The REAL Battle!

 

Ephesians 6:10-13

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

When you understand this truth, it changes the way you view people and the world. Jesus told His disciples to be gentle as a dove but wise as a serpent for a reason! The hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places will show you no mercy, period! And evil spirits are not just in heavenly places but also in the bodies of human beings too! 

A perfect example of this is when Jesus went into a Synagogue (building) to preach and an evil spirit manifested inside a man who was there.

Mark 1:21-28

"Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee."

The scripture clearly says Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. Now Jesus being full of grace, truth, power and light, caused the unclean spirit to manifest in the man. More than likely, none of the pharisees and teachers of the law knew the man had an unlean spirit in him, but the power of God emanating through Jesus as he taught the scriptures, brought the demon out!

This is why I keep saying exactly what the scriptures teach, that the Church is NOT a building! Jesus said, "upon this Rock, (Himself) I will build MY church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it." Your body is the temple of God in which He dwells by His Spirit, IF so be, His Spirit is within your soul.

Jesus also did not entrust Himself to anybody because He knew what was in them!

John 2:23-24

"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man."

And when Paul and Silas was just walking around in the city of Philippi the kindgom of darkness was right there with them inside of slave girl!

Acts 16:16-19

"Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities."

The real spiritual warfare is going on right here in these scriptures, in a synagogue, on a street corner, in somebody's house, it does not matter where you are, or who you are, the real battle for souls is being waged every single day, whether you know it or not!

It is my desire to walk as Jesus did, without spot, wrinkle or blemish, holy, and set apart for God's use, there really isn't another way to live on this earth, because that is what God requires of His people, His servants. He wants those who serve Him to be holy as He is Holy!

John 14:29-30

“And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

Let us strive to be like our Master, completely holy! That's one of the reasons Jesus died on the cross, so that our souls could be washed clean by His blood, our bodies sanctified by His Spirit, and our minds transformed and washed by His word.

In Christ,

Tyrone

Who's Side Are You Fighting On?

Ok so let me nail this post to the virtual church door!

In light of all the George Floyd protests, looting and violence in the streets, I feel led to admonish those who call themselves Christians, by reminding us all of  the scriptures that we are called to obey and apply to our everyday lives.

Question: Do you find yourself getting emotional and angry at all the goings-on? Are you engrossed in all the political upheavals in Washington? Are you choosing sides of the racial injustices of this world? Well here's the first reminder from the writings of Paul.

2nd Timothy 2:1-4

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."

No one engaged in warfare who is a soldier of Jesus Christ entangles himself in the affairs of this life! That means that we should not be concerned whatsoever with anything going on in this world! Didn't God Himself call His people to come out from among them and be SEPARATE?

2nd Corinthians 6:14-18 

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”

What does it mean to be separate you ask? "to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to separate" pretty clear right? So God is saying to us in these scriptures to separate ourselves from the world, from darkness, from unbelievers, from idolatry etc...

We are to be IN the world but NOT OF the world!

John 17:14-16

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."

If you call yourself a Christian and you are caught up in the George Floyd issue and separating yourself from other people because of their skin color you definitely need repentance and deliverance! Are you calling yourself "Black" or "White"? I'm sure you know those are colors and words that should not be used to identify different people groups. I don't see one scripture in the bible where God, Jesus, or His apostles address people from other countries by a color. The scriptures CLEARLY tell us there is no Jew or Gentile in Christ!

Galatians 3:26-29

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Paul said that Christians should not regard anyone according to the flesh!

2nd Corinthians 5:16-17

"Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

  

Here's a very enlightening excerpt from a recent blog post:

"In combating this increase in racism, there are two primary aspects to consider. The first is that the very idea of “race” is a lie: as the American Society of Human Genetics, the largest professional organization of scientists in the field, explained in an essay:

“The science of genetics demonstrates that humans cannot be divided into biologically distinct subcategories”; and it “challenges the traditional concept of different races of humans as biologically separate and distinct. This is validated by many decades of research.” In other words, “race itself is a social construct,” with no biological basis.

In 2014, more than 130 leading population geneticists condemned the idea that genetic differences account for the economic, political, social and behavioral diversity around the world. In fact, said a 2018 article in Scientific American, there is a “broad scientific consensus that when it comes to genes there is just as much diversity within racial and ethnic groups as there is across them.” And the Human Genome Project has confirmed that the genomes found around the globe are 99.9 percent identical in every person. Hence, the very idea of different “races” is nonsense.

A second problem, as cognitive scientist George Lakoff has shown, is that simply using the word “race,” even when criticizing racism, actually reinforces the false belief that human beings belong to fundamentally different groups. That’s because the more a word is used, the more that certain brain circuits are activated and the stronger that metaphor becomes.

The use of colors to describe ethnic groups also supports racism. That’s why it is not acceptable anymore to refer to Asians as “yellow,” to Latin Americans as “brown,” or to Native Americans as “red.” However, many people, including academics and journalists, still use “black” to describe people of primarily recent African origin.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-concept-of-race-is-a-lie/

We are to be aliens and foreigners in this world, sojourners just passing through. Our citizenship is in Heaven and we should be looking up and waiting for our Lord and Savior to come back and redeem His people.

Philippians 3:20-21

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

So I ask you, who's side are you fighting on?

In The Lord's Army,

Tyrone

Be Transformed By The Renewing Of Your Mind! (Part 2)

Colossians 3:1-3

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Paul gives us a very important key to facilitate the process of transformation and mind renewal. He tells the Colossian saints to set your mind on things that are above, NOT on things that are on the earth! 

If you applied this word to your life for one day, you would see how much you think about earthly things! Like bills, spouses, kids, job, debt, school, politics, family members, and the list goes on! 

This world is full of distractions and Satan knows how to entice you, distract you, and lie to you, so that you keep your mind on everything else but JESUS!!! 

Once you start to meditate on the word of God and think about heaven, holiness, and the things of God, the things of this world start to lose their power. Once you're unplugged from the Matrix (the system of man), your mind begins to be opened to the truth and like Neo you start to realize that the life you were living wasn't life at all, because only through Christ can we have the true abundant life!

2nd Corinthians 10:3-5

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Paul told the saints that we walk in the flesh but we do not war according to the flesh. If you try to fight Satan by the flesh you will lose every time and give him a foothold in your life. 

But if you understand that we are soul and spirit covered by our fleshly bodies and you fight the good fight of faith walking in the victory of Jesus the enemy cannot touch us unless God allows it.

The scripture says to bring EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ! How many hours of the day do you sit and think about earthly things? Or watch T.V.? 

If you set your mind on Jesus and things above for the same amount of time, you will be amazed at the amount of spiritual blessings and breakthroughs you will receive from God!

In Jesus Name,

Tyrone

For The King!

John 18:33-37 

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Are you on the battle field of faith fighting for the King? Do you know that everyday there is a spiritual battle being waged in the spirit realm?

If you thought that being a disciple of Jesus was easy and there would be no opposition, just remember the words that Paul told Timothy.

2nd Timothy 3:10-13 

"But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."

Paul also told Timothy to wage a good warfare, fight the good fight of faith, and endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Paul understood the daily battle that all true believers fight as they press on for the prize of the high calling.

1st Timothy 1:18

"This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,"

2nd Timothy 2:1-4

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."

The saints were exhorted by Paul to put on the whole armor, to put on Christ and to understand that the battle we face is not against flesh and blood, we fight against evil spirits and darkness INSIDE the flesh of wicked men and women who oppose the cross of Christ!

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—"

Are you ready to stand and fight for the King? He is coming back soon to judge and make war.

Revelation 19:11-16 

"Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

In Jesus,

Tyrone