THERE IS NO BATTLE THAT IS KNOWN TO MAN THAT IS AS FIERCE AS THE BATTLE OF THE ENEMY AGAINST OUR SANCTIFICATION
IN EVERY BATTLE, IT IS MILITARY INTELLIGENCE THAT USUALLY WINS THE BATTLE
ONE OF THE END TIME AGENDAS OF THE DEVIL IS DECEPTION AND THAT IS THE CORE OF HIS TASK
KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THE ENEMY THAT IS CONTENDING WITH YOU IS VITAL TO WINNING THE VICTORY
WE MUST STAND FOR THE TRUTH OF THE WORD IN THIS WORLD OF CORRUPTION BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A SEASON WHERE WE SEE STRONG DELUSIONS BY THE SPIRIT OF DECEPTION
WHAT IS RIGHT WILL NEVER BE WRONG AND WHAT IS WRONG WILL NEVER BE RIGHT
WE MUST LEARN WHAT TO LEARN AND WHAT TO RUN AWAY FROM
NOT EVERY KNOWLEDGE IS PROFITABLE
DECEPTION IS THE ENEMY’S DOORWAY INTO ENTRAPMENT OF THE DESTINY OF THE BELIEVER
EVERY SPIRITUAL VIRTUE GOES IN THE DIRECTION OF THE HUMAN THIRST
THE STANDARD OF GOD COVERS EVERY DEPARTMENT OF LIFE
- Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr || PUTTING UP A FIGHT AGAINST THE FORCES OF UNGODLINESS Part 4 ||Midweek Communion Service|| Canaanland, Ota || November 23rd 2022||
Hallelujah, lift your hands to Heaven tonight and and let’s give glory to God from the depth of our hearts, appreciate Him for the privilege of being in His presence this evening. Give Him the praise, the glory, the honour, the adoration. Celebrate Him, He is worthy of all the praise, glorify His Holy name, faithful God, glorious Father, worthy of praise, worthy of glory, celebrate Him right now from the depth of your heart, thank Him for the privilege and blessing of being His presence, thank for the answers that He has granted to your prayers and my prayers, appreciate Him from the depth of your heart, for the awesome manifestation of His power in our midst, the evidence is in the testimonies that we continue to hear. Church Gist. Father, we give You the praise and now tonight begin to ask Him to speak to you, LORD I have come here for an encounter, I have come here for an encounter, grant me light from Heaven tonight, let Your Word come in my direction, let it transform my life, let it set me free from shackle of the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ. Father, we say thank You and blessed be Your holy name in Jesus precious name, we have prayed.
Our Father, tonight we have come to give You the praise and glory for the privilege and honour of being in Your presence, thank You LORD for the answers You have granted to our prayers, thank You LORD for the testimonies of Your hand at work in our midst and tonight our eyes are fixed upon you. We ask of You tonight that You will send Your Word in our direction and let Your Word transform each one of our lives. None of us will depart the way we came in tonight. Thank You Father for it in Jesus precious name we have prayed. Somebody believe say a loud Amen! Church Gist. Give Jesus a big hand of praise and please you may be seated in His presence.
Praise the LORD, I am more than a conqueror. Congratulations, Amen and Amen.
Our teaching series for our midweek service all through this month has been ” PUTTING UP A FIGHT AGAINST THE FORCES OF UNGODLINESS “. Putting up a fight against the forces of ungodliness and it’s important that we are reminded that our contention against sin is described in Scriptures as a warfare. Romans 7:23. So our contention against sin is described in Scriptures as a warfare. Church Gist. In fact as we have seen, it is the fiercest of all battles known to man. Hebrews 12:4. There is no battle that is known to man that is as fierce as the battle of the enemy against our sanctification. Revelation 12:17. So the enemy is continuously seeking to war against our stand of sanctification. 1 Peter 5:8. But the goodnews is that he will not find you and I because each of us shall be victorious in the name of Jesus. This battle is such that the enemy deploys specific forces to contend against the saints. Ephesians 6:12. Church Gist. So, we are in a spiritual contention where the enemy is going to utilise all kinds of forces and what we have been trying to do in the course of this month is to identify those forces because in every battle, it is military intelligence that usually wins the battle. Knowing and understanding the enemy that is contending with you is vital to winning the victory and I know that for each one of us, in this particular month, whatever has been contending with our sanctification shall be defeated permanently in the name of Jesus Christ. Church Gist. This will be your month and my month of complete and total liberty.
So tonight, what are some of the evil spirits, the forces that the enemy deploys to push the people of God into sin? What are some of the evil spirits behind sin?
Tonight we are going to look at two of them in particular and the first is the spirit of deception.
- The spirit of deception. Revelation 12:9. So one of the end time agendas of the devil is deception and that is the core of his task. Deception is this act where the enemy seeks to misguide the hearts of men and to believe a lie as truth and that is what we see in our world and age. Church Gist. 2 Thessalonians 2:11 and that’s what we see in our day and age, things that are clearly lies of the devil being accepted as truth. The world being brought under strong delusions and that has brought many into unusual confusions even the things that nature teaches us as true, the things that are clear to be truth, people are now confused about them. You find a person born as a man but claim to feel as a woman. That is strong delusion, unusual deception, that is the day and age in which we live today where the enemy seeks to make people live lies as truth. Isaiah 44:20-21. Church Gist. That is, something in his right hand is a lie but he can’t even see it, he can’t even say it. There is unique and strange delusions that we see in our day and in our age. 2 Timothy 3:13. They will be deceiving; agents of deception and in the process they themselves being deceived. That is the day and age in which we live today. There is a strong operation of the spirit of delusion in the present generation and that’s why it becomes vital for you and I to understand that we must stand for the truth of the Word in this world of corruption because we live in a season where we see strong delusions by the spirit of deception. Church Gist. But I believe God tonight, that whatever area of our lives where the spirit of deception may have been at work, tonight will mark our night of liberty! Somebody believe God say a loud Amen. I say tonight will mark our night of liberty!
It’s important for us to understand that the standard of God never changes no matter the opinions of man. What is right will never be wrong and what is wrong will never be right. Church Gist. It is important to understand that as far as God is concerned, His foundation is unshakable and that foundation stands on this seal that everyone that names the name of God depart from inquity. 2 Timothy 2:19. It’s vital for us to understand that God’s position will never be shifted no matter how many men’s convictions claim to shift and that is why each one of us maintains the position of the Word unshakably. We must stand firm on what the Word of God declares. Don’t we live in an age and day today where people begin to say that “what you do doesn’t matter, once you are in Christ you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” so you can live anyhow and claim to make it to eternity, that is, making men’s heart to believe a lie. Church Gist. Some years ago, I was privileged to be teaching in our WOFBI class and I began to share from the book of Jude, from verse 3 all the way down to verse 5 about how lasciviousness will come and many individuals will begin to use the grace of God as a reason for lasciviousness and it will bring about all kinds of destructions and a young man ran after me, after the class concluded and he told me “Pastor please pray for me” and I say “What is it? What is the issue?” and he told me how that he came across a book and he read the book and the book began to talk about how the grace of God is available and what you do does not matter and from that time he entered into a strange bondage of immorality, by reason of reading a book that was loaded with the spirit of deception.
Not every knowledge is profitable. We must learn what to learn and what to run away from. The Word of God makes it very clear that in the end times people will begin to heap into themselves teachers and the purpose of heaping themselves these teachers is because they want to do the things that are pleasurable to them. Church Gist. The Bible says they would begin to suffer from what He calls itching ears, they would resist sound doctrine, they will go for the doctrine of convenience and enter into confusion. But I pray tonight that by this encounter that we are having in His presence, every hold of the spirit of deception is broken over our lives in the name of Jesus! Somebody believe it say a loud Amen. I say somebody believe it say a loud Amen! Church Gist. We must understand that deception is the enemy’s doorway into entrapment of the destiny of the believer. It’s the enemy’s doorway.
When you want to catch an animal, you give it what it likes and pull it into the trap, draw it into the trap, he sees food inside the cage, he doesn’t see the walls of the cage, he just sees the food in the cage, he enters into the cage and as soon as he perks on the food, the cage door shuts him in. Church Gist. It’s a doorway to entrapment but I pray for each one of us again tonight, myself included that whatever represents any spirit of deception, any strong delusion, moving us away from the truth by the encounter of tonight that hold is broken over our lives.
- The spirit of rebellion.
The spirit of rebellion, the spirit of rebellion. Luke 22:3. He was one of the twelve but satan entered into him and that entry brought about a rebellion that took him to destruction. Numbers 16:1-3/30-32. The target of the enemy with rebellion is to being men to destruction. Church Gist. But I pray tonight, that whatever seems to be a motion of the spirit of rebellion by the encounter of tonight that siege over our lives is broken in the name of Jesus.
Now, very quickly what are the Biblical steps that you and I must take towards living a sanctified life? What are the Biblical steps that we must take into living a sanctified life?
- We must maintain a thirst for righteousness. Matthew 5:6. According to scriptures, we are made to understand that every spiritual virtue goes in the direction of human thirst. Church Gist. Every spiritual virtue goes in the direction of human thirst. The moment our thirst is suspended, our access is lost. If we intend to be empowered to live a sanctified life, not only must we become thirsty, we must remain thirsty. We must remain thirsty. It’s important for us to understand that when it comes to things of the spirit and virtues of the Spirit, our appetite should be insatiable. Our appetite should be insatiable. What do I mean? Continue to hunger more and more for greater and greater dimensions of righteousness. We may be walking in some dimension of the truth but keep pressing more and more. Colossians 4:12. Not missing it in any area and the prayer is not a once and for all prayer, it’s praying continuously, labouring fervently always for you, praying consistently. So there is a demand for us to have an insatiable hunger, an insatiable thirst for righteousness and why is it important that this thirst is insatiable? Because the standard of God for righteousness covers every department of life. Somebody would say ” oh but I don’t commit fornication, I don’t commit adultery, I don’t steal, I don’t lie but like we heard on Sunday, is there a sin of pride in the heart? Church Gist. There are many departments of life and the standard of God for sanctification covers every area of life. Every department of life, there is no part that is not touched. Oh yes! You have not looked lustfully on any individual but have you hidden bitterness in the heart? Hebrews 4:12-13. It covers every department of life, every department of life.
This is so critical. So, the standard of God requires that the passion of man is never satisfied in pressing towards reaching his goal of righteousness. This is vital and very important and that is why we must continue to maintain a hunger, we must sustain a thirst because it’s in the direction of our hunger and thirst that God pours out His empowerment and His ability. Isaiah 44:3-4. So the empowerment of God comes in the direction of the hunger and thirst of the individual. Church Gist. So, as our hearts begin to drive and hunger after Him, there is a continuous release of empowerment in our direction. We must have a cry in our hearts and that cry is to please Him, that cry is to meet His requirements, that cry is to consistently push in His direction. 1 Corinthians 4:5.
So don’t praise yourself, search yourself. 2 Corinthians 13:5. So the word of God gives us a responsibility instead of examining everybody’s Christianity let us check our own. Instead of being busybodies in other people’s matters, let us check our own. Search our hearts. We engage an introspective approach in checking our hearts so that our hunger to please Him will continuously be there. God’s servant, our father said on Sunday that “it is possible to be humble and become proud of your humility. That’s you are so humble and everybody is saying “such a humble man” and inside of you, you begin to agree that you are such a humble man. Church Gist. So while the disposition is a disposition of humility, it has become an outward performance to secure human commendation and in the process of that, it has secured divine rejection. God resists the proud and gives more grace to the humble. You and I must ensure we maintain a taste. That is why when any man commends you for any virtue that they see in you, quickly go back to God “Lord thank you, but Lord I receive grace for more”. There is a need for more. We must continuously press in, be hungry and be desperate to continuously please Him. This is so important and I pray that for every one of us the grace to do this will be made available for us in the name of Jesus Christ.
You look at Jesus, Jesus lived for a purpose alone, to fulfill the will of the Father, whether convenient or inconvenient. That is why when he got to the Garden of Gethsemane, he said there in prayer “Lord if you are willing let this cup pass away. Nevertheless not my will but let it be your own will that is done”. Luke 22:42. Not my will, it shouldn’t be according to what I desire, I am not here for me. I am here for you. My hunger is to please you, my hunger is to fulfil your pleasure. We see the picture of that given to you and me as a pattern in scriptures. Philippians 2:5-11. That was the most gruesome kind of death that could ever be imagined. The Bible says he was so beaten to the point that he did not look like a human being. He was beaten beyond recognition. Some years ago a movie came out called the Passion of Christ where the sacrifice of Jesus was depicted. I saw people who were years old in the faith weeping and wailing watching that movie but as bad as it was, it was less than the reality. He paid a gruesome price. Church Gist. Do you know what it means for a man to be beaten and when they look at him, he doesn’t look like a human being again? Shattered and beaten unusually and all of that was in obedience. The glorification had its root in obedience unto God, lining up with the will of God “not my will but your will be done”. Not my desire but your pleasure be fulfilled, that was the hunger of Jesus. John 8:29. I always do the things that please Him. His pleasure is my pleasure, His desire is my desire, what He commands is my pursuit. His instruction is my direction. That is what it means for an individual to genuinely hunger after righteousness. I pray for each one tonight that an insatiable hunger to please God at every point in time will be quickened in us.
- We must engage the sanctification ministry of the Holy Spirit.
If we want to enjoy a sanctified life, we must engage the sanctification ministry of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:11. The word of God makes us understand that the Holy Spirit is a sanctifying agent. I like us to see from scriptures, the various dimensions of His sanctification ministry. From scripture, we discover that the Holy Spirit is described as:
(i.) The refiner’s fire that burns off every impurity in us (Malachi 3:3).
His purpose is to consume the impurities that are in us. The only answer to extracting the value of gold is to pass it through fire. The purpose of the fire is to extract the impurities and enhance the value. That is the task of the Holy Ghost. On the day of Pentecost when He came suddenly upon the people of God in Acts 2. Acts 2:4. There rested upon every one of them cloven tongues as of fire. Church Gist. So He came upon them as fire. The purpose of the fire among others was to cleanse, to purify, to sanctify. In other words, there are things in us that are not to be modified, there are things to be burned off. That is how He sanctifies us, He burns off those things. Evil desires are burnt off. Motions of the flesh are burnt off. He burns them off. So we engage Him as the refiner’s fire that burns off every hold of iniquity.
(ii.). He is described as the mortifying agent that crucified the weakness of the flesh.
Romans 8:13. So the Holy Spirit is the mortifying agent that helps us to fortify the various motions and inclinations of the flesh. There are things that human beings are many times predisposed to. James 1:13-14. Every man is drawn away according to his own lust. There is something inside the flesh pushing him towards it. James 1:15. Church Gist. There is something inside of man that seems to be pushing man continuously. Romans 7 describes it very clearly – “ Who will deliver me from this body of death?”. It is pushing people towards spiritual death. But that thing can be crucified by the spirit. So we can engage the Holy Spirit to mortify the flesh.
(iii). He is also the Spirit of life that helps us walk free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2. So the Spirit of life quickens us, makes us walk in the reality of the sanctified life that God has ordained for us. So as we engage the Holy Spirit, He burns off impurities, He crucifies the motions of the flesh, He animates us to find pleasure in pleasing God. I see grace coming on us by the power of the Holy Ghost.
We engage Him through prayer. Luke 11:13. Holy Spirit come as the refiner’s fire, burn off every impurity in me. Come as the agent of mortification and crucify the motions of flesh in me, Holy Spirit come as the Spirit of life and animate me in pleasing you. Philippians 2:13.
It is important that we understand that one of the channels that we engage in is praying in the Holy Ghost. Why? It is mystery against mystery. 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 1 Corinthians 14:2. When the mystery of iniquity is infringing on you, you can engage the mystery of speaking in tongues. Mystery against mystery, the higher one cancels the lower one. Because the language is from God, it is a language from above and in the world of the spirit, words are warring weapons. When we speak words in the language of the spirit. We are sending weapons, warring weapons. Revelation said there came out a sword out of His mouth and the word of God is the sword of the spirit. When we speak in an unknown tongue we are releasing weapons that cancel the infringement of the mystery of iniquity. Church Gist. Some years ago, God’s servant shared this testimony of how that he was walking in Kaduna from the office to the WOFBI area and somebody was walking with him, he just turned all of a sudden and began to blast in the spirit. The person must have been alarmed and he said “don’t worry I was just dealing with some devils”. It is the language we use to discomfit the enemy. Don’t wait till he comes near, in warfare they have what you call ‘warning shots’. You shoot it to announce to the enemy that there is danger in the atmosphere. When you make such an announcement, the enemy takes cover. For somebody tonight every attempt of the enemy to infringe on your walk with Christ, as you begin to engage the language of the Spirit I see them subdued supernaturally.
Therefore we must be ready to take spiritual responsibility in dealing with these spirits. Don’t wait, take responsibility. Hunger for righteousness, Engage your inner man and as you do so you begin to see the help of the Spirit enabling you for total victory.
It is important to note as we conclude tonight that no matter what our calling or election may be, anyone that will not repent will not gain access to forgiveness. Repentance is the only access to forgiveness. Church Gist. Eli was a great priest called by God but he never repented and as a result of that he fell victim. None of us will fall victim in the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore each one of us has a responsibility to stand for righteousness, engaging the forces of the Spirit at our disposal. Wherever anyone has made an error, there is nothing God can’t forgive but He will not forgive until we repent.
Lift your hand to heaven and give God thanks for His word that has come our way tonight.
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