When Persecution Comes Calling

For anyone that has been following the news there are a growing number of stories that speak of the persecution of Christians. For many, such articles seem surreal, they remain so far removed from our current peaceful existence that we find no reason to try and relate, let alone guard ourselves from similar violation. But what if trouble does come near our door? Must we fall victim to the plans of a corrupt and tyrannical world system? Should we yield ourselves over to those that would gladly bring harm to us or to those we love?   Of course the answer is “no” but we must also gain some perspective on how Jesus saves us from unwarranted trouble. Only when God’s people stand in Christ do we let Jesus be the one that decides our fate. Let’s consider a couple of valuable truths that make victory possible.

Dwelling with the Most High

When we got saved the authority of Jesus was given to us through a personal connection with the Savior. Jesus became our standard in life and faith and His rule became our source of authority.

Ephesians 2:6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Seated with Christ means two things; one it means we have ceased from our own works in order to live our Christian life through Him. Jesus has provided us a full and rich alternative to a life once subject to corruption.

Secondly it means that we have gained a spiritual position in Christ that is raised above the dictates of a fallen world. We can literally hold on to the perspective that we are raised above and held in the hollow of God’s hand. In fact the Greek definition for “salvation” amounts to “deliverance, preservation and safety”.

Now that should help us choose God’s favor. From this regal place of authority we can conclude that the kingdoms of this world are under our feet. However there is one thing that stops us from living in that place of total victory; it has to do with our dependence on our old man’s ways; let me explain.

At one time humanity received a commission from God to be fruitful and take dominion, and this was a good thing. The intent was for man to be a steward of God’s creation which gave him freedom to be a sovereign over the physical world (Sovereign means that no one stands between him and his earthly rule). However as man sinned and lost connection with God, his natural ability to take dominion became corrupt. Left to his own devices he lost being a sovereign and became a slave to the god of this world. This transference of power is outlined in the Devil’s dialog with Jesus in Luke 4:5;

The devil led him (Jesus) up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

As believers this should concern us for one reason. Even though we have been invited to rest in the kingdom and partake of all that is victorious in Christ, the dividing line between success and failure depends on the choices we make. The Apostle Paul helps us understand what we should be choosing; he says;

Romans 8:5-6 (NIV) Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Now don’t get me wrong, we are still creatures born of the flesh and live out our days while deciding what’s best for body, soul and spirit. However when we received the free gift of God it was an invitation to be governed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. In that environment the flesh responds to righteousness and our sinful ways begin to fade; that is if we want them to fade.

When the flesh still rules in compromise it reveals an open door to unwanted advances. Think of it this way; those that pick up the sword die by the sword; or more to the point those that pick up the flesh are prone to suffering because of the flesh. So quite often the thing we call persecution is simply a matter of having created an open door to an outside attack. You name the unwanted encounter; it’s a sure thing that it rides on the coat tails of some of our past indiscretions.

For the record, the way every stronghold is formed is based on a free will choice to be owned and then governed by the presence of a demonic power.

Under the influence of sin other people are able to notice the spiritual sign on our foreheads that reads, “open for business”. In this way some will approach us wanting to join the party, some will want to crash the party; while the wise will seek to run away from us. Resolving fleshly points of compromise remains a valuable first step in limiting unwanted persecution. This comes about as we confess our sins and align ourselves with the victory Jesus afforded us at the Cross. Take a look at all the benefits provided us when Jesus died on the Cross /spirit/2023/09/the-purpose-driven-death-8-2522815.html

Beyond clearing the slate of a compromised way of life, we need to know that persecution can still come to those that have a pure heart. But even here we are not ill equipped to respond. The ministry of Jesus on our lives can set at bay added trouble as we speak the truth in Christ. What we want to capture is an understanding that victory is very much tied to our confession.

Romans 10:9-10 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. For with the heart a person believes and so is justified, and with the mouth he confesses and confirms salvation.

In the Greek, the word “confess” is “homologeo” and is defined as: saying the same thing as another, i.e. agreeing with; conceding to confess, declare; professing to declare openly, speak out freely; praising and celebrating. Other scriptures that bring forth the same truth are: Mat. 10:32, 1 Tim. 6:12, Heb. 13:15, 2 Cor. 4:13. The emphasis on agreement with God is alive throughout the scriptures, and if we want, it can be alive within each one of us.

We bring this to light to make a point; so much of the ministry of Jesus relies upon the spoken word. Prayer remains verbal, many of the gifts of the Spirit depend on a verbal response, and certainly the ascension gifts rely upon the spoken word for results. Most notably we too are learning that strongholds crater when we declare victory in Christ over the flesh, the world and the Devil. This is because the Holy Spirit is with us.

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For this reason persecution can be overcome by our voice. If we recognize that man draws to himself demonic control it is the demonic violence in man that we address. I.E its not the man that we have authority over in Christ it is the demons that bow to the authority of Jesus on our lives.

Now in the midst of confrontation with men, first and foremost we overcome with words that gain the attention of our King; prayer gets God to respond in times of trouble. Secondly we listen to Him for a change in the venue; what comes from that divine whisper is strategy for bringing down demonic mountains. We then declare with unfettered voices God’s message to the opposition. Now what I just said happens in seconds; we say “help” and the Holy Spirit gives us words to say when time is of the essence. With the Holy Spirit behind us we verbally address powers that stand in the way and often manipulate others to do evil. Make no mistake, mankind is a slave to the god of this world and the spiritual realm that rules each scenario of life gets leveled at the Cross.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Such authority in the mouth of believers has the ability to subdue armies when at the behest of our King. This is our defense against any assault and represents our participation in spiritual warfare.

“In the Name of Jesus I bind the violent spirits that are at work in this man, this crowd, this army, this assault against me, my house, my children, my life, my people, my city, my country etc.

In the presence of our God and King our voice, our confession and our declaration level every unwanted advance?

(Free PDF books).

Out from the Shadow of Other Gods

Every Christian is desperate for a true relationship and life changing experience with God, but our most prevalent model of success and failure has been religion. The things that have been taught us have had more to do with man’s search for a god, rather than in God showing us His ways. There is a place where religion dies and genuine relationship begins. The first in a series, the author provides a platform for change and a simple yet powerful way out from the trappings of humanities religion. Ministering with honor to the pastor as well as to the prodigal and revealing a surprising bounty of Jesus in every page. Get ready to be encouraged, challenged, and renewed in your walk of faith.

The Shadow of the Spiritual

Got Spirit?

That’s an interesting question, but after two thousand years of Christian history, maybe we should be asking “which spirit?” Though the Christian faith has been provided with a sure foundation in Christ, our propensity to get worldly or even religious has actually pushed us past safe boundaries. There is a quagmire of spiritual alternatives all vying for our attention, yet none of them has anything to do with a true faith in Jesus. “The Shadow of the Spiritual” is meaty, thought provoking, in-depth look into the rising tide of spiritual pollution within the Church. Its lingering effects remain oppressive and damaging to any believer who desires a pure expression of relationship with the Son of God. This self help book is a must read for any Christian wanting to understand how improper spiritual connections get formed, fed and how unhealthy spiritual bondage gets passed around. Yet, by embracing a simple biblical truth, we can separate ourselves from all sorts of added trouble. The second in a series, the author provides a platform for change and a simple yet powerful way out from the trappings of humanities many fallen exploits.

Lord I Want To Change!

Is It time for a change? The Christian life is not always an easy life. Though we are assured that all things have become new, “New life” may end up looking a lot like the old one. This is due to our inability to properly transition away from certain worldly influences. A growing number of our troubles include the weight of family dysfunction, years of social conditioning and any number of personal failures remaining a black mark on our record. All of these issues have a tendency to warp our sense of “self” and we walk through life emotionally crippled; yet Jesus has other plans for us. The Bible provides the Christian a “get out of jail free card”. Jesus offers us a simple and effective way of escape out from the trappings of a difficult past. If you have ever wondered whether there is more to the Christian life, then get ready to be encouraged, challenged, and set free in your walk of faith.

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