Spiritual Inertia

Spiritual Inertia

Mandy and I have been ministering deliverance to a very nice young lady who had some problems, among them marriage problems due to Jezebel. We ministered to her two or three times and then lost touch with her. She recently contacted us for more help. Her email was a sad story of sickness and job loss as a result. We’ll call her Nikki for this story.

Mandy interceded for Nikki in her prayer time after reading her email. That night, Mandy had a dream. In the dream she saw twin snake heads coming out of a hole in the bottom of a hanging burlap bag. The snakes had heads that resembled alligator heads, very evil looking. The next scene in the dream was Mandy standing on a ladder trying to get away from one snake, while at a distance in front of her, her (now deceased) husband was being attacked and strangled by the other snake, so much so that the sounds of his strangulation and gasping for air while she screamed in futility woke her up.

Before out next meeting with Nikki, Mandy asked the Lord for a word about her and the meaning of the dream:

“My child, the two snakes represent a double dose of witchcraft coming from two direction. The enemy is intent upon destroying Nikki and her husband. Nikki must learn to fight and stand resolutely on My promises. She must get My Word deep down into her heart. She must think of Me not only as her loving Father, but also as her warrior king, her shield, her strength, her high tower, her rock and her fortress. She must learn to fight spiritually the moment she discerns something is not right. Running to the doctors will not help in a spiritual battle. She must discern the spiritual from the physical. Pray with her that her mind, her eyes and her ears are opened up to discern constantly good vs. evil. In this way she will defeat the enemy. She needs to turn back and deflect the fiery darts of the enemy that are piercing her soul. She must say, “Enough is enough!” and make her face like a flint.

“She must learn to command and not accept. She must train herself for battle because she has many enemies who want to see her destroyed. But My power and My love conquers all. She must lean on Me and turn to Me with all her heart. She must not only pray but understand the power of My Word – it must be concrete in her heart. It’s time to study to show herself approved.

“Nikki, you must light the fire. The fire of God will destroy the works of the enemy, but you must light the fire in your heart, in your mind, in your soul. You must become steadfast and resolute, and don’t let anything get in your way from overcoming the darkness. Call upon My Name and I will help you.”

Nikki came for deliverance, and we almost did not recognize her.  She was very thin, having lost a great deal of weight from her sickness and vertigo, for which the doctors could find no cause.

In ministering to Nikki, we found she really was not doing spiritual warfare as we had advised her. When she felt ill, she ran to the doctors who could not give her a diagnosis, and then became too weak to fight the devil.

We feel that it is okay to go to doctors, but we must also conduct spiritual warfare. “Resist the devil and he will flee” before he does any damage.

We started ministering to her by breaking curses, and we found the names of two women who had sent curses to her, which were represented in Mandy’s dream by the two snakes.

I went to my study to make copies of the word that Mandy had received from the Lord to give to Nikki, at which point the Lord told me, “spiritual inertia”.

Definition of inertia (Webster’s Dictionary):

In physics, the tendency of matter to remain at rest if at rest, or if moving, to keep moving in the same direction, unless affected by some outside force. A tendency to remain in a fixed condition without change; disinclination to move or act.

(If the Apostles had suffered from inertia, the Book of Acts would have not been written. There would have been no action to be reported.)

I came back and commanded the demon of spiritual inertia to leave in the name of Jesus. The demon manifested upset, asking me in an angry tone, “How did you know I was here?”  It was cast out.

Last night, a young lady from Mexico called me, very interested in deliverance and trying to find out more in order to receive it. She mentioned that she belonged to a youth group where there was an interest in deliverance. She asked one of the young men in the group if his pastor ministered deliverance, to which he replied that the pastor talked about it but did not do it.

Could this be spiritual inertia?

Years ago, I read a book by John Wimber in which he explained how he got his start in Christianity. He was a hippie, and a friend had been asking him to go to church with him, which he kept refusing. Then the man invited John to a home meeting, and he went. There John was given a Bible which he started reading, taking note of certain stories in the Gospels….

….When invited again to church, John accepted. After church, his friend asked him how he liked it. John replied, “ It was very nice but, when do you do the stuff?”

The man asked, “What stuff?”  John replied, “Well, you know, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils!”  The friend replied, “Oh, we talk about it, but we don’t do it!“

John decided that instead of going to the church, he would go to the park where his hippie friends congregated and start DOING. He preached the gospel, healed the sick, etc.  People started following him, and soon he had to find a place to have church. And that’s how the Vineyard church movement was founded.

No spiritual inertia there.

Blessings?

Blessings?

I recently watched a pastor from a San Antonio on TV giving his sermon. His message to the congregation was that they were all blessed.

His back-up scripture was from Deuteronomy 28.  I am a fan of the blessings and curses teachings of Deuteronomy 28, and I have used these passages quite a few times to break curses in ministry. In this case, the pastor was talking only about the section on the blessings.

This pastor has a dramatic delivery of sermons which makes him very credible and stirs emotion in the listener. I have heard him several times, and mostly I agree with him. Not this time.

Now, some would think that I am judgmental or critical. I hope some would instead think that I have discernment, or perhaps a good knowledge of the scriptures.

I was once in a big Baptist church, and at the beginning of the service, a minister came to the podium to read scripture, announcing he was about to read from Acts chapter two. I was surprised he chose Acts 2 because this chapter tells about Pentecost and speaking in tongues, which the Baptist church does not practice. I was indeed surprised again when he smoothly omitted certain verses without missing a beat. It was so flawless that I realized he had his reading typed up and inserted into his Bible to appear that he was reading directly out of the scripture. You can guess what he omitted.

At that time I was a naïve churchgoer and could not believe that out of the fear of God, this kind of deception could happen in church. I know better now.

So, what was wrong with the aforementioned “blessings” sermon? As I said, the pastor was telling the congregation that they were blessed in all kinds of ways as described in the scripture, just because they were Christians, or just because they were sitting there. However, this is not necessarily the case. He omitted reading the beginning verses of this passage. These omitted verses make the receiving of God’s blessings conditional. In other words, there are conditions to receiving blessings–if you do not meet the conditions, you don’t receive the blessings.

I disagree with conventional church thinking that the death of Jesus removed the conditions of the original covenant from Christians. I do not find anything in the Bible that says that.

Here is the “blessings for obedience” scripture in Deuteronomy 28:2:

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God…

But wait, there’s more!! A corresponding scripture heads up the receiving of curses in Deuteronomy 28:15:

However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you…

In ministry, before I break these curses that a Christian person has (and cast out the demons that came with the curses), I read the person this scripture. I tell them if they disregard the scripture, the demons will come back.

Luke 16:17 (NIV) 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

Matthew 5:18 (NKJV) 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

The Erroneous Belief That a Christian Cannot Be Cursed

The Erroneous Belief That A Christian Cannot Be Cursed

Included in the deliverance ministry is the breaking of curses and the casting out of demons that come to perform the elements of the curse. The majority of Christians think they cannot be cursed and base this belief on the following scripture:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: Galatians 3:13 (AKJV) 

In this writing, the apostle Paul was referring to this Old Testament scripture, but he failed to include the underlined condition below:

22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23 his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged Is  accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.  Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (AKJV)

Most churches erroneously teach that since Jesus was made a curse for us (according to Galatians 3:13), we are shielded from any curse that might come our way.

But, as aforementioned, the scriptures in Deuteronomy that Galatians 3:13 are based upon are a “cause and effect” or conditional warning. The cause or condition for the hanging on a tree is, “If a man has committed a sin worthy of death…”. The effect is that he is accursed of God.

But what if an innocent man who did not commit a sin worthy of death was hanged anyway? 

Would he be accursed of God? No! God’s justice is righteous and perfect. Did Jesus commit a sin worthy of death? No! Even when He was “hanged” on the cross, the curse could not alight on Him.

It is possible that this portion of the Galatians scripture has been tampered with. In his book, The Orthodox Corruption Of Scripture, author Dr. Bart D. Ehrman wrote the following, found on page 17 under the subtitle, The Use Of Literature In Orthodox Polemics:

“…the way that scribes modified their texts of Scripture, in light of the polemical context within which they worked, altering the manuscripts they reproduced to make them more orthodox on the one hand, and less susceptible to heretical misuse on the other.”

Elsewhere he explains that the Hebrew scribes took extreme care to copy the Torah and the Prophets exactly, while the Greek scribes would change text to reflect their own thinking.

This might explain the difference with the original Old Testament scripture. It may be that Paul, who had studied the Torah very well, never wrote this paragraph, but that it was inserted by someone copying the epistle at a later date.

KEEP IN MIND, WITHOUT THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD THERE IS NO REMISSION OF SINS.

1- There is not remission of sins if there is not a blood sacrifice.
2- They are two separate actions.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Before the shedding of the pure blood of Jesus, the Jewish people had their sins forgiven once a year on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. The atonement involved two sacrificial goats: one was to be the blood sacrifice, and the other, the scapegoat, which was not sacrificed, was set free. God decided which one would be sacrificed “by lot.” In other words, God Himself selected the goat to be sacrificed.

The animals that were sacrificed had to be perfect and without blemish. The blood sacrifice had to be perfect and without blemish, as Jesus was.

8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.  

20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 21 and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. Leviticus 16:8-10 (AKJV) and 20-22 

The goat selected by God to be the blood sacrifice for the atonement of sins would be killed and his blood shed, and the other goat would bear the sins of all the people. This live goat would symbolically absorb all the sins of all the people as it was released to the wilderness. This was the remission of sins, the sending away of the sins of the people.

Remission: the act of remitting or sending, as money in payment, remittance. (Webster’s Dictionary)

This word has several different meanings. As applied to the above scripture, the meaning of “sending” is the one that makes sense: “…and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man…”

THE REPRESENTATION OF THE TWO GOATS AT THE CROSS.

18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 19 (who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) 20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. 21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. 22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. 24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. 25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will. Luke 23:18-25  (AKJV)

6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. 7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. 9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. 11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. 12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. 14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. 15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. Mark 15:6-15  (AKJV)

15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. 16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? 18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. 19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. 22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. 23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. 26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Matthew 27:15-26  (AKJV) 

The perfect goat without blemish was sacrificed for the forgiveness of the sins of all the people. Jesus represented this. The other goat was ceremoniously endowed with the sins of the people and freed into the wilderness. Barabbas represented this.

And this was the final blood atonement.  Jesus did not have sin or blemish, nor was He accursed when he was crucified.

Notice the emphasis that Luke, Mark and Matthew made in the appearance of a murderous criminal during Jesus’ trial, and the fact that a choice of a selection between Jesus and Barabbas was offered.

The selection of the One without sin or blemish to be the sacrifice was a move of God. The Jewish men who clamored for Barabbas did not even know that God had prepared this from the beginning.

The disciples were well acquainted with the Day of Atonement procedures, and in their gospels the emphasis put on the criminal and the procedure in the trial suggests they knew what was going on.

So, in summary, Galatians 3:13 cannot state that Christians are free of curses. Christians can and do have curses. These curses come from several different sources. Regardless of the source, the curses have to be broken and the demons that entered with the curses have to be cast out.

To the Christians who still think a curse cannot alight on them:

JESUS INSTRUCTED HIS FOLLOWERS TO CAST OUT DEMONS. 

Jesus did not become a curse on the cross to redeem us from any curse. We are open to be demonized and cursed due to legal rights that demons have, and for this cause He gave us the power and authority to break curses and cast out the demons that come with curses. And He wants us to do this work. When we break curses and cast out demons, He is with us.

 

Translating God

Translating God, by Shawn Bolz

I purchased this book through the SidRoth.org website. I have a deep desire to develop a gift of prophecy, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, to help people (including myself) through their walk with God. So, occasionally, I will pick up a book by people who write about how they hear God’s voice.

It appears Shawn Bolz was called to minister to movie stars and the like in Hollywood, California. I admire his courage – with all the trash that Hollywood puts out, this must be no easy feat. In the book he explains how you have to have courage and faith and take “huge risks” to step out and talk to people about God, sometimes with just an inkling of a vision or one word that the Lord gives you. When you step out in faith, then God gives you more words.

He stresses that loving people is the #1 condition to becoming prophetic–that your motivation must be nothing more than a strong desire to help people, and not to gain any favor or attention for yourself. He says, that as we get to know God, “you begin to absorb his affection for humanity. Your relationship with Him is the primary source and goal of revelation,” and that, “prophetic ministry is about your being a gateway to God’s thoughts, emotions, and heart for others through your connection to Him.”

He has used his gift to bring people to receive Jesus as Lord at amazing moments in time. He talks about the times when he is so bone-tired, he doesn’t feel like talking to people, but the Lord says, “Do it”, and he obeys, with amazing results.

I also got the CD package where Shawn told some stories that I don’t think were in the book. They were tremendous. I strongly recommend this package to those who wish to hear God’s voice more strongly in their lives in order to minister to others.

Miracles From Heaven

Miracles From Heaven, by Christy Wilson Beam

You may recognize the title, Miracles From Heaven, as a movie that came out in 2016 with actress Jennifer Garner, a true story about a young girl who developed a rare, incurable digestive disorder, and was miraculously cured when she accidentally fell into a hollow tree from a very high branch. It’s a crazy story how she was rescued, and what happened to her while she was inside at the bottom of this hollow tree.

As usual, the book was much better and more detailed than the movie, although the movie wasn’t bad. Christy talks about how her daughter saw Jesus and had an out of body experience in Heaven. It’s another book to add to your collection of books about the afterlife. When you lose someone you love, it’s nice to read these kinds of books, because it bring peace and comfort. It’s a good read.

Pagan Christianity

Pagan Christianity, by Frank Viola

Wow. This book, Pagan Christianity, had my head reeling. Frank Viola has written a number of well-researched books. Basically, he is saying that we modern-day Christians have the church thing ALL WRONG.

He gives chapter after chapter of the history of how all our churching came to be, and how it’s all based on paganism that was established all around the Jews and the early church after Jesus resurrected. Over the centuries it has morphed and evolved, but our church traditions are basically pagan-based. Emperor Constantine had a lot to do with it (sort of the inventor of Roman Catholicism) but there were many others. Martin Luther lead the reformation, but he really scratched the surface of reforming.

I was thinking: you’re born at a certain time, and you come to accept things/traditions as the way they are without questioning anything (like Christmas, Easter, church in general). You’re also taught to respect your parents/grandparents so you hang onto the same traditions they pass down to you without investigating if they are GOOD traditions or the REAL thing (because hey, millions of people through the generations can’t be wrong, right?). You just live your life compartmentalizing traditions in your mind as, “that’s the way it is”. And then you read a book like this one.

For example, do you know how most traditional/denominational church buildings got their design? There is a reason behind everything and it’s based on pagan worship buildings.

He doesn’t believe in pastors, tithing, seminaries, your “Sunday best” clothing, and on and on. While there are a few things I don’t agree with, I would say 90% of what he says makes a lot of sense, IF you use the scriptures and NOT tradition as your measuring stick.

Read this book if you like truth.

Forged

Forged

Forged by Bart D. Ehrman. Dr. Ehrman is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina and has written more than 20 books. He knows the Bible better than just about anybody. We, as “laypeople”, can read the Bible over and over again and yet only have 1/2 the story, if that. This book explains that about half of the New Testament is forged, or books are falsely attributed to people who didn’t write them. This explains contradictions that you might have noticed among the letters of Paul and others.

In our modern age we have been brainwashed to believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God. This is not true. The canon was put together by people with whom you may or may not have agreed with their theology. Clearly super-smart theologians have examined the writings of the NT every direction and determined what sections and books are forged or attributed to someone, like Paul or Peter, who did not write them at all.

It’s disconcerting for sure. But I just comfort myself with knowing that neither Abraham nor Moses had a “Bible”, yet they heard God’s voice, followed His leading, lived moral lives, accomplished great things. We too should be that sensitive to the Holy Spirit and use the Bible as a “guide” and not the be-all, end-all of our faith.

The Spiritual Meaning of Co-Dependence

The Spiritual Meaning of Co-Dependence

A word of knowledge from the Lord, June 19, 2016

Father, please tell me what co-dependence is so that we can more efficiently minister to your child Diane.

My daughter, this term is used to describe a series of traumas that began in childhood that has allowed a variety of demons to enter the soul. A child in its formative stages is very fragile, very precious, very delicate and must be loved and cared for with utmost attention. When this does not occur, it opens the door to many demons of insecurity. As the person enters adulthood, the person has not learned or or been able to transfer trust in parents to trust in Me, their heavenly Father, because of the damage that has been done. The top demon is insecurity and below that one are many, such as fear, low self-esteem, distrust, fear of failure, neglect, lack of love, lack of discipline, failure to land, vagabond, can’t stay in one place, can’t have a permanent home, unable to bond, lack of self-respect, self-hate, lack of creativity, unable to believe, unable to trust, weakness, brittleness, frailness, vacillation, can’t get it right, failure to conform, have to please, don’t like myself, always have to give in, can’t do anything for myself, someone else is always right, can’t cry, can’t stop crying, hate myself, I’m no good, I’m weak, someone is always better than me, I can’t think for myself, I have to keep proving myself, I’m no good, I’m not worthy, I’m not smart enough, I’m not good enough, I want to kill myself, I want to die, I want to crawl in a hole and shrivel up, no one loves me, I don’t love myself, I hate myself, I can’t win and many other demons of self-hatred, You must find these demons and cast them out by the power of My Son’s blood, and she will be free and feel better than she ever has before. Tell her she will have to continue to fight after she leaves, but she will be victorious if she will fix her eyes on Me and remember this word. She will fight but I will be at her right hand.

Talk to Me

Talk to Me

December 9, 2018

Man is so self-centered that you think that I am far away, that I don’t want to talk to you, that I don’t want to meet with you. But in fact it is you who fall short. When you don’t meet with Me, when you don’t pray to Me, when you don’t talk to Me, you build up a barrier around you, a spiritual barrier. You see, I am ALWAYS there. I said I would never leave or forsake you. But YOU build the barrier. Your spiritual ears get plugged with the muck, the soil, the dirt of this world and you cannot hear Me. You are the one who can change this, you are the one who can unplug your ears because I am always at hand. So begin today. Come to Me. Seek Me. Pray to Me. Talk to Me. Have a relationship with Me. Then you will hear my voice and see the miracles happen.

Faith is Like an Ear of Corn

Faith is Like an Ear of Corn

I had a little vision of the representation of Faith. Faith is like an ear of corn. To get to the ear of corn, you have to pull, strip and throw away the covering that surrounds the corn. Faith is the same way. You have the ear of corn, the faith, but you have to pull down, tear off and throw away all the barriers between you and the corn. Even those little strings the corn has could represent little voices that keep telling you “it can’t be done”. But you keep pulling off those little strings until the corn is ready to be eaten. So with Faith, you have to keep pulling off all the little voices until you don’t hear them anymore and then you really have faith that you can “sink your teeth into”. In other words, you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, but you have to fight off all the doubts that attack your faith – fight and fight and fight – until just the faith remains.