TV 1773 | Called to Be Warriors Conclusion

the needs in our lives and we get serious enough to say, "God, you delivered me at the cross." I'm tired of trying, I can't, I know I can't. Tired of making excuses, tired of calling it something other than what it is, but Lord, I need you to apply the blood in this area of my life in such a way that I am set free by that blood. I'm not just cleansed, I am set apart for you. And I thought about how the Lord dealt with the Israelites when Moses was instructed to build the tabernacle, okay? You remember how God gave all the instructions and they had all the implements and all the parts of it that had to do with their worship? That was a sacrificial system, wasn't it? It was dependent on blood sacrifices. Now though we know those didn't have any power in themselves, what they were doing was looking forward to what was to come because there was one sacrifice for all time that was offered on the cross. And what Jesus did there was effective back in history. God can do that. But here they were as part of their system of worshiping God, there were blood sacrifices that were offered. But I found it interesting when they were preparing the tabernacle, one of the things they did toward the end, they would take blood sacrifice and literally touch blood, sprinkle blood. Everything was, a blood was applied to everything. It wasn't just some theory.

This wasn't okay, we sacrificed the animal out there. That blood was applied to every part of that tabernacle. It was set apart. And when they did that and they also used the oil that God had told them to make, it was a special oil. You couldn't use it for anything else. Do you see the connection where God wants us not just to be clean, he wants us to be set apart for him and that anointing oil represents him coming in. What happened when they did all of that faithfully? God's presence came down and fire and filled that place and they couldn't even get near it. See, when God, when we bring ourselves to him and we apply that blood to these areas of our lives, when God puts his finger on, and we say, God, I'm done with this. You know I don't have the power, but you do. There are weapons that have power against this. I don't want this back door to be open. I don't care how clean it is if the door is still open. That devil's going to keep right on coming. I need help, I need you to come. I've sort of wrestled with a couple of things I want to say, but some of you are probably going to get mad at me, but that's okay, I'll survive. I talked last week about different kinds of ways the devil gets in, different kinds of holds, and one of them was unforgiveness. We know about that, it's just a human characteristic that we need deliverance from,

but I thought about a couple of others that we might want to think about. The devil has all kinds of ways to get to people, especially children, and our culture is, where does our culture come from? Did Jesus establish American culture? He gets his voice in here and there, but I mean the culture itself, it's devoted to the worship of devils. And there's so much, there's so many ways that the devil gets in. And some of them, I'm going to mention, I mentioned these the other night, but there are people who reach out to devils without realizing that's what they're doing. There are kids who play with Ouija boards, with tarot cards, with horoscopes, with other kinds of things, their devices, they're trying to get answers to life's questions. Sometimes it's just, oh, this is a game. Do you think the devil considers that a game? If there are people here who have dealt with anything related to that, part of your deliverance is going to be to recognize it, even if it was ignorance, recognize it and get rid of that stuff. It doesn't need to be in your house, anything that is an implant by which the devil gains power over people. You don't think that is real?

I'll guarantee you it is. him. And I can give you one scripture, when Paul was ministering in Ephesus, he was there for more than a year, I forget the time frame, but he was there a long time and there were tremendous deliverances, the power that he had that God showed through him to drive spirits away and to see people saved. And there was, at one occasion, there was a bonfire. What was it that they burned, do you remember? There were all kinds of occult scrolls, books that called in different translations. These were implements by which people would literally call upon what they believed would be friendly spirits who were going to help them. But they were demons hiding behind all of that. And so they literally made a bonfire and they said it was 50,000, it was a certain coin that was worth a day's wages. And the value of all of those books was 50,000 of those coins. Now, why did they burn them? Why didn't they just say, oh, there's nothing to that, just put it in the back shelf. Man, you want to close every door and say, I renounce everything this stands for. And I don't want anything to do with it. It is out, it's trash. The devil, you have tried to connect with me through this object. That's part of demonism. And it's something that people need to be aware of. If there's anything in your past, that might just be a doorway you need to think about. But another one that is not easy to talk about, I sort of did in a way recently when we talked about the purpose of God making us male and female to produce children. It has to do with a marriage relationship. But the reality is that when kids get to be a certain age, they start experiencing sensations in their bodies to be plain. The Bible talks about it. Nothing hidden about that. Well, boy, does that open up a channel where the devil can work. And so the natural thing, apart from finding out what God's purpose in it is and how to hold the, how to give these bodies to him and they belong to him for his purposes, the easy thing is to do things, think about things that stimulate that. Nobody here would ever look at pornography, right? It's getting quiet. But this is the most natural thing in the world for people to think about things, to let their minds go, to get into activities that have no other purpose except to stimulate those kinds of things, those kinds of desires that are natural to all of us. I believe God wants to give us a victory and a strength to rule over these bodies. Paul spoke about running a race, but he said in running that

race, "I keep under. I beat even into the Greek." It says, "I beat my body and I keep it in subjection so that when I have preached less, when I have preached to others, I myself should be cast away." Somebody that God can't use. I wonder how many people God can use or can't use because we're so held captive by this and by that and by the other. And how many people, God leads down the wrong road because they pursue all that feels good, it feels natural, it's just the way I'm made. This is okay. I can play with this. God wants us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. He said, "I just can't. I can't do it. No, I can't either." But isn't that why we need to come with a spirit of repentance and renunciation and turning to Him and saying, "God, take this body, that area that I've struggled with, fill it. Fill it with Jesus because I don't have what it takes. I need Him to come and occupy that area of my mind and my life that I've had so much of, so much of a struggle with." So this isn't just directed as the young people, this is directed to all of us. We're still alive. It's a factor. We need the Lord. And how many times do we just kind of let our minds wander or let our actions go this way or that way and God wants to set a people free to wear our bodies? Now He bought our bodies. Did He not? Did He not buy us? It was the blood of Jesus. We're either going to serve the devil or we're going to serve the Lord. And our victory, this warfare that we're in involves us being willing to hand over our lives at every area where he puts his finger on it and say, "Lord, this is yours." Fill it with your presence, fill it with your power because I haven't got what it takes, but you do. You're with me and your presence will occupy this. So when the devil tries to come in that door and say, "Wait a minute, I can't do that anymore." Now, do you think that what we've talked about so far maybe has a little to do with that second part of Revelation 12, 11 being effective? How many of you have been in a situation where, oh, I'm supposed to talk to the devil? That's what Jesus did. He gave him Scripture. And so we pull out a proof text that has the right words, but it doesn't seem to work.

It doesn't make any difference. What's going on? Now, notice Ben brought this up last week and it's right. He talked about the weapons and the armor, most of it is defensive, but what's the one offensive piece of armor that we have? The sword. What kind of sword? Oh, of the spirit. See, Paul talked about the weapons that he fight where they had power. I don't just need words. The devil's going to laugh at my words if I'm still holding on and haven't really let go of whatever he's holding on to me about, he's going to sit there and laugh at me. I can quote Scripture all day. But if I have given him over and been cleansed and been anointed and been filled that area of my life with Christ, now I've got something that I can stand there and I can declare something. A testimony means not just to quote what the word says, but many times it's a declaration of my will. I am the Lord's. You cannot have that part of my life anymore. Devil, get out of here. You have no right to me. The word says, thus and so, and we can stand there. It becomes a command. It becomes a declaration. The devil has to respect, but it's got something behind it. It's not I who live anymore, is it? Ah, what is it? Christ in me. That's the key. I've got to get to the place where what I'm saying and what I'm doing is really Christ

in me doing it, and then you've got something the devil can't stand against. He doesn't have a thing he can say or do if we can come to him with the word of God and the declaration of our choice to agree with God, then you've got us in God standing there or us in Christ standing there talking to the devil. And there is a sword and it's not just a sword, it's a sword of the Spirit. You know, if we're living, shouldn't our words have something more to them than just be words? You think about preaching. If preaching is just correct words, what is it? But if Christ is there by the anointing and he is literally breathing life into those words, it's the same spirit that said, let there be light. Every one of us can speak words that the devil will have to respect and it would be more than just an idea that we're throwing in his face. It would be power. He doesn't respect anything less than real power. And thank God, that's what he longs for us to have. We don't have to qualify ourselves for this. Thank God, you think about the Israelites when they went to conquer the land. God said, it's yours. And then I can see where they say, "Okay Lord, you get rid of all those giants and we'll walk in there and start planting and plowing." Now there was a warfare, wasn't there? For them to lay hold of what God had given them, they had to do some fighting. But what was the nature of that fighting? Was it just them running off and doing their own thing and designing their own battle? Every point they had to look to God, they had to do what he said. They went where he said, they did how he said, and God fought with them. That's what I need. here in need with the battles you're fighting, you need God to fight with you. and walked with Him, God absolutely gave them victory time and time and time again. Now there

were many other places, many other areas of the land where they got this far and then they couldn't couldn't drive them away. Oh, why couldn't they? You know, you can get to a place where you're just doing it in yourself. There's no real belief in there's no real trust. There's no real faith. God wants the people who will believe Him in practice and He will empower that if we're willing. So much of the time the problem is not with Him, it's with are we really willing? Are we really willing to be honest about this issue or that issue and lay it at the feet of Jesus and say, "Oh God, forgive and cleanse and fill." Because when He does that and we're honest about it, He does come in and there's power. You know, we've had battles, I'm not going to go into detail, but we've had some battles in our house this week. Devil didn't like what came forth last Sunday. You know, I'm sure there are people who didn't like it, but that's all right. But I'll tell you what, the Lord is proving Himself faithful in battle. He doesn't send us battles to discourage us. He sends us battles so we can learn how to fight and win real victories because He is faithful. He is with us. He will never send you or me into a battle that He is not willing to fight and give us the victory, but we're going to have to do it on His terms. You can't go in there and like I say, step out on the front porch and say, "Devel, get out of here and leave the back door open." God is going to have to help us and He's willing if we are. He's willing to help us to let go of the things that have held us. And He's willing to come down and just pour Himself through as folks. We need to be, we're not even in a position to help one another half the time. Oh, maybe we can pray for one another and yeah, up to a point. But there are needs for deliverance in our lives, let alone in people in the church or people who might come in. Are we really ready for that kind of a ministry of deliverance? Are we in a position like Paul was, the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds? We can get to where we have just a comfortable religion. We know how it works. We know what to believe and we're good. And in the meantime, the devil is just slipping in here and slipping in there and the people that come in and they can't find any real deliverance. God help us to grow to the point where we can do something. I'm not talking about seeking signs and wonders. I'm not talking about anything particular other than we need God's power in our midst in a deeper way. And if we will seek Him individually and as a congregation, God will come and He will meet needs. And one of the things that I was reminded of as I thought about all this, there are times when you're fighting for your own freedom and it's like it's not enough. You need

help. If you're one like that, ask. Let's join hearts. Somebody else can pray with you and stand with you and there's a combined strength. The devil has to yield. We're told to pray one for another. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed. That includes this kind of healing. This is the kind that we really need. But there are things that there's a reality that God wants to bring us to. We can come here and sing songs and preach truth and all of that. But there is a real power that needs to transform lives and allow Christ to live in us. You talk about the tabernacle. The same thing could have been said about the temple they built later. They did everything right. They anointed it. They cleansed it. They had the sacrifices. They anointed it. And when they got done, they said, Lord, this is yours. What happened? He came down in power. There was a cloud that just enveloped that thing. Do we not need His presence? Do we not need something that is more real than we have? Let's ask God for it. Let's ask Him to help us to identify the things in our lives. Joe mentioned this morning that song we used to sing, the secret place and how we all got them. But the Lord wants to take those secrets and say, wait a minute, this is actually just a place where the devil has had a hold in your life. And you've made every excuse in the book or you've tried. I mean, there's no one way to look at it. But we need to come to a point. I need to call it what it is. It's sin. It's not what you want. This did not come from you. You have given me the mouth of spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control. See, that's where it all comes from. You know, I thought about it as we were singing this morning. He who did what he said, Christ of the cross. I don't remember the exact words in Romans 8, but he who's done all this for us shall he not also with him. What? Freely give us all things. That's his heart. Where's ours? May God help us to get aligned with him because this world is getting aligned with the other force, the other kingdom. And God is calling his people to be aligned with him in a deeper way so that he can live in us, express himself through us. There are gifts he wants to distribute and use to help so that we can help each other. And when we interact with each other, it's not just us being us, but it's Christ in us, strengthening and helping and encouraging and setting free. I don't know how many people there are in our community that need Christ. I know there are a lot of them, but I'm talking about that he wants to reach. Are we in a position to help them? It's a sobering question, isn't it?

And God help us. I believe he is, don't you? I believe this is his heart. None of this is to condemn. None of it's to leave us with this feeling of, "Oh God, I can't do this. This is worth helpless. I'm hopeless. It's not hopeless." All he's looking for is on his hearts that want him. He has all we need. And he's more than willing and more than able to help us as his people. May God get the glory. May God do what all that he's promised. You know, I did leave out the last part of this, the blood and the word of our testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. The spirit of this is that nothing stands in the way. You never give up. If God leaves you in a battle that takes a period of time, you don't say, "Oh, well, I tried that. It didn't work. Do you stay the course?" This is a ultimate commitment to follow Jesus. Whatever the cost, now we think in terms of, "Well, I'm going to be a martyr." Well, maybe. But this is basically not allowing anything of our human nature and our human framework to stand in the way of doing God's will. Whatever he puts his hand on, whatever my need is, whatever it takes, whether I have feelings or I don't have feelings or time or not time, I'm his. I'm going to stay the course by his grace. It's a final, full commitment of my life to him, whatever it takes. That's what that's all about. You see how all it all works together? I need a vessel that's cleansed. It needs to be cleansed and anointed and filled. When I have that, then I got something I could say to the devil that will have power in it and he'll have to listen. And in the process of doing that, I'm going to stay the course. Whatever it takes, I am his. Come hell or high water. The Lord is with me and he's promised to bring me all the way through, and I'm going with that. Praise God. Is God faithful? Does God care about you? Does this apply to you or is it just theory? It applies to me, I can tell you. But I thank God for every time he confirms this word, because the devil is very good at pointing out all my faults and having me so focused on me and my lack that I don't get my eyes on Jesus and all of his supply. Thank God this applies to me. I'm not going to use the everybody but me version of the scriptures. I'm going to use the one that says, I am his child. He has redeemed me. He has given me the spirit of power and love and self control, and I'm trusting in him this day. And whatever it takes, he's going to bring me through. But I want more of Jesus. More and more and more. What's the price of that? Give him more of me.

See, that's where we're at right now, and I believe God is faithful, don't you? Praise God. This has been the Midnight Cry Broadcast. If you would like a DVD or CD of today's message in its entirety, please request it by program number. While it is not required, a donation of 10 dollars for DVDs. Also for those who request it, we will send you our quarterly publication, the Midnight Cry Messenger free and postage paid. Send your requests to Midnight Cry Ministries, post office box, 685, Southern Pines, North Carolina, 28388. We invite you to join us again next week at the same time and may God richly bless you until then. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)