SPIRITUAL WARFARE

The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Matt11:12.

As it was in the days of John the Baptist and Jesus so also now the gospel is being preached and is being attacked. The gospel is the fire of God and it turns the sinner into a saint. How powerful is that? The kingdom of darkness will resist this and it will attack every claim that it makes. Today we see this in every area of life. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe. God's power will topple every principality and power. It is the power of God that will save you. No other power can save you. When you see His power you will desire it and leave all to claim it as your own. Satan and his minions will resist you all the way. This is why you need to fight for the kingdom of God in His power. You cannot do it in your own strength. You have to align yourself with His power. This is achieved through fasting and prayer. In the Spirit you will be able to take the Kingdom of heaven by force. All the benefits of the Kingdom are yours but you must claim it by force. The force here is not a physical force but a determined and ernest desire to obtain all that you are destined to have. The enemy will try to rob you of these things but you have to fight him in the Name of Jesus. This is spiritual warfare.

IN THE SPIRIT

Apply yourself to His Word and to prayer and see your life blossom. His Word is the key to entrance into the holy of holies. His Word has power to change hearts. The holy of holies symbolises the heart. The outer court is the soul. When you remain in the outer court you will struggle to get near to God. It is in the holy of holies that God is present. It is like visiting your friend but remaining outside his house. It is when you enter inside the house that you really feel the difference. God wants you to commune with Him inside the house where He dwells. Outside the house is only for people who want to see what is happening and not be part of what is happening. One is a spectator and the other is a participant. Close communion with Jesus is the only way to live an abundant life. Inside the house you will operate in the spirit and not in the flesh. When you operate in the spirit your walk and your talk is in a different dimension. This is a daily walk. As long as you are in the spirit you are protected from the flesh and the devil. Therefore choose to be filled in the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit.

GOD ANSWERS

How good God is to be available at any time I call on Him. He is never slack and He answers your prayers. They may not come the way you wish but His answer is the best. Therefore I can rest and not fear because I know he holds me in the palm of His hand. What a assurance we have in Jesus that he will never fail us nor forsake us. He is a ever present living God who is not silent. He talks to me and walks with me along life's narrow way. He is my constant companion right now and for eternity. Who else do I need on earth or in heaven for He is with me. I will rejoice at all times because He takes the good and the bad and makes a tapestry of glory. I will trust in Him and not in my flesh which will die one day. My spirit will go on and live life into eternity. I will bless the Lord at all times and in His Name I am a conqueror.

THE GRACE OF GOD IS THE LOVE OF GOD

The grace of God is the love of God. Both are unconditional. How good is this? I am a testament to His grace. I just marvel at what God has done and enabled me to live life in its fullness. I would not exchange my life for anything. I have been blessed so much and I can think of nothing but the grace of God that has made it so. If this is life on earth what can I expect in heaven? The trials and tribulations are nothing compared to the blessings I have had and will have. I thank God through Jesus Christ who has blessed me with His grace and kindness. Now all I can do is just live in thanksgiving. I so appreciate His kindness towards me and I live each day in thanksgiving. It is so good to be thankful. He blesses me with daily manna. I am refreshed and made whole in Him. His thoughts flow freely through me and His Spirit makes it so. Now I know I can rely on Him for everything. Therefore I will rejoice and be glad.

WALK BY FAITH

The walk of faith is the walk of love. God made you to walk by faith because you have to trust in Him who is unseen. You trust Him even though you don't see Him. This is faith. You believe He is because you know Him in your heart. The world will not believe because they can't see and are blind. You see because your eyes of faith see. You walk by faith and not by sight. The sight you have is a spiritual sight. When you see by faith then you know what is beyond the veil. The veil hides mysteries unseen. Now you have access to what God sees and so your walk is different. You are not led by your earthly senses but by your spiritual senses. This is the difference between your walk and the walk of the world. Now you hate the things the world loves. You are an alien wandering in this world till you enter the heavenly world which is your real home.

SEPARATION OF SPIRIT FROM THE FLESH

As you are able to separate the flesh(body and soul) from the Spirit so are you able to discern the spirits that oppress you from your flesh.  The spirits will masquerade under the guise of your flesh to oppress you. When the Holy Spirit has control of you then you are able to bind them and their works. The only way to deal with the flesh is to die to it. This will cancel the possibility of giving the spirits a landing place to operate from. The spirits operate through the lusts of the flesh. Now with the separation you will be able to discern rightly and therefore command the spirits to go in Jesus Name. This is spiritual warfare. A christian can be duped to think everything is well as long as he is blind to the spirit world. The spirit world is real and only those who are spiritually aware are able to see. Once you begin to see then you will be alert to the devices of the demonic realm. This then will cause you to depend more on the Holy Spirit and less on your flesh. This separation is what will lead to your advancement in things of the Spirit. Without this separation you will struggle to live a life in the Spirit. This is why so many are sick and tired and luke warm. Arise and be bold and do not give into the appetites of your flesh. Overcome through the Holy Spirit and you will be a overcomer.

CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE GOSPEL

How much does culture influence the way the gospel is proclaimed and lived? Culture plays such a significant role in our lives and preaching the gospel must be in line with the culture of the place. A western gospel cannot be preached in a eastern culture and will be rejected. The gospel has to be in line with cultural beliefs. But what if the cultural beliefs are in conflict with the tenant of the gospel? Then those beliefs must be changed. If there is a dissonance between your beliefs and the gospel then your beliefs will have to change. How you do things maybe different but the principles of the gospel must be upheld. This is the area where people will struggle. If they don't work through this then the gospel will be like a law. To ground the gospel in the context of your life it has to be culturally congruent. The gospel was written in the context of the middle eastern setting. It is not culturally sensitive. When it is made culturally sensitive then it becomes real. One can understand the principles but these need to be translated to the context you are in to make sense. So also in every area of your life when there is conflict between your beliefs and your context then it is time to work through it and apply it to fit the context. The gospel lived out in India will be different from the gospel lived out in the West. Failure to appreciate this is what leads to failure. Exporting a westernised version of the gospel will fail as it will conflict with the social structures and beliefs of the east.

SPIRITUAL SENSES

Behold the Lord is near and available to you at any time day and night. He is a counsellor and friend and a constant companion. He will never leave you or forsake you. His arms surround you and in Him is everlasting life. Why do so many ignore Him? Because they are blinded by the world and the incitements it provides. When you walk in the flesh you will be controlled by the flesh. In the Spirit you will be controlled by the Spirit. In the Spirit you can overcome all weaknesses of the flesh. This is why this is a spiritual battle when you become conscious of the Spirit. Many are not conscious of the spirit world. The spirit world can be sensed through your senses just as you sense the physical world. Tune your spiritual senses to sense the spirit world and see the difference. You can touch, see and hear in the spirit. This is why it is possible to touch the physical through the spirit. When you touch through the spirit a particular organ that organ begins to experience the touch. Healing flows through the spirit as you sense the movement of the spirit over a person's life. Exercise your spiritual senses and overcome all weaknesses of the flesh. You can because He can in you.

GOD USES MAN

The Lord is the maker of all things. He uses man to do His work. He created man and therefore He is able to use him for anything. He knows the heart of man and He can do anything to achieve His purposes. God sees the heart of man and knows those who are bound for hell. All who are bound for heaven will come to know His salvation. There is no dogma that will separate God from man. God is available to all. It is not based on class or religion. God calls those who are His to Himself. All you need to be is available to Him, to be His mouth piece for Him. When you are in the state of consciousness then you can be used at anytime anywhere. God is looking for willing vessels not organisations. Man is fixed on organisations to achieve ends. God works through supernatural ways and claims His own. Therefore do not be perturbed by happenings but be available at all times. Your destiny is assured. Those who hear His voice will come and be saved.

THE EGO

The ego needs conflict to survive. The ego feels death when thee is no conflict. It is alive only in conflict. Therefore if there is no conflict then it will create conflict. The ego defines itself through conflict. It is difference that leads to conflict. Therefore any difference keeps the ego alive. When you die to the ego then you deny its right to conflict. It is through conflict that the ego grows. The bigger the ego the bigger the conflicts. It is this that leads men to go to prison so that the ego does not destroy them. The ego can be destructive in conflict. Man has tried to assuage the ego by being proper. The propriety only hides the underlying conflict. Bring the conflcit into the open and see it for what it is, an ego battle. When the ego is faced with its conflictual nature then this is the beginning of its death. Death to the ego is the only way to salvation. The ego will strive to control to the end. It is a life and death struggle. You have been given the way of escape. In the Spirit you can overcome the ego. In the spirit you die to your ego.

END TO SLAVERY TO SIN

Captivated by His love I lie prostrate before Him. I have no other cause to live then for Him who gave Himself for me. A man who sacrifices his life for another is worth a life time of service. God knows the heart of man for He created man. Man can know God because he is His creation. I am because He is. I am one with God and He is one with me. We are together on this journey. There is no need for comparisons for He has chosen me for a particular task that only I can do. The challenges I need to face are just for me. Others go through their challenges fit for them. The greater the challenges the greater the victory. Therefore do not relent but persist in the task ahead for He is preparing you for abundance. Do not look to the right or the left but straight ahead. He has marked you for sainthood and it is right that you remain fixed in Him. Separate yourself from every negative thought and feeling and be united in love at all times. Love will not see the negative but only the positive. Love has learnt to die to the negative for it was all consumed at the Cross. There is no negativity that can stand in the presence of the Cross. Here all that was negative was cancelled as sin was cancelled at the Cross. Now you are free to be for the Cross has finished the work of slavery to sin. Amen.

KNOWING GOD AND KNOWING ABOUT HIM

When you read books or hear preachers you  can discern whether the person is talking about God or God. Knowing God personally is different from knowing about Him. God in the scriptures is a personal God who walked and talked with people. They have written about their personal encounters with God. Writing about God is just a copy of what it is to know God. When you know God then you talk about your personal journey with Him. When you know someone then you reveal it through your conversation. Knowing about someone is a projection of your own thoughts about that person. Therefore you are able to know and impart His Spirit when you know God. The knowledge that comes from a personal walk with God is different from a knowledge about Him. Knowing Him is to have life. Knowing about Him is like reading a book but not knowing what it really means. It is head knowledge versus heart knowledge. Paul decides to give up all his head knowledge and counted it as dung compared with the knowledge of knowing Him. The intimate knowledge of God results in a power and love that will move mountains. Seek after Him till you know Him and can feel His heart beat. This knowing is what will change the world.

2 MINDS

In the spirit or in the flesh. These are the 2 mind sets you can walk in. In the spirit is to be dead to the flesh and in the flesh is to be dead to the spirit. The 2 cannot walk together.This is why the Bible talks about being double minded. You cannot get anywhere by being double minded. It is in the spirit or in the flesh. Your conflicts are mainly due to walking in the flesh. These are internal conflicts that sometimes are externalised. The flesh is filled with greed, pride, jealousy and envy and affects relationship. The spirit mind is filled with love, joy and peace and affects relationships. Therefore choose which mind you will walk in. In the spirit you will not be affected by the desires of the flesh. In heaven you will walk always in the spirit. Therefore practice walking in the spirit on earth. Each time the flesh raises its head, kill it by reminding it of its fate. Never give in to those desires to steal, kill and destroy which are the works of darkness. Rather be prepared to lay down your life for another so that the peace of Christ may prevail.