Separation from Sin

  • July 26, 2010 2:00 pm

Thought cannot exist apart from intellect.  I want you to think about that for a moment… thought cannot exist apart from intellect. In other words, thoughts do not “appear” out of thin air. They are the product, or process of a thinking being (whether visible or invisible). If you yield to a thought, it can express itself through you. The reason I mention this is to point out that sin is really an “entity.” If I get into agreement with sin, then sin (or the spirit being behind it) has authority to operate through me.

Let me give you a simple example of this… … Have you ever sat in on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting? As each participant shares, they always begin by identifying themselves as an alcoholic. “Hi, my name is Bob and I’m an alcoholic.” What is Bob really saying? “My identity is bound to alcohol. I’ve lived with my issue for so long that I can no longer separate it from who I am.” Now, I realize some would argue against what I’m saying. I’m not against AA. I believe they help people. But deliverance is about letting that “old man” die, completely! The person who is in Christ is a new creature. The old nature has passed away.

Do you know it is possible to get into agreement with something that isn’t even you?

 

READ Romans 7:19-20 — For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Keep in mind, Paul has been an Apostle for 20 years when he penned this text. What is Paul saying? It is possible to yield to (or get into agreement with) the entity behind sin and allow it to have the authority to operate through me.

Paul wasn’t the only one who taught this…Jesus did also. (READ Mark 7:15-23) One of the best examples of this yielding in the spirit is found in Matthew 16 when Peter at Cesarea Phillipi speaks once for God and once for the devil all in the same conversation.

How can I learn to recognize the pathway that sin will lead me down when trying to gain authority to operate in my life?

 

READ James 1:13-15 James does a good job of laying out the road map for us…

1.) Temptation — God is not the tempter. Temptation is merely the intelligent thought of an unseen entity expressing itself. All sin starts with a thought. The thought in itself is not sin. If I reject the thought it’s over. What happens if I entertain the thought?

2.) Drawn Away — If I entertain the thought of sin, I am lured from the safety of self-restraint by strong imagination. There is something in the thought that is appealing to me.

3.) Lust — If the thought is appealing to me, it is because find some form of delight or craving in the thought. Lust can be different things to different people, but it often has to do with exalting ourselves (or our desires) over our love for others and God.

4.) Enticed — Enticed means to lure, or to catch by bait. Just like a mouse is not capable of understanding the purpose of the trap when he goes for the cheese, we don’t really know what the devil has purposed against us when we are enticed by the bait. By the time we are enticed, the “thought” has reached the conception point.

5.) Lust Conceived — If we yield our will and come into agreement with the thought, it’s like being in labor. The birthing process of the sin has started.

6.) Sin — We give authority to “the thought” to manifest through us, and willfully commit the act of sin.

7.) Death — Death is the separation from the purpose in which you were created. The ultimate result of sin is death.

Why is it important for me to understand theses road signs when headed toward the destination called Sin?

 

READ Proverbs 25:28 — He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is like] a city [that is] broken down, [and] without walls.

If I do not take control over things that can access me in the spirit realm, then just like a city without walls, I will take hit after hit after hit. I need to create fortification in the spirit. This allows me to separate myself from sin (break my agreement and take back my authority). For example, I may need to say something like: “I am not cancer… I am not doubt and unbelief… I am not slothfulness and procrastination… I am not addiction… my identity is not in any of these sins…” If I can see sin as a separate entity, then I can break my agreement with it. If I can break agreement with it, I have locked sin out. The sin is NOT you. You are NOT the sin. You are not the sickness. You are not the circumstance. Separate the “good you” from the “bad sin.”

Once I begin to gain understanding within my own life and situations, there are bigger applications. Like what? Well, for starters, I will be able to operate under the discerning of spirits when I deal with others. (Discerning of spirits is one of the gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12:10.) The amplified bible describes discerning of spirits this way: “it is the ability to discern and distinguish between the utterances of the spirits of truth and the false ones.”

READ Ephesians 6:12 — For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

 The devil uses sin as a method to manifest through people. When this happens, I do not need to wrestle with the person (flesh & blood), I merely need to identify that an entity is messing with the person, and subsequently trying to mess with me. The devil is trying to create a conflict. Understanding this will save me a lot of time, a lot of heartbreak, a lot of pain, show me how to pray effectively, give me opportunities to lead people to deliverance, and allow me to minister to people with great effectiveness. As God continues to develop me in this discernment, there are even bigger and broader applications.

In the Moment: I feel compelled to focus on the area of rejection. I believe a lot of people are dealing with rejection, and they have not really identified it as sin.  If someone rejects me, that is his or her sin.  But, if I take on that rejection and accept it, then I am also in sin. By agreeing with rejection, I have created a doorway (or we could call it “trauma point”) for the enemy to pierce my life.

I believe many people have struggled with a spirit of rejection and that it has held some people back from building true godly relationships and from moving in the power & authority that God has intended them to move in. For some, it has moved from general rejection to self-rejection or self-conflict. I need to tell you that this is a form of idolatry. Why? Because you have taken another person’s opinion and placed it above God’s word and God’s opinion of you. When I wallow in rejection, I have allowed someone’s opinion to become an idol.

Rejection will keep you out of truly experiencing the body of Christ. Rejection will cheat you of fellowship. Rejection is a “being.” Your agreement with rejection has created a blockage between you and your brothers and sisters. For some, you may come to church as some sort of ritual, but don’t really feel the love and acceptance of the family of God. At the same time, rejection can lock you into bad relationships, damaging situations and abusive scenarios, because it has deceived (enticed, trapped) you into agreeing with it.Possible doorpoints or entry ways for rejection

  • conflict with parents
  • absent father (physically or emotionally)
  • divorce
  • hurt inside the church
  • abandon/ adopted
  • loss of employment
  • learning disabilities/school conflicts…

Some ways that rejection can manifest:

  • Depression
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • workaholic
  • perfectionist, performance-driven
  • issues with anger or bitterness
  • issues with fear
  • broken-hearted
  • fear of failure
  • isolation
  • issues with rebellion
  • repeat engagement in abusive relationships
  • cancer
  • chronic physical pain
  • fabricated personality
  • low self-esteem
  • addictions (or anything to numb the pain)

Am I talking to you?  Do you recognize a need for the Father’s cleansing touch to clear sin out of the way? Here is a sample prayer you might want to use:

Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus and recognize the work of sin in my life. I repent for agreeing and participating with rejection (or any sin). I want the work of rejection to be broken in my life. I ask Your forgiveness for allowing rejection to manifest through me. I renounce rejection. I release myself from rejection both in thought and in behavior. I uproot the fruit of rejection from my life. By the authority of the Father and by Jesus Christ, I rebuke any spirit associated with rejection. Leave me now, and go to dry places, in Jesus name. Thank You Father for Your forgiveness, deliverance and restoration in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Warring in the Spirit

  • July 19, 2010 3:16 pm
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. —Ephesians 6:10
 
 

 

The teaching of spiritual warfare in this passage presents 2 essential components.

1. You must be strong in the Lord and in “the power of His might”

2. You must put on the full armor of God.

Both are essential

Ask yourself this question, “Are you in the Lord? To be strong in the Lord, you must first be in the Lord. Not sure? Reading these three scriptures may help:

  • Romans 8:2
  • Colossians 3:3
  • Galatians 2:20

　

Now, let’s look again at Ephesians 6:10, at the part that says, “in the power of His might…”

Might is an inherent force. For example, have you ever watched Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)? Essentially, it is a form of fighting where they mix martial arts and boxing. When those fighters enter the cage, their muscles display their might—even before they use them! Muscle is the reserve of strength or what we would call, inherent force.

Power is the exercise of might. When a UFC fighter uses his might to fight his opponent, then power is released. In other words, the reserve of strength is actually in operation.

Now, let’s bring that back to Ephesians 6. God has vast reservoirs of might that can be realized as power in our Christian life. But, His might does not work in me as I sit passively. His might works in me as I rely on His strength, and step out to do the work He has called me to do. Do you know “the power of His might?” It is important not to let our thinking get polarized to effectively flow in this biblical truth. Let me give you some examples of “getting polarized:”

  • I do everything and God does nothing. Have you ever seen anyone who pretty much acts as the lord of his or her own life? Such a person is not likely to be experiencing the power of the Lord’s might.
  • I do nothing and God does everything. Some people just sit around waiting for a miracle and fail to engage in the will of God for their life. While God is certainly able to move miraculously in any situation, the person who takes this stance never experiences moving in “the power of His might.”

The key is to rely on the Lord’s might by faith, and then do the work that He has called me to do.

PUT IT ON

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. – Ephesians 6:11

Put on the whole armor of God
TAKE YOUR STAND
Are you prepared to take your stand against the devil’s schemes? We express the strength we have in God by taking our stand. Satan’s schemes against us come to nothing when we stand against them in the power of God.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places] – Ephesians 6:12

THE STRUGGLE

Our struggle is not actually against flesh and blood. The same thought is shared in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, which says: 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.

If the fight is not against (flesh and blood) people, then what are we fighting? Let’s read the rest of Ephesians 6:12… “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]:”

In this scripture, the Apostle Paul uses a variety of terms to refer to our spiritual enemies. We should regard them as being on different levels and of different ranks, however, they all have one common goal: to block, stop, or cause the Christian to stumble. 

According to Ephesians 1:20-21, when Jesus was raised from the dead, He was seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. This positioned Him far above all authority and power, as well as every name that can be invoked. Jesus’ position of ultimate authority is not just for our future experience in heaven, but also in the present age—right now! So, no matter what rank or power a spiritual entity has, Jesus out ranks them all.

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. —Ephesians 6:13

Put ALL of the armor on! 

When the evil day comes: On some days, evil will come around. Be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. – 1 Peter 5:8
 
Be able: Without the strength of God and the protection of spiritual armor, it is impossible to stand against the attacks of spiritual enemies. You are simply not able to do it alone.
 
 STAND!
 
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. – Ephesians 6:14-15

BELT: The belt of truth buckled around your waist. John 8:44 calls the devil “the father of lies.” Which father are you following? Wrap yourself in the truth and stay there.

BREASTPLATE: The breastplate of righteousness. Job 29:14 says—I put on righteousness like it was my clothing.

BOOTS: Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Readiness means be prepared. The gospel provides the footing for everything we do. However powerful the rest of your body is, if your feet are not properly fitted and ready, it slows you down. You become easy prey for the enemy. The Jewish historian, Josephus described shodding as studding the sole bottoms with thick, sharp nails so as to ensure a good grip on the ground. The military successes both of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were due in large measure to their armies’ being well shod. This enabled their troops to undertake long marches at incredible speed over rough terrain.

TAKE IT WITH YOU

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. —Ephesians 6:16-17

Beside the armor we wear, there are additional pieces we must pick-up and take with us. These pieces of armor we need from situation to situation, as the moment or the battle demands. In those critical moments, we need to:

  • Take the shield of faith
  • Take the helmet of salvation.
  • Take the sword of God’s Word.
    • Faith is represented as a shield. Faith can protect us from attack. If the enemy is shooting at you, faith will squelch it.

    The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement and the desire to give up. It gives us hope in knowing that we are saved, but also that we will be saved from the trial we are in. It is the assurance that God will triumph. This stabilizes our emotions.

    To effectively use the sword, we must regard it as the Word of God. If we are not completely confident that the Holy Spirit inspired the infallible documentation of Scripture, then we will struggle to use the sword effectively.

    PRAY THE WHOLE WAY!

    Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. —Ephesians 6:18

    Pray, pray, pray… The idea is all kinds of prayer or prayer upon prayer. Some people like group prayer, individual prayer, silent prayer, shouting prayer, prayer walking, kneeling in prayer, soaking prayer, eloquent prayer, groaning prayer, constant prayer, praying in tongues, fervent prayer – just pray! When the battle is “on” we should use every kind of prayer that the Lord bring to our mind. During times of trial, when we stop praying we start to say the wrong things. “We’re doomed… we’ll never make it… I quit… I give up…” The devil uses discouragement to grind us to a halt. So keep praying, always, with all prayers.

    For all the saints: Once we get this working for ourselves, we can help others in the battle. The soldier isn’t only concerned for his or her own safety, they feel an instinct to protect and battle on behalf of others.