“There is no person walking this earth more powerful than a child of God boldly and properly trusting the promise of the living God!” (www.enduringword.com/bible commentary/Isaiah 30:15, © Copyright 2018 David Guzik)

One of the key principles of inner healing ministry is learning to appreciate and fully embrace the authority we have as believers. It is in recognizing, accepting and exercising this authority that we can walk in the confidence and the ability to prevail against whatever obstacles the enemy has planted in a person, so that they may be set free.

What, then, is the authority we have as a believer?

Genesis 1:26 – Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

 “When God created man, He gave man authority to have dominion over everything on earth, but when man sinned, he gave this authority to satan. When man's authority was transferred to satan, satan brought in diseases, poverty, strife, bitterness, pain, loss and death. He messed up everything on earth for man.
“It was a man who gave away his authority to satan, so it had to be a man who would legally take it back. By His death on the cross, Jesus righteously restored all that man had lost. That is why, just before He went back to heaven, He said, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…’ (Matthew 28:18)

“Those words tell us that He has transferred His authority to us. The same authority that He had over the storm, evil spirits, sicknesses, diseases and even death is now ours to use. The authority which has been restored to us is not just the authority on earth which man had before the fall, but Jesus’ unquestionable and complete authority in heaven and on earth!”(www.josephprince.org, © Copyright Joseph Prince, 2008–2019)

What an incredible level of authority has been conferred upon on us by our Heavenly Commander! The authority we have received is purposely linked to our destiny. We were intended to rule over all the created order and the assignment we have received requires us to fully appropriate the authority we have been given. That is the only way we will be able to achieve our destiny.

1 John 4:17 (KJV) – As He is, so are we in this world.
 
Isaiah 61:1-2 – He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners, and comfort all who mourn.
 
That is our assignment while we live in this earthly realm; and the authority we have received is exactly the level necessary for us to complete our assignment. Our authority has to be greater than all the demonic forces combined, in order for us to fulfill our commission. God knows exactly what He is doing!
 
Luke 12:48 (NLT) – When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

With authority comes responsibility and accountability. Since we have been given this greater level of authority, we are responsible for not only walking in that authority, but also how we operate in it; and we are accountable for every result – both negative and positive. We are to use this authority to bring glory to God as we work alongside the Holy Spirit to accomplish all that God has given us to do.
 
Why do you think Jesus delegated this level of authority to us, His church?
 
Ephesians 3:10 – His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

By giving us, His church, this level of authority, His intent was that the wisdom of God should be revealed to the unseen realm, both the angelic and the demonic.

“God is a being of infinite wisdom and glory; and He wants His creatures to know His great and manifold wisdom. One purpose in His great plan of the ages is to reveal this wisdom. God does this for the glory of His creatures, because the glory of the creature is directly connected to the glory of the Creator.  God will reveal his wisdom by His work in the church; and He will reveal it to angelic beings (principalities and powers). This reminds us that we are called for something far greater than our own individual salvation and sanctification. We are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe a lesson, and a beautiful lesson it is.”(www.enduringword.com/bible commentary/Ephesians 3, © Copyright 2018 David Guzik)
 
The authority we have received is purposely linked to our identity. We were made in the image of God. The word “image” means “representative figure”. When we received Christ (Colossians 2:6), we were clothed in Christ (Galations 3:27) and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us (Galations 2:20). Jesus has all authority and we know how He used His authority while He was here on earth: He healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead. This is now our identity; this is who we are.
 
This is what we are here for! We have been called. We have been chosen. We have been trained, equipped and armed for battle. We are God’s army on the earth fighting alongside the heavenly host against the spiritual forces of this dark world. This is how we are known in heaven.
 
John 15:16 – You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Ephesians 2:6 – And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 4:1 – After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Jeremiah 33:3 – Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

God is saying to every one of us who have received His grace and the eternal life we now have in Jesus:
“You have been chosen to be a bearer of My glory. This is how the angels see you. This is how you are known in heaven. This is your identity in Christ. Your identity is therefore linked to authority, because I have given all authority to Jesus, so that you will have all you need to accomplish My purposes, for I am sending you as My representative in the earth.  And not only have I given you authority in the earthly realm, but I have also placed you in the heavenly realms and seated you in the place of honor at my right hand. Nothing in heaven or on the earth or under the earth can harm you. No weapon forged against you will be able to prevail. What I have promised you, I am faithful to deliver. I desire to include you in all of my plans; you will receive Divine strategies for battle. I am making great and unsearchable riches – wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, and knowledge available to you so that you always have everything you need to carry out the assignments I have given to you.”

God has invited us to partner with Him in the work of His Kingdom. He is inviting us to a relational experience of Him

• so that we grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man,
• so that we grow from glory to glory and faith to faith until we become spiritually mature and complete not lacking in anything,
• so that our spiritual senses become sharpened through constant practice,
• so that we may be about our Father’s business, seeing what He is doing, and then doing what we see Him doing.

And the gates of hell will not prevail against the church; they will fall as we boldly engage in the divine assignments we have been given. Such is the authority of the believer.

Have you ever thought of yourself in this way? Now that you know what God thinks about you and what He has planned for you, are you willing to partner with Him in walking in the authority you have been given, both on the earth as well as in heaven. Are you ready to leave the elementary teachings behind and go on to the greater works He has prepared in advance for you to accomplish? Are you ready to climb higher, dig deeper, and boldly go where only Jesus has gone before?

May the Lord grant you success in battle; may the Lord enable you to possess the gates of your enemies!
Be bold and courageous Mighty Warriors!

Linda
​
© 2019 Linda Sue Harper
 
 

​If you have studied the New Testament at length, you have noticed that the Apostle Paul uses a lot of military terminology to describe the believer’s assignment here on earth. Have you ever wondered why he chose military terminology to describe our walk of faith?
 
I attend a weekly Bible study where we are studying Genesis from the vantage point of the original Hebrew language. I want to call your attention to the following verse:
 
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. (Genesis 2:1, ESV)
Have you ever really looked at this verse, or did you do what I have done all these years – just skim over it and go on to the seventh day?  Because of this Bible study which is being taught by two scientists who are also Biblical scholars, one of whom has studied both Hebrew and Greek, and both of whom are PhDs, I am seeing God’s work of creation in a whole new light.
In this verse, what does “the host of them” refer to?  Is it referring back to the heavens and the earth or to something else? The Hebrew word translated as “the host of them” is tsaba and it means “an organized body of angels (host) trained for war”. (Strong’s 6635)
I want you to get this. God has just finished his work of creation and now He is telling us that an integral part of His creation is an army! Why, you might ask, is God talking about an army here in Genesis 2:1? He just set everything in place and in motion, called it good, and before He rests from all His work, He tells us that His creation includes a standing army. What is the purpose of this army? Why do we need an army? We are not at war, are we?
The purpose of this army is to guard the creation – sun, moon, stars, heavens, atmospheres, earth, land, seas, fish, birds, animals and man. All that God created was so valuable to Him that He set tsaba, an organized body of angels (host) trained for war, in place to watch over His creation to keep it safe. Why was that necessary? Isn’t God able to do that for us? And from what or whom was the creation to be protected?
All this establishes the principle that God’s love for His creation – and the highest form of His creation is man – includes God’s protection of His creation. That is why God set all sorts of boundaries in place as protective coverings over every phase of His creation – including mankind, and now He tells us He has also raised up an army to stand watch!  What an awesome God we serve!
In my previous blog, I introduced you to the “who” we are being protected from. His name is Satan. When God created everything, He did so with the full knowledge that an enemy was already planning his operations against all that matters to God. God established His army because He knew we would face an opposing army in this life on earth and we would need their help.
Why didn’t He just take care of this opposing army? After all, He is God and He is All-Powerful. I believe He did it because it mattered to Him that we be in relationship with Him, and that our character be fully formed through difficulty, conflict and testings so that we would be made strong and so that we would properly reflect His nature. He did this for you.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4, NIV)
The careful attention to order God demonstrated through the process of creation is replicated in the order in which He established His army. If you are familiar with earthly armies, you know what I am talking about. Everything about an army has to do with precision training, strategic assignments, and unflinching loyalty to the Commander in Chief. God’s army is such an army.
Satan cannot create; he can only copy; and everything he attempts to copy becomes corrupted because he doesn’t have the key. He doesn’t know the code. So all he can do is what we would call a reasonable facsimile thereof. Just as God set up His army in rank, territory and assignments, so also Satan has set up his army in rank, territory, and assignments.
Just as an earthly army has rank (generals to privates), territory (theaters of operation), and assignments (air force, navy, armored divisions, marines, foot soldiers, etc.), all of which allow for orderly and effective battle operations, so also the spirit realm is set up in the same way. We need to appropriate the truth that we presently live in a Kingdom realm with God as the Highest Authority, and that satan operates over the demonic realm as its highest authority. Literally, there are two armies (two kingdoms) drawn up against each other: satan and his forces (the kingdom of darkness) are opposing God and His Kingdom (the Kingdom of Light).
Who are the commanding officers of these spiritual forces in the kingdom of darkness? 
Ephesians 1:21 – all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given.
The rank, territory, and assignments of the demonic realm are clearly identified in this verse (as well as in Ephesians 6:12 and Colossians 2:15). Let’s look at what the words used to describe the spiritual forces of the demonic realm actually mean.

• Rule – The Greek word is arches and it means: what comes first and therefore is chief (first in order, first in time, first in place or first in rank); pre-eminent; holding dominions entrusted to them (Strong’s 746)
• Authority – The Greek word is exousias and it means: delegated empowerment; operating in a designated jurisdiction (Strong’s 1849)
• Power – The Greek word is dynameos and it means: physical power, ability to perform powerful deeds (Strong’s 1411)
• Dominion – The Greek word is kyriotetos and it means: a power exerting itself in a particular jurisdiction; government (Strong’s 2963)
• Title (Name) – The Greek word is onomatos and it means: authority, cause; the manifestation or revelation of someone’s character (Strong’s 3686)

The description of the spiritual forces against whom the Kingdom of God is arrayed fall into the three categories of rank, territory, and assignment. In the inner healing ministry, we refer to these demonic powers as:

• ancestrals (rulers) – correlates with rank
• territorials (authorities and dominion) – correlates with territory, and
• lifestyles (powers and names) – correlates with assignment

 
Ancestrals
Ancestral demons gain access to human beings at conception because of the iniquities that have been passed down through the bloodline. Ancestral demons transfer from generation to generation through the bloodline. Their goal is to steal the identity of the individual. The ancestral demon carries the name of the person’s bloodline and begins reprogramming in the womb. Lies are the weapon of choice. His goal is to thwart the God-given destiny of the child.
In the inner healing session, having completed our work of identifying and dealing with all the iniquities which were passed down through the bloodline, we bind all of the demonic influences that had access through those iniquities and blood link them (by the blood of Jesus) to the ancestral demon that carries the family name (because the ancestral is first in order, first in time, first in place and he holds the jurisdictions in his power), and then we send them all to the pit. In that way, we strategically cut off the head of the snake as well as the tail, and that stops all retaliation.
 
Territorials
Territorial demons have authority over regions, cities, and objects from certain places or people.  When a person travels, they may become influenced by a territorial demon through people they encounter, or through the culture, or through the acquisition of objects related to that culture. Many seemingly harmless trinkets purchased as souvenirs are actually linked to occultic practices and these objects are the tools used by this group of demons to gain access to unsuspecting travelers.
 
In the inner healing session, we identify these cultural influences and the effect they have had on the client. If the Holy Spirit so directs, the client will be advised to get rid of these objects, destroying them by fire, if possible. If the Holy Spirit does not direct the utter destruction of the objects, then the client may choose to submit those things to the Lord, and follow His guidance as to how to sanctify them. In that way, all influences of territorial demons may be cut off and have no further force or effect.
 
Lifestyles
Remember, our soul is the access point through which the demonic has influence. Lifestyle demons have authority -

• through offenses – unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, rage, murder;
• through traumatic events;
• through sexual encounters;
• through abortion – murder;
• through teachers, employers or people who were in authority over the individual that were abusive (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, or religious abuse);
• through drug-dealing, alcohol abuse, anger, lying.

In the inner healing ministry session, the effects of lifestyle demonic activity are the most frequent of the influences encountered because every one of us has engaged in or been victimized by at least one of these lifestyle choices. The curse of the illegitimate child, the presence of unclean spirits, and soul ties are just a few of the powerful and continuing effects that result from the activity of lifestyle demonic influences. Each one of these must be properly  dealt  with  so  that  the client  is free  from the bondage incurred through trauma, through their own sinful behavior, through victimization or through the iniquities passed down through their bloodline.
 
The Curse of the Illegitimate Child
Deuteronomy 23:2 (AMP) – A person begotten out of wedlock shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall his descendants not enter into the congregation of the Lord.
The child so conceived carries a curse which is then passed down for ten generations. Such a curse produces a pattern of behavior – the illegitimate child gives birth to another illegitimate child, and so on, the pattern often being repeated in multiple generations. Another pattern of behavior may be a resistance to anything connected with authority including the authority of God. The gatekeeper here is rejection.
The curse must be broken through forgiveness and repentance so that the effects of the curse may be declared null and void having no further force or effect on the bloodline.
Numbers 16:48 – He (Phinehas) stood (up) between the living and the dead (and intervened), and the plague stopped (was checked where he stood).
God has made His grace available to all who repent; and He has provided a loving way for the generational curse of the illegitimate child to be dealt with and broken once and for all. He offers us the opportunity to partner with Him in the process. When we do, the “plague” stops where we take our stand and agree with God.
 
Unclean Spirits
Unclean spirits are simply disembodied spirits. In the New Testament, the Greek pneuma is translated “spirit” and the modifier, akatharton means "impure, not purified." Commonly the unclean spirit refers to spirits of deceased persons who were not laid to rest.
A miscarriage or an abortion may result in removing the body of the baby from the womb, but often the spirit/soul of that baby remains in the womb until it is properly dealt with through the compassionate process of inner healing. If another pregnancy begins soon thereafter – without the intervention of inner healing, the second baby so conceived may absorb the spirit of the baby whose body was removed.
In the case of twins, where one twin dies in utero, the surviving twin may absorb the spirit of the deceased twin. If the sex of the baby that died or was removed through miscarriage or abortion is different from the sex of the succeeding or surviving baby, the result may be that sexual identity issues will manifest in the succeeding or surviving baby.
During an inner healing session, when the client’s interview reveals the possible presence of an unclean spirit, the facilitator and the client ask the Holy Spirit to allow the truth and the light of Jesus Christ to bring healing, forgive the trauma of the miscarriage or abortion or the death in utero that resulted in the unclean spirit, repent of any sin that may have been committed, and then release the unclean spirit back to God.
 
Soul Ties
Genesis 2:24 –a man (and by implication, a woman) will leave his (her) father and mother and be united to his wife (her husband), and they will become one flesh.
With every sexual encounter – whether consensual or forced, whether married or unmarried - a soul tie is created. A soul tie is not just created by the physical act of sex but also in the entwining of a part of our soul (mind, will and emotions) with a part of the other person’s soul. Any sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage (Genesis 2:24) is unholy and leaves both parties empty because there is no commitment and therefore, no intimacy. God’s intention was that there would be holiness, commitment and intimacy – which all define what a holy covenant is.
1 Corinthians 6:16 (NIV) – Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
The word translated “prostitute” is the Greek word porne which means any woman (or, by implication, any man) indulging in unlawful (outside of marriage) sexual intercourse, whether for gain or for lust. (Strong’s 4204)
1 Corinthians 6:16 (MSG) – There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.”
Soul ties may be created through a deep emotional attachment, even though the relationship is non-sexual in practice. A child who struggles with trust issues may develop such an attachment with one of his parents. A deep emotional attachment may also develop between siblings when one of the siblings sees themselves as responsible to protect another sibling who is weaker. When such emotional attachments result in restricting the person from living a lifestyle with normal relational development, those soul ties are unhealthy and they also need to be broken.
Soul ties may also be created through masturbation; the unhealthy attachment is to self. Self is the focus of all New Age teaching. Our bodies were created to “be fruitful and multiply” and “to be the living temple in whom the Spirit dwells”. Our bodies were created to give glory to God. Glorifying self opposes glorifying God.
The way we deal with soul ties is through forgiveness and cleansing – forgiving everyone who partnered with us by name (or forgiving ourselves if we are dealing with a soul tie created through masturbation); cutting every one of the soul ties created; and declaring the unholy covenant entered into with that individual is canceled, it is null and void, and has no further force or effect on us or on them. Then over each one who partnered with us we declare:
“I take back the part of my soul that entered into this person (by name).
 “I release back the part of that person’s (by name) soul that entered into me.”
(Source: McGinnis, Sylvia, Would You Believe? A Personal Guide to Inner Healing, Copyright © 2013, Restoration Ministries)
 
Gatekeepers
In addition to the three levels of the demonic realm previously described, there is a fourth level – that of guardian. We refer to that level as a gatekeeper. Gatekeepers are the guardians of the four gates of hell: Lies, Iniquities, Sin, and Trauma.  Their assignment is to keep the individual under their control through:

• fear
• rejection
• confusion
• anxiety
• intimidation
• pride
• unforgiveness

 
During the inner healing session, gatekeepers are also bound and removed from their duty post and placed in the holding cell with all the other demonic influences until such time as all of them are blood linked together with the ancestral demon that carries the family name and sent to the pit.
 
In addition to Ancestrals, Territorials, and Lifestyles, demonic access may also come through:
 

• the occult, spirit guides, freemasonry, New Age beliefs and practices;
• using horoscopes, tarot cards, magic 8 balls, or Ouija boards;
• visiting palm readers or practicing native or cultural religious rituals such as curandero, voo doo, or shamanism;  
• any beliefs that were acquired from studying or having any involvement, however brief, with any New Age teachings;
• self improvement programs – those that exalt the power of the individual mind apart from God;
• other religions, schools of psychology, or any occult source

There is often physical evidence that the client has engaged in one of these occultic practices. For example:

• New Age – chronic pressure around the head
• Witchcraft – usually a chronic stabbing pain in the back
• Witchcraft and voodoo – chronically ill with pains and dizziness and confusion

This does not mean that these symptoms always indicate occultic practices, but the facilitator is wise to ask the questions necessary to rule out the occultic involvement in the client’s life. Any involvement with any one of these must be renounced along with the declaration that only God is the true source of supernatural knowledge, provision and power and that He is the One True God.
 
The spiritual warfare we are engaged in while we live here on earth is real… 
1 John 4:4 – You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
but our enemy is not more powerful, better equipped, or in possession of a winning strategy. The reality is that the two powerful forces – the force for good and the force for evil - have already been locked in mortal combat at the Cross, and the force for good has already won that battle. With the first battle already decided, our part is to enforce the victory that was won for us at the Cross. We enforce the victory of the first battle by standing steadfastly on the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ and enduring until the end.
1 Timothy 6:11-12 - …pursue (focus on, emphasis mine) righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.
Next month, I will write about our authority as a Believer and why it is vital that we understand our position in Christ as we deal with the daily onslaught coming at us from the demonic forces at work all around us. Until then, be blessed to continue fighting the good fight of faith.
Linda
©2019 Linda Sue Harper  

​I was conducting an inner healing session several weeks ago with a woman who had grown up in a denominational church. She had attended Bible studies and church services regularly all her life. I would have to describe her as one who was fully engaged in the church, not someone who just showed up on Easter and at Christmas. At the very beginning of the session, I explained the process we were about to engage in: we would be taking authority over the atmosphere to keep satan and his demons from interfering. She looked at me with a shocked expression on her face and told me she had never heard there was such a being! She questioned whether he was real. She challenged what I believed. I assured her that satan is real and the Bible is replete with references concerning him.

As a result of that encounter, I realized that not every church in the western hemisphere (generally, Canada, the United States and Latin America) understands, accepts or teaches the reality of a spirit realm. The eastern hemisphere (generally the Middle East, Africa, Asia, India, etc.) understands the reality of a spirit realm and that the spirit realm is actively engaged in everything going on in the natural realm. “On earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) gives us a clue that what we see or are experiencing in the natural realm is actually occurring simultaneously or has already occurred in the spirit realm. Missionary sending organizations have learned how vital it is to prepare their “sent ones” for those encounters with the spirit realm they will experience during their time of service on the mission field.

Are you one of those who have wondered if Satan is a real being? Maybe you thought he was just a figment of someone’s imagination. Maybe you thought he was only a made up character for the purpose of producing horror films or that he was the stuff of hocus pocus - a slight of the magician’s hand. Maybe you think of him as an allegory. Or perhaps you are wondering if there is something more you need to know. Maybe you are wondering if he is a real being, and if so, where did he come from?

The answers are in The Bible. Let’s look at just a few of the scriptures concerning Satan that give us insight into what the Bible says about him.

Ezekiel 28:12-19 – You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you…your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you….So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings…I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.

Luke 10:18 – “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

2 Corinthians 11:14 – Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

1 Peter 5:8-9 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.

Revelation 12:10 – For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Revelation 20:10 – And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur…to be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

First of all, the word translated satan means “accuser”. Secondly, these verses tell us that (1) satan is a real created being, that he had a beginning, (2) he is actively engaged in thwarting and misleading those who seek to live in a righteous way, and (3) he has a definite and fully described end. If the Bible contains this much detail about him (and these verses are by no means all the Bible has to say about him), that means he is a real being. That also means that the spiritual realm is even MORE REAL than the physical or natural realm because only the spiritual realm endures, while the physical realm will pass away.

Isaiah 51:6 – the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.

Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Revelation 21:1 – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

The Bible tells us all we need to know about Satan, but in spite of the truth plainly spoken in whatever translation you may be using, it is amazing that there are still some in the church (as well as church leaders!) who do not think they have to be concerned about him!  Some people – and I am speaking of the church -  have never really understood what Jesus was doing WHILE HE WAS ON THE CROSS! Their focus has been on His being the Lamb whose blood was shed so that our sins could be atoned for. But that is not all He was doing! What they have never understood (and sadly is not being taught!) is that He was also actively engaged in overcoming the wicked rulers who had robbed us of our identity and our inheritance; He was subjecting those rulers to public humiliation; and He was taking away their authority over the earth so that He could give it back to us. We were the rightful owners of that authority until Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be duped into giving up the assignment, power and authority God had given to them in the beginning. 

Maybe it is because the work Jesus was doing on the cross was being done in the “unseen” realm – the spirit realm, that so many – even in the church – have allowed themselves to be blinded to the truth. They were looking for a PHYSICAL effect – something they could see in the natural. They have rejected sections of God’s Word with which they cannot allow themselves to agree; and they are left with no understanding. As long as we don’t consider the spirit realm as being a part of our everyday living, breathing, thinking, doing lives, Satan is overjoyed because that is exactly what he wants us to think. He wants us to be ignorant concerning the spiritual realm. He’s okay if we talk about angels watching over us as long as we think of them as only being benevolent, helpful, protective beings. But that is only one side of the coin. The other side is great darkness.

Colossians 2:13-15 – God made you alive in Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities (wicked rulers of darkness in the spirit realm, emphasis mine) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Revelation 1:17-18 - I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Revelation 12:9, 12 – The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil or satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him…He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

The truth is, we are engaged in a cosmic battle with a spiritual enemy who has nothing to lose, because at the Cross of Christ, he lost everything. That means he is in full retaliation mode, and he will stop at nothing to destroy what matters to God. Satan has an army of fallen angels which he directs with supernatural cunning in spiritual warfare operations against the blood-bought believers in Jesus Christ.

Satan’s Tactics
Satan’s most effective tool in getting us to take our eyes off of Jesus is the tool of offense. What works for us automatically works against satan. Forgiveness and repentance work for us and also work against the offenses satan wanted to use to destroy us.

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (TPT) – Freely forgive anyone for anything, so that you will not be exploited by the adversary, satan, for we know his clever schemes.

Forgiveness and repentance are powerful spiritual tools that not only enable us (1) to live a life of holiness and wholeness, but they also enable us (2) to destroy all the works of our enemy. This verse in 2 Corinthians gives us yet another powerful motivation for forgiving: (3) so that we will not be exploited. To be exploited means to be used by satan to his advantage in his war against God! From the moment he was cast out of heaven (Ezekial 28:11-19), he has sought to destroy everything that belongs to God; and everything in creation – the spiritual realm, the heavenly realms, the earthly realm, and all sea creatures, birds, land animals and man – belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). He is the Creator and the Source of all life. When satan wars against us, it is because we belong to Jesus, and he is not happy about that. If he can get us to pick up offenses and refuse to forgive and repent, he can keep us dangling like a puppet while he pulls the strings.

In my previous blog covering the Gate of Lies we learned how subtle and clever his schemes can be for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) in order to steal, kill and destroy God’s creation. It was pride that caused his downfall; and he uses the gratification of our flesh, the allurement of the things of the world, and the obsession with status and importance (1 John 2:16, TPT) to manipulate our thoughts, so that we become focused on ourselves - which is the definition of pride: elevating self over God.

Satan’s pride won’t allow him to strike without warning. Just as the rattlesnake rattles before striking its prey, satan also announces his intentions before he strikes. He brags and struts and influences us to do the same thing. When he has us where he wants us -  when we are thinking we are doing so well - that is when he ramps up his attacks and bombards and lashes us with accusations that are intended to bring us down in misery and despair so that we feel like an utter failure and we just give up.

In inner healing ministry, we take authority over the atmosphere and the demonic realm, silencing their voices, canceling their assignments, separating them from the client, and placing them in a holding cell guarded by angels. That is because we are not interested in playing satan’s game of disruption, distraction, and disinformation.

Let me assure you that we are not here to focus on satan or any of his activities, because what you focus on you give power to. If we are constantly looking for demons in every situation and in every person, we will have missed the purpose God designed us for – to bring the broken person to a place of healing and wholeness where they experience their true identity in Christ, and understand and appropriate their God-designed destiny through the use of the power tools given to us in His Word. 

It is a common battle strategy to know your enemy: to know how he thinks, to know what motivates him, to know how he will respond to a perceived threat, and to know what methods he is most likely to use in retaliation to that threat. Knowing our enemy is not the same thing as focusing on him; rather this knowledge of our enemy’s tactics is the preparation we need in order to be victorious in the battle.

Therefore, we affirm that the demonic realm is real and the Bible gives us enough information to know we want to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) while remaining self-controlled and alert; for our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  We are to resist him, standing firm in the faith. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

In my next blog, we will expose the hierarchy of the demonic realm, a very real army with very real weapons and very real strategies that is set against the blood-bought believers in Jesus Christ. (Hint: when you read the back of the book, you find out that we win!). So do not be discouraged.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
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Blessings,
Linda
© 2019 Linda Sue Harper 

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Hebrews 5:12-14 (TPT) – You should already be professors instructing others by now; but instead, you need to be taught from the beginning the basics of God’s prophetic oracles! You’re like children (nepios) still needing milk and not yet ready to digest solid food. For every spiritual infant who lives on milk is not yet pierced (apeiros) by the revelation of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, whose spiritual senses perceive heavenly matters. And they have been adequately trained by what they’ve experienced to emerge with understanding of the difference between what is truly excellent and what is evil and harmful.

The Greek word nepios means still unfit to bear arms, i.e., unprepared for battle. The Greek word apeiros means inexperienced, unskillful, ignorant. In classical Greek apeiros refers to people lacking adequate skill (knowledge) and hence fail due to their lack of familiarity (practice) – Strong’s 552.

God is saying, “I have given you tools that you need to become familiar with. You need tactical training - you need to practice with them - so that when the enemy confronts you, you will know (by experience) who you are and what you are to do. This is the only way you defeat the enemy and set the captives free.” God is always talking to us. He speaks to us in our minds, by His Spirit in our inmost being, through His Word, through the words of others (even the words of unbelievers!), through circumstances, and through every part of the created order. We need to cultivate our spiritual senses so we can hear and understand and know what we are to do.

Isaiah 6:9 – Go and tell this people: “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.”

To be hearing but never understanding means to listen but never grasp and appropriate (take possession of) the words or thoughts with our mind. For example, I can listen to someone speaking in Spanish, but I have no understanding of what they said if I have never studied and practiced the Spanish language. To be seeing but never perceiving means to look at something but have no knowledge by experience. I can watch an instructional video about riding horses, but if I don’t actually ride a horse, I do not have the understanding that comes through the experience.

Sharpening our spiritual senses is a call to an experiential relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ – not just knowing about Him but actually knowing Him through shared experiences, being actively engaged in a personal partnership with Him. Inner healing ministry requires this vital connection with the Holy Spirit and that connection comes through practicing and using our spiritual senses in every situation. The five physical senses are: hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting. Our spiritual senses are the inner correlates to the physical senses. We may see visions; we may hear God’s voice; we may feel His presence; we may taste the goodness of God; and we may smell the sweet aroma of His Fragrance. We need to pay attention to our spiritual senses and train ourselves to use them, under complete submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. To use spiritual senses without submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is to practice witchcraft. Witchcraft is satan’s counterfeit to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual senses, when fully developed, become the tactical weapons we use in our battle against the unseen realm. The word “tactical” means relating to or constituting strategic actions carefully planned and skillfully employed to gain a specific military end. Spiritual senses fully employed are the keys of power through the relationship we have with Jesus that work alongside the keys of ruling and reigning (binding and loosing) and the keys of righteousness (forgiveness and repentance).

How do we sharpen our spiritual senses?

1. Our spiritual senses are sharpened as we apply the word to our daily lives – doing what it says, and asking God in every situation, “What does this mean and what do you want me to do with it?” Our spiritual ears need to hear, we need to understand with our minds, and we need to submit our will, our rights and all control to the Lord Jesus Christ every day. In that way we are able to grow beyond the elementary teachings into the spiritual maturity God desires us to achieve (James 1:4). We will be made ready to step into our destiny and partner with Him in performing the duties He has assigned to each one of us.

2. Our spiritual senses are sharpened as we practice our spiritual gifts. We must become proficient in the use of the empowering gifts given to us through the Holy Spirit as identified in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11:
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit

• The Word of Wisdom – the ability to make decisions through the direction of the Holy Spirit
• The Word of Knowledge – a supernatural revelation of information given to you by the Holy Spirit about someone or something
• Faith – the ability to believe with confidence and to inspire others through testimonies
• Healing – the Holy Spirit enables us to restore health to those who are sick through prayer and the laying on of hands
• Power to Perform Miracles –the Holy Spirit enables supernatural acts to occur through us
• Prophecy – the ability to hear God and to speak out what he tells us
• Distinguishing between spirits  – the ability to test what is good (angels) versus evil (demons) by the witness of the Holy Spirit with our spirit
• Speaking in different kinds of tongues – (1) a prayer language between you and God and (2) the manifestation of the Holy Spirit to speak in an unknown language which may be known to another person or persons, followed by..
• Interpretation of tongues – the ability to interpret what is being said so that all may hear and understand and be edified

All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as He determines.
I’ve heard people say they don’t believe any of these gifts are for them. I’ve heard people say they believe God withholds these gifts from them because they haven’t achieved a certain level of “spirituality”. I’ve heard people say that the gifts were only for the church in Paul’s day. These are all lies from the pit of hell! We need to stop agreeing with the lies of our enemy and start eagerly pursuing the Holy Spirit for everything He has for us!

The most controversial of these gifts is speaking in different kinds of tongues, and that is because the gift of tongues opens the door to all the other gifts. Tongues was the first gift given in Acts 2; and because of the gift of tongues being manifested, a crowd of people from all over the world (who spoke different languages) gathered and heard (each in their own language because the Holy Spirit interpreted) the gospel message Peter delivered. After receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, Peter, the wishy-washy disciple, stood up and taught as one who had authority and 3,000 people were added to the church that day! Such is the power of the gift of tongues.

If we refuse even one of these gifts, we have, in effect, refused them all. We have declared we would rather live in our unregenerated and unrepentant mind than to operate out of the mind of Christ. We have declared that we are not willing to go into the battle, fight for the Truth to be heard, and set the captives free. The scripture says it is the Holy Spirit who gives the gifts, and He gives them as He chooses, because He knows exactly what we need when we need it. If He so chooses, He can impart all of the gifts to a single individual! We need to make the decision to quit “muzzling the ox”. The Holy Spirit is the power we need to do the work God has called us to do, and He has given us gifts that enable us to complete our assignments. When we earnestly desire to receive these gifts, God delights to give them to us.

Luke 11:13 – “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

His heart’s desire is that we participate in an experiential relationship with Him (remember, He is Spirit and we are spirit beings!) so that we may partner with Him to fulfill His intentions on the earth. He has chosen to work through us – imperfect vessels that we may be; and that is why He gave us the Holy Spirit. He is the great Equalizer!

3. Our spiritual senses are sharpened through understanding dreams and visions.
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Joel 2:28-29 - And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Sharpening our spiritual senses through constant practice also enables us to understand what visions and dreams may be telling us. Often God has to get past our conscious thoughts to download His plans into our subconscious thoughts. We wake up the next morning realizing we have had a dream but it doesn’t make sense to our natural minds. Because dreams are a transmission of God’s thoughts to us, it is important that we pursue understanding the message.

“Jesus’ pattern of teaching in His earthly ministry was to speak in parables and mysteries – not to keep people in the dark, but to whet the appetite of those who were truly hungry for the truth….When we talk about the strategic value of dream language, it is important that we be thoroughly grounded in the Word of God while being led by the Holy Spirit at the same time….Perhaps in their purest ultimate form, visions reveal who God is. Dreams, in turn, tend to be more personal in nature….and often give us direction or reveal some part of God’s plan….God Himself is the primary source of dreams….God often uses dreams to reveal by concealing. He wants to stir within us our natural inclination to search out answers. In other words, God has given us an open invitation into kingship.” (Goll, James W. and Michal Ann, Dream Language, © 2006, Destiny Image® Publishers, Inc., P. O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310, p. 21, 22, 23, 28, 29)
 
Jesus used metaphors to explain the Kingdom of God to His followers.  God still uses these same tools to share His Kingdom plans with each one of us. A metaphor is defined as a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.

During an inner healing session, the client may tell us about a recurring dream they have had. The dream may be a clue as to what is going on inside the core of the individual and may provide us with information as to the location and the root of the fractures in their soul. It is important that we understand the metaphors or dream symbols that are used to convey what was happening in the dream as well as their interpretation.

What kind of metaphors may we encounter in dreams or visions? The one who is dreaming may be witnessing events unfolding or they may be participating in the events. If they are seeing, but not participating, the dream could be a prophetic picture of something that is in the future. If they are participating in the events, the dream is clearly related to them personally. Colors, numbers, vehicles, houses, plants, light or darkness, crowds or isolation, peace or fear, smells or words may all indicate something other than what they appear to be.

I want you to begin to take hold of this powerful tool God has given us in His word to help us understand what He is communicating to us individually because it is information we will need for our daily walk. Begin the practice of journaling your dreams and the visions you may witness.  Be as detailed as possible. With each one, ask the Holy Spirit to shed His light on what you have seen, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled.  You will be amazed at how strategically and intentionally God communicates with you. If you are unable to remember the dreams the next morning, I encourage you to keep a pad and pen on your nightstand so that you can get up and write down every detail before you return to your peaceful slumber.

The importance of sharpening our spiritual senses cannot be overstated. We must practice every day the art of listening and hearing what God is saying and seeing and perceiving what He is doing all around us. That is what Jesus did.

John 5:19, 20 (TPT) “I only do the works that I see the Father doing…he always reveals to me everything that he is about to do.”

God wants to reveal to His church all that He is about to do. We must make ourselves available to Him. We must ask the Holy Spirit for Divine interpretation of everything we experience through our spiritual senses. We must engage the enemy with every one of the keys we have been given. Then we will be prepared to walk boldly in the authority we have been given in the Kingdom, we will defeat our enemy’s strategies and set the captives free by forgiving and repenting, and with our skillful use of the spiritual gifts, we will be able to see what the Father is doing and do what we see Him doing.

May you grow in wisdom and knowledge and in favor with God and man, so that you become spiritually mature and complete, not lacking in anything, having your spiritual senses sharpened through constant practice, and seeing what the Father is doing. Then do what you see the Father is doing!

Be blessed!
Linda
© 2019 Linda Sue Harper

Matthew 16:17-19 - Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

We have already discussed in great detail the first two of the three phrases in this passage: the foundation and the identity of the church, and the gates of hell. Now, it is time to turn our attention to the third phrase in the passage. God tells us that He will give us “the keys of the kingdom of heaven”. What are the keys?

Key #1 - Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven
Key #2 - Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven

What are the keys for? They are a Divine battle strategy we are to employ against our enemy on behalf of ourselves, our family, and those whom God brings to us. The keys have to do with dominion: ruling and reigning on the earth over everything on the earth in fulfillment of the mandate God gave the man and the woman in Genesis 1:28, a mandate Jesus expanded in Luke 10:19 to include the unseen realm.

It has been my experience that there are many in the body of Christ who have heard of this strategy but are uncertain as to how to put it into practice. The Amplified Bible gives us some additional details:

Whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.

The principle is this: what we are to do on the earth is intended to bring down into our present circumstances what already exists as a reality in heaven!

From the passage in Matthew, we can harvest several principles that describe the nature - the scope and characteristics - of the authority we have been given and why it is so successfully destructive against all the works of the enemy.

Principle Number One
Our confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God is the solid foundation on which God builds His church. The church is not a building nor is the church a specific group.  God says we are “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19) so that means we – individually - are the church!  The verses in Matthew are speaking specifically to each one of us as individual believers. We are the church; we are the Bride of Christ. Authority is linked to identity and this is our identity.
 
Principle Number Two
 
The gates of hell (Hades) will never be able to resist a direct assault by the church, the blood-bought Bride of Christ.  Why? Because Jesus defeated death and Hades at the cross and hung them out to dry, making a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:15). 
 
Ephesians 1:20-23 - God’s mighty power raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given (all the demonic realm, emphasis mine), not only in the present age (the here and now) but also in the one to come (the age outside of time). And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
 
We (the church) are now seated in Christ in the heavenly realms at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6) until He makes all our enemies (the demonic realm) a footstool under our feet (Psalm 110:1). Ruling and reigning is linked to position and this is our position.
 
Principle Number Three
 
He has given to us, His church, the keys of the Kingdom.  That’s because we are the rightful heirs of the Kingdom along with Jesus (Romans 8:17). Having the keys is a picture of authority. Keys lock and unlock gates, doors, enclosures, and prison cells.  Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on the earth (Matthew 28:18) because Jesus came to destroy all the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).  Jesus has delegated His authority to us, His church, so that we may carry on the work He began - that of destroying all the works of the devil (Luke 10:19).  Inheritance is linked to destiny and this is our destiny.

Principle Number Four
Jesus took the keys of death and Hades from satan at the cross (Revelation 1:18), and that means satan no longer has the keys. Jesus said he will give us, His church, the keys. To those who receive the keys (the authority we have been given in Christ) God has promised that nothing satan can launch against us will be able to shut us down (Isaiah 54:17).  We are supposed to use these keys to lock up satan and all his agents, forbidding them from carrying out their wicked schemes against us, while we go into his house and set the captives free. When Jesus gave us the keys, he was conferring upon us a greater level of authority in the heavens (the atmosphere) and on the earth than the devil once possessed. He was acknowledging that we are His Bride. Relationship with Jesus Christ is linked to victory and this is our victory.
 
Setting the Atmosphere
 
Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).  That means he operates in the heavenly realm we call the “atmosphere”.  Atmosphere is defined by Webster as “the whole mass of air surrounding the earth: the air of a locality; a surrounding influence or environment, as in an atmosphere of hostility”.
 
The inner healing session is meant to be a truth encounter between the client and the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not want to have to deal with a manifesting demon whose intentions are to disrupt and distract us from the opportunity Jesus has made available to us. Therefore, we take authority over the atmosphere so that all the devil’s assignments launched against us are thwarted.  He will not be able to hit his target, because our declaration has already intervened and cut him off.  That is called a pre-emptive strike!
 
At the very beginning of the inner healing session, we take authority over the atmosphere and establish the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the session.  We do this by submitting our will, our rights and all control to the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
The strategy Jesus presented in Matthew 16:19 presents a two-step process we employ in the inner healing ministry session.  For everything we bind, we must also loose something to take its place. We do not want to leave the atmosphere empty; rather we want to fill it with the presence of God. Satan has been known to circle back and reclaim territory he finds clean and unguarded.
 
When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. (Matthew 12:43-45).
 
First - we bind the enemy: powers, principalities, rulers, authorities, dominions and thrones and all demonic realms assigned to us from the moment of our conception, we silence his voice, we cancel all his assignments against the client (and the facilitator as well), we separate him from the client and we put him in a holding cell guarded by angels, thus limiting his power to influence the client or the session. 

Second - we loose the seven-fold Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, and the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2) to fill the atmosphere with the nature of God so that the purposes of God may be accomplished throughout the session and within the client. 

This two-step process is a powerful and effective prayer when used by righteous (having the right heart and mind) men and women to overcome the presence of the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places and on the earth. We need to remember that satan is a defeated foe, and God has given us every tool we need to keep him in his place.

Once we have disarmed the enemy, the next step is intended to remove every offense the enemy has ever used against us whether that offense came through a broken relationship or a traumatic event – and that means he will have no place to circle back around to because the gate has been closed and locked with the keys of righteousness - forgiveness and repentance.
 
The Keys of Righteousness – Forgiveness and Repentance     
           
Exodus 12:7, 12-13 – “They are to take some of the blood (of the Passover lamb) and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses…On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn – both men and animals – and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

It is easy for us to see that the blood on the top of the doorframes was the covering to protect the Israelites from the Angel of Death during that night.  But why do you think God had the Israelites put the blood of the sacrificial lamb on both doorposts?

I believe God was giving us a picture of how we are to be in relationship with Him (the blood on the top signifying the completed work of the Sacrificial Lamb) and how we are to be in relationship with each other (the blood on both doorposts signifying our relationship with one another through forgiveness and repentance.) The blood on the top was God’s forgiveness for our sins as we repent; the blood on both sides was our appropriating what God had done for us and extending that same love to one another.

John 13:34-35 – A  new  command I give you: Love  one another.  As I  have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.

God’s plan from the beginning was that we would be in right relationship with Him and in right relationship with each other. That is how the world (the unbelievers) will know who God is and what He has done for them through His Son, Jesus (John 17:23). We obey this commandment by forgiving others for their sins against us and repenting for the sins we have committed.

Unfortunately, many Christians choose not to obey this commandment! I have personally heard people who never miss a church service say, “I’ll forgive them, but I won’t forget what they did.” Unfortunately, that is not forgiveness.  How would we feel if that is the way God dealt with us? God’s way of dealing with us is found in the following verse:

1 Corinthians 13:5 - Love …keeps no record of wrongs.

We were made in the image of God. We learned that the word “image” means shadow or representative figure.  If God doesn’t keep a list of wrongs, neither should we.

Let’s look at John 20:23 in three different translations so we can get a clear and complete picture of how God would have us represent Him on the earth.

(NIV)   If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

(NKJV)  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain (or remember) the sins of any, they are retained (remembered, not forgotten).

(MSG) If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?

This verse is talking about the authority we have been given as a believer and with that authority comes accountability.

What we forgive on earth has already been forgiven in heaven; that is the power of the authority we hold as believers! I am therefore accountable before the throne of God for what I do on earth! For everything that someone else did to me, I must forgive them in order to remain in right standing before God.

To forgive someone means that I must also release them from my desire that they be punished for what they did. If what they did to me comes up in my mind every time I think of that person or see that person, I am witnessing the evidence that I have not completed my assignment to forgive them. I have not released them from my unfair, self-centered, and unrighteous judgment into the fair, impartial and righteous judgment of God who will handle the matter properly.

Luke 6:37b-38 – Forgive, and you will be forgiven….For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

If I choose not to forget what they did, refusing to place the matter in God’s hands and leaving it there, then God says I will be the guilty party and I will receive the judgment I thought they deserved. Forgiveness not only sets the offender free from his captivity, it also releases me from an eternal prison sentence.

If I choose not to forgive, John 20:23 says the sin will be retained BY ME!  That means it will be passed down as an iniquity through my bloodline! The giants I fail to take care of in my life will be left for my children to face!

When I do not forgive others, I am sitting in judgment of them. That means I am putting myself in the place only God has the legal right to occupy.

Unforgiveness leads me into the sins of judging, condemning and finding fault with others. Those sins not repented of lead to bitterness, anger, jealousy, rage, malice and finally, murder. God set the standard we are to follow: Love keeps no record of wrongs. He says judging others for what they have done to me is sin, and God is serious about this matter. Judging others for what they have done is not forgiveness. Finding fault with others who don’t measure up to my standard is not repentance. Both of these are evidence that my eyes are on me and not on the Lord.

God has used the following Old Testament passage to show me in a very real and personal way how He views it when I allow myself to judge another person’s behavior.  

2 Samuel 6:16, 23 - As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal (David’s wife) daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart (i.e., judged his behavior) …And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. 

Michal paid dearly for her judgment of her husband and God imposed the sentence. When man and woman were created, God told them to multiply and fill the whole earth. To be cut off from child bearing meant that she had no future relationship with the King and no hope of ever receiving the promises of God.

In order for me to receive the blessings of the fullness of the life in Christ that were promised and prepared for me, I need to be quick to forgive and repent for how I allowed what they did to affect me.

Matthew 5:23 - If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

God is saying that as long as there is an issue between me and someone else, my gifts to Him will be worthless. It is never too late to forgive and repent. Too often, we expect the one who wounded us to come to us first, but God says, “You be the one; you take the first step toward healing and reconciliation.”

Joel 2:12 – “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” … for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Unforgiveness is a gate keeper and his role is to keep the individual in a prison cell. The difference between being a captive and being a prisoner is this:
            A captive is held because of something someone else did.
            A prisoner is held because of something they did.
Both are in prison. Jesus came to set the captives free and to proclaim release to the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1). The way we cooperate with Him in this work is by forgiving and repenting. I cannot be free if I do not set others free.

In the inner healing process, we have the client forgive everyone who hurt them and every hurtful thing that happened to them, and we have them repent for how they allowed those people and those events to affect them. In this way, we apply the blood to both of the doorposts. The result is that the client lays down many of the burdens they have carried all their lives, and they suddenly feel free – maybe for the first time in their lives.

Forgiveness and repentance are the keys of righteousness; they are how we get free and how we stay free. Remember Jesus’ last words on the cross?

Luke 23:34 – “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Now that you know, what are you going to do with this knowledge? Knowledge must be put into practice in our everyday lives and everyday situations. God gave us these tools and He intended us to practice them until they become our primary response to every lie and every tactic the enemy uses against us to rob us of our peace, our security, and our significance. Rise up, you Mighty Warriors! Be bold and courageous for the Kingdom has been given to you!

Blessings,
Linda

(c) March 2019 Linda Sue Harper




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Matthew 16:17-19 - Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and (1) on this rock I will build my church, and
(2) the gates of Hell will not overcome it. (3) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Before I began my training in inner healing ministry, I had not given much thought to a large portion of this verse.  I know there has been a lot of controversy as to what Jesus was going to build his church upon, but I didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the verse. This verse is a key God has given to us and it is vital that we understand what He is telling us.

1. On this rock I will build my church.

To begin with, Jesus will build his church on the foundational bedrock of the expressed faith that he is the Son of God, a word of knowledge God downloaded into Simon’s mind at just that moment in time. The fact that Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter in the same breath was evidence that Peter had also received a new identity and a new assignment which was signified by the changing of his name. The name Simon means “reed – moved by the wind of circumstances.” The name Peter means “rock – firm, fixed, a sure foundation”.
This truth removes any claims that any particular denomination is the only true church. The true church is the body of believers who hold fast to the belief that the Word of God is true, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and with constant reliance on the Holy Spirit, they pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus while practicing the Word relentlessly. This truth also removes any idea that Jesus intended for Peter to be the head of the church. That position was reserved for Jesus Christ alone.

Colossians 1:15-18 – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Note: thrones, powers, rulers and authorities are all different levels of authority in the invisible realm, both the angelic and the demonic realm.

1. And the gates of Hell will not overcome it.

 The second phrase in this passage was something I just skipped over.  The context is telling us that the gates of hell will not overcome the truth of the gospel as it is proclaimed and carried by the body of believers into every nation in the world; and as we go, Jesus has prophetically proclaimed that we will be victorious over all the works of the enemy!
 
But I never thought to ask, “What are the gates of hell?”  Somehow I envisioned them as offensive weapons that would be used against the church to intimidate us in an attempt to keep us from fulfilling the great commission. But the gates of hell are actually access points into the soul that provide satan with a legal right to construct a defensive fortification (a stronghold) so he can hold the person captive and keep them from living a life of liberty in Jesus Christ.
 
The Church was given an assignment. We were called and chosen to move beyond the elementary teachings (Hebrews 6:1-2) and to move out onto the battlefield where we are to engage the enemy and rescue those who are perishing.  Unfortunately, the Church in general, has failed to carry out the orders given to us by our Commander in Chief. Instead, we have chosen to camp out on the elementary teachings: salvation, faith in God, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. This has become our comfort zone; it is familiar; it is our safe place; there is no risk involved there.
 
It takes courage and fortitude, dependence on divine strategies and spiritually powerful, offensive weapons to engage the enemy in battle; but that is what we are called to do – 24/7/365 – everywhere we are – first in our own minds, then in our homes, in our workplaces, and even in the church!
We’ve also learned that the soul is the access point through which satan breaks down our physical body’s defenses. An unhealed wound in the soul is guarded by a stronghold, and the unhealed wound gives satan legal permission to inflict our bodies with sickness, disease and infirmity.  Conversely, when the wounds in the soul are uncovered and dealt with, the physical manifestation in our body is healing and deliverance.
 
To help us remember the names of the gates of hell – and how satan gains access into our souls, we have an acronym: LIST
 

1. Lies
2. Iniquity
3. Sin
4. Trauma

The Gate of Lies
Psalm 144:11 (TPT) – Deliver me and save me from these dark powers who speak nothing but lies. Their words are pure deceit and you can’t trust anything they say.
Lies are the things we believe about ourselves, about others, and about God that are contrary to what God says about us, about others and about Himself.  From the moment of our conception, lies program and directly affect our perception of our identity, our earthly relationships, and our relationship with God. Lies come into our minds through our eyes (the things we have seen) and our ears (the things we have heard) and they have a devastating effect on our emotions which results in the destruction of our self-control (will). All three parts of the soul – the mind, the will and the emotions - are adversely affected by the lies we have believed.
We do not get very far into reading the Bible before we are confronted with the introduction of the lie into the pristine Creation God had just completed.
The serpent was described as being “more crafty (subtle, shrewd) than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.” (Genesis 3:1)
The primary weapon the serpent used to destroy God’s creation was the lie. The target of his weapon was the destruction of our identity (our soul).
Satan approached Eve, not Adam, because Eve’s relationship with God was through her husband while Adam’s relationship with God pre-dated Eve’s creation. So satan looked for an opportunity to trap the one he considered “weaker”. His approach was subtle. He came as a benevolent friend who seemed to be interested only in what was best for Eve. He appealed to her senses: what she had heard, what she had seen, what she could taste, what she could smell, what she could touch.  He brought down the woman’s defenses and then betrayed her with his lies that challenged the truth about her identity and about who God really is.
Genesis 3:1 - Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?
He was implying that she had misunderstood what God said (the LIE: she was stupid). He was implying that God didn’t really mean what she thought He meant. (the LIE: not only was she stupid, she was totally incapable of understanding)
Genesis 3:4-5 - You will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
In this verse, the serpent boldly called God a liar! Satan’s own nature is usually the basis of his accusations against others. 
John 8:44 - He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
By calling God a liar, satan implied that the woman was so inadequately informed that she had been easily deceived (the LIE: she was foolish to trust God).  He implied that God had ulterior motives which reinforced the lies that she was stupid, she couldn’t trust God, and that God was withholding something valuable from her; and that communicated (the LIE: that she was not important to God), in fact, she was worthless.
Eve’s sense of self-worth was crushed as she became the victim of these lies:
            I am stupid. 
            I don’t have what it takes. 
            I can’t trust anyone. 
            I am worthless. 
The lies the serpent used against Eve are the same lies satan uses today to destroy our perception of who we are (our identity) and our perception of who God is.  When we believe a lie, our emotions wrap themselves around the lie and we act out based on the false information. In “computerese”, we call this GIGO. Faulty programming produces false responses. The core of our being has been programmed from the moment of conception. It is necessary to expose and identify the faulty programming and completely rewire the mind, will and emotions with the Truth of God’s Word.
 The Gate of Iniquity
Numbers 14:18 - The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin (avon [aw-vone'] – iniquity, Strong’s 5771) of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.
Iniquity is the sin that entered the world through Adam and has been passed down through all the generations who forgot God. 
Iniquities that have not been dealt with in any single generation continue to pass down through the bloodline. The iniquities will continue to be passed down until a generation arises who will deal with them through forgiveness and repentance. Iniquities are often hidden behind strong defensive fortifications with a gatekeeper in charge of what goes in and what goes out. Iniquities predispose the person to believe lies and commit sin.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior (and we may be the first in our family to do so), all our sins are forgiven. But our sins and the sins of our ancestors have given birth to consequences which continue to wreak havoc in every generation until someone operates in the authority we have been given in Jesus Christ and deals with them.
Luke 10:19 - I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Mark 16:17, 18 - In my name they will drive out demons… they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.
These verses clearly tell us that we have been given authority over the demonic spirits that have manipulated and troubled our family because of unrepentant sin from the time of Adam until now.
If we take the time to think about it, we can all identify patterns of behavior that are consistent through each generation in our family. When we identify those patterns of behavior, we need to forgive and repent on behalf of our bloodline, take authority over the demonic influences that have manipulated the generations, and bind them together. Then because these patterns of negative behavior are passed down through the blood line, we blood link them together with the ancestral demon who carries the family name, and we roll them all the way back to Adam, declaring that that pattern of behavior has been cut off in our bloodline and can no longer flow down through the generations to come.
Why do we blood link the demonic influences together with the ancestral demon who carries the family name? Because when we are dealing with iniquities, we are not only dealing with the lower level agents whose assignment it is to continue to wreak havoc in this family, but we are also dealing with the hierarchy of the demonic who gave the lower level demons that assignment, and the ancestral demons are at the top of the list; they have a greater level of authority in the demonic realm. It is necessary to destroy the head and not limit ourselves to cutting off the tail. Where do we find this strategy in the Bible?
Joshua 3:15-16 - Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam… while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off.
Once we deal with the iniquities in our bloodline, those iniquities have no further force or effect in our lives or in the lives of our children.
The Gate of Sin
James 2:10 - If we have broken even one of God’s laws, we are guilty of having transgressed the whole law.
God has given us a way out of the bondage caused by sin through confession, forgiveness and repentance. At the cross, all our sins were forgiven – even the ones that had not yet been committed! But we have to appropriate (to take exclusive possession of) that forgiveness through acknowledging our sin to God, asking Him for forgiveness and then walking in repentance (our behavior has to change). 
The gate of sin has to do with our own actions, unlike the gate of iniquities which is dealing with the actions of our ancestors that have continued to be passed down through the bloodline until someone in that bloodline stands in the authority of Jesus Christ and deals with them.
At the moment of our conversion, our sins are forgiven and the guilt of our sins has been removed as far away as the east is from the west. Though our sins are no longer held against us by a holy God, we must deal with the consequences of our sins.
Although as Christians, we may sometimes sin, sin is not to be our habitual behavior. We need to remember that when we talk about sin, we are not talking about our identity. We are not “sinners saved by grace.” That is what we once were. Our new identity is clearly stated in the following verse:
1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
When we are talking about sin, we are talking about behavior. Our identity is secure in Christ, but our behavior is what the Holy Spirit is working on through the process of sanctification. For our behavior to change, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We must get another way of thinking.  We don’t have to look far to find that new way of thinking.
1 Corinthians 2:16 - But we have the mind of Christ.
We must, therefore, use what we have so that we learn to think like God thinks. We must learn a new language – a new way of speaking about ourselves, about others and about God. And we must practice a new way of walking (behavior).
1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.       
We must move from our limited perspective to seeing through God’s eyes. Our beliefs, attitudes, and actions will be changed as we allow the Holy Spirit to complete His work in us. What we once believed, we must allow the Truth of God’s Word to challenge, bathing those things with light so that our thoughts, attitudes and actions are conformed to the Person of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is very clear about what constitutes sin. If the Bible says to get rid of it, we need to get rid of it. Please note that the writer of the letters to the Galations and Colossians was writing to the CHURCH, not to unbelievers!
Galations 5:19-20 - The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Colossians 3:5, 8-9 - Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. …Rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other.
We are supposed to get rid of – that means to deal with and turn away from – all of these things so that our witness to the world of who Jesus is will not be compromised by our sinful activities.
Sadly, the Church has not followed God’s instructions because these specific sins are rampant within the Church today. They are not only tolerated but they are also practiced by the leaders as well as the congregation within the Church! Whatever the leadership in the Church is engaged in opens a door for that same behavior to become commonplace among the brethren and provides a safe and comfortable place for the demonic to carry out their assignments against the body of Christ. It is no wonder that the Church is wallowing in ineffectiveness and has become more conformed to the image of the world than to the image of God as modeled through the life of Jesus Christ.
In His mercy, God has given us a way out of the sinful practices we have engaged in. Jesus blood covered all our sins at the cross; but we must daily bring any sinful behavior before the Lord and acknowledge the sin as sin, ask for forgiveness, and repent which means turn around and go in the other direction.
Acts 3:19 - Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.   
Luke 15:10 - I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
When we deal with the sin in our lives, all of heaven throws a party to celebrate! Talk about making God happy!
The Gate of Trauma
1 Peter 5:8 - Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for whom he can devour.
He preys on the young, the old, the sick, and the weak much as a wolf preys on a flock of sheep.  The weak are those who isolate themselves from a vibrant relationship with God and with other believers. If satan can separate us from the Shepherd and from the rest of the flock, he can bring us down. Trauma not only affects the physical body but it also opens a gate through which demonic agents gain access to the soul. When our guard is down, that is when the enemy invades. We may not even be aware that this has occurred.  A change in the pattern of our behavior is the evidence we look for.
Every trauma we will ever experience, Jesus experienced in His life on earth. We can never say, “No one has suffered like I have suffered.”
Isaiah 53:1-9           
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. (That says He was vulnerable.)
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. (That says he was the kind of guy people didn’t notice because he didn’t meet their standards.)
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. (He suffered from constant rejection from everyone, even from  own family.)
Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (People looked down on Him; they considered Him worthless.)
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. (People judged Him, believing He had missed the mark, and was therefore unworthy of being loved.)
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (He suffered the trauma of physical, mental and emotional pain; He suffered wounds in His soul.)
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (He was wounded inside and out by the lies they told about Him as they falsely accused Him.)
By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. (He suffered the trauma of being considered as insignificant, His life didn’t matter to anyone, and He was judged guilty based on false accusations because no one stood up for Him.)
And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. (He was innocent, but His rights were not considered; He was unfairly punished for what others had done.)
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. (He was considered worthless, like trash to be thrown away. The liars prevailed against Him.)
Trauma can begin as early as conception. Science has now been able to detect a spark of light that coincides with conception. At that moment, God assigns to the baby an angel of heaven whose task it is to watch over the baby and carry Divine messages that are intended to encourage the child in the development of the knowledge of his own identity. The demonic realm also sees the spark of light, and satan assigns to the baby an agent of hell whose task it is to thwart God’s purposes in that child. 
Trauma in the womb may originate with an abortion, a miscarriage, or through a medical procedure (D&C). Trauma in the womb before conception can affect the development of a baby who is subsequently conceived.
Trauma can also come through the attitudes of the mother that are transmitted to the baby through the blood of the placenta. Babies in the womb hear and feel what is going on around them and because of the advances in medical technology we can now see those effects. Negative words spoken within the hearing of the developing baby can result in a child experiencing rejection from within the womb.
Trauma can be a real physical event, or it can be an emotional response to the crushing words that are often spoken without thinking, or the harmful actions of someone we once trusted. We are familiar with the term PTSD. Trauma affects how we perceive events of the past and the people around us. Excruciating pain can be evidence of a traumatic memory.
Trauma reinforces the lies we have believed. The healing of trauma requires an exchange be made: the pain of the event placed in the hands of the Father in exchange for His perspective, His compassion, and His healing.  Forgiveness of the person(s) involved and repentance of how we allowed the trauma to affect us are also crucial steps toward complete inner healing.
Possessing the Gates of our Enemies
In Genesis 22:17, God spoke this promise concerning Abraham’s offspring: “Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies.”
Later in Genesis 24:60, the family of Rebekah who would become the mother of Jacob and Esau blessed her with these words, “may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”
The word translated “possess and possession” in these two verses is the Hebrew word yarash (yaw-rash') which means “to take possession of, especially by force; to have as a possession, often with the collateral idea of taking in place of others (Strong’s 3423).
God’s plan was that we, the Church – Abraham’s descendents and Rebekah’s offspring - would possess the gates of our enemies. I don’t believe He intended for us to think of this as just the gates of physical enemies because in Ephesians 6:12 He told us that our battle was not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
When Jesus drove out demons, He was possessing the gates of the enemy. The people around Him were confused about what He was doing so they accused him of being Beelzebub. This is how He responded:
Matthew 12:25-26, 28-29 – “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?...But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.” 
Jesus was delivering on the promise God made to Abraham and the blessing spoken over Rebekah. He was declaring that satan’s dominion had been replaced by a greater Kingdom and the Kingdom of God would prevail over all of satan’s defenses. Jesus was also giving us strategies that we were to employ so that we could do what He did.
How do we possess the gates of our enemies?

• We exchange the lies for the Truth.
• We repent and forgive all the iniquities.
• We acknowledge and repent of our sins.
• We exchange the trauma for God’s perspective, compassion, and healing.

It is time for the Kingdom saints to rise up and be about our Father’s business!
 
 
 
 
 

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 – “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

“But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.”

Deuteronomy 32:46-47 – “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you – they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

The words Moses spoke in these passages are God’s prescription for holiness and wholeness:

• love the LORD your God
• walk in His ways
• keep His commands, decrees and laws

 
God laid it out in very simple, easy-to-understand instructions that anyone could follow. He also included the beneficial side effects we would experience as we followed His prescription: 

• you will live and increase (Strong’s 2421 – eternal life, restoration of life and health, quickened from sickness, discouragement, faintness, death)
• the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess (this is the promise of our inheritance)
• you and your children may live (Strong’s 2421)
• you may love the LORD your God (promise of relationship with Him)
• you may listen to His voice (promise of communion/intimacy with Him)
• you may hold fast to Him (Strong’s 1692 - relentlessly pursue Him) having the promise of His ever present protection and provision)

God was saying that a life of wholeness comes out of an intimate relationship with Him. When we are in relationship with Him, we obey Him because we love Him. The benefits are not only for us, individually, but they will also be for our children. When we follow God’s prescription, our children are also inheritors of every promise God has made in His Word.

Unfortunately, every time these prescriptions were given to a succeeding  generation, they chose not to follow them. Instead, they rejected God, disregarded His Word, and disobeyed His ways, choosing to live a life of self-effort, a life of indulgence, and a life “free” of the boundaries God set in place for our protection. The consequences or side effects of disobedience are also listed in this passage:

• you will certainly be destroyed (Strong’s 6 – perish, vanish, be blotted out, done away with), i.e., without hope, eternally separated from God
• you will not live long (Strong’s 748 - continue, endure, survive)
• your children will be under a curse (implied) (cut off from eternal life, with no hope of restoration or quickening, i.e., a negative inheritance)

Just as the blessings affected our lives, our relationships, and our children, so also, the curses follow the same pattern. The history of mankind is the story of the degradation of God’s highest form of creation as man chose to live not out of his spirit, but out of his soul and his flesh. The presence of sickness, disease and infirmity are indicators that we have not followed His prescribed treatment.

Healing occurs when we choose to follow God’s prescriptive counsel, carefully practicing His instructions wholeheartedly with all of our heart (innermost part) and our mind, will and emotions (our soul). When we choose otherwise, we give satan the legal right to use everything in his power to divide and destroy our soul – our identity, and the purpose for which God created us - our destiny.

In his address to the nation of Israel, Moses offered the people a choice; the choice they made would have consequences that would affect every part of them – spirit, soul and body, both individually and corporately - as well as their descendants! The right choice would result in life and prosperity; the wrong choice would result in death and destruction.

The choices offered to Israel are the same choices God offers to us today. To receive the healing God desires to give us we must make some choices.

• The first step forward in the inner healing process is we must choose God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9 - That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
 
Healing is a benefit God has provided for those who belong to Him. Psalm 103:2-3 - Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  Healing is released when we are in relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and have received the wisdom and understanding that come to us through His Holy Spirit.

When we have a true conversion experience, at that moment, all our sins are forgiven and the guilt of our sin is removed from us as far away as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). At that moment, we are justified – in God’s eyes - as though we had never sinned and we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The condemnation (fear of punishment) that sin brought into our lives has been dealt with through the blood of Jesus; but the consequences of that sin – the default programming tendencies to sin that we inherited and practiced - have not been dealt with.  That is why we need the Holy Spirit who will guide us through a process called sanctification – where He transforms us by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). The process of sanctification is an ongoing process and will not be complete until we stand before Jesus in heaven.

• The second step forward in the inner healing process is that we must choose to receive and appropriate (to take exclusive possession of) the healing that is available to us through God’s Word, and allow the truth of God’s Word to renew our mind so we think and speak about ourselves differently.

We can no longer wallow in or practice negativity – in our thoughts, in how we speak about ourselves or others, or in how we relate to God. When we speak negative words over ourselves, we are denying the truth of God’s Word and we are failing to appropriate the healing and wholeness God has already made available to us. The only way we fully appropriate the healing God has made available to us is to declare it, receive it, and then walk in it, choosing not to go back to the old way of thinking and the old patterns of behavior.

• The third step forward in the inner healing process is that we must choose to put into practice what we have learned; and we must persevere in the truth we have received especially when doubt and unbelief threaten to strip us of our wholeness.

We must expect the enemy to challenge our new-found freedom, and we must be alert, watchful and ready to wield every tool and weapon we have at our disposal against the enemy of our soul for as long as it takes – even to the end of the age. That is the definition of “long-suffering” (endurance). Long–suffering is a Fruit of the Spirit and it is available to us because He lives in us!

How do we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to hold fast the healing we have received in our spirit, soul and body?

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We’ve learned that the first tool we have at our disposal is “I submit my will, my rights, and all control to the Lord Jesus Christ.” That declaration sends shock waves through the unseen realm because when we declare that Jesus is our Lord, satan is already staggering backwards. Unfortunately, too many Christians practice resisting God and in so doing, they submit to the devil. Rather than calling the devil out as the liar he is, they agree with his strategies and then wonder why they are not healed or whole. (See my blog posting for October 2018 called “If God is Willing to Heal Me – Why Am I Still Sick?”)

We’ve also learned that we have a powerful and effective tool in the truth of the Word of God. Resisting the devil is accomplished when we use the truth against every one of his lies - every time he lies to us. We have an example to follow.

Matthew 3:17 – And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Immediately after Jesus baptism and public ordination at the Jordan River, he was “led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1)

God is a God of intentionality. He does nothing except what is for our good, and there is always a Divine purpose in the temptation. God knows that satan will take advantage of every opportunity he is given. In this passage, we see that satan was quick to take the bait: he attacked Jesus when he was physically weakened in an attempt to steal Jesus identity (what the Father had just said about Him) and His destiny. We can expect satan will attack us in our minds with his accusations, insinuations, lies, and temptations when we are at our weakest point – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Instead of wallowing in uncertainty, however, Jesus chose to put His full faith and trust in His Father; and to believe and declare what His Father said about Him. Jesus knew His Father was just waiting to show the devil who He would be for Jesus that day. When we choose to believe what God has said about us, we can expect the Father to show up for us in the same way and refute every lie satan has tried to plant in our minds.

We occupy the same position and possess the same promises Jesus received from His Father because we are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and we have been raised up with Christ and seated with him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). The devil is a defeated foe; we are already victorious in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

We have been given the same weapon Jesus used: the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Because we are in Christ, we should operate out of the same level of trust in our Heavenly Father that Jesus demonstrated; we should have the same expectation Jesus did that God will always do what is best for us; and then we should do what Jesus did: He resisted every attempt of the devil to draw His attention away from who He was (His identity) and what His Father had promised to Him as His inheritance (His destiny).

Now is the time to choose healing and wholeness as your new normal! Now is the time to step into all that God has prepared for you, armed with the weapons and tools He has made available to you, so that you may begin to tear down every stronghold the enemy has constructed in your soul and walk in the fullness of Divine healing - in your spirit, in your soul, and in your body!

Be healed in Jesus Name!
Linda

(c)2019 Linda Sue Harper 

What is inner healing and why is it necessary?

I was talking to a woman one day about inner healing ministry.  She told me that she believed Jesus had healed our souls at the cross, so inner healing wasn’t really necessary. She also believed that Jesus did not die to save our bodies, being that they were designed to be temporary dwellings, and therefore, our bodies remained subject to sickness, disease and infirmity.  According to this woman's belief, these things were just a fact of life in this creation. Unfortunately, that seems to say that Jesus’ work on the cross was not a complete work, that in fact, it is NOT finished.

According to this woman’s belief, if Jesus death on the cross took care of the healing of our souls, why are so many Christians suffering from fear, anxiety, and depression? Why are there so many with mental and emotional disorders that limit them from living the full life Jesus died to give them? I wonder how many Christians believe as this woman does. 
 
The Bible has a lot to say about healing and the language includes the healing of our spirits, our souls, and our bodies. 
 
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (MSG) May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul, and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!

The Bible tells us that we are a person constructed with three distinct parts. We are first of all spirit. The Greek word translated spirit in this verse  is “pneuma” which means breath, wind, spirit (Strong’s 4141).  It was the breath of God that transferred life into the lifeless form of Adam. We are also a soul. The Greek word translated soul is “psuche” and it means the vital breath, the human soul, the soul as the seat of affections and will, the self, the individual (Strong’s 5590). Our spirit and our soul is that part of us that is unseen; but the body is that part of us that is seen. The Greek word for body is “soma” which means body, flesh, the physical body (Strong’s 4983). Clearly, we are a person constructed of three distinct parts.
 
Our soul is what Jesus died to save from the wrath of God because of our sin. Our soul is what satan wants to steal, kill and destroy.  Therefore, our souls – even though they have been saved from eternal judgment - are the target of a relentless enemy. It is the soul that is the access point Satan uses to break down our physical body’s defenses. A wound in the soul enables him to inflict our bodies with sickness, disease and infirmity.
 
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God forgives us of our sins and removes the guilt of our sins as far from us as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). But the consequences of sin are not automatically removed. That is why Jesus said we would need the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is to sanctify or make holy and whole our spirits, souls and bodies through an ongoing process of transformation.  His goal is to move us forward from our spiritual infancy so that we become spiritually mature and complete, not lacking in anything.  Also, our spiritual senses need to become sharpened through constant practice.
 
Hebrews 6:1-2 (NIV) Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
 
This is not a work that happens automatically; this is a work that requires us to take inventory of what is stored up in our soul. David said it this way
 
Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV) “Search me, O God, and know my heart (inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding – Strong’s 3824); test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive (habitual wickedness– Strong’s 6090) way in me.”
 
The reason David asked God to do this was to explore and expose the places satan may have used to gain access to his mind, his emotions and his will. It is vital that anything hiding in our soul be exposed and dealt with so that we may be as Jesus described Himself in John 14:30, “the prince of this world...has no hold on me.”
 
Inner healing ministry is not counseling; it is a prayer ministry through which a trained facilitator assists the client in exposing and dealing with the wounds he/she has experienced that  have provided legal access for the enemy to wield his influence over their minds, their emotions, and their wills, and as a result, over their physical bodies. The way satan gains access is through:
 

1. the lies we have believed that we have not dealt with,
2. the iniquities passed down to us through our bloodline that have not been dealt with,
3. the sin we have committed and have not dealt with, and
4.  the traumas we have experienced from the moment of our conception that have not been dealt with.

 
The most effective method of inner healing uncovers and deals with the wounds in the inmost part of the soul.  God desires truth in the inmost part (Psalm 51:6, NIV). Our inmost part (or core as it is referred to in the Beth Shalom Ministries’ process) is programmed from the moment of conception.  In order to facilitate deep inner healing and bring deliverance from recurring destructive patterns of thought and behavior, the process must begin with ministry in the core. Once the core is clean and Jesus fully occupies the inmost part, the facilitator then works outward to bring down all the defensive mechanisms that were set in place, and exposes the root causes that have limited the individual from living a life of liberty in Jesus Christ. 
 
The word Shalom means “nothing missing, nothing broken, and the absence of chaos”. When Jesus fills the inmost part, healing occurs – healing of the spirit, healing of the soul, and healing of the physical body.
 
Matthew 11:28-29  "Come to me, all you who are weary (from self effort, both physically and mentally - Strong’s 2872) and burdened (overloaded with the consciousness of sin - Strong’s 5412), and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

May you find rest for your soul! Be healed in Jesus Name!

Linda

©Linda Sue Harper 2018
 

Let’s look at some possible hindrances to healing.

John 5:1-9 (TPT)

1 Then Jesus returned to Jerusalem to observe one of the Jewish holy days.

Note the timing of this event: it was during one of the Jewish feasts, a special time of being set apart for God in worship, prayer, and the offering of sacrifices. “It is difficult to determine with certainty which of the feasts it was: Passover, Tabernacles, or Purim. Most of the ancient expositors taught that it was the Feast of Pentecost.” (TPT Commentary, p 595)

Notice what Jesus was doing: He was honoring His Father by observing this feast. “The Feast of Pentecost is also known as the Feast of First Fruits. Among Jews the most popular name for this festival is the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, in Hebrew. When celebrating this festival, many Jewish people recall one of the greatest events in history, God’s revealing of the law at Mount Sinai. But Pentecost doesn’t just picture the giving of the law; it also shows—through a great miracle that occurred on the first Pentecost in the early Church (Acts 2:1-13)—how we can persist in living by the spiritual intent of God’s laws.” (https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/gods-holy-day-plan-the-promise-of-hope-for-all-mankind/the-feast-of-pentecost-the-firstfruits-of-gods-harvest)

In this special season, Jesus chose to be where His Father wanted him to be. God was about to demonstrate the fulfillment of the Law of Moses through His one and only Son.  The first possible hindrance to healing could be a broken relationship with God - through our rebellion or complete indifference to Him.

2 Inside the city near the Sheep Gate there is a pool called in Aramaic, The House of Loving Kindness. And this pool is surrounded by five covered porches.

Strong’s #964 tells us that “the name of this pool is Bethesda, an ancient Hebrew (Chaldean) name, חֶסְדָּא בֵּית, which is translated house of mercy or place for receiving and caring for the sick.” The pool was located near the sheep gate, the place where the sacrificial animals were brought into Jerusalem; the sheep would be slaughtered to cover the sins of men and women. We should not overlook the proximity of these two specifics - the pool, the place where healing could occur, and the sheep gate, the place where sin could be dealt with - and how they are connected to one another. A second possible hindrance to healing could be our unwillingness to acknowledge our wrong behavior as sin or being unrepentant for our sins.

Notice how God set this scene: there were five covered porches.  Five is the number of grace, abundance, favor, and redemption. It is the grace of God that provided a covering for our sins with the precious blood of the Lamb, His Son and our Savior, Jesus. A porch is a symbol of waiting or expectancy. “The sick were under the ‘covering’ of the Law, the five books of the Torah. But the Law cannot heal; it wounds and brings death. Christ is the healer, the living Torah.” (TPT Commentary, p 595)

3 Hundreds of sick people were lying there on the porches – the paralyzed, the blind, and the crippled, all of them waiting for their healing. 4 For an angel of God would periodically descend into the pool to stir the waters, and the first one who stepped into the pool after the waters swirled would instantly be healed.

We get the picture that people were so desperate for healing that they congregated in this place where they had heard supernatural events were taking place. They desired to be recipients of the miracles, signs and wonders, but they didn’t realize their true need: a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Their focus was on themselves and what they could get out of the encounter. And that is a third possible hindrance to healing - being self-centered rather than God-focused.

A fourth possible hindrance to healing is negativity. Imagine the conversations that might have been taking place – each one whining and complaining about their ailments and how much they had suffered. The air was rife with negativity, a breeding ground for envy and greed. As each one desired their own healing, they would not necessarily be concerned about the healing for others. All that mattered was that they be the first one into the water; all that mattered was that they would get what they wanted.

A fifth possible hindrance to healing is unbelief. They were paralyzed with fear, blind to the possibilities of how wonderfully compassionate God really is, and they were crippled because their faith was so small, if it existed at all. They had the law, they had a religion, but that was not enough to heal them. They had no one to teach them and encourage them to exchange all this self-centered negativity for a true relationship with God as He intended.

5 Now there was a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years lying among the multitude of the sick.

“Under the shelter of religion, there are the sick and lame and blind who can’t be healed unless they do the work and step into the pool. They are helpless and hopeless so near the Sheep Gate. But Jesus has none of the law’s requirements to put upon us for our healing, only to believe in one who is greater than angels. The man had been sick for thirty-eight years, the exact length of time Israel had wandered in the wilderness. (Deuteronomy 2:14) (TPT Commentary, p 595-596)

Religion is based on self effort.  A relationship with God is based on accepting what He has done for us, agreeing with His ways, and partnering with Him - walking alongside of Him while He does the heavy lifting.

A sixth possible hindrance to healing is doubt. “He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:6-8, NIV)

The wilderness wanderings were necessitated by Israel’s choice to doubt God’s protection and provision. They refused to accept what God had offered, rejecting His wisdom, leaning on their own understanding, and preferring to do things their way instead. Thirty eight years is a long time for a man or woman to be wandering aimlessly, failing to understand his/her identity and his/her purpose. But God is always working and He has not changed His mind regarding His plans for us even when we doubt. 

The number thirty-eight is made up of thirty – which is the number designating the fulfillment of Divine order or the right time; and the number eight – which is the number designating a new beginning, regeneration and resurrection. All through the years of this man’s disability, God had been working behind the scenes to prepare him to understand that religion has no power, and to place him at just the right place - where the One who was to come at just the right time in fulfillment of Divine order – would bring complete healing to his spirit, soul and body.

6 When Jesus saw him lying there, he knew that the man had been crippled for a long time. So Jesus said to him, “Do you truly long to be healed?”

“Jesus exercised supernatural knowledge of this man’s situation. His question was asking the man, ‘Are you convinced that you are already made whole?’ Jesus is asking the crippled man if he is ready to abandon how he sees himself and now receive the faith for his healing.” (TPT Commentary, p 596)

A seventh possible hindrance to healing is to continue seeing yourself as not healed. If you have asked for healing, believe that you have received it. See yourself as whole. Talk about yourself with a new language – the language of long life and good health. Praise God for His healing of your spirit, soul and body. Thank Him for renewed strength, energy and vitality all through the day. Practice wholeness. Practice wellness. Refuse to return to the negativity you once walked in.

7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, there’s no way I can get healed, for I have no one who will lower me into the water when the angel comes. As soon as I try to crawl to the edge of the pool, someone else jumps in ahead of me.”

An eighth possible hindrance to healing is to make excuses for why you can’t be healed.  Do you really think God doesn’t know what your situation is? And since you have decided you can’t do it, are you not willing to believe that God can do it ALL BY HIMSELF? He does not need the help of anyone, but He desires to partner with us in His work of healing.  He has the power to heal – anyone, anytime, anywhere, under the most adverse of conditions. When we make excuses, we are saying to God, “Thank you for your consideration, but I’ll just stay where I am. After all, I’m comfortable with my sickness; I’ve adjusted to it and I wouldn’t know how to act without it.”

In order to be healed you may have to step out of your comfort zone and allow God to stretch your thinking to conform to His “all things are possible for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Matthew 19:26, NIV) thinking. He is ready, willing and able.  Will you partner with Him?

8 Then Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your sleeping mat and you will walk!” 9 Immediately he stood up – he was healed! So he rolled up his mat and walked again!

Did you get that? Jesus didn’t pay any attention to the man’s excuses, because Jesus knew who He was and He knew what the Father’s plans were for this man. Jesus did nothing on His own; rather He did what He saw the Father doing.  He saw the Father healing this man, and Jesus cooperated by issuing the command to stand up! 

Jesus didn’t allow this man’s negativity to hinder God’s purposes that day. He looked into the heavenly realms and He saw the man standing on his own feet.  “Thy will be done on earth as it (already) is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, NIV) Jesus called what He saw in heaven down to earth, and He declared that the man’s ability to stand was a done deal. As the man obeyed, he discovered his healing had already occurred.

 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:14-16, NIV)

A ninth possible hindrance to healing is disobedience - the failure to follow the prescription God has given us in His word. We are to ask for healing from those who have been appointed by God to minister, who will anoint and pray over you.  It is God who heals; but God has said He will work through Holy Spirit filled men and women to bring the healing that is requested.  Did you notice the part of these verses that say, in some cases, sin has contributed to the sickness?  God has provided a prescription in His Word – a specific set of instructions as to how to deal with the root cause of the sickness. If that root cause is sin, the sick person must first confess his sin to another and repent of his wrong behavior, then the church is to pray over the person.  God promises that the prayer of righteous men and women (those who are in right standing with God through their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord) is powerful against the root causes of the sickness and their prayers will have a positive effect – the sick person will be healed.

If God has given you a prescription – do whatever He tells you! (John 2:5) Nahum was instructed to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times in order to be healed of his leprosy. He didn’t understand why he had to dip himself in the Jordan River; after all, there were cleaner, purer rivers in his own country. And why did he have to dip seven times? Why wasn’t once enough? I’m not making this up! Read it for yourself. (2 Kings 5:1-15)

Obedience is directly linked to healing. Not only did the man stand on strong – not shaky - legs, he WALKED!  When he stood up, he stepped into his new identity, an identity that was commanded by God from before the foundations of the world. When he stood up, he was able to walk into the destiny God designed for him as He knit him together in his mother’s womb. Healing comes through obedience to the truth of God’s word. If God has given you a word from His Word regarding the healing of your spirit, soul and body, how will you respond?

Finally, there is a tenth possible reason for why healing has not occurred; your sickness may be used to bring God glory in the earth.  John 9:1-4 (TPT) is the story of Jesus healing a man who had been born blind.

1 “As Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, ‘Teacher, whose sin caused this guy’s blindness, his own, or the sin of his parents?’

3 ”Jesus answered, ‘Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God’s miracle.
​4 While I am with you, it is daytime and we must do the works of God who sent me while the light shines.’”

Apparently, the disciples were absolutely aware of the effects of sin and iniquity on the human body. Unfortunately, the church has lost sight of how effectively satan uses our rejection of God and His way of doing things (which is what sin is) to afflict us.

The access point for disease is the soul of man. “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” ( 3 John 2, NAS) Sin that has not been acknowledged as sin and the iniquities passed down to us through our ancestral blood lines create a gate through which the enemy has free access to work against our spirit, soul, and body. Sin lodges in our soul; sin involves the mind, the will and the emotions. First we think it, then we desire it, and then we do it. “For after desire has conceived (this happens in the mind as it is influenced by the emotions), it gives birth to sin (this is where the will carries out the desires in the mind). (James 1:15, NIV)  Every time this process occurs and is not dealt with, a stronghold is formed or an existing stronghold (as in the case of repetitive sin) is strengthened. A stronghold is a place where the enemy has been given a legal right to work against us. God has offered Himself to be our Stronghold, but we have to choose Him and do things His way.

Jesus said that neither this man nor his parents had sinned; but that his entire life up to and including the present moment was to be used to display the power of God not only to this man and his family, but also to the disciples and everyone else who was watching – especially the religious leaders of that day!

I have a dear friend, a sister in Christ, who was diagnosed with breast cancer about ten years ago. When the diagnosis was given, her first response was to go to God in prayer, asking Him “What is this? Is there anything in my life that I need to bring before your throne so that we may deal with it?” The Lord’s answer to her was, “This is not unto death; this is for my glory.”

Immediately, my friend knew this trial was an assignment from God. She and her husband would be witnesses of the goodness of God - to other women (and their families), who were walking through the same trial, but who may not have had the covering of a personal relationship with the Lord.   Through the entire experience - the surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and all the doctor’s visits - my friend allowed the Lord to show her the individuals she was to encourage, those who most needed a compassionate touch from a loving Father. In so doing, the Lord was glorified.

I can think of no better example of Jesus words: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13, NIV) This verse is often used for those who serve in the military, and rightly so; but I believe that when we submit our will, our rights, and all control to the Lord Jesus Christ, as my friend did, we are laying down our lives for others and we are demonstrating the unlimited love of God to each one of them.  And that always brings healing. The day came when the doctor wrote in my friend’s chart “In Remission”. My friend did not miss this opportunity to give God all the glory.  She demanded that the doctor cross through the words “In Remission” and instead, write in bold letters, “HEALED!”

God has shown us who He is and who He wants to be for us in every situation we face. Sickness, disease, and infirmity were dealt with at the cross. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows… and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5, NIV) Because of what God has done, we can know for certain that healing is available for each one of us. God is the healer. Sometimes He works through prayer, sometimes He works through the laying on of hands of those He has anointed for healing, and sometimes He works through those trained in the medical profession. The end result is the same. Trust God that healing is His desire for you.

And now, May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul, and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, MSG)

Be healed in Jesus Name!
Linda
 
© Linda Sue Harper, 2018
 

The following Bible study on healing was produced by Aglow International. I am sharing this article (with permission) to acquaint you with the scriptural principles regarding healing. The original article may be seen at www.aglow.org

Healing
Do you believe in healing? More to the point, have you ever experienced healing? Or have you prayed for someone and seen him recover, perhaps before your eyes?

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, healing - physical, emotional, and spiritual - both for ourselves and the people we pray for - is part of the salvation package we receive from God. Since the beginning, God wanted His people to be healthy.  Sickness was not part of His original intention for the human race; but when Adam and Eve sinned, it became part of the penalty that had to be paid.

However, God's desire for a healthy, whole people remained.  When He rescued the Israelites from Egypt, where they had been slaves for four hundred years, he told them how they could stay healthy.

The Scripture: Exodus 15:25, 26
"There He made a statute and an ordinance for them.  And there He tested them, and said, 'If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians.  For I am the Lord who heals you.'"

1. What are the four conditions of this verse?
2. What did God promise if they met these conditions?
3. How did He describe Himself?

In Hebrew, this name is Jehovah Rapha.  It is our assurance that, when we meet God's conditions, we can call upon His name for healing.

Throughout the Old Testament, we find instances of healing, but sin still held control over man.  True healing had to wait for the coming of Jesus.  One of many prophets who spoke of what Christ's death would accomplish was Isaiah.

The Scripture: Isaiah 53:4, 5
"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

4. What six benefits did Isaiah list?
5. Which two specifically relate to illness or disease?

Let's see how this same Scripture is quoted in the New Testament.

The Scripture: Matthew 8:17
"… that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'"

6. What is the difference between this translation and the one in Isaiah?

Isaiah and Matthew in quoting Isaiah used the same Hebrew word “choli”.  It can be translated as either "sorrows" or "diseases." When Christ died for us at Calvary, He suffered as substitute for our sickness as well as our sin.  Since Christ bore both our sins and sicknesses to the cross, there is healing and forgiveness for all who will accept them by faith.

Let's look at a Greek word that illustrates this same principle.
The Scripture: Romans 10:9
"…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

7. What happens when you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead?

The Scripture: Mark 6:56
"Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the border of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well."

8. What happened to everyone who came to Jesus?

The word translated "saved" in Romans and "made well" in Mark is the same Hebrew word, “sozo”.  If we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we can be healed, as well as saved.

Throughout His ministry on earth, Christ healed people.
The Scripture: Matthew 8:16
"When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick."

9. How many were healed by Jesus?

While Jesus was still alive, He extended His authority to heal to His disciples.
The Scripture: Matthew 10:1
"And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease."

10. What authority did He give the twelve disciples?

Later Jesus extended this same authority to another seventy followers.
The Scripture: Luke 10:1, 2, 8, 9
"After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest…Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  And heal the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'"

11. What were these disciples instructed to do?

After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples on several occasions.  Just before He ascended to heaven, He gave them instructions and also told them some exciting news.
The Scripture: Mark 16:17, 18
"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name …they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

12. What would happen when believers placed their hands on sick people?
13. In whose name would they heal?

Yes, Jesus extended His healing authority to all His followers.  We know He was able to do this because of what happened in the early church.

Acts 3 tells the story of Peter and John's encounter with a beggar, who asked them for money.
The Scripture: Acts 3:6-8
"Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'  And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.  So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them - walking, leaping, and praising God."

14. What did Peter tell the lame man to do?
15. What happened to the man?
16. In whose name did Peter command him to walk?

Just as Jesus had foretold, those who followed Him healed in His name.
The Scripture: Acts 8:6,7
"And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.  For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed."

17. Who healed in this Scripture?
18. Who were healed?

The apostle Paul was another person the Lord used greatly in healing.
The Scripture: Acts 19:11, 12
"Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them."

19. What was extraordinary about the miracles Paul performed?

Just as surely as Jesus passed His authority to heal to His first followers, He has given this same authority to us.  The ability to heal and be healed is available to all believers. 

The book of James extends this same idea in a practical way.
The Scripture: James 5:14-16
"Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

20. What should the elders do for a sick person?
21. What kind of prayer will make a sick person well?

These verses then go on to talk about sickness with a specific cause - sin.

22. What is the remedy for this type of sickness?

When we become sick as the result of sin, the road back to health is through confession and prayer.

The healing ministry has long been neglected by a major part of the church.  But increasingly we see this miraculous gift being restored to Christians everywhere. God wants His church to make a tremendous impact on the world today.  One way this can be accomplished is by taking Him at His word and becoming channels for the restoration of the miraculous power of healing.

BE HEALED, IN JESUS NAME!
​Linda


All scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (unless otherwise indicated)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, New International Bible Society
Copyright © 2005 Aglow International
Website: www.aglow.org