Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Introduction

The apostle Paul writes,
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish
arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge
of God & we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
(2 Corinthians 10 : 4,5 )

In the spiritual warfare that every Christian believer is involved,
several invaluable weapons can be effectively used by him or her to
destroy the enemy, however great or powerful the enemy be.

Worship ( praise & thanksgiving with psalms, hymns & spiritual songs and
with other tongues), the Blood of Jesus, the Name of Jesus, the Word
of God ( Sword of the Spirit), Prayers & Fasting are the main
weapons that every believer can use against the enemy. Faith is one
important factor that is significant in the usage of the weapons for
without faith one cannot please God according to Hebrews 11:6.

" And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to Him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who
earnestly seek Him".

Holiness, Obedience to God, Seperation and Consecration to God, all
matter in the effectivity of the weapons. In fact, holiness itself is a
weapon that can destroy the enemy. With it, Jesus won a great victory
on the cross over the powers of darkness. The enemy cannot stand holines
for that is the true nature of God. Being holy brings power ( the light
of God) in to our life that can counter the darkness that the enemy
brings.

Chapter 1- Worship

The authenticity of Worship can be discerned if we really knew what was
happening in the spiritual realm while we worship.
At a certain point in our life, amidst great persecution from the enemy, as we worshipped the Lord with songs of praise and thanksgiving, my wife saw (The Lord gives impressions in her mind during worship in tongues) very few angels
appearing on the scene after the worship and often the presence of the
enemy rather than Jesus. This confused and perplexed us. We asked Jesus
why this was so and the Holy Spirit pointed out that the quality of the
worship determines the outcome and results.

In Family worship, often children are distracted by the enemy and they do not take part in the worship which dullens the quality of the worship. The tactics of the enemy are very subtle and their aim is to make the worship powerless.
They may irritate infants/babies making then cry excessively and spoil
the effect iveness of the worship. Spirits of laziness, irritation,
anger, lethargy and others may try to dullen the worship. Not only family
worship. Church worship loses its effectiveness because of the
nonparticipation of certain members. Nonparticipation does not
necessarily mean they do not sing/pray. They may do all that but
their mind is some where else. Like a few days back in our church
worship, things did not seem to be flowing smoothly though we were
praising with songs. On enquiring of the Lord He showed my wife through
a vision that all but one of the church members were sitting around a
table enjoying a banquet in the presence of Jesus. One sat aloof ( not
with us) eating his own food. Unless the mind of each member is on
Christ during worship, the effectiveness and eventually the outcome
suffers.

When the Holy Spirit taught us these things, we put a renewed effort in
our family worship and the results were really breathtaking. As soon as
we worshipped the Lord with all our body, mind, spirit, soul and strength
and concentrated on Jesus in worship, the presence of the angels of God
just increased by leaps and bounds. The whole house was filled with
angels and the presence of Jesus was instantaneous. An enemy approached
but could not get through anywhere near us for such was theenormous
presence of the angels of God.

True worship really makes the enemy go crazy. Yes! Worship through prose, praise and songs ushers in the presence of
The Lord Almighty and His hosts and makes the enemy recede into its
Shell. If we sift out the unwanted elements/faults in worship we have
Victory in our hands every day. Praise the Lord.

Worship in tongues is also a great weapon for the Christian soldier.
Earlier in our adventures of the spiritual world, while worshipping in
tongues, when my wife saw the enemy, she would inform me of it and I
would speak the Word of God with faith and the angels would bind the
Enemy and cast them away in to the pit. But now (after the Lord
granted her more faith) as she sees the enemy she just continues
Worshipping in tongues and the angels do the same work as when the Word
is spoken. I guess that's good news for you worshippers in tongues, for
many a spiritual battle may be being won by you with such worship; so do
not be discouraged by people who chide you for doing so. Some who do not
worship thus do not even realize all the battles they are losing. You go
ahead and win all your battles dear friend and let the Lord take care of
the chiders.

Chapter 2- The Blood Of Jesus

The Bible says in Revelation 12:11,
"They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony"
The Blood of Jesus is another powerful weapon in the armamentarium of the believer. For with it Jesus destroyed the whole satanic host on the cross.
As the apostle Paul writes to the Colossians,
"And having disarmed the powers and authorities he made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians
2:15).
The Blood of Jesus is the agent of cleansing, sanctification, protection,
healing and deliverance all combined. The cleansing of the believer is an
ongoing process everyday of our lives. As we read in 1 John 1:9.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness".
Cleansing continues lifelong till we step into eternity with the Lord.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life soils
The believer's spirit and soul. But the Lord is faithful and as we
confess our sins to the Father daily, He cleanses us with the blood of His
Son.
After an evil spiritual attack on the believer, when deliverance is
effected, cleansing and sanctification are achieved by the blood of the
Lamb. This was new to us in the beginning. My wife used to watch
satanic forces being bound by the angels of God and cast into the pit.
The next step invariably was the sanctification by the blood of Jesus
which the angels used on the person or place involved. She saw the angels
dousing the person or place involved by copious amounts of a liquid.
Initially we did not understand what this liquid was but the Holy Spirit
one day revealed that it was the Blood of Jesus. We often wondered why
this was needed. The Holy Spirit explained that the evil spiritual
forces though bound and cast in to the pit leave their aura/darkness
behind which has to be washed away and only the Blood of Jesus can do it.
Like for instance, once in a spiritual attack, an evil snake like spirit
bound itself on my abdomen. This resulted in abdominal cramps and
tenesmus. The evil spirit was bound and thrown away into the pit by the
angels when rebuked and attacked with the Word of God. Due to some
urgent errand my wife stopped worshipping and forgot the spiritual
sanctification part. This resulted in the lingering effect of the evil
attack with intermittent cramps. When the sickness persisted we asked
The Holy Spirit why this was so and the Holy Spirit pointed out that the
sanctification was not done. The snakelike evil spirit had left its mark
on my abdomen at the place where it had coiled around. A sanctification
then with the Blood of Jesus on worshipping solved my problem.
Sometimes when ministers conduct deliverance sessions, there may be no
full effect seen even when the evil forces that had oppressed the person
have left. This may be because total spiritual sanctification with the
Blood of Jesus has not been achieved, Symptoms may regress gradually as
the sanctification becomes complete. Gradual regression is not the rule
though. Immediate regression follows proper warfare and sanctification as
seen in many cases of demonic oppression.
Sometimes Jesus shows us the spiritual body of persons in demonic
bondage. They may be believers too. There may be many evil spirit s
lodged in different sites of the body and some of these may have been
there for years. How the evil spirits shrink themselves to occupy
certain parts of the body has not been yet explained to us but often a
single spirit may take several forms. When we worship for such a person
and pray for God to deliver that person, the angels do their work of
binding the evil spirit and casting them into the pit. A void is seen in
the space earlier occupied by the evil spirit. The Holy Spirit then
asks us to pray to Jesus to cleanse that area with His blood and then fill
that are with the Holy Spirit. When this is done, that part becomes
whole once again.
The blood net is ideal for protection from attack by evil forces. But the
effect of the blood net depends on how much a person is living a holy
life and a life of separation. There are many who keep chanting "The
Blood of Jesus", "The Blood of Jesus" without living a holy life. This
has little or no effect when it proceeds from their mouths because the
evil spirit's know our spiritual state by looking at us. Our spirit is
the lamp of God which shines either brightly or dimly according to our
closeness to the Lord and the enemy can detect it as it approaches us.
A believer walking with God has divine protection with the Blood of Jesus
on asking the Father for it. Typically one may ask for coverage with the
blood for one's own self, family, house, workplace, property, vehicle, and
Church and whatever right fully belongs to us. As each day is new,
Everyday one has to renew the protection pact with the Father for the
Blood of Jesus to cover oneself. As we ask the Father, the blood net is
lowered on one's lives from heaven. This makes it difficult for the
enemy to sneak through and attack us as we go about our daily chores. Sin
coming into our lives leaves the blood net broken and the enemy gains
easy access to attack us.
The blood barrier also becomes less effective when the believer is not
living a proper life of separation (mingling much with unbelievers)
wherein spirits ruling the unbeliever take advantage of the situation and
continually pester the believer.
The Blood of Jesus has great power in defeating the enemy when a person
living a holy life utters it with faith against the enemy.
How true the song writer when he writes,
"There is power, power, wonder working power, in the blood of the
Lamb......." Yes, wondrous things can be achieved by faith in the Blood of
The Lamb.
Once our 1 yr. old child stood close to the wall and by accident a little
dot of paint fell in to her right eye landing on the cornea. I don't have
to tell you I guess, how difficult it is to take something out of a
1yr.old child's eye. Still I tried my best by splashing some water drops
and then with a wisp of cotton to remove the paint while she slept. But
the paint wouldn't budge. It was as if glued to the corneal surface. It
was our time of evening worship and we prayed to God that the paint may
not leave any mark on the cornea leading to a scare and asked Him
fervently to help us one more time. The Holy Spirit showed a vision of
blood raining from heaven upon her eye and after our worship as she
slept, I again tried to remove the dot of paint with a wisp of cotton.
Miracle once again. The paint just dislodged and I removed it easily.
God did not let any harm come to her eye. Praise God for this miracle;
especially for the precious Blood of Jesus.

Chapter 3- The Name Of Jesus

"What's in a name that smells like a rose'? Someone asked. The answer
is "Jesus"- The Rose of Sharon. As Paul the apostle writes, we who have
become ambassadors for Christ are the fragrance of Christ.
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those whos are being saved and those who are perishing." (2 Corinthians 2:15).

In this sin stricken world, this is the only name that brings
salvation, peace, healing and deliverence to all who seek.

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved" ( Acts 4:12).
The Jews- "the people of God" praised their God, Jehovah by calling Him
differently on different occasions.

Jehovah Jireh - the Lord will provide ( Genenis 22:14)
Jehovah Nissi-the Lord is my banner ( Exodus 17:15)
Jehovah Shalom -the Lord my peace ( Judges 6:24)
Jehovah Ropheka -the Lord our healer ( Exodus 15 :26)
Jehovah Tsidkeenu-the Lord our righteousress ( Jeremiah 23:6)
Jehovah Mekaddishkem - the Lord who makes holy ( Leviticus 20:8)
Jehovah Rohi - the Lord my shepherd ( Psalm 23 :1)
Jehovah Shammah - the Lord is there ( Ezekiel 48:35)
Jehovah Elohim, Adonai Jehovah, Jehovah Saboath,
Jehovah Hoseenu, Jeshovah Eloheenu, Jehovah Eloheka.
Jehovah Elohay are the others.

This was to show their love for God.
How can a name be a weapon?

Once when involved with the enemy in a spiritual conflict, both of us
were very weary. It was late at night; around 1 or 2 a.m and being at it
for quite sometime and sleepy, the Holy Spirit adviced us to keep taking
the name of Jesus. As we kept saying "Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus.................., the powers of darkness were kept at bay and as if
glued to the ground not able to move.
As we read in Proverbs 18: 10,
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are
safe"

There is real power in the name of Jesus. The Bible says,
"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phillipians
2: 9- 11.
In Acts chapter 3 we read about the 40 yr. old crippled beggar
Being healed by the name of Jesus. verse 6 says,. "Then Peter said,
"Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you, In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk?" Later on Peter again asserts,
It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this
complete healing to him ( v 16)
In Luke 10: 17, we read about the disciples telling Jesus excitedly "
Lord even the demons submit to us in your name"

Not only to the disciples, but also to every believer whom Jesus has
given the authority, "And these signs will accompany those who believe.
In my name they will drive out demons..................." (Mark 16: 17)
O what a Wonderful name!
O what a Powerful name!
Praise the Lord for "Jesus" the name!

Chapter 4- The Word Of God

The Sword of the Spirit" as the Word of God is called, is another great weapon which can be used by the believer to destroy the enemy provided he/she has faith in the power of the Word and provided he/she fulfills John 15 : 7.
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish
and it will be given you."

The first time the Holy Spirit lead us into warfare of this kind, He showed
an image of a tap with water running forcefully from it. . This was an
indication from the Holy Spirit to bombard the enemy with the Word of
God. All scripture is beneficial when used with faith and it thwarts
the enemy attacks. But the enemy has an idea of sorts whether the person
using it has faith/not.

Once when we confronted an evil spirit, it stood it's ground just to
check whether I really meant the Word that I was speaking, but
disappeared when it knew that it was spoken with faith.
Some evil spirits get irritated when the word hits them. As the writer of
Hebrews says, "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than
any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart"
(Hebrews 4: 12)

In Jeremiah 23:29 we read,
"Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord," and like a hammer that
breaks a rock in pieces"
So we have a weapon which is a sword, a fire and a hammer. What more
can we ask for?
During evil spiritual attacks powerpacked verses from the Word destroys
the enemy forces. A few such verses are Luke 10:19, Mathew 18:18, I John
2:9, Psalm 2,3,91, 121, 124, Job 20: 5.6. Deuteronomy 28:7.

True events from the Word recounted to the enemy about how God saved His
people the Israelites from their enemies and praising God that He will
do the same for us, has an equal effect. A few such incidents are:
Abraham rescuing Lot, God delivering the Israelites from Pharoah and the
Egyptians, the rod of God swallowing the rods of the magicians Joshua
gaining victory at Jericho, David's victory over Goliath the bear & the
lion, the victories God wrought for Aza and Jehoshphat and so on and
so forth. The list is inexhaustive.

Praising God with Psalms spontaneously is equally effective. Psalms 8,
23, 24, 29, 45, 67, 76, 87, 91, 93, 95, 100, 103, 114, 117, 120-130,
145-150, have helped me a lot in warfare when I have used it with
faith and spontaneously. Learning the Word by heart can thus aid one
tremendously in warfare. One morning, the Holy Spirit showed a lion
like evil spirit raging against our elder daughter and even planning to
pin her down & cause harm but as my wife worshipped in tongues, the
angels caught hold of it & speared it. It retreated with a dirty and
retaliating look on its face. The Holy Spirit warned us that it would be
back that day for revenge, so were on the alert We kept praising God as
a family that morning and later as we were traveling to drop our daughter
at school, she (my wife) saw the evil wounded lion like spirit returning
with a vengeance.

Soon the Holy Spirit reminded me of David's encounter with the lion and
how he gave testimony to Saul about that. The effect was instantaneous
as she worshipped in tongues and I hit the enemy with the Word
praising God that as He helped David, He would help us too. This time
the evil one was thoroughly & completely defeated and cast into the pit by
the angels. Praise God for His Word and His faithfulness to keep His
Word to win every battle against the enemy for us.

"He sent forth His word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave"
(Psalm 107:20)

Chapter 5- Prayer & Fasting

Putting this last among the weapons list, does not make it the least; in fact this should be top priority for every believer to live a fruitful and blessed life.
Most victories against the enemy are won on one's knees. Not all may have gifts described in this book, but one doesn't need a gift to involve oneself in prayer.

You may still not have entered the phase of speaking in tongues. God
willing you will. But don't waste time, grumbling about it. Pray
with the intelligence that God has granted you. If you can't get victory
with prayer alone, fast and pray.

If prayers can be compared to arrows used to fight the enemy, praying and
fasting are arrows with poison at their tips that demolish the enemy.
When viewed in the spiritual realm, the importance of fasting gained great
significance in our lives. Because she can see the enemy, Jesus initially
told us that we may encounter more attacks than other believers because
the enemy wants to remain hidden and doesn't like its presence to be
noticed or known.

Usually without fasting, the enemy may gain access now & then & we rebuke
and the angels cast them away. A question many arise how the enemy gains
access with the blood net, the wall of fire and so on.
We once enquired of this from Jesus and the Holy spirit said, "They
(spirits) are there everywhere. The harm that they can cause is limited
because of divine protection.

As I said they make their appearance now and then at random but fasting is
a weapon that can and will ever limit their coming near us. This I
observed once in a 7 day fast ( having 1 meal/ day). The enemy did not
approach us for a full 2 weeks. Fasting has to be regular for every
believer. According to the grace that he/she has received and his/her
bodily status, fasting once or twice a week missing one; two or all meals
are all pleasing to Jesus. Taking longer fasts 3 days, 7 days, 14 days,
21 days or more require the consent of the Holy Spirit for provision of
protection from the enemy against attacks to the body.

Recently Jesus impressed upon us the greater effectiveness of a fast when
ever liquids are forsaken. The prayers prayed then (when the body is
afflicted greatly) swiftly finds favor with God. Remember Esther,
Mordecai and the Jews fasting for 3 days without food and water and the
great deliverance that they got.

A vegetarian fast for non vegetarians also has importance in the sight of
God as once told by the Holy Spirit to us. Not eating meat, fish, eggs
,avoiding aerated drinks, milk and milk products for a week or more also is
a type of fast.

However long/short a fast be it has to be according to the
Guidelines prescribed in Isaiah 58 for that is a fast truly pleasing to
God. Points to note from there are:
1. On day of fasting, do what pleases God.
2. Do not exploit your workers
3. Let there be no quarreling and strife; no fights
4. Loose chairs of injustice
5. Untie cords of yoke
6. Set the oppressed free
7. Share food with the hungry
8. Provide the wanderer shelter
9. Clothe the naked
10. Not to turn away from your own flesh & blood.
Then, the Bible says, in Isaiah 58:8, 9

"Your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly
appear, then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the
Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call and the Lord will
answer; you will cry for help and He will say. Here am I."


We cannot but end this section without a word regarding the Anointing.

Ethan the Ezrahite speaks in Psalm 89 about the anointing that God gave
David and its effects upon his life "I have found David my servant, with
my sacred oil I have anointed him. My hand will sustain him, surely my arm
will strengthen him. No enemy will subject him to tribute, no wicked man
will oppress him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down his
adversaries".

Beause of the great anointing of Holy Spirit upon David's life none of
his foes could stand against him. Goliath, Saul, Absalom, the Philistines
all were defeated one by one.

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 92:10,
"You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been
poured upon me".

Nothing or no one I guess can stop a wild ox pounding through the jungle.
It just crushes everything in its path.
In John 3:34, we read that Jesus had the Holy Spirit in Him without
measure. Thus the forces of darkness could never stand against Him with
any sort of arguments.

Our authority over the enemy grows as the anointing increases, because the
effectivity of the weapons depend on the measure of anointing a person
has.
Long back, while I was in Medical College, I visited the Bandipur tiger
sanctuary. We were in the forest early one morning. The sun was begining
to shine through the trees. The birds were chattering away. All of a
sudden a magnificent sight enraptured us. A wild ox galloping through the
forest; its horns and hooves destroying everything in its path; it's
hide shimmering in the early sunlight. What a sight it was. Imagine
yourself as a wild ox charging through in the enemy ranks destroying all
in the path.

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to
overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you " ( Luke
10:19)
So wake up Solider of Christ and fight. Put on the armor; pick up the
weapons and get going.
"The battle is the Lord's and the victory is ours; Hosanna, Hosanna".