THE ENEMIES OF OUR FAITH:

Enemy of Faith No.1: Failure to understand what it means to be a new creature in Christ.
Enemy of Faith No.2: Failure to understand our place/position in Christ.
Enemy of Faith No.3: Failure to understand the righteousness of Christ that robes us.
Enemy of Faith No.4: Failure to understand our right to use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Enemy of Faith No.5: Failure to act upon the Word of God.
Enemy of Faith No.6: Failure to hold fast to our confession of faith.
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We all have faced faith issues at times in our lives. Think about some of the times when you prayed for someone to be healed and the battle that emerged in your thinking. The main fight that the believer is called upon to fight is the “good fight of faith.” And if I have to fight the fight of faith, then there stands to reason that there are enemies or hindrances to my faith. If there were no enemies to faith, then there would be no fight to it. 

It is hard to acknowledge that the fight for our faith is within us. It is easy to say, "if only I had different parents, or married to a more Godly person, or was in a better church." This is our attempt of trying to keep the faith issue outside our skin. We should not spend time seeking someone or something outside of our skin to blame for our lack of faith. We can walk in as much faith as we want. The Father is not holding faith back from us.  The battle for our faith is within us.

When we “fight the good fight of faith,” as the Apostle Paul admonishes us, we can step out of the narrow place of failure and weakness in which we live, into the boundless power of God.

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Mark 11:22-24 ESV And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. (23) Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. (24) Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

It is a no-brainer knowing that Christians have either faced, is currently facing, and will face adversity. So what do we do with it?

Dualism is a doctrine that the universe is under the dominion of two opposing principles one of which is good and the other evil. 

Let me say that dualism is a false doctrine because it assumes that all affliction, calamity, adversity, poverty, and trouble come directly from Satan.

No doubt, much of the adversity we face does derive from Satan's realm of darkness, but the fact is all adversity is the result of the fall of mankind from his original state with God.

The theory that all adversity is Satanic is contradicted by the experience of almost all the Apostles, martyrs and great leaders of the Church, who saw adversity as a means to see God glorified. The Word of God teaches us that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness.

James 1:2-4 ESV Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, (3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (4) And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Adversity is evil only if we permit Satan to defeat us with it. On the other hand, there is victory in Christ out of all life's experiences. All of us, saved and lost, have faced, is currently facing, and will face adversity of some kind.

God used (or turned around) trouble in Paul's life for His purpose, but three times the Apostle uses the word "DELIVER." Paul said, writing to the Corinthian church:

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 ESV (8) For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. (9) Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. (10) He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

In 2 Cor.1:8-10 notice the use of the word "delivered." We see Paul addressing all three tenses, past, present and future adversity.

There are opposing forces in the world and the believer is in the midst of the battle, but we are on the winning side because...

1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

We have a lot of so-called prophets running amuck in these days which we live. They are quick to "give a word" from the Lord. But praise God there are also really true prophetic believers walking among us. Those who are more concerned with standing before God and pleasing HIM than bowing before man and pleasing them with a "word-for-today" message.

The significance of the true Biblical Prophet lies not only in what they say but also in what they did and who they are. They are men who stood “face to face with man” while being “faced by God.” The true Prophet affirms and reflects the mind, will, and ways of God to the people and faced the consequences of doing so. The true Prophet is a man who has an internal struggle with his mental knowledge and facts, versus the supernatural Words from God that has been imparted to him.

A true Prophet has the realization that the Words he speaks forth defies both the religious theology and intellectual psychology of man. A true Prophet has the realization that the Words he speaks forth defies the social and cultural climate of the day and stands against the immoral and amoral condition of mankind both individually and to a nation.

His words are revelation, response, and spontaneity. The true Prophet is a person who is a mouthpiece and voices the truth on the behalf of the King of Glory and not a microphone echoing people-pleasing messages as a hireling. He is a voice to the nations and not an echo of the world or the religious system.

He is endowed and empowered with a mission, and backed with the power of a Word which is not his own. The Word of God echoes in the voice of the true Prophet. The main task of the true Prophet is not the artificial fluff and duff that we see today in the so-called prophetic voice. The main task of the true Prophet is to convey a Divine Way. He does not offer “his opinion” or “his point of view” or a "self-help message." His call is not a call to compromise to the world or be tolerant to the ways of sin.  

When the true Prophet speaks it is "God's point of view” and a spiritual rudder to an immoral ship. This is because he speaks from God’s perspective as he perceives it from his own situation. The true Prophet considers the times he lives in and considers the ways of the people. The true Prophet expounds not only the VIEW of God, but also the ATTITUDE of God. These are the things that we keep in mind when we ask, “What are the features that set the Prophets apart?” “What constitutes their uniqueness?” For we need the true Biblical Prophet to walk among us today and call the nation back to God through repentance.

Ephesians 4:11-14 ESV
THE WHAT:
(11)  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

THE WHY:
(12)  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

THE HOW LONG:
(13)  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

THE OUTCOME:
(14)  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Ezekiel 33:31-33 ESV And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. (32) And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it. (33) When this comes—and come it will!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

Although I warn people of the false prophets of today, I am thankful that the Father has given the true prophetic ministry to the Body of Christ. We all need the voice if the Prophet just as a huge ship needs the rudder. The rudder does not power the ship as the engines do. The rudder does not hold the people and cargo up safely from the waters below as the hull of the ship does. However, the rudder, being small in size in comparison to the rest of ship, is vital in turning and giving direct to the ship. In like manner the Prophet although mostly unknown and unseen gives direction to the church and keeps us aware of the dangers that lay ahead of us. Hear the Prophet with a heart to obey. 

In the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I by faith proclaim every curse against me null and void and declare every assignment the devil has against me because of a curse, or condemnation, cancelled.

By the spiritual authority I have by right of son-ship, I command every evil spirit involved with enforcing a curse against me, against my marriage, against proper relationships with my spouse and children, against my finances, against my health, against my home and property, and against my possessions, to be cast away from me now to roam in dry and arid places.

​What Are We To Do When Healing Doesn’t Manifest?

You know God wants you healed, and you have taken all the steps you know from God’s Word to receive your healing. But for some reason, your circumstances just do not seem to be changing, and healing is not manifesting in your body.

What do you do now?

First, it is important to understand that God has not failed you. He cannot, because there is no failure in Him. It is never God who is short on healing power. Healing comes in some form. However, it is not always received.

When, by faith, we trust on the power and the Word of God, the healing virtue of Jesus Christ will flow into a our body and make it whole.

In John 5, the story is told about a man who had an infirmity for 38 years. This story, perhaps, gives us the best picture of the frustration that even today’s believers face when it comes to wanting to be healed, and yet, not being able to make it happen when we want it—and need it—the most. Imagine writing for 38 years for your healing?

We read that day after day the invalid man lay by the pool of Bethesda hoping somehow to be the first person in the water after the angel stirred it, because if he was the first to make it in, he could be healed.

But then along came our lord Jesus Christ. He asked the man, “Do you want to become well?” The invalid answered saying, “Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool.

​Joh 5:3-9 (ESV)  In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.  5  One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  6  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”  7  The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”  8  Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”  9  And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said that His sheep would hear His voice and follow Him. 

Hearing the voice of God should be the most natural activity a believer encounters. However, the most common prayer request I receive from people is "How do I hear God's Voice?"

Nothing should be more alarming than for believer's not being able to hear the voice of God. How will we ever know the daily will of the Father for our lives without being able to hear His voice?

The book " Preparing Ourselves To Hear God's Voice" is a in depth study guide leading us to rid the obstacles that hinders us hearing from the Father. Order your copy today at Amazon.com.

We are reconciled and have been given the ministry of reconciliation. But what does this mean?
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (ESV)  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

"Reconciled Us," "Reconciling the World," and "Be Reconciled are from the Greek word katallassō and means "to change mutually."

"Ministry of Reconciliation," and "Message of Reconciliation," are from the Greek word katallagē and means "to exchange." It carries the idea of divine favor resulting from atonement.

Please allow me to place these definitions into the verses and paraphrase them.

God, through Christ, mutually changed us to Himself and gave us the ministry of exchange from divine favor as a result of our atonement.
God, in Christ, was mutually changing the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them
God has entrusted to us the message of exchange which is from divine favor as a result of our atonement.
Therefore, as ambassadors for Christ, God appealed to the world through us and we appeal to you for Christ's sake, be multually changed to God.

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THE GOSPEL MESSAGE:
There are nearly 50 discourses (sermons/teachings), of our Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the New Testament, the best known of which was His "Sermon on the Mount."

However I would like to share what I believe is missed by some within the Church concerning the Gospel and our Lord.

He did not come primarily to PREACH THE GOSPEL, because that is our job. He came so there might be A GOSPEL TO PREACH.

A CALL TO THE “NOW” ANOINTING
 
The Body of Christ has been robbed for years by her theology.  We cannot seem to accept God’s Word for the NOW anointing because our theology has told us that it will all come LATER after we are dead and in heaven.  The Church is flooded today with books and movies about “prophesied events” that will happen after the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But there is a current restoration theology that states that we can and will receive a present dimension of Biblical promises on this side of eternity. Most of the Bible was written for our lives here and now. We are called to rule and reign, not tuck, run, and fly away.
 
Many of us were brought up with an eschatology, (study of end times), that taught us that the Church is in a lot of trouble and that the devil’s kingdom would increase and totally dominate the earth until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We were taught that our Lord Jesus would return and rescue a beaten up and defeated Church.  Then our Lord would destroy the enemy and his forces through His power, truth and light by way of His return.  This thinking has programmed defeat within the body of Christ.  Therefore, the church sits in a corner defeated with her only hope tied to a theology that lies in the future at the return of our Lord Jesus which allows her to escape to a better place.
 
The idea of a strong militant mighty Church waging an effective war against the devil is completely foreign to much of our thinking.  Many would agree that there will be a time of heightened spiritual conflict, but to believe that God is going to bring about a great massive harvest during this time seems unthinkable to many within the body of Christ. So, much of the teaching and preaching of the Church over the years has been a theology about a future kingdom.  It would be a kingdom that is established after the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It would be only in the “New Heaven” and “New Earth” that His righteousness would be established.  Until then, according to this theology, we can only expect the world and the church to lie helpless in the hands of the evil one. With this theology the final glory and victory of the Church will have to wait until the end of the earth and the re-creation of the heavens and the new city. But the Lord Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection, has given authority and government to the Body through the Apostolic and Prophetic ministries. There is an army rising up that is ready to take back what is legally and rightfully ours. The problem is that the body is walking in hurt, unforgiveness, rebellion, and broken relationships. There needs to be places of refuge whereby the spiritual leaders and body of Christ can be healed. 
 
Question:  Is it true that the enemy was defeated at Calvary or do we have to wait until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ for his defeat?

John 16:7-8 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 
John 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 

1 John 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  
It is consistent with the teachings of the Scriptures that our Lord is ready to destroy all the works of the evil one through His Body, the Church, in this present age, so that the world would know that the enemy’s judgment has already taken place and that the Church is victorious.
 
We are not sure as to how far we can go in this final work of our Lord until He returns but we know that the world longs for the manifestation of the Sons of God to come forth. The Scripture of Jn.14:11-14 must be a reality for the NOW and not something just hoped for all our lives.
 
John 14:11-14  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.  12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Today is that wonderful Sunday we call Mother’s Day. It is a day when we typically celebrate our moms and the priceless role they play in family and society. In this crazy busy world we currently live in with it's ever-changing tide of moral standards it’s never been harder to be a godly parent.
   
I'm sure there are days when mothers wish they could put their resignation letter in and quit. I remember when my boys were young, there happened to be days harder then others and Debby would end the day with, "I quit, don't anyone call the name of mom any more today." But Debby, like most moms, knew she had to be hand's on,  ready to stand firm, and willing to fight the good fight.

Debby knew that the souls of our children and the quality of the lives they lived depended a lot on her faithfulness. In those days I worked long hours and seldom got to spend a lot of time with the kids during the week, so she hard to shoulder the load.  She knew that our boys were too precious of a gift from God for her to do anything else but persevere even when it was hard.

Parenting is crucial and God has called us as moms and dads to do certain things and to do them right. Therefore, I do want to share some truths from Scripture about raising children. Though this is Mother’s Day, this message can be targeted to both moms and dads. 

(Psalms 78:1 ESV) A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

(Psalms 78:2 ESV) I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,

(Psalms 78:3 ESV) things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.

(Psalms 78:4 ESV) We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

(Psalms 78:5 ESV) He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,

(Psalms 78:6 ESV) that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

(Psalms 78:7 ESV) so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

(Psalms 78:8 ESV) and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

What does Psalms 78 teach? It’s a hymn for the home. That is, this psalm reminds us to teach our children, to teach the next generation. This has been a great breakdown in our current society. The number one responsibility of each parent or grandparent is that our kids and grandchildren know God’s Word. They need to understand that the key to success is to know the Lord, to love Him, and to be obedient to Him.

1.  We Need To Teach Our Children the Greatness of God: (Ps.78:1–4) 

When I hear a lot of testimonies they always seen to include a praying mother or grandmother. Many include a mother or grandmother who made sure the children and grandchildren where in Sunday School and Church Service on Sunday morning. 

The Psalm begins by encouraging us to continue the tradition of passing on the record of God’s marvelous works from one generation to another. In verse 1 the Psalmist asks for our attention. It was like he was shouting, “Don’t touch that dial! Pay attention! This is important stuff!” 

Verse 2 is quoted by Matthew to show that Jesus’ speaking in parables was a means of uncovering things long hidden by God.  This is the purpose of the Ps.78: to clarify the riddle of the past so that it becomes a lesson for the present and the future for families.

Verse 3 sums up the best learning that lives and history have to offer the future. “Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.”

God’s people, especially moms, typically have always made a commitment to bringing up the next generation in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Throughout the Old Testament there is continual exhortation for parents to teach the faith to their children.

We speak a lot about church life however the original institution for teaching children about God has been the home. As parents had received from their fathers, so now the present generation would pass the history of God’s working on to their children with greater understanding. Parents learn from the Lord who reveals Himself and pass their knowledge on to their children.

In verse 4 the first principle that we are to pass on to the next generation emphasizes God’s greatness. To neglect to teach our children the Word of God is to deprive them of God’s precious truths. In God's Word we learn the truth about God, truth about life, and the truth about ourselves.  We need to provide our children with every opportunity to come to know God through the revealing of Him through His divine revelation.

The practice of passing from one generation to the next the testimony of God’s great works is a key part of our parental duty. Notice that we are to tell of His praiseworthy deeds and the awesome things God has done. We are to tell of His power which is far above all other powers. We are to teach our children about God's wonders, for He is a God of miracles. 

There is more I can say about Psalms 78 however I want to close. I want to applaud you mothers who take the task seriously of making a spiritual impact in the lives of your children.

(Proverbs 31:28 ESV) Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Thank you Moms. Happy Mother’s Day.