THE DIMENSION OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS GOING TO INCREASE IN THE NATION BUT
ESPECIALLY IN THE BLACK COUNTRY. THE OXEN IS BEING PREPARED BUT ITS NOT
GOING TO HAPPEN WITHOUT THE ENEMY TRYING TO STOP IT.
In Birmingham 115 leaders met together some years back, then beachhead that
was established was blown away again and again. Most beachheads are lost
before there is breakthrough. WE EITHER GIVE SPIRITUAL WARFARE TOO MUCH
ATTENTION OR NOT ENOUGH-THE WEST IS MORE SHY OR SCARED OF THE DEMONIC. We
are entering into a new season of Spiritual Warfare. Spiritual Warfare is
both Corporate and Militant.
In the West we have tended to know only a personal defensive warfare Eph 6.
Oxen is about taking ground. INVADING SOMEONE ELSES TERRITORY When Jesus
was thrust out into the wilderness(BY THE HOLY SPIRIT) He invaded Satan’s
territory. The desert was seen as the domain of satan. Jesus overcame satan
and came out of the wilderness in the power of the Holy Spirit. He took the
presence and the power of the Spirit. YOU CAN ONLY GET TO THE POWER OF THE
SPIRIT BY OVERCOMING THE EVIL ONE We gain power by overcoming the evil one.
We can only gain the power of the Spirit by overcoming the evil one. 1John 2
The Black Country is moving forward and putting down a gauntlet that the
enemy will pick up. Peter 5 vs 6-8. FIRST STAGE OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS TO
HUMBLE OURSELVES UNDER GODS HAND He is a prowling lion. We need to be sober
and vigilant.
Satan is a liar and he works through deception, but he uses a bait of some
truth. There will be deception. The bait will have some truth. Jesus
silenced the demons – He never accepted testimony from the devil. Never
accept truth apart from the Spirit of Truth. The source is more important
than by what is said. The Truth of Jesus brings liberty.
Temptation is from within and without (from our own desires). Resist the
enemy outwardly and resist the enemy inwardly (woundedness etc) go against
inward inclination; this is a form of suffering, dying to self. Die to self
by suffering. Temptation inward and outward.
Accusation There’s always a basis of truth, used to produce (can create)
anxiety and insecurity and loss of confidence in the knowledge of God.
ROMANS 8 JESUS NEVER ACCUSES US. ONCE SOMETHING IS UNDER JESUS BLOOD IT IS
FINISHED We need to learn how to put things under the blood of Jesus. HE
ACCUSES US BEFORE GOD AND GOD BEFORE US AND OTHERS BEFORE OTHERS.
Rom 8 Who will accuse us? Jesus never comes to accuse us.
Strongholds are hidden Root Bondages and Prevailing Bondages. 2 Corinthians
10:3-6. Deal with the root that brings bondage. THEY ARE HIDDEN AND ARE
LIKE HIDDEN MINES AND THEY LIE THERE UNTIL YOU TRY TO MOVE FORWARD AND THEY
BLOW UP In every move forward where a battle is fought, God goes before.
All strongholds revolve around a lie. Lies are fed into my wounds, traumas,
rejection, pride, fear. The enemy sows a lie, which makes sense of my
experience and I agree with it. The enemy gives me a lie, which is a brick
and I agree with it, adding the cement – the result is I build a wall or
stronghold. THEY BUILD UP OVER TIME BECAUSE THE LIE ATTRACTS THE SAME
EXPERIENCE THAT THEY ARE BUILT ON AGAIN AND AGAIN.
wounds traumas
\ /
lies – fear
/ \
rejection pride
The lies make sense of our woundedness, then I agree with it. Lies attract
the same experience they are built on; e.g. the abused, attract abusers.
Judgements I give out of my woundedness are what I receive. Power of the
stronghold is in its hiddenness. Strongholds are built through time and are
demolished through time. We must confess our sins; we need to renew our
minds. We must take captive every thought. Strongholds are built by
believing a lie repetitively – it is broken by believing the truth
repetitively. Strongholds are brought down by the truth. We need to walk it
out. We have to become responsible for our freedom. Strongholds,
impregnation of hopelessness in our minds – we’ve given up on something.
Ed Silvosa ” Strongholds are an impregnation of hopelessness in our minds
that causes us to accfept something as unchangeable that we know is contrary
to Gods will.”
Offences Anger and woundedness repeat patterns. We keep going around the
same lie endlessly – this is only broken by truth.
Israel came out of the wilderness with a wounded spirit that is why they
kept on complaining. Lie only gets broken by truth.
The thing that will break unity – is when we take offence. We will be
offended in our mind many times, but we must not let it go into our heart,
or we will attract the same experience again and again. God sometimes allows
us to be offended to reveal our hearts. When we take an offence and hold it
we need to deal with it. Hebrews – straight paths for feet. We need to
walk the straight way in order to be healed. Not let it go beyond our mind
into our heart. Strongholds in the church reflect strongholds in the
community. Work it through in self first. We need the heart set free to
renew the mind.
Sometimes the enemy blows up a stronghold, to cause problems – see that no
offence is taken. Causes for taking offence will multiply, but we must not
let them go to our hearts.
The enemy is going to start targeting the Black Country. When the church
deals with the strongholds, they will work out their salvation and become
salvation for others.
Illustration – In Uganda there were strongholds – Idi Amin, other dictator
governments, AIDS epidemic etc. The church prayed and the stronghold was
brought down, but because the root hadn’t been dealt with another stronghold
followed on. When they had revelation that the root was in the 19th Century
one of the Kings asked for missionaries to be sent to Uganda to bring the
Gospel. They were delayed and when they finally arrived the King’s son was
ruling and killed all the missionaries, hence bloodguilt on the land. This
needed to be prayed into to kill off the root to stop subsequent strongholds
forming.
