A pastor in Tennessee, who played the fiddle at a lot of events in the area, tells a story of how, a black woman came up to him and said: "Preecha, we's mighty po' this winter, and Ah wish you would do sumptin ta hep mah old man. He is a fiddler jes like you is, and he's in the pen'tentry." "Well, now, what was he put in for?" asked the pastor. She said, "Stead of workin' fo' it that lazy, good-fo'-nothin' thang done stole a truck full of bacon."
"Well, If he’s that good for nothing, what do you want him back for?" "Well, yo' see” she said, “we's all out of bacon ag'in,".
The devil can’t do a lot of things without us allowing him to, and without realizing it, giving Him permission….We usually are so hooked on our habits and patterns, that we can’t tell the difference between our wants and our needs. God will supply all our needs, but it’s the devil that will often supply our wants!
There’s no denying that there is a thief, a destroyer and a murderer at work in this world of ours… The statistics don’t lie…. Here in the United States alone, there are 12,343 births every day, but also 6,887 deaths…there are 6,100 weddings but also 3,577 divorces each day…There are 5,918 home robberies every day, one every 15 seconds….There are 78 women raped every hour, or 1,872 each day …685 people die from Alcoholism every day…. Each day of the year, there are 45 people murdered, that’s 16,425 each year, and 54% of those go unsolved…In addition 4,000 babies are aborted every day in this country…And on a daily basis, 2,100 children are reported missing and many are never recovered…. We are at war with the forces of darkness….
Our homes are broken, our prisons are overcrowded, mental institutions are stretched….Doctors, lawyers and psychiatrists are getting rich…… drugs and alcohol consumption are on the rise…… and we have abandoned the Christian foundations which founded this great nation and made it a leader in the world. Good is called evil and evil is called good! This doesn’t mean that good and values and Godly principals have vanished… but as a people, we are experiencing an attack, like has never been witnessed by planet earth. We live our lives in the midst of a titanic struggle between right and wrong, light and darkness, good and evil, Godand anti-God forces.
There are many ways we can be victimized…. We can be Robbed of health, of peace, of faith and hope, and robbed of truth through error and deception... not only are we being robbed of what we have, but this victimization goes further, into what we don’t even have yet…. And It’s robbing us as a nation, of our future…
It’s only by God’s great mercy and grace that we have not received the verdict of Sodom and Gomorrah…. But like the ark, God is leaving the door open until the final call….
In the parable of the talents, which Jesus taught… in Matthew 25, one servant was given 5 talents, to another He gave 2 talents, and to the third, He gave 1 talent…. The two were commended, but the third, who was ruled by fear, hid his talent and did nothing with it, and was given a rebuke and was told….
Matthew 25:28 Because of this, take the talent from him, and give it unto him who has ten talents. v29 For unto every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him who has not shall be taken away even that which he does not have. v30 And cast the unprofitable servant (who was ruled by fear and greed ) into outer darkness, which shall ultimately lead to weeping and unending torment.
We must counter-attack fear, worry, depression, discouragement, doubt, jealousy, greed, and self-destructive habits and patterns, as the thief, murder and destroyer that they really are! You can’t play around with them, try to control them, tolerate them, or go to bed with them! THEY ARE OUT TO DESTROY YOU, YOUR FAMILY, AND ALL THAT IS GOOD, NOBLE, HONORABLE AND TRUE!
You can’t drink poison every day and not expect it to harm you! You can’t play with vipers and not expect to get bit! 8,000 people each year are bitten by venomous snakes who never thought it would happen to them. I read of a woman who slept with a python and one morning she didn’t wake up! The python will just hug you to death!….
Ecclesiastes 10:8 is an interesting scripture…. “He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoever removes a wall (ghed-ay-raw'….. a protective barrier, boundary of safety) a serpent shall bite him.
Also look at…Proverbs 29:24 “Whoever tolerates and partners with a thief hates his own soul for he is aware of what he’s doing, and he does nothing to stop it”.
There was a man who had his credit card stolen. But, he decided not to report it. And when asked why, he said it was
because the thief was spending less money than his wife did. (so, the question is…..what’s our reason for putting up with a thief?)
The FBI keeps a “Most Wanted File”, which they update regularly. Wanted posters, hang in Post Offices across the land… We are told that if we recognize these people, that we should immediately notify the police, so they can be arrested and taken out of society, where they can no longer take advantage of and victimize the population.
Jesus was clear about why he had come to earth to live as a man, and die as our savior….
He’s heaven’s FBI.. that stands for (First Born Intercessor) Thereis no doubt…God loves us like we are, but He loves us enough to not leave us that way! The things we will deal with today are on God’s most wanted list… They must be apprehended and put out of action…
1 John 3:8 “For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy (kat-ag'-noo-mee,….break up, shatter into fragments, strip, dissolve, crush, annihilate) the works of the devil”.
Today, can be the day, can be the first steps in seeing the thief and destroyer arrested and his works broken off of your life. God always allows us to be a part of exposing and arresting the destroyer. It’s God’s way of humbling the pride of Satan and really rubbing it in, to use what satan sees as weak, frail, vulnerable people to bring about his demise! The bible calls the devil… A liar, a murderer, a sower of discord, an adversary, who is cunning, wicked, malignant and evil. He is cowardly, a tempter, a thief, without principles, proud, deceitful, fierce, cruel, aggressive, and a destroyer. God has chosen and equipped you and me, to put him in his place!
When we live with purpose, Satan’s purpose is defeated…..A minister was preparing a man for his journey into the eternity. Speaking firmly, the pastor said, “Receive Christ, and Renounce the devil! Break his power and let him know how little you think ofhim.” The dying man said nothing. The pastor repeated it a little louder. Still the dying man said nothing. The pastor asked, “Why do you refuse to renounce the devil and all the evil he’s done to you?” The dying man said, “Until I know for sure, exactly whereI’m headin’, I don’t think right now, I ought to make an enemy out of anybody!.”
Aren’t you glad that we can know beyond any shadow of a doubt, exactly where we are going to spend eternity!? Jesus said, “believe and you shall be saved” (belief is an action that shows with your life what you have confessed with your mouth) If you don’t do what you say you believe, well, you don’t really believe it!
The question has often been asked … “Why didn’t God just get rid of the Devil, when He cast him out of heaven, instead of sending him to earth, to torment us?! (have you ever asked that?)
Genesis 2:15 “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it”. You could say…. “to keep the devil out” …….but man, let the devil in! God’s plan, was that we were put here to keep Satan under control, establish boundaries, and keep him confined and limit his power, by using the authority God has delegated to us…. Satan must get our permission and our authorization… we don’t usually realize that, but when we do the things we do…. Envy, anger, destructive habits, gratifying carnal appetites, fear, bad eating habits, our bad confessions, stepping out of God’s will…etc. these are the ways in which we give Satan a club, to beat us with…. You know, Satan must really get confused… Our words say “no you can’t……. Our actions say….yes you can ..”! (Quick, take the stick away that he’s beating you with!)
Luke 3:9 For now, the axe is laid to the root of the trees: every tree therefore which does not bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire. (where is the axe applied?.....) To The ROOT!
Say it with me…..“Where there is a root, there is fruit” That’s true for the positive and for the negative side of things….
Let’s look at some of those things (Let’s call them the roots) which give authority to the stuff that would like to destroy every one of us!
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: v4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds(destructive life patterns). v5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
The First Root we look at is the Root of Divination (this is revelation that is extra-biblical, or received separate and apart from the God of the Holy Scriptures)
Deuteronomy 18:9 When you are come into the land which the LORD your God shall give you, you shall not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. v10 There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire (penance), or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, v11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer (those who consult the dead). v12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD your God shall drive them out from before you.
Fortune telling, Witchcraft, Familiar Spirits, Horoscopes, Spirit writing, Hypnotism, Enchanters, E.S.P., T.M., Divination, Para Psychology, Mind Control, Mind readers, Occult games and practices (Ouija boards), Divining rods, Hallucinogenic drugs. If your family has been involved in these, because that’s permission. you need to break it….(now here comes the axe!)
(Say it with me) “ I Bind, cut and sever the Roots Of Divination and Witchcraft, I apply the blood of Jesus, and I receive and release the gifts of the Holy Spirit..” There’s power in the blood!
I was down at Mallory Square and A fortune teller grabbed my hand as I was walking by and then quickly let it go… She said, I can’t do anything with you, you’re mind is made up”! Honey, I’m not stubborn. It’s just that My mind is made up!
The Second Root we look at, is the Root of Jealousy…Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm: for love is strong as death and jealousy has death in it, the coals of it are coals of fire, which has an intense, consuming flame…. Jealousy is connected with the Spirit of Revenge, Spite, Rage, Cruelty, Division, Strife, Hatred, Contention and Murder.
(Say with me), “I bind, cut and sever the roots of Jealousy, I apply the blood of Jesus, and I receive and release love, contentment and forgiveness”.
Third Root we will look at is the Root of Deception. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 For he who is coming, is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, v10 And with all the deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. v11 And they shall receive a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie… Deception is connected to Flattery, Manipulation, Superstitions, Accusations, False Prophecy, Gossip, Slander, False Religions, Lies, being deluded which leads to bondage. (Get ready with your axe!)
(Say with me)…. I bind, cut and sever the roots of Deception, I apply the blood of Jesus and I receive and release the spirit of wisdom, truth and discernment.
The Fourth root, is the Root of Perversion. Romans1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; v29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness v30 …..inventors of evil things….v31 Without understanding…..without natural affection, implacable….v32 Who knowing the judgment of God, not only do the same, but have pleasure in those that do them….The Root of Perversion is connected to… Soul Bonds, Atheism, Doctrinal Error, Worrying, Twisting the truth, Sexual perversion, Pornography, Child abuse, Incest, Abortions, Scarred emotions, damaged minds and wounded spirits….. Now, we are not here to condemn, but to set free… Jesus didn’t come to condemn, but to set free….(Get your axe ready)
(Say it with me), “I bind, cut and sever the Root of Perversion, I apply the blood of Jesus that cleanses us, and I receive and release a Spirit of excellence, Holiness, purity and a renewed mind”.
Fifth, we look at the Root of Pride… Isaiah 2:11 “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. v12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon every one that is proud and lofty, and every one that is lifted up, shall be brought low.” Pride is connected with… Being Obstinate, Head strong, Arrogant, Smug, Haughty, Rebellious, Scornful, Self Righteous, Rejection of God, Self-Absorbed, Lack of Humility, Superiority, Better than thou, and insensitivity.
(Pride, the axe is coming) Say it with me, “I bind, cut and sever the roots of Pride, and I apply the blood of Jesus. I release and receive a Humble, sensitive and Contrite Spirit”.
The Sixth root, is the Root of Heaviness. 2 Corinthians 1:8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: v9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, and we could not even trust in ourselves.
Heaviness is connected to….Excessive Mourning, Insomnia, Self Pity, Paralyzing Grief and Sorrow, Broken Heartedness, Despair, Dejection, Hopelessness. Depression, Spirit of Suicide and Death, Rejection and A Wounded Spirit. (Get your axe ready)
(Say it with me) “I bind, cut and sever the Roots of Heaviness, Iapply the blood of Jesus, and I release and receive the Spirit of Comfort, Praise, Faith, Joy and Hope.
We have just a couple more….The Seventh root we look at, is the Root of Infirmity… “Luke 13:11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. v12 And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, be loosed from your infirmity”.
This root is connected to… Crooked Spines, Frailness, lameness, Impotence, Barrenness, Arthritis, Cancer, Asthma, Hay Fever, Deafness, Blindness, Epilepsy, Bronchial conditions, Lingering Disorders, Chemical and Hormonal Deficiencies, Circulation problems, Heart disease, Disorders of the mind, Chronic Allergies, and Inherited Disorders….
(Say it with me) “I bind, cut and sever the Roots of Infirmity, Iapply the blood of Jesus, and I release and receive the Spirit of Soundness, Wholeness, Wellness and the Gift of Faith for Miracles and Healing”.
The Eighth root, is the Root of Bondage…. 2 Peter 2:19 “While they promise them liberty, they become the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. v20 For if they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and they again become entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning”.
The Root of Bondage is connected to….Addiction to chemical substances (drugs, alcohol, and tobacco), Compulsive eating disorders, Fear and anxiety, anger, fear of rejection, desire for revenge, Lusts and O.C.D…(anything which controls your life, to the point that it is running your life).
Romans 8:15 “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. v16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”. (bondage springs from an orphan spirit or fatherless spirit that brings isolation and separation from your source). You start thinking “Nobody cares, I’m all alone, I have no one to help”… (your problem is that you expect folks to be mind readers) You have not because you ask not!
Any program of accountability will break and expose the deception of an orphan spirit….
(Let’s say it now)… I bind, cut and sever the Roots of Bondage, I apply the blood of Jesus and I release the Spirit of Sonship, accountability, submission, obedience and Liberty.”
If we confess and confront the roots that are producing the fruit…..If we honestly, repent before God that we allowed them authority in the first place. And we Bind them and strip them of their power in our lives, and then, replace those things with what is pure, wholesome, true, and righteous. Then, turn and walk in a different direction and life style, God’s great and wonderful promises begin, new and fresh for us and a world of possibilities lieahead for us….
Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us (who?) lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us (weighed us down and held us back), and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, v2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Get addicted to OVERCOMING! This is some great news for all of us, and bad news for the Devil…Satan is really worried that we’ll find out the authority that we have in Christ… He knows that overcoming can get very habit forming and God’s kids will just expect to do it all the time… We close this study, with a Psalm of Praise by David…
Psalms 149:1 “Praise the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and His praise in the congregation of saints. v2 Rejoice in Him that made you. Let the children of God be joyful in their King. v3 Let them praise His name in the dance: let them sing praises unto Him with musical instruments. v4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people: He will beautify the humble with salvation. v5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. v6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two edged sword (the word of God) in their hand v7 To execute vengeance v8 To bind the kings (of darkness) with chains, and princes (of darkness) with fetters of iron; v9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor and authority have all His saints. Praise ye the LORD.
Check another mountain off your list!
If you’ve had some battles lately, remember, You’re in it to win it! That’s the purpose! God is not a loser. Victory is embedded in your battle, there’s a testimony embedded in your test, and a triumph in your trouble… Because Jesus overcame, you shall overcome. Jesus defeated the Devil, so you could defeat Him also! The only purpose for the warfare you are in, is for God to show you the victory! It may not be the way you thought, but it will be a way where there is no way. No matter how you see it, God sees you as an overcomer, victorious, redeemed, forgiven, and delivered!!!! Sosee it through His eyes!
