. You must be totally convinced that He can take anything, any problem, any situation, any trial, and any mistake--and make it into a miracle. Know that He can "turn it around". You must also accept that God loves you unconditionally. Please know, that no matter what has come your way, that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you. You are an overcomer.

Take your mistakes to Him, surrender all...and watch God---"turn it around".