Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Spiritual Warfare Pt.9

It's good to be in His presence with another opportunity to worship and enjoy the privilege of serving in the kingdom, and occupying, as the Scripture says, until He comes. I would like to wish all the mothers a Happy Mother's Day. Thank God for Mom, amen? Thank God for these godly mothers here in our midst, and the older mothers--I should say the "mature"--that are instructing the younger. It's a great, great privilege to see that there are those who are raising up children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. The Scripture says that as time goes by, when you've been faithful to that call, that they'll rise up and call you blessed. We thank God for each of you. There are a lot of new mothers this year, and we're excited about seeing all the new little blessings in the nursery. God has truly manifested His presence among us.

Let's turn to the epistle of Peter, First Peter, chapter five. We want to conclude the study that we've been doing on spiritual warfare. We'll be going in a couple of other directions that will incorporate some of these principles; but I want to finish up on some of the main thoughts that we've been dealing with: the warfare is primarily in our minds; it is for your thought life. It's not just the thoughts that are being hurled at us as fiery darts--thoughts that would periodically be thoughts of pride, or thoughts that would come in as fear, or lusts that might come into our being--the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (we just see something that we think we can't live without). We battle all of those things that enter into the mind. The Scripture says we are to pull down all of the evil imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

The greatest war that we face is what was in the original sin, and that is Satan's seduction to bring us into independence--to where we begin to act and think separately from God. The original sin was in our mother Eve--speaking of Mother's Day. We all have the same mother in the natural. Aren't you glad we all have the same Father in the spiritual? We realize that in the natural, we all have the same mother; we come from Eve. Because of that, sin is in our members, the Scripture says. We're born into iniquity. The thing that motivated Eve was that the fruit she saw was to be desired to make one wise. There was a desire to be as God. Satan tempted her, saying, "Go ahead and eat that, and you'll be as God. You'll be lord of your own life; you'll be lord of the circumstances that you encounter on a daily basis. You'll now be able to discern good and evil, and you'll be able to make decisions accordingly. You'll set your own standards of righteousness. There's not going to be that dependence any longer of He that comes in the cool of the garden to walk with you. You'll be able to make instantaneous decisions. You won't have to wait for a visitation from God. You'll have it at your fingertips, the ability to succeed, and independence."

We saw that same spirit over in Luke, chapter four, as Satan was tempting the Lord. After the forty days of temptation, Satan came. It says that Jesus was hungered; He hadn't eaten for forty days and forty nights. The thing that Satan brought to Him was this: he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be turned into bread." What was he doing? He was trying to get Him to move independent from God, to use what appeared to be His power and rights to satisfy His momentary desires. Learn! Satan will always play on your momentary desires, your immediate desire. He'll take the Word of God, and begin to twist it to get you to justify independent living and decision-making because of the immediacy of the moment. That's what got Saul, wasn't it? It cost him his life in the kingdom, because he couldn't wait for Samuel, the Word of the Lord, to show up. So, he took things into his own hands.

We begin to meditate on these things, and we see Jesus' response to Satan. Jesus was the Son of God, and He did have the power to turn those stones into bread; but what was His response? He told us very clearly that He didn't come to do His own will, but the will of He that sent Him. He responded, "It is written: 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' I'm not doing anything until I hear from My Father." Spiritual warfare is all about getting you to act without hearing from Father. That's what it's all about: getting you to respond to your flesh, a momentary desire, or an impulse.

The Bible says that the Spirit leads us into all truth. Think about that. The Holy Spirit is leading us daily into truth. The steps of the good man are ordered by the Lord. I heard a voice behind me that said, "This is the way; walk in it." Most of us are hearing voices from within, not from the Word of the Lord. We're making all of these rational decisions, and it seems right to us. The reason it seems right is because of our relationship to mother Eve. Sin is still in our members. The world's wisdom is absolutely, absolutely accepted by the carnal mind.

Romans, chapter eight, tells us--turn over to Romans, chapter eight for just a second and then into First Corinthians, chapters one and two. As we begin to look at Satan's tactics--and the Scripture says we're not ignorant of his devices--we, like Jesus, have to come to that place of humbling ourselves to saying, "I don't do anything without the Father's admonition." The passage in First Peter, chapter five that we had you turn to says that we are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and that He would exalt us in due time; that we're to cast our care upon Him because He cares for us; and that we're to be sober and be vigilant, because our adversary, the devil, goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We've asked ourselves the question, "How vigilant are we being in our preparation for this roaring lion?" What is the seduction, the wiles of the devil, that Ephesians tells us we have to guard ourselves against by putting on the whole armor of God that we might be able to stand? What are these wiles, these seductions to independent thought and independent living? They are a lack of humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

Everything that Satan does when he comes to you and me is to tell us, "God doesn't care. God doesn't care. God knows that the day you eat of this fruit, you'll be separate, independent; you'll be as gods. He's holding out on you." Cast all of your care upon Him, beloved. He cares for you. Everything Satan does is, "God doesn't care." You experience a trial that everybody on earth goes through. He pours out His rain upon the just and the unjust. We all experience adverse circumstances. The first thing Satan does is to come to you and say, "If God cared, that wouldn't have happened to you." All of us who are believers experience trials, tribulations, and hardships. God does care, and with every temptation, He makes a way of escape. We count it all joy in the midst of trials, because God does care. He turns this trial into the establishing of patience; and we let patience have its perfect work so that we might be made perfect and entire, wanting nothing. We rejoice in the goodness of our God, but all the while, Satan is saying, "God doesn't care. If God cared, you wouldn't be there." It was the Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. He came out in the power of the Spirit, He stood on "It is written," and then Satan left him for a season, the Scripture says.

Where are you this morning in this cycle of spiritual maturity? Walking in the Spirit is spiritual warfare. We're going to have all of these opportunities to make independent decisions, or to humble ourselves. In humbling ourselves, we're going to experience adversities. If we stand, we'll be purified and come out more like Jesus. Where are you in the process? We think spiritual warfare is being able to say, "I resist you, Satan!" and he flees, and we don't have to experience any adversity. That's not what winning spiritual battles is all about. Spiritual battles don't stop adversity from coming into your life. Spiritual battles cause you to stand confidently on God's presence--knowing that He does care for you, and that something of eternal value is going to come out of this (not momentary ease and pleasure of life). With that in mind, the carnal mind perceives spirituality in one way, and the spiritual mind in another.

Romans, chapter eight, let's take a look at that thing for just a second. If we can get through this without getting bogged down, it will be a miracle. Let's just take a look at this. Coming into Romans, chapter eight says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Thank God for the "law of the Spirit of [spiritual] life in Christ Jesus," the Scripture says here, which "hath made me free from the law of sin and death." "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." We have, now, that ability of God within us. "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh..." "After the flesh" is a phrase that Paul uses which means those who are seduced, who are intent upon what the world's system offers. "They that are after the flesh [they that are carnally minded] do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Here's what we want to reemphasize as we close this study. We've talked about it in every teaching of these last seven or eight in the series, whatever it's been. Check it out: the carnal mind is enmity against God. I want you to see this. It is not just an alternative thought process. Carnal-mindedness is not amoral, in the sense that we apply immorality to certain acts or thoughts; but it is, in fact, immoral in the greatest sense in that it defies the righteousness and character of God. The carnal mind says, "God doesn't care." I want to tell you something: that's immoral. To speak or to live like God doesn't care is the most immoral act of any man. There is no greater immoral act a man can commit than to indict a loving, righteous, holy Savior with the accusation that He doesn't care for you; yet we do it without even thinking. Professed Christians do it without even thinking.

To be carnally minded is not just talking about lascivious living, doing drugs, free sex, etc. The carnal mind is independent thinking, independence. To be carnally minded is not merely to go a different direction from God, but this word "enmity" means "to be in opposition to," or to hate God. Just as Lucifer did in Isaiah, carnal mindedness says, "I will ascend above the throne of God; I will be like the Most High." "I will be equal to Him," is what it says in its lightest interpretation. I personally believe that there's an obscure application of that word "like" in the Hebrew that I apply. I won't fight anybody over it. It's just something that I personally believe, and the Word allows it to be interpreted this way. At the least, it says "I will be equal, I will be like, or equal to the Most High." In the Hebrew, it can even mean, "to silence or kill [the Most High]." Let me ask you a question: Are you silencing the Most High when you inject your thoughts instead of His words? "It is written..." "But I think..." "It is written..." "Yes, but the circumstances would logically demand this..." Jesus said, "Come!" "I would like to, but the law of physics says I can't walk on water."

We begin to see what's at stake here. Satan gets us so used to daily walking in the natural realm, the carnal mind, that many of us can no longer hear that still, small voice saying, "This is the way; walk in it." So many of us live off little excerpts of the Word, and don't study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. We are living off excerpts, and little statements that teachers happen to make, or Our Daily Bread. The Word of God is not in our hearts to the degree that when Satan comes, we stand and say, "It is written..." speak as one having authority, and resist the devil with obedience to the Word of God, and then he flees. Where are you today in your diligent preparation, for there's a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour? Whom is he going to devour? The independent thinker, the one who hasn't hidden the Word of God in his heart, the one who is a hearer of the Word, but not a doer.

Paul is speaking here in Romans, chapter eight. He says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." There is no fellowship between light and darkness.

One of the men asked a question in the Men's Breakfast yesterday. I was sharing with him that one of the tactics Satan uses is this. You see, the one thing that's interesting about Christianity is its total exclusivity. "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father but by me." Jesus said, "You're either for me, or against me; you love me, or you hate me." It's black and white; Christianity is black and white. There is absolutely no gray in where you and I are walking. When we speak, the world goes nuts because to them everything is abstract; everything is relative (situational ethics). We speak and say, "No. Truth. Truth. Truth." So many religions are willing to amalgamate others. Not to the extent of diminishing their doctrines or their gods, but isn't it interesting how many of the false religions recognize Jesus as a great prophet? We say, "Jesus isn't a prophet; He's the Son of God." That immediately separates us from the rest of the religions. The wisdom of the world--this is what I was sharing in breakfast yesterday that could be helpful to you--the wisdom of the world, the carnal mind, is always willing to compromise and allow you to apply certain biblical principles. "Yeah, go ahead--even quote a Scripture. Then incorporate that wisdom with worldly wisdom. Isn't it logical that if you apply the best of the world's wisdom with the best of biblical wisdom, you'll have the best?" God says, "It will be defiled. It is mingled seed. It is leaven; for there is no fellowship between light and darkness. To be carnally minded is death; to be spiritually minded is life and peace." The world will gladly co-mingle the two wisdoms. The spiritual wisdom will not compromise. The spiritual mind says, "Thy Word is truth."

Let's go on. I don't want to bog down here, because there are some things I want to show you in practical application. "So then they that are in the flesh [those who are carnally minded, think with the world's wisdom, or live by the fruits from the midst of the garden] cannot please God" (verse 8). The Scripture tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. The carnal mind, then, is the opposite of faith. Our faith is the victory. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. The natural mind requires no faith. It works off of the apparent, natural laws, the observable, forensic evidence; but we call things that are not as though they were. We follow the invisible God. We're a people that are so out of step with the world. I have a question for you this morning: How is it that they embrace you? How is it that you can just be "one of the boys?" How is it that you are not so distinct and different on the job or marketplace, that we're not being persecuted for His name's sake? I don't mean you have to be boiled in oil or dismembered, but just hated, mocked. Isn't that what Corinthians says?

Keep your finger here in Romans, chapter eight. Go over to First Corinthians for just a moment. We're asking whether or not we're adorned in the armor of God, whether or not we're walking in the Spirit, whether or not the shield of faith is up to quench every fiery dart or worldly wisdom that's being injected into our consciousness. First Corinthians, the first chapter, verse 27: "But [Don't you understand] God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are." Why? Look at verse 29: "That no flesh should glory in his presence." That's the bottom line, beloved. No flesh should glory in His presence. That doesn't mean that you're going around saying, "Look what I got in the flesh!" It's the fact that you possess the fruit of the flesh that is mocking God. I'll show it to you in just a second as we go into some of the Old Testament biblical examples of this.

The very fact that you are succeeding in the world's system by its methods is glorying against the Lord. I didn't say the fact that you're succeeding; I said succeeding with the world's methods. There is absolutely nothing wrong with success. We are in the world. We're not of it, but, beloved, it had better be God who is the source of your prosperity. When I talk about prosperity, I'm not just talking dollar signs. I'm talking about the peace of mind; I'm talking about the continuity of our families. I'm talking about the fact that there's fruit that's evident as to whether or not you're a member of the kingdom of God. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but it's righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. I'll tell you what, that's missing from a lot of homes today. Righteousness: right standing with God, absolutely obedient to the Word of God. Peace--"Peace I give unto you, not as the world gives." It is a peace that passes all understanding. Joy--"I did find Your Word and I ate it, and it became the joy and the rejoicing of my heart." Do you have joy today? Do you have peace? Do you know that you're in right standing with God? Then we're citizens of the kingdom. We are living in a different realm than others that are around us. God has chosen to call their wisdom "foolishness." God, in His wisdom, allowed them to partake of a fruit (wisdom, the Scripture says) that does not allow them to know God. Their wisdom can't know God--ever. Their wisdom never fellowships with God. Their wisdom will never lead them to the Lord. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of it is destruction.

What about you and I? You read on into the second chapter of First Corinthians, and in verse 14 he says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him." He hears them, but he can't receive them. He may even agree, but doesn't do. That's the indicator of whether you're walking in the Spirit or not: are you doing the Word of God, obeying the Word of God? Is your absolute trust in the Word, or do you believe He doesn't care? "Since God doesn't care, somebody has to watch out for number one. I'm going to make my own provision, because I personally believe God will fail me in the crunch--but, bless God, I can trust in my IRA, my medical insurance, and my natural blood relatives!" You're building your house on the sand. That's the wisdom of Satan in this spiritual war that you and I are walking in and dealing with on a daily basis. That's what he's dealing with. He's seducing us with those thoughts constantly. It's natural.

Turn over for just a second. Let me show you a couple Old Testament examples of what I'm talking about. One of the great ones is over in Isaiah, chapter 30. Remember what we're talking about; we're at war here. Satan is trying to get us to think naturally, to trust in the arm of the flesh. God's wisdom says, "Don't lean to the left hand or to the right; but in all of your ways, acknowledge God, and He will direct your path. Cast your care upon Him; He cares for you. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything you have need of will be added unto you. I've given you all power and all authority over all the power of the enemy; nothing shall by any means harm you. Train up your children; when they're old, they won't depart from it." We have the promises of God; and Satan says, "It won't work; you can't trust in it; you'd better apply this mingled seed. You'd better put some natural provisions in there, because you can't absolutely trust God."

In Men's Breakfast yesterday, we talked about how subtle it is. I said to the men, "Satan has caused us as fathers and parents to think so naturally, and we're not even aware of it. We seem to think that some of our responsibility as parents is to make sure that our kids get the best education possible. We've got to see to it that these kids get into the best schools, and we need to teach them all of these different natural principles so they can succeed in life. We seem to think that somehow our calling as parents is that we, when we die and leave this earth, are to leave our children materially better off than we were. It's a lie of the devil. Nowhere in the Scriptures can you find that mandate. When I say education, I'm talking about secular education. We're to educate our children in the Word of God. We're to instruct our children in righteousness. We're to realize that we are a peculiar people who are to come out of the world, be separate from it, and touch not the unclean thing. Then God will receive us. We're in this world, but we're not of it, praise God! That's the education our children need.

It's nothing new. Look at Isaiah, chapter 30 for just a moment. "Woe to the rebellious children." We're talking about rebellion. I want to use that word because in this context, it fits into exactly what we've been talking about. You could take the word "rebellion" and replace it like this: "Woe unto the independent thinker. Woe unto the carnally minded. Woe unto those who use worldly wisdom." "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, [listen to this next phrase] that they may add sin to sin." It's interesting. This covering really talks about an oblation or a drink offering being poured out, or some way appeasing the gods. He said, "You're establishing covenants; you're making contracts, but not with Me. You're adding sin to sin. You're not seeking Me [which is sin], and you are seeking the world [other gods, natural wisdom]."

Watch what He goes on to say (this is interesting): "...that walk to go down into Egypt." What is Egypt a type of? The world. "Here you are, the children of covenant, those who have known the presence of God, the deliverance from Egypt. I sent your fathers out of Egypt with their wealth. I've brought you into a land that flows with milk and honey. You're living in houses that you didn't build. You're drinking from wells that you didn't dig. I said when you go in there, to beware that you don't forget Me and instead say, 'By my own hand, I've obtained these things.' Yet, here you are now--faced with the world's circumstances, the normal conflicts of life that everyone endures, adversities at hand--and you go down to Egypt and have not asked at My mouth."

Who do you seek early? Where do you go first in times of trouble, in times of trial? I'm talking about the small things. I want to ask you something. Whenever you're faced with something, do you run to the Bactine first? Maybe they don't even use that stuff anymore. Does anybody know what Bactine is? Is it still around? What would they have today? Do you go to the A&D Ointment? Do you go to Johnson & Johnson? Johnson & Johnson aren't getting it! Add one more name--Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Where do you go? Who do you turn to first? In any situation, is the first impulse of your heart natural or spiritual? "Are you going to go to Egypt, not asking at My mouth for counsel, not seeking Me as the One who has borne your sickness on My body on the tree for you?" Jesus asks.

Oh, beloved, listen to this next phrase. This ought to pierce your hearts: "go down into Egypt...to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!" God calls it rebellion. God calls it defection, because the carnal mind is enmity with Him. "That cover with a covering, but not of Me." Are you covering yourself with IRA's and Keogh's, or do you have a covering that will never leave you nor forsake you? These others will take wings and fly away, but righteousness sustains us in the days of adversity. Where is your hope this morning?

Well, God, in dealing here with His children, said that they trusted in the shadow of Egypt. What a tragedy. The Scripture's full of it. Then there are those that seek God, like David. We talked about him and his great victory over Goliath a couple of sessions ago. Let me show you why David was so successful in his walk. You really begin to see it over in Chronicles. Turn over to First Chronicles for just a second. We're going to come back to Isaiah, if you want just to fold the page back there. Whatever you want to do; but we'll be back in just a second. In First Chronicles, there's an interesting revelation of why David was so successful in walking in the Spirit--David, the man that was after God's own heart. King David is being faced with a decision here (the invasion of the Philistines), and one very simple phrase is used here. I think it's really interesting. And David enquired of God." Get it down in your notes. First Chronicles, chapter 14, verse ten. Did I forget to give you the address? Here we are, faced with satanic wiles. Your adversary goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

What a blessing to figure out that you hadn't found the verse yet by hearing all that noise. That's a blessing. I heard one of the big nationally known teachers the other day, one of the guys that I like to listen to in the mornings. There are a couple of teachers that I always try to pick up in the morning and receive ministry from. My favorite teacher is Adrian Rogers at this juncture. I just really appreciate his wisdom and the Word that he brings and some others. But there's another guy that I listen to, and he made a comment the other day that so contrasted where we are. He was doing this teaching, and he was giving a lot of different scriptural passages. Then he says, "And if any of you've brought your Bibles this morning, turn to..." I thought, what in the world would you be doing going to church without your Bible? You might as well leave your clothes at home! Tragically, that's where too many professed believers live today; and the best they can do when Satan attacks them is pull out a little penknife. The devil says, "If you've brought your sword today, then I'll leave. Oh, you haven't? Okay. I'm going to devour you!"

"And David enquired of God [simple phrase], saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand." Great story! He goes up and, of course, the great victory manifests; but here's where we make some mistakes. If you continue to read down through the narrative here, you'll find out something else that's interesting. There's another encounter with the Philistines, and what so many times happens in the lives of believers is this: "Well, God said whip those Philistines. They're in the bag! Every time a Philistine shows up, he's going down! Here's the method God said to use: go up against them; take them on face to face, and I'll deliver them into your hands." Let him that glories glory in the Lord. It's to be done by the wisdom of God that no man could glory and boast in His presence.

Look at David. The Philistines are now going to come back again. "And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley." Look what David did: "Therefore David enquired again of God." How many of us seem to think because we've had one victory somewhere that we're now experts? "I know how to pray. I know how to fast. I know how to deal with this situation. I'm very experienced now in raising children and in understanding application of how to deal with these principles of satanic wiles and onslaughts." I want to tell you something, beloved. Without Him, we can do nothing. You've got to inquire of God every time. Every time there's a conflict, you've got to inquire of God. You are insane. In fact, to make a decision without inquiring of God proves your insanity; because to be carnally minded is death. You've got to be insane to do anything without God's wisdom. Without Him, you can do nothing. David inquired again. I love that word "again." David inquired; David inquired again. We become so proud, thinking that because we've had a few successes in our spiritual lives that somehow now we're experts and can assume control of that particular aspect of our life. That's Satan's access.

I think one of the greatest examples of it is found over in Second Chronicles, chapter 14. Look over there. Do you remember Asa? Asa was an interesting man. He was a man that was righteous, and a man that was considered one of the good kings as we read, "There was a good king...there was an evil king...good king...evil king, etc." Asa was one of the good guys. The Scripture tells us that when Asa came into power, he destroyed all of the Sodomites. In addition to that, he began to destroy the different idols that were in place. He took his own mother from being queen, pulled her down, because she had established an idol in the grove. How many of you are willing to throw Mama from the train? The enemies will be those, Jesus said in Matthew, chapter ten, of our own houses--mothers and fathers, wives, husbands, children. This is a real war; it's a conflict. Those of your own bowels, those of your own blood may defect. Have you already established your commitment to His kingdom and allegiance to the blood-bought family of God?

"Asa," the Scripture says starting in verse two of chapter 14, "did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images." We realize this was a man who was pursuing God and who had his dependence upon God. The greatest trial of his life now begins to manifest itself. "And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots [he begins to move in on the underdog, Asa].... And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD [Look at the confidence this man has.] it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee."

Do you see this principle that has been brought up in every one of these studies? The whole issue of spiritual warfare is man against God, not men against you. We're not warring against flesh and blood; it's the glory of God that we're defending. Listen, we are not making decisions so that we can have personal gain and ease. The reason I make the decision is not because it's wise and it'll cause me to prosper, or it's wise and it'll cause me to have ease, or it's wise and it'll make the pain leave my body. The reason you and I make spiritual decisions is to bring glory to God. Everything the carnal mind does is to rob God's glory and give it to man, to look for other objects of worship. We worship the stockbroker, the attorney, the physician, and the personal trainer. "Don't let man prevail against You." Do you want to have the armor on? Then be very conscious that it's not about you. You're an ambassador; you're out there representing God. The decisions I make will either blaspheme God or glorify God.

We all know the story, don't we? As Asa is seeking the Lord, God intervenes. The Bible tells us in verse 13, "And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves...." Does the next phrase read, "For they were destroyed before King Asa"? Is that what it says in verse 13? No. It says, "For they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil." That's a key. I want you to see this. That's one of the key points that I want to make as we're closing here this morning. God was for them. There was no way they were going to whip an army of a million men. God destroyed the enemy before them. In the process, they get all the spoil, just like it happened in Egypt. They had peace. "And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law." Three ingredients are very important here: God, His ministry gifts, and the proper application of the Word. They all work in harmony; they're all working for the same purpose. When men like Azariah come and speak the Word of the Lord, we need to hear it. When someone can stand before you and say, "It is written," you need to hear it. There is no higher power; there is no other authority. You choose: Is it right to obey God, or men?

The prophet speaks. They were without guidance and direction, but God is now bringing in teaching priests--men that know the Word of God, prophets that are decreeing the judgments of God that are at hand--to the point where they made a covenant to seek God. Those who wouldn't, verse 13 says, were to be put to death. That's getting pretty serious! That would be like us this morning saying, "We are going to seek God one hundred percent, with all of our hearts [that's how we've tried to purpose in this fellowship], but we're going to add a little bit to it. Anybody that slacks off, we're going to kill." Most of you would say, "You know, there's a real nice church down the street." That's what is in the hearts of these people. You've got to understand the fervency of where this man Asa was, and where he's taking these people in pursuit of God. They've been without the presence of God, and now God's visited and delivered them. They're saying, "Because of that, we want to know Him more. We want to know His presence more; and we're going to make a covenant that God will always be Who we seek first."

Do you know what? Some of you have made that in your hearts. There's been a renewing (verse eight) of the altars and the temple. As you read the Scriptures, you'll find out that this great abundance (that they got from the destroying of the Ethiopians), all of this wealth was brought into the temple. Some of it was stored just as treasures--you have all of these chalices around, wedges of gold, the garments, whatever it might be--all of this wealth. Some of the gold was taken and molded into different objects. Asa is pumped; they make this covenant; he removes Mom (verse 16). They had no more war, verse 19 says, until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. Scripture tells us that Baasha, the king of Israel, is going to stop the trade routes up at Ramah. He's going to cut off the trade. He's going to cut off the flow of prosperity. We no longer find an Asa facing an invincible enemy. Instead, Asa is now looking at an enemy who he perceives is not invincible, but an inconvenience, someone who can be handled if we handle it properly. In his eyes, he's not facing annihilation.

See if Isaiah 30, that we just read earlier, doesn't become very clear to you in this sixteenth chapter of Chronicles. What you're going to find is this: instead of going to the Lord as he did when the Ethiopians were at hand, Asa turns to the temple treasure. The very thing God blessed him with, he's going to use naturally to try to buy a covenant with Syria, and his prosperity is going to kill him. Listen to me. It's easy to trust in God when you don't have anything else. It's hard when there's another source; and Satan will prosper you to cause you to depend upon your own prosperity, your favorite doctor, your savings account, your own strength, and your own ingenuity. It is so easy to go back to Egypt and trust in the shadow of Egypt. The seduction of Satan to your independence is so subtle and so diversified, that you must be constantly on guard and so full of the Word of God that you can detect anything that speaks contrary to it. Beloved, when your heart is full of the Word of God, and somebody speaks something that seems to be so profound, so wise, so infallible (it may even have Scripture intertwined with it, as we said earlier), but you say, "That doesn't sound right; it's mingled seed. Where is the glory of God in this thing?" then you're on your own.

We know the story here. Asa strips the temple of its wealth to establish a covenant with the Syrians, to go down and seek the help of Egypt (the world). Listen to the judgment that comes upon him in verse seven. "And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah [these prophets, they just seem to always have something that riles up the flesh], and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand" The very one you trusted in is going to turn on you and bring you into bondage. I don't have time right now, but I can show it to you. At the very end, the spirit of Antichrist and the false prophet--where the Antichrist comes into power by the apostate religious system, the false prophet and all the compromising religions bring this man into power--the Scripture says he then turns on them, devours religion, sets up his own image, and demands to be worshiped as God. The wages of sin are death.

"Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from thenceforth thou shalt have wars." We're going to stop and finish this tonight.

There are two other principles that are very important that I want to reaffirm. We'll pick it right up here this evening. Let me ask you the question as we unhook for this morning. Are you eyes upon the Lord, who can save by many or few, or have you found yourself going to Egypt and trusting in the shadow of Egypt? Let me ask you another question that we'll deal with very specifically tonight. Have you begun to tear down the spiritual temple of God to bring yourself a natural security? The weapons of our warfare are not carnal; they're mighty through God. We need to reaffirm where our faith is and where our confidence is; and walk in the assurance that if God is for us, nobody can be against us.

Father, we thank You for the Word of God. As we spend our time here in Your presence this day in worship and in seeking of Your wisdom, we acknowledge the great extent of wickedness in our day. Romans, chapter one, says men no longer want to retain God in their knowledge. We're living in that day. Men are inventors of evil. We're living in that day. Men not only do these things, but make heroes out of those that do them. We're living in that day. We're the base; we're the foolish; we're the weak things in the eyes of this world. Help us to boast in that as Paul did. Paul was one of the elite in their eyes and became one of the most base, mocked, and despised. Are we willing to take on that same badge of glory? Make it real, Father, in Jesus' name.

Let's stand before the Lord this morning. This afternoon's assignment will be to finish reading these two chapters on Asa. Go back and read the story of king Asa. When we refer to these things this evening, it'll be refreshed in your mind. You'll be re-familiarized with the story. Go back and read Isaiah 30 this afternoon, and those three chapters will prepare you for tonight's study. As you're reading over them, let the Holy Spirit begin to speak to you. In Isaiah, chapter 30, there are two key words. See if you can find them. I'm going to emphasize them tonight. See if you can find them. They speak of the whole principle that we're talking about, of reliance on God instead of independence. These two words will be indicators as to whether you are or not.

Aren't you thankful that His eyes are searching to and fro this morning and that He's looking for a people that He can show Himself mighty on their behalf? Are you a candidate this morning? "Lord, here I am; my eyes are upon You." If your eyes are on Him, His eyes are on you.

Let's sing it together. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus/Look full in His wonderful face...." Father, we do thank You for Your presence this morning. Now, help us to seek You again as David did. At every encounter, help us to seek You again; for we don't know how to go out or to come in. We're not able in our own strength, Lord. Without You, we can do nothing. Our eyes are upon You, Father. Deliver us for Your glory. We ask it in Jesus' name, amen.

For those of you who missed prayer Thursday, we made the announcement Thursday that we do have our registration in hand in Kenya. Can you say "praise God" for that? There is one other little obstacle. That is that for the next forty-eight hours we need to just believe that there will be no other attacks of the enemy. Ron is actually supposed to leave the country. His visa is up Monday, and he needs to stay until Wednesday. They've given permission for that verbally, but we know the war that we've been in. We take nothing for granted. Just continue to pray for God's protection and that once the work permits are issued on Wednesday, and there is no longer any temporary visas, we are there basically as indefinite residents--able to buy land, able to conduct business in every area. We just thank God for that opportunity. Continue to hold them up and we're going to believe God to finish this work.

There is zero chance--well actually, he didn't say "zero." It was "99.9 percent" chance that this could happen. It's a miracle. President Moi's pastor, the president of Kenya, called Ron the other morning. He said, "As I woke up this morning God spoke to me." He said, "I've only helped, in all of the years, ten people in the way that I've helped you, in 35 years." He's not just running around helping people. He said, "God spoke to me through your ministry. As I've read the books [this man has read Walking In The Spirit and Adam's Rib], I've heard people making accusations that you all are devil worshippers, anti-government plants. I hear the heart of the ministry and this is God. I just want to tell you what the Lord told me this morning. He said we [you] have not only been opposed by Satan. It's more than satanic opposition. Your being here is sovereign placement of God, and it's bigger than anyone can imagine." I believe that he could be right, having seen the opposition. What we faced was not normal satanic opposition. We faced principalities and powers of darkness that are as strong as you read of in the Scriptures--of the heads of nations, and the demons that control them had to be brought down from this little ministry to be established in that nation. God brought them down. I believe He's going to be glorified in it. We need to continue to pray in that way.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you, and say, "Keep your helmet on." Go in peace.

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