Weary

 Weary

October 16, 2025

Hebrews 12:1-3

1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinnersagainst Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

We have been discussing spiritual warfare. Sometimes the battle is fierce, and the battle lines are clear, but other times the devil just wears you down with lots of mundane  troubles. There are aches and pains and little setbacks that tempt one to give up and grow weary and lose heart. We have three friends we are praying for right now that have great pain which the doctors have no answer for. Such things wear you down. The writer of Hebrews addresses this problem and encourages us to keep our eyes fixed a Jesus and remember the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before. They have endured greater pain than we have but they endured to the end. He says that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before him and now he sits at the right hand of the Father God to urge us on. He likens this life to a marathon race. Running the race involves pain and endurance but when you keep going there is a prize at the end. So don’t loose heart but fix your eyes on Jesus and keep battling The devil. Remember that in the end, we win!

Humility in Spiritual Warfare

 Humility in Spiritual Warfare 

October 15, 2025

James 4:6-10

6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Yesterday we were talking about resisting the devil and the place for humility in spiritual warfare. The old testament is full of examples of his. Take Gideon for example. He was not only a humble man, “the least of my family and which is the least tribe”, but he had to keep reducing the size of his army until he got down to such a small number that it was obvious that they could not win the battle without divine intervention. Then there was the battle of Jericho. The people were not even allowed to say a word for six days and on the seventh day, they let out a shout and the wall fell down without any effort on their part. Only God could win a battle that way. But every time that they went out to battle without consulting the Lord, they were soundly defeated. 

So one of the first principles of spiritual warfare is to humble yourself. Acknowledge that we have no power over the devil of our own,  it let God exalt you in victory when you humble yourself and seek His face. 

Psalms 98:1

1 O sing to the LORD a new song,

For He has done wonderful things,

His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

Resist

 Resist

October 14, 2025

James 4:7

7Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:8-9

8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaringlion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

Ephesians 6:13

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Back in the day when I associated with the 60’s, anti-war radicals, our call to action was “Resist!”.  It was a resistance movement. Now the stated object of said resistance was the war-mongering Johnson administration and the senseless war in Vietnam. Somehow, many years later, those same friends and associates became associated with the war happy Clinton and Obama administrations. Perhaps they were not really resisting evil, but just resisting authority. Anyway, I was saved out of that lifestyle in 1970 and went from the peace movement to having real peace with Jesus.

So what does it mean to resist the devil? Is it marching in the streets with signs proclaiming our opposition to our perception of evil, or is it something else? It is interesting that two of the verses quoted above about resisting the devil are preceded by admonitions to humble yourself.

James 4:6

6But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Thereforehumble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Certainly, my friends in the resistance movement of the 60’s were not humble. “Don’t trust anyone over thirty” was a rallying cry of pride in youth, ignoring the wisdom of the elders. So how does the Bible define resting the devil? Ephesians 6 includes this in the verses about the armor of God, so the armor is for resisting, and it requires humility to don the armor of God. Putting on the armor of God says that you trust in God for your protection instead of your own power. It requires humility to trust in another, but it also requires strength of character to stand firm once you are properly clothed. And resistance involves words. Take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God is also included in the passage in Ephesians 6. So our resistance is steadfast, standing on the power and protection of God, but declaring with our mouth the Word of God. When we do that James says that the devil will flee. 

Resist!

Free Speech

 Free Speech

October 13

Question of the Day, “Are words weapons?”

“‘Your speech is violence’: the left’s new mantra to justify campus violence”

BY JONATHAN TURLEY, TheHill.com

First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Ephesians 6:17

17And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Revelation 12:11a

11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, …

Matthew 5:37 (Net Bible)

37Let your word be ʻYes, yesʼ or ʻNo, no.ʼ More than this is from the evil one.

Matthew 12:36-37

36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give anaccounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

“Sticks and stones may break my bones,

But words will never harm me”, Nursery Rhyme

So which is it? Is speech violence or is speech harmless? Why did the founders put freedom of speech in the first amendment? Why did Jesus say to guard you speech, not making careless oaths but just saying “Yes” or “No’? Any finally, why does Paul say that the Word is a sword? It seems that words are more than just sounds in the air that dissipate and affect nothing.

In Ephesians chapter 6, we have been studying the armor of God and the sword of the Spirit is included there. The writer of Hebrews says that the Word is sharper than a two edged sword:

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Most people today seem to take their words flippantly. They will say whatever comes to their mind without a second thought. This is contrary to the teachings of Jesus who gave great importance to words. He taught that you will have to give an account for every careless word you speak. So maybe there is a grain of truth in the liberal mantra, “speech is violence”. Satan lies but his lies are always based on a partial truth so that they sound plausibly true. He even quoted scripture to Jesus in the wilderness. Of course he spoke half truths and purposely twisted the meaning to serve his own purpose, but Jesus countered by quoting the word of God accurately. When you think about it, that is also what Charlie Kirk did. He always let his critics speak, but he then gently pointed them to the truth. He was always gentle in his correction and did not browbeat his questioners, but calmly stated the truth and the gospel. There were still those who took offense, but not because his words were offensive and cruel, but because the truth is offensive to the lie. Light and darkness can not abide in the same space.

So what can we conclude? Are words weapons? The Bible says “Yes”. Words of truth are sharper than a two edged sword and can separate light from darkness. Truth will drive out the lie and cause the lier to flee just like Satan in the wilderness. It is because words are powerful that we need to be careful in what we say. But we also need to have the courage to speak up when the lie is being proclaimed. The lie will seem plausible until the truth is spoken to counter it. And when you think about it, that is also what the founding fathers were thinking when they wrote the first amendment. So when the enemies of free speech say “speech is violence” and try to cancel us, we need to speak up all the more, asserting our first amendment rights to counter the lie with the truth. Let us Conclude with first Corinthians 10; there is power in words of truth to destroy speculations and false knowledge:

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destructionof fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ

Spiritual Weapons- the Blood of Jesus

 Spiritual Weapons - The Blood

October 4, 2025

Revelation 12:11

11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the wordof their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Romans 3:23-25

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by Hisgrace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;

Ephesians 1:7

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, accordingto the riches of His grace

Perhaps the most powerful of our weapons for spiritual warfare is the blood of Jesus. It is also the most difficult to explain, but let me try to make as simple as I can. First of all, remember that we talked about all of the spiritual weapons being deployed through the mouth. Now, you might ask , how is the blood of Jesus related to your mouth? Derek Prince explained it in his teaching on the Blood of Jesus^* that this principle comes from Revelation 12. He explains that just like in the original Passover night in Egypt, the blood of the Passover lamb was activated by applying it to the doorposts and lintel. The blood of Jesus is only effectual in our lives when it is activated by the word of our testimony. There is power in the blood, but that power lays dormant until we apply it by a verbal testimony. Thus it is that we brandish the sword of the spirit in this case  by proclaiming the power of the blood over a particular situation. We overcome by  the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

The power of the blood of Jesus is in its ability to break the power of sin. Romans 3 explains it in terms of redemption and propitiation. These are difficult theological words, but in the simplest of terms, it means that Jesus paid the price for your sins (redemption). He covered over them (propitiation) so that God the Father no longer counts them against you. This has the effect of freeing you from the power of sin. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but the blood of Jesus frees us from the consequences of that sin. Thus strongholds are cast down, curses are broken, relationships can be restored and diseases are healed by applying the power of the blood of Jesus. We can say much more about this, but for now, just know that the wise believer, by the word of his testimony, can call upon the power of the blood of Jesus to break the bondage of sin and save and redeem a person bound by it. This opens up the power for Isaiah 61, which Jesus quoted as he began his ministry. The blood of Jesus frees us from the bonds of sin so that we may also preach the good news, bind up the broken hearted and set the captives free.

Isaiah 61:1

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

Because the LORD has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

^* “Spiritual Weapons - The Blood, the Word, Our Testimony”, by Derek Prince

https://www.derekprince.com/sermons/389

Spiritual Weapons- The Name of Jesus

 Spiritual Weapons- The Name of Jesus

October 3, 2025

John 16:23-24

23In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

Mark 16:17-18

17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast outdemons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

When it comes to weapons of spiritual warfare, the name of Jesus is probably the one that Jesus taught the most about. He taught repeatedly about asking in my name, and praying in my name and healing and casting out demons in my name. And then in the epistles, there are multiple references to praying in the name of Jesus and performing miracles in the name of Jesus. When Jesus sent out the disciples to minister, he instructed them to preach the gospel, to heal the sick and to cast out demons in His name. That is, He gave them the power and authority to perform those acts. It is the name of Jesus that carries that authority. It like when a bill is presented to the president; it doesn’t become law until he signed his name to it. His name caries the authority of his office. That is how it is with the name of Jesus. He grants us the power and authority to act in his name to preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out demons.

But there are some caveats. First, in order to use the name of Jesus, you must know Jesus. This sounds pretty obvious to us, but the seven sons of Sceva found this out the hard way in Acts 19:13-17. They tried to us the name of Jesus to cast out a demon, but they didn’t know Jesus. The demoniac recognized this and stripped them and drove them out. Acts 19:15 “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 

We also must use the name of Jesus to perform acts which God approves. Jesus himself said the he only did the things that the Father commanded Him.

John 14:31

31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commandedMe. 

Therefore, we need to know the Lord, and learn His voice so that we can hear the things that He wants us to do. Then John 16 comes into force and the Father will do whatever you ask in Jesus name. But his is not carte blanche to do every frivolous thing that you yourself desire like praying for your football team to win. There are undoubtedly believers on the other side praying for their team as well, so that is not exactly something that the Lord can answer! But when you know the will of the Father, believe that He will perform whatever you ask in Jesus Name.

Finally, when you pray in the name of Jesus, it must be for something that glorifies God. The Lord is not going to answer any prayer that just glorifies or enriches yourself. He will answer prayers that advanced the kingdom of God and glorifies his name in the earth. 

John 14:13

13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

Praying in the name of Jesus is a powerful spiritual weapon and can have great effect against the enemy when used properly. So know the Lord, learn to hear His voice and pray for those things that glorify His name, then you will see the blind see, the lame walk and those oppressed by demons set free.

Spiritual Weapons- The Word

 Spiritual Weapons- The Word

October 2, 2025

2 Corinthians 10:4

4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

Yesterday we talked some about spiritual weapons. Now, let us look at the first weapon illustrated in the New Testament. This weapon was used successfully by Jesus in the first 40 days of his ministry when he was tempered by the devil after fasting in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:4

4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

“It is written”. This first weapon is the Word of God. That was the only thing that Jesus needed to silence the devil and drive him away. Three scripture verses, and the devil was out of arguments. He can’t argue with the Word of God! So Jesus shows us the way to confront the devil, by using the Word of God. The writer of Hebrews also reinforces this in chapter 4.

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, andpiercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

But back to the early ministry of Jesus. In Luke 4 we see one of the first public acts in Jesus’ ministry. He was in his home town synagogue, and the fist thing he did was open the book of the prophet Isaiah and read.

Luke 4:16-17

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,…

Jesus announced his public ministry with a reading of the Word of God. Now the reception by his friends and family was not as one might have wished, but he was delivered safely from the mob and began his public ministry. As he travelled from Nazareth, he began to demonstrate this word by preaching the kingdom and healing the sick and delivering those held in bondage  by the devil.

Luke 4:18-19

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

So we see how Jesus himself used the Word to confront the devil and to rescue those who were oppressed by disease captive to the wiles of Satan. So that is our first lesson, start every battle with the forces of evil by using the Word of God. 

Ephesians 6:17

17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is theword of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

 

So read the Word, study the Word and memorize the Word, so that you may use the Word as the sword of the Spirit to bring down strongholds.