The Spirit World

I guess we could title the sermon today the Spirit Whirl.

What has happened to the good old USA, the land of the free and the home of the brave? A person runs his vehicle into hundreds of people attending a parade. Mass shootings, riots, bombings of buildings, breaking into stores and stealing. They call it smash and grab instead of smash and steal. That's what the news commentators say, smash and grab. Know your stealing. Drug addiction, disease, divorce, broken homes, disobedient children, generational poverty, and the list goes on and on. We couldn't possibly list, we could always come up with probably one more thing, plaguing the world at the present time, and especially the United States of America. In the New Testament, we read of the many encounters that Jesus had with demons. Time after time, we read of Jesus and the apostles casting out demons. Remember that according to Revelation 12.4, one-third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion, and they became demons. Some call them fallen spirits, fallen angels.

These demons are legions in numbers. In one place in the New Testament, we read about a person who had several demons, legions of demons.

They number probably into the thousands. Well, we know we do because there are 10,000 of angels. Perhaps there are millions of them, demons, who are under Satan's command. Yes, Satan has an organizational structure. It is a hierarchical structure. That means the most powerful at the top with the lesser under. They're the archangels, one of which, Lucifer was one of the archangels. He fell and drew a third of the angels with him.

These demons have great power. The secular world, to a large degree, and the religious world, ignores the influence of Satan and his demonic host of warriors that are loyal to him. They do Satan's bidding.

So are you unaware of Satan and the demons' influence on this present evil age? Today's world leaders and the world's clergy operate as if Satan does not exist.

Satan is alive and well on planet earth, and he and his agents are becoming more visible. The recent furor over UFOs is a prime example. The U.S. government now admits that there have been numerous encounters with UFOs, and trying to explain what they are ranged from the U.S. having secret operations going on, trying to develop weapons that are stealth-like in their ability to perform different actions that defy gravity and defy the laws of physics, to visitors from outer space that we can't account for, to it being part of Satan's world.

And more and more, we need to prepare to defend ourselves against UFOs. So there is tremendous activity going on in higher places that we are unaware of. So let's note some of the kinds of spirits that Jesus encountered. Now, some of this, you might say, is subjective, but in Scripture you can read many, many accounts of Jesus and the apostles encountering wicked spirits, demon spirits, and casting them out.

You don't hear much about that today, even though the Catholic Church has said in recent times that demon-possessed people are greatly increasing among their numbers, and they have even posted advertisements for exorcists to cast out the demons. So one type of demon, spirits that causes... I would encourage you to write these down. I won't spend a lot of time with them, and then I'll come to a how do we combat it, but to identify them first, if you're going to be able to defeat an enemy, you have to be able to identify the enemy.

You have to know who the enemy is. We'll read the Scripture later in Ephesians 6, where Paul says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but wicked spirits in high places. So there are spirits that causes a person to be unable to hear and thus unable to speak.

I'm reading now from Mark 9. Mark 9, if you want to turn to these scriptures, Mark 9, verses 25-26, when Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, you dumb and deaf spirit. Now, I don't like the term dumb and deaf because a person who is afflicted, and of course there are physical reasons for this.

It's not just demonic activity. There are physical activities, physical causes for persons being unable to hear. And if you can't hear this, you can hardly speak because we learned speech, we learned the language through imitation to a large degree. And if you can't hear what's being said, then you can't speak. I don't know we had in our community, I had a great uncle who was afflicted in this way.

He could not hear, and he could utter a few things, and that was it. And there were another guy that attended our congregation community, who lived in the community as well. So Jesus charged you, Spirit, I charge you, come out of him and enter no more into him. And the Spirit cried and rent him sore and came out of him. The demons are destructive. Of course, Satan and the demons wish to destroy you. They wish to destroy human beings because human beings have been promised the eternal life in the kingdom of God, a place, a goal, a state of being that they can never attain to.

Another thing it says about this kind of spirit, it says that this kind, this kind, and that shows you that there are different kinds. It's a hierarchical structure, and the demons, as in the human realm, some are more intelligent than others, and some have more power than others. This kind comes forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting. And I know a few times in which I've gone with ministers, or ministers gone with me in an attempt to cast out a demon that was preceded by prayer and fasting. Then there's what Jesus calls unclean spirits. So, number one was the, what in the old King James says, the dumb and deaf.

I don't like that terminology. It's people who cannot hear and thus who cannot speak. In an intelligible, understandable, not, they may have great intelligence as far as being bright intellectually. There are unclean spirits. There may, there can be many unclean spirits in one person. They can cause all kinds of perversions. They may be vocal and will try to harass the person. Now I'm reading from Mark 10, verse 1. When Jesus sent them out, he said, I'm giving you power against unclean spirits to cast them out.

And once again, in New Testament times, especially in the Gospels, time after time, Christ and the apostles, disciples encountered demon spirits. Today almost everything is laid to medicine and to be solved by the medical doctors or by hypnotists. And in addition to hypnotists, the counselors, and I'm not saying persons should not go to a doctor or shouldn't go to a hypnotist, but Satan is alive and well. And what is going on in this world cannot be accounted for just through physical means. There's something supernatural going on.

In Mark chapter 5, verse 8 and 9, Jesus said unto him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is your name? Jesus asked the unclean spirit, What is your name? The unclean spirit said, My name is legion, for we are many. So more than one demon can be inside a person, harassing him, causing him to do things he would not do if he were, quote, in a right state spiritually, especially.

In Acts 8.7, reading Acts 8.7, for unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, come out of many that were possessed with him. So that was the apostles casting out demons when they began their ministry. Then there are evil spirits. So we've talked about spirits that cause a person to be unable to hear and to speak. We talked about now unclean spirits, now evil spirits, Luke 7.21.

And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits. And unto many that were blinded he gave sight. Now I'm reading Luke 8.2. Luke 8.2. And certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Among them was one called Mary, Mary Magdalene, out of whom went seven demons. And as you know, she contributed much to God's work after those spirits were cast out.

Then there are familiar spirits.

Familiar spirits are the ones that people sometimes go to in order to get counsel on how to know the future. And so we have palm readers, astrologers. We have those who seek to know what the future is through the fallen world. Here's what Leviticus 19.31 says, He says, God reveals to us what we need to know with regard to the spirit world through His spirit. That is not to say that human beings cannot help in their way of counseling. That is not saying that at all. I have dealt with many through the years, the decades in the ministry. And of course, there can be medical causes where there is a chemical unbalance and people even, with some of these chemical unbalances, even hear voices telling them to do certain things. But we better make sure that any voice that we hear agrees with the Word of God. A lot of these serial killers have said, well, God told me to do such and such. And mainly it had to do with committing a heinous act against another person. I think one of the commandments says, thou shalt not kill. So we have in many of the schools in the Middle East, in which young children are being taught to hate the Jews, to hate the Israelis, to kill the infidels in general, one of the tenets of their religion, kill the infidels. And it's not a sin to kill anyone who is an infidel. And the war between that world and the world that we live in is yet to come.

I'm reading now Leviticus 20 verse 6, and the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits and after wizards. To go whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul and will cut him off from among the people.

Soul and familiar spirits. The next one is the spirit of divination.

This spirit is stronger than the familiar spirits. This spirit works through flattery, lies, and deceit. How many people have used flattery and deceit through the ages to try to get their way? Probably the most notable example to some degree. Satan employed this in the Garden of Eden when he approached Eve and said, you shall know good and evil. God is not really telling you the truth. You shall not surely die. You can eat of that fruit. You can live forever. You have Absalom who sat at the gate after he came back, after he had killed his brother and had been banished. And then he brought him back. That is, David brought him back. And he sat at the gate saying, oh, if I were king of Israel, I would hear your complaints. I would take care of you. I would do your... and eventually he stole the hearts of the people of Israel. And he tried to unseat his father, David, from off the throne. Only by comparison, very few people, maybe as many as 300, followed David and the rest went after Absalom. You know, Absalom's... his fate was that he was caught in the limbs of a tree with his long, beautiful hair. Of course, David lamented over his death, saying, Absalom, Absalom, my son, which to God I had died for thee.

So this spirit of divination works through flattery, lies, and deceit.

And it came to... I'm reading Acts 16 verse 16 now. And it came to pass as we went to prayer, certain damsels possessed with a spirit of divination, met us which brought her masters much gained by sooth-saying.

Now Ezekiel 12 verse 24, for there shall be no more any vain vision or flattering divination. In Ezekiel 13, 7, have you not seen a vain vision, and have you not spoken a lying divination, whereas you say, the Lord says that I'll be it, I have not spoken it. So this spirit of divination, of course, there are two sides to this spirit of divination. The person who is the flatterer, who tries to solicit to gain your favor through flattery, and then those who are susceptible to flattery. And everybody, just about everybody, likes to hear and receive a pat on the back and receive thanks. There's a difference in saying thank you, and we appreciate what you're doing, and that kind of thing. That's usually after the fact, as opposed to the flatterer, who tries to build a person up for ulterior motives. That is, the motive of beyond my team, just like Absalom did. Beyond my team. The next one is the spirit of hortom. This spirit can cause two types of hortom, spiritual hortom, which leads to idolatry, as a case of when Moses went up to receive the Ten Commandments again. Then the people began to clamor, and Aaron collected the gold, and they built a golden calf, and stripped off naked, and began to dance in prints, and worshiped the golden calf. And then there is, of course, the physical hortom that generally leads to fornication and adultery. Hosea says, this is Hosea 4, verses 12 and 13. Hosea 4, verses 12 and 13. My people ask counsel at their stocks. And so, Isaiah 47, I'm not turning there. You might want to read Isaiah 47, because it's like listening to, in a way, Bloomberg News all over again, in which they list every stock around the world, and they give the prices of the various commodities, whether they're doing good or doing bad. And then they have the forecast, what are the futures going to do, and what is presently trading at, and that kind of thing. And people really try to follow that and to place their security and, to some degree, their being on that. Maybe we ought to just read a few verses there from Isaiah 47. I don't have this in my notes. I hope I've got the right chapter. I think I do. Every time you want to turn to a certain, those two pages are stuck together.

Chapter 47, come now and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground there. There is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for you shall no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstone and grind meal. Uncover the locks, make bare her legs. Uncover the thigh. Pass over the rivers. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, yes. Your shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will not meet you as a man. As for our Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. Sit you silent and get you into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for you shall no more be called the Lady of Kingdoms. I was mad with my people, angry with my people. I have polluted my inheritance and given them into your hand. You did show them no mercy upon the ancient. Have you very heavily laid your yoke? And it goes on talking about what they did. Now, verse 9, but these two things shall come on you in a moment, and one day the loss of children and widowhood. They shall come upon you and their perfection for the multitude of your sorceress, your pharma kia, your seducing people through drugs and magic and what in witchcraft, for the great abundance of your enchantments, for you trusted in your wickedness. You have said none of these things will come upon me. Your wisdom and your knowledge, it has perverted you, and you have said in your heart, I am and none else besides me. So they shall stumble and fall, and the multitude, look at verse 12, stand now with your enchantments and with the multitude of your sorceress, wherein you have labored from your youth. If so be, you shall be able to profit, so you may be able to prevail. So the ones that tried to predict the future and tried to ensure that they would never fail, did fail them when it came to giving an account for what was going on in the world.

The next one is the spirit of jealousy. The spirit of jealousy. I'm reading numbers 5-14. And the spirit of jealousy came upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled. Or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled. Proverbs 6.34. For jealousy is the rage of a man. When a person becomes obsessed, especially with jealousy, then it causes division, it causes, in some cases, divorce, especially in people who are subject to paranoia. When you think, well, I think my wife might be, oh, I think my husband's doing this, oh, I think this, I think that. This paranoia that sometimes get the best of a person to the point that they think that everything and everybody's against them it causes a lack of trust, a suspicion of everyone. It can cause a person to become violent and have fits of rage and anger. Then there is the spirit of bondage. This type of demon can cause people to become addicted to drugs, to alcohol, to tobacco, to pornography, and to doing things that they should not be doing in the sexual sense. And oftentimes this starts with the flesh giving into the flesh, and then it becomes a spiritual matter fairly quickly. Please go to Galatians 5 and verse 19. In Galatians chapter 5 and verse 19.

Galatians 5 verse 19.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, meaning lawlessness, do whatever you want to do, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like the witch I tell you before, as I have also told you in time to pass, that they which do such things shall not inherit shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is, and then of course there is the fruit of God's spirit contrasted with the fruit of the flesh. Then there is a lying spirit. This is a spirit that may cause, that is the cause of habitual lying. You might hear something like he is a proverbial liar. He is a pathological liar. It's like a disease with him. He would rather, it seems, tell a lie when the truth would serve him better. Lying can become a habit, and it seems that some people lie when the truth would help them more than their lies. And some call these people, as I mentioned, pathological liars. In other words, they have the disease of lying. They are addicted to lying. It is a spirit of lying.

In 1 Kings 22 and verse 22.

And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, you shall persuade him and prevail also. So go forth and do so. Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning you. Then in Proverbs 12 verse 22, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight. Then there is the spirit of fear. This is one of the worst spirits that a person can have because it deprives a person of their love and their joy. The person's health deteriorates. They cannot sleep. This type of person is a worry wart. They view everything basically from a negative point of view. So you remember the old saying, cheer up things could be worse. I cheered up and sure enough things got worse.

They don't have to be. To a large degree, we create how we think and what we think about and what we do. We are encouraged in 2 Corinthians 10 to cast out vain imaginations and every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. One scripture we should always have in our mind continually is Romans 8.31. What is Romans 8.31? Everyone in here should be able to quote it immediately because you need to live by it. You need to internalize it, embrace it, know it, quote it, believe it. If God be for you, who can be against you? That's a long ago in a sermon I talked about, if you ever just said, I am a child of God. Just think about how much you love and care for your children. We recently got a little dog about four weeks ago. We had gone a long time without a dog. Our Dixie and Rebel were with us 11 or 12 years and finally one died and one was hit by an automobile out on the farm to market, which is now a freeway, and went a couple years without a dog. So we got this little dog at three months old. It was three months old and we got it weighed two pounds. Now she's four months old, she might weigh three pounds. But how much we have cared for that dog? You can't believe it. Now, our great-granddaughter has come to the house for Thanksgiving and she carries that dog everywhere as if it's their baby. And she spent the two past nights with us because she wants to wake up with that dog. Now, if we can care for an animal, how much more can we care for our children and how much more can God care for us? So this spirit of fear is a very destructive fear.

God expects us to live with faithful expectation, and that is the assurance as we walk in faith, trusting, believing, and hoping in God that everything will be all right. And so everything will be all right if we do that.

If negativism is not controlled, it will lead to depression and thoughts that will continue to pull you down. And, of course, sadly, in some cases, it results in suicide. 2 Timothy 1, verse 7, says, For God has not given us the spirit of fear. See, every promise that's in this book, God has promised to us, and we should claim it, and you have to claim it in faith. You have to walk not by sight but by faith. You know and you know that you know. We'll eventually read from Ephesians 6 about putting on the whole armor of God. 1 John 4, 18, There is no fear in love.

If we love as God has said to love, as instructed us to in his word, we won't have fear. So I'm reading 1 John 4, 18, There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. Because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. So you can judge your own self like that. If you're somewhat given to paranoia, continually worrying, this, that, and the other, whatever it may be, you're filled with anxious care, fear, doubt, human reasoning, enemies of faith, then you're not made perfect in love. Once again, he that fears is not made perfect in love. I didn't write it. I'm just reading it. And it's what it says. Fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. On the other hand, there's no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear. Then there's the spirit of infirmity. We call these people hypochondriacs. Now, I know there are some people who are continually plagued by various chronic illness, and you can't do anything about it. That's the way you are, unless God heals you, perhaps. I know in my life, I've had many chronic illnesses. It finally got over. The first six years of my life, I seemed like I coughed day and night. The first year of school, I missed half the year because I was coughing so much. We lived in these old houses. It was one heating unit. That, you call it a unit, it was an old fireplace in the biggest room in the house. Then there was a wood stove. That's all the heat you had. So you piled on the quilts and hoped for the best. But this spirit of infirmity can cause many people's so much agony.

One of the ways to get rid of a wrong spirit is to resist it by doing what you say you can't do, even if it might make it worse. Now, of course, there are some things you shouldn't do if it makes it worse. But the spirit desires to keep you under its control. No matter what evil spirit it is, what demon it is, they want to control you. There was this man, church member, when I was pastoring Tyler in the 70s. He was a paraplegic, weighs down.

He thought it was in his mind, one of these days I'm going to be healed. It will be a great example to all the church and for that matter the world and everyone will turn to God. I tried to reason with him and tell him, even if that were to happen, everybody's not going to turn to God. The example, you know, where the one who was tormented and said to send someone here to give me a little drop of water. I'm tormented in this place and send someone to water. And send someone to warn my kinfolk about this place.

And Christ said, if they will not hear Moses and the prophets, they will not hear one that is risen from the dead. See, the Word of God is the Word of God. It is spirit and it is life, as it says John 663. So, the last time I visited this man, I told him, I don't think I can help you anymore, but if you ever need me, give me a call. So, one night, about 10 o'clock, he lived over in the Athens area. I got a call. He said, I need you and I need you now. There are two demons on the foot of my bed talking about splitting my brain in two. So, I got the associate rushed over there as quickly as I could. And he said, don't you see those two demons there? I said, no, I don't see them. I asked the associate, do you see any demons? No, I don't see them.

And I tried to explain to him that you have given yourself over and you believe what you believe so much that the demons have been able to take hold of you. Yeah, you see that. That is your reality, but it is not true. Now, I'm going to pray for you and cast these out.

And so I did.

And he seemed to be at peace and I never heard from him again. In Luke 13 verse 11, Jesus speaking, and said unto her, woman, you're loose from your infirmity. And he laid his hands on her and immediately she was made straight and glorified God.

So, here this afternoon, examine ourselves and ask ourselves, could I be a victim of the spirit of infirmity? In such cases, their infirmities became their life. And it holds them in bondage, one thing after another after another.

And the Bible says, resist Satan and he will flee from you. And of course, there are people who are, who have various physical maladies that they just can't do anything about. And we surely need to pray for them. Then there is a blind spirit. You remember the story of John 8 of one born from birth, blind, he was blind from birth and when they saw this person, they asked Jesus, well, who sinned, the father or the mother? As if he had inherited the blindness. Jesus said, neither one, but that the works of God might be made manifest. And so Jesus healed that blind man. Which greatly upset the Pharisees. In Matthew 12 22 that there was brought unto him one possessed with the devil blind, could not hear, could not speak, and he healed him. And so much that the blind and the spirit that caused him not to hear both spake and saw. So after Jesus cast it out, the person could speak and he could see. There is the spirit of antichrist. Basically, the spirit of antichrist has now gripped the whole world.

Brethren, we are in a fight for our lives, and it is still amazing how normal life seems to be with us. As I've said many times during the past 10 years, how normal things seem to be yet at the same time how critical things are on the world scene and in our nation.

The spirit of antichrist. The majority of the U.S. population has fallen prey to this spirit. They say they believe in God and Christ, but they don't do what he says. In Luke 6 46 and another place in John, Jesus says, Why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do not what I say?

In 1 John 4 verse 3, Every spirit confesses not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is not of God, and that is the spirit of antichrist. Oh, you can say that you believe in God, but just to say that you believe in God doesn't mean that you really believe in God when the chips are down. So why call you me, Lord, Lord, and do not what I say? This also leads to the spirit of error, the spirit of antichrist. It gives people the desire for the things of the world and to believe that there is a way apart from God or to develop a sense of good old boy religion as you define good and evil the way you think it ought to be.

And many times, as I've said in recent years, we create God over in our own image. I was talking with someone yesterday who came by the house, an elder from another area, wanting to understand something. And I asked about his children. The same things happen to many of our children. They start saying, oh, you don't have to do all of those do's and don'ts that they talk about in the United Church of God or the Church of God. You just need to be a good person. Love everybody and do good works, do good things, and be a good person. See, the Bible says all of man's righteousness is its filthy rags. The Bible says, and maybe we should turn there. I think this was read last Sabbath. Let's go to Matthew 7. Matthew 7, verse 22.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name have cast out devils, and in your name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me you that work iniquity. There's no telling how many televangelists, and I watch them from time to time. I want to know what's going on in this world. From those who talk about helping the Jews that are in such terrible straits, especially in Russia, to those who talk about people in Africa or India that's in terrible straits, and so they are. And we are to do good works, but that will not save you. And so people will give to a cause like to save the children in Africa, but they won't give to a cause to help the Church of God carry forth its message. Why is that? And we have the celebrities who go out, and they boast of their good works. Oh, he's given so much to the community. He's done all these things. Well, you should do all these things. Christ says, wait in your matters of the law. Yeah, you ought to tithe on your mint anise and come in, but don't neglect the waitier matters of the law. So they'll say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name cast out devils, in your name done many wonderful works, and then will I profess unto you, unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, you that work lawlessness. Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man who built his house upon the rock, and of course those who don't hear and do, like a man who built his house upon the sand. So the spirit of era. They are of the world, therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. In contrast, we are of God. He that knows God hears us. This is 1 John 4, 5, and 6. He that is of God hears us. He that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. If they speak not according to the law and the testimony, there is because there is no truth in them. We know for sure from 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4 that Satan is the God of this present evil age. Jesus called him the prince of this world in John 12 and 33. God through Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God have given us the power to cast out Satan and the demons out of our lives so that they have no influence over us. But we need to take stock and to know whether or not they are having any influence over us. Let's look at Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1.

So we're going to talk about now what we need to do in view of all of the things that are out there in the world. We have identified 14 various spirits. There might be some overlap in those, and to some degree, the numbering is somewhat objective, but the scriptures are subjective. But the scriptures are objective. In Ephesians 2 and verse 1, And you hath he quickened, who were dead, and trespasses in sin. Wherein in time pass you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. And as I said in John 1231, Jesus called Satan the prince of this world.

The prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. And we have identified 14 different ways that this works. And of course, I'm sure that's not all by any means. Among whom also we all had our conduct in times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, and where by nature the children of wrath, even as others. We often speak of the gifts of the spirit. The gifts of the spirit.

Which one of the gifts of the spirit, which one do we hear the least about? I would say, and the gifts of the spirit, of course, are listed in 1 Corinthians 12, I'd say we hear probably the least about the spirit of discernment.

Ask God for the gift of discernment of spirits. God and Christ are true light bringers. Jesus Christ said, I am the light of the world in John 1246. On the other hand, Satan poses as an angel of light, and you have to be able to distinguish. Is this of God, or is it of Satan the devil? Look at 2 Corinthians 11 verse 13. 2 Corinthians 11 verse 13.

2 Corinthians 11 13, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

Virtually every preacher out there, I don't care what denomination is, and even if they are not in the quote-unquote Christian realm, or if they're Jewish, if they're Hindu, Eastern mysticism of any sort, any religion you want to name.

They go from the premise that man has an immortal soul, that he will either merge with eternal spirit, or he will go through various cycles, reincarnation, or he'll go in the Christian world to heaven or hell, and believe they have an immortal soul, believe that Jesus, that God is a trinity. They believe that up front, regardless of whatever else they say. Now, they may say a lot of good things, and they do say a lot of good things, but saying a lot of good things won't get you there in and of itself. So, the gifts of the spirit, the one that we need to really focus on is that of discernment. Continuing here in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 14, and no marvel for Satan himself has transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing that his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. And we can, of course, use a caveat that they are deceived, and perhaps they are deceived.

But I believe some know what they're doing and deliberately do what they do and lead people astray. But it would be better for them if they are deceived in that sense. But the sad part about that is that they may deceive a lot of people along the way. Satan is an oppressor, a tyrant. He walks about seeking whom he may devour. He is the author of sin and death. And we know that the wages of sin is death, not life forever being tormented in hell. Satan is the ultimate enemy of every member of the body of Christ.

So let's go to Ephesians 6 and verse 10, which I have noted a couple of times already. In Ephesians 6 and verse 10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that is, the spiritual armor, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. You don't hear about that today.

Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand therefore. That's how it should be. Of course, the verses are man-made, and so is punctuation.

Having your loins gird with truth, your word is truth, so you store the word of God in your heart. Psalm 119 verses 9 through 11, Your word have a head in my heart that I might not sin against you. You're loins girded with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. All your commandments are righteous. What is the love of God?

For this is the love of God, that we should keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. They're not burdensome. In fact, they are liberating.

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In other words, you want to share the good news of the kingdom of God with the rest of the world.

Above all, taking the shield of faith. See, if you believe all the promises, you claim all the promises, you really believe all the promises, you live by all the promises, you're not going to be susceptible to these various spirits, these 14 that we listed, especially of fear and doubt, human reasoning, and anxious care, and all that kind of thing.

Wherewith you shall be able to quench, didn't say some, it says, all the fiery darts of Satan. And take the helmet of salvation. What is the helmet of salvation? Well, 1 Thessalonians 5, 8 tells you it is hope. Hope. We are saved by hope. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching near and to with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, and for, Paul says, and for me as well. If we would do those things, we can defeat all of the things that Satan might throw against us. Satan had the power of death over humankind until Jesus Christ came on the scene. And that's one of the reasons why he so desperately tried to kill the forefathers of Jesus before he was born, and tried to desperately kill Jesus, the Prince of Life. I don't know if you ever really thought about this, and the way that it's framed here, that Satan had the power of death. It seemed like he was going to try out until Jesus came on the scene. So turn to Hebrews 2, verse 14. Let's start in 13. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, and the appearing of the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us, buy us back from all iniquity. That's a good place to read, but that's not where I want to read.

Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14. Hebrews 2, verse 14. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he, he being Jesus Christ, also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him. The hymn here is Satan that had the power of death. That is the devil. It tells you clearly who it is. So how did that happen? Because when Jesus died, he paid the penalty for all of humankind that ever lived or ever will live so that through Christ all their sins can be remitted. Because the wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So with the death of Jesus Christ, that penalty was paid, and then through the resurrection he lives in us so that we have the power to overcome the prince of the power of the air and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. See, we can be set free from fear, doubt, worry, all of those things. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things, it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, tested, tried, he is able to succor them that are tempted. Satan is going to greatly increase his activity as we enter the end of this age, and the number one target of Satan will be the Church of God. But as we see here from the scriptures, you can be more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. So brethren, any time that you feel like all is lost, you want to remember these things. Remember in the I have overcome the world. Jesus Christ ever lives to make intercession for us, and he will deliver us. So we don't have anything to fear from the spirit world, but at the same time we need to be aware and to warn others about it and to stand fast in the hope that lies within us.