Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zldKbr4t0w
He can't do anything to you, that you're worried about what the devil can do and cannot do to you. Satan is defeated, you are protected in the armor of God. Relax, satan is defeated in your lives, you're in Christ, you're surrounded in armor. But, there's only one thing, one access point, just one. This is so simple, but you are not getting your money back. It's so simple. There's only one gate in the universe that the devil can have access to, human decision making.
The devil cannot do anything he wants to do. The devil can only work when you open the gate. So, how much evil is there in Seoul, Korea? I know exactly how much evil there is in Seoul, Korea. There's this much. How much is this much? Exactly the amount that people are allowing by their sins and selfishness because satan can do nothing by himself, except attack you. But to give access, takes a human's decision. Hallelujah, isn't that relaxing?
Sleep peacefully tonight because the devil cannot get access to you. The devil can't get access to your home unless you yield yourself to him. A curse cannot come on you unless you yield yourself and open yourself to him. Human decision making, that's the only gate. Don't think that the devil can do anything. Now let's have a look at gates. What are the two things you can do with a gate? Shut the gate, open the gate, shut a gate and open a gate. This indicates two kinds of warfare we're all being involved in. Shutting the gate is defensive warfare, opening the gate is offensive warfare. So, we have defense and offense, shutting gate, opening gate. This is indicated in the language of Ephesians chapter 6. Shutting gate is in Ephesians 6:13, word says, "Stand firm, keep the gates shut." Defensive warfare, and then we have Ephesians 6:11, that says, "Stand against." Offensive warfare, "Stand against." That's offensive warfare. Now, let me give you pictures.
3. 1Peter 5:6-9
4. 2 Timothy 2:26
Now, if you have a highlighter, or if you underline things, this is what you should underline because these four scriptures are very important understandings in the New Testament on spiritual warfare. So make a big circle around these because they're very important. They're very important. Now, what do these scriptures say? You don't need to look them up now because I'm going to tell you what they say. These scriptures say, "Do not inplace to the devil. Do not give the devil opportunity. Do not give the devil a foothold. Don't give place, don't give opportunity, don't give a foothold"
He can't do anything to you, that you're worried about what the devil can do and cannot do to you. Satan is defeated, you are protected in the armor of God. Relax, satan is defeated in your lives, you're in Christ, you're surrounded in armor. But, there's only one thing, one access point, just one. This is so simple, but you are not getting your money back. It's so simple. There's only one gate in the universe that the devil can have access to, human decision making.
The devil cannot do anything he wants to do. The devil can only work when you open the gate. So, how much evil is there in Seoul, Korea? I know exactly how much evil there is in Seoul, Korea. There's this much. How much is this much? Exactly the amount that people are allowing by their sins and selfishness because satan can do nothing by himself, except attack you. But to give access, takes a human's decision. Hallelujah, isn't that relaxing?
Sleep peacefully tonight because the devil cannot get access to you. The devil can't get access to your home unless you yield yourself to him. A curse cannot come on you unless you yield yourself and open yourself to him. Human decision making, that's the only gate. Don't think that the devil can do anything. Now let's have a look at gates. What are the two things you can do with a gate? Shut the gate, open the gate, shut a gate and open a gate. This indicates two kinds of warfare we're all being involved in. Shutting the gate is defensive warfare, opening the gate is offensive warfare. So, we have defense and offense, shutting gate, opening gate. This is indicated in the language of Ephesians chapter 6. Shutting gate is in Ephesians 6:13, word says, "Stand firm, keep the gates shut." Defensive warfare, and then we have Ephesians 6:11, that says, "Stand against." Offensive warfare, "Stand against." That's offensive warfare. Now, let me give you pictures.
We're having the European cup football match, another football illustration for the ladies conference, sorry ladies, you shouldn't have asked a man to come and speak. The picture of stand firm is the goal keeper in football or hockey. When the game begins, the score is 0-0, but that's not satisfying to you. You want 0 to be in the scoreboard at the end of the game. So you choose one of your best players, he's got really good reflexes, and really long arms to be the goal keeper, and what is the goal keeper's job? Stand firm and to fend off every attempt of the opponent to score, to fend off every attempt of the opponent to score. Everybody say attempt.
The devil was defeated at the cross and when you came away from the cross there was 0 against you. You were delivered from the powers of darkness. You were cleansed from sin. You were a new creature in Christ, but that's not enough, you want the 0 to stay on the scoreboard against you. So you have to stand firm and fend off every attempt. That's defensive warfare, shutting gates. Offensive warfare, standing against is pictured by a door that has a bar across it. Sometimes you have a door that has a bar across it to unlatch it. So how do you open that door? I had to be flown in here to teach you how to open that door. You put both hands on the bar and then you get some offensive hip action, offensive hip action. You have to stand against it because if you sit there on that side of the door and say, "Lord, if it be Your will. If it's Your will that I get on the other side of the door, I know that in Your time and in Your way You'll get me there." You will grow old on this side of the door because you have to push against it and we have to take offensive warfare.
The devil was defeated at the cross and when you came away from the cross there was 0 against you. You were delivered from the powers of darkness. You were cleansed from sin. You were a new creature in Christ, but that's not enough, you want the 0 to stay on the scoreboard against you. So you have to stand firm and fend off every attempt. That's defensive warfare, shutting gates. Offensive warfare, standing against is pictured by a door that has a bar across it. Sometimes you have a door that has a bar across it to unlatch it. So how do you open that door? I had to be flown in here to teach you how to open that door. You put both hands on the bar and then you get some offensive hip action, offensive hip action. You have to stand against it because if you sit there on that side of the door and say, "Lord, if it be Your will. If it's Your will that I get on the other side of the door, I know that in Your time and in Your way You'll get me there." You will grow old on this side of the door because you have to push against it and we have to take offensive warfare.
Now, defensive warfare has to do with you in your personal victory. Offensive warfare is for the society, for Afghanistan, for the decisions made by the government. So defensive warfare for me, offensive warfare for society. Let's talk first of all about defensive warfare. Where are the places that the devil tries to get in? In your personal victory, shutting gates has to do with your personal victory, and where are these gates? We need to know where to focus otherwise, our prayers are just bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Where are the doors the devil seeks access to you? Doors you need to keep shut?
#1. Is your mind, your thinking.
This is a major battleground. That's why it is so sad that some people think spiritual warfare is only deliverance. When I go teach on spiritual warfare, all the theologians wants to know one thing, "What is your view on demons having Christians?" Or Christians having demons, "We want to know your opinion. Can a Christian have a demon?" That is not the big thing in spiritual warfare because most people do not have a demon. Most of the people in this room does not have a demon. So what are you doing in a spiritual warfare conference? Because that's not the big thing in spiritual warfare. So, when people say to me, "Can a Christian have a demon?" My first answer is, "Most Christians don't need a demon." Why should the devil waste a demon on you when he can totally control you with your thinking? So quite worrying about who has a demon and how to cast it out.
That's a small part of spiritual warfare. Let me give you an example, how many of you have heard of an eating disorder called, anorexia? Here's a person who looks at the scales and looks at the mirror and they both say, "You are about to die." But their minds say, "You are overweight, you are unattractive. You are unacceptable." And they take the testimony of their mind in other the testimony of the scales and mirror. Now tell me that your mind cannot control you and some of them literally die because they believe this more than what they can see. Does that person have a demon? Probably not. Do they need deliverance? Probably not. Are they in bondage? Yes, absolutely because not all bondages are demons.
#1. Is your mind, your thinking.
This is a major battleground. That's why it is so sad that some people think spiritual warfare is only deliverance. When I go teach on spiritual warfare, all the theologians wants to know one thing, "What is your view on demons having Christians?" Or Christians having demons, "We want to know your opinion. Can a Christian have a demon?" That is not the big thing in spiritual warfare because most people do not have a demon. Most of the people in this room does not have a demon. So what are you doing in a spiritual warfare conference? Because that's not the big thing in spiritual warfare. So, when people say to me, "Can a Christian have a demon?" My first answer is, "Most Christians don't need a demon." Why should the devil waste a demon on you when he can totally control you with your thinking? So quite worrying about who has a demon and how to cast it out.
That's a small part of spiritual warfare. Let me give you an example, how many of you have heard of an eating disorder called, anorexia? Here's a person who looks at the scales and looks at the mirror and they both say, "You are about to die." But their minds say, "You are overweight, you are unattractive. You are unacceptable." And they take the testimony of their mind in other the testimony of the scales and mirror. Now tell me that your mind cannot control you and some of them literally die because they believe this more than what they can see. Does that person have a demon? Probably not. Do they need deliverance? Probably not. Are they in bondage? Yes, absolutely because not all bondages are demons.
You can be bound by the way you think. So the devil loves to put thoughts in your mind. You are stupid, you are ugly, and you are unacceptable, and nobody loves you. Where do you think thoughts like that come from? That's spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is learning to analyze your thinking, analyze your thinking. Where do these thoughts come from? Do these thoughts agree with God? DO these thoughts agree with the word of God? Is this God's opinion? Analyze your thinking. That's spiritual warfare and in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 3-5, it says, "Even though we walk in the world, we do not war with the world's weapons." Which means in this context, we don't think the world's thoughts, but our weapons are mighty through God to the pulling down of stronghold.
We cast down imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of truth, and we bring captive of every thought. How would you say that today? Take captive every thought, you would say it in today's language, analyze your thinking. Where did this thought come from? Should this thought be in a Christian mind? And you need to cast it out. That's spiritual warfare, you are to renew your mind everyday. You don't have a demon, you're in bondage because you're thinking wrong, so you need to do spiritual warfare.
#2. The second gate is your heart. Your heart.
What is the heart? Attitudes, negative emotions and actions. It matters what kind of attitude you have because Proverbs 4:23 says, (Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.) "Keep your heart carefully, diligently." Keep your heart, watch your attitudes. Careful, careful, careful, careful, careful with your heart and we are not careful. Christians are very careful about sins of activity, they are not very careful about the sins of the heart, and the reason why that is so serious is because of four very frightening scriptures in the New Testament.
1. Ephesians 4:26-27
2. 2 Corinthians 2:11
We cast down imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of truth, and we bring captive of every thought. How would you say that today? Take captive every thought, you would say it in today's language, analyze your thinking. Where did this thought come from? Should this thought be in a Christian mind? And you need to cast it out. That's spiritual warfare, you are to renew your mind everyday. You don't have a demon, you're in bondage because you're thinking wrong, so you need to do spiritual warfare.
#2. The second gate is your heart. Your heart.
What is the heart? Attitudes, negative emotions and actions. It matters what kind of attitude you have because Proverbs 4:23 says, (Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.) "Keep your heart carefully, diligently." Keep your heart, watch your attitudes. Careful, careful, careful, careful, careful with your heart and we are not careful. Christians are very careful about sins of activity, they are not very careful about the sins of the heart, and the reason why that is so serious is because of four very frightening scriptures in the New Testament.
1. Ephesians 4:26-27
2. 2 Corinthians 2:11
3. 1Peter 5:6-9
4. 2 Timothy 2:26
Now, if you have a highlighter, or if you underline things, this is what you should underline because these four scriptures are very important understandings in the New Testament on spiritual warfare. So make a big circle around these because they're very important. They're very important. Now, what do these scriptures say? You don't need to look them up now because I'm going to tell you what they say. These scriptures say, "Do not inplace to the devil. Do not give the devil opportunity. Do not give the devil a foothold. Don't give place, don't give opportunity, don't give a foothold"
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