Bible Basics for Kingdom Living

A n Introducti on to the D eep T hings of God

by

Bern Zumpano, M.D.

Bible Teacher Former Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Neurosurgery (retired) Oral Roberts University School of Medicine

Copyright 1998 by Bern Zumpano, M.D. Harbor Light Publishers, P.O. Box 161322, Miami, Florida, USA 33176 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. 1973, 1978, 1984 by Internationa l Bible Society.

Dedication
This book is firstly dedicated to the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, at One with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who has made me to KNOW Him, His Word and His Ways; that everyone who reads this book will come closer to that same revelation of Himto that end is this book written, then, to the memory of my late wife, Rosa Maria, and my late son, Gian-Andrew, both of whose love of Jesus and walk in the Spirit taught me many wonderful things even through their untimely deaths Then to my sons Joseph, Daniel, Cary, and my daughter, Roseanne, Gods blessings to me during good times and bad, whose unconditional and steadfast love for me has allowed me to see Christ living in them and through them, and whom I will always love and cherish in Him, and to my grandchildren and descendants to come, each and every one And to teach and every one of my disciples and students in the Word, whom the Lord Jesus Christ is discipling through me, and whom I have also come to love and cherish as He does, to Him and to all these, this book is dedicated. Bern Zumpano, M.D. Miami, Florida May 19, 1998

BIBLE BASICS FOR KINGDOM LIVING

Index Order of Bible Study Topic Lessons Page 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. The Word of God 11 Salvation ..29 Faith .....36 Baptism in the Holy Spirit .43 The Love of God and the God of Love ..53 Prayer. . 57 The Practice of Fasting ..67 Hearing Gods Voice ...74 Other Ways God Talks to Us-Dreams, Visions, Trances, Revelations, the Word 82 10. Holiness .88 11. On the Problem of Sin....93 12. The Anointing ....99 13. Gods Grace 110 14. Abiding in Christ: The Secret of Spiritual Power 116 15. Spiritual Warfare 123 a) Satan and his Works .. .125 b) Satan and his Kingdom on Earth: Introduction to Demonology 129 c) Demonization in Christians. 135 d) Demonic Spirits and their Ministry .145 e) Principles of Discerning Spirits 150 f) Binding and Loosing152 g) Deliverance .155 h) Cursed Objects ... 164 i) Blessings and Curses ... 174 16. The Doctrines of the Church 184 a) What is the Church 184 b) The Doctrine of Christ 187 ?) Doctrine of Repentance from Dead Works. 197 d) The Doctrine of Baptisms ...202 e) The Doctrine of Faith. 218 f) The Doctrine of Resurrections 231 g) The Doctrine of the Laying-on-of-Hands 235 h) Healing 240 i) The Doctrine of Eternal Judgements 242 17. The Flesh .247 a) Definition and Problem of ...247 b) Gods prescription for appropriating victory .250 ?) Relationship to the Heart of Man .265

TABLE OF CONTENTS

18. 19. 20.

d) Lack of Submission: Demonic Infestation and Soul Fragmentation .. 277 e) The Problem of Obsession ...307 f) When is the Problem Demonic. 316 Defilement .. 320 False Doctrine Scriptures which Define the Holy Spirits Position327 Sound Doctrine Scriptures which Define the Holy Spirits Position.. 329

BIBLE BASICS FOR KINGDOM LIVING

INTRODUCTION HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This book is NOT a replacement for regular Bible reading or study. It is for the believer who is serious about his/her desire to know more about Gods Word and who will take the time to spend time in the study of the Scriptures. We are COMMANDED by the Scriptures to STUDY and CORRECTLY divide or KNOW the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15). God wants us to STUDY the Bible, not just read it. This requires spending prayerful time at a set time EVERY DAY so that the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, can feed your spirit. You do not need to be a scripture scholar, contrary to popular belief. Many people fear the Bible or have been told to stay away from it by uninformed sources who really know little, if at all, about what the Bible is or how to use it. The fact is that the Bible teaches itself and its truths become self-evident and self-proving over time as the reader applies them. It is a matter of entering into the study of scripture with the proper ATTITUDE and TRUST of the Holy Spirit to teach you since 1 John 2:27 tells us that we have no need to be taught by ANY man, for the Holy Spirit will teach us all things through THE ANOINTING (the empowerment of the Holy Spirit on a person or thing such as the Scriptures). His power is living and ministers to our minds and teaches us the truth and how to recognize it. He then confirms the truth to us by allowing us to live it out as an experience. After you read through the Bible several times you will come to realize that your life is the actual living out of different Bible experiences that are happening before your very eyes. This, in turn, is a testimony of the fact that God is REAL and that He has pre-planned it to be this way because of His love for us and His desire to teach us through His Spirit. Therefore, we must approach the Bible with a heart of open TRUST of the Holy Spirit, BELIEVING that everything that He says therein is TRUTH because it is His REVELATION. Disregard what man says about the Bible and give heed to what the Bible says about itself. Man is not your source. God is your source. In 2 Tim. 3:16 the Holy Spirit tells us that ALL SCRIPTURE is INSPIRED by God. The New Testament Greek word here for inspired means GOD-BREATHED. In other words, the Scriptures were given to man through divine inspiration, that is, God breathed them into the minds of the apostles and prophets and by His Holy Spirit, guided them in what to say and write down. The Holy Spirit, then is the AUTHOR of the Scriptures through the guiding and leading of the minds of men who had consecrated their lives to God. The anointing on the Word of God placed there by the Holy Spirit will TEACH you (1 John 2:27) and give you UNDERSTANDING in ALL THINGS (2 Tim. 2:7). When? When you are born again of the Spirit (John 3:3-5) and have INVITED Jesus aloud into your heart to be Lord and Savior, repenting of sin and renouncing it, confessing Him before men as your Lord and Savior, the resurrected Christ (Rev. 3:20). Many people do not see the necessity of this and do not take God at His Word. Their problem is UNBELIEF. The Scripture says that God knocks on the door of our heart and we MUST invite Him in and receive Him, not by good works (which are the testimony that our faith is a living faith in Him although they do not save us) BUT BY FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND HIS BLOOD ATONEMENT. Trusting Faith. In Him. And NO OTHER. (Eph. 2:8,9). Then, walking a faithwalk of daily scripture reading, daily prayer, getting into Christian community and weekly worship with others, the Holy Spirit continues to minister to our spirit which He comes to indwell, making us a NEW CREATION and WITNESSING

continually to our spirit, teaching us His truths (Ro. 8:14,16; 2 Cor. 5:17). Salvation is received by TRUST-FAITH in the Christ. Teaching by His Spirit is received in the same way... by YIELDING (TRUSTING) the Holy Spirit to do it WHEN you ASK Him to do it, in Jesus Name, then TRUST(!) that He does it! (John 16:24; John 14:13,14). So the way to be taught the Bible by the Holy Spirit is to be saved first, that is, receive the Holy Spirit, and then be LED by the Spirit by ASKING Him to teach you. Pray a prayer something like this before each Bible reading session and speak it aloud: Holy Spirit, please open my mind and my understanding to your Word this day and every day. I TRUST you to teach me and to give me understanding for what it is that you want me to learn today. Get it into my spirit. Give me YOUR revelation of the truth as it really is, not as men say it is. I yield and TRUST on you for it, in Jesus Name. Then begin your scripture reading and study and be confident that the Holy Spirit WILL teach you just what He wants you to know for that day. Do NOT be concerned about what you do not understand while you are reading. In such instances, simply mark the page and verse, continue on, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning to you, and TRUST that He will. Go back to it in one or two days and reread it. In most instances, you will get the revelation of the meaning almost immediately if not immediately. If not, continue on, TRUSTING that the Spirit will give you the revelation in time, or when you re-read the Bible. Bible reading is a life-long endeavor and the Holy Spirit will teach us something new to keep building our knowledge of His truth and His ways EVERY time we re-read it. Before getting started it would be wise to familiarize yourself with the names of the books of the Old and New Testaments and their proximate locations in the Bible. Searching the scriptures is easier if you purchase book tabs having the name of each Bible book on them, on the first page of each book of the Bible, staggering their location of the pages so that each can be seen without blocking the other. These can be purchased at low cost at most Christian bookstores. Scripture references commonly are abbreviated to symbolize the source book of the Bible, its chapter and verse location. Usually the first two or three letters of the book name are abbreviated to represent the book. For example, the New Testament book of Romans would be abbreviated as Ro. and the Old Testament books of Isaiah and the Psalms would be abbreviated Is. and Ps., respectively. These are followed by chapter reference to the left of a colon, and verse reference to the right of a colon. For example, Ro. 8:16 means that the reader should turn to the book of Romans, chapter 8, verse 16. Early on in your Bible study, until you become familiar with the relative locations of the different books in the Bible, you should feel free to find their location by using the index and page number in the front of your Bible, particularly if you do not have Bible tabs placed on each of the books. Do NOT be in a hurry and do not get overwhelmed and frustrated. Just TRUST that things will come with time and they will. Every believer should endeavor to read through the Bible at least once a year. This is a separate endeavor from Bible study lessons. The reason for this is that it is important to

understand the plan of salvation as outlined from the book of Genesis to Revelation, as the 66 books of the Old and New Testament, written over 1500-1600 years by over 30 different authors, lay the plan out so that we can see what God was doing with His creation over time. This cannot be done by hop-scotching through the Bible by reading various passages and verses here and there throughout the Bible. God is a God of ORDER and AUTHORITY and, because of this, we must begin at the beginning of the Old and New Testaments and proceed to read to the ends of each. There are several methods by which the reader can read through the Bible in one year or a little over one year. Here are two for your convenience: 1) Read 2 chapters of the New Testament, 3 chapters of the Old Testament, one Psalm, and one proverb from the book of Proverbs, each day. Reading time approximately 30 minutes daily. 2) or read 4-5 pages of the Bible daily, beginning with the New Testament first, since believers are firstly New Testament people and must early on come to know and get rooted in the doctrines of Christ; then reading 4-5 pages of the Old Testament. Or, alternately, 2 -3 pages of the New Testament and 2-3 pages of the Old Testament daily; some students of scripture reserve some time in the mornings to read the New Testament and some time in the evenings to read the Old Testament. I prefer to have students of Scripture learn the New Testament at the same time that they are learning the Old Testament. Before reading the New Testament from beginning to end, I first highly recommend that they quick-start or jump-start their faithwalk by doing the following at least once: a) FIRST read the Gospel of John-which will teach you about WHO Jesus Christ really is, His Godhead in the Father. b) SECONDLY read the book of Romans which teaches you HOW you are SAVED by Jesus. c)THIRDLY read the book of Hebrews which teaches you about FAITH and how to have strong faith. Then you can begin reading the New Testament beginning at the Gospel of Matthew and continuing in order through the book of Revelation (Apocalypse), not worrying about how much of the latter you under stand since understanding Revelation is much dependent upon first understanding the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. It will come over time. The Spirit will teach you and lead you into the understanding of it. So the first component of learning the Bible is to determine to read daily from the beginning to the ends of both the Old and New Testaments so that you can come to understand WHAT God is doing... then and NOW. This will be your responsibility and it is understood that at the same time that you are doing these Bible lessons, that you are independently studying and reading the Bible from beginning to end as a separate

responsibility. Remember, the Scripture says ...study (!)... TO SHOW YOURSELF WORTHY.... This brings us to the point of using these Bible lessons. These lessons have another purpose. The purpose is to teach the reader, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the Word and text, to WALK IN THE POWER of the Holy Spirit, including receiving the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT (which also should be asked for) and GIFTS of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12), particularly the knowledge gifts of word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and discernment of spirits. These gifts of discernment will enable you to see a higher level of revelation behind the written Word of God (the logos [Greek] ). This higher level of revelation of the written Word is called the rhema or REVEALED Word and represents the EMPOWERMENT of the Holy Spirit, the special revelation of the Word, to EFFECT a CHANGE in your spirit, soul, and body, a TRANSFORMATION. It is a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and an operation of the spiritual gifts through the Holy Spirit Baptism. You will come to know, recognize and understand it over time, as you learn about the Holy Spirit Baptism and its necessity. By the way, this is NOT the same as baptism by water. There is a lesson on this subject in the text. How, then, can this text be used? There are two methods available, both quite acceptable since it is the Holy Spirit who is doing the teaching and who is quite able to get the information into your spirit. The two methods are: 1) text and Bible: v If you elect to use this method, simply start at the beginning of this book and read each Bible lesson. Look up EACH scripture reference as it appears in the order in which it appears. Remember to pray ahead of time to ask the Holy Spirit to give you revelation and understanding and to get the scripture meaning into your spirit. Do not be in a hurry to complete the Bible lesson. Work at your own pace, depending on the Holy Spirit to lead you. Then, step out in FAITH and when the opportunity arises, ACT on the Word that you have learned. This is the way that you APPLY the Word to your life and its circumstances to SEE IT WORK by trusting FAITH that His Word is TRUE. It will work for you because it works for others. And the Bible says that God is NOT a RESPE CTER of persons. That means that what he does for others HE WILL DO FOR YOU. When? When you step out in FAITH (the will to believe from the heart) and TRUST HIM and TRUST His Word. His power and anointing will ALWAYS follow your ACTION of FAITH. Thats IMPORTANT to know.

2) text, Bible and audio tapes: v Audio tapes of most of these Bible lessons are available upon request by asking for a catalog list of tapes from:

Souls Harbor Church of the Covenant P.O. Box 161322 Miami, FL 33176-5653, USA Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope. This method has proven to be extremely effective in teaching the Bible principles in this text because it affords the reader the opportunity to not only read the text and follow-up by searching out each Bible verse reference in the different books of the Bible, but to also HEAR the major Bible references EXPOUNDED UPON for more in-depth detail. Many of the things being taught are also reinforced through illustrative examples and personal testimonies. To use this method, simply begin listening to the audio tapes through, once by themselves. Then rewind and begin at the beginning of the tape again, following along by reading the text of the particular lesson being studied. When the tape mentions a particular scripture reference, STOP the tape player. Find the scripture reference-in the Bible, push the PLAY button on the tape player and continue to follow along as the scripture verse and its meaning are discussed on tape. Do this procedure each time a new Bible verse is mentioned on tape. By so doing, you will become a part of the tape Bible class and get a more in-depth exposure to the teaching. Again, dont forget to pray ahead of time for the Holy Spirit to minister His Word to you. You will come to walk in the POWER of the Holy Spirit when you learn to accept God at His Word. Accept it and interpret it LITERALLY unless the Holy Spirit shows you that the Bible verse is to be figuratively interpreted. In all such instances, this will be selfevident. You will quickly find that unless you accept God at His Word, that is, unless you read and ACT upon the Word as LITERAL TRUTH, it will NOT work for you. God wants you to TRUST Him. He WANTS you to TRUST that WHAT HE SAYS (the Bible) is TRUE. He wants you to ACCEPT this by FAITH and He wants you to ACT on what He says, TRUSTING Him. When you do so, you will QUICKLY find out that He WILL RESPOND to your FAITH and will PERFORM His Word ON YOUR BEHALF. It is His PROMISE to you, for He told the prophet Jeremiah, ... I AM bound (OBLIGATED) by My Word to PERFORM IT.... I pray that the Holy Spirit will give each and every reader and believer a thirst for His Word and a desire to pursue the lessons in this text with a holy perseverance so that His blessings will come upon ALL who are willing to study and SEEK the true KNOWLEDGE of the Lord and His Spirit. To that end this text is written, to the glory of the Father, His Son, and His Spirit. May Gods blessing be upon each person who embraces this endeavor with enthusiasm in the Lord, to His glory. Upon completion of these studies, it will become readily apparent to the believer what great difference there is between a faithwalk in POWER and a faithwalk in words of men. In 1 Corinthians 4:20 the apostle Paul tells us that Gods kingdom comes in POWER and not in words. Not in words. We can sit in a church week after week hearing words, words, words, and never applying them to see the POWER. And the kingdom will not

be there if the POWER is not there. It is to this end that the Spirit of God has put this burden upon me... to teach the believer HOW to WALK IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. It is to this end that I pray that these basic lessons will bring the believer to the fullness of the Spirit and His power through Him by laying that foundation in the Biblical doctrine of Christ. There IS NO other foundation. Bern Zumpano Miami, Fl. February 15, 1996

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE BIBLE-THE WORD OF GOD KEY SCRIPTURES: All Scripture is GOD-BREATHED... 2 Tim. 3:16 (NIV) And BEGINNING with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said IN ALL THE SCRIPTURES concerning Himself. Luke 24:27 (NIV) I. INTRODUCTION The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the INFALLIBLE Word of God. It is not a natural book. As we shall see, it is a SUPERNATURAL book, both in origin and dealings. It is a REVELATION of the Holy Spirit. Unlike theology, which is a misnomer, literally meaning the study of God (God cannot be studied!), a system of teaching in which man tries to put in his own words what God says in the Word, the Bible is selfinterpreting through revelation knowledge of the Holy Spirit to those who pray for the Spirit to teach them before they read (1 John 2:27). In studying the scripture, we must discern between that which is soulish (mental, intellectual, such as theology) from that which is spirit (revelation), since Jesus told us that the things of the Spirit ARE spirit. John 3: 3-6). When we prayerfully approach the Word of God, asking the Holy Spirit to give us the RHEMA word (the REVEALED Word behind the written word, the LOGOS), trusting that He does it when we ask in Jesus Name, the ANOINTING teaches us (1 John 2:27) and we KNOW the TRUTH of the Word of God because the Holy Spirit WITNESSES to our spirit (Ro. 8: 16; John 3 :6). We are taught direct ly by the Holy Spirit through His spirits of wisdom, revelation, understanding and knowledge, good counsel and fear of the Lord, along with the Holy Spirit, the 7 Spirits of God. The Spirit-filled believer will find that he/she need not be an academic scholar, approaching and dissecting scripture through the application of various study techniques such as the first-mention principle, the contextual principle, the concentric principle, the devotional principle, etc., all academic techniques of study beyond the scope of this teaching. Let it suffice to say that the Word of God has been around for centuries upon centuries without any of those past Spirit-filled generations even knowing about such techniques, and they were well able to carry on the work of God through the Word. And they were well able to get its revelations DIRECTLY from the Holy Spirit, even well enough to spur the REFORMATION movement. It is therefore unnecessary to fear reading or studying the Bible. All that is needed is trust. One does not worry about what he/she can or cannot remember. Bible study is a lifetime pursuit, and every time

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the Bible is reviewed or re -read, the Holy Spirit will teach something new. A bible verse may STRIKE the reader with great interest or amazement, called the quickening (making alive) of the Holy Spirit, a testimony that the Holy Spirit Himself is ministering to the person and wants them to KNOW that verse because it applies directly to their lives. This is direct ministry of the Holy Spirit, and represents the work and power of His ANOINTING . This is a necessary part of the Spirit-filled faithwalk. The Bible consists of 66 different books that make up the Old Testament and New Testament, written by over 30 different authors over 1600 years, most of whom did NOT know each other. Yet, when the books are read and studied in the order in which they appear in the Bible, as ordained sovereignly by the Holy Spirit from Genesis to Revelation, the entire PLAN OF SALVATION unfolds in an understandable manner. Each author wrote a part of the plan without knowing the others, and the Holy Spirit assembled the text in the order of His desire to give the revelation. This is the first evidence that the Bible is a SUPERNATURAL book. This plan of salvation can only be understood, if you understand WHAT God is doing in the Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament basically represents types and shadows of things to come. Thus, in Exodus, represents a type of Satan (or antichrist), and his kingdom, Egypt, represents a type of Satans kingdom, or the world system. Old Testament people such as Abraham, Moses, Joseph, David, and Joshua, for example, would represent types of Jesus, who was to come. In the New Testament, Paul, speaking of the Old Testament types, said, that these things were given as EXAMPLES to us. Thus, through the Old Testament, we learn not only Gods UNCHANGEABLE Word but His WAYS. For this reason, it is said that the Old Testament is the New Testament CONCEALED, and the New Testament is the Old Testament REVEALED. Fear of learning the scriptures is overcome by fully understanding 1 John 2:27 which (paraphrased) tells us that we have NO NEED that ANY MAN teach us, because the HOLY SPIRIT (the ANOINTING) TEACHES ALL THINGS. Receive that by FAITH in Him. For this to happen as a real experience, you must first be BORNAGAIN and SPIRIT-FILLED by the Holy Spirit. The things of the Kingdom are for the people of the Kingdom. Therefore, you must be in the Kingdom, first. For that reason, the scripture warns us that the carnal (natural) mind CANNOT understand the things of God. II. THE STRUCTURE OF THE BIBLE The standard editions of the Bible which are accepted worldwide by most Christian denominations contain 66 books. The exception to this are the Catholic Bible versions which contain 7 more books in the Old Testament, called the APOCRYPHA, and which are NOT considered DIVINELY INSPIRED by the Holy Spirit, by most nonCatholic Christians. It is interesting to note that St. Jerome, the first Catholic scholar to translate the Bible from the original Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek into the Latin Vulgate, ALSO did NOT consider the Apocrypha divinely inspired. St. Augustine, another Catholic Bible scholar who, unfortunately, allegorized

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and spiritualized much of scripture over holding a literal interpretation, ALSO did not consider the Apocrypha as divinely inspired. Parts of the Apocrypha MIGHT be considered divinely ILLUMINED, if NOT INSPIRED. A typical example would be the Book of Wisdom 2:10- 21 which describes the thoughts of the Pharisees toward Jesus, although neither they nor Jesus would yet be born for another 250 years or so. Wisdom 13 gives an illumined discussion of the idolatry of nature worship. On the contrary, other Apocrypha l books might not be illumined at all. The Book of Tobit, for example, tells of an angel, Rafael by name, who instructs those he ministers to, to read the liver and entrails of animals for the purpose of divination. Divination, according to the Book of Deuteronomy, is an ABOMINATION to the Lord. Such material, then, could not be considered divinely inspired, and, in fact, must be considered error, and as such, the deceptive work of the spirit of error. The OLD TESTAMENT is divided into 5 sections as follows: THE BOOKS OF THE LAW (THE 5 BOOKS OF MOSES) Genesis -the Creation & calling of God Exodus -Gods deliverance Leviticus -Gods sanctification Numbers -Gods leading Deuteronomy -Gods molding & preparing THE HISTORICAL BOOKS Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther THE POETIC BOOKS Job-thought to be the oldest book in the Bible. Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs (Song of Solomon)

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THE MAJOR PROPHETS Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel THE MINOR PROPHETS Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi THE NEW TESTAMENT is also divided into 5 sections as follows: THE GOSPELS There are 4 Gospels, and for the most part, they all relate the same things mentioned in the previous Gospel read. At first this seems repetitive, until it becomes apparent that EACH Gospel has a PURPOSE of its own, and that it to SHOW the reader a DIFFERENT ASPECT of the PERSONALITY OF JESUS. Thus, after all four Gospels are read, the reader can get a picture of the entire personality of Jesus and His work. The 4 Gospels depict Jesus as follows: Matthew -Jesus the Coming King Mark -Jesus the Suffering Servant Luke -Jesus the Son of Man John -Jesus the Son of God HISTORICAL BOOK The Book of Acts (of the Holy Spirit). depicts: How the Holy Spirit manifests also a history of the early church. PAULS EPISTLES (LETTERS) Romans

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 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon GENERAL EPISTLES (LETTERS) Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude PROPHETIC BOOK Revelation (Apocalypse) Remember that Jesus can be found in EVERY book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. He appears in the Old Testament as manifestations of the Holy Spirit, referred to as the Angel of the Lord, the Captain of the Host, Melchisadek, and as the 4th Man in the fiery furnace in Daniel 3. He IS present in all Old Testament books as the Holy Spirit. It is sometimes never fully realized that the Holy Spirit IS the Holy Spirit of Jesus. In John 1: 1-3, Jesus is defined as the Creator. In Genesis I we see Jesus as the Creator, creating by speaking things into existence. These are but a few examples. III. PROOFS THAT THE BIBLE IS A SUPERNATURAL BOOK Consider how remarkably scientific and up-to-date the Bible is, when you consider the following: 1. In Job 38:18 the Lord spoke of the breadth or circumference of the earth, IMPLYING that the earth was ROUND, long before Galileo claimed that it was so. 2. The Torah or 5 Books of Moses (the first 5 books of the Bible) are filled with numerous Bible verses regarding sanitation, control and diagnosis of

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infectious diseases such as leprosy, as well as its treatment; how to handle the dead safely; personal hygiene; prevention of the spread of infectious diseases, including isolation and quarantine, to name but a few, indicating scientific medical knowledge had been provided to the Israelites, unknown in any other culture, although the existence of germs would not yet be discovered until the late 19th-early 20th centuries. 3. Isaiah Chapter 53 describes Jesus crucifixion and suffering even though Jesus was not yet born, nor was crucifixion a form of punishment in Israel at the time the Book of Isaiah was written... about 850 B.C. Only G could od know the future in order to write such things. 4. In Isaiah 45:13 God says that He will raise up Cyrus, King of Persia, to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple. Although Cyrus would not be born yet for another 250 years, according to scripture, we see, here in Isaiah, God calling him by name. This prophecy did indeed come true some 250-300 years later. This was prophetic super-natural knowledge. 5. In the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom (2:10-21), the Holy Spirit reveals the thoughts of the Pharisees toward Jesus, and their plans, even though Jesus and the Pharisees did not yet exist on the earth, and would not for another 250 years. It was written about 250 B.C... Again, this was prophetic, supernatural knowledge. 6. The Persian Gulf War of 1991 is described in numerous prophetic passages written in the language of the times (Hebrew). Consider the descriptions of the Persian Gulf War described as being in Babylon or Chaldea (present-day Iraq) in Jer. 50:35,41-45 and Jer. 51: 1,2,14,24,27,30,32. This was written about 604 B.C. Consider the burning oil fields of Kuwait (Idumia or Edom), described as burning pitch, (the product residue of burning oil or coal), described by the prophet Isaiah in Isa. 34: 9-10, around 700 B.C... Consider how the prophet Habakkuk, in 630 B.C. prophecied that Iraq (Chaldea, Babylon) would rise up and take land that was not theirs (Hab. 1:5-7,10-12). Until 1991, there had been no event in the past histories of these nations to fulfill these prophetic verses. 7. The amazing prophecy of Daniel 9: 25,26: Written about 597-536 B.C., this amazing and well-studied prophecy speaks of the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the cutting-off of the Messiah (Jesus). According to Grant Jeffrey, in his book Armageddon-Appointment with Destiny, King Artexerxes gave the order to rebuild Jerusalem when he was on the throne in the 20th year of his reign. He mentions that the Jewish Talmud states that the reign of kings would always begin on the 1st day of the month of Nisan, and states that Britains Royal Observatory has calculated that this means that King Artexerxes would have given this order on March 14, 445 B.C. In Daniel 9:25,26, the prophet Daniel stated that from the time of this decree to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the cutting-off of Messiah (His rejection by

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Israel) would be 7 weeks of Jewish years of 360 days/year, plus 62 weeks of years, totalling 69 weeks of years, a week of years defined in the scripture as 7 years. Thus, from the order of King Artexerxes given on March 14,445 B.C. to the completion of the 69 weeks of years, Jeffrey says, will be 69 x 7 or 483 Jewish years of 360 days each, for a total of 173,880 days from the time the order was given and prophetically determined. It is historically known that Jesus the Messiah entered Jerusalem and was cut-off or rejected by Israel (Lk. 19:38-44) on the 10th of Nissan, (April 6)32 A.D. Allowing for the fact that one year must be subtracted for the time period 1 B>C> to 1 A.D. since 0 B.C. is a non-entity as a year, one will find that the prophecy was exactly fulfilled to the day. 8. Hidden and Encoded Messages in Scripture -Equidistant Letter Sequences: In the recent past, Doron Witzman, Yoav Rosenberg, and Eliyahu Rips, of Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and the Jerusalem College of Technology, published a paper on Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 1988. They wrote a computer program that would arbitrarily count from a chosen letter of a word in Biblical verse, count forward and pull letter sequences at equal intervals to see if the pulled letters spelled anything. To their amazement, Grant Jeffrey states in his book, The Signature of God, that they were able to discover supernatural knowledge of future events and times hidden in scriptures that were written nearly 3000 years ago. Here is a general overview of what they found:

SCRIPTURE
Gen. 1: 1 Ex. 1: 1 Lev. 1: 1 Num. 1: 1 Gen. 2: 4 -10 Gen. 2 Deut. 10: 17-22

SEQUENCE
every 49 from 1ST letter every 50 from 1st letter tav every 8 from 1 st letter yod every 50 letters (reverse direction)

DECODED WORDS
Torah Torah God Torah Eden, 16 times 25 different tree names Hitler in the bitter sea of Auschwitz Hitler Belsen Berlin King of the Nazis and an evil house rose up a people cry, murder,

every 22 letters then from the 2nd to the to last letter bet in in verse, to 13 letters forward to the letter resh then every 22 letters: every 246 letters from the 1st letter mem every 22 letters

Deut. 33: 16 Deut. 33: 21

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from letter resh in the word Israel in that verse Genesis Chptrs. 39-41

slaughter

the French Revolution Louis Hamasseilies Bastilhia Gen. 8: 12 every 6 letters Sadam Gen. 19: 1, 2 Scud-B and Russian Gen.19:29 every 2 letters the missile will terrify and the 3rd of Shevat(the Hebrew date that the 1st missiles hit Jerusalem) Gen. 29: 2 every 100 letters America from 1st letter aleph in Iraq Schwarzkopf George Bush Num. 36: 5 Peter every 4, L 4 R Arnet every 2, R 4 L CNN Gen. 32: 26 every 12 letters Arafat-shook the hand Gen. 32: 23 every 8 letters of Rabin Gen. 32: 19 every 196 letters onward not a real peace Deut. 2: 33 every 4,772 letters onward Yitzak Rabin-will be assassinated Similarly, Yacov Rambsel, in his book,Yeshua, has worked out hidden Torah codes, by hand. He has found some of the following: Gen. 1: 1 every 521 letters from 5th Jesus is able letter yod in the first word, Braisheet (in the beginning) Is. 53: 10 every 20 from the 2nd Jesus is My Name Hebrew letter yod in the phrase, He shall prolong.. Lev. 21: 10 every 3 from 1 st letter heh Behold! The Blood of Yeshua. Ruth 1:1 every 5 letters Jesus (Yeshua) Dan. 9: 26 every 2 6 letters from letter Jesus (Yeshua) yod in phrase the city

Thus, such demonstrations by computer reveal that such information encoded in the scriptures nearly 3000 years ago, telling of events of this century, could ONLY be of supernatural origin and from God, who determines and writes history according to His Will. (Isa. 46: 9-11)

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9. The MESSIANIC PROPHECIES of Jesus, His life and ministry, FORETOLD in the Old Testament up to nearly 2000 years (Genesis) before His Incarnation, and fulfilled with 100% ACCURACY, are clear evidence of the supernatural nature of the Word of God, the Bible. Here are the major prophecies of nearly 300 which are mentioned in the scriptures:

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY

Gen. 3: 15 Gen. 21: 12 Gen. 22:18 Gen. 49: 10 Num. 24: 17 Deut. 18: 18 Ps. 2: 7 Ps.2:6 Ps. 16: 10 Ps. 22: 1 Ps. 22: 7,8 Ps. 22: 14 Ps. 22: 16 Ps. 22: 17 Ps. 22: 18 Ps. 31: 5 Ps. 34: 20 Ps. 35: 11 Ps. 38: 11 Ps. 41: 9 Ps. 68: 18 Ps. 69: 4 Ps. 69: 9 Ps. 69: 21 Ps. 72: 10 Ps.78:2 Ps. 109: 24,25 Ps. 110: 1 Ps. 110: 4 Ps. 118: 22 Isa. 7: 14 Isa. 9: 11 Isa. 11: 1 Isa. 11: 2 Isa. 33: 22 Isa. 35: 5,6 Isa.40:3

NEW TESTAMENT CONFIRMATION

Gal. 4: 4 Lk. 3: 23,24 Mt. 1: 1; Gal. 3: 16 Lk. 3: 23,33 Lk. 3: 23,34 Mt. 21: 11 Mt. 3: 17 Mt. 27: 37 Acts 2: 31 Mt. 27: 46 Mt. 27: 31 John 19:34 Lk.23:33 Lk. 23:35 John 19: 23,24 Lk. 23: 46 John 19: 33 Mt. 26: 59,60 Lk. 23: 49 Mt. 10: 4 Acts 1: 9 John 15: 25 John 2: 15-17 John 19: 28; Mt. 27: 34 Mt. 2: 1,11 Mt. 13: 34 Lk. 23: 26; Mt. 27: 39 Heb. 1:3 Heb. 5: 5,6 1 Pet. 2: 7 Mt. 1: 23 Mt. 4: 12-17 Lk. 3: 23,32 Mt. 3: 16,17 John5:30 Mt. 9: 35 Mt. 3: 1,2

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Isa. 50: 6 Isa. 53: 3 Isa. 53: 5 Isa. 53: 7 Isa. 53: 9 Isa. 53: 12 Isa. 60: 3 Jer. 23: 5 Jer. 31: 15 Amos 8: 9 Zech. 9: 9 Zech. 11: 12 Zech. 11: 13 Zech. 12: 10 Zech. 13: 7 Micah 5: 2 Mal. 3: 1

Mt. 26: 67 John 7: 5,48 Mt. 27: 26 Mt. 27: 12 Mt. 27: 57 -60 Mt. 27: 38; Lk.23: 34 3 Acts 13: 47,48 Lk. 3: 23,31 Mt. 2:16 Mt.27:45 Lk.19:35-37 Mt.26:15 Mt.27:5,7 John 19:34 Mk.14:50 Mt. 2: 1; Col.1: 17 Mt.21:12

10. The last evidence of the fact that the Bible is a supernatural book, is the fact that of ALL of the historically proven Bible prophecies that have taken place (2/3 of all Bible prophecies have already come true), the ACCURACY RATE of FULFILLMENT has been 100 %. There is no human agent, no psychic or other person on this earth that can claim such incredible accuracy. Only a supernatural agent can do that. His Name is Jesus, and His Spirit IS the Spirit of PROPHECY (Rev. 19:10). What we have seen, then, in this section on prophetic evidences and demonstrations of prophecy, is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Prophecy, Himself, at work. 11. A most remarkable evidence that the Word of God is supernatural in origin and function comes from the fact that a person does NOT have to prove it to anyone else. THE BIBLE PROVES ITSELF because God PERFORMS His Word as written (Jer. 1: 12). If a person will take the time to READ the Bible, ACT on the Word, and CONFESS the Word of God over self, loved ones, or circumstances, he WILL see happen what the Bible says will happen. No other book in existence has this capability. The Word of God proves itself over time, giving evidence of supernatural authorship and origin. Therefore, when a person walks the Christian faithwalk, he/she MUST walk in REVELATION, the Word, not in reason. There is nothing reasonable about something that has proven itself to be supernatural. IV. WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS ABOUT ITSELF AND ITS SUPERNATURAL POWER: Ps. 33: 4 -it is right (correct) a nd TRUE. Jer. 1: 12 -God will PERFORM IT as written.

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 2 Sam. 22:31 -it is FLAWLESS. Isa. 55:11 -it will serve Gods PURPOSE (whether a person believes it or not). Isa. 40: 8 -it STANDS forever. Mt. 13: 21 -it brings persecution (opposition). John 1:1-3 -it is ONE with JESUS. John 17:17 -it ALONE is TRUTH. Eph. 5:26,27 -it CLEANSES. Mk. 4:26 -29 -it is spiritual SEED. Ps. 119:169 -it gives UNDERSTANDING. Ps. 119: 25,28 -it PRESERVES and STRENGTHENS. Ps. 119: 41,42 -it is to be TRUSTED. Ps. 119:89 -it is ETERNAL and STANDS FIRM. Ps. 119: 105 -it is a LAMP and LIGHT. Ps. 119: 116 -it UPHOLDS the believer. Ps. 119: 162 - it is a TREASURE. Ps. 119: 148 - it is to be MEDITATED UPON. Ps. 119:158 - it is UNHEEDED BY UNBEUEVERS. Ps. 119:170 - it BRINGS DELIVERANCE. Ps. 105:19 - it PROVES a person TRUE. 1 Kings 13: 26 - it WARNS believers, brings JUDGMENT for DISOBEDIENCE. Ps. 119: 153 - it DELIVERS. Ps. 119: 154 - it QUICKENS (makes ALIVE) our spirit. Jer. 23: 29 - it is like FIRE (consumes, burns away that which is contrary to it) and like a HAMMER (breaks to pieces that which opposes it).

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 Heb. 4:12 -it is LIVING and ACTIVE. (It has SPIRITUAL LIFE of its own). -it separates SOUL from SPIRIT. (It shows you what is mental, that is, from the mind or intellect, and what is TRULY SPIRITUAL, that is, from the spirit.) -it separates JOINTS from MARROW. (It shows you where in your life you are going through repetitive motions, getting nowhere (like the joints of the arm or leg that do the same motion over-and-over again); it shows you what gives LIFE (marrow) (the red cells of the body that carry oxygen and life, originate in the bone marrow). -it DISCERNS the THOUGHTS and INTENTS of the HEART. (It is a MIRROR to the soul, that is, it reveals to you your true self as God sees you.) Ps. 119:9 -it KEEPS our way PURE. 2 Tim. 3: 16 -it is GOD-BREATHED. (the Holy Spirit is its AUTHOR). Ro. 10: 17 -it BUILDS FAITH. 1 Thess. 2:13 -it EFFECTUALLY WO RKS in those who BELIEVE it.(It is EMPOWERED by FAITH in Christ). V. RECEIVING THE WORD OF GOD: At this point in the study, please open your Bible to Mark Chapter 4 and READ Mk. 4: 3-9;14-20;26 -32, BEFORE GOING ON. Now, if you have read the above-referenced scriptures, the following should be apparent to you: verse 3 (v.3) - the SOWER is the Holy Spirit. - the SEED is the WORD OF GOD. This parable of the SOWER describes 4 kinds of people to whom the Holy Spirit tries to sow or implant the Word of God, and tells us what happens to each. The entire world of mankind can be divided into the 4 categories of people described in this parable. Here is a SUMMARY of what the scripture says HAPPENS to each:

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WORD(SEED) FALLS UPON: 1. roadside (v.4) 2. rocky ground (v.5,6)

WHAT REPRESENTS: HAPPENS: CONDITION: unbeliever birds come (demons) religious people no root (mental assent) choked grew; yields a harvest unsaved lukewarm toward God; fall away. backsliders Covenant people

3. among thorns carnal believer (v. 7) 4. good soil Spirit-filled ( v.8) believer

THEIR RESPONSE TO WORD: reject ( v. 15) hear; do not act on or receive ( v. 16, 17) hear; do not do ( v. 18, 19) Accept and ACT ( v. 20)

Now that you KNOW what Jesus says about those who hear the Word, ask yourself these questions: 1. To which group would you classify yourself? 2. To which group SHOULD you belong? A: Group 4 3. Will you DETERMINE to COMMIT yourself to a faithwalk in the Word of God, which requires not only hearing (reading) but ACTING upon it? (Lk. 11:28) 4. Do you want to receive the PROMISE that comes from receiving and acting upon the Word of God, the HARVEST? Mk. 4: 26 -32 tells us that the seed, the Word of God, GROWS in good soil and yields a HARVEST, and that which GROWS is GREATER than that which was planted, as the seed (Word) MATURES within the soil (the believer). Remember, all that the whole is, is contained in the SEED. Jesus IS THE WORD of God. In fact, that is one of His titles. And the Word of God, the Scripture says, is SEED. It contains in it His very nature, character, and personality. If YOU LET IT be planted and TAKE ROOT in you, it will grow within you and YOU will take on His very likeness and become like

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Him... having the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2: 16) and be in His Image. (Col. 3: 10) VI. LIFE APPLICATION PRINCIPLES OF APPLYING THE WORD OF GOD TO YOUR PERSONAL LIFE: 1. We must CORRECTLY APPLY the Word of Truth to our lives. (2 Tim. 2: 15). This means that we must be sure to interpret the Word correctly. For this reason, we must KNOW that no single Bible verse can be interpreted in such a way as to create a whole system of personal belief from it. ANY verse of scripture MUST be interpreted in the light of: what the THEME of other scriptures on the same subject establish throughout the Bible. the context in which it is stated, established by the verses above and below it in the same chapter or book. the discernment and revelation given by the Holy Spirit when we pray ahead of time for Him to open our minds and understanding to the Word, . . . in Jesus Name.... 2. The Scripture says that Jesus is the same, yest erday, TODAY and FOREVER. (Heb. 13:8) Therefore, the WORD OF GOD is the SAME, yesterday, TODAY, and forever. What this means is that the Word of God is for YOU today. Although it was written centuries ago, it is ALIVE and ACTIVE, and SPEAKS TO ALL MEN IN ALL TIMES. It is GOD SPEAKING TO YOU. If you understand this concept, then you can see the scriptures QUICKEN your spirit even more by doing the following: 1. Note that anywhere in the Bible that the pronoun you (or he or she, sometimes) appears, you can SUBSTITUTE YOUR NAME, and the verse will speak directly to you in a quickened manner. 2. Note that anytime the word if appears in the scriptures, God follows it with a PROMISE. it is said that there are over 800 promises of God for you in the scriptures. 3. Note that when you are reading the scriptures, a Bible verse will sometimes STAND OUT from the page, over all the others, and will enliven you and get your attention more than others at that moment. That phenomenon is called the QUICKENING of the Holy Spirit. It means that He is MAKING ALIVE to you the revelation of His Word. It is the Holy Spirit Himself, witnessing to you in your spirit (Ro. 8: 16) and ministering to you and teaching you directly, something that He

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wants you to know, understand, absorb, and remember, at that moment. 4. Do NOT be concerned about how much you do or do not understand or remember when you read. Study of the Word of God is a LIFETIME endeavor, and everytime you re-read, the Holy Spirit will REINFORCE what you have learned and continually bring NEW REVELATION. 5. DO NOT read in a hurry. ALWAYS PRAY beforehand for the Holy Spirit to open your mind and understanding to the Word, in Jesus Name. 3. Let the Word of God SATURATE you and DO A WORK IN YOU by your immersing yourself HEAVILY in it: it convicts us (John 8: 44; 1 John 3:10) but DOES NOT CONDEMN us (Ro. 8 :1). it transforms us (1 Pet. 1: 23) it renews our mind (Ro. 12: 2; Col. 3: 10) it obtains for us what we ask (John 15: 7) it indwells us once we take it in (Col. 3: 16) it builds and strengthens (Acts 20:32) it heals (Ps. 107: 20) it makes you to KNOW the Father and the Son (John 14:23) it brings FAITH (Ro. 10: 8) it is spiritual food (Mt. 4:4) 4. To see the Word of God WORK IN YOUR UFE and CHANGE YOU AND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES you must: 1. HEAR it and ACT on it. (James 1:22-25) 2. EXERCISE YOUR FAITH TO EMPOWER IT. 2 Cor.5:7 Mk. 11:23,24 REMEMBER, the scripture says that you WILL HAVE WHATSOEVER you SAY.that is, the Word of God must be CONFESSED ALOUD over your problem or circumstances (the mountain).

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3. MEDITATE on it and DO WHAT IT SAYS, do NOT deter to the left or the right of it, and you are PROMISED GOOD SUCCESS: Joshua 1: 7,8 Here, the law IS THE WORD OF GOD. VII. HOW TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD: 1. To get ANY benefit from the Word of God, you MUST first be a born- again, Spirit-filled Christian. This is an absolute requirement. You must be IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD for the Holy Spirit to OPEN UP the things of the Kingdom to your mind. This DOES NOT come from being baptized in water as an adult or an infant. Water does not renew the spirit or give salvation. Salvation (being born-again of the Spirit) is ALWAYS through BLOOD... the Blood Atonement of Jesus. It is BLOOD that remits sin.., both in the Old Testament and New Testament. Being born-again is NECESSARY to obtain admission to heaven (John 3:3-6) and is ALWAYS by INVITATION, inviting Christ into the heart to become Lord and Savior (Rev. 3: 20), repenting of sin and renouncing it, and is received by FAITH alone (in Him). (Eph. 2: 8,9). 2. You will never see any great manifestations of the Holy Spirit in your life if you will not spend TIME with Him, that is, to covenant with 1-fim. He is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God.. You must spend a minimum of 1/2 to 1 hour daily in the reading of the Word of God. Set out to ha ve a certain time of day, a QUIET TIME, dedicated FAITHFULLY to the Lord, each day. In the early mornings is preferable, since this is the time of day when the mind is rested and refreshed, and the scriptures tell us, also the best time to hear Gods voice. 3. Pray to the Holy Spirit to open your mind to the Word. 4. Have a REGULAR reading schedule. IF you are a new Christian and have not read the Bible before, you will find it possible to read through the Bible in ONE YEAR, or thereabouts, by reading daily the following: 2 chapters of the New Testament (about 1 and 1/2 pages) 3 chapters of the Old Testament (about 2 and 1/2 pages) one Psalm one Proverb a) You may decide to divide up your reading time in order to read the New Testament in the mornings and the Old Testament at night. b) an alternative method is to read 5 full pages of the Bible daily, beginning with the New Testament, and THEN reading the Old Testament, understanding that the Old Testament teaches us Gods plan and intentions for man, and His WAYS, as well as His Word (so does the N.T.), and in it we find

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the types and shadows of things to come, as God shows us His plan of salvation through the types and examples. 5. To get a QUICK JUMP-START on the faithwalk: a. Before you begin reading the Bible, ALWAYS study the NEW TESTAMENT FIRST. ALWAYS. Christians are New Covenant (Testament) people and, therefore, need to know the N.T. first. b. Read the New Testament SEVERAL TIMES before beginning your study of the Old Testament. By so doing, you will better understand the Old Testament types, and Gods plan, by recognizing HOW they were fulfilled in the New Testament. c. For a QUICK JUMP-START on the faithwalk with Jesus, BEFORE you begin reading the New Testament from beginning-to-end, first read in the following order: 1. the Gospel of John- to understand who Jesus really is, His divinity. 2. the Book of Romans- to fully understand how you are SAVED. 3. the Book of Hebrews-to understand FAITH and HOW to have STRONG FAITH. 6. Understand that the Bible is meant to be re -read over-and-over again throughout our lifetime on the Christian faithwalk. EVERY TIME you re read Bible, the Holy Spirit will TEACH you something NEW. It ALWAYS brings new REVELATION. 7. Scripture revelation by the Holy Spirit is ALWAYS ENHANCED by PRAYING IN TONGUES OR PRAISE PRAYER before reading. If you do not pray in tongues, PRAISE the Lord for a brief period of time before getting into the Word. Then try doing it and not doing it, for demonstration purposes. See the difference that it makes when you do things Gods way. VIII. SUMMARY OF GODS PROMISES TO YOU THROUGH HIS WORD: Walking in the Word of God, studying it, acting on it, believing it, and receiving it into your heart, and CONFESSING it ALOUD over yourself, your loved ones and your circumstances, according to the Bible, BRINGS the following blessings (as we have seen): 1. salvation 2. possession (blessing) 3. change of circumstances 4. transformation 5. Gods promises

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6. strength 7. freedom 8. healing 9. deliverance The 3 KEYS to seeing Gods Word work for you are: 1) HEAR IT AND DO IT (James 1:25) 2) CONFESS IT ALOUD over your loved ones, you and your circumstances as it applies to you. (Mk. 11:23,24; Prov. 18 :21) 3) BACK IT BY FAITH (Heb. 11:1; 2 Cor. 5:7) REMEMBER, the Word of God is Gods LOVE LETTER TO YOU. It is YOUR INHERITANCE in Him. All of its PROMISES are for YOU and your loved ones, BUT they MUST be APPROPRIATED or taken possession of by FAITH, which requires ACTION on your part. Then FAITH in Christ RELEASES the ABILITY of JESUS to PERFORM THE WORD on YOUR behalf. May the God of all Grace BLESS YOU with His Word, in Jesus Name.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SALVATION A. The requirement to get into heaven: Mt. 5:48 B. The problem of man: Mt. 19:26-with man it is impossible to be saved (by ones own efforts). Ro.3:23 -all have sinned. James 2:10-not keeping the whole Law makes you guilty. Ez. 18:24- the soul that sins shall die. Is. 64:6- all of your good deeds are like dirty rags to the Lord. Mt. 5:20-unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees you will not enter heaven. John 3:3,5-you MUST be born-again or you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Ro. 5:18-one sin is enough to condemn man C. GOD solves the problem for man through Jesus Christ: 1. WHO HE IS: a. The Infinite God-Man b. The Son of God-He goes to man and tells man about God. c. The Son of Man-He goes to God and tells Father God about Man. d. The only Mediator or Intercessor between God and man. John 1:1-14 Titus2:14 Is. 53:4-6 Hb. 1:3 - He is the brightness of Gods glory and His Image; He upholds all things; He Himself purges our sins. Hb. 2:17,18 - He is our propitiation; our aid when tempted. Hb. 9:12-15,25,26 - He appeared to put away all sin, to obtain redemption once and for all men.

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 1 John 3:8- for THIS REASON He appeared, to destroy the works of the devil. 2. WHAT JESUS DOES: Mt. 20:28 Gal. 3:13 Hb. 9:12 Ro. 3:25 1 Jo. 2:2 Ro. 4:25 Gal. 2:20 Gal. 4:4 1 Thess. 5:9-10 1 Tim. 2: 5 -6 Col. 1:19 -22 Hb. 10:14 Rev. 12:11 Rev. 1:5 D. THE WORK OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR US, THE WORK ON THE CROSS: Hb. 7:27 Ro. 5:18 Ro. 6:10 Hb. 10:10 Hb. 10:14 Is. 53:4-6 Hb. 13:12 Hb. 13:20-21 1 Pet. 1:18 -20 1 Pet. 2:24 1 Pet. 3:18 1 John 1:7 1 John 2:2 1 John 3: 5 -9 Col. 1:19-22 Ro. 3:25 Ro. 4:25 Gal. 2:20 Gal. 4:4 1 Thess. 5:9-10 John 19:30 Eph. 1:3-12,17-22 Eph. 2:4-10 Col. 1:19,20

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 Eph. 1:7 Col. 1:14 Eph. 2:13-18 E. THE RESURRECTION: JESUS TESTIMONY AND WITNESS THAT MAN CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE 1 Cor. 15:3 Ro. 6:23 F. THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION RECEIVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE: a. Grace- Father Gods love for us, unearned and undeserved. b. Faith- believing arid trusting upon Jesus. The New Testament word believe means to trust or to have trusting faith in Jesus.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SALVATION-continuation of study F. HOW WE ARE SAVED BY JESUS: BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH 1. Grace-Gods love for us, unearned and undeserved 2. Faith- trusting on Christ and Christ alone to save you. The New Testament word believe means to have trust or trusting faith. GRACE Ro. 4:14 Ro.4:16 Ro. 4:22,24 Ro. 5:15-18,20 Ro.6:23 Eph. 2:8,9 FAITH Ro. 1:16,17 Ro. 4:3 -8 Ro.5:1 Ro. 10:6-10 Eph. 2:8,9 1 Cor. 1:21 1 Cor. 2:5 Col. 2:12-14 2 Thess. 2:13 Hb. 4:2 Hb. 6:12 1 Pet.1:5 Gal. 3:13-14 G. THE FRUIT OF THE WORK OF THE CROSS: THE NEW CREATION 2 Cor.5:17 Gal. 6:15 1 John 3:6,9 Ro.7:14-21 H. THE FRUIT OF THE WORK OF THE CROSS: RECONCILIATION BY THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS

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The Blood Atonement = At-one-ment with Father God Ro. 3:25 Ro. 5:9,10 1 Cor. 10:16 1 Cor. 11:25 1 Cor. 11:27 Eph. 1:7 Eph. 2:13 Hb. 9:12 Hb.1O:19 Col. 1:20 Hb. 9:14,22,25,26 Hb. 10:19 -22 Hb. 12:24 1 John 2 Cor. 5:19 I. THE FRUIT OF THE WORK OF THE CROSS: GODS IMAGE OF YOU Once you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior by His Grace (favor toward you) through FAITH in Him and His Blood Atonement for your sins, NOT by works(self-effort to earn your way into heaven),then here is how God sees YOU: 1. You are a New Creation (2 Cor. 5:17) 2. You have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) 3. You are complete in Christ Jesus who is able to meet ALL of your needs. (Col.2:6-10) 4. You are wise, redeemed, righteous, and holy (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17) 5. You are holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4) 6. You are sanctified or made holy because Jesus is holy. Jesus is in you and He imputes His righteousness to you. (1 Pet. 1:16) 7. You are heirs of the Kingdom. You have an inheritance coming.(Ro. 8:17) 8. YOU receive the Kingdom of God. (Lk. 12:32) 9. You are kings and priests, a chosen people and holy nation. (1 Pet. 2:9) 10. You are FOREKNOWN by Him PREDESTINED by Him CALLED by Him JUSTIFIED by Him GLORIFIED by Him (Ro. 8:29,30)

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11. You are DESTINED for the throne. (Rev. 3:21) THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT GOD SAYS YOU ARE!!! J. THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION Eph. 2:8,9 Ps. 103:12 Ro.8:1 1 John 5:13 and IF we fall into sin, we need only to REPENT with Godly sorrow back to relationship with Him and continue the faithwalk because: 2 Tim. 2:13 K. SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION: 1. The requirement to get into heaven: Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect...(Mt. 5:48) 2. The problem: Man is a sinner and cannot save himself. (Ro. 3:23) 3. The solution: Jesus Christ, the Infinite God-Man (John 1:1-14) 4. What He did: He died on the Cross for our sins and by His Blood atonement purchased a place in heaven for us which He offers as a FREE GIFT. (Is. 53:4-6) 5. How the Free Gift of Eternal Life or Salvation is received: By Gods Grace to us through TRUSTING FAITH in Him (Eph. 2:8,9) 6. The proof that man can have eternal life in Christ demonstrated by Jesus through the Resurrection (1 Cor.15:3) 7. Can man BE SURE that he is saved and is given eternal life by Christ? YES! The Assurance: 1 John 5:13 How?: By transferring ones trust from ones own self-efforts to try to save oneself over to Jesus to do it for you. Trusting faith in Him. Cease striving and trust Jesus, that once you ask Him, He does it. (Ps. 46:10) (Ps. 49:7-9). And He WILL CONTINUE to save you even if you fall into sin again, because He is FAITHFUL. (2 Tim.2:13) What will He do?: He will FORGIVE us our sins for the asking (1 John 1:9; Rev 3:20) and FORGET them (Ps. 103:12; Ro.8:1). L. TWO FINAL QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF... CAN YOU ANSWER THEM WITH CONFIDENCE?

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1. Do you know FOR SURE that if you died tonight that you would go to heaven? 2. If you died and went directly to the presence of Christ and He asked you Why should I let you in ?...what would you answer? ANSWERS UPSIDE DOWN BELOW. Your answers should approximate these.

ANS: 1) Yes. Because my salvation is not dependent on my own efforts to get into heaven. It is not based on my performance but on a Person. That Person is Jesus Christ who PROMISES me Eternal Life in Him for the asking... a Free Gift. 2) Because I am a sinner and cannot save myself, Jesus. I am trusting on You by Faith to save me. I have received your salvation by trusting faith in you.

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BIBLE STUDY
STUDY TOPIC: FAITH What faith is. How to have STRONG faith. DEFINITION: Hb.11:1 Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of THINGS UNSEEN. It is the WILL (TRUST) to believe and take God at His Word. Ro. 10:8,9,10 -word of faith = Faith is the Word of God confessed over ones circumstances. This is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for. the evidence= the proof, that is, it already exists in the spirit realm of God. things not seen = not perceived by the senses, that is, in the realm of the Spirit. Faith, then, is the Will to believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and on His Word in regard to our life and circumstances; it is the bridge between us and the realm of the Holy Spirit which calls forth those things that we have faith for from there (the evidence) (things not seen) to here. In other words, FAITH CONFESSES or CALLS those things which are not (here) AS IF they are. (Ro. 4:16,17) If faith brings forth from the realm of the Spirit the thing asked for, then faith ACTIVATES the ability of God to RESPOND to your circumstance or situation. as long as you do not ask amiss (selfishly). as long as you ask in accordance to the Will of God (which is His Word). (Ro. 14:23) HOW FAITH IS BUILT UP: You cant ask for it according to Gods Word, you are GIVEN a MEASURE OF FAITH as a gift of God, with which to believe and act. (Ro.12:3). In other words, you ALREADY have it. Its built in to a certain amount. Faith COMES to YOU by HEARING the Word of God. (Ro.10:17) so your faith builds by hearing the Word of God over-and-over until it becomes a part of you. Taking God at His Word. Believing His Word.

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So FAITH is seeing in the Spirit what the Word of God promises when it is as of yet not manifested in the natural realm, the evidence of things not seen, that is, it STANDS IN THE PLACE OF THE THING PROMISED OR ASKED FOR UNTIL IT APPEARS. FAITH IS A LAW: It ALWAYS works....in Gods timing. Ro. 3:27 It stops Satan dead in his tracks. Eph. 6:16. We are called to walk according to the Law of Faith, not by what we see or feel happening in our circumstances. 2 Cor. 5:7. We WILL to BELIEVE (TRUST on the Lord for our circumstances regardless of how we feel about or see the situation or circumstance). ALL THAT IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN and fulfills another Law - THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH: Ro. 7:25 Ro. 8:2,4-14 soulish things, things that come from the mind of man and are of mans creation. Remember, the Word of God divides SOUL FROM SPIRIT: Hb. 4:12 ONLY the things of the Spirit can feed your spirit man and produce growth and fruit. Ro. 8:6-8 Ro. 8:5,13,14 Jesus said The things of the Spirit ARE spirit. THEREFORE: 1. FAITH-FILLED WORDS FULFILL THE LAW OF FAITH 2. FEAR-FILLED WORDS FULFILL THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH

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BIBLE STUDY:
FAITH (continued) REVIEW: Definition of Faith - Heb. 11:1 Now faith Is the SUBSTANCE (Greek: standing under) of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE (proof) of THINGS UNSEEN (things beyond the realm of the senses). Faith is the WILL TO BELIEVEin Christ Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit to respond. Faith confesses the things that are not as if they already are. Faith is NOT NAME IT AND CLAIM ITBUT IT IS NAME IT AND CLAIM IT IN LINE WITH GODs WORD (HIS WILL) FOR YOUR LIFE as described in the promises for you in the Scriptures. The Christian walks by FAITH not by what he or she sees or feels. (2 Cor. 5:7) EVERYONE gets a measure of faith by God. . . its built in! (Ro. 12:3) Faith COMES by HEARING the Word of God and acting on it. (Ro. 10:17) ALL NOT of faith is sin. (Ro. 14:23) FAITH stops ALL of the attacks of Satan. It is a spiritual law. (Eph. 6:16) the only exception is when God permits something for the purpose of using the circumstance to mold, make, form and break us. . . the process of renewal of the mind. (Ro. 12:2). He is SOVEREIGN and as such has the right to exercise His permissive will over us. FAITH IS ACTIVATED BY OUR CONFESSION (PROFESSION): Confession (profession)=the spoken word from our mouth. Ro. 10:10 Heb. 4:14 1 Tim. 6:12 Heb. 10:22,23 Word power activates faith: Mk.11:23,24 Prov. 18:21 Phil. 4:13that is, all things in line with Gods Will and Word. THEREFORE:

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 the spoken word (in line with Gods Word for your life), conceived in the human heart (spirit and soul), spoken aloud, ACTIVATES or releases the ability of God to respond on your behalf. BUT REMEMBER: Faith-filled words fulfill the Law of Faith and Fear-filled words fulfill the Law of Sin and Death? THEN, just the opposite is true a lso, that is, speaking negatively or making a negative confession contrary to the Word of God for your life, releases the ability of Satan to work in your life: Prov. 18:21 Mt. 12:37 Ja. 3:5,6 SO WATCH YOUR WORDS! If you make a negative confession over something or someone, repent of it, bind, break it and loose it from them in Jesus Name, and speak the opposite, a blessing, over the person or circumstance instead, again in Jesus Name. If you pray one thing (positive confession) and say another (negative confession), YOUR SAYING NULLIFIES YOUR PRAYING ! WHY does it work? Because WORDS SPOKEN IN FAITH: have POWER - Prov. 18:21 are a SEED - Mk. 4:26-29; Lk:17:6,21; Mk. 11:24; 2Cor.4:13 are LIFE - John 6:63, if Jesus words are life, so are ours, for we are made in His Image (Gen. 1:26) which is SPIRIT and Jesus said that the things He did WE WILL DO and greater. . . John 14:12; Mk. 9:23 How does FAITH work? in our spirit (man) through the Word of God received in our heart (soul and spirit) by our CONFESSION by mouth, that is, our spoken words aloud of WHAT the Word of God says about ourselves, others, or our circumstances. It gets PLANTED in our hearts as a SEED which has POWER and LIFE: Mark 4:26-29 seed = the Word or words spoken by us. When the latter, and when negative, one can see how such negative or hurtful words planted in the heart of another cart take root and give rise to a ROOT OF BITTERNESS (Hb. 12:15) and the bitter root judgement (unforgiveness, anger, resentment, bitterness) toward the person who seeded it, because those words were seeds and seeds give rise to roots. The roots form in the heart.

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 earth = the heart (soul and spirit). 2 Cor. 4:13 Joshua 1:8 WHEN you apply a FAITH CONFESSION of the SOLUTION to your problem(s) and BEUEVE you RECEIVE then: Mk. 11:23, 24 - you WILL have WHATSOEVER you SAY (in line with Gods Will and Word). Lk. 17:6 -problems should OBEY YOU! Mt. 14:26-32- FAITH activates SUPERNATURAL LAWS and you, too, will walk on water, that is, walk in the supernatural because NATURAL LAWS regarding your circumstances are SUSPENDED when FAITH ACTIVATES the SUPERNATURAL, that is, THE ABILITY OF GOD TO RESPOND WHEN YOUR EYES ARE ON JESUS. verse 27-Jesus says take courage, or in other words have faith. verse 28-Peters response (and yours) - FAITH. verse 29- the RESULT. Faith brings results. verse 30- getting your eyes on your circumstances and off of Jesus will cause YOU to sink too. SUPERNATURAL LAWS (OF FAITH) are SUSPENDED and NATURAL LAWS TAKE OVER (gravity) and faith no longer upholds your walk and you sink! The Word of God (the water, Eph. 5:26) no longer upholds you, i.e., you cannot walk on the water (the Word) if it is not backed or empowered by your faith! Doubt inactivates faith. So WHEN YOU WALK ON THE WORD OF GOD (THE WATER) BY FAITH, IT WILL TAKE YOU TO JESUS. THAT is the REVELATION or Rhema (revealed) word of this parable. FAITH is the ACTIVATOR of Gods response to Peter and to YOU! PETER FIRST GOT THE INFORMATION FROM JESUS and THEN WALKED IN IT. YOU GET THE INFORMATION FROM THE WORD OF GOD and

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THEN WALK IN IT. Peter did it BY FAITH. YOU DO IT BY FAITH: Faith is information or knowledge that we receive from God for us to act upon: If I ACT on it in line with Gods Word, I GET WHAT I CONFESS BY FAITH. IF I DONT ACT on it in line with Gods Word, I DONT GET WHAT I CONFESS I MUST ACT IT OUT AS PETER DID. Like Peter, FAITH enables us to know in advance the Will of God for ANY circumstance BEFORE He does anything. His WILL is WHAT His Word SAYS about us and then WE WALK on it (the water), or Word, BY FAITH: Hb. 11:7 - Noah had info from God. The warning came first, THEN he ACTED by FAITH. Hb. 11:8 - Abraham was CALLED by FAITH. The call contained the information. He ACTED on it by FAITH. His OBEDIENCE GOT THE RESULTS. God responded. So, GET THE INFO, THE WORD, then WALK ON IT BY FAITH DEVELOPING YOUR FAITH IN YOUR CONFESSION: 1. Start at your own level arid exercise faith in what you are doing. (Ps.1:3) 2. Your faith + Gods Word confessed over your circumstances + time = change of circumstances. Faith must back your verbal confession (Hb. 4:2) 3. Saying + believing = results. 4. Keep your words in line with Gods Word for you and make them believable and honest. 5. Avoid fear-filled words or words of doubt such as... if it be Your Will ; the Bible says that IT IS Gods Will to respond to your prayers of faith. 6. Be fully persuaded that God will respond. (Ro. 4:21) 7. Keep Gods Word about you in your mouth. (Joshua 1:8)

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8. Base your confession upon Scriptural promises ONLY. 9. Your faith will rise no higher than your confession of Gods Word over your self, others, or your circumstances: CONFESSION/FAITH = THRUST/AIRPLANE 10. You have to confess Gods Word to continue in faith because FAITH is THE SUBSTANCE of THINGS HOPED FOR. 11. Pray the SOLUTION BY FAITH. . . NOT THE PROBLEM BY CONFESSION. 12. Conquering faith rejects the discouraging words of others. IMPORTANT. 13. DOUBT and UNBELIEF CANCEL FAITH and God does nothing but through FAITH. 14. FAITH STOPS EVERY SPIRITUAL ATTACK OF THE ENEMY. (Eph. 6:16)

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE BAPTISM - IN - THE - HOLY SPIRIT KEY SCRIPTURES: Acts 1 : 5,8 Luke 11: 10-13 1 Cor. 4: 20 I. INTRODUCTION: The baptism-in-the-Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct experience from the salvation (born-again) experience. If the born-again experience represents introduction and first-contact with Jesus as a living Person, then the baptism- in-the-Holy Spirit, which I will refer to as the Spirit-baptism, from here on, represents His empowerment to walk the spiritual faithwalk in the power of the Spirit Himself. It represents the re-establishment of the spiritual communication with the Spirit of God which was broken off of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden through the Fall. Through the Spirit-baptism, the Holy Spirit communicates to us and through us through the 9 spiritual gifts with which He EMPOWERS us. (1 Cor. 12) It represents the enduement with POWER from above, and permits the born-again believer to have direct access to the KINGDOM, which comes (manifests) in POWER and not in words.(1 Cor. 4: 20) The word baptize comes from the Greek New Testament word baptizo, which means to be overwhelmed by. Sinking ships and people alike, when they go down under the water, are overwhelmed by the water. The water totally and completely engulfs their very being of what they are. Now what if we metaphorically make the water the Holy Spirit and ask to immersed IN HIM and His POWER? We will then be Spirit-baptized and His power will come upon us. We can also say, for example, that a person can become quite immersed or baptized in water (and be overwhelmed by it and its power) if that person stood under Victoria falls. If we metaphorically used the water to represent the Holy Spirit in this instance, then we are able to conceptualize that in this form of baptism, we are permitting the Holy Spirit to FALL upon us (continually) with His EMPOWERMENTS which ARE the spiritual gifts which we will discuss shortly. We become thoroughly wet, thoroughly immersed in Him, thoroughly overwhelmed by His empowerment of our life. Its PURPOSE is for SERVICE to the King and for the kingdom and its people, for His glory. This is the experience whic h the apostles received at Pentecost, when the church was established and the Holy Spirit FELL upon them and empowered them. There was an immediate manifestation of His power through the manifestation of praying in tongues and other spiritual gifts. It is therefore evident that the Spirit-baptism and the Pentecost experience are one and the same. The question then arises: is it for today? Some denominations teach the near blasphemy tha t the experience and the manifestations of tongues and other gifts are

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demonic. They say that the Pentecost experience was dispensational, that is, for that certain time of history when the Holy Spirit was establishing the church, and after that, tongues ceased, and that what we see and experience today is a Satanic counterfeit. But my Bible tells me that Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday, TODAY, and forever (Heb. 13:8), and that if I ask the Father for the Holy Spirit and His baptism that I will not get a counterfeit (Lk. 11:1013)! My Bible tells me that the kingdom comes in POWER (1 Cor. 4:20), and if the kingdom of God still exists today, then the POWER must still exist today and be for today, otherwise how could the kingdom otherwise be experienced unless through the ANOINTING , which IS THE POWER of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of His MANIFEST PRESENCE? My Bible also tells me that the Word of the Lord ENDURES forever (1 Pet. 1:25) and that God does not change (Mal. 3:6). What does it all mean? It means that because His Word does not change, and because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, that He, the Holy Spirit, is doing the same things today that He was doing nearly 2000 years ago. If He was Spirit- baptizing back then, He is doing it today! Perhaps one of the greatest Satanic deceptions perpetrated upon the church by religious spirits helped by the flesh of man, is the teaching that the Spirit-baptism is not for today and had passed away at Pentecost after the church was established. Nothing could be further from the truth. Such a lie serves to keep born-again believers from the gifts of the Spirit and from walking in the Spirits power. Is it any wonder, then, that so much of the end-time church remains impotent and in unbelief? If the Word of God endures forever and is the same today, and forever (because Jesus IS the Word), then what are we to do about 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 on the gifts of the Spirit? Are we to remove it from the Bible and take the position that it cannot be applied to us today but all the rest of the Bible can? Because the Spirit -baptism was for that older time period past, but not for today? That would be tantamount to saying that the Word of God is NOT for today and that the inclusion of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 in todays Bibles is a mistake. Does the Holy Spirit make mistakes? NO, dear student. Do not be mistaken. The Spirit-baptism IS for today and you can KNOW with CERTAINTY that it is, and that it is REAL, because the measure of whether or not it is of God is NOT what men say, but the FRUITS (Mt. 7:20, 21:41). Those believers who are willing to take God at His Word , believing that IF they TRUST the Father and ask Him for the Spirit-baptism in Jesus Name, will with certainty get the real and genuine Spirit-baptism and NOT a Satanic counterfeit. (Lk. 11:10-13) The evidence always has been and always will be that of transformed lives in Christ, a transformed faithwalk, and the manifestations of the Spirits gifts with walking in the POWER of the Spirit. That, brothers and sisters in Christ is NOT demonic as some people say. Do not be deceived into believing and receiving such teachings. Be open to the Holy Spirit. Tell Him you want to receive His Spirit-baptism by FAITH in Jesus. Ask the Father. TRUST that He does it (Mt. 7:7). Do not be man-led. Be Spirit-led (you cannot be both, so make your choice). Watch the fruits of transformation come forth... then give God the glory! The 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Cor. 12 are not the same as the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22. The former are the evidence in you of the Spirits power, and the latter are the evidence in you of His holiness. When you became born-again, you received the first anointing, which permits you to know and cut covenant with Christ. The Spirit-baptism releases the second anointing, which permits you to walk in the power of the Spirit.

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II. 6 REQUIREMENTS FOR RECEIVING THE BAPTISM -IN-THE-SPIRIT: 1. You must be BORN-AGAIN of the Spirit (John 3:3; Acts 11:17). 2. You must be OBEDIENT to the Word of God (Acts 5:32). 3. You must REPENT of sin and preferably be WATER-BAPTIZED first (Acts 2:38; Acts 19:6,8). 4. You must BELIEVE that you RECEIVE (Acts 19:1-7). 5. You must ASK THE FATHER for it in the NAME OF JESUS (Lk. 11:10-13; John 16:23). You should RECEIVE the Spirit-baptism by the LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS (ministry of impartation) from those who ALREADY HAVE the Spirit-baptism (Acts 8:16-18; Acts 6:16) They must PRAY first for you and others to receive (Acts 6:6). 6. You must receive it by FAITH in Christ without doubting (James 1: 6,7). III. HOW TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT BAPTISM: 1. The receiving of the Spirit-baptism and gifts of the Spirit is followed by the EVIDENCES that you have received, such a speaking in tongues or operating in any one of the other spiritual gifts (Acts 2:4; Acts 6:8; I Cor.12). 2. All 9 gifts of the Spirit are received at one time but will not all manifest at one time but AS THE HOLY SPIRIT WILLS (1 Cor. 12:11). This means that the manifestation of the gift or gifts will be accompanied by INSPIRATION from the Spirit to move in that particular gift. 3. You must judge by the INNER WITNESS (Ro. 8:16), the Holy Spirit residing in your spirit-man who will wi tness it to you. Over time, He will show you that you are operating in the gifts. 4. Your experiences in the Spirit-baptism and operation of the gifts MUST LINE UP with Gods Word. You are not to go by feelings or emotions. 5. The key to confirmation tha t you have received the Spirit-baptism and gifts is WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARDS, that is, after receiving the Spirit-baptism by the laying-on-of-hands... do the scripturally- described gifts MANIFEST? 6. Do they line-up with Gods Word? 7. You cannot judge that you have received the Spirit-baptism by the feelings that you are having, by the slaying-in-the-Spirit, or by trance states or visions.

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8. Feelings belong to the soul-man and soul-life, and Jesus tells us that the things of the Spirit are spirit (John 3:6). Trance states and visions have to do with the variant ways that God speaks to us (communication) other than through hearing His voice or through the Word. IV. WHAT TO DO IF YOU FAIL TO RECEIVE THE SPIRIT-BAPTISM: 1. If you do not manifest the evidences of the Spirit-baptism after the laying-on-ofhands, DO NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. KNOW that God WANTS you to have the Spirit-baptism and gifts of the Spirit. If He didnt want you to have them, then He would not have created them. And since He did create them (because Gods Word is true, and God cannot lie (John 17:17; Numbers 23:19), He MUST have created them for YOU since He has no need for them Himself, since He IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. You must be confident that He WANTS you to have the Spirit-baptism and spiritual gifts. If, therefore, you do not receive the Spirit-baptism, the next step is SELFEXAMINATION. Lamentations 3:40 says (paraphrased) lets examine our ways..... 2. Re-examine yourself to be sure that the following problem areas do not exist in your life: a. unconfessed sin. b. hidden sin. c. unforgiveness. d. willful disobedience to the Word of God. e. bitterness, anger, hate, spite, resentment toward others. f. dabbling in the occult. g. failure to maintain a daily prayer life or scripture reading. h. failure to worship or to be in Christian fellowship. i. doubt about receiving the Spirit-baptism. j. fear over receiving the Spirit-baptism. k. unbelief about receiving the Spirit-baptism. l. generations curse of resisting the Holy Spirit. m. embracing doctrines of men (denominational teachings on the Spiritbaptism which are not true) rather than the doctrine of Christ. n. lack of conviction that God wants you to have the Spirit- baptism. 3. If all of the conditions for receiving the Spirit-baptism have been met, then simply pray, giving the Lord thanksgiving and praise that you have received the spiritual gifts, and wait for them to manifest. Be sure that you have received the Spirit-baptism from someone who has shown evidence of manifesting the spiritual gifts, whom you KNOW has the Spirit-baptism, and whose faithwalk is KNOWN to you. 4. If, within a reasonable period of time, the gifts do not seem to manifest, then consider the possibility that at the time of trying to receive the Spirit-baptism, there may have been some fear, doubt, or unbelief, and have someone who has the Spiritbaptism pray it upon you again and lay hands, believing that when you ask the Lord

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Jesus Christ for something, that He will do it. Review the following scriptures: Mt. 7:7; John 14:12-14; John 15:7; John 16:23. 5. Sometimes the block to receiving comes from the fear that the believer may be tricked by Satan and receive a demonic counterfeit of a spiritual gift. This reflects a lack of TRUST in the Holy Spirit. Matthew 7:9-11 asks which father, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, would give him a stone; or if he ask for a fish, would give him a snake....will not the Father give what is good to those who ask Him? Therefore, walk by TRUST in the Holy Spirit. If you have not yet received the Spirit-baptism, continue to pray for it... ASK, ASK, ASK, in the Name of Jesus, and persist in having it prayed upon you with the laying-on- of-hands as many times as necessary until you receive it and display the evidence of the gifts. It WILL come through your UNWAVERING FAITH. Continue to believe that you receive and from within you will flow rivers of living waters (John 7:37-39). It is just a matter of time, so dont let the Devil play with your thoughts. V. THE NINE SPIRITUAL GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT-BAPTISM (1 Cor.12): There are 9 spiritual gifts of the Spirit-baptism, and they manifest as the Spirit wills. It is important to recognize them when they manifest. They can be divided into 3 categories through the implication of scripture (1 Cor.12): A. 3 REVELATION gifts: 1. gift of word of knowledge 2. gift of word of wisdom 3. gift of discernment of spirits B. 3 POWER gifts: 1. the gift of faith 2. the gift of miracles 3. the gift of healings C. 3 VOCAL gifts: 1. gift of prophecy 2. gift of tongues 3. gift of interpretation of tongues 1. The PURPOSE of the spiritual gifts are as follows (1 Cor. 14): a. first and foremost for the glory of God. b. for service. c. for profiting the whole body of the church. d. for comfort, exhortation and edification of believers and as a witness of Gods powers to unbelievers.

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2. HOW the spiritual gifts manifest (1 Cor.12): a. as the Spirit wills. b. usually singly, never all 9 gifts at one time. c. frequently in combination, for instance, word of knowledge and prophecy, word of wisdom and prophecy, discernment of spirits and word of knowledge, faith and miracles, tongues and interpretation of tongues with word of knowledge and/or word of wisdom following. 3. MANIFESTATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL SPIRITUAL GIFTS: 1. WORD OF KNOWLEDGE: The manifestation of this gift is the appearance in the mind of a fact or group of facts not derived through reason. They are received by the INSPIRATION of the Holy Spirit. They just drop into the mind. When they are received you know that you know because they are received in they spirit-man (intuition) first. It is a knowing about something spiritual or temporal, and it is a genuine fact regarding the PRESENT or the PAST. If it regards the future, it is no longer word of knowledge but PROPHECY. Ultimately, word of knowledge is a fact which comes from Gods mind to mans mind in the form of revelation. Sometimes this gift is incorrectly referred to as the gift of discernment. Examples: John 4:7, 9, 10, 13-19, 25,26; Acts 5:1-4. 2. WORD OF WISDOM: Word of wisdom is a future-oriented revelation of Gods purpose or plan in regard to spiritual things... in what they should do or how they should go about something spiritually in regard to action or direction. It can be seen in operation with prophecy or word of knowledge. It can be received by inspiration during prayer, or for that matter, spontaneously, as the Spirit wills. It may accompany dreams, visions, or trance states. It is NOT wisdom for earthly matters. Examples: Acts 21:10-14; Acts 27: 23,24. 3. DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS: When this gift is in operation, the believer sees into the spirit world and can see the spirits of both the kingdom of darkness and kingdom of light. If a believer is seeing only demons or only angels of God, he or she is not operating in the gift of discernment of spirits. This gift allows access to both realms visually. The believer can see angels, demons, the Lord, and sometimes even human spirits, as did Paul (Book of Acts) where he saw the vision of a believer who told him to ....come to Macedonia..... If you know that a spirit is in your presence, that is the operation of the gift of word of knowledge. If you SEE the spirit in your presence external to your body or in your mental vision

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(minds eye), that is the operation of the gift of discernment of spirits. Examples: Mt. 17:2; Acts 16:9. 4. THE GIFT OF FAITH: This gift does not refer to the general or common faith of the believer by which the believer functions in the faithwalk, because that faith is not given as a gift for special empowerment as are the gifts of the Spirit. Common faith is built into us, that is, a measure of it is given to every man as we learn from Romans 12:3. If it were not in us to begin with, as a sovereign act of Gods grace, we would not be able to be saved to begin with, since it requires an act of faith to be saved. Common faith releases the ability of God and moves His hand to answer prayer. The gift of faith releases the ability of God and moves His hand to perform a miracle. It usually comes forth and operates in times of danger, deprivation, or need. Examples: 1 Kings 17:3-6; Daniel 6:23. 5. THE GIFT OF MIRACLES: A miracle is a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit to effect a change or witness in the life of the believer operating in that gift or for the one on whose behalf an intercession is made. Its outward manifestation can be in signs and wonders, such as the casting out of a demon, which is referred to as a miracle in the New Testament. It is the Manifest Presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer who performs the miracle through the believer. It demonstrates the power and reality of God. Examples: Acts 8:5,6; Acts 6:8; Acts 15:12. 6. THE GIFT OF HEALINGS: This gift represents another manifestation of the supernatural power of God to intervene in the life of a person. Healing may be spiritual, emotional, or physical. Although God can heal through conventional means such as medicine, this gift refers to an interventional move of God, as does the gift of miracles. It witnesses His power and the reality of Him as a living SpiritPerson. It is usually manifested through the ministry of impartation through the laying-on-of-hands, although it can occur through prayer or anointing with anointing oil. It may be also manifested through the believers own faithconfession made over themselves or others. It can also come through confessing the Word of God over ones self or others. It is divine healing, which has the two characteristics of being permanent and being able to stand up to medical testing and documentation. It is not the same as New Age psychic healing, which is a demonic counterfeit characterized by the fact that it is not lasting, and when it occurs, it is followed over a period of time by recurrence or a substitution with another disease. The reason for this is simply that in psychic healing, the demonic spirit of infirmity simply withdraws or backs off for a period of time, permitting the oppressed person to feel a sense of improvement and relief; then, when the person least suspects it, the demonic spirit of infirmity resumes its assignment or yields to another infirmity spirit

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which brings another disease with it. The end result is that psychic healing is never permanent, and represents a sham performed by deceptive demonic spirits. Examples: Acts 10:38; Acts 6:7; Acts 28:8. 7. THE GIFT OF PROPHECY: The original New Testament Greek word for prophecy means to speak for another. The prophet, then, is Holy Spirits mouthpiece. The Bible says that the sign of the prophet is that the things that he or she speaks comes true. The prophet speaks through inspiration from God and not from his or her own mind. The gift of prophecy belongs to the office of the prophet, which, in turn belongs to the church at large. When a believer ministers in the office of the prophet, he or she will manifest the ministry of the prophet,. which is preaching and teaching of the Word, evangelism, and delivering the prophetic message under the unction of the Holy Spirit. It is not to be confused with prophetic utterance or prophetic word of knowledge which is common among believers in the church who do not manifest the ministry of the prophet. This latter manifestation of the Spirit is simple prophecy which exhorts, comforts, edifies, and builds up the person or the church. It is devoid of the supernatural revelation which empowers the words coming out of the mouth of a true prophet of God. The prophecy of a true prophet may be judged as being from God if: 1) it comes true, 2) it glorifies the Lord, 3) it lines up with Gods Word, 4) it is confirmed in the multitude of witnesses. The opposite is true of the false prophet, who: 1)usually speaks words that do not come true, 2) gathers people around himself or herself for the purpose of manipulation of the pastor, person, or congregation, 3) is motivated by self-motive or self-glory, 4) speaks words which are out of the Word of God, and 5) is witnessed against by a multitude of Spirit-filled witnesses. The false prophet usually leaves a trackrecord of a long line of disastrous experiences wherever he or she has been in the past. Talking with their previous pastors usually brings their false ministry to light. The office of prophet is manifested through the 5-fold ministry of being a prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, and apostle, and it is for public service (Eph. 4:11). The instructions for the use of prophecy in the church are in 1 Cor. 14:26. This gift usually manifests in conjunction with other spiritual gifts such as word of knowledge or word of wisdom, often at the same time. Examples: Acts 21: 8-11. 8. THE GIFT OF TONGUES: There are two forms of tongues. The first is personal prayer language which is referred to in the scripture as praying-in-the-Spirit. I occurs outside of the t assembly of the church and is for personal prayer use. The discussion will not focus on that form of tongues but on the gift of tongues. It is this gift that manifests only in the assembly of the brethren, that is, during a worship service. Its purpose is to glorify the Lord and edify the church (1 Cor. 14:4). It is also to be a sign to unbelievers (1 Cor. 14:22). Scripture tells us that when the believers speak in tongues, they are speaking directly to God, that no man, including the

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believer, knows what the believer is saying, because the believer is speaking mysteries in-the Spirit (1 Cor. 14:2,14). The believer makes the sounds under the motivation of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives meaning to them. The advantages of speaking in tongues are noteworthy: a. the Holy Spirit prays a perfect prayer through us ever time (Ro. 8:26,27). b. He can therefore get the perfect will of God for us or our circumstances. c. He knows our needs better than we do, therefore He can pray for us with the greatest revelation. d. Satan cannot understand tongues. It disarms him and panics his demonic spirits. e. tongues always brings revelation. When present, speaking in tongues is a sign of the true believer (Mk. 16:15-18). However, there is much false denominational teaching that every believer must speak in tongues in: order to be Spirit-baptized and saved. In 1 Cor. 14:5 Paul said that he wished that all spoke in tongues. The implication of scripture, then, is that all do not speak in tongues. Why? Because 1 Cor. 12 which we have already studied has pointed out to us that the manifestation of the gifts is as the Holy Spirit wills. No one is arguing the value of, or desire to have tongues, but to tell believers that they must obtain tongues to be accepted is to drive them into a faithwalk of works or self-effort and to bring them under condemnation. The fruits of this is usually harmful and destructive to the faithwalk. They need only to pray for the gift and wait upon the Holy Spirit, and in the meantime, be loved and accepted by the congregation. Instructions for speaking in tongues are noted in 1 Cor. 14:27. Those who use personal tongues, or prayer language, also need to pray that they may interpret (as do those in the congregation or assembly (1 Cor. 14:13) and they may use this form of tongues to pray for the needs of others, or self, particularly when they do not know what to pray for or how to pray about a problem or circumstance; they speak mysteries to the Lord (Ro. 8:26,27; Eph. 6:18). Examples: Acts 2:1-4; Acts 10:44-46. 9. GIFT OF INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES: Notice the title of this gift. It is interpretation, not translation. It is not a wordfor-word translation of an unknown language. It is what is says, interpretation, which means that the believer receives the meaning of what is said through the inspiration of the Spirit. The believer must ask to interpret (1 Cor. 14:13) Instructions for use of this gift in ministry are in 1 Cor. 14:13,27). The Word says that in the congregation only one should interpret, the person speaking or another. Its purpose is to edify the church.

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VI. RECOGNIZING THE SATANIC COUNTERFEITS OF THE SPIRITS GIFTS: There are counterfeit spiritual gifts that mimic the gifts of the Spirit and they are demonic in origin. For the most part, they occur in those people who are not saved, or who believe that they are saved but who are not, in reality, saved. Many of these people are religious but not holy. Holiness comes from reading and walking in the Word of God, not in walking in religion. Scripture tells us that it is the Word that continues our process of sanctification. Many of these people who manifest such false gifts belong to religions steeped in false doctrines, which opens the door to Satan and his religious spirits to minister to their thought-life. Most are not informed about the principles of spiritual warfare or demonology and would be hard-pressed to recognize such activities in their own faithwalk. The true believer does not have to worry about receiving the counterfeit gifts because he or she is protected by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. The following chart will outline the counterfeit gifts:

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. word of knowledge word of wisdom discernment of spirits faith divine healing miracles tongues

SATANIC COUNTERFEITS:
1. mind reading 2. Demonic wisdom (Ja. 3:15) 3. Clairvoyance 4. enlightenment/faith in self 5. Psychic healing 6. Materializations 7. Demonic tongues (Isa. 8:19) (whispers and mutters) 8. Divination 9. Lying ministry

8. prophecy 9. interpretation of tongues VII. CONCLUDING REMARKS:

It will be difficult for the believer who is out of tune with the Holy Spirit or out of the Divine Will or Word, to judge spiritual things or recognize the operations of the gifts of the Spirit. Sometimes these operations are quite subtle. The Spirit-filled believer who desires to operate in the gifts must walk a faithwalk in which he or she is not compromising the Word or commandments of God. There must be a life of prayer, fasting, and faithfulness to the Lord and His Word. Fasting will also enhance the ease and reception of revelations received through the spiritual gifts. The gifts must never be used to call attention to self or for self-promotion. Remember, they are for the Lords glory first, and then for service to the church and the edification of the body.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE GOD OF LOVE AND THE LOVE OF GOD KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:8,16 I. INTRODUCTION: 1 John 4:8,16 tells us that God is LOVE. The word is here in the text of this Bible verse is the New Testament Greek word estin from the root word estee and is almost always translated as meaning or implying the term REPRESENTS wherever it is used in the New Testament. The key scripture means to say that God REPRESENTS LOVE because He is the EMBODIMENT of love. That is, love is His very nature and first emanates from Him, without which we could never know or experience love or have an appreciation of its conscious meaning. He enables us to know and perceive it in our spirit-man because He has endowed us with both intelligence, intellect, and perception as qualities of the soul and spirit with which to KNOW Him and, in turn, LOVE Him. This is His sovereign work of GRACE on our behalf. GRACE is both Gods LOVE AND FAVOR toward us, which we can do nothing to earn or deserve from Him. Gods love for us is NOT the human love of affection which is elicited through having an appreciation and value of the presence of another person, to whom that human love is directed . Gods love, although it may involve affection, doe not originate in response to someone to whom it is, in turn, directed, but originates from His very being because of who HE is. Therefore, Gods love has unique qualities because it is, above all else, UNCONDITIONAL and NOT BASED ON OUR PERFORMANCE. (Isa. 43:25; Isa. 48:11). This love is called AGAPE or AGAPAO in the New Testament Greek, and is to be contrasted with another word for love in the Greek, namely phileo. Lets have a closer look at both of them in order to contrast their differences. II. DEFINITIONS: 1. AGAPE This is the God-kind of love. It is Gods unconditional love from us, and should be OUR unconditional love for others, not based on performance. Strongs Dictionary describes it as being an abiding, unselfish, serving love. It has the following characteristics as well: a. It exists because of who God is. b. It is NOT a response to anything that we do for God. c. It has no cause. d. It is rooted in OBEDIENCE. e. It gives rise to both reverence and awe for God in the eves of the beholder. f. It reflects Gods heart for man (and all creation).

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g. It is love from the Holy Spirit and therefore DEMANDS a response of SUBMISSION, OBEDIENCE, and SURRENDER to His WAYS. It originates from the Spirit to the spirit-man of the believer. It is, therefore, a manifestation of the spirit of man and the Spirit in man. It is therefore love for Gods sake and love for loves sake, not motivated by gain or self. It is UNCONDITIONAL, reflecting God and His glory, and FOR His glory. 2. PHILEO This is the man-kind of love. The feelings and affections that we have toward one another. It has these characteristics: a) It originates in response to someone or something. b) Since scripture describes the SOUL as the mind, will and the emotions, such feelings and affections will arise from the SOUL-man, and therefore be soulish in origin. Since, in the born-again believer the spirit-man is to govern the soul-man, the response of affection and tender feelings may be elicited from the spirit-man ministering to the soul-man, for Christ indwells our spirit-man which, by His so-doing, becomes the NEW CREATION. The spirit-man is now able to express both AGAPE, directly from the Spirit and the spirit-man, or PHILEO, from the soul-man through the spiritman. c) It can accompany AGAPE love. In fact, phileo is used in the Gospel of John to reflect the love of the Father for His Son, to illustrate that it also involves affection and tender, caring, feelings for Him. III. AGAPE LOVE: A COMMAND OF SCRIPTURE Few believers realize that to walk in the God-kind of love, AGAPE, is a COMMAND of scripture. But Gods purpose is to BLESS through OBEDIENCE. The following scriptures illustrate His Way: 1. Deut. 11:22 Here, God COMMANDS that we do 4 things: a. Keep ALL commandments (teachings) which He commands. b. LOVE the Lord your God. c. Walk in His WAYS. d. Hold fast to Him. 2. Deut. 30:16 Here, the Lord repeats, for emphasis, what He has already commanded in Deut. 11:22, and gives the reasons why, by giving the believer

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4 PROMISES: 1. You will LIVE. 2. You will MULTIPLY. 3. You will BE BLESSED. 4. You will POSSESS THE LAND. 3. Josh. 22:5 Here, the Lord again repeats His command, and further defines HOW we are to love Him, and WHY: a. With your WHOLE HEART. b. With your WHOLE SOUL. c. THAT you may LIVE. 4. Micah6:8 In this verse, the Lord speaks of what He REQUIRES of us to walk in His love: a. To do what is just. b. To LOVE mercy. (unconditional) c. To walk HUMBLY. 5. Rev. 3:19 Here, God puts upon the believer two more requirements: a. Be zealous. b. REPENT. And, in turn, Father God will bless the believer with REBUKE and CHASTISEMENT. It is understood that this chastisement is the chastisement needed for INSTRUCTION, not punishment. The Father and the Son respond to us as a parents do to their disobedient child. IV. GODS MINISTRY TO THE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER: AGAPE LOVE Agape is the love -power of God which called forth the CREATION and set it in motion. The ministry of God in AGAPE LOVE is seen in the following scriptures and their fruit. Through His AGAPE LOVE, God the Father: a. draws us to Him. (Jer. 31:3) b. makes us His in covenant. (Ezek. 16:8) c. with truth, brings us grace, mercy, and peace. (2 John 1:3) d. requires of us OBEDIENCE even unto death. (1 John 3:16)

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e. considers us His children. (1 John 3:1) f. reveals HIMSELF as a revelation. (Titus 3:4) g. gives us abundant faith, love, grace in Christ. (1 Tim. 1:14) h. directs our hearts into His kind of love. (2 Thess. 3:5) i. makes us increase and prosper in our love.(1 Thess. 3:12) j. teaches us to love one another.(agape AND phileo) (1 Thess. 4:9) k. gives us love with faith. (Eph. 6:23) l. gives us great mercy through His great love. (Eph. 2:4) m. chooses us to be holy and blameless before Him-in love.(Eph.1:4) n. prepares great reward for those who love Him. (1 Cor. 2:9) o. gives us the grace of loving Christ BECAUSE He is our Father. (John 8:42) p. chose YOU to give you His KINGDOM.(James 2:5) q. grants the grace of OBEDIENCE to all of His commandments (teachings), from which the believer will receive 3 BLESSINGS (John 14:21): 1. The believer WILL receive the Fathers love. 2. The believer WILL receive Christs love. 3. Christ WILL manifest Himself to the believer, that is, the believer will have a direct REVELATION EXPERIENCE of Him. You will note from your study of the above scripture references that there is intimate connection between Gods love and His covenant, and that in extending His agape love to us, HE DOES IT ALL. Just as HE keeps covenant with us, so that the covenant is a unilateral covenant in His Blood, even so, HE extends His agape love to us to produce in us and upon our lives all of the blessings mentioned above. HE does it ALL. Thats LOVE. The key scripture of all of the love scriptures of the Bible is that which tells us that GOD IS LOVE.... Jesus says to us in the Gospel of John that I and my Father are ONE... and . . . .he who has seen Me has seen the Father.... Jesus Name, Yeshua, in the Hebrew, means I AM SALVATION. Jesus is One with the Father. He is God. He IS, therefore, AGAPE LOVE, AND SALVATION. As we see from the above scriptures in this section, that from the Father comes ALL BLESSING of SALVATION, HEALING, DELIVERANCE and the HOLY SPIRIT.. . .these ARE the MINISTRY OF JESUS. It then becomes apparent as to WHY agape love EMANATES and ORIGINATES in and FROM the FATHER, because it MANIFESTS the KINGDOM which comes in POWER (1 Cor. 4:20). That Kingdom is the demonstration that the GOD OF LOVE has come upon man in POWER because God FIRST LOVED US AND LOVES US. He GIVES us YESHUA who IS SALVATION, who IS GOD and GODS AGAPE LOVE. Thus, we see that Gods salvation IS His agape love toward us.. .and it IS JESUS. His ministry IS His love.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE GOD OF LOVE AND THE LOVE OF GODcontinued V. THE BELIEVERS RESPONSE: WALKING IN AGAPE LOVE WITH OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD: Your response as a believer is to YIELD TO the Holy Spirit and TRUST Him to manifest His life in you and through you. This requires obedience to the commands (teachings) of God in scriptures and to the pure doctrine of Christ. The following scriptures define what we must do: Mk. 12:30-33: please read it now. Notice the order in which we are commanded to love: v.30: FIRST the Lord, with all of your heart, mind, strength. v.31: SECOND, your neighbor v.33: THIRD, oneself. (see also Mt. 22:37 -39) Mt. 5:44; Lk. 6:35-love your ENEMIES not with human love but with the love of God: Lk. 6:32 Walk in the elements of Gods agape love: Lk. 6:35-38 9 things are commanded by Jesus in these verses: LOVE (your enemies). Do good. Lend. Expect nothing in return. Be merciful. Do not judge (character, morals, actions). Do not condemn. Forgive. Give. In turn, God gives 7 promises: Your reward will be great. You will be sons of the Most High. You will not, be judged. You will not be condemned. You will be forgiven. It will be given to you... running over. It will be measured back to you according to your measure. (sowing and reaping).

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 DO NOT be a clanging cymbal = the Christian who does not love: Now read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. Note the following, they are important: v. 1 -3 : the phrase do not have love is mentioned 3 times for emphasis. The scripture says that if you do not walk in agape love (toward God, others, or yourself): You are a noisy gong or cymbal. You are nothing. (empty) It profits you nothing. No good comes of it. There are no fruits from this kind of faithwalk. God is NOT in it. If you find yourself in this position, pay attention to Lam. 3:40 - .let us examine our ways.... v.4-7,13: TRUE AGAPE LOVE formed in you will be known through your: patience (v. 4). not being jealous. (v.4) not bragging. (v.4) not being arrogant. (v.4) not acting unbecomingly. (v. 5) not being selfish. (v. 5) not reacting to provocation. (v. 5) disregarding the offenses of others. (v. 5) not delighting in sin. (v .6) delighting m truth. (v.6) bearing all things.(v.7) believing all things.(v.7) hoping in all things.(v.7) enduring in all things.(v.7) abiding in it with faith and hope.(v .13) demonstrating (by example) that it never fails.(v .8) Finally, the great command of the Holy Spirit regarding agape love is given in 1 Cor. 14:1 PURSUE it! It must be pursued!

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BIBLE STUDY
SUBJECT: PRAYER General: God answers Biblical forms of prayer because He performs His Word. (Jer. 1:12). For prayer to be answered it must be backed by faith. You must believe that you receive. It doesnt do any good to pray if your prayers do not get answered. To get prayers answered, pray according to the Word of God. BIBLICAL FORMS OF PRAYER: 1. ASKING IN THE NAME OF JESUS John 14:13,14 John 15:7 John 16:23,24 1 John 5:14,15 2. THE PRAYER OF AGREEMENT Mt. 18:19,20 3. INTERCESSORY PRAYER commanded by Scripture: Eph. 6:18; 1 Tim. 2:1,2 Why? Because man NEEDS intercession: Is. 59:16 Eccles. 10:8 Jesus is Our Intercessor and the only intercessor: 1 Tim. 2:5 Ro. 8:34 Heb. 7:25 1 John2:1 Ro. 8:22 -27 1 Cor. 6:17 Requirements for intercessory prayer to be answered:

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 The taking on of: Love-John 13:34 Fervency - James 5:16,17 Perseverence - Eph. 6:18 Boldness - Acts 4:29-31 Suffering - Ro. 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:36 Sacrifice - Ez. 22:30 prayer without ceasing -Col. 1:9 Standing-in-the-Gap: a particular form of intercession. Ez. 22:30 We are commanded by Scripture to intercede for: 1. Our infirmities (needs, sicknesses, etc.) Ro.8:26 2. those ignorant of God and His ways Col. 1:9; Eph. 1:16-18 3. the lost or unsaved Is. 66:8 Gal.4:19 4. sins and repentance of others 2 Cor. 12:21 5. for the nations and those in authority 1 Tim.2:1-4 6. spiritual warfare for others Eph. 6:18 7. deliverance 2 Thess.3:1-3 8. the Church and all Christians 9. the persecuted Church and persecuted Christians worldwide. 10. The Jews 11. The peace of Jerusalem and Israel.

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12. spouse, children, family members, relatives, friends and acquaintances, and self lastly.

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BIBLE STUDY
PRAYER-continued BIBLICAL FORMS OF PRAYER- continued 4. THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE THE MOST POWERFUL form of prayer. It brings the believer, in the Spirit, DIRECTLY into the throne room of the Lord Jesus Christ and is ALWAYS followed by a supernatural manifestation such as the falling of the anointing upon the believer(s) or a supernatural experience which will be discerned through Word of Knowledge, a gift of the Holy Spirit and Baptism in the Spirit (1 Cor. 12). Psalm 100:4 Father God attaches GREAT SIGNIFICANCE to praise. There is POWER in PRAISE: 2 Chron. 20:22 - moves God to release ambushments against the enemy. Ps. 8:2 - it silences our enemies. Ps. 9:2,3 - the enemy stumbles, turns back, and perishes. Ps. 18:3 - we are saved from our enemies. Ps. 22:3 - God inhabits the praise. The PURPOSE of Thanksgiving and Praise is to firstly and for most give God glory. The benefits to the believer are that: 1. It permits you direct access to the throne room of Christ, in-theSpirit, to obtain mercy and compassion and favor DIRECTLY from Jesus. (Heb. 4:16) 2. It releases angels to ambush the enemy. 3. It stops Satan. 4. It causes the enemy to turn back, fall, and perish before your eyes. 5. It saves and rescues you from the enemy. 6. Jesus inhabits the praise... it brings Him immediately on the scene. 7. It, above all, glorifies God. 5. TONGUES

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In praying in tongues, the believer makes the sounds and the Holy Spirit gives the sounds meaning. Next to PRAISE it is the next most important form of prayer for those who receive it. There are 2 forms: 1. the Gift of Tongues - a gift of the Holy Spirit Baptism; to be used IN COMMUNITY or in the assembly of the congregation. (1 Cor. 12:10,28,30; 1 Cor. 14:12-22,27,28) 2. prayer language - referred to in the Scriptures as praying-in- the-Spirit. FOR PERSONAL USE and to pray over others outside of the congregation or in the congregation. (Ro. 8:26,27) Why TONGUES is an important form of prayer: 1. Satan cannot understand tongues. 2. The Holy Spirit prays through the person and prays a PERFECT PRAYER. 3. Because the Holy Spirit knows your needs better than you do, He can pray not only a perfect prayer for you or others but can GET GODS PERFECT MIND FOR YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE OR THAT OF OTHERS YOU ARE INTERCEDING FOR. 4. Tongues ALWAYS brings REVELATION. 5. IF, therefore, you do NOT KNOW HOW TO PRAY for yourself or your circumstances or those of others, then PRAY IN TONGUES. He will pray a perfect prayer and get Gods Will for you. 6. Study these scriptures: Ro. 8:26,27 Acts 2:4 1 Cor. 14:5 1 Cor. 12:10,28,30 1 Cor. 13:8 1 Cor. 14: 2 -19,21-28,39 6. PRAYING THRICE 2 Cor. 12:8 7. PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES Ps. 119:16 Ro. 7:22

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BIBLE STUDY
PRAYER (continued) CONDITIONS FOR ANSWERED PRAYER: 1. ALL prayer should start out with THANKS and PRAISE. Acknowledge God in ALL things first. 2. It must line up with Gods Word and Will. (Jer.1:12; Isaiah 44:24,26) 3. The person praying must be a born-again believer in covenant relationship with Christ (John 16 & 17). 4. It is preferable to speak the prayer aloud by mouth. (Hb. 4:14; Ro. 10) 5. Prayer must be backed by UNWAIVERING FAITH. (Hb. 11:1,3; Ro. 4:17; Ja.1:5,6) 6. It should ALWAYS be for GODS GLORY FIRST!!!!!!! 7. It must not be repetitious. (Mt. 6:7) 8. End intercessory prayers or prayers of supplication, as well as ALL prayers prayed with the mind or understanding (those prayed for others or self)... in Jesus Name 9. Pray the solution and NOT THE PROBLEM since FAITH calls the things that are not as if they already are. (Hb. 11:1) 10. Prayer should be conceived in the spirit (man) (or heart), spoken with the mouth, believed on in TRUSTING and EXPECTANT FAITH and received into existence into your life. WILL TO BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL ANSWER and EXPECT HIM TO ANSWER. God LOVES people willing to have a Bible-kind of faith. This pattern: 1. CONCEWE 2. SPEAK 3. BELIEVE 4. RECEIVE appears repeatedly throughout the Bible. 27 REASONS FOR UNANSWERED PRAYER: THE MAN WHO TURNS AWAY FROM THE TRUTH LEST HE SHOULD GET TO KNOW IT WILL NOT RECEIVE ANSWERS TO PRAYER. (Proverbs 28:9) 1. Refusing to hear the truth. (Prov. 28:9)

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2. Tempting or provoking God. (Dt. 3:26) 3. Lack of charity or love to others. (Prov. 21:13) 4. Lack of humility. (2 Chron. 7:14) 5. A hardened heart. (Zech. 7:12,13) 6. Forsaking God. (2 Chron.15:2) 7. Praying amiss (wrong motives). (James 4:3) 8. Regarding iniquity. (Ps. 66:18) 9. Unbelief. (Mt.17:20,21;Mt. 21:22) 10. Marital strife. (1 Pet. 3:7) 11. Parading your prayer-life. (Mt. 5:6) 12. Sin (Ja. 4:1-5; Is. 59:2; John 9:31) 13. Vain (useless) repetitions (Mt. 6:7) 14. Being discouraged. (Lk. 18:1-8) 15. Doubt and double-mindedness. (Ja. 1:5-8) 16. Anxiety and worry. (Phil. 4:6) 17. Hypocrisy (Lk. 18:9-14) 18. Unforgiveness (Mt. 6:14,15; Mk. 11:25,26) 19. Not tithing (Mal. 3:8,9,10) 20. Rebellion against Gods Word. (Prov. 1:24-28; Zech. 7:11-14) 21. Presumption and pride (Luke 18:10-14) 22. Unconfessed sin (Ps. 66:18) 23. Demonic attack (Daniel 10:10) 24. Lack of sincerity (Mt. 6:5)

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25. Being unsaved (an unbeliever) (John 17) 26. Curses (Deut. 28) 27. Willful stubbornness (Jer. 16:12,13)

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE PRACTICE OF FASTING KEY SCRIPTURE: Mt. 6:17 - But you, WHEN thou fastest, anoint thine head and wash thine face; GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: The practice of FASTING is seen throughout the Old and New Testaments as a command of God. Notice in the scripture above, Mt. 6:17, that the Holy Spirit does not say IF you fast... but WHEN you fast.... The implication is that Biblebelieving, Spirit-filled Christians are EXPECTED to fast as a part of their faithwalk with Jesus. An Old Testament survey of the practice of fasting will reveal that it was practiced by the Israelites for the purpose of humbling themselves before Father God, combined with confession of sin, repentance, and prayer, seeking Gods forgiveness, and particularly to submit to Him that He might still His wrath upon them. It was also used as a sign of mourning before God, that they had offended Him and to acknowledge their disobedience. It was a form of interceding for the nation as well as for the people. Some Old Testament examples commanding the fast are Lev. 28:27, Sam. 7:6, Judges 20:26, and Joshua 7:6. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit, through numerous scriptures, emphasizes the need to combine PRAYING and fasting together. Although all Old Testament uses of fasting remain legitimate in the New Testament because God says that He changes not, the Holy Spirit puts expanded emphasis on the use of fasting in the New Testament. As in the Old Testament, fasting in the New Testament is FIRSTLY and FOREMOST to MINISTER TO THE LORD and to seek His face; it is also used to support the intercessions made on behalf of others or oneself. We also see it applied with prayer before any church decisions are made, for ordinations, and for commissions to a work of the Lord. A New Testament survey of fasting are seen in the scriptures of Mt.6:1618, Acts 10:30; Acts 13:2,3; Acts 14:23; Acts 27:33,34. IMPORTANT to the understanding of fasting is the principle that it is NOT to be used as WORKS to try to please God, as so often seen in those people who are caught up in religious self-discipline and personal effort to seek spiritual growth. Nothing could be more unholy because such an attitude involves self-effort for the purpose of trying to attain a goal. God isnt in it. The PURPOSE of fasting is NOT WORKS or external action for the purpose of pleasing God, but that of HUMBLING of self and the directing of ones heart to the FATHER (Mt. 6:18). It, therefore, requires a RIGHT ATTITUDE with ones heart and intents of the heart FIRSTLY directed toward Father God, without selfish motive, and for His GLORY FIRST. It is thus, firstly and foremost, ministry to Him. Scripture mandates that we humble ourselves (Ps. 35:13; James 4:8-10) and provides us with fasting as a means to assist us in doing so. Fasting, in and of itself, is not an end to be achieved but a help and discipline which

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God has ordained and commanded that all believers practice for the purpose of controlling the flesh and submitting it to the Spirit of God, that He might more easily achieve His end in us and help and direct us in His purpose for our lives. Then comes the blessings. REQUIREMENTS OF ALL TYPES OF FASTS: Be reconciled to God (2 Cor.5:19,20). This involves coming into right- standing with God through mutual forgiveness toward others and Him, receiving His forgiveness, acknowledging and confessing ones own sins and acknowledging accountability for ones own sins. (Ps. 69:10) Decree the purpose and intent of the fast aloud at the beginning, acknowledging the Lord and His glory first. (Joel 1:14; 2:15) Anoint your head and wash your face. (Mt. 6:17) Fasting must be unto the Lord and NOT unto men. (Mt. 6:18) Fasting must be in private. (Mt. 6:17,18; Ex. 34:28; 1 Ki. 19:8; 1 Sam. 7:6) There must be accompanying PREVAILING PRAYER during and at the end of the fast. (Ezra 8:23; Joel 2:12) Fasting must be accompanied by right motive without selfish intent. (Mt. 6:16) The duration or type of the fast is not what is important to God, but the attitude of the heart directed to, and set upon, Him and Him alone. Therefore God requires that we enter into a fast with the RIGHT ATTITUDE: Jer. 52:4 Ro. 14:6 1 Cor. 8:8 Isa. 58 The ultimate purpose of all fasting is to SEEK THE LORD. (Zech. 7:5; Isa. 58) THE BENEFITS AND BLESSINGS OF FASTING: It develops HUMILITY in us. (Ps. 35:13; James 4:8-10) It puts us in-the-Spirit. (Lk. 4:1,2) It allows us to access the power of the Spirit.(Lk. 4:14; Acts 1:8) It assists in producing inner transformation by the Spirit. (Eph. 3:20)

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 It brings the flesh under subjection to the Holy Spirit. (Gal:16,17; 1 Cor. 9:25,27; Col. 3:5; Ro. 13:14) It can change personal circumstances and national circumstances by moving Gods hand on our behalf through our obedience: 2 Chron. 7:14 Joel 2:15-29 Esther 4:15,16,17;5:1-3 Jonah 3:1-6 It can avert Gods judgment and obtain His forgiveness: Judges2O:24-28 Joel 1:13,14 Jonah 3:1-10 Nehemiah 9:1-3 Deut. 9:18 It brings revelation from God. (Dan. 10:2-13; Acts 9:3-20) It brings reward from God. (Mt. 6:18) It enhances the power of the Holy Spirit through you when combined with prayer. (Mt. 17:21) It brings forth the Manifest Presence of the Lord when sorrowing after Him when His Presence lifts from a person or place. (Mt. 9:15) It is a form of humbling ourselves which causes God to hear us and causes us to hear Gods voice. (2 Chron. 7:14; 1 Kings 19:5-7) 10 Biblical fasts for special purposes and intentions are mentioned in the Bible and are included in a chart at the end of this study. TYPES AND DURATIONS OF BIBLICAL FASTS: TRADITIONAL ABSTINANCE: No food, but water. practiced by the Jews, usually on the 2nd and 5th days of the week. usually one day at a time, that is, one full day and night, or 24 hours including the missing of 3 meals. carried out by Jesus in His wilderness fast for 40 days. (Lk. 4:2) Note that a 40 day fast is a SUPERNATURAL fast and should be carried out ONLY upon

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the direction of the Holy Spirit in a person who is in good health. It requires supernatural empowerment by the Holy Spirit. PARTIAL ABSTINANCE: Eliminates some foods from the diet but not others. examples: Daniel 1:8-20- no meats, wines or desirable foods. Daniel 10:2,3-vegetables and water only. TOTAL ABSINTANCE: No food or water. (dri nk) duration-3 days example: Acts 9:9 .. .UNTIL EVENING... In several places in the Old Testament, the Word states that the Jews fasted from morning until evening. This was usually for repentance, confessing their sin of disobedience to the Lord, acknowledging their sins, and seeking Hi forgiveness. It was frequently done as a national fast. It was presumably the missing of at least 3 meals. If it was of the type of the traditional fast, then, presumably, water would have been permitted. VARIATIONS OF FASTING: Since it is the heart and the intent of the heart directed toward Him that the Lord is seeking, it appears that, in actual practice, variations of fasting are honored by the Lord. Mature Christians have reported and written about profound results and spiritual breakthroughs obtained even when using any of the following variations of the fast: bread-and-water fast. fruit juice fast. coffee or tea fast. tea-with-honey fast. water and meal replacement with an orange or other fruit. abstinence of a certain type of food from 3 or more consecutive meals... either meat, vegetables, or that food which one is particularly fond of. partial fasts of 1 or 2 meals only. partial fasts of 1 -2 hours, decreed. partial fasts of 8 hours/day. partial fasts of 8 hours/day for 3 consecutive days, decreed each day, totaling one 24hour fast. This is particularly good for a person who is not in good health or who is

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elderly. They should obtain their physicians permission first, and certainly, permission from the Divine Physician. PRECAUTIONS ABOUT FASTING: PHYSICAL Persons who are elderly, or those who are physically ill with heart disease, diabetes mellitus, lung disease, or any other significant illness, or those who are on prescription medications, must NOT fast unless first consulting their physicians. Persons who have KIDNEY DISEASE of ANY kind should not fast, particularly with no water. Dehydration can cause further kidney damage, and in those people who are taking prescription medications, a decreased fluid or water intake can cause toxic effects from the medications upon the heart or other organs. Brief fasts are probably safer for such people, and then again, only with their physicians permission. Diabetics taking Insulin must NOT abstain from food while taking their medication, nor should diabetics who are on oral medications. This same principle should apply to heart patients. ANY person who is physically and chronically ill, or who has an acute illness, should not fast without being medically cleared to do so beforehand. SPIRITUAL PRECAUTIONS In his book Fasting: A Neglected Discipline, David R. Smith mentions the following spiritual dangers of fasting (through being in-the-flesh): going to extremes selfish motives becoming hypocritical (Lk. 18:12) self-glorification (will worship) (Col. 2:18-23) becoming religiously ritualistic

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THE GREAT BIBLICAL FASTS

as compiled by Bern Zumpano. Bible teacher
LENGTH (days and nights)
1 not mentioned *

NAME
Samuels Fast Elijahs Fast-1

PURPOSE
deliverance spiritual strength and empowerment, protection to hear Gods voice for anointing (spiritual power) deliverance from all bondage victory over the enemy ( or enemies) for supply-others or self for needs of others repentance mourning (Saul)(loss of the anointing) for crisis circumstances (deliverance) for spiritual breakthrough for protection from the enemy for God to take over the circumstance deliverance from the enemy; protection from Satan. for 10-fold wisdom and revelation for health for righteousness and repentance; for national repentance victory over sin; deliverance from bondage for spiritual revelation for repentance for restoration-health or spiritual to remove spiritual blindness (remove demonic scales from the eyes)

TYPE
food or drink Bread, meat, water mornings and evenings only bread and water only** cake (baked flatbread made with flour and water, with olive oil added for baking(?) or eating.*** no food or drink unknown; fasted here means that he mourned as a form of fasting. no food or drink

SCRIPTURE
1 Sam 7:5 1Kings 17:5,6

Elijahs Fast-2

40

1 Kings 19:5-7

Widows Fast

1 (a.m. to p.m) 7

1 Kings 17:10-14

Davids Fast-1

2 Sam. 1:12 1 Chron. 10:12

Davids Fast-2

Ezras Fast

Ezra 8:22.23 Esther 4:16

Esthers Fast Daniels Fast

3 21

no food or drink no meats, wines, or desirable foods; vegetables and water only. no food or drink no food or drink

Daniel 10: 2,3

Johns Fast Disciples Fast

2 (?) 2 (?)

Mt. 11: 18-21 Lk.4:2; Mt.17:21; Acts 13: 2,3

Pauls Fast

no food or drink

Acts 9: 3-20

IMPORTANT NOTES-PLEASE READ:

* Unless otherwise specified, it is presumed that traditional Jewish fasting was used, which was ancient and consisted of fasting from evening-to-evening (probably 6 p.m. to 6 p.m.) on the 2nd and 5th days of the Jewish week ( our Mondays and Thursdays). This was a standard or traditional fast for the Jews. It is presumed that this is what John and the Disciples did (see above).

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** A 40-day fast is considered a SUPERNATURAL fast and should only be done upon the CLEAR leading of the Holy Spirit. It is never recommended. otherwise, particularly in persons who have heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, or diabetes mellitus, or any other acute or chronic disease where fluids and nutrition are important. Nor should this be attempted by the elderly. Long fasts require medical supervision and approval. Alternately, it may be possible to do such a fast one-day-at-a-time followed by several days of normal eating or drinking in-between, until the total number of fast days has been accumulated over time as required to complete the fast. I believe that God honors this and know of others who have done this on the basis that (1) there is no time element in the Spirit-realm and (2) there is nothing in scripture to imply that multiple days of fasting MUST be consecutive, although they probably were, and (3) New Testament believers are under GRACE and not Law, and the Bible says that God HONORS the INTENT of the heart. Remember, we are dealing with personal fasts, here, not the 4 mandatory national fasts required yearly by the Jews according to their Law. Where there is Christ there is LIBERTY, the scripture says. I believe that this is the reason that even short fasts can produce such profound results. They are empowered by our FAITH in HIM and Christ is quick to honor the intents of our hearts. *** Matzo is probably ideal for this type of fast, with a small amount of olive oil spread over it. Remember to DECREE the fast and its PURPOSE, with CONSECRATION to the LORDS GLORY FIRST, at the BEGINNING of the fast. DO NOT go without water more than 24 hours, and do NOT restrict water intake under ANY circumstance if you are diabetic or have kidney disease. God will honor a modified fast because, as we have studied, it is the heart DIRECTED TOWARD HIM during the fast, that is important to God, not the length or type of restriction of food or drink. There should be no long fasts performed by those people who have acute or chronic illness of any type or who are elderly. Short fasts under medical supervision may be permitted, and repeated periodically to total up the number of hours required for a longer fast of 24 hours or greater. This is a much safer way for the elderly or infirm to fast over time and achieve the same result. Fasts longer than 3 days duration should be supplemented with a daily multivitamin. Remember to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY both DURING and AT THE END of the fast. Fasting WITHOUT praying DOES NOT WORK. Fasting, alone, is NOT A MEANS to an end result but a HELP, through assisting in bringing the flesh under control and discipline to the Holy Spirit, and birthing REVELATION which directs our PRAYER. Our prayer, backed by FAITH in Christ ALONE, RELEASES the hand of Father God TO MOVE ON OUR BEHALF. PRAISE JESUS! This chart was compiled according to the order of appearance of these fasts in the Bible, as they appeared in the Old Testament through to the New Testament. Bern Zumpano Bible Teacher

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: HEARING GODS VOICE KEY SCRIPTURES: John 10:3,4,5,14,16. REQUIREMENTS to hear the voice of God: YOU: 1. Must be born-again and Spirit-filled. 2. Must have the Baptism -in-the- Holy Spirit. 3. Must not be willfully living in sin. 4. Must not have blocks to answered prayer in your life, such as forgiveness, anger, resentment, bitterness, secret sin, etc. (See Bible Study on Prayer for blocks to answered prayer). 5. Must be obedient to the Word of God. 6. Must acknowledge God in all of your ways. 7. Must have FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ that He will personally reveal Himself to you. This is very much a decision to stand on. 8. Must TRUST Him to manifest Himself to you. 9. Must BELIEVE you RECEIVE what you are seeking. 10. Must ASK, SEEK, KNOCK... 3 requirements of REVELATION... ask for it ...in Jesus Name. 11. Must EXPECT that Jesus WILL HEAR and ANSWER. 12. Must not pursue hearing Gods voice with an attitude of fear, dread, anxiety, doubt, UNBELIEF or suspicion. If you do... you wont. 13. Must TRUS T that Jesus WILL NOT permit you to be deceived by any evil or demonic spirit and He WILL NEVER permit you to be harmed. 14. Must TEST THE SPIRITS (1 John 4:2,3) SCRIPTURES PERTINENT TO HEARING GODS VOICE: Is. 15:22 2 Sam. 22:7 Ps. 5:3 Ps. 18:6 Ps. 64:1 Ps. 27:7 Ps. 29: The Voice of the Lord Psalm-describes His Grace and Majesty. Ps. 55:1 Ps. 66:19,20 Ps. 95:7 Ps. 116:1,2 Ps. 119:149 Ps. 141:1 Ps. 142:1 Song of Sol. 2:14

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Song of Sol. 8:13 Is. 40:9 Is. 28:23 Is. 30:21 Is. 30:30 Is. 58:4 John 3:29 John 10:3,4,5,14,16 John 10:27,29 John 12:30 Rev. 1:10 1 Kings 19:12 Ps. 46:10

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: HOW TO HEAR GODS VOICE (continued) In our mind (heart) we hear 3 voices. . . the voice of God, our own, and the voice of Satan or one of his demonic spirits. It is IMPORTANT to learn to distinguish between the three. This is a work of the Holy Spirit who helps us. Our obligation is to be in right standing with the Lord (righteousness), to empty ourselves as vessels for the Holy Spirit and to yield to Him, to TRUST by EXPECTANT FAITH that He DESIRES to speak to us and WILL. And we must PRACTICE hearing Gods voice, NOT BEING FRUSTRATED if we stumble or make errors through our own efforts. The Lord understands, or otherwise, if He did not expect that we would make errors, he would not have instructed us to test the spirits ( l John 4:2). The Lord promises us in The Scriptures that He will not permit us to be deceived and that no harm will come to us. The Bible tells us that... Jesus Christ is faithful. I. RECOGNIZING GODS VOICE: 1. best heard in the early morning (Ps. 5:1-3). 2. described as a still small voice in 1 Kings 19:12, that is, slightly distant in sound. 3. always accompanied by Word of Knowledge that it is the Lord speaking. . . through the Inner Witness, the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 2:10) 4. always accompanied by peace and joy-fruits of the Spirit. Satan cannot counterfeit the fruits of the Spirit. 5. always accompanied by faith to receive and act on what He tells us. 6. The Lord always speaks the Word of God to us and NEVER says anything CONTRARY to the Scriptures. 7. It is always a positive voice. 8. It is always the first voice that is heard in response to your comment or question. God is not pre-empted by any other spirit. 9. Confirmations always accompany or follow: through what you already know through the Word through an experience-past, present, or to come. through others 1. The appearance of Gods voice is always spontaneous and never forced.

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2. His voice gently leads and encourages, NEVER URGES or compels. 3. His words produce light, life, and spiritual and temporal blessing. 4. Obedience to what the Lord speaks will ALWAYS bring positive fruits and blessings. 5. The Lords voice is never accompanied by fear or doubt. When He speaks, you will have a knowing (Word of Knowledge) that it is Him. It is NOT Him if you find yourself questioning it (inner witness). When Jesus speaks you will NEVER question it. 6. Not accompanied by confusion, doubt, dread, fear, condemnation, or other negative remarks or emotions. 7. The Lords voice will always minister truth, positive exhortation, conviction or correction. NEVER CRITICISM OR CONDEMNATION. 8. Look for 7 accompanying signs: 1. Peace 2. Joy 3. Word of Knowledge 4. Faith to act upon and receive what is said. 5. positive fruits 6. confirmation 7. conviction - of need to receive or act upon what is said. II. HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF SATAN OR ONE OF HIS DEMONIC SPIRITS: 1. Your Inner Witness will witness against it. You will feel a disquiet, ill-at-ease feeling about the voice, a doubt will occur. 2. Not accompanied by peace or joy. 3. Fear or dread may accompany it. 4. It frequently URGES you to action, often before thinking the thing out and often contrary to Scripture. 5. The spirit can quote scripture but DISTORTS it to its own advantage. 6. It instills doubt. 7. Often criticizing or condemning.

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8. Always accompanied by negative emotions fear, doubt, dread, confusion, etc. 9. Often a loud, prominent, or boisterous voice. 10. Often accusing. 11. The voice ministers words or ideas that will produce NEGATIVE FRUITS if followed: to kill to steal to destroy (John 10:10) 12. What the voice ministers WILL NOT BE CONFIRMED by the Holy Spirit but WILL BE WITNESSED AGAINST. 13. Acting upon what the voice ministers to you in your thoughts will be followed by negative fruits. 14. The voice tries to minister error, doubt, unbelief, fear, guilt, selfish ambition, or things which will bring self-glorification or harm or destruction if acted upon. 15. When the voice speaks you loose your peace and joy. 16. The voice is usually short-lived and hasty to avoid suspicion or detection. III. HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE VOICE OF YOUR OWN MIND: 1. It is usually your own flesh or minds voice speaking when you recognize the content of what is being said as being something you have ruminated or pre-meditated about previously, particularly a desire that the flesh wants satisfied in order to indulge itself. a.) Watch out for a false peace in the mind or soul which is received from self-gratification. This is soulish and not spiritual. It is not the peace of the Holy Spirit which is in the spirit of man, the intuition, and is intuitively perceived and not intellectually appreciated (mental or soulish). 2. It sounds familiar to you as you. 3. It satisfies your purpose. Important. 4. It is often repetitious.

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5. It doesnt convict you of the truth, of need to act, or of need for change. The Scriptures say that the flesh STRIVES against the Spirit. 6. The Holy Spirit will permit doubt so that you are not led into error. 7. It has no permanent effect or longevity in your mind or memory. 8. The Holy Spirit isnt behind what youre hearing, there fore there is NO FRUIT. Jesus says . . .without Me you can do NOTHING. (John 15:5) (Also see Hosea 8:7) 9. You can usually repeat what you just heard in your thoughts by your own volition or will and it will sound the same as what you previously heard. Your own minds voice sounds like YOU. 10. The Holy Spirit, through your inner witness, (Him in your spirit man) will give you a witness (you will intuitively know) that it is you, your own minds voice, speaking. 11. It will lack confirmation. Important. 12. It will lack joy or peace IN THE SPIRIT. 13. Content may or may not be in line with Scripture, frequently using or manipulating the scriptures to ones own advantage or need. When this is the case, the WITNESS and the CONFIRMATION do NOT hold up. IV. HOW TO HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD: 1. Start out with a quiet time with the Lord at a set time and place every day. Early in the morning is best after you have showered and dressed. Use a quiet location and be alone in your prayer closet with Him. Be consistent daily about your time and place of meeting. THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND WITH THE LORD IN PRAYER, PRAISE AND INDIVIDUAL WORSHIP, THE EASIER IT WILL BE TO HEAR HIS VOICE. Get quiet before the Lord. Its important. TRUST. 2. Come into His presence scripturally, that is, by entering His gates with THANKSGIVING and entering His courts (throne room) with PRAISE. (Psalm 100:4). The Scripture says COME BOLDLY to the throne of grace. (Heb. 4:16). Tell Him WHAT you desire to thank and praise Him for. 3. Now, ACKNOWLEDGE Him by FAITH. The Bible says to acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways and HE WILL make straight your path (Proverbs 3:6). HE WILL DO ALL THE TEACHING through THE ANOINTING.

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The anointing teaches you ALL THINGS and is NOT COUNTERFEIT (1 John 2:27). You do not have to worry about receiving a counterfeit voice from the devil. Jesus will not let it happen. The anointing covers and teaches. Again, TRUST. Acknowledge to Him: His salvation and work of the cross for you and your loved ones. His Holy Spirit His spiritual gifts His anointing His work in your life His Will and His power His blessings His PRESENCE AND COVENANT with you. and whatever other acknowledgments the Holy Spirit leads you to speak. 4. ASK, SEEK, KNOCK - the 3 steps of receiving revelation (Mt. 7:7). Ask Jesus in Your Name, Lord to reveal His voice to you and to teach you to recognize it. 5. Bind Satan, every principality, power spirit, ruler of the darkness, wicked spirits in high places, all lying and religious spirits, and all spirits not of the Holy Spirit from you along with all of their psychic (mental) assignments, attacks, or operations, break them arid bind and break their powers to minister or counterfeit any counterfeit voice of God, loose them from you and command them to the feet of Jesus,.. . all in Christ Jesus Name. . . Beginners may find this helpful and reassuring since God meets you at your own level of faith. As you continue to practice and gain confidence in hearing the Lord, you will not find binding and loosing Satan necessary as any attempt of his to counterfeit Gods voice will be readily evident and realized through the gifts and operations of the Spirit in your spirit, the inner witness. (Binding and Loosing, Mt. 16:19; Mt. 12:29) 6. Now tell the Holy Spirit that you now empty yourself and open your heart to Him, a vessel for His use and YIELD to Him. (Joshua 24:23) 7. From this moment on, TRUST BY FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST that the Lord HEARS and ANSWERS. EXPECT to hear Him. (Ps. 5:3; Ps.18:6; Ps. 27:7;Ps. 66:19,20 (praise follows); Ps. 142:1; SS 2:14; SS 8:13). 8. Now wait for a brief period of time for the Lord to speak to you first. Always allow the Lord the opportunity to say something first. You may approach the Lord to speak about something that you have on your mind and discover that He would prefer to talk to you about something that He has on HIS mind about YOU.

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9. If the Lord does not readily speak first, you will feel a release to proceed. Speak. Expect that the first voice that you hear in your thoughts in response to your questions or remarks will be the Lord. God is not pre-empted by any others. Remember the 7 characteristics that accompany Gods voice. 10. When your conversation is done you will feel a release from the Spirit. Close by giving Him thanks, praise, and glory. 11. Practice with patience. (James 5:7) V. WHEN IN DOUBT, TEST THE SPIRITS: 1. You wont offend Jesus. He is the One who commands that it be done. (1 John 4:2) Command them to say Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, in Christ Jesus Name. If they will not repeat it in full, bind and loose them and command them to the feet of Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus Name. 2. Yield to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to pray through you to hear His voice so that you can recognize it. Yield to Him and tell Him what you want to repeat to recognize His voice. a) Scripture says that only by the Holy Spirit can one speak in tongues or say Jesus Christ is Lord. Speak one of these and ask the Holy Spirit, in Jesus Name to continue to repeat what you are saying for a short time after you stop talking. I recommend that you say it first 7 times, then stop speaking by touching your tongue to the roof of your mouth to keep yourself from talking further, then LISTEN in your thoughts. You WILL HEAR the Lord continuing to repeat what you were saying because you have asked Him to help you to discern His voice and He is faithful and will do ANYTHING asked in His Name. (John 14:26; John 16;13,24). b) When He stops, repeat it in your own thoughts to hear your own minds voice to compare the difference. Practice. He will work with you. Conclude by giving Him thanks, praise and glory. This is a practice taught by Peter Lord. 3. Concordance test Test the content of what the voice speaks by checking the subject of discussion by looking it up in a Concordance. Choose several or more verses to find out what the scripture says about the topic. If the content of what the voice speaks is not in line with the Word, then the voice is not the Lords.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: OTHER WAYS GOD TALKS TO US: Dreams and Visions, Trances, Revelations and The Word I. OVERALL VIEW OF THE WAY GOD SPEAKS TO US: 1. THE WORD through all of the Scriptures by quickening a scripture verse to us: quicken-means to make alive the verse stands out on the page and grabs our attention and we have a knowing or discernment that it applies to us. It stands out for that particular moment over all of the surrounding verses above or below it. quickening of a verse to you is a DIRECT ACT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT MINISTERING TO YOU. Through prophecy 2. INNER WITNESS - Christ in our spirit man. His Spirit witnesses with our spirit.. through self or others in form of: confirmations Word of Knowledge Word of Wisdom prophecy or prophetic utterances dreams and visions from others or self. 3. HEARING GODS VOICE audible and internal audible and external 4. SPIRIT VISION an image flashed or formed in the minds eye or the screen of the imagination. always with the mind active NOT PASSIVE represents word of image, essentially a revelation from God or visual word of knowledge. the believer is always ALERT and CONSCIOUS when this is received.

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 represents a witness of the Holy Spirit within. 5. BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS 6. TRANCES 7. DREAMS 8. VISIONS 9. REVELATIONS II. THE TRANCE occurs with the believer awake and alert ordinary perception of consciousness and surroundings is suspended and the mind or soul perceives only the God-given vision. from the N.T. Greek ekstasis from which the word ecstacy is derived. examples in Scripture: Acts 10:10 Acts 11:5 Acts 22:17 III. VISIONS occur awake OR asleep. when they occur during sleep,they are referred to as night visions or a dream from the Lord (Gen. 20:3; Gen. 28:12) or a vision in sleep(Matt. 1:20) (Greek: onar) may be prophetic or non-prophetic the purpose is to bring revelation knowledge represents a divine communication always vivid, sequence of events in the night vision are always coherent and logical. No sense of unreality about it. the message or significance may be prophetic, warning or revelatory for knowledge or information or advisement. THE PROPHETIC DREAM

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 a special kind of night vision occurring during sleep. often disquieting or terrifying, may be mistaken for a nightmare or fearful natural dream. unlike nightmares or natural or demonic dreams which serve to torment, are not often vivid or coherent or logical in sequence of events, reflecting their chaotic spiritual origin, the PROPHETIC DREAM has the following characteristics: it is the Holy Spirit showing you Satans PLAN so that you can pray it down in tongues or through binding and loosing. pray intensely and several times daily until you feel a release from the Spirit that it is no longer necessary to pray. a means to warn othersGENTLY! may represent a warning from God to you. contrasted with the natural dream, the natural dream: probably represents the release of anxiety and tension during sleep. frequently not vivid has a sense of unreality about it illogical in sequence of events and characters. memory of it is short -lived has no message to it which is prophetic or revelatory. when demonic spirits enter into the picture and minister during the sleep-dream state: the experience will serve to torment or frighten or intimidate the fruit will be the experience of a nightmare, night terror or demonic dream. The latter frequently have a sexual or lustful content.

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 if accompanied by tactile or touch sensations over the body or in the genital or breast areas, the person is under psychic attack from a demonic presence. often occurs when believers open themselves up to attack because of failure to cover themselves with the Blood of Jesus for a quiet nights sleep before going to bed. The Blood Covering will eliminate such attacks and demonic dreams. ALWAYS. NOTHING passes the Blood. may be prophetic or non-prophetic communicate a divine message or revelation whether asleep or awake. are God-initiated and God-controlled AWAKE VISIONS unlike the trance, are usually EXTERNAL to the body of the believer may be prophetic or non-prophetic represent a divine communication or revelation awareness of surroundings and ordinary consciousness is suspended. unlike trance visions which are frequently brief flashes on the screen of the mind, these visions are continual, bright and detailed, and the memory of them endures. Derivations: Hebrew: hazon - prophetic vision or non-prophetic dream. Hebrew: hizzayon - prophetic vision, divine communication, ordinary dream. Hebrew: halom - prophetic dream or vision; ordinary dream; dream. Greek: blemma - vision, seeing. Greek: onar - a vision in sleep. Greek: horama - a spectacle, sight or an appearance. Greek: horasis - sense of sight or visions. IV. REVELATIONS

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 from the Greek: apokalupsis - a disclosure, appearing or REVELATION and the Greek: apokalupto - to take off the covering. the communication of the Holy Spirit of the mind of God to our mind or to the minds of other believers: frequently simultaneously for the instruction of the believer, the person experiencing the communication of knowledge. for the instruction of the Church. for the instruction of the saints (the believers) for guidance V. SCRIPTURE EXAMPLES TRANCE Acts 10:10 Acts 11:5 Acts 22:17 VISION hizzayon - prophetic: Joel 2:28 hizzayon - non-prophetic: Is. 29:7 hizzayon - ordinary dream: Job 4:13 hazon - prophetic vision: Ez. 12:22 onar - sleep vision: Mt. 1:20; 2:12-13; 27:19. DREAM halom-dream ordinary dream: Job 7:14 prophetic dream: Gen 20:3 AWAKE VISIONS horama - spectacle, appearance, vision Mt.17:9 Acts 10:3 Acts 16:9,10 Acts 18:9 horasis - sense of sight or visions Acts 2:17 Rev. 9:17

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 REVELATIONS Eph.1:17 1 Cor. 14:6,26 2Cor.12:1,7 Gal.1:12

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: HOLINESS-WITHOUT WHICH NO MAN WILL SEE GOD I. SOME DEFINITIONS Separation to God purification sanctification the state, condition or conduct that results from those who are separated to Christ alone. to love the things God loves and hate the things God hates to be so filled with the love of God and obedience to Him, His Will and His Word that there is hardly any room in this life for anything else. II. RELATIONSHIP OF RIGHTEOUSNESS TO HOLINESS closely related but not the same righteousness is right-standing with God it is by justification (Christ justifies us to the Father) by faith in Him alone. it is Christs work of the Cross for us it is imputed to us by faith in Him by faith and repentance and not by works (Eph. 2:8,9) it leads to holiness in our soul man and physical man which is not a work of the cross, as righteousness imputed, but a fruit of the Spirit working in us to transform us through the renewal of our minds (Ro. 12:1) holiness is imputed to our spirit man by the work of the cross and the born-again experience when we accept Christ into our hearts as Lord and Savior by invitation (Rev. 3:20), becoming washed of all sin in our spirit man by His Precious Blood, and thus we are called holy because our spirit man is a NEW CREATION and ALREADY PERFECTED and MADE SINLESS AND HOLY by Christ. Holiness is the desire and action of conforming to the character and conduct of Christ Himself in us. Letting Him live His life in us and through us by pursuing Him in prayer, action, and the Word and by conforming ourselves through His Grace to His Will and His Word and acting on it and living it out in our lives. It is being conformed

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to His Image and allowing Him to be formed in us. HOLINESS IS FORMATION IN CHRIST. IT IS FORMATION THROUGH CHRIST. INFORMATION + CONFORMATION = FORMATION information = the WORD of God and the revelations of the Spirit conformation = the work of the Holy Spirit in us and through us to move us to be obedient and faithful to Gods Will and Word and to give us the leading and Grace to ACT on it and His personal revelations to us through His Spirit and the Gifts of His Spirit. FORMATION = the making, molding, forming of us into the Image and Likeness of Christ by the process of DYING TO SELF, the renewing of our mind and body, breaking us away from our flesh (carnal or natural mind + the desires of the body). Ro.6:19,22 1 Cor 1:30 III. HOLINESS without it no one will see God (Heb. 12:14) without it you cannot serve God (Ps. 24:3,4) it is an obligation of the faithwalk requiring effort and participation (2 Cor. 7:1) it requires righteousness or right-standing with God Eph.4:24 Mt. 5:6,10 it involves thirsting after it involves persecution (opposition by others) Mt. 6:33 this righteousness is not obtained by keeping rules and regulations or by ones own works or self-effort but is received by GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST: The man who trusts in Christ BECOMES the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in HIM. (2 Cor. 5:21) (Ro. 4:3) if you have His righteousness YOU will have HIS HOLINESS because it is in the SEED, the WORD of God (Mk. 4:14-20) and Jesus says I AM the WORD (John 1:1) (Heb. 2:11) the seed contains the whole, all that the plant or tree will ever be, so also the seed of the Word of God, the BIBLE. It contains the very nature and truths of Jesus and is ALIVE AND ACTIVE (Heb. 4:12) just as a SEED is alive and active. The seed of the Word contains the very nature, life and personality and truths of the Holy Spirit in it,

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having been given or GOD-BREATHED by Him through the minds of the prophets and apostles (2 Tim 3:16) therefore WHEN WE RECEIVE with gratitude the Word of God into our heart (soul or mind, will and emotions) it takes root there and grows to make us into His Image. . . HOLY! it is through FAITH which unites the soul and spirit to God. (Heb. 10:10) it is the same thing as SANCTIFICATION which is another Biblical term for holiness. the Scripture tells us that all things are to be made holy or sanctified (1 Tim. 4:4,5) Holiness is pure conformity to God Righteousness is pure conformity to the Law and its application to the world. Sanctification is the process which unites all three. PERSONAL HOLINESS involves sanctification of: body - 1 Cor. 6:13,14 mind-Ro.12:1,2 spirit- 2 Cor. 7:1 the PURPOSE of holiness or sanctification is to bring us to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, mature and complete in Christ. it is an ONGOING PROCESS, conforming us to Christ through the Spirits leading, through prayer, through the Word, through dying to self and surrender and yielding to CHRIST, the latter above all, emptying ourselves of self and asking the Holy Spirit to do His work in us and to have His way with us, believing and receiving by TRUST and FAITH in HIM. Heb. 10:14 - it is a process. BECAUSE taking on holiness is a process in our spiritual faithwalk, WE MUST NOT DENY OUR SINS but acknowledge them because WE DO SIN: 1 John 1 :7-2:2 BUT we MUST NOT WILL to sin.

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 THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL BRING THE WORK OF HOLINESS in you TO COMPLETION DESPITE your sin, so: never give up because JESUS NEVER GIVES UP ON YOU never surrender never make excuses for your sins always repent always seek forgiveness watch your tongue watch your actions guard your heart seek Christs Will in all things NEVER be comfortable with where you are at in your faithwalk DEPEND ON CHRIST. TRUST Him. YIELD your soul and spirit to HIM. TELL HIM and mean it from the heart. ASK HIM to change you into His Image DESIRE to be changed. . . stage-by-stage. . . by His Holy Spirit TRUST, YIELD, and OBEY His Word and Spirit and HE WILL make it come to pass: Philippians 1:6 IV: GODS VIEW OF HOLINESS IN THE SCRIPTURES: Gen. 17:1 Lev. 11:44,45 Lev.20:7 Deut. 14:2 Deut. 28:9 Deut. 30:2 Ps. 15:1-5 Ps. 24:3-5 Ps. 32:2 Ps. 85:13 - our cry must be that of Davids. Ps. 119:1-3 Ps. 16:17 Is. 35:8 Is. 61:1-3 Micah6:8 Zeph. 2:3 Mt. 5:6,8,48 Mt. 12:33 Lk.1:74,75 Lk. 6:45 Ro.1:4 Ro. 6:19,22 Ro. 8:1,4,12-14 Ro.11:16-20

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 Ro. 12:9-21 Ro. 14:17 Ro. 16:19 1 Cor. 3:16,17 1 Cor. 10:21,31-33 1 Cor. 15:34 2 Cor. 6:14 -17 2 Cor. 7:1 2 Cor. 10:3-6. Gal. 5:22-25 Eph. 1:4,13,14 Eph.2:19-22 Eph. 5:1-21 Phil.4:8 Col. 1:21,22 Col. 3:5-10,12-17 1 Thess. 3:12,13 1 Thess. 4:3-7,8 1 Thess. 5:22,23 2 Thess. 2:13-15 1 Tim.1:5 1 Tim. 2:15 1 Tim. 4:8,12 1 Tim. 6:11,12 2 Tim. 2:16,17,19,20,21-26 Titus 2:11,12 Heb.4:3,9 Heb. 10:22,23 Heb. 12:9,10,14,15 Heb. 13:9 Ja. 1:21-17 Ja. 3:17,18 Ja.4:4 1 Pet. 1:13 -16 1 Pet. 2:21 -25 1 Pet.4:1,2 2 Pet. 1:2-11 1 John 1:6-10 1 John 2:1,2,5 1 John 2:29 1 John3:2-10 1 John 5:4,5,18,20 REMEMBER: ALL things, including holiness, are IN HIM, and THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM (Ro. 11:36) and HE who has begun a good work in YOU is ABLE to BRING IT TO COMPLETION in the day of Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 1:6)

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: ON THE PROBLEM OF SIN I. DEFINITION: What sin is: SEPARATION FROM GOD God cannot look upon sin. To Him all sin is the same. Man has a sin-nature due to The Fall of Adam and Eve. It is the opposite of Holiness: Holiness: Separation TO God. Separation FROM the world. Sin: Separation FROM God. Separation TO the world.

But friendship with the world ,the Scripture says is HOSTILITY toward God. WHOEVER pursues friendship with the world becomes Gods ENEMY (James 4:4). Sin is a reproach to the Lord. (2 Sam. 12:14) II. TWO SPIRITUAL LAWS WORK IN THE LIFE OF BELIEVERS AND NONBELIEVERS ALIKE: THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH Ro. 8:23,25 Ro. 6:16,21,23 Ro. 11:20,22 James 1:14,15 THE LAW OF FAITH AND LIFE IN CHRIST Ps.19:14 Ro. 3:25-28 Ro. 8:2 Ps. 24:4 The operation of these Laws and HOW they affect the life of a believer are best seen in the contrast of the lives of Saul and David:

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AT THIS POINT IN THE BIBLE STUDY PLEASE READ THEIR STORIES IN 1 Sam. 9:1 - Sam. 31:6 THEN PROCEED TO STUDY AND UNDERSTAND THE CONTRASTS OF THEIR LIVES AND WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TEACHING BY THEIR EXAMPLES in the following sections. You must understand beforehand that: DAVID is an example of obedience to God. when he gets into sin, he repents back to relationship to God. he walks in holiness, revering the anointing (empowerment) of the Holy Spirit on Sauls life and understands that touching the anointing is to touch and affront the Holy Spirit (1 Chr. 16:22; Ps. 105:15) he is OBEDIENT to God and receives the fruits of obedience. he walks in GRACE because of his obedience to God, His Word, His Ways. he was anointed King of Israel after Saul and walks by the Law of Faith. SAUL started out anointed and favored by God also. he was ordained King of Israel before David. he became disobedient to God. his disobedience was due to pride, anger, jealous of David, and the lust to maintain power and position. he turned from God and walked after his own false beliefs and opinions of the truth (obsession). he gets into sin and forgets God. his obsession leads to spiritual blindness and hardness of heart.

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 he resists the Holy Spirit and walks in disobedience and reaps the fruits of sin. he embraces sin, gets separated from God and fulfills the Law of Sin and Death. NOW CONTINUE ON... III. SUMMARY OF SAULS FAITHWALK OF DISOBEDIENCE AND SIN: (CONSEQUENCE OR FRUITS OF SIN APPEAR IN PARENTHESES) 1 Sam. 10:1,11; 1 Sam. 11:13-Saul starts out anointed as King, prophecies, and delivers Israel. 1 Sam. 13:9-Saul offers a burnt offering, touching Samuels anointing. (PRIDE, DISOBEDIENCE, ARROGANCE) Looses his kingdom early on. (1 Sam. 13:14) (LOST POWER AND AUTHORITY EARLY IN SIN, HIS GREATEST POSSESSION, THE KINGDOM) 1 Sam. 14:37-Saul inquires of God. No answer. (CUT OFF FROM GOD) (LOST GRACE WITHOUT KNOWING) 1 Sam. 14:43-45,47 -Saul decrees that son Jonathan must die for breaking fast. (IMPAIRED JUDGMENT, LEGALISM, LOST MERCY AND COMPASSION EVEN FOR LOVED ONES, HARDNESS OF HEART) 1 Sam. 15:9-Saul disobeys DISOBEDIENCE, REBELLION) God, spares King Agag. (PRACTICES

1 Sam. 15:19-Saul lies to Samuel, claims obedience to God. (LIES, DISOBEDIENCE, SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS) 1 Sam. 15:21-Saul looses his ability to lead his people. Can no longer do his job effectively. (LOSS OF POSITION, JOB) 1 Sam. 15:21-Holy Spirit departs from Saul and he doesnt recognize it. (SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS) 1 Sam. 18:8-Saul becomes angry and jealous of David (MORE SIN, TOUCHES THE ANOINTED OF GOD AND DOES NOT RECOGNIZE IT-MORE SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS) 1 Sam. 18:10-An evil spirit comes on Saul strongly (DOOR TO SATAN OPENED, DEMONIC OPPRESSION)

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 1 Sam. 18:11-Saul tries to kill David. (TOUCHES THE ANOINTED OF GOD, SPIRITUALLY BLIND, LUSTS TO MAINTAIN POWER, MURDER IN HIS HEART [HARDNESS]) 1 Sam. 18:17-Saul tries to make David his source of protection rather than God. (REJECTION OF GOD, MAKING MAN YOUR SOURCE) 1 Sam. 18:17,25-Saul commits sin of guile toward David (DECEIT, TOUCHES THE ANOINTED OF GOD) 1 Sam. 18:29-Saul becomes Davids enemy continually. (OBSESSION, TOUCHES THE ANOINTING BECOMING AN ENEMY OF GOD) 1 Sam. 19:9,10 -Saul tries to kill David again. (TOUCHES THE ANOINTING, HARDNESS OF HEART FILLED WITH ANGER, MURDER, LOST UNDERSTANDING) 1 Sam. 20:31-Saul decides again that David must die. (OBSESSION, WALKING IN FALSE BEUEFS, DELUSION) 1 Sam. 22:19-Saul kills the priests and people of Nob for alleged conspiracy. (DELUSION, OBSESSION, FALSE BELIEFS AND UNDERSTANDING) 1 Sam. 24:21-Saul encounters David in Engedi, falsely repents. (LIES, DECEPTION, GUILE) 1 Sam. 26:2-Saul tries to kill David in Ziph. (TOUCHES THE ANOINTING, WALKS IN FALSE BELIEFS, OBSESSED) 1 Sam. 28:5,6-Saul encounters the Philistines and fears. (LOSS OF TRUST IN GOD, MORE SIN, LOSSOF JUDGMENT). Does not know what to do. 1 Sam. 28:7-Saul consults the Witch of Endor and commits the sin of necromancy. (TURNS TO WITCHCRAFT AND THE OCCULT AS HIS SOURCE). Scripture tells us that witchcraft is a 1) work of the flesh and 2) rebellion to God. (DEPENDS ON THE FLESH RATHER THAN THE SPIRIT) See Deut. 18:10-13. 1 Sam. 31:1,2,4-Saul battles the Philistines, looses his 3 sons, commits suicide. (LOSS OF MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSIONS, CANNOT STAND AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES, LOSS OF GODS FAVOR AND PROTECTION, ULTIMATE REBELLION AGAINST GOD, REJECTION OF GOD, SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL DEATH) IV. SUMMARY OF DAVIDS FAITHWALK OF OBEDIENCE AND HOLINESS: (CONSEQUENCES OF FRUITS OF OBEDIENCE AND FAITHFULNESS TO GOD APPEAR IN PARENTHESES)

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 1 Sam. 16:13-David anointed King of Israel (BLESSING) 1 Sam. 17:50-David prevails against Goliath (FAVOR AND VICTORY AGAINST ENEMIES, ENEMIES DID NOT PREVAIL OVER DAVID) 1 Sam. 18:11-David given protection from Saul and means of escape (PROTECTION FROM AND MEANS OF ESCAPE FROM ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO OPPOSE YOU) 1 Sam. 18:18-David stays humble before Saul (HOUNESS) 1 Sam. 18:26-David becomes Sauls son-in-law. (FAVOR FROM ENEMIES) 1 Sam. 26,27-God gives David victory over the Philistines. (VICTORY OVER ENEMIES) 1 Sam. 18:30-David walks in wisdom, righteousness, arid the esteem of men. (HOLINESS, HONOR) 1 Sam. 19:8-God gives David another victory over the Philistines. (VICTORY AND FAVOR OVER YOUR ENEMIES, GOD MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOUR ENEMIES TO PREVAIL OVER YOU) 1 Sam. 19:12-David escapes Saul again, given protection by God. (PROTECTION FROM AND ESCAPE FROM ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO COME AGAINST YOU). 1 Sam. 20:1-David escapes Saul again-given protection by God. (PROTECTION, ESCAPE, GODs FAVOR, GOD MAKES A WAY OF ESCAPE FOR THE FAITHFUL BELIEVER, HE MAKES A WAY OUT OF YOUR BAD CIRCUMSTANCE WHEN YOU CALL UPON HIM AND TRUST ON HIM) 1 Sam. 24:5,6-David refuses to harm Saul or to touch his anointing. (HOLINESS, MERCY, COMPASSION, GRACE). 1 Sam. 24:8-David bows to Saul in respect, in Engedi, revering the anointing (Holy Spirit) (HOLINESS, SPIRITUAL VISION) 1 Sam. 26:9-David refuses to harm Saul in Ziph or to touch his anointing. (HOLINESS, OBEDIENCE TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD, REVERENCE) 1 Sam. 30:18-God gives David victory over the Amalekites and rescues his two wives who were abducted by the enemy. (FAVOR AND VICTORY OVER ENEMIES, DELIVERANCE OF FAMILY AND POSSESSIONS FROM THE ENEMY AND RETURN OF WHAT THE ENEMY HAS STOLEN)

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V. LESSONS LEARNED FROM SAUL AND DAVID: David could not escape Gods favor, blessings, and grace. The result of obedience and faithfulness. Saul could not escape Gods wrath, judgment, and curses. The result of disobedience and sin.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE ANOINTING DEFINITION: The ANOINTING is the power of the Holy Spirit upon a person or corporate body of believers for the purpose of doing a work of the Kingdom of God for the glory of God. It is power for service. I. GENERAL CONSIDERA TIONS ABOUT THE ANOINTING: To serve the Lord Jesus Christ you MUST operate in and through the anointing of the Holy Spirit on your life and faithwalk. The anointing is power- power to touch your life, the life of your loved ones, your church, and power to touch the lives of others and to move them in the direction that they must go to grow in the maturity of the Spirit. The anointing empowers the Kingdom. The Kingdom is ALWAYS where the anointing is. The Kingdom is ONLY where the anointing is. The POWER is ONLY where the anointing is. No anointing = no spiritual power = no Kingdom present in the person or corporate body of believers: ....the Kingdom of God is within you... ....the Kingdom of God comes in POWER, NOT in words... (1 Cor. 4:20) ...I give YOU POWER (N.T. Greek: dunamis meaning delegated POWER) to trample serpents and scorpions (Satan and demonic powers)... AND over ALL the power of the Enemy (Lk. 10:19) ...but the people who KNOW their God will display strength (power) (the anointing) and take action... (Dan. 11:32) ...we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that... the POWER (Anointing).., be of God... not ourselves... (2 Cor. 4:7) II. HOW THE ANOINTING IS RECEIVED: ...like a child... (Mk. 10:15) Mk. 10:15 says that unless we believe like a child, we cannot ENTER the KINGDOM of God, that is, we cannot ENTER INTO the ANOINTING and the POWER of God. We must believe (TRUST) as a child. By FAITH in Christ, that when you ASK HIM for it (in His Name) He WILL do it.

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 FAITH releases the ability of God to act on our behalf by being the bridge from the world of the seen (sense realm) to the world of the unseen (the Spirit realm). By FAITH we have ACCESS to the Holy Spirit. (Heb. 11:1) without Faith we cannot please Him. (Heb. 11:6) By receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts as Lord and Savior and repenting of our sins, INVITIN G Him into our spirit to dwell there and live within us to renew our spirit (man),making us a NEW CREATION or BORN-AGAIN. This experience is both MANDATORY for salvation and for receiving or entering into the anointing: John 3:3-5 Rev. 3:20 (It is by invitation aloud to Christ.) Notice that John 3:3-5 says that UNLESS we are born-again of water AND THE SPIRIT (receive the Spirit to reside in us and then ask Him to give us the Baptism-inthe-Spirit) we CANNOT ENTER the Kingdom... we CANNOT access the anointing, we cannot access the power, we cannot access the Kingdom of God as a place. By receiving the Baptism-in-the-Holy Spirit: ...you SHALL receive POWER WHEN the Holy Spirit has come upon you... (Acts 1:8) ...you SHALL be BAPTIZED with the HOLY SPIRIT... (Acts 1:5) By ASKING to receive the anointing... ...in the Name of Christ Jesus.... Mt. 7:8 John 16:24 James 4:3 John 14:13,14 1 John 5:14,15 By being WILLING and AVAILABLE to the Holy Spirit: Ps. 24:4 Heb. 12 :28 Heb. 12:14 seeking HOLINESS in the Lord. By avoiding UNBELIEF: Heb. 3:12,19 Notice here that the promised land (representing a type of the Kingdom of God, or The Anointing, could NOT BE ENTERED because of UNBELIEF.

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III. BLOCKS to receiving the ANOINTING: blocks to answered prayer (see Bible study on prayer) unbelief stubbornness rebellion to Gods Word. disobedience to Gods Word. doubt (Ja. 1:6,7) living in sin willfully or secretly IV. TYPES OF THE ANOINTING There are three anointings. They are both caught And taught, that is, they are imparted through the ministry of the Holy Spirit directly to the person or imparted by Spirit-filled believers through the laying-on-of- hands to the believer desiring to receive (caught); or taught through the study and revelation of the Word of God, the Bible, since ...FAITH comes by hearing.., and hearing by the Word.... (Ro. 10:17). The ANOINTING is appropriated by FAITH. To further understand, you must first recognize the THREEFOLD MINISTRIES of the Scriptures: Growth in the Spirit is always typified in the Scriptures by 3 levels or degrees of the Anointing of the Holy Spirit: ...first the blade, then the head...then the mature grain (Mk. 4:28) The Outer Court, The Holy Place, The Holy-of-Holies of the Tabernacle teaching. the milk of the Word, the bread of the Word, the meat of the Word. Noahs Ark of three levels, the upper most level described as 30 cubits high. In the study of Biblical numbers, 30 is the number of spiritual maturity. There are three levels of spiritual maturity in the anointing, the third level being the level of anointing of the meat Christian or the Christian walking in the maturity of power of the Holy Spirit, His counsel, His revelation, His Word. The Christian who KNOWS the Holy Spirit at this level is in constant covenant with Him, and KNOWS that he/she is to learn only from the anointing (1 John 2:27) and not men, and that the Spirit and Spirit, alone, is their Source of all Truth and learning. (again 1 John 2:27). These 3 LEVELS OF ANOINTING are: 1. the 1st anointing-the born-again experience

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a) the initial contact-experience with the Living Savior as the Manifest Presence in the believers life. b) represents CONTACT on a one-to-one basis with Christ and brings the Holy Spirit to indwell the spirit-man of the believer. It is YIELDING to Christ. 2. the Baptism-in-the-Holy Spirit a) the Holy Spirit releases the 9 Gifts of the Spirit which permit direct communication with and perception of the Spirit of God with the believer. b) permits RELATIONSHIP with the Spirit. There is increased anointing, power, spiritual perception. This is the 2nd level of the anointing... operating in-the-Spirit, RELATING to Christ. 3. entering the Holy-of- Holies of the Tabernacle a) We are the living tabernacle since the Holy Spirit now indwells US and, according to Scripture, no longer indwells buildings made by man. b) ...His Spirit WITNESSES to our spirit... This is FELLOWSHIP, the 3rd level of the anointing. c) The Holy Spirit brings the believer into FELLOWSHIP with Him by leading the believer into an ever deepening faithwalk by fostering in the believer an ever greater seeking and practicing of holiness (through doing Gods Word), a life of prayer, and consecration to Christ and Christ alone. This is FELLOWSHIPING with Christ. Looked at from the viewpoint of ministry, or using the power of the Holy Spirit for the Kingdom, the 3 anointings look like this: 1st anointing-permits the believer to be yielded to Christ and to receive ministry from the Spirit. 2nd anointing-permits the believer to influence others spiritually and to evoke positive fruits through the Holy Spirit, for Christ. 3rd anointing-permits ministry to large body of believers to produce the fruits of permanent positive spiritual change or growth in them.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE ANOINTING-continued V. FUNCTIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ANOINTING: 1. It TEACHES YOU all things (1 John 2:27) You have no need for ANY man to teach you, the ANOINTING will teach you all things... 2. It ABIDES (dwells in, communes with, covenants with) in you. (1 John 2:27) 3. It breaks ALL BONDAGES to sin or Satan. (Isa. 10:27) 4. It empowers and demonstrates the Kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 4:20) 5. It can be imparted to others who are born-again Spirit-filled believers (Acts 8:15-17) 6. It can be transferred to objects (Acts 19:12). Handkerchiefs, aprons (prayer cloths) 7. It can cause healing of disease (Acts 19:12) (John 9:6,11) 8. It can cause deliverance (exorcism) from evil spirits. (Acts 19:12) 9. It can be imparted to oil (vegetable, olive, or mineral only-not oil from animal fats), making anointing oil which can then be used to anoint people or things for the purposes of: commission-example: pastors, prophets kings (1 Chron. 16:22; 1 Kings 19:16; Isa. 55:1) this means consecration to an office. objects of worship (Ex. 29:7,19-21) of personal possession for deliverance of the person using anointing oil for spiritual warfare. Anoint the persons bedroom, bed, pillows, chairs, insides of shoes, insides of closets, clothes, bedroom window frames, door frames, middle of each wall, ceiling, and floor decreeing with each anointing, This is Holy Ground and Kingdom territory in Christ Jesus Name. This anointing is done in this manner so that wherever the person needing deliverance is sleeping,

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standing, or sitting, he/she is ALWAYS on holy ground. Demonic spirits cannot stand the presence of the Holy Spirit and it drives them away. Do frequently until the person can be reached spiritually and come to accept Christ because the demonic spirits will try to return and maintain their hold. If the person will permit you to anoint him/her, do so frequently. imparting wisdom (Nu. 27:.18-21) 10. to empower the ministry of impartation through the spoken word or laying-on-ofhands: Ro. 1:11 : For I long to see you in order to IMPART some spiritual gilt... (NASV) the word some here in this verse, in the New Testament Greek of the original manuscript means any kind of, or ANY kind at all... The implication is that ANYTHING holy and righteous can be imparted to another believer through the ministry of impartation through the spoken word and/or laying- on-of-hands. Also see Job 22:28. 11. In Exodus we discover that the Holy Spirit, Himself, IS the ANOINTING. (Ex. 28:41; Ex. 40:9-15; Ro. 11:36) VI. THE EFFECTS OF THE ANOINTING ON THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER: The following are the manifestations of the Anointing through the believer who has the Lords ANOINTING upon his/her life as described in Isaiah Chapter 61: THE BELIEVER WILL: 1) bring good news to the afflicted, that is, preach the GOSPEL of CHRIST v.1 2) bring healing and restoration of others-v.1 3) proclaim the Lord and His Righteousness-v.2 4) comfort those who mourn-v.3 5) praise God without fear-v .3 6) make them to be born-again (oaks of righteousness)-v.3 7) be a healer and restorer of broken lives-v .4

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8) have others serve his/her needs-v.5 9) be a priest and holy unto the Lord-v.6 (consecrated) 10) receive the wealth of others-v.6 11) be protected against shame and humiliation-v.7 12) receive a double-portion of the anointing-v.7 13) receive recompense from those who steal from the believer-v.8 14) receive the everlasting Covenant-v.8 15) have blessed offspring-v.9 16) receive all benefits of salvation-v.1O 17) evidence His Righteousness-v.11 15 BLESSINGS OF THE ANOINTING ON THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER AS DESCRIBED IN PSALM 89:20-29: God PROMISES: He will establish His hand with him/her-v.21 He will strengthen him/her-v.21 the enemy will not be able to deceive the believer-v.22 the enemy will not be able to afflict the believer-v.22 to crush his/her adversaries-v.23 to strike those who hate the believer-v .23 to give the believer LOVINGKINDNESS-v.24 His FAITHFULNESS and

to exalt the horn( authority) of the believer-v.24 to set the believers hand on the sea and right hand on the rivers. These idiomatic expressions of the Hebrew mean that through the believer, the anointing will influence the lives of peoples and nations.

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 to make the believer KNOW Him and be able to acknowledge Himv.26 to make the believer His first-born or greatest among all earthly kings in His eyes-v.27 to keep His lovingkindness for the believer FOREVER - v.28 to confirm His Covenant with Him-v .28 to establish the believers descendants-v.29 to establish the believers throne forever-v.29 VII. SIGNS O F LOSING THE ANOINTING: A person can only lose the anointing by losing their salvation through persistent willful sin or rejecting Christ and the Gospel after having known His righteousness, or by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, the Unpardonable Sin. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a grievous sin in which a person knowingly and willfully attributes the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. This was the sin of the Pharisees who KNEW that Jesus was the Messiah because they knew that only God could perform the works that He was performing. Yet they told the crowds that He (Jesus) did what He was doing through Beelzebub, the prince of demons, insulting the Holy Spirit. They did this because they were more interested in maintaining their status among the people and controlling them, rather than being concerned for the Truth of God and worshipping Him IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. This is ALWAYS a PREMEDITATED sin and is always WILLFUL. It has at its root the problem of HARDNESS OF HEART which IS RESISTING THE HOLY SPIRIT. The believer can lose the anointing only in the sense of moving away from it, particularly when he! she gets into sin. The fact that the anointing is never really lost is exemplified by the status of King Saul, who, long after he had backslidden in his faithwalk, was still able to prophecy, and who was still regarded by King David as the anointed of God. What happens, then, when a believer loses the anointing is that God lifts him/her out of service for the Kingdom until repentance comes. The anointing is NEVER truly LOST because the Bible tells us that ...the things of God are without cost. (Isa. 55:1) THE SIGNS will be: 1. failing prayer life. no time

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 no desire 2. falling away in desire for Sunday worship. 3. falling away from fellowship with other Christians or the desire to be around them. 4. Losing interest in the things of God. 5. scripture reading wanes. 6. increased involvements and interests in the things of the world or of the flesh. 7. increasing pattern in the involvement or interest in sin. 8. lack of interest in repenting of sin and increasing tendency to treat sin lightly and place little importance upon sinning. 9. increase in physical or psychic attacks by Satan. 10. increase in spiritual blindness or spiritual deafness and resistance to being ministered to. VIII. HOW THE ANOINTING IS RESTORED: 1. Acknowledge sin with a Godly sorrow. 2. Renounce sin. 3. REPENT, face down before the Lord. 4. Prayer and Fasting 5. Ask in the Name of Jesus for the anointing to be restored. (John 14:13,14) IX. ANOINTING OIL Use only olive oil, mineral oil, or vegetable oil. Olive oil is preferable. Take any amount of oil that you wish to consecrate as oil of anointing, place it in any clean container and label it anointing oil so that it will be respected by others. Pray over it something like the following while holding it in both hands (laying hands on it): Father, I speak this oil as the oil of anointing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Oil of the Holy Spirit and a type of Jesus Precious Blood; I speak it EMPOWERED for

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impartation, healing, deliverance and ask You to empower and bless it as such, DECREEING it so by FAITH in Christ JESUS NAME and for Your Glory, for it is written ...in that day YOU (the believer) SHALL DECREE A THING and IT WILL COME TO PASS... Job 22:28) Thank you, Father, for already having heard and granted this prayer, IN CHRIST JESUS NAME. Now, step out IN FAITH and USE your anointing oil in FULL CONFIDENCE that it WILL IMPART the anointing as scripture describes. X. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE ANOINTING: 1) The most powerful weapon against Satan is the anointed Precious Blood of Jesus pled against him or any of his demonic spirits... in Christ Jesus Name... Say, I plead the Precious Blood of Jesus against you, Satan and against each and every one of your demonic spirits manifesting, and against the spirit of (NAME) ...in Christ Jesus Name. I plead a blood line of the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ between you (name spirits) and (name of person) and command that you cannot cross... in Christ Jesus Name. 2) Besides the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the next most powerful weapon against Satan and his kingdom are FAITH-FILLED WORDS spoken under the ANOINTING. 3) Touch NOT the anointed of God and do no harm to His prophets for He has rebuked kings for less... (Psalm 105:15) THE ANOINTING CIRCUMSTANCES. MUST BE PROTECTED IN ALL

When the anointing on a person is touched by others through willful opposition, criticism, judgment of the person or his/ her ways, or unbelief, the person who is touching the anointing MUST BE WARNED and CORRECTED because the anointing IS THE HOLY SPIRIT... they are not coming against you BUT AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF. without repentance REBUKE by the Spirit WILL FOLLOW after a short period of time is given for repentance (GRACE)... a very short period. As we saw from the example of King Saul who touched Davids anointing, the touching of the anointing CAN cause a person to lose the lives of his loved ones and his own. Saul lost his 3 sons AND his

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own life because of disobedience and rebellion to God. The lesson to be learned: in certain circumstances, TOUCHING THE ANOINTING of another believer can cause you or your loved ones to lose your lives. I believe this is particularly true for unbelievers or those practicing sin. 4) REMEMBER, THE ANOINTING IS THE HOLY SPIRIT and HIS POWER upon the life of the believer and manifesting through him/her. 5) The ANOINTING is ACTIVATED AND RELEASED by FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ. XI. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES FOR FURTHER STUDY: 1 John 2:27 Isa. 10:27 Ps. 55:1 Ps. 105:15 Ex. 28:41 Ps. 23:5 Ecc.9:8 Dan. 9:24 Mk.16:1 Jam. 5:14 Ex. 29:7,36 Ex. 30:26,30 Ex. 40:9-15 Jdg. 9:8,15 1 Sa. 9:16 1 Sa. 15:1 1 Sa. 16:3,12 1 Ki. 1:34 1 Ki. 19:15,16 2 Ki. 9:3,6,12

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: GODS GRACE DEFINITION: GRACE is Gods UNCONDITIONAL, non-performance- based LOVE for us EXTENDED B HIM to us FREELY without cost or obligation on our part to Y perform, earn, or deserve His love, rewards, provision, blessings, or salvation. It is FREELY GRANTED as the means of TRANSFORMATION and BLESSINGS in our lives. It cannot be deserved, warranted, or earned. It can ONLY be ACCEPTED as a FREE GIFT from the Lord Jesus Christ to us. It is HIS LOVE FOR US which is unmerited on our part. It is Gods ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE OF YOU NOT because of who YOU are BUT because of WHO HE IS. (Is. 48:10,11) (Eph. 2:8,9) I. UNDERSTANDING THE OPERATION OF GRACE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD: Salvation, healing, deliverance, the anointing and the operation of GRACE are all manifestations of the Kingdom of God which are: GRANTED by GRACE RECEIVED THROUGH FAITH (in Christ) DEMONSTRATED BY POWER (of the Spirit) SEEN THROUGH ACTION (require the believers participation) Gods WORK OF GRACE, His position regarding you, the believer is exemplified in the following scriptures: HE SA\TES YOU by His Grace (love for you which you CANNOT earn) through FAITH in Him to give you the FREE GIFT of salvation and ALL of the Abrahamic covenant BLESSINGS. (Eph. 2:8,9) YOU receive it all FREELY. HE does it ALL for HIS NAMES SAKE... because of WHO HE IS, not because of who we are. lsa.43:25 Ps.103:10 HE makes it FREELY FLOW TOWARD YOU CONTINUALLY so that if sin abounds in your life, GRACE will SUPERABOUND to give you victors and a way out from your sin. (Ro. 5:20) HE extends GRACE to ALREADY REMOVE SIN from our lives so that we do not (and cannot) do it under our own effort. (Ps. 103:12)

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 HE reconciles us to Father God through HIS GRACE... HE DOES IT ALL, NOT counting our sins against us. (2 Cor. 5:18,19) ALL THINGS are FROM HIM... we cant earn or deserve ANYTHING received from Christ. (2 Cor .5:18) Because of GRACE we are NOT shamed, blamed NOR condemned for our sins. (Ro. 8:1) Because of GRACE, God is FOR YOU and NOT against you. (Ro. 8:31) Because of GRACE you are ALREADY a SWEET AROMA to Father God through Christ and do NOT have to worry about whether or not you are WORTHY or ACCEPTABLE to Him. (2 Cor .2:15) Because of GRACE, Gods FREE GIFTS to you, there is NOTHING that you have to do TO EARN His love or blessings. Gods message of GRACE is tha t ALL that He does for you, including SALVATION, TRANSFORMATION, BLESSINGS, is a FREE GIFT, NOT EARNED OR DESERVED and MUST be SIMPLY RECEIVED in GRATITUDE for WHAT HE has done for you on the Cross. The work of salvation is done. He said on the cross with the last words that came out of His mouth... It is finished... The WORK OF SALVATION IS FINISHED... PAID IN FULL! There is NOTHING MORE to be done BUT to RECEIVE SALVATION, BLESSINGS, and TRANSFORMATION from your sin-nature by TRUSTING FAITH IN HIM and LETIING HIM change YOU and do His continued work of salvation in you, the new creation. HE DOES IT ALL. Thats GRACE! EXAMPLES of the operation of GRACE in the scriptures: The Holy Spirit through David says that God HAS NOT dealt with us according to our iniquities. (Ps. 103:10) Thats GRACE. Now, read Mt. 19:27-29 v27-Peter complains to Jesus, Hey, whats the return on my investment? Ive given up everything for you? v29 -Jesus answers Peter .. . a hundred fold... the term a hundred fold means a hundred x a hundred or a 10,000% return! Do you know any earthly investment that yields that much? Thats GRACE. Freely and abundantly GIVEN by God because HE WANTS TO. Because of WHO HE IS. Now, read Mt. 20: 1-16:

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 v.6 in the ELEVENTH hour, when the day is almost over, the owner of the vineyard finds men without work standing outside of his vine-yard and order them in to work. v. 7 -he pays the LAST group FIRST v. 12-those that worked the whole day said that they believed that they should receive more. v. 14-the owner tells the workers that he WISHES to give the last man the same amount of money that he is giving those who worked the whole day. UNDERSTAND that: the owner represents the Lord Jesus Christ. The owner (the Lord) had NO NEED to hire workers at the end of the day when the work in the vineyard was almost completed. He knew that they did not need an hours pay. They needed a full days pay to meet their needs and feed their families. Even though the owner didnt need the help, He (Jesus) hired them to MEET THEIR NEED, to give them provision because it PLEASED him to meet their need. Thats GRACE. Common MISCONCEPTIONS about how God saves us and does His work of transformation in our lives: Christian Faithwalk works works Justification by: Performance (self-effort) Acceptance (self-effort) Reward Salvation (deserved) Salvation (earned)

Gods Way of salvation by GRACE is different, however: Christian Faithwalk GRACE through FAITH II. WHAT GRACE DOES: Justification by: GRACE (FREE) Reward Salvation by GRACE

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 IT saves US -(Eph. 2:8,9) IT carries US in our faithwalk (2 Cor. 12:9) IT GIVES life (Eph. 2:4,5) IT TEACHES us HOW to live (Titus 2:12) IT brings LIBERTY (1 Cor. 6:12; Col. 1:21,22) IT PRESERVES and PROTECTS (Ps. 40:11) III. WHAT TO DO TO WALK IN GRACE: STOP TRYING TO MAKE GOD LOVE YOU... He already DOES, not because of who you are but because of who HE is, ...Thats GRACE! STOP TRYING TO MAKE YOURSELF PRESENTABLE TO GOD... you already ARE through His Righteousness IMPUTED to you. Thats GRACE! STOP TRYING TO MAKE GOD ACCEPT YOU... He already DOES because of WHO HE IS. Thats GRACE! STOP TRYING TO EARN YOUR WAY INTO HEAVEN... Hes ALREADY done it for you, all you have to do is appropriate it and stand on it. Thats GRACE! STOP TRYING TO PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR PAST SINS... Hes already DONE IT for you. Thats GRACE! (Ps. 103:10) STOP TELLING GOD HOW UNWORTHY YOU ARE... He already knows and cares for you ANYWAY, enough to have gone to the Cross for you. Thats GRACE! STOP CONDEMNING YOURSELF... He doesnt condemn you. Thats GRACE! (Ro. 8:1) STOP TRYING TO USE YOUR GOOD WORKS TO TRY TO PLEASE GOD... you are ALREADY pleasing to Him in His eyes. Thats GRACE! STOP TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE WITH GOD... He is doing the work of transformation in you and through you as long as you are IN HIM through prayer and through the Word. Thats GRACE! STOP FOLLOWING DOCTRINES AND PRECEPTS OF MEN (PERFORMANCE/WORKS) TO GAIN GODS ACCEPTANCE... He doesnt WANT them or NEED them... He WANTS YOUR HEART, your love, your trust, your obedience to His Word, your obedience and surrender and submission to His Ways. Thats GRACE! STOP TRYING TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND TRYING TO PAY YOUR OWN WAY WITH GOD... IT DOESNT WORK. (Acts 17:28) ...Hes done it ALL. Thats GRACE!

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STOP MIXING LAW (Jewish Law then, denominational law now) WITH GRACE. IT DOESNT WORK. GODS NOT IN IT: Ro.3:20 Ro. 7:9,10 Gal. 3:24,25 Ro. 6:14 Gal. 3:1-3 1 Tim. 1:8,9 Gal.2:19 Gal. 2:16 Ro.7:10 Gal. 3:10 OR GRACE is NO LONGER GRACE! (Ro. 11:6). Thats GRACE! STOP BEING BOUND BY TRADITIONS OF MEN (LAW). GOD ISNT IN IT (Gal. 2:21). Thats GRACE! STOP TRYING TO BECOME GODS KID AND LET HIM LIVE HIS LIFE IN YOU AND THROUGH YOU AS YOU WALK IN HIS WORD AND BECOME INTIMATE WITH HIM (Col. 3:11) Thats GRACE! IV. APPROPRIATING GODS GRACE (TAKING POSSESSION AND WALKING IN THE KINGDOM): ASK to receive SALVATION and GRACE and WALK IN IT, in Jesus Name. (Eph. 2:8,9; John 14:13,14) Tell the Lord in prayer that you appropriate His Grace for your circumstances, by FAITH in HIM, walk in it from this moment on... in His Name. Then TRUST Him for it! Go to the throne room to SEEK HIM for help. (Heb. 4:16) Draw NEAR to Him. (Heb. 10:19-22; Isa. 30:18) Become INTIMATE with the Scriptures: 2 Tim.3:16 Acts 20:32 Ro. 15:4-5 Get humble before God and SUBMIT yourself to Him in TRUST. (1 Pet. 5:5,6)

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 Be grateful and acknowledge Him. (Isa. 26:12) Extend GRACE to others (Col. 3:12-14) ENTER into HIS REST (Heb. 3:11,12,19) His rest = living your life totally in His UNCONDITIONAL, nonperformance-based, unmerited, unwarranted, undeserved LOVE for YOU (GRACE). He leads YOU. HE does it ALL when you TRUST and ABANDON yourself to Him to live in you and CHANGE you. Thats entering into His rest. Get humble Get hungry (for Him and His Word) Get surrendered Get obedient Get trusting Let go and Let God do it THROUGH you.... ALL BY ASKING FOR HIS GRACE, TRUSTING, BELIEVING THAT YOU RECEIVE IT WHEN YOU ASK, THEN WALKING IN IT... in Jesus Name... ...Then... watch it work and manifest in your life. THATS GRACE!!!

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: ABIDING IN CHRIST-The Secret of Spiritual Power I. DEFINITION: To abide means to commune with, to dwell in, to covenant with, to cohabitate with... .all on a continual basis. To abide in Christ means to commune and co-habitate (live) in His Spirit and with His Spirit CONTINUALLY. II. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT ABIDING IN CHRIST: 1) To abide in Christ requires BEING IN CHRIST first, thus the need for: a) the born-again experience or New Birth (John 3:3-5) you MUST INVITE Jesus Christ into your heart (spirit man) to be your Lord and Savior, repenting of sin and renouncing it, then receiving Him by trusting FAITH with all sincerity. Trusting that He does it for the asking and immediately and completely enters your spirit to DWELL (abide) within you, renewing your spirit man completely anew (the New Birth). b) water baptism (John 3:3-5) c) the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-5; Acts 1:8; Acts 8:14-1 7) 2) It is the secret of walking in the Power (anointing) of the Holy Spirit. It is the secret of spiritual power. The secret IS that the spiritual power is not yours but HIS. it is DELEGATED POWER (Greek: dunamis) (Luke 10:19). Its presence in you and ON YOU is the EVIDENCE of ABIDING IN CHRIST (John 15:5) 3) The greater the denial of self in a believers life, the GREATER is the ABIDING and the GREATER is the MANIFESTATION of HIS LIFE AND POWER through and to the believer. 4) It requires a life of abundant prayer, acknowledgment of the Lord, His Will and His Word in all things and in ALL WAYS (Prov. 3:6), emptying oneself as a vessel for the Holy Spirits use (tell Him in prayer), yielding to His Spirit, and then TRUSTING HIM to MANIFEST. 5) When the above are clearly understood, then the believer who ABIDES IN CHRIST, that is, the believer who has personal INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with Him, will recognize readily that he/she is doing NOTHING of their own and that it is HE who is doing it ALL through the YIELDED believer, the believer who is totally yielded to the Holy Spirit and ABIDING in Him (trusting) for ALL. TELL IT TO HIM. SAY IT. PRAY IT.(John 15:4,5; Romans 11:36)

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6) This spiritual principle that when a person is ABIDING IN CHRIST that HE DOES ALL through him/her, is best understood through the following 4 cardinal scriptures: ...NOT I, but CHRIST... (Gal .2:20) ...without ME you can do NOTHING... (John 15:5) . . .I MUST DECREASE that HE might INCREASE... (John 3:30) ...ALL things are IN HIM and THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM.... (Romans 11:36) (the above are essentially paraphrased) 7) The above mandates the recognition that the more one recognizes his/ her ow n helplessness to achieve anything of holiness or kingdom works through ones own self efforts, and the more one is YIELDED to the HOLY SPIRIT, the greater is the ABIDING and manifestation of the POWER (the anointing, the kingdom) (1 Cor. 4:20). This is ABIDING IN CHRIST. Dwelling in Him, communing with HIM in a life of PRAYER and OBEDIENCE to His Word, His Will, His Way. Living in Him. Yielded to Him. Trusting on Him. With this comes the recognition that the power is NOT YOURS but HIS. The recognition of COVENANT. It is not you and me that is doing it all BUT CHRIST IN YOU AND ME. Without this recognition the believer will be powerless. With UNBELIEF the believer will be powerless. WITHOUT FAITH in CHRIST and in His Power and ability to respond, to abide, to commune, to covenant with the believer, the believer will be powerless. Without THANKSGIVING and PRAISE the believer will be powerless. Without acknowledging the Lord FIRST, the believer will be powerless. Without emptying oneself as a vessel for the use of the Holy Spirit, yielding to Him, and then TRUSTING Him, the believer will be powerless. Without PRAYING and SAYING these things to the Holy Spirit, the believer will be powerless. Without stepping out IN FAITH and ACTING after yielding and trusting the Holy Spirit will manifest, the believer will be powerless. For God does nothing but through a TRUSTING FAITH and YIELDEDNESS to His Spirit. It is HIS LIFE THROUGH US, not ours. It is HIS POWER THROUGH US, not ours. It is HIS GRACE THROUGH US, not ours. HE does ALL (1 Cor. 11:12). All things are in Him, through Him, and for Him (Ro. 11:36) and WHEN we are ABIDING in Him, YIELDED to Him, TRUSTING on Him in a life of PRAYER and OBEDIENCE, HE WILL DO ALL THINGS in us, and through us, and for us. We acknowl edge Him in all of our ways and in all things and HE will make straight our path (Prov. 3:6), that is HE WILL SHOW US WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT. HE will give the REVELATIONS.

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III. THE PURPOSE OF ABIDING IN CHRIST 1) For His Glory. (Ro. 11:36) 2) For the work of the Kingdom and the Church. 3) To testify to the believer that he/she is in COVENANT with the Lord Jesus Christ. 4) To demonstrate the REALITY of the LORD JESUS CHRIST as a LIVING PERSON in YOU. 5) For the confirmation of His Power. 6) For the confirmation of His Word. That His Word is TRUE. 7) For the revelation of HIM and His salvation to the believer. IV. WHEN DOES ABIDING IN CHRIST OCCUR?: 1) When the believer receives the New Birth by inviting Christ into his/her heart to be Lord and Savior and TRUSTING that He does so by FAITH in Him. (the bornagain experience). 2) then receiving water baptism and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. 3) When the believer follows a faithwalk according to the Tabernacle pattern (Ex. Chptrs. 25-35): a) entering the Eastern Gate (being born-again in Christ; Christ is the Gate.) This is CONTACT with and initiation in Christ. b) by going first to the brazen altar of sacrifice (the Cross) and receiving salvation by His Shed Blood. c) by going then to the brazen layer to wash (being immersed or washed in the Word of God, getting into the study of the Scriptures; being washed by the water of the Word Eph. 5:20). This is getting into the Word of God to let it cleanse you and renew your mind. d) then, entering the Holy Place where the candelabra illuminates the darkness of the room (the mind). The candelabra represents the Holy Spirit and entering the Holy Place of the Tabernacle (you) represents letting the Holy Spirit come upon you in the Holy Spirit Bapti sm to illuminate YOU. This is the stage of RELATIONSHIP with Christ and HIS SPIRIT. Here we feed on the Word (shewbread table) and relate to God in developing a prayer life (altar of incense).

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e) then, by GRACE, entering through the veil (sin which separates us from Christ), through FAITH in Him, into the Holy of Holies, the presence of the Holy Spirit (within us) through our continual ABIDING, that is COVENANTING with Him through a life of prayer, obedience, trust, acknowledging Him in all things, yielding and faith. This stage of the faithwalk is INTIMACY. It brings the believer into the prophetic anointing (not necessarily the OFFICE of the prophet, which belongs to the church, not the person) and prophetic utterance since the Spirit of Jesus IS the Spirit of Prophecy. (Rev. 19:10) With INTIMACY through prayer, dialogue (hearing God voice), yielding, acknowledging, emptying, trusting and following the LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (INTUITIVE KNOWING), the FULLNESS of ABIDING IN CHRIST. 4) It WILL OCCUR when the believer is YIELDED to the Holy Spirit first in all things by a TRUSTING AND EXPECTANT FAITH that the Holy Spirit WILL teach him/her ALL THINGS (1 John 2:27). 5) It WILL OCCUR when the believer dies to self, SURRENDERING ALL preconceived ideas, doctrines, and teachings received from men and, as did the prophets and apostles, turns to the HOLY SPIRIT and His witness through other spirit-filled believers for teaching and revelation. Remember that the scriptures say that God uses the man of understanding to repair the breach (the break from the true and correct scriptural doctrine of Christ) and to restore the path. THIS IS ABSOLUTE SURRENDER and YIELDING. Not caring what man thinks or says but seeking ONLY Gods Will and revelation by TRUSTING FAITH in HIM. Christ is a LIVING PERSON and He and HE ALONE is OUR SOURCE. There is NO OTHER FOUNDATION for the faithwalk except CHRIST ALONE. (1 Cor. 3:11) V. WHAT ABIDING IN CHRIST DOES FOR THE BELIEVER: demonstrates to him/her that he/she is CHOSEN by God (Deut. 16:11; Deut. 26:2). keeps the believer mindful of the need to have a pure heart and clean hands before God in order to stand on His Holy Hill (abide) with Him (Ps. 15:1-5, Ps. 24:4) makes the believer His disciple (John 8:31). makes the believer His son/daughter (John 8:35) protects the believer against darkness (John 12:46) gives the believer the Holy Spirit (John 14:16)

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 permits you to bear spiritual fruit (John 15:4,5) keeps the believer in the Kingdom (John 15:6) permits the believers desires to be granted (John 15:7) testifies that the believer abides in His Love (John 15:9). testifies that the believer is keeping His commandments (teachings) (John 15:10). testifies that Faith, Hope, and Love abide... all are Jesus and are the evidence of His Presence. (1 Cor. 13:13) testifies that you are abiding in the Gospel since the Father and Son are abiding in you (the New Birth experience). the ANOINTING TEACHES you to ABIDE. (1 John 2:27) abiding gives us CONFIDENCE before Him. (1 John 2:28) abiding motivates our giving to those in need. (1 John 3:17) testifies that we HAVE His Holy Spirit and that He has GIVEN US the Spirit which makes us KNOW that we ABIDE in Him. (1 John 4:13) it demonstrates that whoever transgresses or sins (practices sin) and does not abide in the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST does NOT have God. (2 John 1:9) VI. FURTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR ABIDING IN CHRIST: After we enter the Spirit-filled life of the New Birth, become water- baptized and Spirit-baptized, then We MUST APPROPRIATE (TAKE POSSESSION OF) by GRACE through FAITH and renewal of the mind through the Word, through prayer and supplication, ALL of the following, ASKING IN THE NAME OF JESUS for the HOLY SPIRIT to PROVIDE them for the FULLNESS of ABIDING IN CHRIST: Obedience (1 Sam. 15:22; Heb. 11:8; Heb. 10:9; 2 Kings 22:11-13) Holiness (1 Pet. 1:15,16; Heb. 12;14; 2 Cor. 7:1) Surrender (submission) (Heb. 10:9; Is. 1:19; Eph. 5:21; Mt. 11:28,29) Consecration ( Im yours, Lord [ from the heart]) (Col 4:12; 1 John 2:5; John 17:16; Gal. 5:24) Love (Col. 3:14; 1 John 4:21,22)

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 Thanksgiving (Ps. 50:23; Eph. 5:20; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 5:18) Praise and Worship (Ps. 106:1,2; Ps. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:7; Phil. 2:10; Heb. 2:12; Eph. 1:6,12,14; Phil. 1:11) Prayer (Mt. 21:22; Acts 6:4; Ro. 12:2; 1 Cor. 7:5) Faith (Acts 15:9; Acts 26:18; Ro. 1:17; Ro. 5:1; Ro. 10:17; Ro. 11:20; Ro. 12:3; Ro. 14:23) Repentance (Ps. 51:3; Mk. 1:15; Lk. 17:4) Reverence or fear of the Lord (Prov. 8:13; Acts 9:31; Job 28:28) Conviction (Ro. 12:2; Eph. 4:25-5:7) Acknowledgment (Prov. 3:6; 1 Cor. 14:37) Yieldedness (2 Chron. 30:8; Ja. 3:17) Gentleness (1 Tim. 6:11; Phil. 4:5; Col. 3:12) Devotion or Godliness (1 Tim 4:7; 1 Tim. 6:6; Ps. 86:11) Humility (Is. 66:12; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Pet. 5:5; Ro. 12:10; Phil 2:3) Trusting Faith (Ro. 15:13; Jo. 5:24; Jo. 7:38; Jo. 12:46) Walking by Grace (John 15:5; Ro. 5:20; Eph. 1:6; Eph. 4:7; Gal. 2:8) Servanthood (waiting on God) (Ps. 130:5,6; Acts 20:19; Ro. 12:11) Instruction (study of Scripture) (Neh. 9:20; 1 Jo. 2:27; 1 Tim. 4:6; 2 Tim. 2:15) Dependence on Christs faithfulness (Ps. 145:13; 1 Cor. 1:8,9; 1 John 1:9; 1 Thess. 5:23; 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 2:14) Patience (Heb. 6:12; Ro. 15:4) Sell-control (2 Cor. 10:5; 1 Cor. 6:12) Meekness (Ps. 37:11; Zeph. 3:12; Mt. 5:5) Kindheartedness (Lk. 6:35; Gal. 6:9,10) Peace (Ro. 12:18; Phil 4:6,7)

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VII. CONCLUDING REMARKS Essential to the understanding of ABIDING IN CHRIST is the REMEMBRANCE that ALL THINGS are IN HIM (Ro. 11:36) and that it is HE WHO WORKS ALL in ALL (1 Cor. 12:6). How? By our YIELDING and TRUSTING in HIM. By our ASKING for our needs IN HIS NAME. The reason so many Christians never walk in the power of the Spirit is because they are always waiting for God to do something in their lives while God is waiting for them.., for them to receive Him genuinely into their hearts, not being Christian in name only, ...to RECEIVE HIM, acknowledge Him, ask of Him, yield to Him, TRUST on Him, PRAY to HIM. The Lord Jesus Christ is waiting for a COVENANT RELATIONSHIP from EVERY CHRISTIAN through the NEW BIRTH. When He is received into the heart of the believer through INVITATION, the New Birth will become self-evident and ABIDING WILL OCCUR. The YEARNING to be dwelling in, fellowshipping, living in or co-habitating with the Holy Spirit in you WILL BE THERE as the EVIDENCE of His MANIFEST PRESENCE and POWER. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit that you are a DISCIPLE of Christ and an adopted SON of God. VIII. ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE REFERENCES Job 24:13 Ps.61:4 Ps.91:1 Prov,19:23

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SPIRITUAL WARFARE AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL KEY SCRIPTURES: 1 John 3:8 2 Chron. 20:15 (1 Sam. 17:47) Jer. 51:20 Eph. 6:12 Ps. 144:1 Lk. 10:19, 20 1 John 4:4 1 John4:1-3 I. INTRODUCTION In this modern day and age it is fashionable not to believe in the existence of Satan or any of his fallen angels or demonic spirits. That Satan and they exist is not a matter of conjecture. It is a biblical FACT. Those who deny this and summarily disregard the revelation of scripture have a problem with UNBELIEF and a problem with FAITH in the TRUTH of the Bible and need to re-examine themselves and deal with themselves accordingly (Lam. 3:40) for the real problem is unbelief and the unwillingness to take God at His word which is His very INTEGRITY and HONESTY. Unknowingly, we can insult the Holy Spirit, the spirit of revelation. It is a matter of REVELATION that all scripture is GIVEN by INSPIRATION from God. The New Testament Greek Word for inspired means God-breathed. That is, all SCRIPTURE is DIRECT REVELATION from the Holy Spirit through the minds of the apostles and prophets. It is, therefore, FACT. God tells us things AS THEY ARE. Things are NOT necessarily WHAT WE THINK they are. Can God be trusted to tell us the FACTS? Of course! Romans 3:4 tells us.. . let God be TRUE but every man a liar. . ., and Numbers 23:19 tells us . . . God is not a man that He should lie. . . (NASV). Given these considerations, it is quite difficult to deny that Satan and his kingdom exist. Some say, I dont believe Satan exists!. Well, Jesus did. And He called him and his evil spirits BY NAME and even TALKED to them! And Jesus ought to know, for He is the Son of God and He IS God. So, Satan exists. Its a matter of divine revelation. And he doesnt want you to know it or believe it. As a matter of fact, Satan puts great effort into trying to minister UNBELIEF to all people and, in particular, there are three things that he ministers to the minds of all people through his demonic spirits who minister to our thought-life, and these are 3 THINGS that he wants every person in existence to believe: 1) That God does not exist. 2) That he (Satan) does not exist. 3) That there is NO HURRY TO DO anything.

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By so doing, he sets up people, young and old, to harvest their souls. And he is very good at what he does because he works through SEDUCTION and DECEPTION to make the things of his creation look: 1) so desirable 2) so reasonable 3) so necessary but through the witness of the Spirit to our spirit (Romans 8:16 )... ...we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Cor. 2:11). The admonition of scripture, then, is that we are NOT to be ignorant of things regarding him. One of his lies to the Christian Church has been the ministry of the idea dont talk about Satan, it gives him glory. Can you imagine the state the world would be in today if, during World War II, our military intelligence decided that it did not want to talk about Hitler or the Nazis or direct any attention to them? Indeed, it was knowledge of them and alertness to what they were doing and the ability to RESIST THEM that led to their defeat. And so it is with the warfare with Satan, for we learn from the Scriptures that was goes on the earth is a reflection of the war still going on in the heavenlies (Dan. 10). II. THE PROBLEM OF SATAN 1. Who is Satan? Scripture tells us that he is a fallen archangel whose name was Lucifer (light-bearer) and that when he fell, God changed his name to Satan (deceiver or adversary). 2. Satans sin and fall is described in the following scripture passages: Isaiah 14:12-17 Ezekiel 28:12-19 3. When Satan fell, where was he cast down? The answer is that he was cast down to the earth and that his kingdom now exists ON THE EARTH and in the atmospheric heaven above the earth. Luke 10:18 Revelation 12:9,10 Daniel 10 4. His throne is at Pergamos, Turkey (Rev. 2:13) 5. He walks to and fro (back and forth) upon the earth to patrol it for his purpose and advantage. (Job 1:6-9; Job 2:1,2)

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SPIRITUAL WARFARE - continued III. SATAN A. THE FALL- What happened in heaven? Ezekiel 28:11-19 Isaiah 14:12-17 1) Satans sin was rebellion against God. In Isaiah 14:13,14 we are told of his 5 1 wills by which he intended to be like God. 2) Satan was cast down to the earth. Jesus witnessed it: Luke 10:18 Rev. 12:9,10 and 1/3 of the heavenly host fell with him and were cast down to the earth also: Rev. 12:4 3) Satans kingdom, according to the revelations given DIRECTLY by Jesus, is now ON THE EARTH: 1. He roams the earth and patrols it -Job 1:6-9; Job 2:1-2 2. He also tries to control the atmospheric heaven surrounding the earths surface and resists the Lords angels sent to minister to man and answer prayer. We see all of this in Daniel 10:12-21. Here we see the clear picture of spiritual warfare. Daniel and the Israelites are held captive in Babylon and Daniel has prayed for relief and rescue. The angel Gabriel comes and answers him, telling him that his prayer was heard on the first day it was prayed and he attempted to come to him (Daniel) but the PRINCE OF PERSIA RESISTED Gabriel for 21 days on his way down. Where did he try to stop him? In the atmosphere above the earth as he was descending from heaven. Note that the Prince of Persia is NOT a human prince, for no man could withstand and angel. In the New Testament Greek, the term archon, from the verb archo which means to rule, means prince or ruler. The ruler spirits mentioned in Ephesians 6:12 are these Princes. They are among the Principalities ruling over nations and c their activities. Notice that in Daniel 10:13 Gabriel reveals that he was also left to contend with the Kings of Persia. These probably refer to the higher ranking generals in Satans hierarchy referred to in Eph. 6:12 as the wicked spirits who dwell in high places.

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 It is interesting to note that during deliverance (exorcism), ruler spirits over the oppressed person being ministered to often refer to themselves as princes or kings or rulers when being cast out by name. Note that in Daniel 10:13 that the Archangel Michael is named as the Prince of Israel, that is, Gods guardian-protector over Israel, and in verse 21 he is referred to as your prince. Michael, therefore is the guardian of believers since Daniel was a type of the true believer and Israel was and Old Testament type of the church. Note that in Daniel 10:20 Gabriel warns that he will return to fight the Prince of Persia (persistent little devil, isnt he?) and warns that the Prince of Greece, the demon ruler spirit or principality spirit over Greece was coming, probably to assist the Prince of Persia. Note in Daniel 10:21 that Gabriel reveals that he and Michael, ALONE, do battle with ALL the principalities. Lessons learned from Daniel 10: 1) There is a spiritual war going on in the heavenlies for control of the earth and man at the same time that there is a human struggle upon the earth. 2) Prayer is heard and acted upon IMMEDIATELY. 3) Things experienced in the natural earthly realm are the product and results of battles going on in the spiritual realm FIRST. That is, things in the realm of the spiritual go from the spiritual first down to the natural or earthly realm. 4) There is a hierarchy of demonic spirits and fallen angels who attempts to control the earth and block answered prayer. 5) Life on this earth is spiritual warfare FIRST. See Eph. 6:12-16. 3. His headquarters on the earth, that is, where his throne is, is at Pergamos (Pergamum), Turkey, according to divine revelation. (Rev. 2:13) B. SATANS WORKS ON THE EARTH 1. Jesus says that Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He has 3 functions only. On. 10:10) 2. He tries to deceive even the anointed of God. (1 Chron. 21:1)

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3. He petitions God to try and sift men and that includes YOU. (Job 1; Lk. 22:31) 4. He does his works with all power, signs, and lying wonders. (2 Thess. 2:9) 5. When he comes, he comes as an angel of light, that is, RELIGIOUS. (2 Cor. 11:14) This is a hard thing for most Christians to believe. The scripture does not say that he IS an angel of light but that he comes AS an angel of light. That is, he counterfeits the things of God BUT... they are revealed as DECEITS by the HOLY SPIRIT because they: lack the Spirit are scripturally incorrect lack spiritual power are always operations of the flesh, often with the help of spiritually seduced and uninformed Christians who are scripturally uninformed and not operating in the gifts of the Spirit, particularly the gifts of discernment (Word of Knowledge) and the gift of discernment of spirits. 6. He deceives the whole world (Rev. 12:9,10); the Scripture says, therefore, ...woe to the earth.... (Rev. 12:12) 7. He COUNTERFEITS EVERYTHING that the Lord does. For example, Satan has a COUNTERFEIT trinity made up of him, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet of Revelation, who respectively, are his counterfeit representations of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Another example : Satan has COUNTERFEITS of the Lords angels of the 4 winds (Mt. 24:31; Mk. 13:27; Rev. 7:1) which are known to us as the PRINCES of the North, South, East, and West. He even runs COUNTERFEIT churches! (Rev. 2:9) in the example of this scripture, he is found to have deceived Jews into thinking that they were of God, but the Holy Spirit calls them a synagogue of Satan. Satan can also deceive some people into thinking that they are Christians and, in reality, they are not but do not recognize it because they lack the Spirit or the knowledge of Scriptures to show them and lack the OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD that God demands. 8. He puts demonic spirits against people, including believers, to buffet or harass them. If you dont believe that a Christian can have a demon, then read 2 Cor. 12:7 where Paul, praying to be released from an infirmity, asked God

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three times (praying thrice) to relieve him of it, described by Paul as a messenger from Satan sent to BUFFET him. The Lords reply was that His GRACE was sufficient. Apparently the Lord Jesus was permitting this to do a WORK in Pauls life or, perhaps, keep him humble. Here we see in scripture that Jesus uses Satan and his demonic spirits as His monkey, to perform for HIM and His intents. C. THE TITLES OF SATAN, ACCORDING TO DIVINE REVELATION: the prince of this world(Jn. 12:31; Jn. 14:30; Jn. 16:11) the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2) the prince of demons (Mt. 9:24) the Lord of the Flies (Beelzebub) (Mt. 12:24) the accuser of our brethren (Rev. 12:9,10) the father of lies (Jn. 8:44) the ruler of this world (Jn. 12:31) the great dragon (Rev. 12:9)

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SPIRITUAL WARFARE-continued NOTE: THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION (2 Cor. 1:9,11) and NOT TO FASCINATE THE READER. BE ON GUARD that Satan, through a seducing spirit does not try to lead you into a state of mind of fascination (bewitchment) based on its unusual but SCRIPTURAL content, and by so doing, is inadvertently revered for his power and works. REMEMBER: SATAN WAS DEFEATED AT THE CROSS BY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST NEARLY 2 THOUSAND YEARS AGO and he HAS NO POWER against the BELIEVER EXCEPT that which YOU give him through FEAR, DOUBT, UNBELIEF, UNFORGIVENESS. You must appropriate (take possession of) YOUR VICTORY IN CHRIST over him BY TRUSTING FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ to perform His Word and COVENANT for YOU. ALL demonic manifestations that the believer will see will ALWAYS be a DECEPTION, INTIMIDATION, and BLUFF to try to get the believer to back off, since Satan and his fallen angels and demons have been STRIPPED of power already by our Lord Jesus Christ. When you CONFRONT demonic powers (or Satan himself) KEEP THIS IN MIND... he has NO power over you and ALL that he is trying to do is a BLUFF. You control him and his demonic spirits and stop them DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS by the prayer of BINDING AND LOOSING backed by FAITH in Christ, faith that WHAT YOU HAVE DECREED in the NAME OF JESUS WILL COME TO PASS (Job 22:28; Jn. 14:13,14) BECAUSE the demons MUST OBEY ANYTHING commanded in the Name of Christ Jesus because they are SUBJECT TO YOU in His NAME (Lk. 10:17). The POWER is delegated to YOU and with YOU through the Holy Spirit (Lk. 10:19) and NOTHING SHALL HARM YOU (a promise). This is called the BELIEVERS AUTHORITY in CHRIST. IV. THE OPERATION OF SATANS KINGDOM UPON THE EARTH INTRODUCTION TO DEMONOLOGY: A. Satans ki ngdom upon the earth consists of 4 components: 1) Satan himself 2) fallen angels -probably principalities and evil spirits in high places of Ephesians 6. 3) demons- ruler and power spirits or powers (fly demons) 4) the disembodied spirits (souls) of the unsaved dead whom he has evangelized and harvested. OVERVIEW: Although much has been written by demonologists of various denominations, much scriptural and some not so scriptural, the following will serve as sufficient background information to permit the believer to have all of the background information that he really needs to carry out spiritual warfare and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit for the Lords glory without getting flakey about it arid going off following strange doctrines and imaginations of carnal Christians and others. I believe

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that the following, then, can be soundly demonstrated or inferred by Scripture as well as by practical experience in the deliverance ministry. In regard to Satan, the believer must keep in mind that he is NOT omniscient nor omnipotent... that is, he is neither all knowing nor all powerful. He has lost his power in the life of the believer EXCEPT when the believer yields to him and PERMITS him a place in his/her thought life and gives an area of his/her will over to him. Then, repentance is needed and deliverance must be appropriated by FAITH. Satan acts as a hitchhiker along your road to life. NEVER open your car door (mind) to let him in... hes going to WANT to drive. NEVER let him into your apartment (life), hes going to WANT to CHARGE YOU rent! In other words, he is a usurper of situations and circumstances. Jesus says that he has only three functions: to kill, steal and destroy. He does nothing else. Jesus calls him the prince of this world and tells us that ALL of the world is under the power of Satan. Do you know what that means? It means that EVERYTHING that is part of the world system WILL BE used by him to HIS ADVANTAGE to CARRY ON his destructive work... certain foods to harm our bodies, certain kinds of rock music or the arts and entertainment to evangelize our youth and elderly alike, for examples. As far as he is concerned, ALL things on the earth must serve him and that includes you and me... or so he thinks. Think about it... when we as CHRISTIANS are walking a faithwalk in the Lord Jesus Christ on turf that he has tried to take control of, Satan interprets that as our being in rebellion to him, his kingdom and his purpose. He wages war against us to get us to back down and submit. This is only one of the reasons that Christians face such trials and tribulations. But FEAR NOT, Jesus says,... for I will be with you ALWAYS, EVEN to the end of the age..... That fallen angels and demons are not one and the same is an inference of scripture. In Daniel 10:16,18, the prophet Daniel describes his encounter with the angel Gabriel, referring to him as resembling a human being and having a human appearance. From this and other such scriptures in the Bible, we can infer as a matter of revelation that angels have a physical form or spirit-body, even though we cannot see them with the naked eye unless the Holy Spirit permits us to do so through the gift of discerning of spirits. This would then be true of fallen angels as well as Gods angels, since Gabriel fought the fallen angel called the prince of Persia in face-to- face combat in Daniel Chapter 10. We can infer, then, that ALL angels have a physical form or body. This is also seen by description of the angel forms of the angels that stand before the throne of God as described in the Book of Revelations. The origins of demons is not known. They are not mentioned in Scripture as having fallen from heaven. Neither, in scripture, with the exception of the familiar Spirit described in 1 Sam. 28:7,8, do they appear to have a spirit-body or physical form, although they are known to be experts at producing APPEARANCES of the physical, as the Familiar Spirit did in this chapter when he impersonated the dead prophet Samuel 1. In other words, they are experts at materializations. This is not the same thing as possessing a physical body.

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Demonic spirits differ, then, from fallen angels in that they are spirit-beings without spirit-bodies such as angels have, to the best of our knowledge. Some demonologists believe that they are the DISEMBODIED spirits of the Antedeluvians, the wicked people of the earth who were destroyed in the world wide flood at the time in the world wide flood (2 Peter 3:5,6) referring to the great catastrophic event between Gen.1:1 and Gen.1:2, and described by the Holy Spirit through Jeremiah in Jer. 4:2326. This is to be contrasted to the 2nd Great Flood at the time of Noah, in wheach the world was not destroyed (2 Pet.2:5). That they may have been the disembodied spirits of a previously longstanding and long extinct race that the Lord destroyed because of their evil succumbing to Satan, may be considered evident by Scriptures if one considers the following: Genesis 1:1 and Gen. 1:2 were probably separated by a huge time period. In the first verse the earth is created. In the second, it says that the earth was without form and void (emptiness). A study of several literal translations of the Hebrew of the Old Testament scripture will reveal, however, that this Hebrew word was, noted in so many of our modern Bible translations was actually translated as and means became in the original form and translations. In other words, there is a great implication that some great cataclysmic event occurred between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2 where the earth was created (had form and substance) and then became without form and void, that is, was destroyed. In Jeremiah 4:23-26 the prophet Jeremiah describes this past scene and tells us that he saw, in the Spirit, the earth both formless and void. (This is not end-time prophecy because the Book of Revelation tells us that in the end, the earth will not be destroyed, nor all of its inhabitants, but, instead, will be restored by the Lord Jesus Christ, following which will come The Perfe ct Age.) In verse 26, the Bible tells us that all of its CITIES were pulled down. In other words, there was worldwide destruction and these beings had cities over the earth. Cities represent centers of sizeable populations. In Gen. 1:26,27 God said that He would make man in Our Image. Could this then imply that prior to Gen. 1:2 that that which was upon the earth was NOT made in His Image? Perhaps. He also tells Adam to go forth and REPLENISH the earth (Gen. 1:28). How could the earth be RE -PLENISHED unless it had first been plenished at some time in the past? Was, then, the Creation, actually a Re-Creation in His Image, and is that the reason why the Bible is so specific in its intent to emphasize that Adam and Eve were made in His Image.? Where, then, did the wickedness enter man other than that of original sin secondary to the fall, in order to produce the spiritual descendants of this wicked disembodied race? The answer to that may lie in Gen. 6:1. Here it says that the sons of God (a term for the angels in the Old Testament) saw that the daughters of men were beautiful or fair arid took them as wives, whomever they wanted. In other words, it may have been against their will. In verse 4 it goes on to say that these angels entered into

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them, that is, had sexual intercourse with them, and that the women bore offspring or children who became GIANTS known as the NEPHILIM or giants that inhabited the earth at that time. These verses infer that the angels who did this were not in Gods Will but had left their heavenly abode or were fallen in order to achieve this. In verse 5, it says, that God saw that the wickedness of man was GREAT on the earth (because of the tremendous sin nature that man took on because of these events). From this time on its all history. Enter Noah, then comes the Flood to wipe evil mankind and the Nephilim off of the face of the earth. Enter Satan to obtain his harvest. Between Satan, the fallen angels, and the demonic spirits which make up Satans kingdom on the earth, we come to know by the Scriptures that evil does exist on the earth. They DO EXIST because JESUS SAID THAT THEY EXISTED and TALKED to them. And I can assure you... they are NOT our friends. It is also interesting to note that during some deliverances (exorcisms), when these spirits are commanded to speak TRUTHFULLY (and they CAN be MADE to speak the truth because they ARE SUBJECT to us (Lk. 10:17) in the Name of Jesus), they frequently will acknowledge that they ARE Antedeluvians. The term Antedeluvian means from before the Flood. The DISEMBODIED DEAD are spirits of human origin who are the victims of Satan, that is, unsaved souls. They are on the earth doing his work and his bidding because THAT is where Satan is carrying out his operation at the present moment and they are now a part of his kingdom. They, like demons and fallen angels, MUST carry out his commands or they are tormented and punished by those spirits higher in the chain of command. And there is ALWAYS a chain of command. During exorcisms they are easily identified because they can be commanded to truthfully identify themselves in the Name of Jesus and in so doing will ALWAYS come forth with a human name such as Joe or Sheila and an ancestral relationship can be determined. This is sometimes painful for the person being delivered because it is sometimes found to be the disembodied spirit of a former loved one such as a father or grandparent. The implication is obvious. They have been sent back by Satan to help destroy their own families. Nothing could be more cruel. Many people involved in the deliverance ministry to whom I have talked, have had similar experiences and have made similar observations from these practical but unfortunate experiences. The disembodied (that is, the soul or spirit that has lost or surrendered its human body through physical death) are, I believe, responsible for hauntings which are so common to all cultures and reported by all peoples worldwide.., with a little help from their demonic overseers. These cannot be the spirits of saved individuals because they are not on the earth but in the kingdom of God, in heaven with Jesus. B. THE ACTIONS OF DEMONS In Mt. 8:28-34 the scripture gives us revelation of demon behavior. We note that they firstly seek embodiment (to get into the body of) men, and then, if not possible, of animals. The following observations are made:

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 they like to hang around unclean places such as graveyards. they seek embodiment to maximize their destructions and to live THEIR thought-lives through the minds and wills of the individuals they afflict. they come to kill, steal, and destroy. they delight in tormenting their victims but FEAR being tormented. they induce fear in humans, particularly unbelievers. they must obey any command given in the Name of Christ Jesus. (Lk. 10:17) they can be bound (tied up) and the person loosed (untied) from their bondage in the Name of Christ Jesus (Mt. 16:19; Mt. 18:18; Mt. 12:29) they work in a chain of command or hierarchy and the top man in command is called the ruler spirit or STRONGMAN (AS IS SATAN WHO MUST BE BOUND FIRST, then the strongman or ruler spirit, then all of the underling spirits.., all in the Name of Christ Jesus). The strongman spirit tells all below him what to do. They take their orders from him. Bind him and loose the individual from him and cast him out and all of the others will fall with him. The entire demonic infestation in a person or place is called a STRONGHOLD. The stronghold is toppled by toppling the strongman spirit first (Mt. 12:29). they express emotions they can speak truth (Lk. 4:41) up to a Legion can inhabit one person (2000-6000 demonic spirits = 1 Legion) they keep people naked (Lk. 8:27) they can cause disease (Lk. 13:11) they can produce lying signs arid wonders they seduce and deceive they bring false doctrines into the church (See Galatians) they minister only ONE THING. We learn this by the pattern of the Scriptures which NAMES THEM ACCORDING TO THEIR FUNCTION, that is, according to WHAT they minister to people. Thus, the scriptures, for example, speak of the spirit of FEAR, the LYING spirit, the spirit of

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divination, the spirit of jealousy, etc. Each demonic spirit ministers the thing that it is named. they demonize people. The Bible uses the Greek word diamonizomenoi (Lk. 8:36) which means to have a demon or be demonized and which has been INCORRECTLY translated by men, over the years as demonpossessed. Such a term does not exist in the original and so-called possession would represent a severe degree of control of the thought-life of an individual by demonic spirits, particularly when the WILL of the -person seems to be bound. When it is not and the person can make exercise their own will and appears to be harassed by demonic spirits, the term DEMONIC OPPRESSION is used. It appears, then that demonic oppression and so-called demonic possession really represent opposite extremes of the spectrum of demonization and the degree to which the individual has surrendered his will over to the demonic spirit for its use.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SPIRITUAL WARFARE -continued V. DEMONIZATION IN CHRISTIANS Is it possible for a Christian to have a demon? The scriptural answer to this question in YES. Whereas I do not believe that it is possible for a Christian to be possessed (and have never seen one possessed), I do believe that it is possible for a Christian to be OPPRESSED by demonic spirits, a condition referred to as DEMONIC OPPRESSION. When oppression is so severe as to cause manifestations within an entire household, church, or community, the condition is called DEMONIC INFESTATION, and in such instances, multiple members of a family or community are experiencing or are aware of the activities of demons being present. That demonic oppression is possible in believers is well established in the scriptures, and the following scripture references are key scriptures to the understanding of this concept: Gal. 4:8,9 -where Paul asks if the believer wants to be ENSLAVED by them AGAIN, implying that it is POSSIBLE. 2 Cor. 12:7-9- where Paul acknowledges that he had a demon assigned against him and called him a messenger from Satan who was sent to harass him. He prayed to Jesus to remove the spirit and Jesus reply was that His Grace was sufficient. 2 Cor. 11:34- where scripture demonstrates that it is possible for a believer to receive another spirit other than the Lords. 1 Tim. 4:1-3 -where the Spirit through Paul describes a last-days phenomenon which warns that some will depart from the true doctrine of Christ to pay attention and receive ministry from seducing spirits and receive doctrine from demons. It is happening NOW and the activity is FULL-BLOWN. A good example of this is the ECCLESIASTICAL SPIRIT also known as the RELIGIOUS SPIRIT or DENOMINATIONAL SPIRIT which ministers the demonic doctrine of denominational exclusivity (Our denomination has an exclusive doctrine or insight into the Scriptures which makes us different from all others and WE ARE CORRECT in our faithwalk and interpretation of the Word of God and all others are WRONG and therefore separated from us. The REAL and hidden problem: SPIRITUAL PRIDE. The fruit of such pride and works = DIVISION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. Jesus said that you will KNOW them, if they be of God, BY THEIR FRUITS (Mt. 7:16-20) The ecclesiastical (religious) spirit is an underling or one of the kindred spirit manifestations of the LYING SPIRIT, or, in actuality, the LYING SPIRIT itself. Uninformed Christians or Biblically-ignorant Christians are usually spiritually blinded to this realization, and the religious spirit on them will usually VIGOROUSLY oppose and minister against any such revelation to them by others who know and are informed, with help from the Antichrist spirit. For this reason,

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practical experience in the faithwalk will readily reveal that religious people almost always RESIST the Holy Spirit and the things of the Holy Spirit. God does not call the believer to be religious. He calls the believer to be HOLY. To be holy is to be separated to HIM and HIM ALONE and to WALK IN HIS WORD. Why does God permit us to experience demonic opposition or oppressions? Because God uses Satan and the members of his kingdom as His monkeys to carry out those experiences that He will permit through His Permissive Will to carry out His PURPOSE in our lives: to teach us to walk in victory, to teach us the BELIEVERS AUTHORITY and WHO WE ARE in CHRIST, to mold us, make us, and break us of pride, arrogance and to turn us from our sinful nature and desires, to give us the fullness of the revelation of Christ, to conform us to His Image and to give us formation in Him, to teach us to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring Him the GLORY and BUILD the kingdom by showing others HOW to walk in POWER of the Holy Spirit and WHERE the kingdom REALLY is. God is not being mean or cruel in permitting demonic opposition in our lives. He is DOING A WORK. Not for Him... for US . He is teaching us to walk in His Word, He is teaching us OBEDIENCE and DEPENDENCE upon Him and to TRUST Him and to CALL UPON HIM and TAKE REFUGE IN HIM so that we may have an ever increasing revelation of HIM and His Power for His Glory as He continues to mold us, break us, and then make us into His Image. As He has conquered Satan and all of his kingdom and works, so do WE, by GRACE through FAITH. We appropriate victory and take possession of our land or territory upon this earth which it has pleased God, through His grace, to give us for His glory. God wants you to walk in victory. VI. DEMONIC SPIRITS AND THEIR MINISTRY There are a number of demonic spirits mentioned in the Bible in both Old and New Testaments. I believe that these, in particular, are mentioned because they are STRONGMAN spirits. Experience demonstrates that there are many others as well and that the STRONGMAN spirits usually work in groups of three. For this reason Ecclesiastes 4:12 warns that one (spirit) who is alone can be overpowered, but the 3strand or 3-FOLD CORD is not easily broken. I believe that the 3-fold cord consists

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of the Ruler (strongman) spirit and two other back-up or enabling strongman spirits. They tend to work in 3s. Examples of this are: Python spirit, spirit of guile, spirit of seduction spirits of lust, seduction, pornography spirits of lust, fornication, perversion religious spirit, antichrist spirit, Jezebel spirit spirits of pornography, bondage, violence The pattern of Scripture reveals that a demonic spirit is named by its function and the name of the spirit is WHAT it ministers. We know this from both Old and New Testament scriptures since both demonic spirits and ministering angels of the Lord Jesus are referred to in this manner. Thus 2 Tim. 1:7 refers to the spirit of fear (from Satan) and the spirit of love, power, and a sound mind (given by the Lord Jesus). At first glance it would appear that Jesus is speaking of a believer assuming a certain emotional mood. If, however, we do a word study of the word spirit to find out what original word was used by the Holy Spirit in the original Greek language manuscript of the New Testament, to determine what the Holy Spirit intended to express, we readily find that He used the word pneuma for spirit, and its approximate translation from the Greek means like the wind but with intelligence. The Old Testament Hebrew counterpart for spirit is the Hebrew word rauch which, amazingly is translated with the same proximate meaning. So we see, then, that the spirit of fear is a demonic spirit that ministers fear to a person. The spirits of love, power, and a sound mind, are ministering angels of the Lord Jesus Christ, and minister those blessing, respectively, to the believer. And I believe that if we take God at His Word, we can bind up and off and loose us from a demonic spirit AND EVEN BIND TO a person a ministering angel of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the scripture tells us that WHAT (or WHATEVER) you (shall) BIND on earth IS BOUND in heaven (Mt. 16:19; Mt. 18:18). The actual literal Greek says that whatever you shall bind, already in heaven having been bound, is bound; and whatever you shall loose, already having been loosed in heaven, is loosed...!! The following are the demonic STRONGMAN spirits mentioned in the Scriptures along with comments on what they minister (in most, what they minister will be obvious by their names): familiar spirit-1 Sam. 28:7,8 This is the Old Testament term for demon. It is called familiar because it is assigned to families and their members. Satan has seen to it that ALL believers and unbelievers alike have these spirits assigned to them and the other family members for their destruction. It will minister the particular sin that some member of the family

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opened the door to in the past, to other family members. Thus, if an ancestor took an interest in fornication and opened that door Satan, an assignment against that family is formed and the familiar spirit of fornication will minister that sin down the family line to the descendants, carrying out the generation curse of fornication in that family line. If great-great-grandpa was a fornicator, it is likely that great-grandpa and grandpa will have gotten into fornication at some time in their lives since the generations curse comes down 3-4 generations upon the children and descendants of the one who sinned. (Ex. 5:20) The remedy is to confess the sins of the ancestors and predecessors on all sides of ones own families and the spouses families back to the families origins, repenting for grieving the Holy Spirit and for those whom they may have harmed, blessing the Lord and their descendants in restitution, asking the Lords forgiveness, and THEN breaking the generations curse in Jesus Name. (Lev. 26:40-45) The familiar spirit is not only familiar with you and all of your habits, but he was familiar with ALL of your ancestors and their habits, even 30 generations ago or two thousand years ago. He knows your family and its weaknesses well. More than one familiar spirit may be assigned to a person. Suspect the familiar spirit and generations curse when you see more than one of the same type of problem in a family line affecting more than one generation. For instance, multiple cases of diabetes mellitus, cancer, premature or sudden deaths, divorce, alcoholism, addictions, sexual immorality, adultery, fornication, etc. Even behavioral traits such as unbelief, resisting the Holy Spirit, lust, anger, mental or emotional problems that tend to run in families may represent demonic ministry of the familiar spirit. The familiar spirit will first affect the priest of the house, the head of the household with whom the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the family members resides. Upon the death of the father of the family, the head of the household, the familiar spirit will pass down upon the first-born son, according to the pattern of Old Testament scripture. spirit of Python (divination) This spirit is named Python from the New Testament Greek manuscript word Puethon which means a Python snake. The snake, representative of Satan himself as the spiritual embodiment of all occult powers and occult sciences, represents the spirit of divination, through which, by various occult sciences such as astrology, palm reading, tea leaf readings, runes, seances, mediums, passive meditations such as yoga, TM, mantras, chants, Ouija board, New Age practices, crystal gazing, channeling, but to name a few, it is capable of giving so-called psychic powers to so- called psychic people who can then supposedly use them to tell the future. In actuality, because Satan was once in heaven and knows Gods plans for a persons life and their past histories, the demonic spirits assigned to the person simply transfer the information to the demonic spirits assigned to the psychic who then tells the person things about their lives or future that may come true... sometimes because God has carried them out and sometimes because

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Satan has, in order to get them to believe in psychic or SOUL power. It is ALL a deception. The spirit of Python acts like a snake. Just as this snake can squeeze the life out of a person that it has wrapped around, the spirit of Python can squeeze the life out of a church (dwindling membership, factions and departing, etc.) or its finances, or can squeeze the life out of a person, their health, business, finances, income, safety, etc. Suspect its presence when you see the lifes blood being squeezed out of a church congregation or its pastor, or out of a person or any aspect of his/her personal life. Python works closely with the spirits of seduction and guile. (See Acts. 16:16) spirit of bondage (Ro. 8:15) Manifestations may include bondage to anger, resentment, bitterness, uriforgiveness, lust, addictions, compulsions, inordinate submission to others, excessive desires for domination or control of others or for possession of power or material things, or to sex, drugs, witchcraft, religion, desires; inability to break away; domination of the persons will. spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7) The fear ministered here is not a normal human fear or concern which is protective and defensive, but an INORDINATE FEAR which dominates the life of the individual and TORMENTS them, governing their decision making and behavior and debilitating them. It is a pathological fear. It can minister specific subtypes of fear such as fear of failure, fear of death, fear of starvation (an obesity spirit along with the little girl spirit and the spirit of obesity or spirit of gluttony). Luke 21:26 implies that it can minister fainting (heart attacks?). It can also minister night- terrors, nightmares, nervous tension, anxiety, timidity, phobias, dread, obsessive-compulsions, inferiority feelings, etc. Suspect its presence in a person whose entire behavior is governed or dominated by fear. deaf and dumb spirit (Mk. 9:25,26) This spirit can minister epilepsy or convulsive seizures, spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness, and physical harm. It can keep a person from expressing themselves spiritually or temporally. spirit of heaviness (Is. 61:3) Also known as the spirit of depression. It may also be one with the spirit of infirmity which causes diseases, because the Old Testament Hebrew word for heaviness also means infirmity. It is driven away by binding, loosing and casting out as well as by the garment of PRAISE (Is. 61:3) Suspect its presence when a person manifests chronic

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depression, chronic illness, chronic fatigue, chronic grief or sorrow. It can also manifest as chronic loneliness, rejection, hopeless or despondent behavior or despair. spirit of infirmity (Lk. 13:11) In Lk. 13:11 a woman bent over with a spinal problem for 18 years was told by Jesus that she had a spirit of infirmity. Notice that Jesus did not hesitate to equate disease with a demonic spirit NOR to tell the person. In Acts 19:12 we see another insight to evil spirits causing disease, for they departed when the anointing of the Holy Spirit was sent by a prayer cloth through Paul to sick individuals who were then healed. In Psalm 31:10 the Psalmist states that he is sick and made weak because of his iniquities or sins. Sin opens the door to the demonic and enables the spirit of infirmity to enter our bodies and afflict. See also spirit of heaviness above. Suspect the presence of this spirit whenever a serious physical disease is present. Then look for the legal ground upon which it stands present (unconfessed or secret sin, rebellion) [ cancer, see Isaiah Chptrs. 3&4], unbelief, pride, any of the causes of unanswered prayer-(see section on prayer), generations curses, curse spoken by others, self- inflicted curse, etc.) spirit of jealousy (Num. 5:14) ministers jealousy, anger, competition, rage, perhaps violence, division, spite, condescencion, malice, violence, cruel behavior, murder, etc. the perverse spirit (Is. 19:14) ministers physical and sexual perversion; ministers perversion of thought-processes; ministers perversion of the doctrine of Christ. ministers sexual deviations, error, false doctrines, twisting of scripture meaning, ministers traps and snares (Prov. 17:20-23) arid causes the person doing the perversion to be caught by others; idolatry of self; false brethren; rebellion, among other things. spirit of whoredoms (harlotry) (Hos. 4:12) Causes a person to go a-whoring, that is, to go after other loves. Just as one love is not sufficient for a prostitute, which causes her to go after more than one love, when the spirit of whoredoms is present it causes the person to go after other loves spiritually or temporally. In short, Jesus in not enough. Jesus is not sufficient or more than sufficient to meet their spiritual and temporal needs, so they include in their faithwalk things and people other than Jesus in an attempt to satisfy their spiritual hunger. This spirit takes advantage of their weakness in trust and need to affirm what they are doing by engaging in

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other means to affirm their faith (which is marginal, otherwise they would not be seeking other loves to affirm their faithwalk rather than JUST TRUSTING JESUS with total abandonment to Him). This spirit can cause them to go after other loves in the form of possessions, material things, power, etc. It is most noticeably present when it causes a person to prostitute their faithwalk by pursuing unscriptural, nondoctrinal practices and beliefs which take from covenant relationship with Christ and nullify it. This spirit makes strong use of TRADITION to achieve its end. spirit of haughtiness (pride) (Prov. 16:18,19) This spirit ministers pride, control, self-assertion, self- righteousness, rumor, gossip, contention, stubbornness, mocking, condescension, selfimportance. the lying spirit (spirit of lies) (2 Chron. 18:22) This spirit ministers lies, vanities, false concepts, false doctrines and false religious beliefs that have no foundation in scripture as divine revelation; ministers delusional thinking and false beliefs, false imaginations, false attitudes, false understandings, obsessions; the religious spirit is a form of lying spirit. the Antichrist spirit (1 John 4:3) Ministers persecution of believers, opposes the offices of the church (pastors, prophets, evangelists, etc.); sniper warfare against believers; displaces Christ and His Blood atonement and substitutes error in doctrine; attacks the credibility of believers and their testimonies; seduces people into false doctrine and error; promotes legalism in the church; causes disruptions in church services and gatherings; opposes the Lord Jesus Christ and ALL of His practices and teachings. unclean spirit (Mt. 12:43 -45; Lk. 4:33) A general or generic term for a demonic spirit, usually keeping a person in a filthy and dirty condition; ministers unclean sexual acts also; perhaps ministers seizures or convulsions (epilepsy), particularly if the other associated signs are present; uncontrollable behaviors; supernatural strength. spirit of detraction (Apocrypha-II Her .Com. 11:4) This spirit ministers pernicious disharmony, strife, and opposition and unbelief.

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 spirit of lethargy (Is. 29:10) Ministers laziness, sleepiness, poverty, inhibition of actions; withdrawal; spiritual blindness; apathetic states and inertias; inability to understand. spirit of stupor (Ro. 11:7) ministers spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness; clouding of consciousness or awareness or understanding. the seducing spirit (2 Tim. 4:1) ministers lying hypocrisies, deceptions, fascinations (particularly inordinate fascinations and preoccupations); searing of ones conscience; object f scinations; spiritual error; seductions of lust or a sexual seductions; seduction for power or position. spirit of death (Rev. 20:13,14) spirit of hell (Rev. 20:13,14) spirit of error (1 John 4:6) ministers error in belief or conduct; ministers doctrinal error; false doctrines; argument; unteachable spirit(human); contention; ministers inability to submit to authority or the Word; the end-time New Age spirit w hich leads the world into destruction. the Jezebel spirit This spirit was the motivating force behind Jezebel, Queen of Israel under King Ahab. As did Jezebel to Ahab, this spirit attempts to bring in false doctrine and false practices, domination and control in both churches and families, causing those in authority to abdicate their positions. Jezebel ministers intimidation and manipulation for the purpose of domination of others. In family life, a wife with a Jezebel spirit tries to dominate and control the husband, contrary to the authority and intent of Scripture which clearly defines the husband as the priest of the house and with whom the anointing for headship is ordained by the Holy Spirit. Jezebellian wives ignore this and bypass the authority of the Holy Spirit to attain their end in control and decision making, controlling finances and the time use of their spouse and subjecting him to their ways and their understanding of the ways things should be. The basic problem is a lack of knowledge of what the Holy Spirit demands and of what the Scripture says. This total and complete disregard for the Holy Spirits mandate that they be SUBJECT to the husband and his decisions in ALL THINGS puts them in rebellion to

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the Scriptures and to the husband and to the ANOINTING. THEY ARE TOUCHING THE ANOINTING AND THE ANOINTED OF GOD. The Jezebellian wife or woman is in REBELLION to God without knowing it, or not caring. God gives a brief period for education, repentance, and submission to Godly authority which, according to the Word resides only with the husband, and if there is no compliance, SWIFT AND CERTAIN JUDGMENT BY GOD FOR REBELLION FOLLOWS. ALWAYS. WITHOUT EXCEPTION. BECAUSE GOD PERFORMS HIS WORD. The consequences of this can be read in Isaiah Chapters 3&4 which implies that the rebellion takes its toll on the physical body. Cancer? Ahab spirit ministers abdication of Godly authority or position in a church or household. Haman spirit (see Ruth) spirit of anti-Semitism. Molech spirit ministers infant sacrifice (abortion) Absolom spirit ministers rebellion to Sons against their fathers. (See story of David and his son, Absolom) spirit of ill will (Judges 9:23) spirit of the Philistines (2 Chron. 21:16) the Philistine spirit ministers the turning upon or spiritual or physical assault against believers (Israel) by pagan unbelievers (Philistines). the spirit of princes (Ps. 76:12) perhaps a title of Satan; perhaps a Ruler, King, or Prince spirit over lesser ruling spirits. the spirit of deep sleep (Is. 29:10) ministers spiritually or physically the spirit of the world (1 Cor. 2:12)

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seduces people into embracing the world system, all of its beliefs and values, and all that it has to offer in the form of wisdom, pleasure, entertainments, values, beliefs, etc. It battles for our children.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SPIRITUAL WARFARE-continued VI. DEMONIC SPIRITS AND THEIR MINISTRY -continued Other commonly discerned and manifesting demonic spirits are the: spirit of fornication this spirit ministers sexual immorality, sexual fornication, spiritual fornication (embracing false doctrines or man-made doctrines), masturbation, sodomy (oral or anal sex or sex with animals), adultery (sexual or spiritual), perversions. May also minister homosexuality and lesbianism. spirit of lust this spirit ministers various forms of lust. Underling spirits include the spirit of self-lust, spirit of eye lust, spirit of lust for the flesh, spirit of lust for power, spirits of lust for wealth, money, control. spirit of control this spirit ministers control over a spouse, employee, family member, church, people, etc. In the family environment it may be associated with co-dependency. It works closely in the 3-fold cord with the Jezebel spirit and antichrist or religious spirits. It also works closely with the spirit of witchcraft to maintain domination through manipulation and intimidation. These are clues to its presence. spirit of witchcraft this spirit is the spirit behind all of the occult sciences and occult practices including all of those associated with the New Age Movement. It is the moving force and power behind the practices of telepathy, psychic readings, clairvoyance, witchcraft spells and conjurations, yoga and transcendental meditations and their psychic feats, crystals, astrology, numerology, palmistry, runes, tarot cards, and all other forms of divination (telling the future or source); acupuncture, biofeedback, hypnosis, creative visualization and ALL other practices where a passive state of mind (passive will) is encouraged or where stilling the mind of thought is encouraged. Passivity is an open door to demonic entry. That includes passivity of will, spirit, mind, attitude, speech, and even body. (See Jesse PennLewiss book, War on the Saints, Overcomers Press); this is also the

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spirit behind Satanism and its practices, cultural witchcraft practices such as Haitian voodoo, Cuban santeria, Jamaican obia, African nature spirit worship and that of many other indigenous cultures of North America, South and Central America, the Amazon, New Guinea, Borneo, and Australia but to name a few. spirit of idolatry this spirit is at work and present whenever a person has an idol in his life. The person who is into idolatry places great importance on the thing that he is making an idol of, and displays fierce attachment and covetousness of maintaining possession of it. The idol might be an object or possession to which the person attaches great power or importance. One can also make an idol out of sports, entertainments, position, intellect, intellectual pursuits, ones profession, the mind, money, sex, the human body, sexual organs, and even ones own opinion of the truth placed upon the altar of ones own heart, but to name a few. This is a pernicious spirit. spirit of unbelief spirit of doubt spirit of worry this spirit ministers excessive or pathologic worry spirit of anxiety spirit of bulimia spirit of fear of starvation this spirit ministers obesity spirit of gluttony this spirit ministers obesity and excessive eating spirit of starvation ministers starvation and, perhaps, fear of starvation spirit of anorexia spirit of anger

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 spirit of rejection spirit of unforgiveness spirit of bitterness ministers the root of bitterness to a person and his/her subsequent bitter root judgment of the person who offended them. spirit of resentment spirit of hate spirit of rage spirit of confusion a witchcraft spirit spirit of condemnation spirit of deception spirit of murder spirit of theft spirit of destruction spirit of hardheartedness spirit of cruelty spirit of sexual abuse spirit of vulgarity spirit of blasphemy spirit of physical abuse spirit of violence spirit of accidents spirit of car accidents spirit of plane accidents

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 spirit of boat accidents spirit of bike accidents spirit of homosexuality spirit of lesbianism spirit of love in certain instances, when present, it keeps people single and frustrates their getting married. Ma y be a familiar spirit in some families. This does NOT mean that every person who lives an unmarried life has a spirit of love. The presence of this spirit is confirmed through the gift of discernment (word of knowledge) through revelation of the Holy Spirit. the erotic spirit ministers interest in the erotic. spirit of pornography spirit of addictions ministers addiction to drugs, alcohol, foods, sex, possessions, etc. spirit of insomnia the presence of this spirit is determined by discernment through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Possible medical, physical, or emotional causes of insomnia must be ruled out first. spirit of torment spirit of inadequacy spirit of inferiority spirit of fear of rejection spirit of distrust spirit of suspicion spirit of paranoia spirit of rebellion

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ministers all forms of rebellion in a person and works closely with the spirit of witchcraft. the religious spirit a form of lying spirit, this spirit ministers preoccupation with nonscriptural man-made religious doctrines and traditions of men, many of which it probably helped to develop. It ministers fierce resistance to the Bible and to the Holy Spirit and things of the Holy Spirit such as the Holy Spirit Baptism and Gifts. spirit of accusations spirit of strife ministers strife and arguments spirit of pride spirit of grief ministers excessive or pathologic grief, often at times of the loss of a loved one. spirit of false burdens ministers the taking on of burdens which are neither indicated nor necessary in order to both psychologically and spiritually wear down the person under attack. spirit of fatigue spirit of legalism spirit of infirmity named according to the disease or infirmity that it causes. For example, the spirit of arthritis, the spirit of cancer, the spirit of heart disease, are all forms of the spirit of infirmity. spirit of guilt ministers excessive or pathologic guilt. This is not to be confused with the remorse experienced when a person comes under the conviction of the Holy Spirit for sinning. spirit of death

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ministers sudden or premature death in the young, and death in the elderly. spirit of mind binding this spirit binds up a persons mind or thought-life so that they cannot think freely or with ease or makes them continually focused on one or more preoccupations. spirit of divorce spirit of separation (division) spirit of double-mindedness ministers mental instability and behavioral instability; also ministers alternating interest and indifference. VII. PRINCIPLES OF DISCERNING THE SPIRITS By now it should be apparent to the reader that demonic spirits are named according to their function, that is, what they minister. It appears that in most instances each demonic spirit will minister only one thing to a person. For example, the spirit of fear of failure will only minister fear of failure to a person. There are many books written on the subject of spiritual warfare where long lists of names of demons appear on several pages within the books. These are sometimes helpful but in most instances it is NOT NECESSARY to carry around lists of demons names nor to consult long lists in books. The Bible clearly demonstrates to us that the things of the Spirit are spirit and that spiritual things are spiritually discerned because the Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirit man (Ro. 8:16). It should therefore become apparent that in ministry to a demonically-oppressed person, the believer who is doing the ministering must DEPEND upon the LEADING and REVELATION of the Holy Spirit to determine what demonic spirits are present and which one is the ruler spirit. In other words, identification is obtained by total and complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit for revelation and confirmation. Discerning the spirits, then can be accomplished by: 1) thanksgiving and praise prayer followed by acknowledging the Lord in all of your ways (Prov. 3:6) and then YIELDING to the Holy Spirit and TRUSTING Him for the manifestations of revelation and discernment, ASKING it in the Name of Christ Jesus. 2) operating in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and particularly in the KNOWLEDGE GIFTS OF:

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 word of knowledge(discernment) where the Spirit gives the revelation to your mind as a knowing or fact that was not derived through reason or logic; you know that you know that you know. word of wisdom where the Holy Spirit leads in what to do and ask of the person being ministered to or the spirit being confronted. discernment of spirits the gift in which the Lord opens the believers spirit-vision (screen of the mind or imagination) and shows him/her the demonic spirit and what it is doing. This gift often works with word of knowledge at the same time. One can also discern spirits of the Lord with this gift. If one is seeing only demons, he/she is NOT operating in the gift of discernment of spirits. 3) testing the spirits after first binding Satan, then the ruler or strongman spirit, and then all spirits below the strongman as identified (sometimes referred to as all spirits not of the Holy Spirit, all kindred spirits, all spirits not of the Holy Spirit above, around and below the strongman, or all of his underlings) the person ministering deliverance can do the following: determine if the spirit if of God by commanding in the Name of Jesus for the spirit to repeat aloud that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh... for no spirit not of the Holy Spirit can say this. (Lk. 10:17; 1 John 4:4) bind the spirit in the Name of Jesus to truthfully identify itself and its function. Jesus did this with the Gaderene demoniac and the spirit identified its name as Legion. Some teach that believers should not talk to demons. Jesus did. He commanded them to identify themselves but did not converse with them. 4) praying in tongues praying in tongues before or during a deliverance session is a very fruitful way to obtain information in-the-Spirit because tongues ALWAYS brings revelation. It is just a matter of praying long enough and then list ening in-the-Spirit for the revelation. 5) hearing Gods voice

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 go before the Lord with thanksgiving and praise, acknowledge Him in all of your ways, yield to Him, trust on Him, then LISTEN FIRST for Him to speak your thoughts or audibly. Wait for a brief period of time. Follow the criteria for voice identification as described in the Bible lesson on hearing Gods voice. Remember that it is accompanied by word of knowledge that it is He who is speaking, and also accompanied by joy and peace which are fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22,23; 1 Cor. 12) It will usually be the first voice. If in doubt, test the spirit. God doesnt mind being tested... Hes the One who gave instructions in the Scripture to do it. He fully realizes that early on it may take some time for you to recognize His voice. If the Lord chooses not to speak after a reasonable amount of time, address the Lord and ASK in the Name of Jesus for identification and direction. Then listen again. 6) asking in the Name of Jesus some Christian believers do not speak in tongues. In such an instance, discernment from the Lord should be sought by ASKING for the revelation of the name of the spirit in the Name of Jesus. Be yielded to the Spirit. Trust on Him. Expect to receive the discernment and/or listen for His voice. Frequently, the Holy Spirit will give spontaneous revelation of what spirit is the dominating or ruler spirit just by the most prominent behavior that the person displays, that is, the thoughts or actions which control their life or dominate their behavior. Demonic spirits frequently minister extremes or excesses of behaviors or thoughts focused upon one thing. For example, preoccupation or obsession with pre-marital sexual activity implies ministry by a spirit of fornication. When such behavior dominates the persons interests and conduct it is likely that fornication is the ruler spirit. One must seek confirmation through the Holy Spirit. VIII. THE PRAYER OF BINDING AND LOOSING We, as believers, have the power to cast out devils (Lk. 10:19) and they MUST OBEY anything commanded in the Name of Jesus for they ARE SUBJECT to US in His Name (Lk. 10:17). Binding and loosing is the KEY to stopping Satan and his devils dead in their tracks. How do we know this? The answer lies in the revelation of Scripture which illustrates, in Daniel Chapter 10 that when Gabriel was descending from heaven to answer Daniels prayer, the devil or demonic principality controlling the nation of Persia (Iraq) tried to do battle with him. Since Gabriel was on his way down from heaven, this could not have occurred in any other location other than in the heavenlies or atmospheric heaven above the earth, for Satan is referred to by Jesus as the prince of the power of the air.

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Now note this. In Mt. 16:19, it says that Jesus said that He would give us the keys to the kingdom of heaven. This term has for many years been very loosely translated, and, if one stops to study various forms of the literal translation from the original Greek of the New Testament manuscript it will be readily noted that the more literal and appropriate translation is the kingdom of the heavenlies which always refers to the atmospheric heaven above the earth and not the heaven of God. Note what Jesus said: I will give you the KEYS to the kingdom of the heavenlies, arid WHATSOEVER you bind on earth SHALL BE BOUND in heaven and WHATSOEVER YOU loose on earth SHALL BE LOOSED in heaven. (translation varied from the KJV to illustrate the point). The kingdom referred to in this scripture verse is the kingdom of Satan which is on the earth and in the atmospheric heaven above the earth where his demonic spirits try to stop angels from answering prayer. Notice that the scripture says WHATSOEVER. That means WHATEVER YO U bind and loose IS bound and loosed in heaven. In other words, God comes into agreement with you and does it. How? By releasing the ANOINTING, the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT by YOUR FAITH. Remember, it is THE ANOINTING that BREAKS the YOKE (BONDAGE) of devils (demons) and disease (Is. 10:27). When you exercise your faith and trust in God to perform the prayer of binding and loosing through you, your faith releases the anointing which breaks the bondage and causes the deliverance to occur. Now read the following scriptures and get them into your spirit: Mt. 16:19 Mt. 18:18 Mt. 12:29 You will note that binding and loosing is thoroughly scriptural and it applies to YOU. Anywhere in the scriptures where the pronoun you appears, you can substitute your own name and the scripture will change into a more profound personal scripture to minister directly to you with increased anointing and power. This is confirmed by Mark 16:17 where Jesus says that... in My Name YOU WILL cast out devils.... The scriptural precedent is quite clear. The true believer WILL do these things. In fact, the verse preceding this says that such ARE THE SIGNS of those WHO BELIEVE, that is, those who are actually TRUE BELIEVERS. They step out in faith and DO. May I ask you a question? How many devils have YOU cast out lately? None? Well, you will, WHEN you STEP OUT IN FAITH AND ACCEPT GOD AT HIS WORD. THEN you will see His POWER and discover that His Word is TRUE and can be LITERALLY ACCEPTED just as it is written. That is the reason why God gave us the Scriptures because He has something to SAY to you and me. So the key to stopping Satan and his demons is to BIND AND LOOSE them in the Name of Jesus. The word bind actually means to tie up to such a degree as to completely immobilize and paralyze, and the word loose means to untie. Satan or the demon is bound in Jesus Name and the person being oppressed is loosed from them in Jesus Name. Note in Mt. 12:29 that before the strongmans house or

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stronghold can be pillaged or torn down that we must FIRST BIND THE STRONGMAN. The first strongman is Satan and the strongman under him is the ruler spirit or strongman spirit assigned to the person being ministered to. The order of binding and loosing, then, when it comes to personal ministry to oppressed persons is to first bind Satan, then the ruler or strongman spirit assigned to the individual, and then each and every known underling spirit. The commands may be spoken in your own words, trusting that the Spirit leads. Examples of these appear in the next section of this topic. You can bind, break the power of and loose (name)... in the Name of Christ Jesus... any or all of the following: demonic spirits by name or not by name, addressing the latter as all spirits not of the Holy Spirit... curses (until they can be broken) hexes vexes bewitchments enchantrnents spells ligatures workings (of witches) ministrations of demons false beliefs false attitudes false understandings false wisdom false imaginations anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. and BREAK THEM off of the mind of the person and cast them down as vain thoughts and imaginations.., all in the Name of Christ Jesus. Speak it in that way: Father, I bind, break and loose those things from the mind of (name), loose him/her from them and cast them down... in Jesus Name. Then BIND TO HIM/HER the Lord Jesus ministering angels of love, power and a sound mind and speak clarity of thought and judgment upon the person in Jesus Name, as a blessing to replace that curse. physical or psychic (mental) attacks physical or psychic assignments physical or psychic operations all arguments judgments of witches or warlocks

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Note that psychic attack can occur slowly over time as occasional but recurrent negativ e thoughts that finally take root in the oppressed persons mind as a belief which they act upon or respond to, resulting in spiritual or psychological debilitation; or it may occur as barrages of thoughts flooding the mind all at one time... what someone has whimsically called a polar bear attack. Psychic assignments are an assignment or purpose to be carried out against a human victim by a group of demons under the ruler spirit who are instructed to carry out their assignment. When this assignment is against the human body, it is called a physical assignment. A physical or psychic operation is a full blown assault against the mind or body of a person, or against a community or church. There is a sense of the unnatural about it, a negative discernment. On the personal level of spiritual warfare, the battle is usually in the MIND or thoughtlife of he individual being oppressed. REMEMBER: ALL NEGATIVE, DISPARAGING or HARMFUL thoughts are of the Devil. Jesus said that you judge something, if it be of God, by its fruits. The fruits of such thoughts are to discourage, harm or debilitate or destroy. Jesus said that SATAN comes to destroy, kill, and steal. It is a matter of divine revelation. IX. THE MINISTRY OF DELIVERANCE It is a mistake to just jump into performing deliverance upon a believer or unbeliever without discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is also a mistake to attempt deliverance without the ANOINTING being present for it is the ANOINTING that breaks the yoke or bondage. There must be preparation of the deliverance minister AND discernment of the person receiving deliverance, whom I shall refer to from this point on as the ministree. Although deliverance under the ANOINTING or POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT is relatively easy, since the Spirit is doing it through you, and NOT YOU, beginners who are learning to walk in the power of the Spirit will find on-the-job training from an experienced believer who knows how to minister deliverance to be a great blessing and provision to get started in the so-called deliverance ministry. It is not necessary, however, if one is not available, since scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach you ALL THINGS under the anointing when you step out in faith and trust Him to lead you. This section will provide you with examples of commands that can be used, but feel free to use your own AFTER you have been prayed up and yielded to the Holy Spirit and tell Him that you TRUST Him to lead you in what to do. It is IMPORTANT to remember that EVERY command MUST be made in the NAME OF CHRIST JESUS. You have no authority to command Satan on your own. It is Jesus delegated authority given to you (Lk. 10:19) that permits the result. This is the ANOINTING which you release upon the ministree by your faith and which he/she MUST RECEIVE by faith. Remember, we get to command demons in Jesus Name

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because He said that the things that He did we WILL do because He was going to the father (John 14:12), and He COMMANDED demons, He commanded the wind and waters, and He commanded Lazarus to come forth from the dead. There is a scriptural precedent for doing so. Before ministering deliverance, it is wise to interview the person seeking deliverance. Many people seek deliverance because they want to get a monkey off of their back.... This is wrong motive and deliverance will not occur under such conditions. It is futile to attempt it. They must seek deliverance through self-examination for sin followed by true repentance and Godly sorrow for grieving the Holy Spirit before deliverance will occur, with the exception of a sovereign move of Gods grace. There may be open doors to demons that need to be closed first so that they dont get cast out the front door and go around the back of the house in through the back door which ha s been left open for them to come back in. These latter back doors which are left open are usually legal ground for Satan to have a stand or foothold in the persons life through past physical or mental or emotional traumas such as rejection, bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, criticism or judgment of others, anger, unrepentance, willful or secret sin, spiritual lukewarmness, idolatry of self or others, unbelief, doubt, resisting the Holy Spirit, holding on to sinful things that they do not want to part with, such as witchcraft objects or practices, religious objects (idols) or practices which represent the ministry of the spirit of religion (lies) and which we never see Jesus or the apostles regarding in the scriptures, all of which is also idolatry. These are but to name some of the common and more serious hindrances to deliverance. There must be a Godly repentance and RENOUNCEMENT of these things before deliverance will occur. When the deliverance minister is prayed up before hand and seeks the Holy Spirit for discernment or word of knowledge and word of wisdom of what to do or say, the Spirit will lead and show what needs to be repented of first, and whether or not inner healing, that is, healing of the inner man or soul (from a broken heart or wounded spirit) must take place FIRST before deliverance in order to close the doors of those open emotional or past physical traumas that wounded the psyche or mind. Follow the leading of the Spirit and speak those door closed and sealed by the Blood of Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus Name and ask the Lord to seal them in the Spirit by trusting faith in His Name, and He will do it. Sometimes this alone will effect deliverance since healing and deliverance are one and the same. They are just different manifestations of the same ANOINTING. Be yielded to the Holy Spirit after acknowledging Him and His anointing and then TRUST and follow the inclinations of your intuition (spirit man) immediately thereafter. After all, you said that you TRUSTED the Holy Spirit, didnt you? Well then, DO IT. You will be amazed at how accurately He will lead you. A) Requirements for the minister of deliverance: Go before the Lord and confess your own sins to Him and repent and ask for forgiveness. We cannot stand on the hill of the Lord without a pure heart and clean hands. (Ps. 24:4)

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Be prayed up before hand with abundant thanksgiving and praise, and TONGUES if you speak in tongues. I have found from personal experience that if I spend 1-3 hours doing this beforehand that the deliverance session will be relatively short, perhaps 1-3 hours, and sometimes just minutes. Whenever I have spent less time in prayer, I have found that sessions took much longer, up to 6-12 hours. I do not believe that God wants that, and that when such occurred there was a reasonable chance that there was a block to deliverance. Seek discernment from the Holy Spirit. acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways; tell Him in particular that you acknowledge His salvation, healing, deliverance, provision, blessings, protection, covenant, Blood, Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, the Anointing, and His PRESENCE. then, tell Him that you YIELD to His Holy Spirit as and empty vessel for His use, then tell Him that you TRUST Him, by your FAITH in Him for His manifestations of His Spirit. then proceed to ACT. Do something. Start commanding in the Name of Jesus. be sure that you do not have any of the sins or blocks mentioned above, in your own life, which will hinder your effectiveness to minister also. B) Requirements of the ministree: right motive confession of sin preferably a born-again, Spirit-filled believer. Whereas deliverance of unbelievers is possible, it is also dangerous since, if they will not follow up with a commitment for Christ and faithwalk through a life of prayer and scripture reading, the gospel of Matthew says that the demon, seeing that its house has been cleaned, after wandering in dry places, says that it will return to its house... bringing 7 spirits worse than itself so that the end state of the person ends up being worse than the first. Unbelievers should be given the GOSPEL FIRST and elect and promise to make a FIRM COMMITMENT to CHRIST and His faithwalk before receiving deliverance. determine the need for inner healing of emotional/physical traumas or any other special needs beforehand. must not doubt that God wants them free nor be in unbelief. must not be a lukewarm Christian.

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 must not have secret sin, bitterness, anger, resentment or unforgiveness on their heart beforehand; if they do, they must will to repent and renounce and RELEASE the offending party from their anger or unforgiveness, and THEN release and forgive THEMSELVES. It must be from the heart and not just going through the motions... to get the job done so that they get set free. Wrong motive will not bring deliverance. they MUST receive deliverance by GRACE through their FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS and believe they receive. they must DESIRE to be free and AGREE that they want the devils out of their thought-life. C) THE DELIVERANCE PROCEDURE There are many ways to minister deliverance. The simplest way described by scripture is to simply command the spirit out in the Name of Jesus... saying Come out of him/her in the Name of Christ Jesus or spirit of (name), I bind you and break your power, and loose (name of person) from you, and cast you out in the Name of Christ Jesus. They will go wandering in dry places unless you direct them specifically, using commands, such as to the feet of Christ Jesus or to the pit to await the end of the age; in other words to locations where there has already been a scriptural precedent for them to go or be. More formal deliverance is not at all out of order since it affords the believer the opportunity to exercise his/her AUTHORITY in Christ and thus builds the faith of both the minister and the ministree. In such instances I use the following commands, telling the ministree that I am now going to talk to their thoughts and not to them, and asking the ministree to speak aloud the FIRST THOUGHT that enters their mind should I ask the spirit a question, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. I then give the following commands and statements: All spirits not of the Holy Spirit, I address you in the Name of Christ Jesus.. In the Name of Christ Jesus, I: take authority over you, bind each of you and break your powers bind you, Satan, up and off from the ruler spirit, from all spirits above, around and below him, bind you ruler spirit up and off from Satan, from those above, around and below you, and each and ever one of you

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demonic spirits under the ruler spirit up and off from the ruler spirit and Satan... all in Christ Jesus Name. I break all of your powers and command you to cease ministry in Christ Jesus Name. I bind each and everyone of you up and off from taking violent action, retaliation or revenge, or accusations... in Christ Jesus Name. I bind up and off all reinforcements, in Christ Jesus Name. I command you to stop giving (name of rninistree) your benefits or ministrations, I break your communications and supply lines, and I bind up and off all kindred spirits.., in Christ Jesus Name. Now there will be several options. Be led by the Spirit. You can either bind the underling spirits to the ruler spirit, which is extremely effective, and cast the ruler spirit out in Christ Jesus Name. All under him will follow and leave in panic because they no longer have leadership. Or, after binding Satan and the ruler spirit, you can command out the particular spiri t causing the debilitating behavior or emotion, by name, calling it spirit of (name it), come out of him/her in the Name of Christ Jesus. Keep REPEATING COMMANDS until a MANIFESTATION is preferably seen. Continue to bind, loose, and cast out in the Name of Jesus until you feel a release from the Holy Spirit that the deliverance (exorcism) is complete. What else to expect during the deliverance session: delay tactics from the enemy such as: mockery (spirit of mockery) drowsiness ministered to the ministree (command the spirit to look directly into your eyes in Jesus Name. silence physical sensations directed against the ministers body, such as prickling and tingling sensations to instill fear (dont budge, friends, its only a show, a bluff... remember they have NO POWER... it was taken from them at the cross by Jesus nearly 2000 years ago. inducing fear in the minister fainting

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 verbal threats (tell them to shut up in Christ Jesus Name.) signs and wonders to instill fear. Ignore them. supernatural strength signs of persistent demonic presence: voicing of supernaturally obtained knowledge of the minister or his/her identity dilated pupils in bright light (excepting medications or a medical condition) supernatural strength. SIGNS that DELIVERANCE is taking place: yawning wretching or vomiting passing gas-rare sneezing coughing, sometimes violently there may be no physical signs in which case the Spirit will give discernment that the devil has departed. In my experience, the most effective deliverances I have seen have been those in which I have seen a physical manifestation of the spirit leaving such as those above. SIGNS THAT DELIVERANCE IS COMPLETED: the ministrees countenance changes. the ministree feels lighter (do not depend on feelings alone) signs that the Holy Spirit has brought the deliverance to completion (the Spirits signs): peace overcomes the ministree joy overcomes him/her ministree goes into thanksgiving and praise ministree sings in the Spirit. ministree dances in the Spirit minister and rninistree receive word of knowledge revelation from the Spirit that the deliverance is complete. You know. This is the witness of the Holy Spirit. FOLLOW-UP CARE

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 the ministree MUST: pray daily read scripture daily get into Christian community worship with others at church on Sunday be encouraged to give regular and continual thanksgiving and praise to the Lord over time. have a contact person to call during the follow-up period if they have questions or recurring troubles from opening the door to Satan again through sin, doubt, or unbelief. receive ministry to build them up in FAITH and in the WORD of God which is able to RENEW THEIR MIND. DELIVERANCE FOR CHURCHES, TOWNS, VILLAGES, STATES, PROVINCES, NATIONS: The order of binding and loosing is different and MUST include the principalities and powers that govern them. This applies even to churches since they function as places of PUBLIC assembly even though they may be private non-profit organizations. The order of binding and LOOSING will be HIERARCHICAL from the top down, just as government operates. You can say, for example: Father in Christ Jesus Name I bind, break the powers of, and loose from (name of church or city, county, state, or nation) firstly Satan, then: the princes of the north, south, east, and west... the prince over the Americas (or other country) the prince of N. America the prince of the United States the prince of Florida (state or province) the prince of Dade county the prince of Miami (or other city)

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 the ruler spirit over (name of church) (name of public place) the ruler spirits over its pastor and each of its people (or over the heads of government and then the people) and, in particular, the spirits of (names) manifesting against them, or to or through them against (names of people, church, etc.). then pray, I bind Satan first, then each and every one of them up and off from him and from those above, around and below, and all above around and below up and off from the ruler spirits, principalities and powers, and from each other. I LOOSE (names of people) from each of them. I take into captivity all of their seedings, works, plans, and activities, curse them at their roots and call them all canceled, made null and void, never manifested, never come to pass, rendered of no effect and no more seeded, ALL IN THE NAME OF CHRIST JESUS. FINAL REMARKS: In personal or corporate deliverance the principle of praying through is of paramount importance. On the personal level in dealing with an oppressed person, the commands of binding, loosing, and casting out are simply and firmly REPEATED aloud until the will of the demonic spirit is broken and he can no longer resist. Signs of this happening are commonly seen in the form of crying or pleading behavior. Keep commanding them to come out in the Name. On the corporate level, as in a church or its pastor(s) or people, the commands should be repeated and prayer continued until an obvious change is noted in the condition of the church, nation, city, or whatever is being prayed for. Release from the Holy Spirit will be experienced in the form of the spiritual fruits of peace joy, and the Gifts of the Spirit in the form of discernment or word of knowledge that freedom has come. It may be associated with spontaneous thanksgiving, praise, singing or dancing in the Spirit, that is, led by the Holy Spirit (David danced in the Spirit before the Ark). These are ALL signs that the prayers have been answered. The best time to start deliverance is in the early morning, not during the late evening hours when Satan knows that you might be tired and then try to fatigue you to get you to back off (excepting emergencies). If the minister tires from physical fatigue after long sessions, the deliverance can be continued thereafter in two or three hour sessions over prearranged times, binding Satan and any reinforcements up and off from reentering the stronghold. Remember, there is no time or distance in the spirit world.

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Some deliverances occur over time. I know of one that required weekly sessions for almost one year. Most, however, require only one or two sessions. DEPEND on the Holy Spirit to lead and DELIVER. Persistence is the KEY. KEEP commanding departure in the Name of Jesus. It will happen by FAITH in Him. The minister must be encouraged NOT to be discouraged if nothing happens immediately but to keep BELIEVING and TRUSTING that JESUS WILL DO IT by THEIR FAITH in Him. Why? Because the Scripture tells us that JESUS CHRIST IS FAITHFUL and that WHAT HE HAS PROMISED HE WILL DO, for GOD IS NOT A MAN THAT HE SHOULD LIE to us. Deliverance, brothers and sisters, is part of the Abrahamic covenant promise to us who BELIEVE.

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BIBLE STUDY
Spiritual Warfare II TOPIC: CURSED OBJECTS INTRODUCTION: Cursed objects are, perhaps, one of the most curious subjects of the Bible and one of the more difficult subjects to conceptualize in modern-day terms. It is difficult to conceive in ones own mind that such things exist yet it is a matter of DIVINE REVELATION... they exist BECAUSE God SAYS that they exist, and in the Scriptures He reveals to us how they are used by Satan as part of Satans creation to work his will and his ways into the lives of unsuspecting individuals, believers and unbelievers alike. There are approximately 20 Old Testament verses and one New Testament verse referring to them, the latter showing that the New Testament saints were recognizing them and dealing with them to destroy them as God has mandated in both Old and New Testaments. Before proceeding with the lesson, it is necessary to understand the variable descriptions of cursed objects in varying translations. Depending upon the translation of the Bible that you are using, they are variably known and referred to in scripture as the accursed (cursed) thing (King James Version), thing(s) devoted to destruction (Amplified Bible), things under the ban (New American Standard Bible), that which is devoted (to destruction) (New International Version), or devoted things. (Josh. 7:13) These variable translations point out that they are to be banned from our presence and are devoted by Father God to destruction. They are not to be possessed, kept in the house or workplace, or owned. In this day and age, believe it or not, they are all around us and ALL of us have had some in our possession because of our lack of knowledge... and to our detriment, I regret to say. We will see why, shortly. The importance of identifying and destroying cursed objects is well established by Scripture and the IMPORTANCE of doing so and PURPOSE is best defined in Joshua 7:13. KEY SCRIPTURE: Joshua 7:13 ...There is an ACCURSED THING in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou CANST NOT STAND BEFORE THINE ENEMIES UNTIL ye TAKE AWAY the accursed thing from among you. (KJV) I. DEFINITION: A CURSED OBJECT is an object to which a demonic spirit is attached and which is therefore used by Satan as a POINT OF CONTACT with a demonic spirit for the purpose of gaining entry into a household or workplace where it can then MINISTER against the person(s) possessing it. Its purpose is to minister harm to the thought-life

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of those possessing it and consequent strife, argument, evil desires, and any unholy thing assigned to it to perform, ...in short, to carry out an assignment given by Satan against the possessor and his/her family. II. HISTORY The earliest references to cursed objects in Old Testament history are defined in Deuteronomy 5:6-10 where man is admonished by God NOT to make a GRAVEN (threedimensional or formed) image of ANYTHING above the earth, on the earth or below the earth. The command in these verses was two fold: do NOT make them and do NOT worship them. Their earliest appearances among the peoples were in the form of small stone-carved or plaster dolls representing different pagan gods (the Israelites not uncommonly got into idolatry and the problem of SYNCRETISM (mixing the things of God with practices of pagan religions which were from time to time brought into Israel or which they acquired during their stay in Egypt. God NEVER PERMITS MIXTURE). These were called household idols. The Hebrew term for IDOL is TERAPHIM and the word means DEMON. The Holy Spirit used this term when He authored the Scriptures to demonstrate to us that the object was a POINT OF CONTACT with a demonic spirit. When pagan religions took root in Israel it was not uncommon for, the people to set up these idols on high ground or upon the tops of cliffs or rock formations overlooking valleys, homes, villages, etc... These locations became known as high places and probably represented the dwelling place of the principality or power spirit overlooking the property or territory of the possessor or the people. The high places were eventually destroyed and eradicated over a long period of history. It was difficult to get the people to give up their practices and possessions... that is true of cursed objects even today. Few people understand that affection for the object and desire to maintain possession of it are part of ministry to the person owning the objects. WHAT, THEN, ARE CURSED OBJECTS? They are ANY object to which a demonic spirit is attached for the purpose of using it as a point of contact so as to gain entry into a home or workplace for the purpose of destructive and harmful ministry to the person possessing it. In Old Testament times they were recognized as presenting in various forms and could be anything from a breastplate (ephod) to teraphim (idol), graven images or molten images. The idea was that the represented GRAVEN or formed (2- or 3-dimensional) images. Today, they may take the form of statues, figurines, carvings, metal castings, art objects, paintings, some fine arts photographs, some antiques, some heirloom possessions (particularly of unsaved family members), CD ROMs, video games, childrens toys (particularly superheroes, games of domination, war, destruction, power, control, force or games or toys with mythological or occult themes or themes involving creatures; or toys purporting to be educational and teaching children secular humanistic moral conduct as a substitute for Jesus or a faithwalk and relationship with Him); posters-particularly those fostering the concept of power, domination, or the idealized human male or female physical form (idolatry), phonograph records with a humanistic or occult message; occult paraphernalia or objects or games such as crystals, crystal balls, or Ouija boards; other games of divination; amulets, lockets, or charms worn as jewelry to which a person attaches a protective significance from wearing it, making it a source of protection rather than the Holy Spirit ,a rabbits foot being an example; pornographic literature, magazines or videos, videos containing unholy themes such as violence, lust, perversion or lustful nudity; objects used as a point of contact with a spirit of

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divination or witchcraft such as horoscopes, grimoires (texts of incantations, spells, crafts, etc.), crystals, etc., but to name a small number. The point is that, in this day and age, Satan has extended what he uses as cursed objects since there is so much more available to use and experience demonstrates that he is an opportunist. I personally believe that even religious objects are used as points-of-contact with religious spirits (a form of lying spirit) since there is no precedence for using or possessing such things in either the Old or New Testaments. Neither are they used in the Book of Acts which is a HISTORY of the early church. And we are warned by Scripture not to lean to our own understanding. This is my personal opinion. Even guns can be cursed objects because they are instruments of DESTRUCTION and the Scripture says that it is Satan who come to kill, steal and DESTROY. WOW!!! Then does that mean that everything in existence is a cursed object? It certainly sounds that way! The answer is no. There is a SPIRITUAL way to determine which objects are cursed and which are not, and we shall see how such determinations are made further on in this study. III. UNDERSTANDING GODS POSITION (NOT YOURS) REGARDING CURSED OBJECTS: At this point of the study please read and study the following scriptures to see what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us: Deut. 5:6-10 Deut. 7:5 Deut. 7:25,26 Josh. 6:18 Josh. 7:1,12,13 Judges 18:14 Is. 30:22 Jer. 32:33,34 Ezek. 20:7,8 Exodus 20:4,5 Acts 19:19 IV. 5 SCRIPTURAL CONSEQUENCES OF POSSESSING CURSED OBJECTS: 1. They DEFILE the house or workplace. (Jer. 32:34) 2. It brings a CURSE upon the owner because he/she is not in obedience to the commandment (teaching) of God through His Word. (Deut. 28:15) 3. They act as idols or POINTS OF CONTACT with a demonic spirit attached to them to gain entry into a home or workplace by owning them. The scripture admonishes us, then to ...CONSIDER WHAT YOU SHOULD DO... (Judges 18:14)

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4. By their possession, they permit a demonic spirit to enter a residence or workplace and TO BE THERE, thus giving it a LEGAL GROUND to stand against the possessor. (Josh. 7:13,14) 5. By possessing cursed objects willingly YOU CANNOT STAND AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES (SATAN). In other words, your willingness to keep them and possess them gives Satan a legal ground to act against you. (Josh. 7:13,14) V. RECOGNIZING AND IDENTIFYING CURSED OBJECTS: The recognition of the presence of cursed objects in the home or workplace is ALWAYS by seeking the leading and revelation of the Holy Spirit through the knowledge gifts of the Holy Spirit Word of Knowledge- the Holy Spirit places in your mind a FACT that, indeed, the object is cursed. You just have a knowing and you know that you know that you know. It is a FACT not derived by reason. It is known through the INTUITION (spirit man) because His Spirit witnesses to our spirit. (Ro. 8:16) Word of Wisdom- this gift is the wisdom of spiritual things, not human wisdom. When this gift is in operation, the believer will be led by the Spirit to question the presence of the object and will feel a leading of the Spirit to destroy it. Word of Wisdom is the knowing action that accompanies the Word of Knowledge. Discernment of spirits- when this gift is in operation, the Holy Spirit opens the spirit vision of the believer so that he/she can actually see the presence of the demonic spirit in the room. The believer must first pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give the revelation and discernment as to whether or not the object is a cursed object or not, and then seeking the guidance of the Spirit through the above gifts of the Holy Spirit OR by hearing Gods voice regarding the matter. You MUST BE PRAYED UP and in-the-Spirit first (thanksgiving, praise, asking, tongues, etc., in other words doing the things of the Spirit first) in order to get the revelation. Do not try to make a determination through the power of your own mind. You will not be operating in discernment (word of knowledge) but rather in your own suspicion. This may lead you to the costly and expensive conclusion, afterward. that you threw out a lot of things that you didnt have to throw out. God is not against you having possessions. The point is that spiritual things are SPIRITUALLY discerned. The presence of cursed objects in a house or workplace should be suspected also if ANY of the following are noted in the environment or are experienced PARTICULARLY when a person is in one area, one room, or ONE LOCALE of the house, indicating the presence of something in that area:

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 sleep disturbances nightmares night terrors arguments strife violence mood swings or changes lusts acts of perversion acts of violence forced thoughts or actions unholy thoughts of actions touching or tingling sensations over face, arms, legs or body while passing through a room or while sleeping anger or other negative emotion occurring only while in a certain room or locale of the house or workplace or only when in the presence of the object. any spontaneous thought, idea, mood change (depression), feeling, or behavior that occurs while only in the presence of a certain object or in a certain room or area of the house/workplace. spontaneous movement of objects in the room or through the air. interference with prayer, Bible reading, or mental concentration in the room where the cursed object is present. It is common to note and increase in strife, argument conflict, or domestic violence in a household in which a cursed object has recently been brought into the home (or workplace). This is being ministered to the people present by demonic spirits using the objects as points of contact. The purpose of their ministry is to bring division through emotional wounding and the infliction of hurt. This may ultimately culminate in divorce, for instance. The demonic spirits have then completed their assignment. A demonic stronghold should be considered present within the home/workplace when a collection of a large number of objects considered by the Scriptures to be creatures of darkness, are present within the home. These would include three or greater numbers of small statues or figurines of owls, frogs, bats, etc., creatures not only associated with the darkness of night but also with witchcraft. Suspect that the objects are active particularly if the owner appears to have an INORDINATE AFFECTION for them or an INORDINATE ATTACHMENT to them and DOES NOT WANT TO GIVE THEM UP or makes strong arguments as to why he/she CANNOT give them up. This is usually being ministered to them in their mind or thought-life by the demonic spirits attached to the objects. Their idea is to preserve the demonic stronghold and the status quo so that they can continue their ministry and assignment. I personally suspect the presence of a cursed object in the nursery or bedroom of an infant or toddler who is experiencing sleep disturbance. I also believe that there is a relationship between the presence of cursed objects or home inhabitation? by demonic spirits and sudden infant death syndrome (crib deaths) reported in infants and young children where no medical cause is found for the death at autopsy. It may be possible to find certain stuffed

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animals, dolls, or toys representing things of violence or destruction present in or near the nursery in these cases. Again, not every toy or possession is bad or evil in representation and the determination must be made through the leading of the Holy Spirit and through the knowledge gifts of the Holy Spirit. Cursed objects are very often BEAUTIFUL in appearance and physically attractive and DESIRABLE to possess. This becomes the deception of Satan, the gateway for desire for ownership, possession, and entry into the home and workplace. VI. HOW TO FIND CURSED OBJECTS IN THE HOME OR WORKPLACE: 1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the discernment or word of knowledge, word of wisdom, or to let you operate in the gift of discernment of spirits. Pray yourself up with thanksgiving, praise, tongues if you speak in tongues, and listen for Gods voice, then... 2. WALK THE HOUSE OR WORKPLACE look in EVERY nook and cranny walk every room, look on every table, shelf, in every cabinet or pantry and in every closet floor and shelf. check attics, cellars, garages, trunks, suitcases, jewelry boxes look at wall paintings, photographs, objects of art, statues, magazines if led to do so, figurines, knickknacks, look for tribal masks, fetishes, totems, Aztec or Incan statues, all of the latter of which ARE cursed objects, along with religious objects representing Buddha or Hindu gods (false religions). seek the Lords guidance and discernment as you search... 4 areas of the house where demonic spirits will jockey themselves into position to get cursed objects placed where they can do the most ministry and harm to family members (as their minds become passive by watching T.V. or while sleeping) are: the family room the living room the master bedroom the childrens bedrooms Look in these areas first, then the kitchen. As one learns to walk homes and workplaces to search for cursed objects the pattern of locations of the objects will frequently be the same... HIGH PLACES on bookshelves or cabinets, or obscure places hidden LOW toward the back of shelves or stands where they will be little noticed. exceptions to this can occur where people are conditioned to accept certain objects as works of art such as statues of angels or Mayan gods, often

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BOLDLY displayed, particularly in rooms little frequented by members of the family or only by one or two key family members, or in homes infrequently visited. those cursed objects that are CULTURALLY accepted as representing objects of history are frequently found to be displayed in the open. whether they are OCCULT or CURSED or not is not based on their cultural history but upon their ORIGINAL USE, that is, the original purpose for which they were created. identification is always through the gifts and leading of the Holy Spirit. 3. CONSIDER AN OBJECT AS A CURSED OBJECT IF IT MEETS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA and you have the witness of the Spirit: 1) it is an object of Satanism or witchcraft. 2) it was the property of a witch, satanist, other occultist (yogi, lama, practitioner of meditation or other New Age practices), medium or spiritist, or was used for occult purposes such as divination, magic, or sorcery. 3) if there is a promise of the power of protection attached to it by the giver or if it is regarded as an object having special powers. 4) if it is a religious object from false religions. 5) if the object was the possession of an unsaved family member, ancestor, or unknown unsaved person (heirlooms, antiques). 6) if the object came from the grave of an unsaved person. 7) if, in the presence of the object the believer feels a negative discernment or disquiet in his spirit (the inner witness of the Holy Spirit). 8) if the object is from a casket 9) if the object was previously prayed over or blessed by an unsaved person, living or dead. I believe that I have, over the years, seen examples of each and every one of the above during my teaching ministry on this subject. VII. DEALING WITH CURSED OBJECTS-CLEANSE OR DESTROY?: There are a few instances in Old Testament scripture where Father God permitted the Israelites to keep the possessions of their pagan enemies. These most likely represented

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neutral objects which had no religious or occult significance. By far, Gods instruction regarding most cursed objects was to destroy by fire. (Deut. 7:25; Acts 19:19). In current day practice the same basic principles apply except for those things that cannot be burned. As a general rule, any object which does not have a religious/occult significance or ORIGIN may be cleansed ONLY upon the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit, particularly if it was previously owned by an unsaved person and may represent an heirloom or antique. In such an instance, a simple prayer such as the following may be spoken aloud over it and the object anointed with anointing oil: Father, in the Name of Christ Jesus, I speak this object cleansed of its history and defilements and break all soul-ties with it... all in Christ Jesus Name. I call it cleansed by the Blood of Christ Jesus, bind Satan, and all spirits not of the Holy Spirit using it as a point-of-contact and break their powers and cast them out and off permanently not to return.., all in Christ Jesus Name. I loose it from Satan and all spirits not of the Holy Spirit permanently and continually in Christ Jesus Name. In actuality, I have had little occasion to cleanse an object over the last 12 years, other than an occasional antique, and in a significant number of instances this was not upon the leading of the Holy Spirit. In all such instances, upon follow-up, I did not find an improvement in the atmosphere or spiritual environment within the home or workplace, and I was led by the Spirit to proceed with destruction of the objects in all instances. I have found that few objects can actually be cleansed. Again, it is always upon the leading of the Holy Spirit. I believe that this is my personal experience validated by extensive exposure to and encounters with cursed objects over the years. The Holy Spirit, in accordance with Scripture, will almost always lead you to DESTROY cursed objects. The RULES FOR DESTRUCTION are as follows: 1) if they are BURNABLE -BURN THEM. 2) if they are BREAKABLE-BREAK THEM. 3) if they are not breakable or burnable- BURY THEM. It is frequently observed that cursed objects that are considered burnable will resist burning, even petroleum-based oil paintings, for instance. They must be burned with great safety precautions with more than one person present, sometimes using a SMALL amount of lighter fluid. NEVER, NEVER, EVER USE GASOLINE. NEVER EVER USE LARGE AMOUNTS OF LIGHTER FLUID or ignite or burn during WINDY conditions. MAKE NO EXCEPTIONS! NEVER, NEVER, EVER use other dangerous volatile or ignitable solvents or products. Burning in or on the backyard barbecue in non-windy conditions or in a wire burner basket are safe alternatives. Be SAFE and USE GOOD JUDGMENT. Porcelain, clay, and stone cursed objects must be broken. I prefer to place them in a cloth bag first, and then break them with a hammer or by slamming the bag against a

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sidewalk or pavement. NEVER take a hammer to them with the EYES UNPROTECTED. Certain cursed objects which are made of metal, such as metal statues, bronze castings, etc., cannot be burned or broken in most instances, and MUST be buried. I ALWAYS seek to bury them in an OBSCURE place where it is unlikely that Satan will direct someone to them, or I throw them to the bottom of a deep stream or river bed with a sand or silt bottom where the river has a good current flowing so that the object is sure to be buried by the sand or silt. A WORD OF WARNING: NEVER, EVER DESTROY A CURSED OBJECT BEFORE BINDING AND LOOSING SATAN, ALL PRINCIPALITIES, POWERS, RULERS OF THE DARKNESS AND WICKED SPIRITS IN HIGH PLACES, AND ALL SPIRITS NOT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ATTACHED TO THE OBJECTS FIRST. If you do NOT there will be CERTAIN RETALIATION. If you DO, nothing at all will happen and you will find it PERFECTLY SAFE to do so. You can pray a prayer something like the following before taking action: Father, I bind Satan, every principality, power, ruler of the darkness, wicked spirit in high places, and all spirits not of the Holy Spirit using this cursed object as a point of contact... permanently, immediately, completely and continually, and loose them from my spouse, children, family members, relatives, friends, acquaintances, all true Christian believers, from me, from all that I am, have, and possess, covering all of those things and us continually with the Blood of Christ Jesus, and I bind them up permanently and continually from retaliating, taking revenge, or getting even in any way, mariner, or form, from this day or any day to come, to or through any individual, organization, adversary or would-be adversary... ALL in Christ Jesus Name. Finally, and of MOST IMPORTANCE, ALWAYS follow the revelation and destruction of a cursed object with the giving of THANKS, PRAISE, AND GLORY to the Lord Jesus Christ. VIII. TESTING THE RESULTS -HOW DO I KNOW IF MY HOME/WORKPLACE IS FREE OF CURSED OBJECTS, THEIR MINISTRY AND EFFECTS?: 1) First and foremost by the inner witness - the Holy Spirit WITNESSES to our spirit (Ro. 8:16): through the GIFTS of the Spirit: discernment or Word of Knowledge Word of Wisdom discernment of spirits through the FRUITS of the Spirit:

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 peace joy 2) restoration of, and stability of moods and behaviors, including sleep patterns, is noted in those areas of the house/workplace where there was previously disturbance. 3) strife and argument cease or are markedly reduced. 4) group behavior of the family/workplace employees improves or is restored to normal. 5) the Spirit witnesses a change in the atmosphere of the surroundings or environment. The sense of oppression or heaviness leaves. 6) any or all of the previously described things which are part of demonic ministry are no longer present. 7) there is a knowing in-the-Spirit that VICTORY has been obtained.

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BIBLE STUDY
SPIRITUAL WARFARE III TOPIC: BLESSINGS AND CURSES GENERAL COMMENTS: Before beginning this study, a few general remarks are in order to understand the proper perspective in which this material is presented. A study of the Bible and the patterns of Gods responses to man will readily demonstrate that: 1) God does nothing but through FAITH. 2) God does nothing but through PRAYER. 3) God does nothing but through BLESSINGS AND CURSES. It is Gods Will that all of His people live under the blessings which He has ordained for those who are OBEDIENT to His commandments (Deut. 28:1-13). Now the term commandments here appears with a small c or lower case letter c implying that it is all encompassing. It not only refers to the 10 Commandments but to ALL of the teachings of Scripture. There are those Christians who readily believe that God is willing and able to provide blessings, but when it comes to the subject of curses, they deny that they are subject to them, readily testifying Im not subject to the curse and no curse can harm me because the Scripture says that Jesus became a curse for me and that I am free from the curse. Right? No....wrong! Let me demonstrate why. Firstly, Scripture is quite clear that the curse is not done away with until the end of the millennial reign of Christ, the one thousand year reign of the Lord upon the earth after the seven-year period of the Great Tribulation described in the Book of the Revelation. At this time, the scripture verses referring to the very end of these events when all will be taken to heaven through the celestial city called New Jerusalem, tell us that (then)... ...no longer will there be any curse. (Rev. 22:3) (NASB) The obvious implication is, then, that UNTIL THAT TIME the curse stands. Now Scripture is also quite clear that Jesus became a curse for us. This is, of course, the work of the Cross on our behalf but you will note that as the result of this and as the result of inviting Him into our heart to be the Lord and Savior of our lives, He ENTERS our spiritman and we become a new creation or born-again of the Spirit. (John 3:3-5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:24). It becomes readily apparent, then, that it is the spirit-man that is immediately and completely regenerated anew by the presence of the indwelling Christ within the born- again believer. Where Christ is there can be no evil, no curse... only covenant blessing. Therefore the spirit-man is free from the curse. But a study of Romans (Chapters 5-8 referred to by some as the Roman Road of salvation) clearly demonstrates that man is tripartite, that is, he or she is

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made up of spirit, soul and body. The term for spirit-man in the New Testament Greek is pneuma and refers to the conscience and the intuition; the Greek term for soul or soulman is psuche and means the mind, will and emotions; the term for the body or physical-man is sarx and refers to that which is composed of the flesh. It will be readily apparent that both the soul (mind) and body of Christian believers are STILL subject to the curse since generations curses are seen to run in Christian families just as they do so in the families of unbelievers, affecting more than one generation with emotional-behavioral problems or multiple cases of the same kind of physical disease within the family line. Why? Because the mind and body, according to Scripture, are in the process of being continually renewed and redeemed (Ro. 12:2; Phil. 1:6). That our minds and bodies are not yet perfected and are subject to affliction and diseases (curses) is certain because their perfection, according to Scripture, is a process that occurs over time and is brought to completion at the moment of death or Rapture (1 Thess. 4:13-17). It can also be demonstrated that Jesus died ONCE and FOR ALL MEN, according to Scripture. Yet, not all men are saved, are they? Why not? The answer to this is the same answer as to why many Christians are not free from curses and it is this: that they did not APPROPRIATE it (take possession of) it. EVERYTHING available in the kingdom of God MUST be appropriated or taken possession of by FAITH in Christ. How did you receive your salvation? You appropriated it by GRACE through FAITH (Eph. 2:8,9). It was a free gift, sitting there and waiting to be picked up and taken possession of, and you said I want that! and claimed it by FAITH. How is healing and deliverance obtained? Again, by taking possession of it or APPROPRIATING it by GRACE through FAITH, since the Greek term for salvation in the New Testament, sozo, also MEANS healing and deliverance. If salvation is obtained by grace through faith, then, so are healing and deliverance. They must be appropriated or taken possession of by your action. Now the point is this, that EVERYTHING promised to us in the New Testament MUST be appropriated and this includes BLESSINGS and it also includes FREEDOM from curses. You see, brother and sisters, even though the soul and body are still subject to the curse, the Lord Jesus Christ, by His work of the Cross, has ALSO provided the way for us to be FREE from the curse and its effects. That freedom, however, must be APPROPRIATED according to the patterns and teachings of Scripture. We will explore this later on in this study. Let it suffice for now to simply say that these preliminary remarks are intended to simply demonstrate that although curses still exist, scripturally, that the Lord gives us sufficient knowledge through the revelation of the Word of God in order to break them and be free of them, and to appropriate the blessings which He has ordained for those who love Him. Let us, then, have a closer look at both blessings and curses in order to understand the conditions in which they operate. I. KEY SCRIPTURES Before proceeding with our discussion, read the following scripture passages to understand Gods principles governing the blessings and curses: Deut. 9:23

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 Deut. 11:26 Deut. 28:15-68 Ps. 109:28 Prov. 26:2 Is. 34:5 Mal. 2:2 Mt. 5:44 Lk. 6:28 Rom. 12:14 Gal. 1:8,9 Gal. 3:10 Ja. 3:8,9 Rev. 22:3 II. UNDERSTANDING BLESSINGS The first part of our discussion will consider Gods blessings. The GREATEST of all blessings of Scripture is that of the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT to which the Gentile (nonJewish), born-again believer is GRAPTED in, along with believing Jews and believing Israel. (Ro. 8:17; Ro. 11:16 -19,20-23,29). Father Gods greatest blessing to man is the revelation of Him as the great I AM. His greatest gift to man is the Blessing of giving us the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, healing and deliverance. Through the Lord Jesus Christ we are grafted in to the great blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant, along with believing Israel. (See scripture references o Romans 11, f above). This covenant included promises to Abraham, Sarah, his nation, and to ALL of his descendants. Since we are spiritual descendants of Abraham, the covenant promises are for us, also, and we receive the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant, the PROMISES of which are, in summary, the BLESSINGS of: salvation healing deliverance long life and good health prosperity and abundance safety and protection victory over your enemies multiplication of your seed multiplication of your possessions prosperity, abundance and multiplication to your descendants blessings to all of your descendants innumerable numbers of descendants to come The above is, in actuality, only a summary of the meaning of the Abrahamic covenant to believe rs. The entire covenant is much more detailed and is revealed in Genesis Chapters 12-22 in regard to Abraham, and in Genesis Chapters 17-48, Exodus 19:6, Leviticus 26:9, Hosea 2:10, and Deuteronomy 7:12- 14, in regard to his household and his descendants.

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Besides the Abrahamic Covenant blessings, the Lord provides the believer with abundant other blessings out of the abundance of His grace. These are described in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and are received through TRUSTING FAITH in Him and OBEDIENCE to Him, His Ways, His Word. They are summarized as follows: You will be blessed both in city and country. Your offspring will be blessed as well as whatever you plant or invest in. You will be blessed with provision. You will be blessed in all that you do in your comings and goings. He will give you victory over your enemies. Your storehouse shall be continually full and your activities and investments shall prosper. You will be made holy unto Him. All works that come from your hands shall be blessed. The heavens shall be opened for you to bring upon you rain (the Holy Spirit) for your land (your family, possessions, investments, etc.). You will receive prosperity and be a lender and not a borrower. He will make you a leader of men, the head and not the tail. You will receive health and prosperity. In summary, you will receive ALL of these blessings and more if you WALK in HIS WAYS and KEEP His commandments or teachings. This means not only the 10 Commandments but ALL the teachings of Scripture. Be blessed in the Mighty Name of Christ Jesus! It IS Gods Will that YOU live under the BLESSING. III. UNDERSTANDING CURSES The CURSE causeless shall not come. (Prov. 26:2, KJV) The above scripture is the KEY SCRIPTURE to understanding the operation of curses. It tells us that a curse shall not alight or come upon a person unless it is deserving. It must have a CAUSE. God also provides the REMEDY because it is NOT His Will that the believer should live under the curse. The curse is ALWAYS the result of sin... NOT KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS (all of His teachings in the Word to the BEST of ones conscious abilities) and NOT WALKING IN HIS WAYS.

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There are 3 kinds of curses described in Scripture. They are: 1) the SELF-INFLICTED CURSE Prov. 18:21 Job 3:25 Mk.11:23 2) the CURSE SPOKEN BY OTHERS Lev.20:9 1 Sam. 26:19 2 Sam.16:5,7 2 Sam.19:21 3) the GENERATIONS CURSE Ex. 20:5 Lev. 26:40-42 Let us now consider and study each type of curse individually to better understand their origins, operations (fruits) and remedies: A. THE SELF-INFLICTED CURSE The causes of the self-inflicted curse are: 1) disobedience to God commandments, Word, and Ways, and 2) the negative or harmful words that come from your mouth Let us look at both. In Deut. 28:15-68, the curses which are the fruit of disobedience are described. Read the entire section so that you can understand the fruit of sin. They are the RESULT of DISOBEDIENCE to all of His teachings, His Word, and His Ways. They are summarized as follows: You will be cursed wherever you are. Your provisions will be cursed and you will lack food. Your offspring (children), your land and its produce, your cattle (investments) and your business will be cursed (the sources of your income and provisions). Your coming and going will be cursed (all of your activities and plans). Confusion and rebuke shall come upon you and you will rapidly perish. You will be consumed by disease.

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 The heavens over your land will be parched (not give rain) and the earth below your feet will be like iron (will not give a harvest). Your land will be without rain and become a dustbowl which will come to destroy you. Your enemies will come upon you and defeat you. You will be stricken with diseases... boils, tumors, itch and scabs, and you will not receive healing. You will be struck with mental illness, spiritual blindness and confusion. You will be continually plundered and oppressed in all that you do and you will not prosper in any of your efforts. You will not lend but borrow. You will not lead but follow and become the tail and not the head. These and a multitude of other curses will come upon you until you are utterly destroyed. You will be delivered into the hands of your enemies, they will have their way with you and bring you into bondage (Egypt). The remedy for the self-inflicted curse of disobedience is REPENTANCE with a contrite heart and godly sorrow, asking the Lords forgiveness and then WALKING in His Word, His Ways, and His righteousness by KEEPING His commandments. The second type of self-inflicted curse come from the words of your mouth. The Scripture clearly demonstrates the power of the tongue and advises us that in it lies the power of life and death (Prov. 18:21). That is because words are a creative force and have life and are regarded as seed (Mark, Chapter 4) that takes root in the heart and grows into the image and likeness of its origin. The Word of God, then, takes root in our heart and grows within us changing us into the image and likeness of Jesus. Our own words, good or bad, can take root in our heart or in the heart of others because we are made in His image and likeness. Our words, then, have a creative force as did His, because He spoke and Scripture says it was. And we speak, and it is because Jesus said that the things that He did, we will do and greater (John 14:12). Of course, He was referring to that which is of the Spirit and righteous. The problem arises when we give place to our fallen nature through the old self or old man, the flesh and let him rear his ugly head and use his ugly mouth. Then, negative words, a creative force, come out of our mouth and, when directed at ourselves, harm us. When they are spoken ove r others, they will harm them and take root in them or upon them to their detriment. That is the reason that Mk. 11:23 says that if you SAY (with your mouth) you

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SHALL have WHATSOEVER you SAY! Watch your words! The remedy for the self-inflicted curse spoken by mouth by your poor choice of words is to recant and repent to the Lord for saying them; say Im sorry, Lord, I repent of those words and renounce them, I bind and uproot them, curse them at their roots and break that curse spoken by me over (name) (or myself) and loose (myself or [ name] from it permanently... in Christ Jesus Name. B. THE CURSE SPOKEN BY OTHERS There is another type of curse that is seen in the Bible. It is the curse spoken over, formed against, or directed at another person, or YOU or your loved ones BY ANOTHER PERSON... intentionally (as in the case of the employment of witchcraft) or unintentionally (as in the case of the use of a poor choice of words). Such a curse can affect the persons health, safety, welfare, job, income, mind, body, relationships, marriage, children, and many other areas of a persons life, if they are unbelievers or even can Christians who do not know who they are in Christ. Satan operates through deception and fear gives an open door to spiritual attack. I believe that such curses are empowered by the soul- power of the person speaking the curse through their negative words and emotions. The concept of the selfgenerated power of the human soul is inferred by Scripture. Note Pauls criticism of the Corinthian church whom he felt was not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 4:19) The recognition of the presence of this type of curse comes from noting a change for the worse in whatever area of life is affected, or in the person affected, followed by a REVELATION from the Holy Spirit to our spirit-man (Ro. 8:16), since His Spirit witnesses to our spirit. This will be in the form of Word of Knowledge, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, entering the mind as a FACT not derived through reason. When such a curse is recognized, the remedy is to take authority over it in the Name of Christ Jesus, BREAK IT in His Name, and then SPEAK THE BLESSING over the other person(s) or yourself, the blessing being the OPPOSITE of what the curse was. A sample prayer that could be prayed would be as follows: Father, I take authority over the curse of (name it) and over all negative words spoken over, formed against, or directed at (person or myself), in the Name of Christ Jesus for your glory. I bind it, break it and loose (person, or myself) from it, and I speak the BLESSING of (name it) upon (persons name or myself) and call all of these things accomplished by FAITH, ALL in Christ Jesus Name. (As an example, if a curse of death and disease was spoken over the person, the blessing that would be spoken over them in its place would be the opposite, that of long life and good health.) Then, if you are given knowledge or a revelation of who spoke the curse, forgive them and speak a blessing upon them in the Name of Christ Jesus. (Ro. 12:14). As Christians, we are not to curse others. C. THE GENERATIONS CURSE The presence of a generations curse within a family line is recognized by the presence of REPETITIVE OCCURRENCES of the SAME PROBLEM running in the family line and affecting MORE THAN ONE GENERATION.

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The generation curse can express itself as a physical problem or disease, an emotional or mental illness, eccentric behavior or personality trait, multiple tragedies, or even as repetitive EVENTS or HAPPENINGS (to the detriment of the individual), or even as spiritual curses such as unbelief, atheism, or resisting the Holy Spirit or the things of the Holy Spirit, or bondage to false doctrines or false practices, but to name a few. So then, we suspect the presence of a generations curse in a family line when we see MULTIPLE CASES of the SAME PROBLEM working against the family, for instance: multiple cases of divorce, premature deaths, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, fornication, adultery, sexual immorality, alcoholism, drug addiction, premature births, congenital diseases, unbelief towards God or resisting the Gospel, hereditary witchcraft, homosexuality, lesbianism, etc. These are but a few examples. Their origin come from ancestral sin going back 3-4 generations. It is the sin that is cursed as a deterrent by God. When the ancestor willfully embraces the sin or the lifestyle of sin, God says that that person hates Him, and He permits the sin or the fruit of the sin, that is, the result or predisposition to commit it, to come down upon the 3rd and 4th generations of descendants of that person. This is, hopefully, so that the person desiring to commit the sin will not do so, again, as a deterrent. The problem arises when the person is ignorant or doesnt care. Then, it is likely that the descendants will carry the generations curse down to 3-4 generations and do what great grandpa or great grandma did (you had 8 of them) or whatever grandpa or grandma did (you had 4 of them), or, perhaps, what Mom or Dad did. Thus, according to this principle of Scripture, if grandpa was an alcoholic, Dad probably became an alcoholic, and you and your children run the risk of becoming alcoholics. If Dad was a fornicator or adulterer, you run the risk of getting into the sin of adultery or fornication (or both), as do your children. Experience also shows that the first to be affected by the generations curse is the first-born son. The recognition of the generations curse within the family line is noted by: 1) the presence of MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES of the SAME PROBLEM within a family affecting MORE THAN ONE GENERATION. 2) the pattern of REPETITION of the SAME PROBLEM within a family. 3) discernment (Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom) from the Holy Spirit. THE BREAKING OF THE GENERATIONS CURSE does not occur through simple prayer, contrary to popular belief. The Scripture is quite clear (Lev. 26:40-42) that ONLY ONE THING and ONE THING ALONE can break the generations curse, and that is REPENTING FOR THE SINS OF THE ANCESTORS. Then, and only then, can a prayer be spoken to break the curse. The breaking of the generations curse comes by ratifying the Covenant with the Lord. This consists of the following elements to be brought before the Lord in godly repentance:

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 acknowledgment of ancestral sin repentance for the ancestors asking forgiveness because FIRSTLY and FOREMOST their sin(s) GRIEVED THE HOLY SPIRIT... NOT because you or the other person want a monkey off of your back. restitution to those hurt by the ancestors or their sins by speaking the BLESSING upon them or their descendants to one thousand generations. It is NOT necessary to know the actual sin that brought the generation curse into the family line... God knows. it is only necessary to acknowledge to God that the sin existed and to repent for the ancestors. Whereas some people repent of ancestral sin back to three or four generations, I prefer to confess the sins of the ancestors and predecessors on all sides of ALL of the families BACK TO THE FAMILIES ORIGINS, including those of the spouses families, since we learn from the pattern of Scripture (2 Kings 8:16-18) that Jehoram, grandson of good King Jehoshophat of Judah, who was therefore under the blessing, married Athalia, the daughter of evil King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel who were under the curse; when he did so, the Scripture tells us that he walked in the WAYS of his in-laws. What happened? The generation curse crossed over from his wifes family line to him. What do we learn from this? That the generations curse crosses over and that it is therefore IMPORTANT to confess all ancestral sins on BOTH SIDES OF YOUR families AND your SPOUSES FAMILIES to break the generations curses, particularly since the SAME CURSES may be present in his/her family lines without your knowing it. The following prayer may be prayed to break the generations curse. It will release from the curse ONLY those members of the family who are born-again of the Spirit, that is, who have received the New Birth by inviting Christ into their heart to be Lord and Savior, repenting of their sin, including you. Why? Because the things of the kingdom, according to Scripture, are for the people of the kingdom. Thats the BLESSING of obedience to the Word and Way of God. Obviously, your children will be freed from the curse because you have broken it off of them (unless YOU go out and commit the same or another sin) by breaking the curse. Here is a prayer to break the generations curse: PRAYER TO BREAK THE GENERATIONS CURSE Pray ALOUD: Father, I come before you repenting of all of my own sins and renouncing them and asking for your forgiveness; I also confess to you ALL of the sins of all of my ancestors and predecessors on all sides of ALL of my families and ALL of my spouses families back to our families origins, that brought into our family lines the generations curse of ( NAME THE CURSE OR CURSES), particularly their sins of (name it or them if known, otherwise speak your general idea of what the sin may have been or what you suspect it might have been (seek revelation from the Holy Spirit first)... (now continue).., and I repent for those sins and for ALL of their sins that brought ALL generations curses into our families line because they FIRSTLY and FOREMOST GRIEVED YOUR HOLY SPIRIT, trampled the Blood and desecrated the Name of the

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Lord Jesus Christ by doing so (Heb. 10:26-29). I REPENT FOR ALL OF THEM AND THEIR ACTIONS AGAINST YOUR HOLY SPIRIT and I ask for forgiveness for them and receive it BY FAITH and give you THANKS and PRAISE for it. I renounce what they did and repent for ALL whom they may have hurt, again asking forgiveness for all whom they may have hurt by their actions and, in restitution, speaking upon them, if alive, and upon their descendants, the blessings, by faith, of the Name of Jesus, the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, the born-again experience, the sealing of the Holy Spirit and His Baptism, and the Abrahamic Covenant promises. Having done so, I know bind permanently and BREAK the generations curse(s) and loose them from my spouse, my children, from [name(s)], and from me immediately and permanently, never to return; I bind and loose from us ALL of the familiar spirits that carried out those works, speak a curse and destruction upon their seedings, works, plans and activities which I decree shall no longer prevail over us, and cast them out to the feet of Christ Jesus... ALL IN CHRIST JESUS NAME. I decree us FREE from the GENERATIONS CURSE for the Word says that if the Son sets me free, I am, indeed, free (John 8:36)and that in the day that I decree a thing, it SHALL come to pass (Job 22:28). I therefore DECREE ALL of this prayer accomplished by TRUSTING and EXPECTANT FAITH in the Mighty Name of Christ Jesus. Amen. Why does the generations curse (and others) exist? Because it is Gods way of showing us WHO HE IS and WHAT HE EXPECTS OF US, that we are NOT to treat Him carelessly or with PRESUMPTION or to take His precepts lightly; that we ARE to WALK in His Ways and in OBEDIENCE to Him. How grateful we must be that the Scripture tells us that EVEN with these things existing, He has NOT dealt with us ACCORDING TO OUR INIQUITIES. More could have come down upon us. But what He does permit for us to experience, He does NOT for His sake but for OUR SAKES... to make us and form us, to mold us and break us, to teach us trust and obedience and faith, and then, to show us HOW to break it even though sin, according to Scripture, is deserving of everlasting judgment. And yet, He shows us the way out that we and our descendants may prosper again in the knowledge of Him. Such is the greatness, mercy, and compassion of our God, Jesus the Messiah, who by so doing, shows us how much He cares for us.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 6:1,2 INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS THE CHURCH? Before studying the doctrines of the church, it is necessary to understand the concept of WHAT the church really is, according to divine revelation. The following scriptures are keys to this understanding. Read them now: Eph. 1:22,23 1 Cor. 10:16,17 1 Tim.3:15 From your review and understanding of what you have just read, the following should be apparent to you: in Eph. 1:22,23 the TRUE CHURCH is defined as a SPIRITUAL ENTITY and NOT a temporal or physical organization or structure. It is referred to as HIS BODY, that is, the body (assembly) of BELIEVERS (those who are His). It is understood that HE (Jesus) is firstly and foremost a SPIRITUAL BEING who HAS a physical body. And so with the CHURCH. It is made up of spiritual beings in physical bodies, for we are made in His Image (Gen. 1:27). The first description that we encounter of the Church in scripture, then, is that of an organization which is a SPIRITUAL ENTITY and not a physical entity. The true church is spiritual in its existence, and as such, cannot be divided. It has NEVER BEEN divided and it never will be. in 1 Cor. 10:16,17 the Holy Spirit reveals to us that although we are many, we are of ONE BODY, that is, ONE CHURCH because we all partake of the ONE BREAD, the Bread of Life which is Jesus Our Savior. Anything other than this revelation of scripture, then, would be a counterfeit. in 1 Tim. 3:15 the Holy Spirit again defines the TRUE CHURCH as the HOUSEHOLD of God, that is, the FAMILY of God made up of true believers. True believers are those who have received the New Birth (John 3:3-5). It goes on to make two more points: such is the CHURCH of the LIVING GOD, (NOT that of man). it (alone) is the PILLAR of THE TRUTH. The TRUE CHURCH, then is a SPIRITUAL ENTITY and NOT a physical entity made up of TRUE BELIEVERS from ALL DENOMINATIONS who, upholding the TRUTH of the scriptures ARE the PILLAR OF TRUTH, the CHURCH itself. This is not a concept or doctrine of men but an article of DIVINE REVELATION.

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What, then, of denominational churches which are earthly structures? Are each of them the true church? NOT according to the revelation of scripture. Are they then worthy of support? YES!!! AS LONG AS THEY PROFESS THE TRUE, UNADULTERATED AND CORRECT DOCTRINE OF CHRIST AS DEFINED IN THE SCRIPTURES. Why? Because God is a God of order and practicality and, as such, man MUST have organizational structure to carry out the MINISTRY and GOOD WORKS of CHRIST to reach a dying world. It takes organization and structure to do so. It is simply a matter of understanding their place in the Lords scheme of things and understanding that each denomination is a PART of the BODY as a whole (the true church) through its true believers. One must have a healthy spiritual attitude regarding denominationalism. The word denomination comes from the Latin which means in the name of. The LITERAL meaning of the Baptist denomination (as an example), then, would be in the name of the Baptists. That of the Lutheran denomination would mean in the name of the Lutherans or in the name of the Lutheran Church. That of the Catholics would mean in the name of the Catholics or in the name of the Catholic Church, and so on. What is the point? The point is that the TRUE CHURCH comes in the NAME OF CHRIST and CHRIST ALONE and walks in the TRUTH of CHRIST and TRUTH OF CHRIST ALONE. What, then, does all of this mean? It means that all true Christians, regardless of their denominations, MUST develop a healthy attitude and perspective as to WHAT the TRUE CHURCH really is and put their denomination, if they have any, in proper perspective as a VEHICLE of MINISTRY of the works and teachings of Christ. If it is more important, then, for a person to be a Presbyterian first, and THEN a Christian, that person has made an IDOL of his/her denomination and needs to recognize it and put it in its proper perspective. The sad fact is that ALL denominationalism is ROOTED in the SIN OF PRIDE, for it has, in each instance, the foundational concept of DOCTRIN AL EXCLUSIVITY, that is, the idea that We have an exclusive doctrine and interpretation of the Scriptures that is unique and different from everyone else and which sets us apart from everyone else, and we and we alone are correct. If this were not true, there would be no denominations as they exist. Denominationalists recognize it as their truth or their interpretation of the doctrine of Christ. The Holy Spirit recognizes it as SPIRITUAL PRIDE and the Spirit CANNOT BLESS anything that is rooted in pride. Is it any wonder, then, that the FRUIT of denominationalism is DIVISION. Jesus said that we judge something, IF it be of God, by its FRUIT. The Scriptures are quite clear that the TRUE CHURCH ALWAYS acted TOGETHER (Mt. 17:22; Acts 2:1) and moved IN ONE ACCORD. UNITY, not disunity, is the way of action and conduct of the TRUE CHURCH because it is a SPIRITUAL entity guided by the Holy Spirit, not men. It CANNOT be divided. With this perspective, then, it becomes essential for every Christian to realize that his/her denomination must serve ONLY as a VEHICLE of ministry for the TRUE CHURCH, to do its works and preach the truth of the CHRISTIAN FAITH. There IS no other faith than the CHRISTIAN FAITH. Denominations must be put in their proper place and MUST BE MADE TO SERVE THE CAUSE AND PURPOSE OF CHRIST and NOT exalt themselves or PERMIT themselves to be exalted by their members. God shares His glory with NO ONE (Is. 42:8) and those who worship God MUST worship in SPIRIT and IN

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TRUTH... IN TRUTH... IN TRUTH (John 4:23). With a right spirit and right heart toward the advancement of the TRUTH and CAUSE OF CHRIST, EVERY DENOMINATION is worthy of our support. Their teachings must be examined in the light of the Scriptures or divine revelation. Such is the love of Christ. I. THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH ACCORDING TO DIVINE REVELATION: The DOCTRINES of the CHURCH, according to divine revelation are mentioned in Heb. 6:1. They are as follows: The doctrine of CHRIST (SALVATION) The doctrine of REPENTANCE The doctrine of FAITH The doctrine of BAPTISMS The doctrine of WASHINGS The doctrine of LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS (IMPARTATIONS) The doctrine of RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD The doctrine of ETERNAL JUDGMENTS The doctrine of PERFECTION

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued I. THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH ACCORDING TO DIVINE REVELATION: (continued) 1) THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHRIST: The doctrine of the Christ is the central doctrine of the Christian faith. It centers around Jesus who is called the Christ, from the Greek Christos meaning The Anointed One or The Anointed One of God. This term is one and the same with the Hebrew Messiah. Jesus actual name, in the Hebrew language is Yeshua, a variation derivative of the name Joshua. He is, in the native Hebrew, known as Yeshua Ha Messiach which means Jesus the Messiah. John 1:1 tells us that Jesus always existed, One with the Father and the Holy Spirit, that He WAS in the beginning and that HE WAS the WORD and IS the WORD of God. God the Father HAS revealed Himself through HIM. Thus, the Scripture says, Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is ONE.... Jesus, then, is APPOINTED and ANOINTED as the central expression of the Godhead (Ro. 1:19,20). In Romans Chapter 1, the Holy Spirit reveals that God has made Himself known through His creation. We cart therefore understand the nature of the Godhead to some extent through the EXAMPLES that we see in nature. For instance, if the Godhead is ONE, that is, if the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are ONE, it might be difficult to conceptualize in our finite minds the true meaning or expression of this. God makes it easy for us, however, by giving us concepts through His creation. We can learn from the example of the sun, for example. The sun is an entity. It is made up of three distinct things which each express themselves in three separate ways. There is firstly form. Then there is the emanation of light. Then there is the emanation of heat. They are each separate and distinct and YET are ALL manifestations of the ONE body of the sun. Father God is akin to the form, Jesus is akin to the light, and the Holy Spirit is akin to the heat (fire), yet ALL are the manifestations of the ONE. Some people refer to this as the TRINITY or Three-in-ONE. In our faithwalk, however, it is IMPORTANT to understand that although they are all ONE IN BEING, that the FATHER is a real living SPIRIT-PERSON; that the SON is a living PERSON; that the HOLY SPIRIT is also a living PERSON. What we can known about EACH is a matter of DIVINE REVELATION of Scripture. Let us now study the Godhead which is made up of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and look up the following scriptures to LEARN what the Holy Spirit, the AUTHOR of the scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16) teaches us about each of them. You learn,

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now, of EACH of them, by DIRECT REVELATION from the Word of God. Here they are: A. THE REVELATION OF THE FATHER Ex. 3:6,14 John 1:18 John 6:46 John 7:28,29 James 1:17 1 John 1:5 1 Cor. 8:6 B. THE REVELATION OF THE SON Heb.1:1-3 John 1:1-14 John 5:24 John 5:27 John 6:33,35 John 6:37-40 John 6:44-48 John 6:65 John 7:28,29 John 8:26 John 8:51 John 8:58 John 10:2-4 John 10:7 John 10:11 John 10:14 John 10:27 -29 John 10:37,38 John 12:26 John 12:36 John 12:44 -47 John 12:49,50 John 14:1-3 John 14:6 John 14:9,10 John 14:13,14 John 14:23 John 14:18 John 18:36,37 John 20:31 John 6:68,69 1 Cor. 8:6

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The above are key scriptures giving the revelation of who Jesus really is, but are by no means the total of the scriptures regarding Him. You will note that most of the above scriptures are from the Gospel of John. That is because it is the Gospel of John that presents us with the picture of the DIV INITY of Jesus. Have you noticed that the first 4 books of the New Testament or Brit HaDashah (Hebrew) are 4 Gospels, that of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Matthews is the first, and the others come after and contain much of the same material as Matthew, some more. For the most part they have the outward appearance of all saying the same thing as if repeating the information. Why do they exist as such? The answer to this lies in the fact that EACH Gospel is a distinct and individual revelation of a different aspect of the personality and ministry of Jesus, the purpose of which, together, is to give the reader a complete picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and His ministry as the TOTAL INFINITE GOD-MAN. Thus, they paint a picture of Jesus as follows: 1. Gospel of Matthew - shows us Jesus as the Coming King. 2. Gospel of Mark - shows us Jesus as the Suffering Servant. 3. Gospel of Luke - shows us Jesus as the Son of Man (who goes to God for man). 4. Gospel of John - shows us Jesus as the Son of God (who comes from God to man). C. THE REVELATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT John 14:16,17 John 14:26 John 15:26,27 John 16:7 John 16:13 -15 John 6:63 1 John2:27 Ro.1:4 II. THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST The Name (Hebrew: HaShem) of the Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua means I AM SALVATION . The New Testament Greek word used by the Holy Spirit for salvation is SOZO. It ALSO means healing and deliverance (exorcism). If you take the time to research the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ by taking ALL of the scriptures of the New Testament and dividing and listing them into groups applying to salvation, healing, or deliverance, you will discover that approximately 1/3 of all of the N.T. scriptures speak of deliverance, about 1/3 speak of healing, and about 1/3 speak of deliverance. It will become apparent to you, therefore, that about 1/3 of Jesus

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ministry was in ministering salvation, about 1/3 of his ministry was in healing, and the remaining 1/3 was in deliverance. THE 3-FOLD MINISTRY, then, of the Lord Jesus Christ was that of: 1. SALVATION 2. HEALING 3. DELIVERANCE HE is the FOUNDATION (1 Cor. 3:11) of ALL ministry and of the CHURCH. There is NO OTHER FOUNDATION. ALL things are IN HIM, THROUGH HIM, FOR HIM (Ro. 11:36). He hares His Glory with NO ONE (Isa. 42:8; Isa. 48:11). HE declares the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:9,10) and writes history for HIS PURPOSE (Isa. 46:10,11). HE acts and NO ONE can reverse it (Isa. 43:10-13) and INTERCEDES for the one who waits for Him (Isa. 64:4). He wipes away our sins for HIS OWN SAKE (Isa. 43:25) and redeems man (Isa. Chapter 53). He sends out His WORD for His PURPOSE (Isa. 55:11) and PERFORMS HIS WORD as WRITTEN (Jer. 1:12). His ministry is understood through the following means: A. HIS OFFICE: Our High Priest our INTERCESSOR Heb. 7:26,27 Heb. 8:1,2 1 Tim. 2:5 Our King He RULES and establishes the Kingdom of God on the earth. John 18:36,37 Lk. 23:2 1 Tim. 6:15 Prophet He establishes the future events of salvation and judgement and tells of them. Rev. 1:3 He is, then, PROPHET, PRIEST, and KING. B. HIS WORK ON BEHALF OF MAN: 1.He is our SUBSTITUTION:

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 Heb. 2:9 Heb. 12:2 2. He is our JUSTIFICATION: Ro. 3:26 Ro. 4:25 Ro. 5:9 Ro. 5:18 3. He is our PROPITIATION : (obtainer of mercy and favor) Ro. 3:25 Heb. 2:9,10 1 John2:2 1 John 4:10 4. He is our SANCTIFICATION: Eph. 5:26 2 Thess.2:13 Mt. 23:19 Acts. 26:18 Heb. 13:12 1 Pet. 1:2 5. He is our INTERCESSOR: Heb. 7:26,27 Heb. 8:6 1 Tim. 2:5 6. He is our ATONEMENT: 1 Pet. 1:18-20 1 Cor. 6:9-11 1 Cor. 6:19-20 Col. 2:13,14 7. He is our REDEEMER: Redemption is the fruit of the BLOOD ATONEMENT. He REDEEMS 3 things in us: 1. the SPIRIT MAN - immediately and completely, making us a NEW CREATION:

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 2Cor.5:17 Eph.4:24 2. the SOUL MAN - renewing of the mind as a lifetime process: Ro. 12:2 Eph.4:23 Phil.1:6 3. the PHYSICAL MAN - which will be redeemed at the RAPTURE or the 2nd COMING of Christ: Eph. 1:13,14 1 Thess. 4:15-18 8. He is the MEDIATOR of the NEW COVENANT: Heb.8:6 Heb. 8:7-13 Mt. 26:28 Ro.11:17-24 Both the letters of the Greek and Hebrew alphabets also have numerical values. The Greek numerical value for the Name of Jesus is 888. In Biblical numerology, the number 8 represents NEW BEGINNINGS. You will note from the above that there are essentially 8 works of INTERCESSION enumerated which the Lord Jesus Christ has performed on our behalf. IN HIM and THROUGH HIM He offers you NEW BEGINNINGS through His COVENANT with YOU, because HE is a COVENANT-MAKING and COVENANT-KEEPING GOD. Through His ministry, YOU receive THE PROMISE of the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. C. THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION-the VEHICLE of His Work: Ro.1:16 1 Cor. 4:20 Ro.3:21-28 Ro.4:16,17 Ro. 5:8-10 Ro. 10:4 Ro. 10:9,10,13 Ro.11:17-24 Eph. 2:8,9 (THE GOSPEL IN A NUTSHELL)

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued 1. THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHRIST-continued III. THE REVELATION AND MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT It is the HOLY SPIRIT, a separate and distinct living PERSON of the Trinity or Godhead, that EMPOWERS and MINISTERS the Kingdom of God to us and through us. He does so by ANOINTING us. The ANOINTING is the POWER of the Holy Spirit upon a believers life for the purpose of carrying out the work of the kingdom for the GLORY OF GOD. Where the Spirit is present, the Kingdom is present. Where the kingdom is, the anointing is. Where the anointing is, the POWER (of the Spirit) is. HE is the SUSTAINER OF THE KINGDOM, and the SUSTAINER OF LIFE. HE ministers the Kingdom and its TRUTH according to what He is told by the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptures. 1 Cor. 2:4 1 Cor.4:20 The PRESENCE of the HOLY SPIRIT is evident throughout the Bible from the first book, Genesis, to the last book, The Revelation. He was known to the Old Testament believers, as is evident from the following Scriptures: Num. 27:18 Ps. 51:11 If we read ALL of the Scriptures regarding the Holy Spirit from Genesis to Revelation, the Spirit presents a picture of Himself which reveals to us His Presence, His holiness, His ministry, and His purpose. A. THE TITLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN SCRIPTURE: 1) The Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2) 2) The Breath of the Almighty (Job. 32:8) 3) The Seven Spirits of the Lord Is. 11:2 Rev.1:4 Rev. 3:1

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 Rev.4:5 Rev. 5:6 4) The Spirit of the Lord God (Is. 61:1-4) 5) The Spirit of Grace and Supplication (Prayer) Zech. 12:10 6) The Spirit of Truth John 14:17 John 16:13 1 John4:6 1 John5:6-8 7) The Helper (Comforter) (John 14:26) 8) The Spirit of Holiness (Ro. 1:4) 9) The Spirit of Liberty (2 Cor. 3:17,18) 10) The Spirit of His Son (Gal. 4:6) 11) The Spirit of Christ (1 Pet. 1:11,12) 12) The Spirit of Glory and of God (1 Pet. 4:14) 13) The Spirit of Prophecy 2 Pet.1:21 Rev.19:10 14) The Light (John 1:9) These titles TESTIFY of His holiness, power, purpose and grandeur. Let us now walk through the Scriptures to obtain the revelation of His ministry to us and HOW He RELATES to us. B. THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The first appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible is in Genesis 1:1 as Creator. The first appearance of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is in Genesis 1:2 as GIVER OF LIFE... He BREATHED over the waters, it says, and Genesis teaches us that life is from the breathe of God. Beginning at Genesis 1:2, then, we can survey the ministry of the Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament and New Testaments and come to

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understand His ministry and role in the Godhead. Let us now search the Scriptures to better understand: Gen. 1:2 - He is the Giver of Life, firstly and foremost. Gen. 6:3 - He imparts conviction. Ex. 31:3; Ex. 35:31 - He imparts wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Job. 32:8 - He breathes life Job. 33:4 - He is the Lifegiver. Numbers 27:18- He makes man to KNOW Him. Ps. 51:11 - He makes man to know Him. Ps. 139:7 - He knows ALL. Isa. 4:4 - He releases the spirit of judgment and burning. Isa. 30:1 - He leads man into an alliance or covenant with God. Isa. 44:3 -4 - He blesses our children and descendants. Isa. 59:19 - He lifts a standard against our spiritual and temporal enemies. Isa. 59:19 - He leads us into and imparts rest. Ezek. 36:27 - He causes you to walk in obedience. Joel 2:28,29 - He will minister to ALL men and women in the endtime and cause them to dream dreams and see visions of the things of the Spirit. Micah 3:8 - He manifests as the Spirit of power, of might, and of justice. Zech. 12:10 - He ministers grace and supplication, that is, He IS the Spirit of Prayer. Mt. 12:28 - He is Deliverer. Lk. 11:13 - He must be a sked for, to receive. Acts. 3:8 (Mt. 3:11) - He is the Baptizer-in-the-Spirit. Lk. 24:49 - He empowers. John 3:34 - He is received without measure. John 3:3-5 - He causes us to be born-again, that is, to receive the New Birth. John 6:63 - He is the Giver of Life. John 15:26 - He witnesses Jesus. Acts 4:31 - He imparts holy boldness. Acts 5:3 -5 - He disciplines and brings judgment. Acts 5:32 - He is received through obedience to God. Acts 9:31 - He comforts. Acts 1 5:8 - God acknowledges us by GIVING us His Holy Spirit. Acts 20:28 - HE imparts commissions (not man). Ro. 1:4- He imparts and ministers HOLINESS. Ro. 9:1 - He witnesses to our conscience. Ro. 14:17 - He empowers the Kingdom. (see 1 Cor.2:4 and 1 Cor. 4:20 also) Ro. 15:13 - He gives hope. Ro. 15:16 - He SANCTIFIES us. (see 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Cor. 6:11; 1 Pet. 1:2 also) Ro. 15:18,19 - He performs signs and wonders. 1 Cor. 2: 10-14 - He searches all things of God and man. 1 Cor. 3:16 - He dwells in you when you are born-again and Spirit-filled. 1 Cor .6:11 - He justifies us, washes us, sanctifies us.

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 1 Cor. 12:3-11 - He confesses Jesus as Lord and imparts the 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor. 1:22 - He seals us unto the day of redemption. (see Eph. 4:30 also) 2 Cor. 3:3 - He makes us living epistles. 2 Cor. 3:6 - He makes US ministers of the New Covenant. 2 Cor. 3:17,18 - He frees us from BONDAGE. 2 Cor. 13:14 - He COMMUNES with us. Gal. 3:2,3,14 - He is received BY FAITH. Gal 5:17,18 - He strives against the flesh and leads us out from under the Law. Gal. 5:22,23 - He gives us 9 Fruits of the Spirit. Gal. 5:25 - We are to WALK in the Spirit. Gal. 6:8 - We are to sow the Spirit to reap everlasting life. Eph. 1:17 - He is the Spirit of Wisdom, and of the Revelation of Knowledge in Him. Eph. 3:16 - He strengthens us in the inner man. Eph. 4:3,4 - He unites us. Eph. 6:17,18 - He gives us the sword (Word). 1 Thess. 1:5,6 - He gives us the Gospel. 1 Thess. 5:19 - He is not to be quenched. 1 Tim. 4:1 - He reveals to us the endtime. 2 Tim. 1:7 - He gives us the spirit of power, and love, and of a sound mind (ministering angels). Titus 3:5,6 - He gives us washing and regeneration and renewing. Heb. 2:4 - He witnesses by signs, wonders, gifts, and miracles. Heb. 10:15 - He witnesses to us directly. (see also Ro. 8:16) 1 Pet. 1:22 - He ministers obedience. 2 Pet. 1:21 - He makes us to prophecy. John 16:13 - HE alone teaches man TRUTH and HE TEACHES ALL truth. 1 John 2:27 - He teaches all truth through the ANOINTING, THEREFORE you have NO NEED for any man to teach you... HE WILL teach you ALL THINGS (directly OR through the WITNESS or TESTIMONY of Spirit-filled believers) 1 John 4:6 - He causes us to KNOW the truth and that we are of God, keeping us from the spirit of error. 1 John 5:6-8 - He bears witness to the truth with the water and the Blood of Christ. He IS TRUTH. The three are ONE. Phil. 1:19 - He is the PROVIDER of deliverance. AND THEY THAT WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH. (John 4:24, KJV)

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH- continued II. THE DOCTRINE OF REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS (Heb. 6:1) A. DEFINITION The word REPENT, in the New Testament Greek means TO CHANGE DIRECTION or TO TURN FROM and requires a CONSCIOUS DECISION to change ones mind regarding the pursuit of sin and THEN WALKING in that decision. It is OVERTLY expressed through the evidence of changed behavior and conduct. B. WHAT REPENTANCE IS NOT: It is NOT disappointment over sinning. It is NOT remorse over being caught in sin or found out. It is NOT self-accusation over sinful conduct. It is NOT self-condemnation (Ro. 8:1) (not directing blame, shame, or guilt at oneself) It is NOT anguish over falling into sin. It is NOT emotional ventilation or crying out. It is NOT an intellectual acceptance of another persons view. It is NOT an apology. C. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRUE REPENTANCE: It is a conscious change of direction in mind and action in regard to ones pursuit of willful sin. It is turning FROM a walk toward the darkness and into hell, the place of no return, TO a walk toward the LIGHT and into heaven. This requires receiving Gods GRACE by asking for it in the Name of Christ Jesus... It requires a mental decision and an ACTION upon that decision.

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 It requires a getting up and brushing off and washing off (repenting SINCERELY again) if the believer falls or backslides early on, or at ANYTIME in his/her faithwalk. It is accompanied by GODLY (SINCERE) SORROW and a CONTRITE HEART for past sins and sinful actions. It is coming under conviction of ones own sins and the NEED to walk in FAITH in a different way through life toward God, being WILLING to do so, and then DOING IT through His grace. It is the FIRST prerequisite BEFORE FAITH: Mk. 1:14-15 ...Repent and believe... It is Jesus own COMMAND that repentance come BEFORE faith can be utilized. The command is to REPENT first, THEN APPLY your FAITH. It is the FIRST prerequisite BEFORE BAPTISM: Acts 2:38 - please READ it NOW. THEN, it says, sins WILL BE REMITTED. Notice, here, that this verse is addressed to UNBELIEVERS who NEED to be SAVED. It says that REPENTANCE is first required, THEN water BAPTISM in Jesus Name, for REMISSION of sins. According to Websters New Collegiate Dictionary, the word remit means to send back, to lay aside, to RELEASE FROM THE GUILT OR PENALTY of, to give relief from, among other definitions. For the unbeliever who repents, then, God lays aside their sins (remits them) and treats them as if they never existed. He does NOT FORGIVE them, contrary to popular belief. He puts them ASIDE and DOES AWAY with them by the CLEANSING through His Precious Blood (Heb. 9:22). The Blood of Christ CLEANSES, WASHES AWAY... REMITS... sin. Contrast this with 1 John 1:9. READ it NOW. Notice that this verse is written to CHRISTIANS, those who are ALREADY believers. It says ...If WE (Christian believers) CONFESS ...

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 It says ...If we confess OUR sins... It says ...He is faithful to FORGIVE US... and CLEANSE us.... This verse clearly demonstrates that He FORGIVES (not remits) the sins of Christian believers. WHEN? IF they CONFESS first. What does He cleanse us from? the verse says ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. If CHRISTIANS ARE the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST, according to Scripture, through the BORN-AGAIN experience, then they have NO NEED to REPENT, that is, TURN AWAY FROM OR CHANGE DIRECTION FROM their previous life as an unbeliever... THEY ALREADY have... AND... received the righteousness of Christ through His Blood atonement. God cleanses by His Blood when we, as believers get into sin. When? When we CONFESS our sins. For the believer, CONFESSION OF SINS is followed by Gods FORGIVENESS. REPENTANCE, then, for believers, although FREQUENTLY done, is really a CONFESSION or acknowledgment that they are off track, rather than the REPENTANCE required of unbelievers in Acts 2:38, since unbelievers are SINNERS and have NEVER received the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST through the born-again experience, to begin with... unlike Christian believers. So we see from the Scriptures that REPENTANCE is the REQUIREMENT for DELIVERANCE from dead works which IS the REMISSION of sins, but that in the Christian believer who has ALREADY HAD HIS SINS REMI1TED AND RECEIVED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST, his/her sins are FORGIVEN through CONFESSION of them, resulting in the CLEANSING and RESTORATION of their RIGHTEOUSNESS (right-standing) with God which they ALREADY possess through Gods grace through FAITH in Him... the born-again experience. REPENTANCE, then, is a REQUIREMENT for UNBELIEVERS to be saved, their sins remitted, and for them to come into and receive the righteousness of God in Christ. Repentance is FROM DEAD WORKS: Heb. 6:1 dead works means from all works NOT arising from a REPENTANT FAITH and which are not founded upon the Rock or the Chief Cornerstone which IS CHRIST.

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D. THE DANGER OF UNREPENTANCE UNREPENTANCE is ALWAYS the consequence of STUBBORN WILLFULNESS and the desire to walk in ones OWN WAYS. This is ALWAYS IDOLATRY because it is putting ones own of the truth of ones own ways above the TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE and respecting it on the altar of ones own heart. God calls it IDOLATRY. Gods RESPONSE will ALWAYS be as follows, according to the pattern of Scripture: God first extends a period of grace and time for the believer to acknowledge his/her sins and to confess them, asking for forgiveness. The unbeliever is similarly given a period of grace and time to repent. If the unbeliever or believer persists in stubborn willfulness to pursue sin to desire sin and disregard God, His Will, and His Word, then God always brings JUDGMENT: God WITHDRAWS His GRACE. Under JUDGMENT there is an INABILITY to turn from sin and from the course of action taken. the person has passed a point of no return , a line which God has set in the path of his/her walk through life and which the person has passed. God is performing His Word: Jer. 1:12 Gen. 6:3 I will NOT STRIVE with man forever... EXAMPLES 1) Judas (Acts 1:25) - a New Testament unbeliever. 2) Saul (1 Sam. 31:4) - an Old Testament believer. 3) Esau (Gen. 25:34; Heb. 12:17) - an Old Testament unbeliever. The FIRST COMMAND of The Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament was REPENT... (Mt. 3:2; Mt. 4:17) because he knew the heart of man, that man did not want to repent. He even spoke to CITIES and commanded them to REPENT and they did not (Mt. 11:20) and PERISHED in their unrepentance.

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 Jesus prophetically revealed to John in the Book of the Revelation that at the end, mankind was UNREPENTANT......and they did not repent. Rev. 9:20,21 Rev. 16:9,11 The GREATEST WARNING of Jesus in the Scriptures occurs in Luke 13:3REPENT OR PERISH. E. SCRIPTURES ON REPENTANCE Now, to complete your study of the doctrine of repentance from dead works, look up and study the following Scripture references: Mt. 3:2 Mt. 4:17 Mt. 11:20 Mk.1:15 Mk. 6:12 Lk. 13:3 Lk.17:4 Acts 2:38 Acts 3:19 Acts 8:22 Acts 17:30 Acts 26:20 Rev. 2:5 Rev.2:21 Rev. 3:3 Rev. 3:19 Rev. 9:20,21 Rev. 16:9,11

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued (3) THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS (Heb. 6:2) I. INTRODUCTION We begin now our survey of the doctrine of baptisms. Notice that in Heb. 6:1 the term baptisms is used rather than the term baptism. The reason is that there are more than one. In fact, there are 5 different baptisms mentioned in the New Testament. It is therefore important that we be able to differentiate between each of them so that we know what they are referring to and what work the Holy Spirit was doing in applying each of them. Let us first understand the meaning of the word baptism. II. DEFINITION: The New Testament Greek word for baptism is baptizo and it means to be immersed, to be submerged, to be overwhelmed by, to be dunked under, according to a variety of New Testament sources. III. THE BAPTISMS A. THE BAPTISM OF JOHN Mk.1:4 This is a baptism of repentance. It was for the Jews, to whom John ministered. Its purpose was to prepare them to receive the Messiah by recognizing themselves as unworthy sinners in need of repentance and in need of a Messiah. It was performed by ritual immersion and was a prototype of Christian baptism to come. B. THE BAPTISM OF SUFFERING This was a specific baptism that was meant for Jesus to experience as part of His work of saving mankind. It was art immersion in suffering for the sins of mankind, since only God, and not man, could take on the sins of man and suffer and atone for those sins. It is indicative of His high level of which is incomprehensible to the natural mind. Luke 12:50 Mk. 10:38 C. BAPTISM BY WATER IMMERSION Mt. 28:19

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 Mt. 3:1 PURPOSES: To fulfill right-standing with God. Mk. 3:15 To receive the fullness of Gods grace through this act of OBEDIENCE which is the act of entering into Christs death with Him by burying the old self or old man in the waters of immersion baptism. Ro. 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. in immersion baptism in water, the old man or sin nature, is put to death and buried in the waters of baptism: the wages, that is, the consequences or after-effects of sin are removed. sin can no more abound grace is permitted to abound all the more. the believer is freed from the bondage to the sin nature which makes him/her desire to go out and commit the same sins and lusts over and over. it is not that the believer will never sin again but that sin will NOT have DOMINION over him/her. Ro. 6:2,6,7 Ro.8:10 we enter into Christs death and are buried with Him in the waters of immersion. Ro. 6:3,4 we come up out of the water, spiritually resurrected and alive to Christ, partaking in the fullness of His plan and His life for us, being AFFIRMED as a NEW CREATION: Ro. 6:11 Ro.8:10 Gal. 3:27

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 Col. 2:12 REQUIREMENTS TO RECEIVE WATER BAPTISM: receive the Gospel of salvation and become saved by grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ: Mk. 16:15,16 Eph. 2:8,9 be in right-standing or right attitude toward God, desiring to be obedient and to receive this ordinance of the Scriptures. 1 Pet.3:21 Repent and be baptized... Acts 2:37,38 to repent means that the person must exercise his/her own will and volition as a decision to turn away from sin and toward God. This requires an informed decision by use of the will, something that infants cannot do. Believe and be baptized... Mk. 16:15-16 this means that FAITH must also be exercised or utilized to receive the benefits of water baptism. Again, infants do not yet have faith nor the maturity to use it, therefore they do NOT meet the Scriptural requirements for water baptism. NOTE, however, that such children are charitably regarded to be saved because, according to Scripture, they ARE regarded as HOLY because of one or more believing parents. God has ALREADY made a way for them to be saved because they cannot, as of yet, exercise their will or faith. They are SAVED by Gods grace and mercy, charitably extended toward them by His sovereign act. 1 Cor. 7:14 Ro.9:15 receive water baptism by IMMERSION only:

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 based on the definition of the verb baptize, chosen by the Holy Spirit, when He dictated the Scriptures through the minds of the apostles. based on the example of the Bible, where it CLEARLY states that Jesus CAME UP OUT OF THE WATER: Mt. 3:16 this implies that Jesus FIRST had to go DOWN UNDER the water. it also implies, that although John could have reached down and scooped up some water in a cup to sprinkle it or pour it over Jesus head, he DID NOT. Why? Because it was UNDERSTOOD that a burial of the old self had to take place, even though Jesus was free from having an old self since he had no sin nature. Nevertheless, He was willing to undergo water baptism to set the example for others so that all righteousness might be fulfilled. (Mt. 3:15). BENEFITS OF WATER BAPTISM: that the righteousness of God be fulfilled in OUR LIVES. (Mt. 3:15) we enter into Christs death with Him and bury the old self and its sin nature. (Ro. 6:3,4) we are resurrected as a NEW CREATION in Christ, entering into His LIFE. (Gal. 3:27) we are freed from the dominion of sin through burial. (Ro. 6:6) we are able to receive other benefits as exemplified by Scripture, such as: 1) DELIV ERANCE (Ex. 14:1 3) in the early Church, water baptism was considered the ordinance of EXORCISM. (The Egyptians, pursuing Moses, were a TYPE of Satans demonic forces, and were DESTROYED by the waters of the Red Sea, an Old Testament type of entering into water baptism.) requirements included acknowledging ones sins publicly or in private repentance with Godly contrition, and then receiving deliverance (exorcism) through water immersion.

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 Both Origen and Tertullian, early church leaders, wrote about it. I believe that it works as a PROFOUNDLY POWERFUL form of exorcism when the believer releases his/her faith to receive to God, and EXPECTS to receive this benefit, since FAITH is the key ingredient, after repentance, to receive water baptism, to begin with. How does water baptism deliver from demonic bondage? I believe that the reason is two-fold: 1. by putting away the old self and the sin nature, the demonic hooks, the desire to commit sin (which opens the door to the demonic) is taken away and demonic spirits no longer have a legal ground to stand. 2. by entering into Christs death WITH HIM in water immersion, demonic spirits are driven away, for they cannot be in the PRESENCE of Christ NOR tolerate the HOLINESS of the ordinance of water baptism, EMPOWERED by the HOLY SPIRIT. 2) HEALING exemplified through 2 Kings 5:1-14 PHYSICAL HEALINGS can occur through water baptism because Scripture says that some of us are sick or infirm because of OUR INIQUITIES Ps. 31:10 Ps. 32:3 James 5:16 and the sin nature, the ROOT CAUSE OF OUR INIQUITIES is put to death and buried in the waters of baptism. REGENERATION AND RENEWING (Titus 3:5) the renewal of the mind can occur through water baptism through the putting to death in the water of

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baptism the old man and his/her old ways of thinking and desires rooted in the old sin nature. through His mercy and grace, then, by FAITH I am made a NEW CREATION in Him. By TRUSTING in Him and His ORDINANCE OF WATER BAPTISM. RE-BAPTIZING BY WATER (Acts 19:2-5) There is a clear scriptural precedent for re-baptizing a believer when there is evidence that they have lacked understanding in the doctrine of baptisms. In this example, Paul clarified for the Jewish believers that they had been baptized into the baptism of John but not in the Name of Jesus, that is, Christian baptism. He then instructed them and REBAPTIZED them into Christ, following which he laid hands upon them and imparted the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Whenever a lack of understanding seems to be present and seems to have blocked the believer from receiving the full benefits and manifestations of water baptism, it is perfectly reasonable, then, to REINSTRUCT the believer regarding water baptism and its benefits, and then to RE BAPTIZE in the Name of Christ JESUS. sometimes deliverances and healings which previously did not take place with water baptism WILL then take place WHEN the believer releases his/ her FAITH( in believing that the ordinance of water baptism REALLY WORKS and that the CAN receive ALL of its benefits) to God. in such instances it is VERY USEFUL for the person, after firstly repenting and confessing their sins to the Lord, to ANNOUNCE ALOUD (or in a low voice, at least) to God the specific behaviors, traits, and sins that they EXPECT to see put to death in Christ once and for all time when they go under the water, and CONFESS that they believe and receive what they say, by expectant faith, in Christ Jesus Name.

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued III. THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS-continued D. THE BAPTISM BY FIRE I. KEY SCRIPTURE: Lk. 3:16 ...One greater than I comes....HE WILL baptize you with the Holy Spirit AND with FIRE... II. INTRODUCTION There is a wealth of New Testament Scripture referring to the FIRE BAPTISM. Just as Christ received a distinct baptism of suffering which was SPECIFIC to Him (Lk. 12:50; Mk. 10:38), He promised that the believer in Him WILL also enter into a like baptism of suffering (Mk. 10:38,39). This is the BAPTISM BY FIRE. The New Testament word for fire is the Greek word pur, literally meaning both fire and lightening. It is not only a symbol of the Holy Spirit and of Gods judgment, but in the New Testament fire scriptures it specifically speaks of that which TRIES THE FAITH of the believer, producing in them the FRUITS of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22,23) and glorifying the Lord. It is symbolic of the TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, OPPOSITIONS, PERSECUTIONS and AFFLICTIONS that ALL Christians MUST suffer in order to make them conform into the IMAGE and LIKENESS of Christ, the PROCESS being their PERFECTION, that is, their being brought into SPIRITUAL MATURITY. Hebrews 12:5,6 admonishes us NOT to despise the CHASTENING (punishment) of the Lord for whomever He loves, He chastens and scourges all whom He receives as sons (and daughters). This chastening is NOT a punishment of judgment for sin, for Christ has already paid the price for ALL sin once and for all men (Heb. 10:10-14) and has already taken our punishment upon Himself. There is, therefore, no further punishment or sacrifice required on His part or demanded from us for the purpose of atoning for sin, since His Blood has already ATONED for ALL sin. Scripture tells us that Christ took upon Himself the chastisement for all of our sins. This chastisement, then, with which He scourges us to make us sons and daughters serves another purpose. It is a chastisement for the purpose of INSTRUCTION, to teach us to experience what He experienced.., the oppositions, afflictions, trials and tribulations of the world, that we might enter into His suffering with Him and by so doing, that He might TEACH us of His WAYS and the ways in which we must walk. His purpose is to make us, mold us, break us, change us, and to CONFORM us into His IMAGE and His LIKENESS... to make us into what it is that we ought to be as Christians.

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We can now see, then, that the three baptisms (immersions) that pertain to us represent three distinct WORKS that the Lord is doing in the life of every believer: 1) in water baptism- affirming the salvation experience received through the Blood of the Lamb by burying the old man by immersion in the waters of baptism and coming up out of the water as the New Creation in Christ. 2) in Baptism in the Holy Spirit-giving the believer through the 9 spiritual gifts, the ability to walk in the POWER of the Holy Spirit. 3) in fire baptism - giving the believer immersion in the trials and tribulations, sufferings, oppositions and afflictions of our life experiences to yield in us the FRUITS of the Spirit and to CONFORM us into His Image. In summary, then, His SOVEREIGN WORK (PURPOSE) in us through: water baptism-conforms us to His SALVATION. Holy Spirit baptism-conforms us to His POWER. fire baptism- conforms us to His IMAGE. Fire baptism is a true IMMERSION baptism. It is immersion into the afflictions, sufferings, trials, oppositions, and tribulations of life which try, test, and build our faith. In the Scriptures, these are known as valley experiences and our walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Ps. 23) is our faithwalk on this earth, which IS the valley of the shadow of death. Our walk through life includes a series of trials and tribulations which become our valley experiences. Our faith is built up through these experiences and the Lord trains us in patience endurance, holiness, righteousness, and tea ches us to walk in VICTORY. And so, the Scriptures state that by these we go from faith to faith..., that is, from one test of faith to ever increasing tests of faith, and from glory to glory..., that is, from victory to victory. God assures us of victory each time... FOR HIS GLORY, until HE brings us to that place of SPIRITUAL MATURITY where we need to be. Then, the trials and tribulations CEASE and HE establishes us. When He tells us that in this world there will be fiery trials and tribulations, He qualifies it by saying ... ...but ONLY FOR A WHILE... (1 Pet. 5:10). Its purpose, then, is for INSTRUCTION and correction, that we may come into Christian maturity. The trials and tribulations continue, in my observations, as long as the carnal believer resists the Holy Spirit and does not walk in humility, in submission to Gods Will and Word, and in obedience. And this should be expected since the PURPOSE of the fire baptism is to mold us, make us, and break us from the things of the flesh and to move us into the realm of walking in-the-Spirit. You say But I dont WANT to suffer afflictions! Will the clay tell the potter what to do? Does not the potter have power over the clay? (Ro. 9:21; Isa. 29:16). Is it not God, the Divine Potter, molding us into what it is that He wants us to be? (Jer. 18:3,4; Lam. 4:2; Rev. 2:27; Isa. 29:16; Ro. 9:21)

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Then FIRE BAPTISM WILL COME upon the life of every believer as a SOVEREIGN WORK OF GOD specific for His purpose and His plan for the believers life. The believers response MUST be to YIELD, TRUST and walk by FAITH. III. SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR THE FIRE BAPTISM: Please look up the following Scriptures now to understand the Scriptural basis for the fire baptism: Lk.3:16 1 Pet. 2:20,21 1 Pet. 4:12 1 Pet. 1:6,7 2 Tim.3:12 1 Tim.4:10 Acts 9:16 Ja. 5:10 Mt. 10:38 Heb. 10:32,33 2 Thess.1:3,4 1 Thess. 3:4

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS THE BAPTISM BY FIRE-continued IV. THE PURPOSE OF THE FIRE BAPTISM AS A WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF EVERY BELIEVER: Luke 3:16 clearly tells us that the Lord WILL baptize us in the Spirit AND IN FIRE. The word baptize, as stated earlier, means to immerse. It would appear, then, that this baptism is a true immersion baptism and the IMMERSION is into the trials, afflictions, tests, and tribulations of our life experiences which serve to try and test our faith. Furthermore, a wealth of the Scriptures define the PURPOSE: it is to create in us the fruit of the Spirit and conform us into the image of Christ; to deal with the flesh (carnal mind) unto the salvation of the SOUL, the spirit (man) already having been saved through the born-again experience when Christ was invited into our heart to indwell us, permitting us to become the NEW CREATION. Let us now look at these Scriptures in order to see the purpose and means by which the Holy Spirit brings these things to pass. The Scriptures tell us that such tests, trials, afflictions and tribulations serve the following purposes: that you may become spiritually rich (Rev. 3:18) that you count it all joy when you fall into various trials (for your reward in heaven is great) (Ja. 1:2) that these trials and afflictions try your faith (Ja. 1:3) that the trying of your faith works patience in you (Ja. 1:3) that the working of patience in you brings spiritual maturity (Ja. 1:4) that you receive the crown of life (Ja. 1:12) to reveal and try (test) every mans work (1 Cor. 3:13) to affirm the believers salvation (1 Cor. 3:15) to work for the believers good (Ro. 8:28) to enter into Christs suffering that we might be glorified with Him (Ro. 8:17) that our faith may be tried or tested (1 Pet. 1:6,7)

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 that our suffering unjustly find favor with God (1 Pet. 2:19) that we might be accepted by God for doing what is right and suffering for it (1 Pet. 2:20) to call us the purpose of following in Christs footsteps by suffering (1 Pet. 2:21) to purpose to suffer in the flesh as Christ did and be of the same mind that sin may cease in our lives (1 Pet. 4:1) that we might live to the Will of God (1 Pet. 4:2) to partake in His sufferings which will be followed by exceeding joy at the revelation of Him (1 Pet. 4:13) that He be glorified by your reproaches (1 Pet. 4:14) that you glorify God by it (1 Pet. 4:16) that you learn to entrust your SOUL (mind, will, emotions) to Gods keeping, to do what is right in suffering according to HIS WILL for YOUR LIFE (1 Pet. 4:19) to be a WITNESS of Christs sufferings and a PARTAKER of His glory (1 Pet. 5:1) that you be perfected (made spiri tually mature), established, strengthened, and settled (1 Pet. 5:10) to be MINISTERS of God in afflictions, distresses, and longsufferings (2 Cor. 6:4-6) to always rejoice, enriching the lives of others and possessing all things while conducting ourselves in humility as sorrowful, as poor, AS having nothing (2 Cor. 6:10) to suffer for the comfort and salvation of others which produces in them the same patient endurance of the same sufferings which we suffer (2 Cor. 1:6,7) to ENTRUST ourselves TO HIM when our afflictions become excessive and beyond our strength to endure, causing despair (2 Cor. 1:8,9) to bring us to a Godly sorrow and repentance according to Gods Will, that we might not suffer loss (2 Cor. 7:9,10)

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 to suffer for the Kingdom of God and receive a token amount of Gods righteous judgment upon our lives that we might be considered worthy (2 Thess. 1:5) to work in us patience, experience, and hope which kindles in us the love of God through the Holy Spirit (Ro. 5:3-5) to bring you GREAT REWARD and ENDURANCE... AFTER you have done Gods Will (Heb. 10:36) to live by faith UNTO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL (Heb. 10:38,39) to receive chastening (INSTRUCTION) by the Holy Spirit (Heb. 12:5 -8) to be CONSIDERED A SON OF GOD (Heb. 12:8) to achieve 3 things... to TRAIN US, to PERMIT us to PARTAKE IN HIS HOLINESS, and to YIELD IN US THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Heb. 12:10,11) to SUFFER FOR HIS SAKE (cause) (Phil. 1:29) to BRING GOD GLORY (2 Thess. 1:3-5) that CHRISTS LIFE MIGHT BE MANIFESTED through US (2 Cor. 4:710) to BECOME A VESSEL OF HONOR, made HOLY and USEFUL to the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:20,21) to ENTER INTO HIS SUFFERING that we might be GLORIFIED WITH HIM (Ro. 8:17) V. HOW THE BELIEVER MUST CONDUCT HIMSELF/HERSELF THROUGH TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS (FIRE BAPTISM), ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE: PRAYER IS THE ANSWER to affliction and suffering. (Ja. 5:13) TRUST in the Lord (1 Pet. 2:23) Be CONFIDENT (Heb. 10:35) LIVE BY FAITH (Heb. 10:38) DONT RUN from it but BELIEVE GOD (Heb. 10:39)

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 GO FORTH bearing Christs reproach, PRAISING HIM, doing good works, and communicating to others. (Heb. 13:12-17) Lay down your life for others IF God calls you to do so (1 John 3:16) Be as HE is in the world. (1 John 4:17) BELIEVE ON HIM (TRUST ON HIM) and SUFFER for His sake (cause). (Phil 1:29) Bear ALL THINGS (1 Cor. 13:7) ENDURE ALL tribulations THROUGH PATIENCE AND FAITH. (2 Thess. 1:4) STAND AND RESIST the DEVIL. (1 Pet. 5:9) FEAR NOT (Rev. 2:10) VI. OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES REGARDING THE BAPTISM BY FIRE: Mt. 10:38 1 Cor. 13:7 1 Pet. 3:14,17 1 Pet. 4:16 1 Pet. 5:9 2 Cor. 6:9 Heb. 11:25 Heb. 13:12,13 1 John2:6 Acts 5:41 Gal. 5:11 2 Tim.1:8 2 Tim. 1:12 Rev. 2:10 VII. CONCLUDING REMARKS If you have taken the time to look up and read ALL of the reference scriptures in this study, it will be readily apparent to you that there is a wealth of scripture references on the theology of personal and corporate (the church body) suffering and affliction, which IS, in essence, the BAPTISM BY FIRE into which we are BAPTIZED (IMMERSED), according to Gods Will. We can conclude, from this study of the Scriptures, that the FIRE BAPTISM is directly related to the following PURPOSES of the Holy Spirit: the SALVATION of the SOUL (man). to produce in the believer the ever evolving FRUITS of the SPIRIT.

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 to TEST OUR FAITH and BRING US INTO SPIRITUAL MATURITY (PERFECTION). to CONFORM US INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST. To make us like Him.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued THE BAPTISM-IN-THE-HOLY SPIRIT: This is not a baptism such as water baptism. In water baptism, believer is immersed in water. The water overwhelms the believer. The word baptizo in the New Testament Greek means to be overwhelmed by. In the Holy Spirit baptism, the believer is overwhelmed by the POWER of the Holy Spirit which descends upon the believer to empower the believer with 9 spiritual gifts of the Spirit. This is not the same as the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22,23. The purpose of the 9 spiritual gifts is to EMPOWER the believer to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit for Gods glory first, and then for ministry and service to the church. the Spirit-Baptism is received through the laying-on-of-hands through someone who already has the Spirit-baptism, praying first, and by asking the Father first. (Lk. 11:1013; Acts 6:16; and Acts 8:16-18) There are 9 gifts of the Spirit. (1 Cor. 12) They are: 1. word of wisdom 2. word of knowledge 3. discernment of spirits 4. faith 5. miracles 6. healings 7. tongues 8. interpretation of tongues 9. prophecy For an in-depth discussion of the Baptism-in-the-Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, see the Bible study by that name in the front part of this book. The Spirit-baptism also re-establishes the communication between the believer and the Holy Spirit, since three of the spiritual gifts are knowledge gifts, three are power gifts, and three are vocal gifts. This restores the breach in communication with the Spirit of God that occurred in the Garden experience when Adam and Eve fell from grace. This baptism permits the believer to walk in the power of the Spirit. In summary, then, we can see that there are three distinct baptisms mentioned in the scriptures that distinctly relate to the believer and the work of Christ in the life of the believer. And there are three distinct works of Christ in the life of the believer confirmed and witnessed through these three baptisms. They are diagrammed below:

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BAPTISM:
water Holy Spirit fire

WORK OF CHRIST IN BELIEVERS LIFE:

1. Confirms salvation. 2. Walking in the power of the Spirit 3. To mold and form believer into His image and likeness.

The reader should note that there are other baptisms noted in the Bible, but for the sake of this discussion, I have restricted it solely to those baptisms which are directly related to the life of the believer. It should be noted, nevertheless, that other baptisms mentioned in the Bible still represented sovereign moves and works of God for divine purposes at the times when they were in effect.

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued IV. THE DOCTRINE OF FAITH A. INTRODUCTION The Kingdom of God is accessed through FAITH, that is, it is TAKEN POSSESSION OF or APPROPRIATED through FAITH. It is GIVEN as a FREE GIFT by GRACE (Eph. 2:8,9) and it is DEMONSTRATED IN POWER (1 Cor.4:20) by ACTION. FAITH EMPOWERS the action which may be a decision, a physical act such as the laying-on-of-hands or the act of making a verbal faith confession of faithfilled words from ones mouth. The MANIFESTATION of the Holy Spirit WILL FOLLOW the ACTION taken in FAITH. The action must be performed before the result or answer to prayer may be seen. This also applies to mental prayer as an action, which Paul alluded to when he mentioned that he sometimes prays with the understanding. This faith that we are speaking of is NOT faith in faith but faith TOWARD GOD. (Mk. 11:22; Acts 20:21) It is FAITH toward the Lord Jesus Christ and the CONFIDENT RELIANCE upon His POWER and His FAITHFULNESS toward us. It is NOT faith in the process of faith or having faith; it is not faith in ones own positive thoughts or confessions; it is not faith in psychics or psychic powers (divination, an abomination to the Lord according to the Scriptures); it is ONLY FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND IN HIS ABILITY AND DESIRE TO RESPOND TO YOUR NEEDS, YOUR PRAYERS, YOUR CONVICTIONS AND TO THE CONFESSION OF FAITH THAT COMES FROM YOUR MOUTH. IT IS FAITH TOWARD GOD ALONE. (Heb. 6:1) B. THE DEFINITION OF FAITH (Heb. 11:1) Hebrews 11:1 (NW) says, Now FAITH is BEING SURE of WHAT we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see. The same verse in the New American Standard Version says, Now FAITH is the ASSURANCE of THINGS hoped for, the CONVICTION of things not seen. The King lames Version says, Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things NOT SEEN. Notice that HOPE (which is NOT the same as FAITH) MUST PRECEDE FAITH, according to this definition. Hope addresses the future. Faith addresses the PRESENT. We must have hope that what is not vet (the future) IS BEING CALLED into our life (the present) as the EVIDENCE, that is, the PROOF of things unseen or things not seen, which are things from the REALM OF KINGDOM OF GOD, the Spirit- realm. Notice in these definitions that faith is referred to as the being sure

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of, the assurance of or the substance of. The Greek New Testament word for assurance or substance also means the GUARANTEE. So what is the Holy Spirit telling us? He is saying that our FAITH IN CHRIST in response to our prayers, supplications, and FAITH CONFESSION FROM OUR MOUTH is the GUARANTEE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE OR PROOF of things unseen, that is the PROOF that that which we hope for COMES TO US from the realm of the Holy Spirit... by our BELIEVING (TRUSTING) on Him to do it. Faith, then is a BRIDGE from the Spirit-world (the Kingdom) to the earthly realm, and CAUSES things unseen TO BE (Ro. 4:20). Then, a concise paraphrased definition is that FAITH CALLS THOSE THINGS THAT ARE NOT AS IF THEY ALREADY ARE. In Romans Chapter 4, reflecting that Abraham had the God-kind of faith, verses 17-22 show us that God called things into existence by faith, calling those things that were not yet as if they were. In short, He SPOKE them into existence. Now the Scriptures are clear that Jesus was the Creator (John 1:3) and it was therefore HE who spoke these things into existence (Ro. 4: 17). Jesus told us that the things that He did, we will do, and GREATER for He was going to the Father (John 14:12). He did ALL through FAITH. FAITH, then, is a CREATIVE POWER or SPIRITUAL FUNCTION GIVEN to man by God. We cannot pray for faith, according to the Scriptures because WE ALREADY HAVE IT... a measure of it has already been GIVEN to us by God (Ro. 12:3). Thats GRACE. We also cannot pray to receive strong faith or to be strengthened in faith, contrary to popular belief. The Scripture clearly demonstrates how we grow in the faith that has already been given to us. Romans 10:17 (NIV) says that... ...FAITH COMES from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ. In others words FAITH COMES by HEARING THE WORD of GOD. Now the point is this: Faith COMES. Faith COMES. It COMES. How? By HEARING the Spirit through THE WORD OF GOD. There is no other way to be strengthened or to grow in faith. It is the ONLY way for your faith to grow. As we will see later in this study, faith REQUIRES a positive confession from our mouth. We shall then have WHATSOEVER we say (Mk. 11:23,24) When? When we confess in line with Gods Word which IS His Will. It is not name it and claim it but it CERTAINLY IS NAME IT AND CLAIM IT IN LINE WITH GODS WORD. (1 John 5:14,15) Why? Because Jesus is the High Priest of OUR CONFESSION (Heb. 3:1). What does that mean? It means that He appears before the Father and confesses OUR confession to the Father, He speaks to the Father the faithfilled words from our mouth which are in line with the Word of God. He is our Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) and our Advocate (1 John 2:1) with the Father. What we ask in faith in His Name, He and the Father will give us (John 15:7,11,16; John 14:13,14; John 16:23,24). We obtain what we CONFESS through Him. Now, according to the definition, FAITH is the bridge or conduit between the Spirit-realm and the human realm. In the Spirit-realm, the Kingdom, is the POWER of

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God, the Anointing that empowers. In understandable human terms it is the power company. Faith, then is the conduit through which the power flows. It is sort of the electrical wiring in the house of God in which we dwell. If that is so, then the power must be accessed through the wiring of faith so that the power can flow. This requires a power outlet or plug or switch to tap into the power to permit it to flow into our environment and to manifest itself into our existence. That plug or switch that turns the power (the ANOINTING) on and permits it to flow into our existence (environment) is PRAYER. PRAYER is the switch that permits the power of the Holy Spirit to flow into our lives through the conduit, bridge, or wiring from the unseen world to the world of the seen, which is FAITH. Faith, then, is activated through PRAYER which IS the FAITH-CONFESSION from our MOUTH (the action). The Kingdom is demonstrated by ACTION. When the Word is heard and the Word is demonstrated, FAITH COMES.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued IV. THE DOCTRINE OF FAITH (TOWARD GOD)-continued C. FAITH IS A LAW (Ro. 3:27) AND A SPIRIT (of the Holy Spirit) (2 Cor. 4:13): What does this mean? It is a LAW because it ALWAYS OPERATES IN THE SAME WAY and BRINGS RESULTS from things not seen, that is, from the realm of the spiritual world of the Kingdom of God. It is a SPIRITUAL LAW, which, when exercised in line with Gods Word, ALWAYS works just a physical laws ALWAYS work. A LAW is that which is ORDAINED BY GOD to consistently manifest in a certain way in response to a performance or action. It is ORDAINED BY GOD to happen. When? When FAITH is exercised in accordance to Scripture. It is a spirit of the Holy Spirit, that is, a manifestation or ministry through and of the Holy Spirit, so Paul says that we have the spirit of faith. Why? Because Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith (Heb. 12:12), and, therefore, the SOURCE of faith: ...through FAITH in Jesus Christ, to all and ON ALL WHO BELIEVE... (Ro. 3:22) Because we are all of ONE (HOLY) SPIRIT, we HAVE the Spirit of Faith. D. HOW THE LAW OF FAITH OPERATES: 1) Through LOVE (Gal. 5:6) 2) Through COMMANDING (saying) (Mk. 11:23,24) 3) Through BELIEVING WITHOUT DOUBT (Mk. 11:23,24; Ja. 1:6,7) 4) Through WALKING in it (2 Cor. 5:7) 5) Through CONFESSION (aloud by mouth) (Ro. 10:8) 6) Through HEARING the Word (Gal. 3:2; Ro. 10:17) AND ESPECIALLY, 7) Through Jesus!(Ro. 3:26) E. THE POWER OF THE FAITH CONFESSION:

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1) Faith is what EMPOWERS the CONFESSION from our mouth. Mark 11:23,24 says that if YOU BELIEVE (TRUST, HAVE FAITH), WITHOUT DOUBT... you WILL HAVE WHATSOEVER you SAY. Read it now and read it SLOWLY to understand. Repeat two more times. Get it into you. Its important. The point is that SAYING means having a CONFESSION come from your mouth, that is, WHAT YOU BELIEVE, according to Gods Word, that God does for you. How did you become a born-again Christian? You CONFESSED with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior by His Grace through FAITH. It was your FAITH CONFESSION that permitted you to ACCESS His GRACE (Ro. 5:2) which SAVED you (Lk 7:50) (Eph. 2:8,9). This FAITH is FAITH FROM THE HEART (Ro. 10:10), NOT FAITH FROM THE MIND which is little more, if anything other than MENTAL or INTELLECTUAL ASSENT or even HOPE (which is NOT faith). It must come from the HEART, the depth of ones being, equated in the Scriptures with the soul and spirit together, whereas the mind is the soul. We are talking about FAITH arising from the spirit of man through the Spirit in man (Ro. 8:16), not from the mind. Faith confessions from the mind are nothing more than affirmations, meditations of the Eastern kind, or mind control such as used in Christian Science and other cultic religions. They can be disastrous and ruinous to ones faithwalk and have NO FOUNDATION in Scripture. We must use HEART-FAITH, not mind-faith. This concept is important to understand. More on this later on in this study. 2) Hebrews 3:1 calls the Lord Jesus Christ the High Priest of OUR CONFESSION. What is our confession (lower case letter c as versus capital C in Confession, referring to The Confession or our Christian Faith)? Our confession is not only our Christian Faith BUT ALL that is of FAITH that comes out of our mouths and which is BELIEVED UPON without doubting. What, then, does it mean that Jesus is the High Priest of our confession? What did the High Priest of Old Testament times do on behalf of the people? He went into the Holy-of-Holies of the Tabernacle to the presence of the Holy Spirit, on behalf of the people, to obtain intercession and remission of their sins. He obtained from the Father on their behalf. When Jesus goes to the Father for us when we make a positive confession of faith, what does He confess to the father? OUR confession! That is the reason that the Scripture calls Him the High Priest of OUR confession. HE CONFESSES our confession of faith to the Father, and our positive confession of faith obtains for us FAVOR from the Father (Heb. 11:2). Jesus, when He is being the High Priest of OUR CONFESSION, is SAYING what WE SAY, to the Father... WHEN we SAY in line with Gods Word. Why? Because He is keeping COVENANT with us, and when we confess by FAITH, we are keeping covenant with Him because His Covenant is a FAITH COVENANT SEALED BY HIS BLOOD. 3) 2 Cor .4:13 says ...we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I BELIEVED therefore I SPOKE ...we also BELIEVE (trust, have faith) and therefore SPEAK (confess).

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It should be apparent that this scripture emphasizes the importance of SPEAKING by FAITH which IS the faith confession. 4) The principle of FAITH CONFESSION from the mouth is further supported by Ro. 10:8 which says . ..the word is near you; it is IN YOUR MOUTH and in your HEART, that is, the WORD OF FAITH we are PROCLAIMING.... 5) Now consider this: Rev. 12:11 They OVERCAME him by the blood of the Lamb and by the WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY;... This important scripture refers to the overcoming of Satan (him) by the saints or believers (they). There are two important words to particularly take note of in this scripture verse. The first is word and the second is testimony in the phrase the word of their testimony; The New Testament Greek word for word is the Greek word logos. According to Vines Expository Dictionary, it h a variety of meanings all as centering around something said with the mouth, the most prominent consideration being the meaning of SOMETHING SAID or BY WORD OF MOUTH. The New Testament Greek word for testimony is the Greek word marturia and means EVIDENCE GIVEN or a report, a witness, or a testimony. Now follow this because it demonstrates the IMPORTANCE of FAITH CONFESSION. What these words reveal, as chosen by the Holy Spirit when He dictated the Scriptures to the thoughts of the Apostles, is that our faith confession along with the BLOOD OF JESUS is ABLE TO DEFEAT SATAN because it is something said, that is, a CONFESSION by MOUTH of our evidence given. Now our evidence given is what we BELIEVE and know to be TRUE, our report or our witness. This is not just our testimony of how we became a Christian but our testimony of WHAT WE BELIEVE BY FAITH and ALL THAT WE BELIEVE BY FAITH. And what we believe by faith we CONFESS WITH OUR MOUTH. Now if you have followed this, it should now become apparent to you that the rhema word or revealed word or revelation behind this logos word or written word is this: that Satan is defeated by the Blood of the Lamb and OUR FAITH CONFESSION! Our faith confession IS the word of our testimony! 6) Proverbs 18:21 says The TONGUE has the POWER of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Watch your WORDS! Watch WHAT you

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CONFESS with your tongue from your mouth! It is a matter of divine revelation. We see from this that negative words and beliefs expressed by the tongue can be DESTRUCTIVE to us. We must watch what we say to others and about ourselves or our NEGATIVE SAYING CANCELS POSITIVE PRAYING. Mark Chapter 4 equates the Word of God to a seed which, when planted into our hearts, takes root and brings forth fruit within us that transforms us into the image and likeness of Christ. Why? Because Jesus is the Word. His Word, the Scriptures, contain His very likeness, personality, and holiness. The seed contains ALL that the whole ever is. All that the mustard tree ever is, is contained in its seed. And so it is with the Word of God. And so it is with our OWN WORDS. They, too, whether negative or positive can take root in our own heart or the heart of others after we speak them, and can bear the fruit of life or death, that is, the can bring forth blessing, or cursing in the form of emotional wounds and hurts... a broken heart or wounded spirit. There is danger in a negative confession. Through it a root of bitterness can grow (Heb. 12:15) with subsequent unforgiveness and the bitter root judgment against the person who offended. All because the person who was offended put his/her belief in a negative faith confession. Watch your words! 7) 1 Tim. 6:12 says Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called WHEN YOU MADE YOUR GOOD CONFESSION in the presence of many witnesses. Again emphasizing the IMPORTANCE of the FAITH CONFESSION aloud to others. 8) And finally, we consider this eighth confession scripture of great importance: Does He then, who PROVIDES you with the Spirit, and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by HEARING WITH FAITH? (Gal. 3:5, NASV) Wow! What a revelation! This scripture is saying that Jesus MUST HEAR YOUR FAITH CONFESSION FIRST BEFORE HE SUPPLIES THE ANOINTING (the POWER of the Holy Spirit). It is asking How does He provide you the Spirit (the anointing) otherwise? Jesus is WAITING to HEAR FAITH-FILLED WORDS come from your mouth BEFORE He can PROVIDE the EMPOWERMENT (ANOINTING), the HOLY SPIRIT, to work the miracles (supernatural events) in response to your PRAYER or FAITH CONFESSION. You may be waiting for Jesus for a great supernatural move to happen in your life. Guess what? Jesus is waiting for YOU... for your CONFESSION OF FAITH in Him and what He is doing for you, so that He can put His Holy Spirit into the words from your mouth and QUICKEN them, that is, make them alive with

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the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT to bring forth your miracle, your prayer answer from the realm of things not seen, the supernatural realm of the Spirit, through YOUR FAITH, the substance or guarantee of things hoped for, the evidence or PROOF of things unseen. In this section you have studied 8 scripture references concerning the FAITH CONFESSION that must come from your mouth to see God work in your life. The number 8 in Biblical numbers is the number of new beginnings. New beginnings are there for YOU WHEN you align yourself with Gods Word and begin confessing Gods Word aloud over your lifes circumstances, by faith, according to these 8 confession principles. Watch God work. Watch God respond. The KEY is FAITH and PERSISTENCE in your faith confession. F. WHAT FAITH DOES FOR THE BELIEVER: It JUSTIFIES (Ro. 3:26,28,30; Eph. 2:8,9). It obtains MERCY (Ro. 3:25). It establishes the LAW (Ro. 3:31). It SECURES the promises of the COVENANT (Ro. 4:16). It ACCESSES GRACE (Ro. 5:2). It BLESSES (Gal. 3:9) It MAKES YOU A SON OF GOD (Gal. 3:23-25) It SAVES (Eph. 2:8) It ACCESSES THE THRONE ROOM FOR US (Eph. 3:12) It PERMITS CHRIST to dwell IN OUR HEART (Eph. 3:17) It is A SHIELD AGAINST EVERY FIERY DART (attack and attacker) OF THE ENEMY (Eph. 6:16). It GUARANTEES YOUR RESURRECTION (Col. 2:12). It COMFORTS OTHERS (1 Thess. 3:7) It is a BREASTPLATE (a DEFENSE against penetration by the enemy) (1 Thess. 5:8) It brings GODLY EDIFICATION OF THE BELIEVER (1 Tim. 1:4)

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 It is THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES the world. (1 John 5:4) It MAKES YOU WELL (Mt. 9:28) It RESTORES YOUR STRENGTH (Acts 3:16) It BRINGS HEALING (Lk. 18:42; Ac ts 14:9) It PURIFIES THE HEART (Acts 15:9) It SANCTIFIES (Acts 26:18) It EMPOWERS YOUR DESIRE FROM GOD (Mt. 9:29; Mt. 15:28; Mt. 17:20) It OBTAINS GODS FAVOR for us (Heb. 11:2) G. OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES ON FAITH: Mt. 21:21 Mk. 5:34 Mk. 10:52 Mk.11:22 Ro.1:17 Ro.3:22 Ro. 11:20 Gal. 3:14 Eph.4:5,6 Ja. 5:15 H. SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES ABOUT FAITH THAT EVERY BELIEVER NEEDS TO REMEMBER: 1) Stand by faith... UNBELIEF BREAKS YOU OFF from God. (Ro. 11:20; 2 Cor. 1:24) 2) Every believer already has a MEASURE OF FAITH to work with, it is Gods gift. (Ro. 12:3) 3) Act in proportion to your own level of faith. God will meet you there and work with what you have. (Ro. 12:6) 4) Remember, WHATEVER is not of faith IS SIN. (Ro. 14:23) 5) Your faith should be in Gods power and NOT in mans wisdom (doctrines and philosophies). (1 Cor. 2:5)

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6) Walk by FAITH, and NOT by what you see, feel, or hear. (2 Cor. 5:7) 7) Remember that faith is a SHIELD that STOPS EVERY attack of the enemy (Eph. 6:16). 8) ASK in FAITH without DOUBT (Ja. 1:6,7). Fear, doubt and unbelief are the enemies of faith and cancel faith. 9) Resist the devil using FAITH. (1 Pet. 5:9) He will flee. He must flee. The Scripture says so. 10) Remember, a positive faith confession is not the same thing as positive thinking or using the mind to try to control the body or effect a change in the body. That is mind control or so-called Christian Science. Christian Scientists are neither Christian, because they reject the divinity of Christ, and they are not scientists because they deny the need for medical science and its validity. If a Christian scientist has a cold and begins confessing I have no cold, my cold is gone..., this is NOT A FAITH CONFESSION. It is not because the FACTS are that a cold exists and is present. Therefore, the claim is a LIE. In Romans 4:19 the Holy Spirit says that Abraham acknowledged his circumstances without wavering in faith. In Romans 4:17 it says that by faith God called (spoke) things into exist ence which did not exist, that is, He calleth those things which be not as though they were... (KJV). If God CREATED the world through faith, then, according to this, faith CALLS THE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT AS IF THEY ARE. So a proper faith confession would be I call my cold gone, by faith, in Christ Jesus Name. Notice that you are not saying that the old is gone (you ARE acknowledging the circumstances) but are calling it gone (faith calls the things that are not AS IF they were (gone). Other examples of proper faith confessions are as follows: I call myself (or so-and-so) healed of _____________, in Christ Jesus Name. I call _____________ delivered and free, by faith, in Christ Jesus Name. I call John recovered from his illness and re-employed, by faith in Christ Jesus Name. Now notice that faith confession of the Scriptures over our life circumstances are not called even though we acknowledge our circumstances, because we are simply saying what God says about us in His Word. It already exists in His Word and does not yet have to happen as in the examples above. So we simply speak the Word over our circumstances when quoting the Word. For example:

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No weapon formed against me shall prosper, Satan, because the Word of God says No weapon forged against you will prevail... (Isa. 54:17). God says it, that settles it, I believe it and receive it by faith in Christ Jesus Name. This form of faith confession is simply saying what the Word says over our circumstances because God has already said it and has ALREADY spoken it into your life through His Word. 11) Remember the 4 elements of applying FAITH to your confession: 1. STAND (by FAITH) in your circumstance or against Satan). (1 Pet. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:7) 2. CONFESS - your faith by mouth. (Mt. 21:21; Ro. 10:8; Gal. 3:5; 2 Cor. 4:13; Rev. 12:11) 3. BELIEVE - have faith from your heart toward God that you have what you say. (1 John 5:14,15; Mk. 11:23,24; 2 Cor. 4:13) 4. RECEIVE-from God what you desire. (Mt. 15:28; Mk. 11:23,24; Mt. 9:29) 12) Remember that FAITH does not dens the circumstances... IT CHANGES THEM! 13) WHAT is confessed MUST be believed from THE HEART (soul+spirit), from the DEPTHS OF ONES BEING, or IT WONT WORK! Remember that Ro. 10:10 says that man believes WITH THE HEART and with the MOUTH he CONFESSES unto salvation. THE BELIEVING, THE FAITH, THE CONFESSION MUST COME FROM THE HEART, THE SPIRIT AND SOUL OF MAN TOGETHER. Anything less than this is simply intellectual or emotional assent at the least, and at the most, HOPE which is NOT faith. Use FAITH from the HEART, NOT the mind. The words of your mind confession are NOT anointed. The words of your mouth coming from your Spirit ARE ANOINTED with the POWER of God because YOU are anointed with the POWER of God because Christ is IN your spirit man, dwelling there with you, making and keeping you the NEW CREATION, and WITNESSING to your spirit (Ro. 8:16), LEADING you in what to say. NOTHING is more powerful, besides the BLOOD of Jesus, other than FAITH-FILLED WORDS from the HEART spoken UNDER THE ANOINTING! And speaking Gods Word under the anointing because they COME from the realm of the supernatural, the Holy Spirit realm, the Kingdom, empowered by the anointing, and NOT from the realm of our own natural mind, the natural realm which is, in and of itself, not anointed. A FAITH CONFESSION from the mind IS NOT ANOINTED! A FAITH CONFESSION FROM THE HEART IS ANOINTED AND EMPOWERED, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU CONFESS THE

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ANOINTED WORD OF GOD EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT into your life circumstances, pulling the anointing down into your life situation through FAITH FROM THE HEART. FAITH IS THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE REALM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE NATURAL REALM. Remember again, it is HEART-FAITH and NOT MIND-FAITH that is REQUIRED to RELEASE THE ANOINTING AND SEE GOD MOVE IN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. WORDS CONFESSED FROM THE HEART ARE WORDS OF POWER, ANOINTED WORDS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN YOUR SPIRIT-MAN WHEREIN CHRIST DWELLS... they have POWER when SPOKEN into and upon your circumstances, unlike plain words from the natural mind which have no anointing or power because their origin is from the soul or mind, NOT the Spirit. That is the reason why speaking the Word of God or Scripture over your life circumstances is SO IMPORTANT... because they COME FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT and are OF the Holy Spirit, and are therefore ANOINTED WITH POWER. Your HEART-FAITH RELEASES THAT POWER, THAT ANOINTING upon your circumstance. That power or anointing BREAKS THE YOKE (bondage). (Isa. 10:27) When faith arises from YOUR HEART, you touch His HEART, you are in covenant, in COMMUNION WITH, ABIDING with Christ Himself (Ro. 8:16). The things of the Spirit are spirit, (not mind or soul), and your HEART-FAITH CALLS DOWN FROM HEAVEN the EVIDENCE (evidence is FACTS which are possessed) of things unseen (things from the Spirit-realm or Kingdom of God) (Heb. 11:1), by the POWER of the Holy Spirit. This can come ONLY from the Spirit within our spirit-man, subjecting our soul-man in agreement in confession to the Holy Spirit what the Word of God says about us and our circumstances. It is NOT, again, an INTELLECTUAL ASSENT OR PURSUIT. Nice thoughts dont work. It MUST be a CONVICTION IN THE DEPTH OF YOUR BEING (spirit+soul) that Gods Word is true and that He WILL PERFORM HIS PROMISES, what His Word says about your circumstances or you or your loved ones. 14) Do NOT pray for faith... USE IT! IF you are a born-again believer you already have it given to you as a gift (Ro. 12:3). And remember, use it FROM THE HEART and NOT from the mind! (Ro. 10:10) 15) Never talk the problem over and over. Acknowledge it but do NOT confess it repeatedly! 16) Never talk discouragement, defeat, or failure! 17) Never confess doubt or unbelief in Gods ability to come through for you. Learn from Jesus confessions in the New Testament Scriptures. 18) Dont put self-effort into believing, just accept God at His Word and ACT on the WORD as a matter of DIVINE REVELATION.

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19) DONT CONFESS SICKNESS OR DISEASE as having a place in your life, and DONT CONFESS them and thus GIVE them a place in your life. The same is true of loss and defeat. 20) Dont be a doubting Thomas, not believing unless you see... nothing could grieve the Holy Spirit more. These are the principles of the DOCTRINE OF FAITH TOWARD GOD. Take Him at His Word. Accept His Word. ACT on His Word. Let Him BLESS you!

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued V. THE DOCTRINE OF THE RESURRECTIONS (Heb. 6:2) I. DEFINITION: RESURRECTION From the Greek word anastasis which means a raising or a causing to stand up. Resurrection is, then, the coming to life of the dead by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit. The word quickening means to make alive or to make alive to. II. KEY SCRIPTURES: I AM the RESURRECTION and THE LIFE. He who believes in Me WILL live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me, will NEVER die. Do you believe this? (John 11:26) But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Cor. 15:12-14) III. GENERAL REMARKS: Jesus resurrection was NOT the first resurrection performed by the Holy Spirit in the Bible. In fact, it was, to my knowledge, the fourth. Three other resurrections preceded His. In the Old Testament, the prophet Elijah resurrected a boy through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus resurrected a little girl, and then Lazarus, before He, Himself was resurrected by the Holy Spirit. Note, however, that each of these people had to again go through an earthly death, for Jesus had not yet gone to the cross to atone for the sins of mankind so that they may have eternal life in Him. For this reason, Jesus, although not the first to be resurrected by the Holy Spirit, became the FIRSTBORN FROM TI-IE DEAD (Col. 1:18), to receive a glorified body and whose body did not see corruption. He was the FIRST to resurrected from the FORM of perfect man to eternal life whereas those before Him were resurrected back to earthly life. IV. OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES FORETELLING RESURRECTION: Job 14:14 Job 19:25-27 Ps. 16:9-11 Ps. 17:15 Ps.49:15 Isa. 25:8

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 Isa. 26:19 Ezek. 37:3 (1-14) Dan. 12:2,3,13 Hosea 13:14 V. THE GUARANTEE THAT RESURRECTION WILL OCCUR: John 11:24,25 - the PROMISE of Jesus. Acts 24:15 - ...there WILL BE.... John 5:25 - ...most assuredly.. or Truly, truly.... Ro. 6:4-7 - ...CERTAINLY... John 14:19,20 2 Cor. 5:1(-5) Notice the vocabulary of certainty used in the above scriptures. VI. THE TWO KINDS OF RESURRECTION 1) THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST: also called the resurrection to life also called the first resurrection it is PRE -MILLENNIAL and WILL OCCUR at the time of the RAPTURE (1 Thess. 4:14-18) it is spoken of in the following scriptures: Lk. 20:33,35,36 John 5:29 John 11:24 Cor. 15:21,42 Tim. 2:18 Heb.11:35 Acts 23:6 Acts 24:15 Thess 4:14-18 Rev. 20:5 2) THE RESURRECTION OF THE UNJUST also called the resurrection of the wicked or of the wicked dead. also called the resurrection of or to judgment.

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 it is POST-MILLENNIAL, that is, occurs at the END of the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth. scriptures: Dan. 7:9 John 5:29 Acts 24:15 Rev. 20:5,11-14 notice in these scriptures that there also takes place at this time a judgment of rewards for the righteous and of condemnation for the wicked. This is called the Great White Throne judgment. VII. 5 FACTS ABOUT THE RESURRECTION TO LIFE THAT EVERY BELIEVER SHOULD KNOW: 1) It is a FACT - Mk. 12:26,27 2) It is a PROMISE: John 6:39,40 2 Cor. 4:15,16 Ro. 6:4,5,(6,7) Hosea 13:14 John 14:19,20 1 Thess 4:14-18 3) It is an INHERITANCE (you are an heir to the Kingdom): Lk. 14:14 1 Pet 1:3-5 4) It is a BAPTISM (IMMERSION) into eternal life: 1 Pet .3:21,22 5) It has a PURPOSE: Lk. 20:36 - to make you a son or daughter of God. Phil. 3:10 - to KNOW Him. VIII. HOW THE RESURRECTIONS WILL OCCUR: Phil. 3:21 Acts 4:2 (it is IN JESUS) 1 Thess. 4:14-18 Phil. 3:8-14

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 1 Cor. 6:14 Rev. 20:4-6,7-15 IX. THE FRUIT OF THE RESURRECTION TO ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST: Rev. 22:1-5,12,14,17 The believer, according to the Scriptures, is the righteousness of God IN CHRIST, and the inheritance that comes from resurrection to life is the fruit of His righteousness brothers and sisters, there is more to come... do not be discouraged... it isnt over yet... thats His promise. Amen.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued (Heb. 6:1,2) VI. THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS I. GENERAL COMMENTS: Three important points need to be understood before the laying-on-of- hands can be fully appreciated or utilized by the faith-filled Christian. They are: 1) The doctrine of laying-on-of-hands is an expression of the MINISTRY OF IMPARTATION. Through the laying-on-of-hands, something is ALWAYS imparted. There is also ministry of impartation through the SPOKEN WORD. ( and God SAID... and it WAS... [ Gen. 1]) 2) We are to carry out the MINISTRY OF IMPARTATION by both SPEAKIN G (DECREEING, FAITH CONFESSION, THE WORD) and the LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS because: 1. We are COMMANDED to do so by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Mk. 16:17,18) 2. Jesus says that the things that He does WE WILL DO, and greater. (John 14:12) Notice that the requirement is that one must BELIEVE (in Him), that is, one must TRUST in Him and ON Him. 3) The laying-on-of-hands imparts AN ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit for a SPECIFIC INTENT or PURPOSE. The ANOINTING transfers from the person performing the laying-on-of-hands to the person receiving the laying-on-of-hands for the purpose of ministry. The foundation for this is noted in the Old Testament term ...the hand of the Lord was upon them.... This term, ...the hand of the Lord... was the Old Testament te rm for the ANOINTING. The following scriptures will permit us to conceptualize this more thoroughly: 1 Kings 18:46 Joshua 4:24 Acts 11:21 When the Lords hand was upon something or someone the anointing was imparted, that is, the power of the Holy Spirit to effect a work for the Kingdom and glory of God. When our hands are laid upon

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someone as BELIEVING Christians, something is also imparted. That something is the SAME ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit, because Jesus PROMISED that the things that He did WE ALSO WOULD DO (John 14:12). For this reason, He commanded that we should lay hands (Mk. 16:17,18) AND notice that in the same verses He says that these are the SIGNS of THOSE WHO BELIEVE. That is, the layingon-of-hands and the fruits that result from them are ONE of the signs of a BELIEVER, one who is EMPOWERED by the Holy Spirit and His ANOINTING. II. THE 9 OPERATIONS OF THE MINISTRY OF LAYING-ON-OFHANDS It is interesting to note, that in the system of numbers in the Bible, that 7 is the number of perfection, referring to Father God; 8 is the number of the Lord Jesus Christ and refers to new beginnings, and in Jesus we have new beginnings. The number 9 is the symbol of the Holy Spirit and it is the number of COMPLETION. It is He who teaches us ALL THINGS (1 John 2:27) and who brings His work in us to completion (Phil. 1:6). Note that there are 9 GIFTS of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12), and there are 9 FRUITS of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22,23). Careful search of the scriptures will also reveal that there are 9 ministries of IMPARTATION, of which ONE is by the laying-on-of-hands; in addition, WITHIN the ministry of impartation by LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS there are 9 WORKS OF IMPARTATION that can be imparted. They are as follows: 1) BLESSINGS Gen.48:14 Lev. 9:22 Mt. 19:13 Mk. 8:23 Mk. 10:16 Acts 11:21 2) ORDINATION Num. 8:10,11 Num. 27:18 Deut. 34:9 3) WISDOM (HONOR) Deut. 34:9 4) MINISTRY Num. 27:18 Acts 6:6

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5) GIFTS 1 Tim. 4:14 2 Tim.1:6,7 Ro. 1:11 6) OFFICE (COMMISSION) Num. 27:23 7) POWER Lk. 24:49 Acts 8:15-17 Acts 19:6 8) SPECIAL WORKS Num. 8:10 Acts 6:3,6 Acts 13:2,3 9) HEALING Mk. 16:18 Lk. 4:40 Mk. 6:5 III. HOW LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS IS DONE IN THE CHURCH 1 Tim. 5:22 WARNS NOT to lay hands TOO QUICKLY on another person. I believe that this refers, in particular, to unbelievers and, likely, to believers who PRACTICE sin and are in bondage due to their carnality or flesh. The implication of this verse is that sin (the demonic, or demonic spirit) can be PARTAKEN of by so doing. This implies TRANSFERENCE OF SPIRITS (DEMONIC SPIRITS) to the believer. As a PRECAUTION, take the following steps BEFORE laying hands: 1. COVER yourself, all loved ones, all present, and all that you are, have, and possess with the BLOOD of Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus Name. 2. YIELD to the Holy Spirit and pray for His guidance in what to do and say. 3. DISCERN the need of the person to whom hands will be imparted, that is, seek from the Holy Spirit the operation of the gifts of word of wisdom and word of knowledge. 4. THEN lay HANDS. 5. SPEAK a FAITH-CONFESSION with the laying-on-of-hands. 6. BELIEVE FROM THE HEART (not the head) that what you are doing and saying WILL work. Jesus Christ is FAITHFUL.

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Notice that there are 6 things to do on our part, and 6 is the number of MAN. IV. 9 MEANS OF IMPARTATION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT MENTIONED BY SCRIPTURE:

IMPARTATION BY:
1) laying hands 2) mantle passing (2 Ki. 2:8,13,14)

IMPARTATION:
9 works mentioned above authority anointing

3) asking in Jesus Name (John request petitioned 14:13,14; John 15:7; John 16:23,24; 1 John 5:15) 4) prayer cloths (Acts 19:11,12) healing deliverance

5) speech (Job 22:28; John 14:12; Mk. thing decreed; The Word 11:23,24; Prov. 18:21) 6) anointing oil (Ex. 28:41; Ex.. the anointing consecration healing 30:25-29; James 5:14) 7) breathe (John 20:22) zoe life; power of the Spirit. zoe = Greek for Gods eternal life and power, that is, the God-empowered life) healing

8) shadow (presence of the anointing) (Acts 5:15) 9) the Blood of Jesus (Col. 1:19-21)

salvation healing deliverance reconciliation cleansing protection

V. THE OUTSTRETCHED HAND Although the outstretched hand is a common practice noted in assemblies of the brethren, few realized or know its true significance. It is a variation of the laying-on-ofhands with a SPECIAL PURPOSE as noted by scripture. In Isaiah 23:11, the

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OUTSTRETCHED HAND OF THE LORD was a COMMAND for the TEARING DOWN OF STRONGHOLDS. When we pray in like manner, directing our outstretched hand at the demonic stronghold of the enemy, we are ASSURED by FAITH that we have released the command for that stronghold to fall and have come in agreement with the Lord for its destruction. Why? Because Jesus says that the things that He does we will do... remember? (John 14:12)And because FAITH QUENCHES every flaming dart of the ENEMY (Eph. 6:16). In other words, the outstretched hand of the Lord (and ours in agreement with Him) is an impartation of JUDGMENT upon demonic strongholds.

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued: THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS-continued VI. HEALING BY THE LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS A. DEFINITION OF HEALING From the Hebrew word rapha which means to cure. From the Greek word therapeuo which means to cure. B. GODS POSITION ON HEALING: It IS His Will to heal. 3 John 2 Acts 10:38 Lk.4:40 Lk.5:17 Mt.8:7 John 14:12 C. THE MINISTRY OF IMPARTATION OF HEALING THROUGH THE BELIEVER IS SANCTIONED BY SCRIPTURE: Mt. 10:1 Lk. 10:9 Mk. 16:18 1 Cor. 12:9 Jer. 17:14 Hos.6:1 D. WHY ARE PEOPLE SICK? sin or iniquity in their lives: Ps. 31:10 Ps.32:3 for Gods glory John 11:4 John 9:1-3 for God to do a work in the believer:

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 2 Cor.12:7-9 also refer to the baptism-by-fire scriptures from the previous lessons. as an attack by Satan: Lk. 13:11 Mk.9:17 through negative emotions, works of the flesh, which open the door to sin: unforgiveness bitterness anger resentment hate spite greed avarice covetousness but to name several. E. SCRIPTURAL PREREQUISITES THAT ASSURE HEALING IN GODS TIME AND WAY: Mt. 13:15 Isa. 57:15-19 2 Chron. 7:14 F. THE BELIEVERS POSITION IN CHRIST MUST BE: 1) God is ABLE (Mk. 9:21-23) 2) It IS His Will (Mk. 1:40-41) 3) He has ALREADY DONE IT (Isa. 53:4,5; Mt. 8:17)

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TOPIC: THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH-continued SUBJECT: THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL JUDGMENTS (Heb. 6:1,2) KEY SCRIPTURES: Heb. 12:22-24; Gen. 18:25 I. INTRODUCTION The Key Scripture in understanding the doctrine of eternal judgment is Hebrews 12:22-24. It establishes that God is judge of ALL. This implies that there WILL BE judgment of both the righteous dead and the wicked dead, because of Gods RIGHTEOUSNESS. It is NECESSARY for God to judge because of His RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Gen. 18:25). As we will see through our survey of the scriptures, judgment is not just restricted to the righteous and wicked dead. There will also be judgment of dark angels, Satan, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, the nations, and the spirits of death and hell. II. HOW GOD JUDGES ACCORDING TO THE REVELATION OF SCRIPTURE: God judges according to His Righteousnes s which is PERFECT. He does this: 1) by revealing the heart of man. (1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:12-13) 2) by His revelatory truth. ( John 17:17) 3) by the Gospel. (Ro. 2:16) 4) by the degree of knowledge a person has of the truth. (Ro. 2:12) 5) by His Word (John 12:47,48) 6) by His righteousness without favoritism (Ro. 2:11). III. THE DELEGATION OF JUDGMENT ACCORDING TO GODS WORD: 1) Father God IS THE JUDGE OF ALL. (Heb. 12:22-24) 2) Father God commits ALL JUDGMENT to the SON so that His Son will be EQUALLY GLORIFIED with Him, the Father. (John 5:22,23,26,27) 3) Jesus, to whom all judgment is committed, in turn, commits ALL JUDGMENT to THE WORD. (John 12:47,48) IV. THE ETERNAL JUDGMENTS

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1. THE JUDGMENT OF THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD (AND THOSE RAPTURED) This is pre-millennial and pre -tribulation or mid-tribulation. there is an ORDER: first-the DEAD IN CHRIST shall rise or resurrect to meet the Lord in the air. (the Rapture) (1 Thess 4:16) second - we who are alive shall then immediately follow to meet the Lord in the air with them. (1 Thess. 4:17) it will occur immediately after the Rapture (Heb. 9:27) and it will occur (the Rapture) in a blink of the eye. (1 Cor. 15:51-53). as point of interest, I am told that General Electric Laboratories has measured the blink of an eye to be 11/ 100ths of one second. The Rapture will occur that rapidly! This is called also the judgment at the JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (2 Cor. 5:10). It is also known as the RHEMA JUDGMENT. the New Testament Greek word for judgment seat is bhema. When Greek athletes won athletic contests such as those of the Olympic Games, they went before the bhema seat, or judgment seat of the judge of the games to get their award or reward. The appearance of the believer before the judgment seat of Christ, the BHEMA judgment, is for a judgment FOR REWARDS for their WORKS (FRUITS) OF FAITH on behalf of the Lords glory. IT IS NOT a judgment of sin, as some who are uninformed teach. This is clearly established in scripture because Christ HAS PAID THE PRICE FOR ALL SIN and WE ARE REDEEMED from the wages of sin. It has been removed and erased from His Book of Life, NEVER to be remembered against us any more. Therefore, there is no longer any judgment for sin and therefore NO CONDEMNATION: John 3:18 Ro.8:1 Heb. 9:22,26,28 Heb. 10:10 2 Cor. 5:10,21 1 Cor.1:30 Isa.43:25

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 other scriptures establish that it is NOT A JUDGMENT FOR SIN: Ro. 14:12 John 5:24 John 3:18 1 Cor. 3:11-15 John 15:16 Col. 1:11 Eph. 2:3-7 1 Thess. 1:10 1 Thess.5:9 Heb. 2:17 1 John2:2 Heb.11:6 Mt. 5:11 It IS a judgment of REWARDS FOR SERVANTHOOD: James 2:26 James 4:7 Mt. 25:14-30 The Lord will look at our service to Him in: obedience (2 Cor. 9:13; 1 Pet. 1:2) trust (John 12:36; 1 Cor. 4:2) our walk in faith and power (1 Cor. 4:20) the intent of our heart (Mt. 5:8; 1 Cor. 14:25; Col. 3:23,24) It will exclude COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIANS, those who have not lived the Word of Christ, and are therefore referred to in scripture as the wicked which means disobedient. Note well that Gods position is FIRM on this: Mt. 13:29,37-50 Mt. 7:21 -23 2 Thess.1:11 Rev. 3:15,16 it will probably include the Old Testament righteous dead such as: the men of Nineveh (Mt. 12:41) the Queen of the South (Mt. 12:42) others that the Lord determines are worthy of salvation: Ex. 33:19

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 Ro.9:15 2) THE JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED DEAD: THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT (Rev. 20:11-15) This judgment is post-millennial, that is at the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth which starts after the 7-year tribulation period. the wicked dead will be judged according to their deeds. (Rev. 20:12) There will be an ORDER to the judgment: first-the dead from the sea (Rev. 20:13) (the Second Resurrection) then, those in hell and in bondage to the spirit of death (Rev. 20:13) (the Second Resurrection) then the spirits of death and Hades (Rev. 20:14) then ANYONE LEFT whose name was NOT WRITTEN in the Book of Life (Rev. 20:15) the books were opened - all sin of each person will be exposed in detail (Rev. 20:12,13) the judgment is eternal torment in the Lake of Fire, also known as Gehenna in the Hebrew. just as the righteous dead receive a judgment of rewards according to their servanthood to Christ, so also, do the wicked dead receive degrees of suffering according to the conduct of their life and evil works: Mt.11:24 Mt. 23:14 Ro.2:5 the Tribulation Saints, the righteous dead and still living believers who became believers during the Great Tribulation will ALSO RECEIVE TI-LEIR REWARDS FOR WORKS OF FAITH at this judgment, and WILL NOT be judged for sin. and ALL OTHERS DEEMED WORTHY Ex. 33:19 Ro. 9:15

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3) THE JUDGMENT OF ANTICHRIST condemnation to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10) 4) THE JUDGMENT OF THE FALSE PROPHET condemnation to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10) 5) THE JUDGMENT OF SATAN the final judgment occurs at the END of millennial reign of Christ condemnation to the Lake of Fire FOREVER (Rev. 20:10) 6) JUDGMENT ENTERED FOR ISRAEL at the end of the 7 -year Tribulation Zech. 12:3 Zech. 14:2 -4 7) JUDGMENT OF THE GENTILE NATIONS at end of the 7 -year Tribulation Mt. 25:31-33 Zech. 12:9,10 Rev. 16:9 Rev. 9:15-19 V. CONCLUDING REMARKS You will note from this study that the theme of scripture reveals that there are 7 judgments mentioned in the Bible. In Biblical numerical significance, the number 7 is the number of God the Father, the number of PERFECTION. It is a reflection of His Righteousness.

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TOPIC: THE FLESH KEY SCRIPTURE: Gal. 3:17 I. DEFINITION: The flesh in the New Testament Greek is the Greek word sarx. Its most common meanings are: the carnal nature of man, the natural mind with its desires and lusts to satisfy self. the sinful nature or sin nature of man the human nature, a natural human being mankind the natural mind with all of its lusts and the sensual desires of the body that agree with it. the human body All of these definitions are implied or used in the Bible for the purpose of expressing the existence and manifestations of the flesh. For the purpose of understanding what the majority of the scriptures say about the flesh, we will emphasize in this study, that definition which describes the flesh as our carnal sin nature and that part of our soul-life (mind) which agrees with it. II. GENERAL COMMENTS: There are three main areas in the Christian faith-walk that the Christian must contend with. They are: 1. the world (James 4:4) 2. the flesh (Gal. 5:17) 3. the Devil (1 Pet. 5:8) Within the confines of scripture, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the remedy for each. In regard to the world, we are told that we are to live in it but not be of it, and to set our eyes and hearts on things above (Col. 3:1,2). The devil is always handled with confrontation. The Biblical prescription is to RESIST him and he WILL flee (James 4:7) Perhaps in no other area of the faithwalk do Christians have a more difficult time than in dealing with the flesh, the sin nature, which keeps them carnal, hinders their

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faithwalk, shades their interpretation of scripture to their own convenience, causing them to make God in THEIR image, and leads them into the practice of sin. This is a common problem with the end-time church, and the reason is that little is taught or understood about WHAT the scriptures SAY about the flesh and HOW to deal with it. Most Christians attempt to deal with the flesh using their own effort, only to find that they repeatedly end up doing the same actions or sins over and over again. Sell-effort in dealing with the flesh is mans way but it is NOT Gods way. In this study we will learn Gods way. We must first have a full understanding of the workings of the flesh. III. THE ACTS OF THE FLESH: (Gal. 5:19-21) sexual immorality impurity debauchery idolatry witchcraft hatred discord jealousy fits of rage selfish ambitions dissensions factions envy drunkenness orgies and the like (negative emotions and behaviors) IV. THE FRUITS OF YIELDING TO THE FLESH AND IN LIVING A CARNAL LIFE ACCORDING TO ITS SIN NATURE: death (Ro. 7:5; Ro. 8:6) destruction (Gal. 6:8) hostility to God (Ro. 8:7) inability to submit to God (Ro. 8:7) bad soul ties (1 Cor. 6:16) you become an object of Gods wrath (Eph. 2:3) you are held by God for the day of judgment (2 Pet. 2:9,10) loss of inheritance of the Kingdom (1 Cor. 13:50) nothing good (Ro. 7:18) The message of the scriptures, then, is that the flesh is NOT your friend, nor that area of your carnal mind or soul life that agrees with it. As a Christian, then, you and I are OBLIGATED to deal with it and to bring it under submission to the Will of Christ which IS His Word.

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V. HOW AND WHY THE FLESH (AND SOUL-LIFE THAT AGREES WITH IT STRIVES AGAINST US: Ro. 7:18 Ro. 7:19 Ro.7:20 Ro.7:21 Ro.7:22 Ro.7:23 Ro. 7:2 Ro. 8:3 Ro.8:5 Ro. 8:6 Ro.8:7 Ro. 8:8 Ro. 8:13 1 Cor. 6:16 1 Cor. 15:50 Col. 2:22,23 2 Pet. 2:9,10 Phil. 3:18,19 1 John 2:16 James 4:4

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE FLESH- continued VI. GODS PRESCRIPTION FOR THE FLESH: DEATH ON THE CROSS. To re-emphasize, God exposes the work of the flesh in the scriptures and WARNS us that the flesh, left alone and unchecked or undealt with, will: strive against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17) deprive you of your inheritance (Gal. 5:21) cause you to reap destruction (Gal. 6:8) bring forth death (Ro. 7:5) control your soul-life (mental life) (Ro. 7:23) live out its sin-nature in you (Eph. 2:3) make you and keep you hostile toward God and His ways (Ro. 8:7) paralyze your ability to submit to God (Ro. 8:7) profit you nothing (John 6:63) render you impotent to walk in power because flesh births sin and sin births death, and the Kingdom comes in POWER. (1 Cor. 4:20) A. VICTORY OVER THE FLESH - four steps: 1. Examination 2. Repentance and renunciation 3. Identification (with Christ) 4. Appropriation Let us now look at each of these from the viewpoint of the scriptures: 1) EXAMINATION Examination of self is essential to our victory over the flesh. Lamentations 3:40 admonishes us that we must examine our ways. To determine if our faithwalk is one of the flesh, rather than the Spirit, we must ask ourselves questions that reveal ourselves to us, asking the Holy Spirit to show us our heart as He sees it. Here are some sample questions that bring revelation of self and the flesh: Is what I am doing coming from my own desires? my own gifts or talents that I developed over time? my own ministry? my own intentions to please God without first seeking His guidance and leading?

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 from what I think is best for others, the church, and myself? from my own strivings? from my own ideas of good, or of what God wants, or of what I think will please Him? from my own ideas of what drive and obsess me? from my good works of the flesh that I feel compulsion over, that they need to be done (After all, SOMEONE has to do it!) from having my way with sin, attitudes, giving and taking of evil reports, gossip, slander, defamation, and the like, unacceptable behaviors, sins of the flesh, tongue, or heart, being willfully out of Gods Word by rationalizing away my behaviors or actions? are you delighting in your own achievements? do you enjoy it when people gather around you, seek you, and praise you? do you seek recognition or a ministry or leadership position without the leading of the Lord? do you seek the affirmations and compliments of others to affirm what you are doing? do you need such things or desire them for your own peace and security? do you encourage others to follow you rather than the Word or the Spirit? are you more concerned with numbers of people who hear or follow you rather than obedience and trust in the Lord, and what He is doing in your life? do you have spiritual ambitions or motivations not from the Holy Spirit? are you walking a faithwalk of faith, not works of self, of trust, and of obedience to the Word of God? Such questions as these will lead us into the exposure of works of the flesh in our lives and faithwalk. We must also keep in mind that what we embrace of the flesh may not only be individual but archetypal. By the term, archetypal I

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refer to those inclinations, sentiments, behaviors, and beliefs that are historically, emotionally, and behaviorally present within a nation, culture, ethnic group, or society. These, too, can be works of the flesh, and they are, in most instances. An example of the flesh of mankind, we can cite the practice of DENOMINATIONALISM. There are many church denominations throughout the world, over 4000, I am told. Denominationalism is a work, an attempt by man to establish a particular church according to his or her own ideas or interpretations about what the Word of God says, in order to please God. It is based on the good works of self. Its fruit is DIVISION of the body of Christ. The fruits are NEGATIVE and are not of God, since scripture tells us plainly that Gods way is unity and one accord. Because it is a work of the flesh, the flesh profits us nothing (John 6:63).You cannot establish a church. THE CHURCH, described in Ephesians 1:22,23, is a SPIRITUAL entity ALREADY established by Christ between 30-33 A.D. It CANNOT be divided, it never has been, it never will be. No World Council of Churches can unite the TRUE CHURCH of Christ, the spiritual body, because IT HAS NEVER BEEN DIVIDED! The things of the Spirit are Spirit (John 3;6). It is only the works of the flesh that man has divided through his flesh that they are trying to re-unite. A work of the flesh. I speak propheticallyit will be the groundwork and vehicle for ANTICHRIST. What am I saying? Man cannot re-establish the church through different denominations. The CHURCH has ALREADY been established. Man cannot establish a new or unique revelation of Gods Word that makes their interpretation of the scriptures different from everybody elses, and makes their denomination, and theirs alone, correct. God calls that flesh. God calls that spiritual pride. It doesnt work. God is not in it. And to continue to exist, they must continue to promulgate their own denominational legalism, rules, and regulations, and have people to carry them out in order to continue to justify their existence. Understand my heart. These are not intended to be criticisms but simply observations to teach a point about CORPORATE WORKS OF THE FLESH, observations to bring UNDERSTANDING. How do I know? Because scripture shows us that the TRUE CHURCH is a spiritual entity (Eph. 1:22,23) and that the Word of God cannot be uniquely interpreted or applied differently from other churches or denominations because the Word is a REVELATION already GIVENyou must simply RECEIVE it and WALK in it. It INTERPRETS ITSELF and REVEALS ITSELF as the ONLY TRUTH. You need no man to interpret it for you, the scripture says, the ANOINTING, the power of the Holy Spirit, will teach you ALL THINGS. (1 John 2:27). That, brothers and sisters, IS SPIRIT, not flesh. Denominationalism, then, as an example, is soulish STRIVINGit is man trying to please God through his own CORRECTNESS. That is NOT walking

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by grace. It is walking by ones own works. And the Prophet Isaiah tells us that ALL of our works are as dirty rags before the Lord. (Isa. 64:6) It is FLESH. How do we get CORPORATE FLESH (cultural, denominational, social, ethnic)with all of its beliefs and TRADITIONS out of our spiritual life? Determine to be IN CHRIST and to OBEY the Word. If it is feasible to do so, get into a non-denominational Bible- believing, Bible-preaching, Spirit-filled church where the power of the anointing, the presence of the Holy Spirit is PRESENT as a witness (1 Cor. 4:20). Timing and leading of the Holy Spirit are important, otherwise IT becomes a work of the flesh. In the interim, BE IN CHRIST and sold out only to Him and Him alone. It is a commitment of your spirit, a decision to reject anything of the flesh and not to embrace anything that is not of the Word of God. If you are in a dead church that does NOT preach the Word of God from the pulpit nor move publicly in the power of the Spirit, you are in a dead ch . . a church of the flesh. It has nothing to offer you except spiritual and physical death. Get out of it and walk away from it while you can. It is this very act of walking away from works of the corporate flesh, Satans playground that keeps believers and so-called believers carnal, that GLORIFIES God through your life and actions. Now let me ask you a question...have YOU made a denomination of YOURSELF through your own rationalizations, through your OWN INTERPRETATIONS of the WORD OF TRUTH, through your OWN belief system of what is true, of what is acceptable for you to believe and continue in, even if is CONTRARY to scripture? Are you trying to live under both grace AND works? Works of your own? The Holy Spirit through Paul, in the Book of Hebrews tells us that we CANNOT be both under grace AND works. It must be one or the other. Are you making a dead church out of yourself without knowing it? You see, brothers and sisters, just like corporate flesh, the flesh of self-denomination is no different. It is ALL flesh. It must be done away with. Or you cannot grow, spiritually. And you will die, spiritually and physically. So the ultimate question, regarding examination of self, is, have you walked away from SELF? IF you have NOT walked away from self, and are depending on your OWN WAYS AND INTERPRETATIONS in your faithwalk, and are CLINGING to YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDINGS, behaviors, traditions, ways, and DESIRES. . . you have ISAACS, things to which you are ATTACHED and dont want to give up and, like Abraham, are RELUCTANT to surrender. God WANTS you to SURRENDER, SACRIFICE THEM, and BRING THEM TO THE ALTAR OF THE CROSS to put them to death there and KEEP them in the death of the Cross which you entered into with Christ when you became born-again, by the KEEPING POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT, the Helper. (John 14:26)

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Otherwise, as long as you are walking in your OWN EFFORTS and your OWN WAYS, it is NOT GODS and He is NOT in control of your life and you are not YIELDED to Him: you are the one in control you are the one manipulating you are the one possessing it drives YOU it POSSESSES you it CONTROLS you you become a stumbling block to your own self and others, and you harm the church, the body of Christ. God isnt in it. God cannot sanction it, so why persist? (John 6:63) Give it up and bring it to the Cross and BE LED by the Spirit. Why? because the STEPS of the righteous (the believer) are LED by the Lord (Prov. 20:24) and the THOUGHTS of the righteous are RIGHT (Prov. 12:5) Why? Because when we are in-the-Spirit rather than in the flesh, His Spirit WITNESSES to our spirit (Ro. 8:16) Otherwise: you are leaning on your own understanding, and scripture tells us NOT to do that. (Prov. 3:5) you are depending on your own ways, and scripture tells us not to do thatit will bring death. (Prov. 14:12) you are. depending on your own thinking which will make you in your own image. (Prov. 23:7) In concluding this section on self-examination, ASK yourself: 1. Am I SUBMITTED to God and His Word? 2. Am I being OBEDIENT to Him and His Word? 3. Is there an area of my personal life where I am in sin or have hidden sin or secret sin, and dont want to deal with it? 4. Am I rationalizing (which is soulish and not spiritual) and making God in MY IMAGE. 5. Am I walking in PRESUMPTION?

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6. Am I exalting my OWN SELF-WILL over the WILL OF GOD which IS His Word? 7. Am I trying to walk a faithwalk AND have my OWN WAY, too? 8. Am I trying to IMPOSE my own ways and my own thinking ON OTHERS without the Holy Spirit telling me or showing me? 9. Am I ambitious, driven, and compelled to do things for others or myself to have a place of recognition in the church or community? 10. Am I angry or resentful that I am not being used in the body of Christ the way I feel I should be? 11. Am I stubborn or unrepentant? 12. Do I lack accountability to God or my brethren for my undesirable actions of the flesh, or sin; am I blocked from admitting it? 13. Am I resisting the Holy Spirit by refusing to deal with my flesh and its behaviors, lusts, and will for the desires and motivations of self and my own ways? 14. Am I resisting OBEDIENCE to Gods Word? Now, if you understand the need for self-examination in recognizing the operation of the flesh in your life and faithwalk, you are ready for the next step in correcting the problem: REPENTANCE and RENUNCIATION.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE FLESH-continued VI. GODS PRESCRIP TION FOR THE FLESH: DEATH ON THE CROSS continued A. VICTORY OVER THE FLESH - four steps: (continued) 2. REPENTANCE AND RENUNCIATION When the Holy Spirit gives us discernment of the works of the flesh in our life along with its pollution of our thought- life, it must be brought to the Cross, repented of, and renounced. Renunciation is necessary to take away any legal ground for Satan to use it again to re-establish it as a habit or unholy behavior in our life. Repentance must be through Godly sorrow, not because we want to get a monkey off our back (selfish motive). The reason above all reasons is because our ways of the flesh GRIEVE the Holy Spirit. The following scriptures define what our attitude and position should be in this regard: Ro. 8:6- set the mind on the Spirit. Ro. 8:12 - we have an obligation to the Spirit, not the flesh. Ro. 6:12 -present yourselves to God. (be accountable) Phil. 3:3- put no confidence in the flesh. (renounce) James 4:1- submit to God. James 4:2-resist Satan. James 4:8-draw close to God and He will do the same. James 4:9-wash your hands (repent). James 4:9-purify your hearts. (determine not to be doubleminded but steadfast and appropriate it by FAITH in Him) James 4:9-grieve, mourn, wail (that is, repent with a Godly sorrow)

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 James 4:10-Humble yourselves. Jesus will lift you up. HE will do it (not you). Through repentance and renunciation the POWER of sin through the flesh is removed and KEPT AWAY, because repentance and renunciation RELEASES the ABILITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to move on our behalf and to hold and protect us in his KEEPING POWER. 3. IDENTIFICATION The next principle in victory over the flesh is that we must recognize our IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST AND HIS WORK OF THE CROSS. We are no longer to identify with the flesh. We are not to trust it nor put confidence in it. (Phil. 3:3). It and the soul-life that agrees with it (Ro. 7:23) has only one intent to live out its own sinnature. (Eph. 2:3) Now, let me ask you a questionare you born-again of the Spirit? If you are, then Jesus HAS saved you. He is your SAVIOR. Are you walking a faithwalk, however, in the stubborn willfulness of your own ways, according to the desires of your flesh because it SEEMS the proper thing to do to please the Lord? Then you must ask yourself the question: Is Jesus my LORD? The definition of the term Lord means to lead through life. Do you ALLOW Jesus to be LORD of your life? Do you ALLOW Him to LEAD you through life? Or do you, by your good works of the flesh, lead Him without knowing it or realizing it? Brothers and sisters, there are times when we all do that. For that reason we must constantly BE ON GUARD for the flesh and its desire to rear its ugly head from below the ground or soil where it has been buried in Christ. One of its characteristics is that it doesnt like to stay dead! Remember that we said that the scripture says that the flesh is WEAK and that in any circumstance or opportunity that it is given, that it will strive against the Spirit, which means that directly, or indirectly, it will side with Satan, first. And no wonder! Why does Satan still persist in rearing his ugly head when he has ALREADY been defeated at the Cross of Christ? Because he doesnt believe that he is defeated and doesnt WANT to stay spiritually dead and because he WANTS to exert his will. Well, when the Adamic sin-nature came into existence, it took on the character traits and behaviors of its father, the Devil. For that reason, Paul in Romans 7 said, (paraphrased) I do the things I shouldnt do, and the things that I should do, I dont do.. wretch that I am! He was identifying with his flesh! Then, in Romans 8, Paul says (again paraphrasing)... you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. . . and

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under no obligation to the flesh we OVERWHELMINGLY conquer! How in the world did he get from Romans Chapter 7 to Romans Chapter 8 so quickly?! The answer to that question is simply that Paul recognized that he was giving his attention to the wrong things, that he was once identifying with the flesh. BUT he then realized his IDENTIFICATION in Christ and His work of the Cross. Things began to change for Paul at the end of Chapter 7, when through his IDENTIFICATION with Christ and His work he began to exclaim, I am no longer the one sinning... !(Ro. 7:20) (paraphrased) What happened? Firstly, Paul was identifying himself, now, with his spirit-man which is a NEW CREATION in CHRIST and which Christ indwells. And where Christ is, there can be no sin. Thus, the spirit or spirit-man, with which Paul is identifying is made NEW by the indwelling Christ with which Paul identifies. So Paul then says that the sin comes not from him, but from the sin w hich dwells IN him, referring to the soul-life or thought-life which is yet subject to demonic influence and attack, the mind or soul not yet being perfected but in the process of being transformed and renewed. (Ro. 12:2) Then, Paul realizes Christs words on the Cross regarding the work of salvation: It is finished... . The New Testament Greek translation literally means... Paid in FULL! There was, and must be, a realization that the WORK of SALVATION regarding the freedom of the spirit, soul, and body, as well as the flesh, from the effects of sin and the work of Satan, HAS ALREADY BEEN ACCOMPLISHED AT THE CROSS by the ALREADY FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST! It must now only be IDENTIFIED WITH and TAKEN POSSESSION OF, BY FAITH IN CHRIST, what is called APPRO PRIATION. Paul says in Romans 6:6 that our old self(which INCLUDES THE FLESH) WAS ALREADY CRUCIFIED WITH HIM (CHRIST)! What is Paul saying? I HAVE BEEN crucified with Christ! And he goes on to say that he who has ENTERED into His death WITH Him is FREED from sin. (Ro. 6:6) What is the Holy Spirit saying through Paul? He is saying that freedom from sin and the flesh and the works of the flesh is obtained through the work of SALVATION BY GRACE (granted you freely without effort or deserving on your part or mine) BY FAITH IN CHRIST. (Eph. 2:8,9) HOW?... by firstly IDENTIFYING WITH CHRIST and His work of the Cross. He has ALREADY DONE IT on the Cross. He has ALREADY PUT THE FLESH and SIN TO DEATH ON THE CROSS. Now, all that remains is to TAKE POSSESSION OF IT, as you did with salvation itself. Now this term, IDENTIFICATION, with Christ means UNION with Him in all that He suffered and did to bring sin to the Cross. It

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means that the old man or old self is GONE. Dead. God HAS put a NEW SPIRIT in each of us who are born-again, which is why we become a NEW CREATION. The word create means to make something from nothing. Our new spirit-man is created anew which is why it is referred to as the new creation. That term implies that there WAS an old creation that was separate and distinct and now gone, dead, and buried in the waters of baptism. The scripture says that old things are passed away, and that all things are made new. That is true in the future and it is true in the present. So the Holy Spirit, showing us that we are His creation, that we have been crucified with Him, buried with Him, then tells us that we are HIDDEN in Him!(Col. 3:3) We are to no longer identify with the flesh but with CHRIST who KEEPS us hidden in Him. He does it. How? By His (keeping) POWER. (2 Cor. 13:4) The answer, then, to not walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit, is to STOP SOULISH STRIVING (Ps. 46:10; Ps. 49:8,9), IDENTIFY with the work of the Cross and the death and burial of the old self (Ro. 6:6), UNDERSTAND that you ARE ALREADY FREED from sin (Ro. 6:6), and TAKE POSSESSION of it by GRACE THROUGH FAITH (Eph. 2:8,9). In short, you and I must learn to WALK BY IDENTIFICATION AND GRACE! Lets look at some of the IDENTIFICATION scriptures that will help this concept to gel within our spirit: Eph. 2:10 - we are His workmanship created in Him. Gal. 2:20 - Paul says that he HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED with Christ. Ro. 6:6 - our old self WAS crucified with Him. Gal. 6:14 - we HAVE BEEN crucified to the world and it, to us. 2 Cor. 5:21 - He was made sin for us that we, through Him, might be made Gods righteousness. Col. 3:3 - we ARE hidden in Him. Ro. 6:8 - we HAVE DIED in Him and shall live in Him. 2 Tim. 2:11- we HAVE DIED in Him and shall live in Him. Ro. 6:7- He who HAS DIED is freed from sin.

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 1 Pet. 2:24 - HE BORE OUR SINS that we might DIE to them and live for righteousness; by His wounds YOU HAVE BEEN HEALED: we have entered into His death with Him. sin CAN NO LONGER have dominion over us. habits CAN NO LONGER have dominion over us. disease CAN NO LONGER have dominion over us. circumstances CAN NO LONGER have dominion over us. the FLESH CAN NO LONGER have dominion over us. 1 Pet. 3:18 - through CHRIST we ARE PUT TO DEATH IN THE FLESH and made alive in the Spirit. 2 Cor. 5:17 - old things ARE PASSED away, they are become NEW; you NOW HAVE Gods life, the zoe life, in you. 2 Pet. 1:4 - you HAVE BECOME partakers of His divine NATURE. 2 Cor. 13:4 - (How?) - BY His POWER. When we IDENTIFY with Christ and His SPIRIT WITHIN US, when we IDENTIFY with His work of the Cross in which we were put to death with Him who took ALL our sins and WORKS of the flesh upon Himself, when we IDENTIFY with His NEW LIFE having buried the old man in the waters of baptism, when we IDENTIFY with His divine nature, when we realize that we ARE set free from sin and IDENTIFY with being HIDDEN in Him and BY HIM, then, and ONLY THEN, is He LORD of our lives. Then, and ONLY then, can we take possession of our INHERITANCE in Christ and WALK BY GRACE as HE lives HIS LIFE in our body, THROUGH us. HE does it all. . . by FAITH in Him. That expression of FAITH MUST involve a POSITIVE FAITH CONFESSION aloud from the mouth. The scriptures liken our words to seeds (Mark 4).When we speak words from our mouth in a positive faith confession, we are planting seeds. Seeds must be planted before we see a harvest. That, brothers and sisters, is the Biblical law of sowing and reaping, seed-time and harvesttime.

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It is ALL taken possession of, or APPROPRIATED by FAITH in Him, and Him ALONE. 4. APPROPRIATION (TAKING POSSESSION): You CANNOT have victory over the self through self-effort. IT DOESNT WORK. The scriptures state that the things of the Spirit are spirit, NOT SELF. Galatians 6:17 says that the Holy Spirit STRIVES against the flesh NOT YOU. If YOU are going to do the job and make the effort to control your flesh and bring it under submission, then you are DISPLACING the Holy Spirit and His mission in your life as The Helper. You are usurping His position in your faithwalk. THAT, in turn, is WORKS, not FAITH. and it is FAITH that quenches EVERY fiery dart of the enemy, WHETHER the enemy is Satan OR OUR FLESH. (Eph. 6:16) THAT, is walking IN THE FLESH: which is why we need GRACE. Now follow this, its IMPORTANT to know and recognize: IF YOU STRIVE against the flesh, the SPIRIT WILL NOT. The Holy Spirit will not. If YOU are going to be the one doing the job, He will not. He will simply step aside and perform the Word (Jer. 1:12) and wait until you have had enough of your own efforts and conform to the Word and CEASE STRIVING (Ps. 49:8,9; Ps. 46:10). Then, when you repent of and renounce your own sell-effort and YIELD to the Holy Spirit to take over, He WILL. Heres how APPROPRIATION works, according to the scriptures. The scriptures CLEARLY and IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS tell us that there is nothing that we can do to save ourselves. . . in short, WE CANT DO ANYTHING REDEMPTIVE OR SAL VIFIC by ourselves or our own strength or efforts (Ro. 3:23). JESUS MUST DO IT FOR US we MUST come to the Cross through: the born-again experience immersion water baptism the baptism-in-the-Holy Spirit Then, we MUST APPROPRIATE the things of the Kingdom through our FAITH CONFESSION, daily if necessary, YIELDING the flesh and the soul-life (thought-life) that agrees with it, to the Holy Spirit, the

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HELPER, to keep it in the death of the Cross through His keeping POWER. Water baptism by IMMERSION is MANDATORY, for unless the old man enters into Christs death on the cross and BURIAL in the waters of immersion baptism, it remains UNBURIED: this explains why so many Christians of different denominations that practice water baptism by SPRINKLING rather than immersion, have such a difficult time with repetitive sins and controlling the flesh. The old man and the flesh have never been buried. What must we do to APPROPRIATE the death and burial of the flesh and sin-nature through the work of the Cross? CONFESS it, backing your confession of your belief in Christs finished work of the Cross, by TRUST (faith) in Him, that He WILL BACK UP the CONFESSION of FAITH from your mouth by His keeping POWER. Heres a spiritual pearl: CONFESSION BRINGS POSSESSION Our obligation is to CONSTANTLY be ALERT and RECOGNIZE when the flesh is trying to resurrect itself and come out of its grave, and then tries to strive against the Spirit. We pray daily for GRACE to recognize when it s happening. When we see it rearing its ugly head through the dirt of our soul-life (mind) that agrees with it, we do the following: 1) Bring it to the Holy Spirit through your FAITH CONFESSION. CONFESS ITS DEATH AND BURIAL THROUGH CHRISTS WORK OF THE CROSS, and 2) YIELD IT TO THE HOLY SPIRIT in CONFIDENT TRUST that, by His POWER, HE WILL keep it in the DEATH of the Cross and govern it and the soul-life that agrees with it. 3) Even if sin or other works of the flesh persist or break through for a while, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED OR GIVE UP. Simply PERSIST in your faith confession, TRUSTING that the Holy Spirit will come through for you and MAKE its control and the appropriation of the fleshs death, COME TO PASS. IT ALREADY EXISTS IN THE SPIRIT REALM. Now, it must be pulled down and MANIFESTED IN THE EARTHLY REALM by PERSISTENT FAITH (TRUST)

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and by a PERSISTENT FAITH CONFESSION. In short, you MUST plant SEED (the words of your mouth) in order to SEE a HARVEST. 4) TRUSTING FAITH (not mental or intellectual assent). This means believing FROM THE HEART, from the depths of ones being, that the Holy Spirit WILL bring it to pass. The things of the flesh WILL fall away BY THEMSELVES without your effort as you come to TRUST the Holy Spirit MORE AND MORE. HE will make it happen. HE will keep the works of the flesh and soul life in the death of the Cross, NO MATTER WHAT THE SIN pride, arrogance, impulsiveness, sexual immorality no matter what the sin or work of the flesh. APPROPRIATION implies that the Spirit has already DONE the work for you. You must simply CONFESS AND BELIEVE that you TAKE POSSESSION of the death of the flesh and its thought-life BY FAITH through Gods GRACE... His LOVE for you because He WANTED to do it for you. Then, you must be CONVICTED or persuaded from the depths of your being, your heart, that God PERFORMS His Word, and that He DESIRES to do it for you. Heres a sample PRAYER TO APPROPRIATE THE VICTORY OVER THE FLESH which Christ has already granted you and which you receive by His GRACE through FAITH in Him and His FINISHED WORK OF THE CROSS: Lord Jesus Christ, I bring to you this day, my flesh, its works, and the soul-life that agrees with it. I yield it to your Holy Spirit to keep it continually in your death on the Cross and in the burial of water baptism, both of which I entered into with you nearly two thousand years ago, and which I APPROPRIATE through the born-again experience and through TRUSTING FAITH in You. I take possession of that death on the Cross for both my flesh, its works, and the soullife that agrees with it, and through my faith-confession, I believe and receive the continual application of that death on the Cross, calling it APPLIED by FAITH through Your Holy Spirit and His keeping POWER, this day and every day to come. . in Your Name, I pray, Amen. Do you remember the earlier Bible study on the dynamics of prayer? We made the point that the Biblical pattern for answered prayer in the scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments were based on the Biblical principles:

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CONCEIVE - CONFESS- BELIEVE- RECEIVE Conceive your prayer by asking the Holy Spirit to lead you in your thoughts. Confess it with your mouth aloud, believing in your heart that you receive it, and you WILL receive ANYTHING confessed in line with Gods Word. Mark 11:23,24 says that you SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER you SAY. The same is true in victory over the flesh. God has ALREADY made a way. HE has made a way for you and me to have VICTORY. The secret of victory over the flesh is NOT in STRIVING but in recognizing that the Holy Spirit will STRIVE FOR YOU... WHEN you TAKE POSSESSION by FAITH of what Christ has ALREADY DONE for you. You cannot do the work of the Cross. Only The Savior can. And He will show you HOW to have the victory, IF you will let Him be Lord of your life, and let Him LEAD YOU... His Way... into that victory. Is Jesus NOW Lord of your life? Will you let Him be? Then the victory is yours AND ASSURED.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE FLESH AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE HEART OF MAN continued Anything other than this is SOUL POWER, soulish (mental) or humanistic love, not the AGAPE LOVE, the love of God that Christ had for the Father; the love that demands OBEDIENCE to the WILL of God which IS HIS WORD. So there are those carnal Christians who are able to express high emotion over the idea of Christ and His passion and resurrection: they PRESUME that they are moved and led by the Holy Spirit and that they are MOVED AND MOTIVATED by God-but: if it doesnt last, (joy is a fruit of the Spirit) if they DESIRE repeatedly to EXPERIENCE the pleasure and delight of what they are doing because it makes them feel good, if the experience is fleeting, followed by frequent ebbing of the feelings, feeling down, if the experience LACKS permanent TRANS FORMING effect because there is NO LASTING OR EFFECTIVE IMPACT on the heart, rendering it changed by TRUTH, which is Christ, THEN they are deriving pleasure over the IDEA of Christ and the IDEA of the CROSS, and the IDEA of His PASSION. There is a pleasure and delighting derived from their selfindulgence. It becomes self-pleasure. NOT the love of God BUT the LOVE OF FEELINGS instead. SELF is in it. And when self is in it, Jesus IS NOT. JESUS WILL NEVER COME IN AGREEMENT WITH THE FLESH: it is MENTAL ASSENT to the work of the Cross WITHOUT APPROPRIATION OF THE POWER of the work of the Cross TO PERMIT IT TO EFFECT CHANGE. The thinking goes something like this: Wow! I can realize all of these spiritual things! I can

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THINK things that other people cant realize. . . it isnt open to them. I can appreciate these concepts that few others can realize. How spiritual Im becoming! Ive REALLY ARRIVED now! Im really seeing results from MY faithwalk. I must really be pleasing God! THE PROBLEM? It is ROOTED in SELFMOTIVE and SELF-PLEASURE: so much of what is said or realized begins with the pronoun I. such feelings are directed at the IDEA of Jesus and the work of the Cross from which a selfindulgence of pleasure is obtained from thinking about it over-and-over. it is rooted in PRIDE, spiritual pride over ones OWN SPIRITUALITY, self-pleasure over knowing about God and over ones OWN spiritual self-accomplishment for which, presumably, God will reward. The GRACE of God is forgotten and the work of God that brought forth all such accomplishments, experiences, and learning is little recognized or regarded. This is not the love of God but the LOVE OF SELF. It is the SOULISH FEIGNING TO BE SPIRITUAL. It is, in effect, PHARISEFISM. God is not in it. It is OUTWARD APPEARANCES WITHOUT INWARD SUBSTANCE. White-washed sepulchers or tombs filled with dead mens bones. (Mt. 23:27) Why else are such emotions, feelings, desires, actions, and affections SOULISH? Because: they do not heal or deliver. they do not transform, producing a lasting change. they bear no fruit, and no fruit of the Spirit. when affection for God is SOULISH, FAITHFULNESS is LACKING.

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 during stressful times God is turned from or forgotten. exposing their true nature and level of spiritual function- SOULISH. in contrast to the TRUE SPIRITUAL LOVE OF GOD which is STEADFAST and FAITHFUL. (see Song of Solomon 8:6,7) the believer can rely on it and on Him without regard for feel good experiences because of Gods faithfulness. since the natural emotions are a roller coaster of ups and downs, SOULISH AFFECTION FOR GOD lacks faithfulness in the very act of loving Him because such emotions are subject to the whim of the moment. Do YOU walk in soulish love of God? God wants you to have a faithful, steadfast love for Him that never changes the TRUE SPIRITUAL LOVE OF GOD. Jesus says that the things of the Spirit are spirit. (John 3:6) THEREFORE, for such STABILITY of the emotions and the thought-life, they must ALL be brought to the Cross, the death on the Cross and their burial in the waters of immersion baptism APPROPRIATED for them, SO THAT the OTHER HALF of the WORK of the Cross may be appropriated. . . their resurrection into NEW LIFE in Christ, life in the Spirit of God LED by the Spirit of God, GOVERNED by the Spirit of God, REFLECTING the Spirit of God and DEMONSTRATING the MIND OF CHRIST. Anything less, if such emotions, feelings, desires, actions, affections, and the like are NOT entirely submitted to the Cross and to the control of the Holy Spirit, they are ROOTED in: mixed motive - SELF, AND God. FLESH- which births sin which births death. SOUL- which leads the carnal believer into doing what the world is doing, and believing what the world is believing, including things about God. (spirit of whoredoms; spirit of the world and the flesh)

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 which leads the believer into RELIGION, the natural consequence of such actions, because not perceiving the leading of the Spirit, such people SEEK stability in someone or something to lead them. They are not sure what God wants from them so they DEPEND on man to tell them and lead them, contrary to Jeremiah 17:5,7, trying to please God and making God in THEIR image. In so doing, carnal Christians fall into a terrible trap: the LACK of recognition that God is NOT a God of religion but a God of COVENANT, a God of RELATIONSHIP, and that as such, He calls the believer to be apart from the world and to Himself, that is, to live IN the world but NOT be of it: He is a JEALOUS God. inability to completely yield to God because of the element of SELF involved in the SOUL and its agreement with the flesh. flesh STRIVES against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. (Gal. 5:17) When SELF is involved in the faithwalk, QUIET, CALM, and SUBMISSION is LACKING: the believer LEADS the Spirit, rather than let the Holy Spirit lead him/her. they cannot hear Gods voice because they are not quiet enough. marginating the Holy Spirits ability to lead. THE FRUIT of SOULISH affection for God, where self- gratification of ones needs becomes the conscious or subconscious MOTIVE for the faithwalk, will be: a lustful yearning for such pleasure of thinking about and delving into the things of God. backsliding in the faithwalk because of LACK OF TRANSFORMATION through renewal of the mind (Ro.12:2) by the Holy Spirit. a faithwalk of persistent SELF-EFFORT. This will only lead to SELFRIGHTEOUSNESS, which is sin, which births death. These people

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backslide in their faithwalk and fail away from Christ. These are those to whom He says at the last judgment, I never knew you.... The following are some examples of soulish affection for God which is rooted in mixed motive. They include the desire for: recognition of ones self or of ones own accomplishments, by the brethren. admiration of others. ambitions toward ministry. position within the church. acceptance by others. self-promotion. It is NOT the love of God but the love of self, the love of the flesh, disguised: it is SlN. it is PRIDE. it is SOULISH. it is FRUITLESS. it is, eventually, DEATH. it is CONTRARY to scripture: John said that he must DECREASE that Christ might INCREASE. (John 3:30)

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: THE FLESH -AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE HEART- continued A. WHEN IS THE FAITHWALK SOULISH (mental, emotional) AND WHEN IS IT SPIRITUAL (led by the Holy Spirit)?: As has been previously emphasized, ANYTHING motivated by self- ambition, selfperformance, or pleasure-seeking for the sake of getting the high associated with it, is the FLESH and soul-life that agrees with it... it is SOULISH. It will not stand the test of fire for rewards of past good works on the earth, at the judgment seat of Chri st, and will be considered, according to the scriptures, as wood, hay and stubble, instead of gold, silver, and precious stones before the Lord. SOULISH BELIEVERS can be IDENTIFIED by the WITNESS OF the HOLY SPIRIT and the pattern of their faithwalk a nd characteristics of their behavior. ANY OR ALL of the following may be seen: 1) they love to experience spiritual pleasures for the sake of pleasure, they like the high. They are in love with pleasure more than they are in love with God. They are in love with their OPINION OF THE TRUTH rather than the truth, itself, THE WORD OF GOD, as written. 2) they usually act in haste. 3) they are usually IMPULSIVE in action, leading the Holy Spirit. 4) they usually go blessing-hopping from church-to church, or congregation-tocongregation, trying to GET self-satisfaction and gratification or a high from hearing what THEY WANT to hear, or seeing what THEY WANT to see. There is a general disregard for the anointing, and for the pastor and the work that the Holy Spirit has ALREADY ORDAINED for that congregation THROUGH that pastor. It doesnt meet up to THEIR EXPECTATIONS, and so they move on to another church. it is acceptable to do so when they have a witness from the Holy Spirit that their needs are different and must be met at another congregation, but WHEN THERE IS NO LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT and WHEN it is motivated by SELF dissatisfaction, convictions that one does not want to hear, disappointments originating in self arid the desire of self to get entertained by signs and wonders, that is, when SELF is the motivating factor for moving on and hopscotching from place-to-place, then this is a work of the FLESH and SOUL-LIFE, and it MUST be brought to the Cross. 5) they frequently LACK meekness and gentleness in their words and deeds. 6) they frequently think that they know what is best for others and themselves and for ministry for the Kingdom, and IMPULSIVELY JUMP-IN and begin doing great

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things for God, WITHOUT seeking the guidance of the Holy Spiri t, or without talking to Him and asking Him. 7) in short, their DESIRES REIGN in their lives and faithwalk: their motives are self-serving without knowing it (or maybe knowingly). they do not wait on God or wait for God to move or give a revelation. they try to justify their actions or purpose, rather than seek Gods. they are generally NOT TRUSTING people or God. They find it difficult to TRUST the Holy Spirit because the FLESH and SOUL-LIFE reigns in their lives, and the scripture says that the FLESH STRIVES against the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:17) when things go wrong or their expectations are NOT met by God or man, they easily get frustrated, angry, or unforgiving toward God or toward those who offend them and backslide...their prayer-life and Bible-reading wane and fall off, they get away from Christian community, and backslide in their faithwalk. THIS IS A SIGN of the SOULISH nature of their faithwalk. When the person is led by the Holy Spirit and walks in the Spirit, the scripture says that they will NOT DO the things of the flesh. (Gal. 5:25) The flesh, with its lusts, passions, and desires has been crucified with Christ. (Gal. 5:24). The believer who walks by the Holy Spirit, then, does not live a life of waxing-andwaning emotional ups-and-downs but is STEADFAST AND FAITHFUL, even in adversity. . . because THEY TRUST the Lord and TRUST in the TRUTH and POWER of His Word. 8) people who are SOULISH do NOT WANT to be ACCOUNTABLE to themselves or others for their actions. When called to do so, they get DEFENSIVE or ACCUSATORY. 9) they generally LACK humility. 10) they DENY their soulish behaviors. 11) they are frequently fault-finders. 12) they can be EASILY OFFENDED, and because they are frequently spiritually blind to what is going on, and to the reason WHY they are being called to be accountable, they misconstrue the experience as a personal attack on them and their integrity, rather than seeing the experience as Gods CORRECTION and ministry to them to get them back on the right track. They do not see that God purposely lets them get offended in order to expose their heart to them through their reactions.

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13) their behaviors become serially self-reinforcing, making future ministry to them frequently more difficult. They will seek the support of others to JUSTIFY what they are doing. 14) they fail to see that God has ordained for each believer a series of faith- building life-experiences which, by His grace, He will lead them on from faith-to-faith and victory -to-victory, which serves His purpose for their lives. They fail because they are NOT SURRENDERED. 15) when the faithwalk and love of God is SOULISH, love in which self is mixed in with the love of God, the intentions of the heart are MY DESIRES AND Gods or MY desires first, MY NEEDS first, MY GRATIFICATION AND ENTERTAINMENT first, THEN Gods. It is typically a faithwalk of COMPROMISE of Gods Word and Gods Ways. It sounds something like this: I KNOW that Gods Word says it, BUT God is NOT in it. God will NOT have it. God will not bless it. It is FLESH. It must DIE. The believer must acknowledge it and be accountable to the Holy Spirit by RECOGNIZING it, ACKNOWLEDGE it before the Lord, REPENT of it and RENOUNCE it, and SUBMIT it to the DEATH ON THE CROSS by tak ing possession of that death of the Cross for it, by trusting faith and by speaking the faith-confession over it. ANYTHING LESS is self-will, soulish, and GRIEVES the Holy Spirit because it LACKS TRUST AND OBEDIENCE. B. GODs WAY FOR THE SOUL-LIFE (thought-life) TO COME IN AGREEMENT WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT RATHER THAN THE FLESH: True spiritual love of God recognizes that ALL of our thoughts and desires, feelings and affections, emotions, actions, drives and urges MUST be GOVERNED by the Holy Spirit: through the Word of God applied to our lives. by DAILY appropriating for them, and applying to them by FAITH and FAITH-CONFESSION, Christs DEATH on the Cross with which we IDENTIFY by being born-again and by receiving His covenant. In particular, we bring to the Holy Spirit each and every problem emotion or desire or inclination or feeling, INDIVIDUALLY, and YIELD it to Him to KEEP it in the DEATH work of the Cross and burial of immersion baptism, by FAITH in Him. We then confess the RESURRECTION POWER of the Holy Spirit and Christs work of the Cross over ALL of these emotions and ALL EMOTIONS, and take possession again, by FAITH in Him and through the

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keeping power of the Holy Spirit who works ALL THINGS in us according to His purpose and desires. through SURRENDER, SUBMISSION, and TRUST AND OBEDIENCE of Gods Word and Will. by SEEKING and ASKING for His Will for our circumstances. (Mt. 7:7) by yielding to Gods TIMING to act on our behalf or to minister a revelation to us. by being WILUNG for self-desire and self-ambition to CEASE. by learning to WAIT ON GOD. The term wait on God does NOT mean to wait for Him to do something on our behalf. It literally means to WAIT on Him as a servant waits on his/her master. We do this by ministering to GOD, first, through THANKSGIVING, PRAISE, AND WORSHIP. C. IN DEALING WITH THE HEART OF MAN, WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM US?: 1) A TOTAL and COMPLETE WILL TO SUBMIT our soul-life to His death on the Cross, and desire to WALK BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. ASK and you will receive it because the Father desires that your joy be made full. (John 16:24) 2) Know what DRIVES you in your faithwalk... His Will or your own desires? 3) He wants all of our will, emotions, desires, inclinations, expectations, feelings, urges, drives, and actions to be YIELDED to Him, AND then TRUST with EXPE CTANT FAITH in Him. 4) He WANTS His Will ALONE to be our guide in ALL that we do, to ALLOW His Spirit to witness to our spirit. (Ro. 8:16) 5) He wants EVERYTHING of SELFself-desire, self-accomplishment, self-effort, self-practice, self-display, self-importance, self-recognition, self-opinion, selfunderstanding, to be brought to the Cross and to be put to death there through YIELDING to the Holy Spirit and APPROPRIATION by faith. 6) He wants COOPERATION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, NOT COMPROMISE. 7) He wants that we not just bear the Cross, BUT WEAR THE CROSS... be willing to appropriate the crucifixion of the soul-life, the self-life; be willing to embrace pain, suffering, trials, tribulations, a meek rank or position, offense, loss, ALL that He uses to mold us and make us into His Image, SEEKING HIS GLORY.

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 WHY? Because the Spirit through the prophet Isaiah tells us that ALL of our OWN works are like dirty rags to the Lord. (Isa. 64:6). WHAT does it mean? It means that ALL that is initiated by the power of self, or soul-power, is considered DEFILED in Gods sight. He cant use it and He will not receive it as a work of the Kingdom. 8) He wants us to CEASE STRIVING (Ps. 49:7-9; Ps. 46:10) and to walk by GRACE through FAITH... the WORK OF THE CROSS is FINISHED, the work of salvation. This salvation which CHRIST has purchased for us through His Blood, this redemption, INCLUDES victory over the flesh and the HEART of man that agrees with it. We must simply TAKE POSSESSION of it and confess it BY FAITH. He must do it ALL, in us and through us. By so doing, we come to know His personal involvement in our lives, His intimacy with us, AND WHO we are in Christ. 9) He wants us to OPPOSE the flesh and all self-desires in the faithwalk, and when we see them rearing their ugly heads, again, to bring them immediately to the Cross. 10) He wants us to EMBRACE the baptism by fire, by which our faith is tried, by which experiences, yielding, and surrender, He makes us, molds and breaks us, and forms us into His Image and Likeness. This is what it means to appropriate His death on the Cross which we identify with and enter into with Him. We let Him do it all, in us. We bear His yoke. We do not spare the flesh. We APPROPRIATE the death of the self-life. D. THE RESULTS OF APPROPRIATION AND IDENTIFICATION: Thou wilt KEEP him in PERFECT PEACE whose MIND (soul) is STAYED on Thee; because he TRUSTETH in Thee. (Isa.26:3) (KJV) 1) Through appropriation and identification with Christ and His work of the Cross, we receive those changes in our lives which produce the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, especially PEACE. (Gal. 5:22,23). How? Notice that Isaiah 26:3 says that it through the KEEPING power of the Holy Spirit by STAYING, that is, focusing our MIND or SOUL on Him. We must be centered on Him and not on SELF. It is a YIELDING and TRUSTING. . . a willingness to SUBMIT and focus on Him and His work. we receive the Spirits fruits and blessings. (Gal. 5:22, 23, 24, 25) we see Gods good in all that has happened. (Ro. 8:28) we no longer seek self-satisfaction but Gods Will. (Ro. 13:14)

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 we walk in the life of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25) 1) HOW DOES GOD DO IT? a) by our taking His yoke (His Way, His burden, His WILL upon us to LEARN from Him. (Mt. 11:29) b) by building us up, precept-by-precept, a little at a time, a little here, a little there. (Isa. 28:10,13) c) by His SOVEREIGN action. (Ro. 11:36) E. THE DANGERS OF SOUL-POWER AND THE SOUL-LIFE (HEART) AGREEING WITH THE FLESH: 1) When the emotions take hold and govern reason and will are blinded. One cannot hear from the Holy Spirit. The anointing is quenched. There is LACK OF SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION. The believer CANNOT PERCEIVE in the spirit-man. There is lack of DISCERNMENT. 2) When walking by feelings and emotions, the INTUITIVE LEADING of the Holy Spirit CANNOT be discerned. 3) Feelings PERSUADE the will of man to act CONTRARY to Gods desires when the flesh reigns. 4) If our will is YIELDED TO THE EMOTIONAL LIFE, our emotions SUPPRESS our INTUITION. Communication with the Holy Spirit is blocked. (Ro. 8:16) The use of the intuition (spirit-man) by the Holy Spirit can only occur when the emotions are controlled and submitted to the Spirit. E. THE ONLY ANSWER-CRUCIFYING THE FLESH AND ITS SOUL-LIFE: Ro. 13:14 Gal. 5:24 Gal. 3:20 2 Cor.5:17 1 Cor. 15:31 20th Century Christians who make Christian radio and T.V. their SOURCE, are looking for easy and instant spirituality. It is FLESH when it has primacy in their lives as their source for the faithwalk. It doesnt work. These sources may be edifying to the church, and even encouraging. They have their proper place but it is NOT as source material for the faithwalk. There is ONLY ONE THING that works as the source of the faithwalk and that it JESUS and HIS WORK OF THE CROSS. Serious Christians who are determined to have a yielded faithwalk with the Holy Spirit in which the flesh,

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the mind or soul-life, and all that agrees with them is governed by the Holy Spirit, will be wise in understanding early on in the faithwalk that there is only one way.these things must be taken to the Cross. The power of Christs work of the Cross must be taken possession of, and applied by faith, to the flesh arid its desires, and to the thoughts and desires of the heart. This involves a CONSCIOUS DECISION: to APPROPRIATE THE BENEFITS OF THE CROSS. to TAKE ACTION. to GLORIFY CHRIST. to receive the FRUIT- the Spirits control of destructive and hindering emotions, behaviors, and actions. to YIELD to and TRUST the Holy Spirit. to SUBMIT to the Word of God.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: VICTORY OVER THE FLESH (continued): WHEN THE FLESH DOES NOT COME UNDER SUBMISSION - RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM OF DEMONIC INFESTATION AND SOUL FRAGMENTATION I. GENERAL INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: We have already discussed the heart of man as the seat of the emotions, inclinations, desires, affections, urges and impulses within the soul, and the need for that aspect of it which agrees with the flesh to be given over to the Holy Spirit for Him to keep it in. His death and resurrection power of the work of the Cross. Now let us consider some other aspects of the heart and the flesh. WHAT HAPPENS, IF WE DO THOS E THINGS WHICH NEED TO BE DONE TO YIELD OUR FLESH AND HEART TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND, OVER TIME, WE EXPERIENCE NO CHANGE OR TRANSFORMATION IN OUR SOUL-LIFE? WHAT IS IT THAT MAY BE GOING ON IN THE THOUGHT-LIFE THAT MAKES IT APPEAR THAT THE FLESH STILL REIGNS SUPREME AND HAS NOT BEEN SUBJUGATED TO THE GOVERNING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? WHEN THERE IS NO CHANGE, transformation, or submission, is it the FLESH or is it DEMONIC or both? To better understand what the possibilities are, we must first understand the concept of SOUL- FRAGMENTATION, to gain an understanding as to WHY certain behaviors and feelings persist despite ones best efforts to seek and receive change. THE ANSWER lies in understanding WHAT the scripture says about the BROKEN HEART and WOUNDED SPIRIT. Scripture is quite clear that the SOUL of man can be FRAGMENTED in many different ways. A common cause is that of EMOTIONAL TRAUMA or PHYSICAL TRAUMA or BOTH, INCLUDING the trauma of CRITICISM OR REJECTION of a fetus IN THE WOMB before birth. Repeated experiences of emotional or physical trauma are particularly important, causing WOUNDING of the SOUL. Repeated wounding of the soul can cause it to become FRAGMENTED or TORN to pieces or torn IN pieces. This is revealed to us in Psalm 7:2 where David the Psalmist pleads to take refuge in God lest... he TEAR my soul like a lion, dragging me away, while there is none to deliver. (Ps. 7:2, NASB) In the Old Testament Hebrew, the phrase dragging me away literally can be translated rending (tearing) it in pieces. The implication is that the soul is a substance that can be torn, even though it is a living spiritual substance. The EXPRESSION of a fragmented soul is seen through the FEELINGS AND BEHAVIOR of the person who is so afflicted, and is evidenced in the form of what we commonly refer to as a BROKEN HEART or WOUNDED SPIRIT. The expression of a broken heart or wounded spirit is that of negative emotions or behaviors that become readily apparent when sensitive areas of the thought-life (soullife, heart) or emotional life of the person are touched or addressed. The affected

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believer who is suffering from such trauma will usually display any or all of the following feelings or behaviors: lethargy (social withdrawal, inactivity, laziness) pining away hardheartedness helplessness heaviness (depression) rebellion infirmity rejection (self and others) negative emotions: anger (strife, contention) resentment bitterness unforgiveness hate judgment (self, others) hostility pride arrogance violence criticism (self, others) passivity (mind, attitude, body, spirit) compulsivity habits oppression disobedience telling lies all other negative emotions and behaviors to name the more commonly seen manifestations. Often, the traumas are REPEATED (suspect the possibility of a generations curse) and REJECTION is almost ALWAYS PRESENT, and frequently, UNFORGIVENESS. These WOUNDS and NEGATIVE EMOTIONS can act as HOOKS for demonic spirits to HOLD ON to and FEED off of. The flesh and soul-life that agrees with it can be brought to the Cross, and the death and resurrection power of the Cross appropriated for them, and OFTEN, NO result will be seen or obtained. Why? Several reasons will become apparent: Unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, anger, hate, and like emotions act as LEGAL grounds for Satan and demonic spirits to have a foothold in the life of the individual. When the person expresses these emotions, they will appear to be IN THE FLESH, and their thought-life and feelings will be made readily visible and audible to all who are present. This is not a simple issue of dealing with the carnal feelings, emotions, etc., in order to bring the flesh under submission. In such instances as these, INNER

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HEALING of the broken heart or wounded spirit is FIRST needed to remove any negative feelings and emotions, to bring CLOSURE to the wound, and to take away the legal ground by which the demonic spirits influence and ENERGIZE the flesh and thought-life and their behaviors. This process is called RENEWAL OF THE MIND as is brought about by ministering the Word of God and the PRINCIPLES of the Word of God to the person. the soul may be fragmented and the soul-fragments need to be RETRIEVED and RE INTEGRATED into the SOUL (mind) of the person. the problem may be purely demonic. In such an instance, you cannot bring demonic ministry to the Cross for the Holy Spirit to subject it to His governing and keeping power. The Biblical prescription for dealing with demons is to CAST THEM OUT in the Name of Jesus. (Mk. 16:17, 18,19) 1) the problem may be both traumatic fragmentation of the soul AND demonic, since demons are USURPERS of circumstances and situations. More often than not, this will usually be found to be the case. 2) the problem may be found to be HEREDITARY and thus a manifestation of a GENERATIONS CURSE. Look for multiple occurrences of the same problem within a family line in such instances. 3) the Holy Spirit seeks, first, to do a work in life of the person or seeks to MAKE the person deal with UNRESOLVED issues or HURTS, to bring HEALING. 4) the person is under judgment or discipline. 5) the Holy Spirits TIMING is important and He has deemed that the time is not yet right for Him to move on behalf of the person. 6) the person is still harboring UNFORGIVENESS or LACK OF TRUE REPENTANCE. 7) there is LACK OF PRAYER. 8) there has been NO SEEKING of the Holy Spirit for LEADING, GUIDANCE and REVELATION as to the source of the problem and actions that He desires to be taken, and the whole attempt at ministry has been in-theflesh with wrong diagnosis and wrong interpretation of what is actually going on, and, subsequently, with the wrong treatment applied. 9) the Holy Spirit has NOT LED that a course of spiritual action be taken for that particular individual. We are NOT called to minister to every person or EVERY believer who comes into our path. Sometimes Satan takes advantage of such circumstances to barrage us with people to minister to (who will not

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receive ministry) in order to wear us down, grind us down, and fatigue us. This is one of his common tactics. The Holy Spirit must LEAD. The Holy Spirit MUST be IN IT. The above-mentioned negative behaviors and emotions usually are COMPENSATORY in nature. They represent some means by which the wounded person tries to COMPENSATE for some emotional or physical hurt, some means by which he or she tries to BUFFER the pain associated with past memories. Whether the actual memories or traumas are repressed in the mind or soul (subconscious), or suppressed (conscious effort), the fact remains that no human being can put constant effort into controlling their emotions, feelings, and behaviors, and such POWERFUL feelings and emotions from UNRESOLVED issues and UNHEALED wounds will almost ALWAYS BREAK THROUGH at some point in time and be EXPRESSED THROUGH THE FLESH and the thought-life of the person so affected. BEFORE the flesh and thought-life can be brought under the governing of the work of the Cross by the Holy Spirit, the LEADING and GUIDANCE of the Holy Spirit MUST BE SOUGHT in order to determine WHAT FACTORS ARE OPERATIONAL and what is being seen, and HEALING OF THE BROKEN HEART and WOUNDED SPIRIT, along with HEALING OF THE FRAGMENTED SOUL must be obtained by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Having made these preliminary remarks in order to establish a perspective of ministry, let us now look at the problem of soul- fragmentation, and the problem of the broken heart and wounded spirit, in more detail. When we come to understand what the scriptures say about these problems, we will come to understand that their expression through the FLESH and SOUL-LIFE (HEART) of the person, in such instances, is SECONDARY. The flesh and heart, per se, are NOT the PRIMARY ISSUES in these instances, and the UNDERLYING PROBLEMS need to be dealt with first. When this is done, occasions will be noted in which those things which appeared to be expressing themselves as flesh or soulishness DISAPPEAR on their own without the flesh or thought- life being brought to the work of the Cross for that particular problem. Lets examine these subjects in more detail. II. UNDERSTANDING SOUL FRAGMENTATION-THE BROKEN HEART OR WOUNDED SPIRIT The soul is, for the most part, equated by scripture as being the HEART of man. As such, the HEART is the MIND, WILL, EMOTIONS and is also regarded as the center of feelings, understanding and personality. It is also regarded as the center of man from which arise the affections, knowledge, emotions, inclinations, desires, urges, impulses, feelings; some scriptures refer to it also as the center of conscience, equating it with the spirit-man which manifests conscience and intuition. In short, one can conceptualize the HEART as being the INNER BEING of a person, that which makes him/her what they are. Because the heart of man is regarded by scripture as evil or wicked (Gen. 6:5; Gen. 8:21), the Lord must look upon it and search it (1 Sam. 16:7) and give man a new heart (Ez. 36:26) so that man can obey, worship God, and be renewed (Ezek. 11 :5,19-21; Ps. 51 :10,17) and man must ask for it (Ps. 51:10,17).

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The term WOUNDED SPIRIT is, for the most part, interchangeable with the term BROKEN HEART but there is a slight distinction that we should be aware of. The spirit-man is equated with the conscience and int of man. Therefore, someone who has a WOUNDED SPIRIT has, in effect, a WOUNDED CONSCIENCE, which, technically, is not quite the same as a BROKEN HEART which is a tearing of the soul or feeling-life of a person, a wounding of the mind. Because man must govern his mind by his conscience in order to be civil as well as spiritual, however, we find that in many instances the terms are used or regarded as synonymous even though they really are not, and, for practical purposes, can be equated with the term SOUL FRAGMENTATION, implied in Ps. 7:2. Scripture references equating the HEART with: the soul Mk. 12:30,33 Mt. 22:37 Deut. 26:16 Deut. 6:5 the center of mans inner being, personality, conduct Lk.18:15 Mt. 5:8 Ps. 78:72 Ps. 24:4 1 Kings 3:12 Gen. 20:5,6 conscience or spirit-man Ro. 2:15 A. AFFLICTION OF THE SOUL SOUL FRAGMENTATION, as described in Ps. 7:2, is only one form of affliction of the soul (mind, will, emotions). The following scripture references also indicate that the following can happen to the SOUL (heart): it can do evil (Lev. 4:40) it can become unclean or defiled (Lev. 4:2) it can experience: lust (Deut. 12:15,20,21) persecution (Ps. 7:15) ties to another person (Gen 34:3,8) destruction (Ps. 40:14) imprisonment (Ps. 142:7) self-binding (Num. 30:9)

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 impartation to others (1 Thess. 2:8) hunting and flying (Ez. 13:18-20) (by witches, sorcerers) anguish (Gen. 42:21) misery (Judges 10:16) bitterness (Job 3:20) trapping or snaring (Ps. 35:4,7) but the GOOD NEWS is that it can be HEALED (Ps. 41:4) and RESTORED (Ps. 23:3), DELIVERED (Ps. 17:13)and then given over to the KEEPING POWER of the Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 2:25). 1) CAUSES: Causes of SOUL FRAGMENTATION are NUMEROUS. Some of the more common causes are mentioned here: emotional trauma, particularly repeated rejection physical trauma abortion drug abuse other addictions - cigarettes, sex, etc. illicit sex false religions or religious false doctrines idolatries self sex intellect/mind occupation money pleasures any other rejection in the womb before birth. witchcraft practice of sin hereditary marriage generations curses betrayal lies false accusations slander defamation adultery maligning loss

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 separation dabbling in the occult premarital sex homosexuality/lesbianism to name but a few. In general, ANYTHING which has the ability to produce significant emotional or physical trauma, has the ability to TEAR (make broken or wounded) the SOUL or heart of man. 2) CONSEQUENCES OF SOUL FRAGMENTATION: 1) weakening of the will. 2) habitual relapsing into sin. 3) emotional defensiveness and easy provocation (these people are trying to survive and function on their own, under their own power). 4) predominant display of negative emotions in most instances, particularly UNFORGIVENESS and BITTERNESS, ANGER, RESENTMENT. 5) need for ACCEPTANCE and ATTENTION. They have frequently had significant REJECTION. 6) in cases where there has been contact with witches, and witchcraft, suspect the possibility that soul fragments have been CAPTURED, SCATTERED, OR BOTTLED, causing emotional BONDAGE, IMPRISONMENT, ISOLATION, FEAR, WEAKNESS OF MORAL FIBER OR CHARACTER, INABILITY TO RESIST THE DEVIL, or like behaviors. How does it happen? WHEN the SOUL is FRAGMENTED, there is a PSYCHIC (mental) TEAR in the soul. The scripture, as you recall in Ps. 7:2 implies that PIECES can literally be TORN OFF. Witches, warlocks, and sorcerers claim to be able to scatter them, bottle them, capture them, and imprison them, and even to PROJECT their own soul or soul fragments into the person. And this does INDEED seem to be the case, as any Christian who has had experience in the deliverance of people who have previously been involved in witchcraft, will testify. More interesting is the fact that when the soul-fragments are called back, in Jesus Name, and angels dispatched to retrieve them (Heb. 1:14) and to bring them back and reintegrate them into the person, the person gets better! 7) RESISTANCE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, particularly if there is a demonic component involved.

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8) progressive weakening of the person, mentally and emotionally to the point where they are regarded, by the uniformed, as MENTALLY ILL (which they are) or PSYCHOTIC (insane). The ROOT CAUSE is UNREPENTANT SIN, ALMOST ALWAYS involving PRIDE, in their lives. Let us look at a MODEL as to how the soul becomes fragmented so that we can better understand. the SOUL-MAN is identical in appearance, as far as we know, to the physical man. Say that the soul-man received an open wound on the arm. The arm is torn. This represents a PSYCHIC (mental) WOUND. The person tries to cement his wound shut with his OWN COMPENSATORY BEHAVIORS to make him feel better and lessen his or her pain. But the SOUL-STUFF that was LOST was LIVING SOUL-SUBSTANCE and as such, CONTRIBUTED to the persons PERSONALITY, FUNCTION, and WELL BEING and EMOTIONAL LIFE, FEELINGS AND AFFECTIONS. The patchwork, the cement of compensatory defense mechanisms used by the person to try to close his/her wound or hurt has no life in it. It will not last. The wound will break open again and cause EMOTIONAL PAIN, again, driving the person to react IN-THE-FLESH. There is no healing, because the cement or patchwork has no life of its own in it as does soul- substance. The expression of this in the life of the person will be the evidence that something that was present before is now MISSING from his/her life or personality, and they do not seem to be the person that they used to be. They do not function well in the spirit, and, if Christian, appear to be unduly carnal and always in the FLESH. If more and more wounding occurs, they become more fragmented and DETERIORATE MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY, OR PSYCHOLOGICALLY, and do not FUNCTION as they did before. They get ANGRY, FRUSTRATED, and this triggers the emotional reactions and behaviors that we regard as the FLESH. But we must remember, in these instances, that we are not merely dealing with the CARNALITY of man, but with PSYCHIC WOUNDS OR TEARS. . . a BROKEN HEART OR WOUNDED SPIRIT. 9) FRAGMENT REPLACEMENT When sin, particularly pride or unrepentance persists, the door is opened to DEMONIC spirits to enter the thought-life where the fragmentation has occurred. For this reason, the Holy Spirit warns us, through Paul, to take EVERY THOUGHT into captivity and CAST DOWN every vain imagination (paraphrased).

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Now you will recall in Gal. 5:19-21 that the works of the flesh were defined. Included were witchcraft, jealousy, and sexual immorality (fornication). Yet, in Hosea 4:12 and Hosea 5:4, the scripture mentions the spirit of fornication (a demonic spirit that MINISTERS the desire for fornication). In Gal. 5:20 jealousy is called a work of the flesh, but in Numbers 5:14,30 the spirit of jealousy is described. The Old Testament term for the spirit of witchcraft is the familiar spirit. In 1 Samuel 28:7-9 we see the seeking of the spirit of witchcraft by Saul, and in Galatians 5:20 witchcraft is described as one of the works of the flesh. Whats the point? The point is this: that jealousy, witchcraft, fornication, etc. are not only works of the flesh but DEMONIC SPIRITS that have the SAME MINISTRY and minister the same thing to the person, to ENERGIZE OR FOSTER those works or other such works of the flesh, in that person. When the demonic spirit is present and moves into the wound, IT BECOMES THE patchwork or replacement of the torn soul fragment: but this patchwork or fragment replacement has a MIND AND WILL OF ITS OWN. And it WILL minister to the person the thoughts that IT wants the person to have, the behaviors that IT wants the person to perform. The person, ALREADY WEAKENED, GIVES IN, and with each repeated EPISODE or WOUNDING becomes weaker until the will of the person is eventually taken over by the demonic spirit(s) and a DEMONIC STRONGHOLD builds in the mind or body of the person. Repeated wounding or fragmentation of the soul can lead to more demonic ENTRY. When the persons mind is so FRAGMENTED and the locations of those fragments now occupied by demonic spirits having and ministering a thought-life of their own to the person, the person becomes demonically OPPRESSED. When they exert their thoughts upon the person to the degree that they TAKE OVER his/her thought-life or soul-life to the point that they BIND his/her WILL and the person CANNOT exercise their will, then the person is said to be POSSESSED. Demonic spirits minister thoughts using the firstperson singular pronoun I so that the person thinks that he/she is thinking the thoughts. That is part of the Satanic deception.

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 When a demonic stronghold is present in the mind or soul, the fragmented soul has DEMONIC ENTITIES occupying the areas fragmented and they will ENHANCE THEIR MINISTRY to the FLESH. Each spirit has ONLY ONE FUNCTION. For instance, the spirit of jealousy will minister ONLY jealousy. They are named by the function that they minister. When the persons FLESH and soul-life that agrees with it is being ministered to by DEMONS, you will see: compulsive, repetitive behaviors. habits that the person has great difficulty in breaking or cannot break. RESISTANCE TO MINISTRY and to the Holy Spirit. accentuated negative behavior or violence. eventually, takeover of the will (as is typical, for instance, in drug addicts who cannot control or turn from their habit). other manifestations as discerned through the Holy Spirit.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: WHEN THE FLESH DOES NOT COME UNDER SUBMISSION: RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM OF DEMONIC INFESTATION AND SOUL FRAGMENTATION - continued I. GENERAL REMARKS - continued A. AFFLICTION OF THE SOUL - continued SOUL FRAGMENTATION - continued 3) CURE As we have seen through the scriptures, the SOUL (MIND) can be afflicted, torn or fragmented, captured by witchcraft (bondage), entered or projected into by the soul-power of others, made to fly, etc. Most important is the fact that it can be fragmented into pieces by emotional or physical trauma. When the Holy Spirit gives DISCERNMENT (word of knowledge) that the person being ministered to has emotional wounding and that the soul has been fragmented as a consequence by this experience or repeated experiences, then it is necessary to RETRIEVE those SOUL FRAGMENTS from the enemy. This is usually done by spiritual FORCE by dispatching ANGELS who are SENT FORTH to minister (Heb. 1:14). The following steps should be taken: 1) PRAY ALOUD and COMMAND the RETRIEVAL of the persons SOUL FRAGMENTS, by praying something like this: Father, I dispatch warrior angels of the Lord Christ Jesus to go forth immediately to recover and retrieve by force ALL soul fragments taken into captivity by the enemy as a consequence of (name the experience or trauma) or as a consequence of involvement in (name the activity-drugs, sexual immorality or fornication, submission to false doctrines idolatry), rock music, witchcraft, etc.) and BY FAITH I CALL AND CLAIM them RECOVERED, RETRIEVED, and RESTORE D into the SOUL, that is, the mind, will and emotions of (name the person) and REINTEGRATED NOW through the direction of the spirit of power and might of the Holy Spirit, ALL in Christ Jesus Name. I BIND Satan, the ruler spirit, and all occupying spirits (name them if you have the revelation), loose (name of person) from them, and CAST them OUT now, in Christ Jesus Name, not to return to (name of person) or any other

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human being, ALL in Christ Jesus Name. All demonic fragment substitutions are bound and cast out NOW in Christ Jesus Name. I DECREE the SOUL of (name of person) totally HEALED AND RESTORED (now lay hands on the person to impart healing)ALL in Christ Jesus Name. (Job 22:28) 2) PRAY a HEDGE OF PROTECTION (Job 1:10) around the person and their soul, and around all that they are, have, and possess, arid claim their mind, will, and emotions (soul) COVERED by the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST JESUS, all in Christ Jesus Name. 3) CORDON them off with warrior angels and watch angels of safety and protection in Jesus Name. (Heb. 1:14; Ps. 91) When the problem is simple soul-fragmentation from repeated sin or trauma, WITHOUT such deep, deep wounding as to have a BROKEN HEART, the response from ministering the above prayers will be DRAMATIC and IMMEDIATE, or, at least, will be evident within several days. Jesus says that we are to judge a thing, if it be of God, by the FRUITS. The good fruits of this type of ministry in the Spirit will be evident over time. II. THE SPIRITUAL MINISTRY TO THE UNRESPONSIVE BROKEN HEART:* When a person is SEVERELY emotionally or physically wounded or has been into serious repetitive sin or witchcraft, or has UNFORGIVENESS, BITTERNESS, RESENTMENT, ANGER, HATE, SPITE, or other negative emotions, and such is revealed (discerned) by the Holy Spirit, THEN, simple retrieval of soul fragments will not work because the above mentioned things SERVE as demonic HOOKS by which demonic spirits HOLD ON to continue their ministry. For effective healing to occur, the HOOKS must be removed FIRST, so that the demonic spirits have nothing to anchor or hold on to, and they can then be cast out and soul fragments retrieved. This process, is called, in the scriptures, RENEWAL OF THE MIND. (Ro. 12:2) The mind is RENEWED by reading the Word of God and getting the Word into the spirit-man. The mind is ALSO RENEWED by APPLYING the principles revealed in the heart (mind) scriptures of the Bible to PRAYER-DIALOGUE between the person ministering and the person being ministered to. For now, let it suffice to point out that Gods way is NOT that of psychology or psychiatry BECAUSE they are both from the mind of man, and as such are SOULISH because the mind is the soul. Jesus says that the things of the Spirit are spirit. (John 3:6). The Word of God is a thing of _________________________________________________________________________ *Some concepts herein forward. have been used with the kind permission of Jean Orr. Restoration
Ministries. Denver, Co., with grateful appreciation.

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the Spirit for it is God-breathed and therefore divine revelation, and represents, as such, the very integrity and honesty of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is, therefore, the ONLY AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE OF TRUTH. The scripture says Thy Word is TRUTH, NOT Thy Word AND such-and-such is truth. And as a JEALOUS GOD, the Lord is quick, in Isaiah, to declare I share My glory with NO ONE.(paraphrased) In addition, as a matter of DIVINE REVELATION, God says that: 1) Man CANNOT understand his own behaviors. (Prov. 20:24) 2) Man believes his ways are correct but it is the LORD who examines the mind (heart). (Prov. 21:2) 3) Man CANNOT KNOW his own mind (heart), which is naturally evil. (Jer. 17:9) 4) Man CANNOT bear a wounded spirit (broken heart). (Prov. 18:14) 5) Man CANNOT rely on his own wisdom. (Prov. 3:7) 6) The mind (heart) must be YIELDED to the Lord. (Prov. 23:26) 7) We are to acknowledge our sins before the Lord and TRUST Him; HE will bring conviction and truth into our mind (heart) and MAKE and CAUSE us to know what to do (His wisdom). HE works ALL and in ALL and CAUSES the revelations and subsequent changes to happen. (Ps. 51:3-6; Ps. 143:8; 1 Cor. 12:6) In summary, then, Gods position is scripture regarding the healing of the broken heart or renewal of the mind is that: 1. Man cannot know his mind or heal it. 2. God (Jesus) ALONE can know and search it. 3. He alone must CAUSE the healing to happen. He must do it for the person. A. CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE HEALING OF THE SEVERELY BROKEN HEART (or ANY healing): 1. The believer MUST ACKNOWLEDGE his/her SINS before the Lord and TRUST Him. (Ps. 51:3-6) 2. The believer must acknowledge sin and TURN from DISOBEDIENCE and BACKSLIDING, be OPEN to ministry, and TURN from walking in their own WAYS and IMAGINATIONS. (Jer. 3:13-17)

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3. The believer must NOT rely on his/her own wisdom. (Prov. 3:7) 4. The believer must GUARD against the ROOT OF BITTERNESS (Heb. 12:15) which defiles, is due to UNFORGIVENESS, and brings the BITTER ROOT JUDGMENT of the offending person. 5. There must be CONFESSION and REPENTANCE of HIDDEN or SECRET SIN, without which there can be NO HEALING. (Prov. 28:13) 6. The believer CANNOT HARDEN his/her HEART. (Prov. 28:14) Repentance is needed. 7. The believer must YIELD to the Lord and He will heal. (Prov. 16:3;23:26) 8. The believer MUST recognize that it is IMPOSSIBLE for man to clean up his own mind (Prov. 20:9) and that a man IS what his mind THINKS ( Prov. 23:7). 9. The believer must be WILLING to RECEIVE his healing by GRACE through FAITH in Jesus; he/she must BELIEVE from the heart to receive because the MIND must be ESTABLISHED by GRACE. (Heb. 13:9) 10. If the believers mind brings forth CONDEMNATION, then the believer must KNOW that God is GREATER than that mind and knows all, that is, knows WHAT to do. (1 John 3:20) 11. The believer must lift up his/her mind to the Lord and HE will cause them to KNOW. (Ps. 143:8) 12. The believer MUST TURN his whole mind (heart) to SEEK the Lords mercy, favor and soundness. (Ps. 119:58,80) 13. The believer must have a broken and CONTRITE heart. (Ps. 34:18; Ps. 51:17) 14. The believer must KNOW that if he/she regards sin in their heart (mind), the Lord WILL NOT HEAR (their need). (Ps. 66:18) B. WHAT JESUS DOES IN THE HEALING OF THE BROKEN HEART (RENEWAL OF THE MIND): 1. HE SEARCHES the mind (heart) and tests it, examines it and KNOWS its secrets. ( Jer. 17:10; Ps. 44:21) 2. HIS ANOINTING breaks the yoke (bondage). (Isa. 10:27) 3. HE works ALLHe causes REVELATIONS to happen and CHANGES to come. (1 Cor. 12:6)

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4. HE uses PEOPLE as instruments of restoration and healing. (Isa. 58:12) 5. HE PREPARES mans mind (heart) to RECEIVE knowledge FROM HIM and REVEALS to a man WHAT to ANSWER WITH HIS TONGUE. (Ps.16:1) 6. HE brings REVELATION to the person through TRUST in Him.(Prov. 22:19) 7. HE REDEEMS the mind (heart) (Ps. 34:22) and RESTORES JOY to the mind (heart) (Ps. 4:7). 8. HE must CREATE a cleansed mind (heart) (free from hurts, implied) and RENEW a right spirit within us. (Ps. 51:10) 9. HE must PREPARE the mind (heart) of the humble. (Ps. 10:17) 10. HE brings His LIGHT into the mind (heart) of the believer. (Ps. 97:11) 11. HE WILL give to the believer the righteous desire of his mind (heart) and NOT WITHHOLD what is requested. (Ps. 21:2) 12. HE sets the mind (heart) FREE. (Ps. 33:19) 13. HE HEALS the broken-hearted and BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS. (Ps. 147:3) 14. HE will cause the believer to KNOW what to do. (Ps. 143:8) 15. HE BRINGS TO PASS what the believer is seeking and PROMISES to help and deliver. (Ps. 37:5,40) 16. HE WILL give the believer RIGHT THOUGHTS, INSIGHTS, and REVELATIONS. (Prov. 16:3) C. HOW JESUS RENEWS THE MIND AND HEALS THE BROKEN HEART (FRAGMENTED SOUL): 1. the mind (heart) is established (healed) by GRACE. (Heb. 13:9; Prov. 16:3) 2. by REVELATION which BRINGS HEALING. (Prov. 24:14) 3. through FAITH (TRUST) He brings to pass what is being sought. (Ps. 37:5,40) 4. through His Holy Spirit who WITNESSES to the spirit-man of man. (Ro. 8:16) THEREFORE, to obtain healing, the person must receive REVELATION from the Holy Spirit. D. THE PRAYER-DIALOGUE PROCESS OF RENEWAL OF THE MIND OR HEALING OF THE BROKEN HEART:

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If the conditions for receiving healing are met, and the person is YIELDED to the Holy Spirit and TRUSTING for his/ her healing, then the scriptural principles learned up to this point can be PRACTICALLY-APPLIED, realizing that JESUS is a living Person of the Godhead who is WAITING and WILLING to be involved in the life of every believer and WILLING to heal. We must then RELATE to Him as a PERSON and SEEK from Him the healing that is necessary and PERMIT Him to work it out through the person being ministered to and the person ministering, BOTH of whom must YIELD, firstly, to the Holy Spirit, having prepared beforehand with self-examination, confession, and repentance where needed. REMEMBER that this is a ministry to BELIEVERS and, therefore, the person being ministered to MUST be BORN-AGAIN (SAVED) AND SPIRIT-FILLED! Renewal of the mind must then come through REVELATION through the Holy Spirit who WITNESSES to the believers spirit (Ro. 8:16), bringing the revelation to the soul or mind. Notice that no man can receive healing from INSIGHT, because insight is intellectual observation, a product of REASON, which is from the mind (soul) and, therefore, SOULISH. Jesus says that the things of the Spirit are spirit (or spirit-man), NOT SOUL (John 3:6). With this preliminary understanding of the spiritual principles involved, RENEWAL OF THE MIND (HEALING OF THE BROKEN HEART) BY PRAYER-DIALOGUE WITH THE LORD can be done as follows: Scripture tells us that a HUMBLE and REPENTANT heart (mind) CAUSES the Lord to HEAR (2 Kings 22:19; Ps. 34:18; Ps. 51:17) A prayer from the heart should be directed with SINCERITY to the Lord, YIELDING to His Holy Spirit to ACT, and then TRUSTING Him and EXPECTING Him to ACT. That is FAITH. The person receiving ministry should PRAY something like this: Lord Jesus Christ, you have searched me and known me and understand my thoughts and know my ways (Ps. 139:1-3). Try me, Lord, and know my thoughts (Ps. 139:23). I come to you in humility and contrition (Ps. 10:17) and trust you to deliver me (Ps. 22:4). Know and ponder all of my ways (behaviors and actions) (Prov. 5:21). I cry aloud to you, Lord Jesus Christ, and pour out my complaint, my problem to You and show you my trouble (Ps. 142:1,2). I desire and will to be submitted to You to do the Will of the Father from my heart (mind and spirit) (Eph. 6:6). I invite you to look upon my pain and suffering and to forgive me of my sins, particularly pride (Ps. 73:6; Ro. 2:5). I trust you to keep my mind (soul) and to deliver (heal) me (Ps. 25:18-20). Cleanse my mind (heart) of its hurts and wounds and renew a right spirit .within me (Ps. 51:10 ). I pour out my mind (heart) to You and make You my Refuge (Ps. 55:22). Prepare my heart (mind) to receive Your revelations and reveal to me what

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should be the answer of my tongue (Prov. 16:1) and give me the grace to SPEAK IT. I yield to You now and TRUST You for it, and believe that I receive REVELATION (Prov. 22:19). Show me the correct way in which I should walk and unite my mind (heart) (Ps. 48:17) and I will walk in your revelation truths. UNITE MY MIND (heart) (Ps. 86:11). Bear WITNESS to my mind (heart) (Ro. 8:16) to convict and confirm me (Acts 15:8). Help me to put away the things of the past through your grace (Isa. 43:18). I seek you, Lord Jesus Christ, and know that you hear and deliver (heal) (Ps. 34:4) and I cast my problem upon you (Ps. 55 :22). Cleanse my mind of all wounds and hurts (Ps. 51:10) and CAUSE me to hear (Ps. 10:17). HEAL MY BROKEN HEART and BIND MY WOUNDS (Ps. 147:3). I WILL to cast away all of my sins to receive a renewed mind (heart) and spirit (Ezek. 18:31). Strengthen and establish my mind (heart) (Ps. 112:8). Shine your light upon my mind (heart) to give me knowledge and revelation (2 Cor. 4:6). I YIELD TO and TRUST Your Holy Spirit and confess that Yu redeem my mind (heart), bring me health, and deliverance (Ps. 34:22; Ps. 22:4; Ps. 37:40; Ps. 28:9). I COMMIT my ways and behaviors over to You, Lord Jesus Christ, and acknowledge that You bring CHANGE (Ps. 37:5). I thank and praise You for ALREADY having heard and answered, and bless you for it, Lord. By trusting faith in You (Ps. 28:6), I make You ALONE my source, strength, and protection, and receive Your healing and joy (Ps. 28:7). I give you thanks and praise, Lord Jesus Christ that you do not hold back that which is requested (Ps. 21:2) and that it IS Your Will that! have what I ask (1 John 4:16). I ASK ALL that I have spoken by TRUSTING FAITH (James 1:6) in Your Name, Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:14), and I BELIEVE from the heart that I receive. Amen.

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Scripture References: A. The Heart Prov. 3:5 Prov. 11:29 Prov. 12:8 Prov. 12:20 Prov. 12:23 Prov. 12:25 Prov. 13:12**** Prov. 14:10**** Prov. 14:13**** Prov. 14:14**** Prov. 14:30**** Prov. 14:33**** Prov. 15:13**** Prov. 16:1**** Prov. 16:19**** Prov. 17: 16** Prov. 17:20**** Prov. 18:7,12*** Prov. 18:14,15***** Prov. 19:21***** Prov. 20: 5********* Prov. 20 :9******** Prov. 21 :4******** Prov. 22:11******** Prov. 22: 17******** Prov. 23 :7********* Prov. 23: 19******** Prov. 24: 12******** Prov. 27:9******** Prov. 28:14*** Prov. 28:25******** Prov. 28:26******* Prov. 31:10,11,30,31******** Is. 29:13*** Is. 32:6*** Is. 47:7 Is. 57: 15*********** Is. 10:7**** Ps. 55:21** Ps. 61 :2********** Ps. 66: 18*********

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Ps. 69:20****** Ps. 73:26********* Ps. 69:20 Ps. 78:8,37*** Ps. 86:1 1,12*******(Pray it!) Ps. 95:8-11*****(a command!) Ps. 101:5*******(a warning) Ps. 107: 11, 12*****(another warning) Ps. 109:21,22*****(pray) Ps. 119:2,3,7*********** Ps. 12 :2******(the double heart(mind)) Ps. 13:2 Ps. 13:5 Ps. 14:1 Ps. 24:3,4 Ps. 34:18******* Ps. 37:4****** Ps. 44:21******* Ps. 45:1 Ps. 51: 10********(pray it daily) Ps. 55:21******** Ps. 61:2********* Ps. 66: 18********(important) Ps. 73: 1 *********(important) Ps. 78:8,37 Ezek. 25: 15-17********* 1 Sam. 16:7*** 2 Kings 8:39*** 1 Chron. 28:9*********** Ps. 44:21******** Ps. 139:1 Jer. 17: 10*********** 2 Kings 22:19*** James 1:5,6 James 4:8**** 1 Peter 1:22 Ps. 66:18*** 1 Chron. 29:17 2 Chron. 19:3** Heb. 10:22******* 2 Peter 2:15**** Mt. 12:34******* Mt. 15:8******* Mt. 22:37*** Ps. 141:4 Ps. 131:1 Ps. 139:23********(pray it daily)

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Heb. 3:12,18,19 Eph. 4:17 Eph. 4:18********** Ps. 147:3*********(He does it. Ask Him for it. Trust Him for it. Believe you receive.) Ro. 10:8,9,10**** 1 Cor. 7:37*** 1 Cor. 14:25*** 2 Cor. 3:3****** B. ACKNOWLEDGE THE LORD Jer. 1:14*** Hosea 5:15 Jer 3:13-25 Jer. 14:20 Ps. 51:3-7 Ps. 3:6 C. HOPE IN THE LORD Scripture says that those who continually hope in the Lord WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. Ps. 33: 18-22 Ps. 42:5 Ps. 119:49 Ps. 130:5 Ps. 146:5 Ps. 147:11 Prov. 13:12***** Jer. 17:7,17 Jer. 29:11 Lam. 3:20-24,26 Zech. 9:12 Ro. 15,13***** 1 Cor. 13:13 Eph. 1:15 -19**** 2 Tim. 2:16 Heb. 6:11,12, 18, 19 Heb. 10:23 1 Pet. 1:13,21**** 1 Pet. 3:15 1 John 3:3****** D.TRUST

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The Scriptures say I TRUST ON THE LORD and I am helped. Back by expectant FAITH that God WILL respond. 2 Sam. 22:31*** 1 Chron. 5:20*** Ps. 11:1 Ps. 16:1 Ps. 17:7**** Ps. 18:30 Ps. 20:7 Ps. 25:2 Ps. 25:20****** Ps. 31:1,6,14,19 Ps. 34:22** Ps. 37:3,4 Ps. 37:5******* Ps. 37:40****** Ps. 119:42*** Ps. 125: 1****** Ps. 143:8****** Prov. 3 :5-7********* Is. 42:17 Is. 57:13*** Jer. 7:8 Nahum 1:7**** 2 Cor. 1:10*** *******= important Scriptures

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: WHEN THE FLESH DOES NOT COME UNDER SUBMISSION: RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM OF DEMONIC INFESTATION AND SOUL FRAGMENTATION - continued II. THE ROLE OF THE PERSON MINISTERING: 1. The person ministering, whether ordained or not, must be born-again and Spiritfilled because he or she MUST be lead by the Holy Spirit and be able to RECOGNIZE or DISCERN His leading. I will, from now on, refer to the person ministering by the Holy Spirit as the MINISTER and the person receiving ministry as the MINISTREE. 2. I strongly believe that both the minister and ministree must prepare beforehand through self-examination and personal confession to the Lord, with REPENTANCE and RENOUNCEMENT of sins known arid unknown, and of UNFORGIVENSS, bitterness, resentment, anger, hate, hostility, spite, or any other negative emotions. There must be RELEASE of the person who is the object of the bitter-root judgment, and forgiveness and release of ONESELF for harboring those feelings and judgments. Psalm 14:4 tells us that only those with a pure heart and clean hands can stand on the Holy Hill of the Lord. With these preliminary considerations considered, then the MINISTER should PRAY and do for the following: 1) The leading, guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit as to what the POINTS OF MINISTRY are, that is, those areas of the persons spiritual life, personal life, or behaviors or past hurts or traumas that HE wants to address. 2) For the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit to be released upon both the ministree and the minister. 3) For the Lord Jesus Christs ministering spirits of wisdom, revelation, understanding, and knowledge to fall upon them. 4) For REVELATION from the Holy Spirit, including: for the Holy Spirit to reveal the ministrees HEART to the ministree the way that the Holy Spirit SEES it. the exposure to the mind of the ministree of all: false beliefs false understandings false interpretations false attitudes false imaginations false wisdom

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 false knowledge request for release of the operation of the SPIRITUAL GIFTS of the Spirit. (1 Cor. 12) REPENTANCE and RENOUNCEMENT by the ministree WHEN REVELATION is obtained that the ministree has walked in his own false attitudes, wisdom, knowledge, beliefs, and understandings. There should be CONFESSION, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, REPENTANCE, and RENOUNCEMENT of the same, ASKING the Lords FORGIVENESS and forgiving and releasing others harmed by it, making restitution through prayer for them by praying upon them the Name of Jesus, the Anointing the breaks the yoke, the born-again experience, the Holy Spirit baptism, and the Abrahamic covenant promises, counter-petitioning for the souls arid spirits of those unsaved, and asking the Holy Spirit to EMPOWER ALL that is prayed. The person must then forgive and release SELF. 5) Lead the ministree in being willing to TRUST in the Lord Jesus Christ, to kindle His zoe (eternal, or God-life) within him/her. 6) Encourage the ministree to YIELD, TRUST, and BE CONFIDENT that he/she WILL RECEIVE REVELATION from Jesus who IS present and who WILL grant what is asked (Mt. 7:7; John 14:13,14) 7) REVIEW family and personal history of the ministree to be sure that there are NO generations curses, self-inflected curses, or curses spoken-over, formed against, or directed at him/her by others that need to be dealt with and BROKEN. 8) BIND Satan, the ruler spirit, any specific spirits discerned, and LOOSE the ministree from them, command that they cannot minister to or interfere with the mind of the ministree, and command them to depart, and forbid retaliation ALL in Christ Jesus Name. 9) the MINISTER must YIELD TO AND TRUST the Holy Spirit to LEAD his/ her steps in questioning, and to QUICKEN (make alive) to his/her thoughts WHAT questions to ask, WHAT comments to make, and WHEN to do it (Gods timing is important in ministry).

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: WHEN THE FLESH DOES NOT COME UNDER SUBMISSION: RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM OF DEMONIC INFESTATIONAND SOUL FRAGMENTATION - continued III. THE PRAYER - DIALOGUE WITH JESUS: RENEWING THE MIND IN CHRIST The mind is renewed by reading the word of God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The mind is also renewed by recognizing that Jesus is a LIVING PERSON WITH WHOM YOU AND I KEEP COVENANT. He is PRESENT in our midst (Mt. 18:20) because the kingdom is in our midst, that is, near to us Lk. 10:9,11) and scripture tells us that the kingdom is at hand that is, ACCESSIBLE to us (Mt. 3:2). If we understand that the PRINCIPLES of scripture, applied to our life through the Holy Spirit, renews our minds also, we will readily see why ...because He works all ... in all. (Ps. 51:3-6;1 Cor. 12:6) I other words, the scripture teaches us that Jesus is a n Living Person who is able to bring Himself AND the kingdom to our presence. This is nothing less than the ANOINTINGwhich breaks the yoke (bondage) because the kingdom, when present, manifests in POWER. (1 Cor. 4:20). So the FIRST THING that must be realized is that JESUS IS PRESENT. Once this is understood, then both the minister and ministree (person receiving ministry) must understand HOW Jesus carries out the ministering under the anointing: 1. He (Jesus) PREPARES the revelation to the mind AND the ANSWER of the tongue (Prov. 16:1) of the ministree. 2. He directs the STEPS (Prov. 16:9) of the minister and DIRECTS his thoughts (Prov. 12:5). That is, He LEADS the thoughts of the minister and shows him/her the points of ministry. 3. He uses the man of understanding to bring out what lies deep in the mind (heart) of another man. (Prov. 20:5) 4. He brings us out of our problems when we call upon Him, He brings light (REVELATION AND UNDERSTANDING). HE does it all. (Ps. 107:13,14) 5. He brings to pass what we are seeking by our TRUST on Him, and He PROMISES to help and deliver. (Ps. 37:40; Jer. 39:18) 6. HE does it all, and works ALL. . . in all. (Ps. 51:3-6;1 Cor. 12:6) 7. HIS anointing breaks the yoke (bondage). (Isa. 10:27) With this understanding, the minister should ENCOURAGE the ministree to be confident that he! she WILL RECEIVE revelation from the Lord Jesus. They must be

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asked to SURRENDER their own understanding of the problem and to be open to the revelation of the Holy Spirit. THEN, after YIELDING to the Holy Spirit and verbalizing aloud a TRUST on Him to bring revelation to the minister as to what questions to ask, and revelation to the ministree in regard to past or present memories of the things asked, along with the answer of the tongue, the minister and ministree may then enter into a prayer-dialogue with the Lord. In this PRAYER-DIALOGUE with Jesus present, they explore the historical past of the ministree, particularly the old man or old self in which many of the present behaviors, feelings, actions and reactions are rooted or buried. Through these, the ministree adapted, over time, patterns or forms of protective or retaliatory behaviors in order to satisfy the needs of the flesh and the basic human needs for love, affirmation, and protection or security. THEREFORE, the minister will find that eliciting a PERSONAL HISTORY is IMPORTANT in order for Jesus to use it to BRING REVELATION into the consciousness of the ministree. As previously stated, it is important to ask the Holy Spirit to LEAD in the QUESTIONS and ANSWERS in order to bring the revelations, and to lead in determining if there is a GENERATIONS CURSE present or whether the ministrees experiences lead them into the formation of a ROOT OF BITTERNESS, and subsequent BITTER-ROOT JUDGMENT of the offending party. If it is present, it will become important to KNOW AGAINST WHOM it is directed and for WHAT REASON. Keep in mind that such bitterness and judgments may be directed against more than one person, or many people. Each must be dealt with individually, leading the ministree into REPENTANCE, FORGIVENESS, and RELEASE of the offending person(s) and themselves. Remember that any request made of the Holy Spirit must be asked in Jesus Name. They must then be lead into receiving Christs love and forgiveness into their own heart without condemnation. (Ro. 8:1) Now a word of CAUTION. During the prayer dialogue, when the past of the person is discussed, we sometimes bring it and any past sins discussed to light, for the purpose of healing and resolution of past conflicts still feeding the flesh. When we bring the past of the old self out from under the Blood of Jesus, we subject it to the judgment of others. For this reason, the minister and ministree MUST recognize the need for CONFIDENTIALITY. The minister should be CAUTIONED that there is a BIBLICAL CURSE associated with revealing the sins of another person to others. (Gen. 9:22 -25). In PROCEEDING with the questions, having yielded to the Holy Spirit and having told Him that you TRUST Him for the manifestations of His Spirit from this point on, the minister will find it beneficial t use some of the following questions as a jumping off point unless there is a clear discernment otherwise from the Holy Spirit, knowing that He wants something else asked. The purpose of these questions are to simply lead the ministree into a discussion with the Holy Spirit, to allow the Holy Spirit to have His way with the ministree. Some specific points which NEED to be covered and brought out are as follows: What would you say is the dominant troubling mood or feeling(s) that hover over you, or are with you to bother you all the time?

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 How long has it, or have they, been present? How far back can you remember feeling that way? Was there a specific incident or trauma that you can trace that feelings onset to? Was there a physical or emotional wounding or hurt that occurred at that time? Were there any repetitive experiences of the same kind in your life, or that of any other family members? (looking for generations curses) Is there a particular person that this wounding or hurt can be attributed to? More than one? (each incident and reaction to each person must be worked out SEPARATELY) How did you react to what they did? How did you feel about the WAY that THEY reacted? What did they SAY? How did that make you feel? Did you ACCEPT it? (Silently ask the Holy Spirit to uncover any feelings of REJECTION by the other person toward the ministree, or the ministrees self-rejection, if present.) Have any incidences occurred AFTER that initial incident to reinforce the same feelings, reactions or behaviors? (Discuss each separately.) How did you FEEL about the incident and person when it FIRST occurred? How do you feel NOW, toward the incident AND toward the person who offended you? Do you remember any such incidents or feelings going back to your early or late childhood or teen years? Early adult years? By whom? What was said and what happened? How did you react? Why? Do you feel that you were right in the way you reacted back then? How about NOW? (This is an important question to bring out regarding ALL incidences and traumas because the Holy Spirit, must reveal the ACTUAL TRUTH of the circumstance and their reactions if they are operating in false beliefs and understandings. Only in this way will they be WILLING to abandon their own understandings and ways regarding what has happened and regarding the ways in which they are treating others, once they have the REVELATION OF THE TRUTH from the Holy Spirit.) Do you feel loved? By your spouse? By your children? By your mother? By your father? Did any of them or anyone who has hurt you ever do anything that made you feel that they did NOT love you? Do you feel that you were loved as a child? That you were WANTED? Did ANYONE EVER do anything in your childhood or adult life to put FEAR on you? Or make you FEEL INSECURE in regard to financial or homelife provisions?

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 What do you remember MOST OF ALL about your early childhood? Did you FEEL SECURE AND LOVED? If not, WHY NOT? Where there any experiences that you remember that made you feel that way? Or ANGRY, resentful, bitter, or unforgiving? What were they? Did you ever get over them? Do you know anything about your early infancy or your mothers pregnancy with you before you were born? Whether your birth was WANTED or NOT by your mother or father? Whether ANYONE spoke ANYTHING NEGATIVE or REJECTING over you or your mother before you were born?(Curses or negative words or negative prayers spoken over, formed against, or directed at an individual by others before they were born, have to be bound and broken off of the ministree, and the ministree loosed from them, in Jesus Name.) Do you recognize, to this day, ANY negative feelings or responses that you have toward others, or toward ANY person who has offended you in the past? WHAT purpose do you have in keeping those feelings toward them? What do you hope to achieve by holding on to them? Has there been any personal history or family history of sexual or physical child abuse or adult abuse? Can you speak about it? (Painful emotional reactions throughout the dialogue reveal areas that NEED healing and resolution.) What kind of feelings or behaviors CAME upon you as a result of child or adult physical or sexual abuse? Do you recognize ANY that can be traced back to these events? Is there ANY SECRET SIN or hidden sin in your life that you have been UNWILLING to deal with or discuss? Can we pray NOW for the Holy Spirit to give you the Grace to speak about it with me? (If the ministree agrees, pray a simple prayer, asking the Holy Spirit, in Jesus Name to give the ministree His GRACE to speak it forth, reassuring them that in Christ Jesus there is NO CONDEMNATION (Ro. 8:1)) Where has all of this, your feelings, behaviors, and reactions to all that has happened to you, LED you? Are you happy and secure and at peace that ANYTHING that you are doing regarding your OWN WAY of handling things really works? Do you believe that God has a better way for you to feel and live, through Jesus? Shall we ask Him for revelation of the truth and of His Way? For Him to show you the solution to your feelings and problems? What do you see as any main unresolved issues or problems in your life today? What would you like to see as the answer or solution to resolve your emotional wounds and hurts?

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 What would you like Jesus to do for you? Will you be willing to receive healing from Him? Can you accept His revelations of the causes of your problems and feelings, and His solutions? Can you SUBMIT to His Will and Word regarding your circumstances, understanding that His Word is His very integrity and the ONLY TRUTH? Will you be willing to ACCEPT what HE has to say? Are you willing to TRUST Him to bring forth the revelations and answers, through our dialogue with Him, and TRUST Him to heal you by His GRACE through your FAITH (TRUST) in Him? THEN, EACH AND EVERY emotional wound and hurt or other trauma which led to the development of wounded emotions and negative thinking should be explored with questions along the same line as those above. You do NOT have to memorize the above questions. They are simply given as examples to use or provide direction as to WHAT the content of the line of questioning should be, LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. DEPEND upon the Holy Spirit to PROMPT you in what to ask and what to say. Tell Him in prayer, beforehand, that you yield to Him for this. Then TRUST that when YOU BEGIN ASKING QUESTIONS AND THE MINISTREE BEGINS ANSWERING, THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MANIFESTING HIS HEALING WORK AND DOING WHAT HE PROMISES IN THE SCRIPTURE. As REVELATIONS come forth to the mind of the ministree, look for a change in countenance in their appearance and the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, especially PEACE and joy. There will be a word-of-knowledge, a knowing through the operation of this gift of the Spirit, that a RELEASE and HEALING OF THE BROKEN HEART or w ounded spirit HAS OCCURRED in this area of their thought life. THEN, ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO: 1. TOUCH the ministree at his/her point(s) of wounding and traumas, and to CLOSE EACH OPENDOOR to the demonic with His healing touch, and 2. to SEAL EACH of those doors of trauma or wounding PERMANENTLY SHUT with His Precious Blood, and call it applied by FAITH in Jesus Name. IF the person has indeed received HEALING, the pain and suffering associated with the emotional or physical trauma or hurt will be GONE. It will be done away with, by the Lord. The memory will still be there, but the HURT, SUFFERING, and PAIN associated with the memory will be GONE. THE DEMONIC HOOK by which the demonic spirit held on to that negative feeling or emotion to energize it, will have been removed. At this point, SEEK DISCERNMENT from the Holy Spirit as to whether simple DELIVERANCE PRAYER is needed to command the appropriately-named spirit away, or whether a formal deliverance will be needed. The latter will be evident over time if, AFTER THE DEATH WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS HAS BEEN APPROPRIATED for the flesh, no response or changes in FLESH BEHAVIORS OR WORKS OF THE FLESH are noted, even though the persons SOUL-LIFE (thought life) remains HEALED in that particularly area that has been dealt with. If such is the case, LOOK for UNRESOLVED ISSUES not yet explored, generations curses, self-inflicted curses by ones own negative words, curses spoken by others AFTER the person has

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testified to their healing, secret sin, UNREPENTANCE for harboring the previous dealtwith feelings, etc. ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT to REVEAL WHAT THE PERSISTENT PROBLEM IS, and BELIEVE BY FAITH that as the prayer-dialogue continue, He WILL. ALL sessions and healings should be IMMEDIATELY followed, along with all REVELATIONS, with THANKSGIVING AND PRAIS Lord Jesus Christ, acknowledging His work, His power, His presence. It is IMPORTANT to make the ministree realize that it is He, the Lord Himself, who has TOUCHED the ministree and made him/her WHOLE again in this area of their thought-life, and that THIS is the TESTIMONY of His MANIFEST PRESENCE in their life and in the room. At a point in the dialogue led by the Holy Spirit, it is important and beneficial to BREAK OFF of the mind of the ministree all false beliefs, false imaginations, false images of others, false understandings, false attitudes, false interpretations, and all negative emotions associated with them, decreeing them broken off of them and forbidden to be reestablished, all in Christ Jesus Name. (Job 22:28) Then, decree the Blood of Christ applied to the ministrees mind and thought-life (soullife) by faith, in Christ Jesus Name. Then, ANOINT with oil as an ACT OF FAITH in what the Lord has accomplished for them, a testimony of the SEALING OF THE MIND BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, and decree it as such, again in Christ Jesus Name. IV. RECOGNITION OF HEALING OF THE BROKEN HEART OR WOUNDED SPIRIT (RENEWAL OF THE MIND, HEALING OF THE INNER MAN): The following EVIDENCE will be SEEN: 1. The emotional pains or hurts associated with the traumas are gone and the person can now talk about them WITHOUT PAIN OR HURT. 2. The ministree can now accept what has happened and relegate it to the past, and can understand his/her negative feelings, responses, and behaviors, and LET GO OF THEM by receiving His GRACE. 3. The COUNTENANCE of the ministree changes, as does their mood and talk, indicating that the Holy Spirit has ministered. 4. The FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT are present, especially PEACE and JOY. 5. RELEASE brings forth PRAISE from the mouth of the ministree. V. FOLLOW-UP MINISTRY FOR THE PERSON RECEIVING HEALING BY RENEWAL OF THE MIND THROUGH PRAYER-DIALOGUE WITH THE LORD:

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1. The MINISTER MUST make a commitment to follow-up the ministree and to meet frequently or regularly in future sessions if the healing is incomplete, and until such time as the healing IS complete as TESTIFIED to by the INNER-WITNESS of the Holy Spirit. HEALING MAY NOT OCCUR AT EVERY SESSION although I believe that the Holy Spiri t uses every session to impart His Life and Word to the ministree. 2. The ministree must agree to develop a faithwalk and lifestyle of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, acknowledging the Lord in their life. 3. The ministree must agree to come into Christian community and to participate faithfully and regularly, and to be supported by other Christians when needed. 4. The ministree must be taught DISCIPLESHIP through: daily prayer daily scripture reading fellowship with other Christians weekly WO RSHIP ministry participation and development in self and others learning the principles of ABIDING in Christ learning the principles of walking by FAITH, and the FAITHCONFESSION. learning to walk by GRACE through FAITH in Him, and thus, learning His FAITHFULNESS. by learning that there is NO OTHER FOUNDATION for this work or experience OTHER THAN JESUS, (1 Cor. 3:11) and that HE works out the entire process... He does ALL in all. (1 Cor. 12:6)

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TOPIC: WHEN THE FLESH DOES NOT COME UNDER SUBMISSION: RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM OF OBSESSION VI. THE PROBLEM OF OBSESSION A. DEFINITION OF OBSESSION: OBSESSION is WALKING AND LIVING UNDER A FALSE BELIEF, or more than one false belief which a person BELIEVES is the truth although it is not. The person then WALKS in that belief at the expense, detriment, and disturbance of others (usually loved ones such as family members and friends) because of their SEVERE PREOCCUPATION with that false belief. B. PICTURE PROFILE OF A PERSON WHO IS OBSESSED: The person who is OBSESSED with a false belief or idea makes that belief or idea the CENTER of their lifes preoccupation and conduct. The false belief or idea may be religious, it may be in regard to a person or thing, or a preoccupation over something such as health, salvation, hell, a girlfriend or boyfriend, wealth, sex, or ANYTHING that the person has succumbed to placing on the altar of his! her heart and revered as their opinion of the truth, giving it more honor and regard than the actual truth, itself. It is, in short, a form of IDOLATRY. It is IDOLATRY because a person can take ANYTHING and make an idol of it, including ANY CONCEPT OR MENTAL ABSTRACTION OR IDEA over which they become so preoccupied that it becomes REVERED, HONORE D, and ACCEPTED as the truth, over the real truth, itself. The person then WALKS IN HIS/HER OWN INTERPRETATION OF THE TRUTH, over the truth, itself, and HOLDS FAST to their own opinions and beliefs which they respect ABOVE AND BEYOND the revealed truth of Gods Word OR the inner witness of the Holy Spirit to them or through others. Their opinion of the truth, or false beliefs, are FIERCELY ADHERED TO, to their detriment and DESTRUCTION. It is rooted in PRIDE or SPIRITUAL PRIDE. As a result, the person usually APPEARS to be walking IN THE FLESH, but the manifestations of the flesh, as in the case of soul-fragmentation with or without demonic energizing, are SECONDARY to the underlying problem. It may be possible, also, that a spirit of obsession can move into the picture to further energize the belief system of these people. Any demonic stronghold associated with this problem would probably or likely include the spirit of lies, the spirit of unbelief or false beliefs, the spirit of witchcraft or confusion, the spirit of denial, the spirit of rebellion, the spirit of distrust, the spirit of rejection, the spirit of religion, the spirit of

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antichrist, and any other spirits revealed through seeking the word of knowledge from the Holy Spirit. The important thing to note is that these people may appear to be IN THE FLESH. They are usually UNWILLING to do anything about it, and are usually RESISTANT to ministry. As a general rule, if the obsession is severe, they refuse to bring the flesh under submission to Christs death work of the Cross, often because of demonic influence. In many if not most cases, their WILL seems to be bound, and they seem UNABLE to help themselves. I believe that some cases represent severe demonic oppression, if not bordering on possession or actual possession itself. They are extremely difficult to minister to. In my experience, there is usually a history of SEVERE REJECTION OR EMOTIONAL TRAUMA, or repeated emotional traumas with severe emotional wounding and pain. This would place these people, then, actually in the group of people who have soul -fragmentation and a broken heart or wounded spirit. BUT their problem is so severe, that it has driven them and their emotional defenses away from others (in order to protect themselves from further hurt) to SUCH A DEGREE that they SEEK REFUGE IN THEIR OWN REALITY AND BELIEF SYSTEM. Thus, they build a WALL OF DENIAL to protect themselves. C. THE DYNAMICS OF OBSESSION: HOW IT FORMS 1. SOURCES: PRACTIC E OF SIN, CURIOSITY TOWARD SIN, EMOTIONAL SOURCES (trauma, rejection, etc.) lead to a FALSE FOCUS of the mind and attention on a FALSE IDEA. This false focus opens the door to spiritual and emotional decline with subsequent 12 steps leading to spiritual death: 1. A FALSE FOCUS leads to FALSE CENTERING upon the idea. 2. False centering leads to a FALSE VIEWPOINT 3. False viewpoint leads to a FALSE INTERPRETATION. 4. False interpretation leads to a FALSE UNDERSTANDING. 5. False understanding leads to a FALSE ACCEPTANCE. 6. False acceptance leads to a FALSE CONVICTION. 7. False conviction leads to a FALSE BELIEF!!! 8. False belief leads to WALKING IN THAT FALSE BELIEF.

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9. Walking in that false belief leads to HARDNESS OF HEART. 10. Hardness of heart leads to SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS. 11. Spiritual blindness leads to REJECTION OF THE TRUTH. 12. Rejection of the truth leads to SPIRITUAL DEATH (and physical death). D. SCRIPTURAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PROBLEM OF OBSESSION: 1. KING SAUL (1 Sam. 20:1-1 Sam. 31:6) - AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE. If you will take the time to read the above sections of Scripture, the Holy Spirit will reveal to you the classic example of King Saul, once an anointed man of God who, through disobedience and walking in his own ways, entered into the practice of sin, becomes jealous and OBSESSED with killing King David, forgets God, FAILS TO RECOGNIZE that the Holy Spirit has left him, develops spiritual blindness and deafness, RESISTS ministry, develops hardness of heart, disregards the Law of God, makes multiple attempts to kill King David, becomes fearful and seeks revelation from the deceased prophet Samuel (rather than God) by resorting to witchcraft and divination, continues in hardness of heart, and eventually commits suicide. 2. THE PHARISEES: (Matthew 23) - A NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLE. The Pharisees were obsessed with religion, domination of the people, and their position in society and in maintaining power and control over the masses. Read Matthew Chapter 23 to see what Jesus said to them about their OBSESSION over their own beliefs and traditions. 3. OTHER EXAMPLES Other present-day examples show that OBSESSION does not have to be on the personal level, but can also be NATIONAL or RELIGIOUS. Obsession is RELIGIOUS when the person is more preoccupied with his/her religious affiliation, church, or denomination to such a degree that they cannot give it up and, without recognizing it, they give it more of a place in their heart than the TRUTH of the Word of God which DEMANDS obedience. They fail to realize that the Word of God says that where Christ is, there is LIBERTY, that is, they are FREE to worship as THEY please, and that he/she who is set free by the SON is FREE, indeed! Instead, because of their personal obsession over

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the need to maintain an affiliation with an organizational church which is in apostasy (as many are these days) and false doctrine, they fail to recognize that this same obsession leads to the same process as Sauls, that is, walking in sin by their very willingness to support such an organization by their presence, which sanctions what they are doing. What a far cry from walking in the TRUTH and FREEDOM of CHRIST. Such obsession, then, becomes WILLFUL sin, because denominational institutions which teach contrary to the doctrines of Christ or which are rooted in pride (as most are because of their tenet of having an exclusive doctrine or revelation which makes them unique and different from all others... and correct) and God cannot bless that which is rooted in sin. Our very presence there SANCTIONS what they are doing and makes us a participant. How this must GRIEVE the Holy Spirit. But wait a minute, you say, because I see the Holy Spirit there and His works and power manifesting. Yes, but DO NOT misinterpret WHAT you are seeing. The Holy Spirit is present in ALL denominations NOT to sanction what they are doing, NOT to sanction their OBSESSIONS over their own doctrines, but to WITNESS THE TRUTH to them in order to LEAD them OUT of what they are doing and INTO CHRIST. That is WHY He is called the SPIRIT OF TRUTH. His purpose, therefore, is to LEAD people OUT of error and INTO TRUTH, NOT COMPROMISE. When a person fails to respond, he/she has not dealt with their own personal religious obsession and unwillingness to TRUST THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BE OBEDIENT by REJECTING ERROR, DENOMINATIONAL SIN and FALSE DOCTRINES OF MEN, and walking away from it into the FREEDOM OF CHRIST. For this reason, the Holy Spirit WARNS through Paul, that we should let NO ONE deter us from the SIMPLICITY of Christ. I personally believe that such sin exposes us to legal grounds for Satan to come against those believers who believe that such compromise is possible and acceptable to God. I believe that it is a major source of problems and oppressions in their personal and family lives because it gives a place to SIN in their life. Another example of group obsessions can be found in national social and political TRADITIONS and PHILOSOPHIES. Nazism and Communism are excellent examples of obsessions which were CULTURALLY -BASED, and, like many religious denominational doctrines, NOT FOUNDED IN TRUTH. The Holy Spirit will minister the truth to the person or nation or church in obsession. He will give a period of GRACE to respond and come under conviction. If, over time, there is no response, He will bring JUDGMENT AND TRUTH to them and indelibly imprint it upon their mind, if not their derriere. Frequently, as in the case of Saul, they resist to the end that it is too late. We must therefore learn from the examples of the Scripture. E. SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS AND OBSESSION:

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 Isaiah 44:17,18-26 Isaiah 45:9,20-24 Isaiah 46:2 -6,12,13 Isaiah 47:1 -3,5,7-12,15 Isaiah 48:1 -11;16-18;20-22 Isaiah 49 Isaiah 50:4,5,10,11...particularly verse 10. F. THE REMEDY FOR OBSESSION OF THE MIND (SOUL): Isaiah 51:5,19 Isaiah 52:1 -7;11 and 12 in particular. Isaiah 55:1,3, and 6 and 7 in particular. Revelation 3:18,19,20, and verse 19 in particular. G. PRINCIPLES OF MINISTRY TO THE PERSON WITH OBSESSION Obsession presents a unique problem in ministry because the obsessed person walks in their OWN REALITY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE TRUTH. You are therefore, when ministering, trying to persuade them of a truth which they do NOT recognize as THEIR truth. You will find, therefore, that PERSUASION DOES NOT WORK. They are terribly RESISTANT to ministry. For this reason, therefore, almost all ministry to the obsessed MUST BEGIN WITH INTERCESSION. If time permits, intercessory prayer over 3-4 weeks duration should be embarked upon, asking the Holy Spirit to prepare their heart and mind to RECEIVE CONVICTION, HIS LIGHT AND REVELATION, and to bring REPENTANCE for walking in their own ways and truth, so that His truth and Word can enter their mind (heart) and heal and deliver; ask Him to show them their heart and mind the way HE sees them. Pray frequently and ahead of time, aloud: Holy Spirit, in Christ Jesus Name, I call a clear and unobstructed path CUT to the mind of (name) by Your Spirit of power and might, so that (name) can receive ministry and so that he/she does receive ministry; I bind and break off of his/her mind all false beliefs, false imaginations, all false attitudes, false notions, false understandings, and false truths, and loose (name) from them; I bind to him/her your ministering angels of love, power, and a sound mind to minister Your truth to them and to strengthen them in the inner man by Your Holy Spirit; I call their mind receptive, submissive and surrendered to Your Spirit, and decree ALL of these things accomplished by TRUSTING and EXPECTANT FAITH, in Your Name, Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN. Then YIELD to the Holy Spirit and ASK the Holy Spirit to LEAD and GUIDE you into the POINTS OF MINISTRY. Seek the Spirits leading as to whether or not the following steps of ministry will be required: 1. BINDING of the strongman spirit and the demonic spirits discerned, and LOOSING of the person so that they can RECEIVE ministry.

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 seek the Holy Spirits discernment as to whether any of the previously mentioned demonic spirits are present and need to be bound and broken off of the mind of the person, and also, whether any of the following-named spirits are present: obsession antichrist idolatry -in particular error stupor deaf and dumb spirit rebellion stubbornness defiance rejection resistance denial adultery (spiritual) fornication (spiritual) religious (ecclesiastical) spirit other spirits revealed through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 2. Be sure that the person being ministered to is SAVED and secure in their salvation. 3. If they will receive ministry, lead them in doing the following particular points of ministry: Acknowledge before the Lord all of their wrong thinking and imaginations, and REPENT AND RENOUNCE it. Break GENERATIONS CURSES by repenting of all ancestral sins on all sides of their families back to the families origins, because they grieved the Holy Spirit. Renounce and break. This is particularly needed if there is a HISTORY of similar problems or behaviors in the family line. Break all SOUL-TIES with past sins, false beliefs- attitudesunderstandings-imaginations, generations curses, unholy relationships, and past sins. Dispatch warrior angels of the Lord Jesus Christ to RETRIEVE SOUL FRAGMENTS and to take them back by forc e through the spirit of power and might of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus Name.

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4. Instruct them in the need to come to repentance and renounce WRONG THINKING and receive HEALING by first HUMBLING themselves before the Lord. 5. Minister to them the NEED for SUBMISSION to GODS WORD, GODS WILL and GODS WAYS. They must be willing to acknowledge GODS TRUTH as the ONLY TRUTH. 6. Minister the NEED for HOLINESS without which no man will see God. (Heb. 12:14) 7. Bind to them the Lord Jesus Christs ministering angels of love, power, a sound mind, grace, supplication, wisdom, revelation, knowledge, understanding, truth, good counsel, and adoption, to minister these things to them in the Name of Jesus. 8. Anoint them with holy oil. 9. Lay hands on them to IMPART in the Name of Jesus: His Name the Anointing grace of submission Gods light and Will strength in the inner man healing deliverance 10. Deliverance prayer or formal deliverance or prayer-cloth deliverance IF led by the Holy Spirit. 11. If person is inaccessible or refuses the laying-on-of- hands, use ministry of impartation of the spoken word, and speak those things upon them in Jesus Name. 12. Minister to them the need for the following: daily prayer time with the Lord daily scripture reading entering Christian fellowship ministry participation weekly praise and worship seeking holiness by obeying the Word of God. learning to ABIDE in Christ. seeking Christs intercession on their behalf.

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13. Minister the daily practice of APPROPRIATION of Christs DEATH on the Cross for the FLESH and the soul-life that agrees with it AFTER ministering the above principles of RENEWAL OF THE MIND in Christ. 14. The following PRAYER of agreement may be used, asking the person receiving ministry to pray ALOUD with you, believing in their heart that Christ hears and answers: PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE AND PROTECTION FROM OBSESSION: Lord Jesus Christ, I repent of my own self-will, pride, presumption, arrogance, wrong thinking and hardness of heart in exalting my own will and false beliefs over the truth of Your Word. I have shined by own light on my heart rather than to permit you to shine Yours. I repent and renounce these sins and ALL sins, and ask Your forgiveness for my grieving Your Holy Spirit and for walking in m own idolatrous ways. I now seek Your Will for my life and ask for a right heart toward You and others. Circumcise my heart, Lord Jesus. I invite you in and ask for Your Holy Spirit to bring His Light into my mind (heart) to illuminate me with Your TRUTH AND LIGHT AND SALVATION, and to wash me clean of all false images, false attitudes, false imaginations, false understandings, and false beliefs, as well as all falsehoods, by Your grace and Your Blood, in Your Name. I submit to Your Holy Spirit and to Your Will for my life from this day on, and seek the leading of, and dependence upon Your Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth, to teach me all things and to show me Your UGHT through Your ANOINTING. I ASK for ALL OF THESE THINGS in Your Name, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 15. Then lay hands upon the person and SPEAK the ANOINTING THAT BREAKS THE YOKE (bondage) upon them, in Jesus Name. (Isa. 10:27) 16. Follow -up on a frequent basis. Ministry may, out of necessity, have to be given a little at a time, depending on INTERCESSION to the Holy Spirit. Remember that continual RESISTANCE may be a sign of DEMONIC POSSESSION and the leading of the Holy Spirit will need to be sought as to further course of action. In my personal experience, OBSESSION is one of the most difficult things to deal with in ministry. RESISTANCE to ministry or change is, sadly, the rule rather than the exception, persuasion does not work, and, left to themselves, DESTRUCTION is certain and their ultimate spiritual and temporal prognosis or outcome is tragic when the cases are severe. In

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such cases, INTERCESSORY PRAYER becomes the mainstay of ministry for these people, crying out to the Holy Spirit to move on their behalf through His mercy and compassion.

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SUBJECT: THE FLESH continued TOPIC: WHEN THE FLESH DOES NOT COME UNDER SUBMISSION: RECOGNIZING WHEN THE PROBLEM IS PRIMARILY DEMONIC. VII. WHEN IS THE PROBLEM PRIMARILY DEMONIC? A. GENERAL REMARKS: Galatians 5:17 teaches us that the FLESH STRIVES against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. The problem for the believer is also that the DEMONIC STRIVES against the Spirit and the Spirit against the demonic spirits as well. The question then arises as to HOW to recognize if the problem is primarily that of the flesh, or if the problem is primarily demonic. You will recall in the earlier part of this study that I demonstrated through Scripture that the works of the flesh can also be demonic spirits. In Galatians 5:19-21 jealousy and sorcery (witchcraft), for example are referred to as WORKS OF THE FLESH. We demonstrated through scripture, however, that there is also a demonic spirit of jealousy (which probably energizes that reaction of jealousy as a work of the flesh and brings it to a repetitive extreme), and a demonic spirit of witchcraft, called a familiar spirit in the Old Testament. At first, this might appear confusing and tend to complicate things, but scripture tells us that God is not the author of confusion. What, then, is the answer? When you see a believer who is in need of ministry to bring his/her flesh under control, how will you be able to tell whether the problem of the flesh is primary (the flesh alone which has not been brought under submission through yielding to Christs death on the Cross, or secondary (soul fragmentation, broken heart or wounded spirit, obsession, or demonic)? The following axioms or guide-lines will be helpful. B. AXIOMS FOR DISCERNING WHEN THE PROBLEM OF THE FLESH IS PRIMARILY DEMONIC: 1. Remember that when the problem is primarily that of the flesh and its works, alone, the flesh is under the control of the will and able to be submitted to ones will and yielded to the Holy Spirit. 2. When the problem is DEMONIC, there is usually some bondage of the will and the ability to exercise it, the person does not want to readily give up their fleshy behaviors, and they usually RESIST the Holy Spirit. 3. Whether it is a problem which is primarily demonic or the flesh, or a combination of both, must be DISCERNED through seeking the revelation and guidance of the Holy Spirit, PRAYERFULLY. TRUST Him to give you

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the revelations when you ASK HIM in Jesus Name. LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD and let the Holy Spirit DO THE MINISTERING THROUGH YOU by YIELDING to Him. TRUST Him. 4. When the problem is primarily DEMONIC, you will be able to DISCERN also a history of the person being in SIN, SECRET SIN, SIN THROUGH CURIOSITY (occult dabbling, or sexual swinging as examples), or WILLFUL SIN such as FORGIVENESS, HATE, RESENTMENT, BITFERNESS OR ANGER. 5. Consider the probability of the problem being DEMONIC when it is DISCERNED (and known) that the person has previously appropriated Christs death on the Cross for his/her flesh and soul-life with evidence of its fruits, and continues to do so, when the person has no significant previous history of emotional or physical traumas, and has apparent change in behavior or personality toward backsliding, resisting the Holy Spirit, and energized works of the flesh. 6. Consider the probability that the problem is DEMONIC when the person demonstrates: loss of interest in spiritual things waning prayer life waning scripture reading return to the things of the world in the presence of all of the above and all previously discussed. waning interest in Christian community waning interest in praise and worship 7. Consider the problem as demonic when OVERT MANIFESTATIONS of the demonic occur. 8. Consider the problem as demonic when the person is STRONGLY RESISTANT to ministry. 9. Remember to rule out the possibilities of CURSED OBJECTS in their environment which are POINTS OF CONTACT with demonic spirits, and the possession of which permit such spirits to gain entrance to their environment where they can then minister to their thought-life and energize their FLESH. 10. Remember to rule out the possibility of a GENERATIONS CURSE being the source of the works of the flesh, PARTICULARLY if there is a FAMILY HISTORY of SIMILAR BEHAVIOR OR REACTIONS in one or more generations of family members. The curse is usually carried out by familiar spirits (named according to what they minister and referred to as a familiar spirit of ________ when they are cast out. (See Bible Study lessons on SPIRITUAL WARFARE for more details)

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C. STEPS IN MINISTRY 1. Seek prayerfully the leading and discernment of the Holy Spirit. ASK the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the POINTS OF MINISTRY, WHAT to minister, HOW to minister, WHEN to minister it (remember, Gods timing is important). 2. Enter into a prayer dialogue with the person, to seek out REVELATION from the Holy Spirit as to whether or not any significant previous emotional or physical traumas are present with unresolved issues that need healing FIRST in order to remove these demonic hooks to which demons claim legal ground and tend to hang on. If present, then RENEWAL OF THE MIND through ministry of the Word or PRAYER DIALOGUE with Jesus will have to be ministered first, for HEALING OF THE BROKEN HEART OR WOUNDED SPIRIT. 3. REMOVE CURSED OBJECTS from the environment and lead the person possessing them in a prayer of REPENTANCE AND RENUNCIATION. DESTROY ALL cursed objects. DO NOT give them away to someone else. 4. BREAK GENERATIONS CURSES, SELF-INFLICTED CURSES, OR CURSES SPOKEN BY OTHERS, as led by the Holy Spirit. 5. DELIVERANCE PRAYER OR FORMAL DELIVERANCE, as led by the Holy Spirit: 1. BIND firstly Satan and the ruler spirit, then the appropriately named spirits beneath the ruler spirit (anger, jealousy, witchcraft, Jezebel, etc.) (Mt. 18:18; Mt. 12:29) 2. LOOSE the person from them. (Mt. 18:18) 3. CAST OUT the spirit(s), not to return to the person or any living being, all in Jesus Name. 4. DO NOT FORGET to bind Satan, the ruler, and all spirits not of the Holy Spirit from retaliating, in Jesus Name. 5. REMEMBER, that DELIVERANCE may need to be ministered over a period of time in 2-3 hours sessions, or in one long session, as led by the Lord. BE PRAYED UP with PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER ahead of time so that you go into the deliverance heavily charged with the ANOINTING. It is the ANOINTING that BREAKS THE YOKE. You will note that it will take a much shorter time to do the deliverance because it is the

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Holy Spirit who does the deliverance, and it is His anointing that breaks the yoke (bondage). (Isa. 10:27) 6. INTERCESSORY PRAYER before deliverance and during deliverance. 7. FOLLOW-UP and FOLLOW-UP CARE as led by the Holy Spirit. Must include: daily prayer-life daily scripture reading participation in Christian community, such as Bible study, etc. weekly worship with other Christians. 8. REMEMBER that in OBSESSION, there is almost ALWAYS DEMONIC MINISTRY PRESENT, ministering to the thought-life of the person and energizing their flesh. INTERCESSORY PRAYER should PRECEDE DELIVERANCE and a prayer of a clear, unobstructed path cut to the heart, mind, soul, and spirit of the obsessed person should be prayed and decreed over them (Job 22:28), speaking the light of the Holy Spirit into them, in Christ Jesus Name. When it is seen that they are responding to ministry and WHEN LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, DELIVERANCE should be performed. It is almost always a must for these people to be free from the demon obsessing them with its ministry. Otherwise, intercessory prayer will be the only other thing available to them. The believer MUST keep in mind that the problems of the flesh are THE major obstruction in the path of walking in the Spirit, and must be dealt with in order for a person to grow from being a milk Christian into being a meat Christian. Ministry must ALWAYS be LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT through your YIELDING and TRUSTING ON HIM to show you what to do, what to say, when to say it, how to do it. VICTORY OVER THE FLESH is APPROPRIATED BY THE FAITHCONFESSION AND FAITH in Christ, is a PROCESS in most believers, and WILL COME to each and every believer who STANDS FIRM and BELIEVES.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING DEFILEMENT - SOURCE, CONSEQUENCES, AND REMEDY I. DEFIN ITION - WHAT DEFILEMENT IS: The term DEFILEMENT, according to Strongs Concordance, has a variety of meanings in the New Testament Greek and Old Testament Hebrew. The more common meanings are as follows: Hebrew: gaal - to desecrate, stain or pollute. Greek: moluno - to soil or stain oneself or others by sin; to contaminate or pollute. luminomai - to treat or injure someone or self in a shameful manner; to affix a stigma to; to dishonor or spot. maino - to dye, as with another color (to stain). koinoo - to consider, make, or count as unclean; to profane; to render unholy; to make unclean (such as ceremonially, spiritually, morally). II. GENERAL REMARKS: The concept of defilement changes from the Old to the New Testaments. When concepts, teachings, or principles change from the Old to the New Testaments, the New Testament tells you so. Thus, circumcision in the O.T. is that of the flesh, and in the N.T. it is that of the heart. The N.T. tells you so. Salvation in the O.T. is by keeping the Law, and in the N.T. it is by grace through faith. The N.T. tells you so. Tithing, per Se, is not mentioned in the N.T. but we see the apostles tithing, so it passes through from the O.T. unchanged. DEFILEMENT changes from the O.T. and the N.T. tells us so. In the O.T., defilement is associated with a variety of conditions or circumstances such as leprosy, touching a deceased person, sexual emission, sin, etc., but to name a few, and cleansing from defilement was always ceremonial or ritualistic. In the N.T. we are given the revelation that DEFILEMENT is MORAL, the consequence of sin, and comes out of the mouth of man (Mt. 15:18-20). The mouth, in turn, speaks out of the abundance of the heart (Mt. 12:34). We then see that what we treasure in our heart as the truth or our own opinion of the truth about self or others and bring forth from our mouth or harbor in our heart, is the SOURCE of DEFILEMENT of SELF and of OTHERS, if it is indeed originating from sin or sinful intent.

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The ORIGIN of defilement is SIN. Sin, in turn, is rooted in DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION. DEFILEMENT is the CONSEQUENCE, and sets into action the operation of certain SPIRITUAL LAWS, all of which, in general, fall under the SPIRITUAL LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING (Gal. 6:7,8; Hosea 8:7). We will look at these a little closer in a short while. III. NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES ON DEFILEMENT: The following N.T. scriptures will give us a clear conception of DEFILEMENT. Please READ THEM: Mt. 12:34 Mt. 15:18-20 Mk. 7:15,18,20-23 Heb. 12 :15

What is the scripture saying? It is saying that it is not what is coming from outside that defiles us (unless it causes us to sin), but it is what we are harboring in our HEARTS that we speak from our mouths that DEFILE us. These are usually negative emotions such as BITTERNESS (Heb. 12:15) (ALSO anger, resentment, hate, UNFORGIVENESS, judgments of others, all of which are usually the ROOT cause of BITTERNESS). They are all SIN. When they are not REPENTED OF AND RENOUNCED, and FORGIVENESS is not extended to the OFFENDING OTHER and SELF, then DEFILEMENT of SELF AND/OR THE OTHER PERSON occurs. This is DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION to God. Thus, we find the following SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP as the MECHANISM OF DEFILEMENT: 1. the ORIGIN is that which is HARBORED in the HEART. (Mt. 12:34) 2. the WORDS of our MOUTH, coming from the heart, are what DEFILE: Mk. Chapter 4 - words are equated to seed seed is sown into the heart of others and self; what we sow we will reap (Gal. 6:7,8) 3. the VEHICLE is the TONGUE: James 3:5-8 Pet. 3:10 IV. CHARACTERISTICS AND CONSEQUENCES (FRUITS) OF DEFILEMENT: Although many examples exist of DEFILEMENT and its consequences in both the Old and New Testaments, a comprehensive and thorough example is provided for us in 1 Samuel, Chapters 16-31, which describe the BACKSLIDING of King Saul from

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being a spirit-filled person to becoming a rebellious, sinful, murderous, backslider who commits suicide. If you will take the time to study what happens to him, you will see that all of his problems begin over his ANGER and JEALOUSY toward David, NEGATIVE EMOTIONS which SHADE HIS THINKING so that he comes to believe that David is coveting his kingdoma MISBELIEF OR DELUSION. He PERSISTS in this thinking and becomes OBSESSED by NEGATIVE IDEAS which DEFILE him and LEAD him into further SIN. The Holy Spirit LEAVES him. His course, from that point on, is one of steady deterioration because he has walked in DISOBEDIENCE and REBELLION (SIN) after the prophet Samuel had already told him that God was removing the kingdom from him and giving it to David. From this classic scriptural example, we see the following PATTERN of CONSEQUENCES OR FRUIT of Sauls self-defilement: 1. the origin = SIN (DISOBEDIENCE, REBELLION). sins of the heart sins of the tongue sins of the flesh (thought-life) (Job 34:37; Deut. 31:27; Prov. 17:11) 2. sin causes DEFILEMENT of the heart. 3. Saul SPEAKS words of defilement over David or against him, by his MOUTH. He DEFILES himself. if David had not kept a pure heart before the Lord, Sauls words could have defiled others (David): Neh. 6:13 4. Sauls DEFILEMENT caused him to SIN FURTHER, establishing a CYCLE OF SIN causing further DEFILEMENT CAUSING further SIN, etc. 5. As Saul proceeded to walk in his own ways and in his own understanding, he became further defiled, which produced in him the following FRUITS AND CONSEQUENCES OF DEFILEMENT: MISBELIEFS ABOUT SELF AND OTHERS (DELUSIONS) HARDNESS OF HEART SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS DEFILEMENT OF OTHERS FURTHER REBELLION AND DISOBEDIENCE AGAINST GOD. (SIN) THE FRUIT OF SIN - DEATH.

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6. DEFILEMENT VIOLATES THE UNCHANGEABLE LAWS OF GOD and PRECIPITATES GODS RESPONSE: The Bible establishes that Gods WORD IS His Law(s). Jer. 44:29 establishes that His Word WILL HARM the DISOBEDIENT. Isa. 55:11 establishes that His Word WILL NOT return to Him EMPTY but will accomplish His PURPOSE. Jer. 1:12 establishes that God is WATCHING over His Word to PERFORM IT. Thus, as we can see, Gods response to sin and defilement is to PERFORM HIS WORD as written, that is, His Word becomes SPIRITUAL LAWS, which, when VIOLATED by SIN and DEFILEMENT, bring GODS RESPONSE. Let us look at some of the more major SPIRITUAL LAWS of the scriptures. V. GODS UNCHANGEABLE SPIRITUAL LAWS: Although the scriptures contain NUMEROUS spiritual laws that become evident and learned as the believer learns Gods Word , TRUTH, and WAYS, the following scriptures delineate specific spiritual laws that have a profound effect and profound consequences upon the life of the believer, and that should therefore be known by all believers. They are revealed as spiritual truths through the following scriptures: 1. Gal. 6:7,8 - sowing and reaping. 2. Deut. 28:1,2,15 - blessing and cursing. Note that sin brings a CURSE; and scripture says that the curse WITHOUT CAUSE will NOT come. 3. Josh. 1:7,8 - keeping Gods Word brings BLESSING, SUCCESS and PROSPERITY. 4. Jer. 44:29 - violating Gods Word brings HARM (a curse). 5. Deut. 5:16; Deut. 27:16 - disobedience or dishonor of parents causes a persons life to NOT GO WELL. 6. Ps. 89:30-34 - the DISOBEDIENT son (or daughter) of a believer will be VISITED with STRIPES (punishment) by the Lord for transgressing His statutes.

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7. Mt. 7:1,2 - JUDGING with an impure heart of anger, resentment, bitterness, hate, unforgiveness, etc., rather than from a pure heart of love, patience, understanding, compassion, and mercy, BRINGS an EQUAL JUDGMENT upon the person who is making the judgment. Remember, as Christians we are NOT to JUDGE the heart, actions, or morality of another believer, ONLY their DOCTRINE, and we are NOT to judge UNBELIEVERS at all. 8. Ro. 2:1,2 - condemns the person, believer or unbeliever, to LIVE OUT the SAME JUDGMENT that he/she judges another of. Whereas in Mt. 7:1,2 the judging person will be treated by others in the same way that he/she judges them, in this scripture of Ro. 2:1,2 the indication is that if a believer or unbeliever judges another in some area of their life or performance, that same judgment will come upon their own same area of life or performance. In that particular area that they judge another, it WILL NOT GO WELL WITH THEM. 9. Heb. 12:15 - bitter-root judgment. This scripture indicates that DEFILEMENT is the consequence of the ROOT OF BITTERNESS, that is, the bitterness that COMES from negative emotions such as hate, anger, resentment, bitterness, or UNFORGIVENESS toward the offending person, which then results in the BITTER-ROOT judgment of that person (example: Hes no good and never will be!). This, in turn, DEFILES both parties and brings the law of JUDGMENT (Mt. 7:1,2) into effect against the person making the judgment, as well as this law of defilement. 10. Prov. 23:7- self-inflicted prophecy. Here, the person believes an idea which he/she harbors in their heart (mind),with or without speaking it. Note that it says as a man THINKS, and then it says so he IS (NASB). (examples: Oh, my life will never be better..., or I dont believe Ill ever love again... or I can never get victory over this sin... 11. Num. 30:2,7; Ps. 56:12; Prov. 20:25; Jer. 44:25 - negative vows: the above scriptures demonstrate that vows are BINDING; the person who makes or confesses a SINFUL, NEGATIVE ATTITUDE in the form of a VOW, BINDS himself/herself to ACT IT OUT or LIVE IT OUT in their lives. Their sinful attitude has DEFILED them or others, and has kicked the law of vows into effect. VOWS are BINDING, whether POSITWE OR NEGATIVE. VI. NATIONAL DEFILEMENT: It is surprising to most people that even a nation can DEFILE itself. Israel did, many times during its history. A contemporary example is Cuba, which DEFILED itself as a consequence of national idolatry-political and religious. Gods response in judgment is ALWAYS the same as described in Leviticus 26:14-39. When a nation defiles itself by

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departing from God and His ways, it will go through 5 stages of judgment for VIOLATING SPIRITUAL LAW through its DEFILEMENT: stage I (Lev. 26:14 -17): LACK sickness poverty sowing but not reaping stage 2 (Lev. 26:18 -20): SUFFERING 7 punishments to break pride and power stage 3 (Lev. 21-22): LOSS OF LIFE 7 plagues destruction of children loss of human and animal population stage 4 (Lev. 23-26): WIDESPREAD DISEASE nationwide disease put in the hands of the enemy (Satan) stage 5 (Lev. 27-39): DEMONIC BONDAGE GIVEN over to the enemy (Satan) bondage absorbed by the heathen (paganism): secular humanism, as an example, with all of its isms: socialism communism fascism Marxism-Leninism Gods response is always the same. In contemporary terms, we see this pattern of judgment for sin and DEFILEMENT in Cuba, Haiti, and we WILL see it in the United States as it becomes more and more Godless. God WARNS that IF WE FORGET HIM, HE WILL: 1. FORGET US AND OUR CITY - Jer. 23:39 2. FORGET OUR CHILDREN - Hos. 4:6 Even national defilement has its consequences under Gods spiritual laws. VII. GODS REMEDY FOR DEFILEMENT: 7 STEPS TO HEALING: As we have seen, DEFILEMENT is the consequence of SIN through: 1. WRONG THINKING

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2. WRONG SPEECH 3. WRONG ACTION any or all of which kick into effect the UNCHANGEABLE spiritual laws of God, which then come back upon the person to affect his life through JUDGMENT. Regardless of which actions trigger which laws, the END RESULT of DEFILEMENT will be the same: IT WILL NOT GO WELL WITH YOU. God MAKES A WAY OUT by asking us to line up with His Word, His Ways, His TRUTHS, through the following steps to freedom through Jesus: 1. REPENTANCE- of wrong attitude, wrong speech or harmful words, wrong thoughts, wrong confession of vows, or wrong prophetic words spoken over oneself or others, or of wrong actions. 2. RENOUNCE them. 3. FORGIVE and RELEASE - self and others. 4. DETERMINE to RECKON THEM AS DEAD IN CHRIST. 5. APPROPRIATE the Word of God for your circumstances and the reckoning as dead on the Cross, whatever sinful, defiling attitude, thought, action, belief, vow, or prophetic word you have released upon yourself or others, YIELDING THEM to the Holy Spirit for Him to keep them in the death work of Christ on the Cross, and TRUSTING that He does it, by FAITH in Him. 6. SPEAK THE BLESSING - a positive, opposite confession of faith-filled WORDS which represent the OPPOSITE of what was said or believed, in Jesus Name, and BELIEVE that you RECEIVE, by FAITH in Him. Do it often until it becomes a part of you and a reality in your life. 7. LAYING-ON-OF-HANDS - to speak and impart healing of the inner man, which, scripturally is the ministry of impartation through TOUCH.

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: FALSE DOCTRINE SCRIPTURES WHAT THE POSITION OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE REGARDING FALSE DOCTRINE, RELIGION & DOCTRINES OF MEN: 2 Thess. 2:3,10 -12,13-15 2 Thess. 3:2,14,15 1 Tim. 4:1-4,7,13 1 Tim. 6:3-6 Gal. 1:6,7-9 2 Cor. 11:3,4,13-16 John 8:31,32,36,47 Mt. 15:6,8,9,13,14 Gal. 4:16 Gal. 5:1,4,5,7-10 2 Pet. 2:1,2,,20,21,22 (2 Pet. 2:1-22) Titus 1:8-11,13,14 Titus 2:7,8 1 Cor. 15:34 Ja. 1:22,26,27 Ja. 2:10,12 Mt. 16:6,11,12 1 Tim. 6:3 1 Tim. 2:3-5 Ezek. 44:6-8,12,13 Eph.4:14-20 1 Tim. 1:3,4 Col. 2:20,21,22,23 Mt. 15:2,3,8,9,14 John 12:46,48 Gal. 3:1-5,7 Ro. 10:1-4 Eph. 5:11 Gal. 5:1,4,7,9 Gal. 6:8 Heb. 10:26-29 Eph. 2:2 Isa. 5:20,21 Titus 3:9-11 Gal. 5:6,19,20,25 Rev. 2:1,2,4,5,7,12,14,15,16,18,20,22,23-26 2 Cor. 6:14-18 Ro. 1:18-20 Acts 26:17,18 Mt. 23:27 -29

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Mt. 6:7,8,22 Mt. 7:13-27 Mk. 13:22 John 5:38-40 John 6:12 Gal. 3:1,3,5 2 Tim. 3:4,5 Rev. 3:15,16 Rev. 16:14 2 Pet. 2:1-4 2 Cor. 11:14,15 1 John 5:21 1 Cor. 8:7 Lk. 11:23,27,28 1 Cor. 11:23,28 Rev. 2:18-20 Rev. 17 Rev. 18:4,13 Mt. 23:9 Lk. 1:46 Mt. 18:3 Mt. 15:13 Mt. 23:2-7,13-15,18,27,29,30-33 Isa. 29:13 Ro. 16:17,18 1 Cor. 3:11,21 2 Cor.2:17 Col. 2:4,8 Col. 2:18-23 1 Tim. 1:6,7,19 1 Tim. 4:1-3,7 1 Tim. 6:3-5 1 Tim. 6:20,21 2 Tim. 2:14,16-18 2 Tim. 3:6-9,13 2 Tim. 4:3,4 Titus 3:10,11 Heb. 13:9

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BIBLE STUDY
TOPIC: SOUND DOCTRINE SCRIPTURES WHAT THE DOCTRINAL POSITION OF THE CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE REGARDING SOUND DOCTRINE, AND ITS BLESSINGS: Josh. 1:5-8 Acts 4:12 1 Thess. 4:7,8 1 Pet. 3:12 1 Thess. 5:5-9 Col. 1:5,6 Phil. 2:12,16 Ro. 13:11,12 Mt. 19:29 Titus 2:1,2,6 Ro. 7:6 Ro. 8:1,2 1 John 5:9,10,14,15 1 John 2:9,10 Heb. 9:28 John 17:20 John 16:13 John 3:15,16,17,18 Acts 1:8 Eph. 2:8,9 John 1:12,13 Lk. 16:17 Lk. 11:10,11,33,34 Mk. 16:15-18 1 Pet. 2:5,6 John 21:19 Gal. 4:29 1 Tim. 5:20,21 1 Tim. 6:3-5 2 Tim. 3:8,13,16 2 Tim. 4:2-4 2 Tim. 2:1-5 1 Thess. 2:4 Mk. 4:22-24 John 5:21-24 John 8:24 John 10:27-29 John 11:25,26 Heb. 7:27

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Library CD-ROM; copyright 1993. Ellis Enterprise, Inc. Worley, Win; Battling the Hosts of Hell - Diary of An Exorcist; Highland, Indiana, Hegewisch Baptist Church. copyright 1976. Worley, Win; Conquering the Hosts of Hell - An Open Triumph; Highland, Indiana. by Hegewisch Baptist Church, copyright 1977. Worley, Win; Smashing the Hosts of Hell - Every Believers Privilege; Highland, Indiana. by Hegewisch Baptist Church, copyright 1977.

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