TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Faith

The Most Important Secret Weapon In Your Holy Ghost Arsenal

Chapter 2 The Armor of God

Shake Those Mothballs Off Your Holy Ghost Armor, And Put It On!

Chapter 3 Praying in the Spirit

It's Time To Turn On Your Communication System With God!

Chapter 4 Joy

You've Got to Have a Full Dose of Happy, Hilarious Joy!

Introduction

The battle line of the ages has already been drawn. On one side is the Savior of the universe, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and His Church. On the other side is Lucifer, the fallen angel satan, along with all the hosts of hell. When Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, the Bible says that he plunged to earth and the earth trembled. And many Christians today are still trembling with terror because of the devil and his demon power! Yes, satan is a worthy adversary, but his power is no match for the power of the Savior.

John 10:10 paints a vivid picture of the devil's strategy against your life: The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. But the second part of that verse declares, I [Jesus] am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Friend, I believe that, as Christians, we can have a taste of God's abundant life. In studying God's Word, I wrote down four secret weapons I've described in this book. I believe with my whole heart that God showed me we have a Bible right to fight the giants or enemies and obtain our promised land! I tell you, I am determined to be a giant slayer in the spirit world, AND YOU CAN BE TOO! I have my slingshot. I have my faith. I'm girded up for the warfare. AND THERE IS NO RETREAT IN ME!

I've got news for you! You don't have to bow down to the devil and let him ride roughshod over you anymore! You can gird yourself up for the battle. You can go on the warpath against satan, AND YOU CAN TRAMPLE HIM UNDER YOUR FEET IN JESUS' MIGHTY NAME!

Oh, believe me, the devil knows what's coming. He's out there lurking in the shadows this very moment, gasping, "Oh, it's going to happen again, just like on Resurrection Day!"

YES, SATAN HAS LIFTED UP A BANNER AGAINST GOD'S PEOPLE, BUT GOD HAS RAISED UP A MIGHTY STANDARD AGAINST HIM! AND WHEN YOU AND I TAKE UP OUR FOUR SECRET HOLY GHOST WEAPONS, WE ARE ABLE TO STAND UP STRONG AGAINST THE DEVIL'S TRICKS

AND STRATEGIES AND WIN THE VICTORY IN JESUS' NAME!

Chapter 1

FAITH

The Most Important Secret Weapon In Your Holy Ghost Arsenal

Just imagine for a moment a crude makeshift hospital in the middle of a windblown desert. In one corner of the tent is an old man rocking back and forth in a rocking chair, and in another corner is an old woman with a midwife hovering at her side. The woman is about to deliver a baby. You can hear her loud cries piercing the air as the midwife anxiously leans over her.

In the flash of a second, there's a great commotion, and the air is flooded with the wails of a newborn baby. The midwife exclaims, "It's a boy!" and the old man leaps to his feet, rejoicing, "It's a boy! It's a boy! Oh, glory be to the Lord!"

The man's name is Abraham, and his wife is Sarah. He's one hundred years old, and she is ninety. And I declare to you today that the only way a hundred-year-old man and a ninety-year-old woman can have a baby IS BY FAITH IN THE LIVING GOD!

The Bible boldly proclaims that Abraham is the role model for our faith. In Romans 4:11, he is called the father of all who believe (niv), and he is considered the brightest star in the Hebrew heavens in the Old Testament.

In Romans 4:18-20, the apostle Paul gives us a thumbnail sketch of Abraham's personal journey into faith:

Against hope [Abraham] believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, So shall your seed be. And not being weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, since he was about a hundred years old, neither the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.

IF WE CAN BELIEVE LIKE ABRAHAM BELIEVED, WE CAN RECEIVE LIKE ABRAHAM RECEIVED!

Abraham was chosen of God because of his faith. What made God look down from Heaven with favor upon Abraham's faith?

First of all, his faith was founded upon a promise from the Lord. Friend, you must get a promise from God to stand on because the Word of God is the basis for your faith. Romans 10:17 declares,

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Abraham was standing on the firm foundation of God's Word. You see, the Lord had said to him, I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS (Romans 4:17 niv). So God promised Abraham fatherhood BEFORE his son, Isaac, was ever conceived. The promise came before the child!

But Abraham was also a man who acted on his faith. He chose to believe the promise. Oh, how I thank God for someone who will BELIEVE!

The only way you can possess the promises of God is BY FAITH! And because your faith must be rooted and grounded in the Word of God, it's impossible for you to have true Bible faith without having an understanding of God's Word!

You see, faith is not trying to get God to move; it's finding the move of God and going with it! Faith is not trying to manipulate God into doing your will; faith is saying, "Lord, Your kingdom come! Your will be done in my life!" Faith is not trying to convince God to believe in you; FAITH IS WHEN YOU BELIEVE IN HIM! True Bible faith is based upon promises — THE BEDROCK ASSURANCE OF THE PROMISES OF GOD'S WORD!

YOU'VE GOT TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH THE CHARACTER OF GOD

If you want to have strong faith, you've got to get acquainted with the nature, or character, of God. What is His nature? When my father, Oral Roberts, proclaimed that God is a good God, I remember how the shock waves ripped across this nation! But the Bible clearly reveals the nature of the Savior: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). That's the nature of Jesus!

Romans 4:17 also gives us some very striking clues about the character of God: [HE] GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD, AND CALLS THINGS THAT ARE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE (niv). Now Abraham already knew the Lord. He had grasped the nature of God. The Bible says that he was called the friend of God. He knew that God calls the things that are not as though they are. So when God called him the father of many nations, Abraham merely took Him at His Word! But, friend, it's hard to take somebody at their word unless you know their character, their nature!

I remember when our little daughter Jordan, who is now ten, was first learning to crawl. One evening Lindsay and I had gone out and left Jordan with the babysitter. When we came home later that night, Jordan had crawled up onto the kitchen table and wouldn't come down. She was screaming and flailing her arms wildly, but she wouldn't let the babysitter anywhere near her.

When I walked through the door, I simply held out my arms to Jordan, and she took one look at me and threw out her arms to me. Why? Because she knew me! She didn't know the babysitter like she knew me. She TRUSTED me because I am her father, and she knew my NATURE.

Abraham believed God because he KNEW God. Friend, you can be a Buddhist without knowing Buddha. You can be a Confucianist without knowing Confucius. You can be a Moslem without knowing Mohammed. BUT YOU CANNOT BE A CHRISTIAN WITHOUT KNOWING JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR!

Abraham was acquainted with the One Who was making the promise, and he believed Him. And that's what faith is all about! Another good word for faith is trust. I like to spell faith this way: "F" is for forsaking, "a" is for all, "i" is for I, "t" is for trust, "h" is for Him. When joined together, that says, "Forsaking all, I trust Him!" Faith is simply another way of saying, "I TRUST GOD."

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THE SAVIOR

Perhaps you've never met this God Who was a personal friend of Abraham. Let me tell you, there's only one way to get to Heaven, and that's by knowing Him! You'll never reach those heavenly gates on your mama's faith or your daddy's faith or anybody else's secondhand faith! Your eternal destiny hinges upon your decision to go to Heaven -to choose God over the devil, salvation over sin, and Heaven over hell!

Or perhaps you've slipped away from God and your heart has somehow grown cold. Maybe you've just been "playing church." There are a whole lot of churchgoers who will split hell wide open simply because their bodies are warming the pews, but their hearts are a million miles away from the Lord!

If you're weary of the masquerade, if you're tired of playacting, then here's the real reality check in life: Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?

Listen, this is an intimate and personal experience between you and the Master! After all, He laid down His life for you at Calvary! Won't you give your life to Him as you pray this prayer out loud:

"O God, be merciful to me, a sinner, a backslider. Lord, I've tried my way, and my way has failed. I don't want to face the world any longer without knowing You as my Savior. I come to You today with all of my faults, my problems, my shortcomings, and I ask You to deliver me from the devil's grip!

"I repent of my sins. I believe the blood of Jesus was shed to cleanse me and make me a new person. I lift my hands to You, Lord, AND I SURRENDER ALL. Cleanse my heart, my mind, my attitude. Cleanse the words of my mouth. Wash my sins whiter than snow! Now, by faith, I receive Jesus Christ as Lord!

"Oh, it's great to be a Christian, sold out to Jesus, the Rock of my salvation! Someday I'll walk the streets of glory with Him! Someday I'll meet my Savior face-to-face! Amen."

If you prayed that prayer from your heart, God is reigning now on the throne of your life! There's an invisible cloud of His glory descending on you from Heaven! And I believe there's a sigh of relief that's flooding over your soul!

The world may take little notice of what you've just done, but believe me, God in Heaven takes notice! And there's a great company of angels gathered around His throne who are taking notice too!

If you've just received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, why don't you call the Abundant Life Prayer Group (918-495-7777) and let us know about it! I have a little booklet I want to give you entitled, How To Live Your New Life!

IF YOU'RE ALWAYS STARING AT YOUR PROBLEMS, YOUR HEAD WILL BE HANGING DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!

Now I want you to let what I'm about to say sink down deep into your heart because I believe it will help to settle something concerning your faith! If you want to believe and receive like Abraham did. You've got to learn to glance at your problem and then focus on the promise of God.

Look again at Romans 4:18: Against hope [Abraham] believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall your seed be. Now I've always been puzzled by that verse, but when God gave me a fresh revelation of it, it was like a nuclear bomb went off in my spirit! I believe Paul was saying against all human hope (Abraham's confidence in his own human ability), Abraham believed in divine hope (his confidence in God's ability).

In other words, from the human perspective there was no hope for Abraham! And isn't that the same dismal picture the world often tries to paint for you? People will tell you, "There's no way! It's impossible!" And from the human standpoint it WAS impossible for a hundred-year-old man and a ninety- year-old woman to give birth to a baby!

But Abraham clung fiercely to the promise of God. He refused to let man's impossibility put a stop to his faith! Why? BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER IMPOSSIBILITY AT WORK HERE. HE KNEW THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE! (See I Samuel 15:29.) God had called him the father of many nations. And since God is not a liar, Abraham believed that God would make him the father of many nations!

Now let me clear up a misunderstanding that many Christians today have. In no way did Abraham deny the reality of his circumstances. He never tried to bury his head in the sand like an ostrich! He acknowledged the fact that he was one hundred years old and his wife was ninety. He acknowledged the deadness of his own body and the deadness of Sarah's womb and the fact that she had always been barren. He was aware of all the stumbling blocks! But Abraham refused to focus on those things! INSTEAD, HE PUT HIS FAITH IN THE SAVIOR, THE ONE WHO HAD SPOKEN THE PROMISE!

Abraham glanced at the problem, but he never fixed his gaze upon it. He had his eyes upon the One Who is invisible. He looked down through the ages and saw the Savior, and he fastened his eyes upon Him!

In the world that we're living in today, people seem to be enthralled with all the problems and tragedies of modern life. There are many who stay glued to their TV sets, just waiting for the next bloody news report to come flashing across the screen. And the more bizarre the story, the better! No wonder their heads are hanging down, down, down! They're always staring trouble in the face!

Doesn't the Bible say in Psalm 121:1, I will lift UP mine eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help? Notice that it doesn't say, "I will look DOWN into the pit of hell from whence comes my help." I TELL YOU, YOU MUST NOT FOCUS ON YOUR PROBLEMS!

Yes, glance at the problem. Don't try to pretend that it doesn't exist. BUT FOCUS ON THE PROMISES OF GOD. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE SAVIOR! The late Charles Spurgeon, one of the great preachers of the nineteenth century, once said, "Look at yourself and your doubts increase. Look at Jesus and your doubts disappear." I like to put it this way: YOU'VE GOT TO FEED YOUR FAITH AND STARVE YOUR DOUBTS TO DEATH!

IF YOU WANT GOD TO OPERATE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU'VE GOT TO COOPERATE WITH HIM!

Now let's dissect this story of Abraham a little bit further. Who do you think caused this earthshaking miracle in his life? Was it God or was it Abraham? I'll tell you who caused it! Abraham and Sarah got together in a normal, healthy marital relationship, and God dropped a miracle down on them from the windows of Heaven! Why? Because they learned how to cooperate with God! There's no earthly way they could have created that miracle by themselves! But God wouldn't do it by Himself either! You see, without God, we cannot, but without us, He will not.

Friend, are you waiting for something "magical" to happen before you act on your faith? Faith is not sitting alone in the dark with your arms folded, waiting for God to sweep down from Heaven and drop a miracle on your doorstep! Faith is when YOU DO SOMETHING!

It's when you launch out into the deep waters of life for a catch! It's when you plunge through the great throng of bystanders to touch the hem of Jesus' garment! It's when you brush aside the doubters and scoffers who are telling you to hold your peace, AND YOU CRY ALL THE LOUDER, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" You've got to act on your faith!

James 2:17 declares, Faith without works is dead. And the Weymouth translation puts it this way: Faith without corresponding action is dead!

There's an awful penalty for letting faith lie dormant in your heart. You see, if your faith never comes rushing up out of your soul to God, then you'll never see Him open the heavenlies in your life! He's standing ready this very moment, WAITING FOR YOU TO ACT ON YOUR FAITH, TO BELIEVE, TO COOPERATE WITH HIM. Oh, there are lots of people today who are "operating," but what God is looking for is some CO-operating! If you want God to operate in your life, then you've got to cooperate with Him!

IT'S TIME TO MIX PRAISE AND WORSHIP WITH YOUR FAITH!

Now I'm going to bring this story of Abraham's faith to a crescendo as we look again at Romans 4:20: He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, GIVING GLORY TO GOD. My brother, my sister, that's talking about praise and worship! That's talking about lifting your hands in worship and adoration of the Savior. That's talking about sending up a great shout of gratitude to God until it literally shakes the rafters!

When the devil is breathing out his cruel threats at you, it's time to lift up your praise and worship to the Lord! When you've tied a knot in the end of your rope and you're clinging to it for dear life, it's time to praise Almighty God! When the world seems to be spinning out of control and it looks like all hell is breaking loose around you, it's time to lift up your hands in praise and worship to the Savior!

I'm talking about praising Him in the morning time, praising Him at noontime, praising Him in the evening time, praising Him in the midnight hour! I'm talking about lifting up holy hands and praising the Lord, even when the telephone jolts you awake at 1:15 a.m. like it did at our house one night when we got a call about a missing child.

A fourteen-year-old daughter of a dear friend was missing. As soon as we got that call, we fell down on our knees and began to call upon God, putting a prayer cover over that little girl and lifting up a sacrifice of praise to the Savior. And only twenty minutes later she was found, safe and sound! Oh, it's so important to give praise and worship to God in every situation BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE POWER OF THE LORD MOVES IN AND THE MIRACLES COME RAINING DOWN!

ABRAHAM WAS READY FOR THE BIG TEST BECAUSE OF HIS PRAISE AND WORSHIP TO GOD!

Can you grasp in your spirit why it was so important for Abraham to give praise and worship to the Lord? Because when the big test came, when the big trial loomed before him, his praise and worship carried him through! One day God Almighty, the One Who scooped out the beds for the oceans, flung the stars from His fingertips, and hung this world on nothing, spoke a shattering word in Abraham's heart. He said, "Take your promised son, Isaac, up to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him to Me. "

Now I would certainly never suggest that anyone follow this pattern in this day and time!

That was a sovereign move of God in the Old Testament, and God is not asking us to do anything like that today. You see, in the Old Testament they offered blood sacrifices, animal sacrifices, to the Lord. But under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ became the blood sacrifice once and for all, so there's no longer a need for that type of sacrifice. Besides, God was merely testing Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son on the altar. The Lord had no intention of allowing him to follow through with that desperate plan!

GOD WILL PROVIDE!

Now let me bring this scene to life for you as Abraham and Isaac set out for Mount Moriah. When they reached the foot of the mountain, Abraham told the men who were holding the reins of their mules and horses, "Isaac and I are going up the mountain to make our sacrifice, AND WE ARE COMING BACK DOWN."

Does that sound like a man who was about to plunge a dagger into his own son's heart? No! Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us that Abraham trusted God so completely that he believed the

Lord would raise his son from the dead, if necessary, JUST TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE.

Now that's real Bible faith!

With the eyes of my spirit, I can picture the two of them plodding up that deserted, windswept mountain, talking, pausing occasionally to catch their breath, when all of a sudden Isaac turns to his father with a puzzled look on his face and exclaims, "But, Daddy, where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" No doubt, Isaac had watched Abraham many times as he had sacrificed a ram or some other animal to the Lord.

Can you imagine the feeling that must have ripped through Abraham's heart as he replied,

"Son, God will provide"?

Now let's stop right here for a moment because that's a great word to the Church today! God will provide! When you pick up the morning newspaper and scan the headlines for the latest food or oil shortage, or drop of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, when you hear the latest reports from Washington, you're suddenly gripped by the feeling that NOBODY can provide! BUT I'VE READ THE END OF THE BOOK, AND THE BIBLE SAYS THAT

GOD WILL PROVIDE!

When Abraham and Isaac reached the top of the mountain, they came to a rough, makeshift altar, and Abraham gently laid his son upon it. The young boy looked up at his father in a trusting way, pleading hesitantly, "Dad, why are you stacking that wood around me?" Can you imagine the wave of emotions that must have flooded through Abraham's soul? But the Bible says that he didn't stagger in his faith.

All Heaven was on tiptoe as Abraham raised that dagger in the air, poised to take his own son's life. Just at that moment, God leaned over the battlements of Heaven and roared, "Don't do it, Abraham! Now I know that you trust Me!"

All at once, the bleating of a ram pierced the air. Abraham quickly shoved that knife into his pocket and grabbed hold of a ram whose horns were tangled in a nearby thicket. And, friend, I have a great word for you today! God has a ram for you, and his horns are caught in a thicket! There's a ram of healing, a ram of deliverance, a ram of joy for your sorrow or depression! There's a ram for you, and it's bleating, but

you've got to be listening for it!

That ram was bleating on Mount Moriah that day, and Abraham heard it. Now someone may say, "Well, that was just a coincidence!" Oh, how could a ram find that particular thicket at that precise moment on the top of that particular mountain? There were so many mountains; there were so many thickets; there were so many rams. NO! Abraham had made a bold declaration of his faith— "God will provide"-and God provided!

"Look, Isaac!" Abraham shouted. "Oh, hallelujah! It's a ram!"

"Oh, hallelujah, Daddy!" echoed Isaac. And I can just picture Abraham grabbing that ram by the horns and wrestling it to the ground. Then I can see him lashing it to the altar and sacrificing that ram to the Lord!

Next Abraham throws his arm around his son, and they do a Holy Ghost Jericho two-step all the way back down the mountain! They're singing, "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!"

Oh, can't you hear them! They're singing praise and worship songs to God! They're rejoicing and magnifying the holy Name of the Savior! Abraham passed the big test in life because he gave praise and worship to the Lord!

YOU'VE GOT TO BURY THE GHOST OF THE PAST

Now let me tell you one final thing which Abraham did, and it just may be the key to the entire puzzle: he buried the ghost of the past. If you look back at his early life, you'll find that it was loaded with scandal and intrigue. There is evidence that he was a coward and a liar. When he was in Egypt, he lied to Pharaoh, telling him that Sarah was his sister, just to protect his own hide! (See Genesis 12.)

And then there was the time that Abraham and Sarah concocted a scheme to try to help God fulfill His promise. Sarah gave her maid, Hagar, to Abraham so she could bear him a son. But when Ishmael was born, a terrible jealousy sprang up between Sarah and Hagar, and finally, Abraham had to drive the servant girl and her son into the howling wilderness!

Now the Old Testament never tries to gloss over Abraham's shortcomings, but, thank God, the New Testament never even mentions them! It only highlights his faith! And that's a terrific word to you and me today. IT MEANS THAT GOD IS NOT HOLDING OUR PAST AGAINST US, AND NEITHER SHOULD WE!

What if Abraham had spent all of his time rummaging around in the back of his closet, dredging up those old dry skeletons from the past? What if he had let his failures and heartaches gnaw at him until they robbed him of his destiny?

ABRAHAM CHOSE TO BURY THE GHOST. He did what the prophet Isaiah urged us to do in Isaiah 43:18,19 —

Remember you not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold,

I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

I tell you, when you grasp these six life-changing principles of faith and put them into action, then today becomes your NOW! Something brand new bursts alive in your life!

You've got to: (1) find a promise from God to stand on, (2) get acquainted with the character of God, (3) glance at the problem and then focus on the promise, (4) learn to cooperate with God, (5) mix praise and worship with your faith, and (6) bury the ghost of the past.

WHEN YOU DO THESE THINGS, THEN TODAY BECOMES YOUR NOW! The sun comes streaking over the top of that forbidding mountain! You come into God's now; God comes into your now, AND YOU BEGIN TO TASTE THE SWEET VICTORY OF THE PROMISED LAND!

WHAT WE NEED IS A STEADFAST FAITH IN GOD!

What we need today is a steadfast faith, an unshakable faith, an unmovable faith in the living God! Why? Because it was by faith that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death. By faith Noah prepared the ark—"the good ship grace" — to the saving of his entire family. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out, went, not knowing where he was going. By faith Sarah received strength to conceive a child.

By faith Joshua and the children of Israel marched and shouted and blew their trumpets, and the mighty walls of Jericho CAME CRASHING TO THE GROUND! By faith Daniel withstood the lions' den as God sent an angel streaking down from Heaven to padlock those lions' chins! By faith Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego looked straight into the face of a wrathful king and declared, "Our God is able!" And they became fireproofed to Nebuchadnezzar's seven-times-hotter-than-ordinary burning, fiery furnace!

Oh, can't you see it! Hebrews 11 says that by faith mighty kingdoms were vanquished, promises were possessed, the mouths of lions were stopped, the fury of the fire was quenched, men and women escaped the edge of the sword, AND THEY PUT TO FLIGHT THE ARMIES OF THE ENEMIES! Praise God, that means they put the devil on the run!

Friend, when you've got that kind of faith, you can run through a troop and jump over a wall! You can hurtle yourself out of the deepest pit! You can race like the wind against all the chariots of the enemy! IN THE NAME OF JESUS, IT'S WHAT YOU WERE BORN FOR! I TELL YOU, IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO STAKE OUT YOUR CLAIM ON THE PROMISED LAND!

Chapter 2

THE ARMOR OF GOD

Shake Those Mothballs Off Your Holy Ghost Armor, And Put It On!

Monday morning dawns, and many Christians draw back the curtains and gasp, "Oh, the sun is up again! How am I going to get through another week?" Then they gulp down their breakfast and stagger out the door with their helmet of salvation hanging lopsided over their eyes. They're dragging their shield of faith in the dust behind them. Their breastplate of righteousness is flopping down around their knees. They've got one gospel shoe on and one gospel shoe off, and their sword of the Spirit is clanking up and down on the pavement. Satan takes one look at them and sneers with disgust as he slams them up the side of the head with a lead pipe — BOOM! HE KNOWS HE'S GOT THEM BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ON THEIR HOLY GHOST ARMOR!

You say, "Now, Richard, why is it so important for me to put on the whole armor of God?" Well, apparently God must have thought it was important or He wouldn't have sent the apostle Paul with a word to the Church about it—a word that came to him red-hot from Heaven! Ephesians 6:10-18 declares:

Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. So put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS REAL!

In these landmark verses from the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul is being very realistic about the spiritual warfare which surrounds us in the unseen realm. In verse 12 he warns us that we're not engaged in a fleshly battle. Now sometimes you may feel like your enemy is a person, but Paul insists that your battle is not with your husband or your wife. It's not with your children or your boss.

He declares that we're waging war against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. The Amplified Bible expresses it this way:

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood—contending only with physical opponents—but against... [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Who are the master spirits that rule this present darkness? They're disembodied spirits, demons, the devil's agents. Really, a demon is a fallen angel. You see, when Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, one-third of the angels rebelled with him, and they plunged to earth in his wake. Now they're roaming this planet as demon spirits—the rulers of the darkness of this world. What does that mean? It means that this world's system is not presently being ruled by God. It means that satan is the god of this world. (See II Corinthians 4:4.)

These fallen angels who rule with satan are beings of darkness, filled with a loathing for God and His creation. They've lost their celestial bodies and their divine illumination, and now they're lost and damned and desperately seeking human habitation. It means that the only way they can express themselves is either by inhabiting a human being or by influencing a human being's behavior. So it's through man, God's highest creation, that satan and his demons strike back at God.

Jesus Himself was very aware of the deadly spiritual warfare that's being waged here on planet earth. Demons would scream at the presence of the Master, and oftentimes they begged Him not to cast them out.

In Mark 5:1 -20, there's a dramatic scene about a man who was possessed by an entire legion of demons. This story not only depicts the satanic forces that are waging war over the lives of men and women today but it also reveals the power we've been given as believers TO BRING SATAN AND HIS DEMONS FALLING TO THEIR KNEES!

Before we go any further, let me explain the story. It begins in Mark 4:35. The Bible says that Jesus told His disciples, Let us go over to the other side of the lake. But it was evening, and they were terrified by the prospect of making that journey across the Sea of Galilee at night. You see, they knew that evening was the most treacherous time of day to launch out onto those violent, unpredictable waters.

And, sure enough, soon after they set sail, a great storm moved in and their little boat was suddenly engulfed by the roaring wind and the crashing waves. In the flash of a second, the disciples went wild with fear. Their hearts were pounding furiously. Their minds were in a blur as they shouted back and forth at each other over the thundering roar of the storm. Then, all at once, someone remembered that Jesus was asleep on the boat. In a frenzy, they shook Him awake, AND THE LORD AROSE AND HUSHED THE SEA TO SLEEP!

Now, of course, Jesus knew that a storm was brewing on the Sea of Galilee that night. How did He know? He knew because He was God in the flesh, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last. Then why did He insist on crossing over to the other side in spite of that storm? Because He knew there was a demoniac on the other side, a man who was filled with a legion of demons, A MAN WHO DESPERATELY NEEDED DELIVERANCE!

ONLY GOD CAN BURST THOSE CHAINS OF DEMON POWER!

When they landed in Gadara, the Bible says that IMMEDIATELY a man who had a foul, unclean spirit lunged at them, howling in misery. This man was naked, running wildly through the tombs, gashing his body upon the jagged rocks. He had left his home, his family, his friends. He had left everything that was dear to him and had fallen into the grip of a legion of demons.

This man was in trouble, but he met the One Who can overcome trouble. He was sick, but he met the Great Physician. He was confused, but he met the One Who has the right direction. He was emotionally disturbed, but he met the One Who has peace of mind. He was in chains, but he met the only One Who could CHANGE HIM. He met a Man named Jesus!

I want you to picture this demoniac with the eyes of your spirit. I want you to see his dirty, matted hair. See his fiery eyes and the bloody welts and bruises (self-inflicted wounds) which marked his body. I want you to see the jagged cuts and gashes which scarred his face and arms and chest and streaked down his legs. Really, this man had become a creature in the eyes of others, rather than a person!

There were those, the Bible says, who had desperately sought to help him. No doubt, the local firm of "Fetters and Chains" had done a brisk business trying to subdue him, but without success. He was a man gone wild! And with a demonic strength which transcended humanity, he had ripped to pieces every chain and fetter! And, friend, there's no earthly power that can break a demon's grip! Men may try to help. Men may ease the pain. But only God can burst those chains of demon power!

Jesus asked this man, "What is your name?"

And he replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." Then those evil spirits pleaded with the Master, "Don't send us away from this country! Let us enter into that herd of swine on the hillside!" So Jesus let them go, and immediately those pigs went wild, bolted down the hillside, hurtled over a cliff, and plunged to their deaths in the sea!

THE DEMONIAC MEETS THE MASTER!

Rumors spread like wildfire about this man's astonishing deliverance, and people flocked from everywhere to see Jesus and the former demoniac who had wandered naked among the tombs.

I want you to picture him now in your mind's eye. He's sitting there peacefully, clothed, and in his right mind. Then, suddenly, as Jesus and His disciples make their way back to their little ship, this man throws himself down at the feet of the Master and cries, "Lord, I want to go with You!"

Oh, I'll never forget as long as I live the time a young man threw his arms around the legs of my father, Oral Roberts, and begged him, "Let me go with you!" I want you to read this heart-touching story in my dad's own words:

It's been my privilege to deal with hundreds of people, perhaps even thousands, who were possessed or oppressed by demon spirits. Many of them were so far gone that there was really no earthly hope for them.

I remember one particular time in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, when I was called upon to pray for a boy about twelve years old who was violently demon-possessed. By the time I reached him, he had ripped his shirt to shreds and had struck his own father, sending him reeling to the ground! Finally, in desperation, they had chained the boy to one of the tent poles.

When I lifted my right hand to pray for him, he lunged at me with his arms upraised. Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, some invisible power seemed to grab his arms and he just stood there leering at me, unable to move a muscle!

I laid my right hand on his forehead, and in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth I commanded those demons to come out of his body. All at once the presence of Christ came upon his flesh, and he began to tremble like a leaf in a March wind. His whole body shook as if he were having a terrible chill, and one by one, those demons came out of him.

I tell you, that young man was so marvelously restored to his right mind that he didn't want to leave me! He wrapped his arms around my legs and begged me to take him with me, but I told him the same thing that Jesus told the man from Gadara. I said, "No, son, you go on home. Go back home to your mama and daddy! "

Jesus told the man in Mark, chapter 5, "Go home to your wife and your children and your friends. Be a witness and tell them what great things God has done for you! Tell them that He's saved you and healed you and filled you with His Holy Spirit! Tell them that He's prepared a table for you in the presence of your enemies! Tell them that satan had you bound, but Jesus set you free!"

Imagine what could happen as he passes the storefronts and shops that he used to frequent. The people are literally stepping off the sidewalks when they see him coming, staring at him in shock and disbelief. I want you to picture him as he slowly makes his way toward his own front door. Then he stops and reaches out hesitantly to knock.

"Who is it?" a voice calls from inside the house.

"It's me, honey—John." (Perhaps his name was John.) "Let me in."

"No," a muffled voice replies. "I can't let you in!"

"But, honey, I've changed."

"How could you have changed, John? You know that if I let you in, you'll just beat me and the children again! The last time you were here you took all of my money and wrecked the house! I can't let you in!"

"No, honey, I've really changed. You'll see for yourself if you'll only open the door!"

Then there's a long silence, and he continues — "All right, honey, just let me tell you about a Man I met. You see, I was on my way to hell, no hat on my head, no clothes on my body, no shoes on my feet. I was on my way to hell, no God in my sights, no Heaven in my future, the handcuffs of satan on my hands, the shackles of damnation on my feet.

"But then I met a Man named Jesus, and I felt the presence of satan come out of me and the presence of the Master come in. I gave Him my confusion, and He gave me His peace. I gave Him my sorrow, and He gave me His joy. I gave Him my despair, and He gave me His hope. I gave Him my hatred, and He gave me His love. I gave Him my life, and He gave His life for me."

Suddenly, the door cracks open and the man's wife peers into the sunlight. "Can it be? Is it really you, John?"

"Yes, honey, it's me. FOR I MET THE MASTER, AND HE MASTERED ME!"

My, can you imagine how every aspect of life can change when you meet the Master!

MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE SEVENFOLD ARMOR OF GOD

Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying here, friend. Most people will never come in direct contact with demonic forces like the ones which had seized control of this man's life. But demon spirits are real. It's one of the cold realities of life that you will be faced with some type of demonic activity as long as you're here on this earth. Why? Because the Bible says that you will! That's why God gave us our spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:10-18 — to help us take our stand against satan and his evil agents!

I remember as if it were yesterday when the truth of this Scripture from the book of Ephesians really dawned on me! It was only a few years ago when the Lord impressed me to conduct a major healing crusade on the island of Jamaica, a crusade which made a strong impact on that nation for Jesus! As my wife, Lindsay, and I were packing for that trip, I was suddenly gripped by an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Then, all at once I received a word from God which sent chills up and down my spine!

He warned me, "Richard, there's going to be an assassination attempt on your life while you're in Jamaica." Now a word like that will really grab your attention! As I began to pray about this, I heard God ask me, "Would you like to know how to stop it?" Suddenly I became all ears!

The Lord instructed me to turn in my Bible to Paul's compelling description of the whole armor of God in Ephesians, chapter 6. Friend, that Scripture hit me with the force of a meteor as God began to describe to me the demonic forces which reigned over the island of Jamaica. Then He told me that those forces were plotting to take my life, and He gave me the following instructions: "Gather your crusade team together the instant you hit Jamaican soil. Anoint them with your prayers, and then tell each person to put on the seven pieces of their Holy Ghost armor EVERY DAY during this crusade."

All at once, I became consumed with a desire to learn more about the sevenfold armor of God! So Lindsay and I began poring over the Scriptures day and night, and when we landed in Jamaica, I gathered my crusade team together for prayer. It was a very sobering moment as we began to anoint each other with our prayers and I ministered to them concerning the whole armor of God. And each day we put on God's Holy Ghost armor!

Now someone may ask, "Richard, are you one of those people who believes that everything bad that happens is caused by an evil spirit?" No, I don't. Human beings can wreak enough havoc of our own without any help from satan and his demons!

Or you may be wondering, What if this assassination attempt was just a figment of your imagination? Well, what if it was? I felt like the warning was from the Lord; therefore, I did what I believed He was telling me to do. And I'll always believe that God's warning saved my life!

Several days into that crusade, a young man who was filled with the devil lunged at me as I was leaving the crusade grounds. Like a bolt of lightning, he came up on my blind side, his tongue darting in and out of his mouth like a snake's tongue, and his eyes looked like little slits — exactly like a snake's eyes. I'll never forget the spirit of the devil leering at me through that man's eyes!

My crusade director, George Fisher, was with me, and George looked like he was ready to take that man on with his fists! All at once, I heard the Lord whispering to me, "Speak in the

Name of Jesus and command that spirit to come out of him."

Now I had put on my Holy Ghost armor that morning, so I didn't waste a moment in commanding that demon to come out of the man in the authority of Jesus' Name! In a flash, that evil spirit left him, the man's tongue went back into his mouth, and his eyes instantly changed shape. He just stood there shaking himself, looking totally flabbergasted and glancing around him as if to say, "Where am I?"

I reached out my hand to him and asked, "Would you like to be saved?"

"Yes," he replied quickly, and right there in the middle of that dusty, windblown parking lot, with some ten thousand people milling around us, I led that man to Jesus! He was gloriously saved and filled with the Spirit of God, instead of being filled with demon spirits! In one split second, his life was forever transformed, and I believe my life was spared BECAUSE I HAD PUT ON THE SEVENFOLD ARMOR OF GOD!

AND. FRIEND. WHEN YOU PUT ON YOUR HOLY GHOST ARMOR. THE BIBLE SAYS YOU CAN STAND STRONG AGAINST

ALL THE TRICKS AND STRATEGIES OF THE DEVIL!

GIRD YOURSELF WITH THE TRUTH!

In Ephesians 6:13,14, Paul declared, So take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth. What is the truth? JESUS CHRIST IS THE TRUTH! The Lord proclaimed, I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life (John 14:6). So when you're dealing with the truth, you're going to have to deal with Jesus!

What does it mean to gird your loins with the truth? In the days of the Roman Empire, men wore the type of skirts or kilts which were later worn in Scotland. When they were ready to launch into battle, they would fasten the skirts into their girdle-type belts so they wouldn't get in the way when they were in combat eyeball-to-eyeball with the enemy. They were girding up their loins for battle.

Why does Paul say to gird up your LOINS? Your loins refer to your procreative powers — your power to produce children in your marriage. But in an ultimate sense, I believe this Scripture is also dealing with your power to reproduce yourself as a Christian — your ability to win souls to Jesus Christ!

If you have your loins girded about with truth, then you can become a soul winner for Jesus! THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD, YOU CAN SNATCH PEOPLE OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS AND HELP LEAD THEM INTO THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT!

PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!

What is righteousness? Galatians 3:6 proclaims, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now please don't be confused by the word righteousness here. Some people have the mistaken idea that being righteous means being self-righteous or holier-than-thou. But that's not what Paul was talking about! Righteousness is simply having a right relationship with God.

There is a landmark verse in Romans 1:17 which says that the just (or the righteous) shall live by faith. That means the only way we can have right standing with God is THROUGH FAITH, not through any works or good deeds. Abraham believed God, and therefore his faith in his Creator made him righteous. And if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, that makes you righteous in the sight of God!

What does putting on the breastplate of righteousness do? It forms a protective shield around your vital organs, especially your heart. For the Bible says that with the heart man believes unto righteousness. (See Romans 10:10.) And Proverbs 4:23 warns us to guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of the heart flow the issues of life. Out of your heart flows your believing!

In a world where people are literally at each other's throats, where the blood is flowing in the streets and bizarre acts of violence are spreading like wildfire, God knew that you would need something powerful to protect your heart, TO PROTECT WHAT YOU BELIEVE. SO HE GAVE YOU A BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!

You see, if the devil can cut you off from your belief system, then he can blot out the reality of God in your life! He can drain all the hope out of your being! That's why God inspired the apostle Paul to tell you to put on your breastplate of righteousness every day to protect your heart, your "believer."

And every time you put it on, boldly declare that you are the righteousness of God in Christ! (See II Corinthians 5:21.) Stand up tall, with your head up and your shoulders back, not with proud self-righteousness, BUT BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!

PUT ON YOUR GOSPEL SHOES!

Yes, you have those gospel shoes!

Ephesians 6:15 declares, [Have] your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I remember the prophet Isaiah's words,

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7 niv).

Every time I think about the story my dad, Oral Roberts, once told me about his father, Rev. E. M. Roberts, the tears begin to well up in my eyes. You see, my grandfather was a traveling preacher, and times were so hard back in those days that sometimes he couldn't afford to buy a pair of shoes. So he would walk ten, fifteen, perhaps twenty, miles a day, barefoot, proclaiming the good news of the gospel all over the countryside. Then he would trudge back home across those rough country roads, stumbling with pain as the sharp rocks stung and tore his feet.

By the time my grandfather got home, his feet would be so bloody and bruised that my grandmother, Claudius Priscilla Roberts, would have to carefully wash and bandage them, and that Scripture would come flooding up in their souls, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!

Friend, did you know that if you're a soul winner, the Bible says that you have beautiful feet too? Why? Because you've put on your gospel shoes and you're taking the good news of Jesus to the world!

But those gospel shoes can do a whole lot more for you than just help you win souls to Jesus Christ! They can open up a brand-new world in the realm of the Spirit! You see, when your feet are encased in the gospel of Jesus, you can trample over the devil's roughest territory, unhurt and unharmed! And you can take back from satan all the territory he has been holding in his grip!

How can your gospel shoes help you walk over the devil's roughest territory? In Luke 10:19, Jesus declared, Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Now this Scripture is not referring to snakes and spiders. It's talking about demonic princes, the devil's agents, the demon powers that are roaring against God's people in the invisible realm.

When you put on your mighty shoes of the gospel, you can stomp all over the devil's territory! You can crush satan's head under your feet! Doesn't the Bible say that God created you to be the head and not the tail, ABOVE and not beneath? (See Deuteronomy 28:13.) And Romans 16:20 proclaims, The God of peace shall bruise satan under your feet shortly.

Oh, it's time to put on your gospel shoes, your Holy Ghost shoes, your "able-to-walk-over-the-devil's-roughest-territory" shoes, SO YOU CAN SEIZE THE DEVIL'S TERRITORY FOR GOD!

ABOVE ALL, TAKING YOUR SHIELD OF FAITH!

In Ephesians 6:16, the apostle Paul made a very striking statement: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Now why did Paul use the words, "ABOVE ALL" as if this were the most vital piece of your Holy Ghost armor? The reason is found in Hebrews 11:6 (niv): Without faith it is impossible to please God. If you want to be pleasing to the Lord, you must have faith. So the discussion of your faith, which is covered more fully in chapter 1, is perhaps the most important discussion you'll ever have in your life!

What does it mean to take up the shield of faith? It means to stay fired up in your believing, to keep your faith anchored in the Word of God and in the Holy Ghost! It means to keep your faith red-hot on the line and working like a holy dynamo for God!

First Timothy 6:12 declares that you're fighting the good fight of faith. Why? Because satan has made your faith his number-one target. If he can separate you from your faith, then he's got you in his clutches. He can keep you imprisoned in misery, sickness, fear, doubt, disillusionment, and guilt!

But the Bible paints a bold picture of your faith! Paul described it as a gigantic shield, a protective force field of Holy Ghost power which is able to quench all the fiery darts of the devil! You see, satan has his anti-God missile aimed directly at your head, and he's ready to fire. BUT YOU'VE GOT A SHIELD OF FAITH WHICH CAN TAKE OUT HIS MISSILES AND EVEN KNOCK OUT HIS MISSILE LAUNCHERS!

PUT ON THE HELMET OF SALVATION

The fifth piece of the sevenfold Holy Ghost armor is called the helmet of salvation. This refers, first of all, to your personal salvation experience with God. It refers to the day you repented of your sins and the Lord reached down from Heaven and lifted you out of the miry clay! But the helmet of salvation also refers to keeping a continual attitude of repentance in your life!

This Holy Ghost helmet covers your head, your mind, because repentance means to change your mind so that God can change your heart. God created us to be ruled by our spirits, not by our minds. When the devil entered the Garden of Eden and whispered his lies to Adam and Eve, they followed satan's lead and elevated their minds over their spirits. They put their minds only in control, and throughout history most people have had things turned upside down. Their minds have taken the leading role over their spirits. But the proper order is for our spirits to rule over the mental realm, keeping our minds on God's wavelength!

When you put on the helmet of salvation, you turn things rightside up again! You begin to get your thinking processes straightened out and your mind straight with God! You're doing what the apostle Paul taught in Colossians 3:10

— putting on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge. Knowledge of what?

Knowledge of God's Word!

Putting on your helmet of salvation means renewing your mind to the Word of God. (See Romans 12:2.) You start to line up your thinking with what the Bible says rather than what the devil's crowd says. That's what Paul was talking about when he declared, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).

WHEN YOU PUT ON YOUR HELMET OF SALVATION, YOU CAN HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST AND BRING EVERY THOUGHT INTO SUBJECTION TO GOD'S WORD!

YOU'VE GOT TO STICK LIKE GLUE TO YOUR SWORD OF THE SPIRIT!

In Ephesians 6:17, Paul urged US to take the sword of the Spirit, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD. How vividly I remember a story from II Samuel, chapter 23, which really got hold of me the first time I read it! And I believe it illustrates how important it is for us TO STICK LIKE GLUE TO OUR SWORDS OF THE SPIRIT!

It's the story of a brutal fight between David's men and the heavily armed soldiers of the Philistines. The Bible declares that one of David's men battled so fiercely against the enemy that his hands literally stuck to his sword! DAVID'S MEN BROUGHT THE PHILISTINE WARRIORS TO THEIR KNEES!

I tell you, you 've also got to stick like glue to your sword of the Spirit! Not only that, but, spiritually speaking, you've also got to use that sword TO CUT THE DEVIL DOWN TO SIZE! The sword of the Spirit is a deadly, offensive weapon! It's a mighty, holy weapon! And it's more than a match for all satan's tricks and strategies!

Hebrews 4:12 declares, For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword! And the Amplified Bible tells us,

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power—making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword!

Like a mighty champion, the Lord Jesus Christ used His sword of the Spirit to cut the attack of the devil to shreds! When He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, satan stalked

Him relentlessly, and finally he tempted the Lord three times. But every time the devil came at Him, Jesus lashed out at him with His sword of the Spirit, the Word of God! And that experience caused the devil so much consternation that the Bible says he left Him! (See Matthew 4:111.)

Now the real question for you and me is this: How can we use a sword which we do not possess? Friend, the seed of God's Word doesn't grow on your nightstand, unopened, gathering dust. You've got to sow it into the garden of your heart before it becomes the razor-sharp sword of the Spirit which can slice the enemy's attack to ribbons!

Oh, you can get by without ever cracking open your Bible. You can be a spiritual straggler out there on the bare edges of existence. BUT IT'S THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD THAT CAUSES YOU TO RISE UP AND SHATTER THE DEVIL'S BLOW! I BELIEVE THE WAY TO SPIRITUALLY DRIVE THOSE GIANTS OUT OF THE PROMISED LAND IS TO STICK LIKE GLUE TO YOUR SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD!

IT'S TIME TO PRAY ALWAYS IN THE SPIRIT!

The apostle Paul concluded his powerful word to the church at Ephesus with these words: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. And I Thessalonians 5:17 commands us to pray without ceasing. There's only one way I know of that you can PRAY ALWAYS or PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, and that's by praying in the Spirit!

How many times have you longed to pour out your heart to God and you couldn't seem to find the words to express yourself? Or you faced some mind-boggling situation and you had no earthly idea how to pray? Romans 8:26 declares,

For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself [Himself] makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Now Paul wasn't describing a gift of tongues here, which is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit discussed in I Corinthians, chapter 12. He was talking about a powerful, daily, personal prayer language which every born-again believer has a Bible right to pray in!

When I pick up my heavenly telephone and wire a call to God, I want to know that I'm getting through loud and clear! I don't want the devil's static on the line to cause a breakdown in communication between my heavenly Father and me!

The best way I know of to get your call straight through to God is BY PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT as the apostle Paul taught! In fact. I believe this experience is so vital to you in your Christian walk that I'm devoting one entire chapter to this subject (Chapter 3)!

PUT ON THE SEVENFOLD ARMOR OF GOD!

Before we go any further, I want you to take just a moment TO PUT ON YOUR SEVENFOLD HOLY GHOST ARMOR BY FAITH as you pray this prayer out loud:

"In the Name of my Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I put on the whole armor of God to help me stand safe against all satan's tricks and strategies.

"First, I put on my belt of truth. Jesus Christ is the truth, so I put on the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

"Second, I put on the breastplate of righteousness, which forms a mighty protective shield around my heart.

"Third, I put on my gospel shoes so I can trample over the devil's roughest territory AND SEIZE HIS TERRITORY BACK FOR GOD!

"Above all, I hold my shield of faith up high to help me quench all the fiery darts that satan hurls at me. I pledge to keep my faith red-hot on the line, working like a holy dynamo for God!

"In the matchless, incomparable Name of Jesus, I put on my helmet of salvation. I promise to live in a continual state of repentance and bring every thought into subjection to God's Word.

"Now I'm lifting up my sword of the Spirit and waving it in the devil's face! I will not forsake my Bible. I'll stick to it like glue!

"And I pledge to pray without ceasing in the Spirit, which is the seventh piece of the whole armor of God!

"In Jesus' mighty Name, I'm armed for warfare, AND I WILL NOT RETREAT. With my sword of the Spirit and by my faith, I'm chopping down those giants who are roaring their threats at me! I'M COMING HOME FROM BATTLE SINGING THE SONGS OF ZION! ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD, I AM ENTITLED TO THE SPOILS OF VICTORY I'VE GATHERED FROM THE PROMISED LAND! AMEN."

Chapter 3

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT

It's Time To Turn On Your Communication System With God!

When you're embroiled in a great warfare, both sides try to map out a strategy that will blast their opponent to smithereens! And if I were the devil, one of the very first things I would try to wipe out is your communication system with your Commander- in-Chief, Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

What is your communication system with the Lord? Every Christian possesses within them a state-of-the-art communication system with the Almighty—not through their intellect alone, BUT BY PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT, THEN interpreting back to their mind revelation knowledge from God. Friend, if I were the devil, your Holy Ghost communication system would be one of my primary targets! Remember, instructions come from the head!

Now I believe this is going to hit home when I tell you about an experience Lindsay and I had some time ago in Southern California. It was 4:59 a.m., and our whole family was sound asleep on the seventeenth floor of a large hotel. By 5 o'clock that morning, we were wide awake, jolted out of bed by one of the largest earthquakes to strike that area in recent years.

The entire building was shaking violently. Our hotel room was rocking back and forth as if we were on a great ocean liner. Pictures were flying off the walls, lamps were crashing all around us, and our children were tumbling out of bed. Our babysitter fell and struck her head on a glass tabletop and was knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, the leaves from a large plant in the room were shooting through the air as the building swayed with the force of that quake.

You know, it's amazing the thoughts that flood through your mind when you're trapped in the middle of a devastating earthquake. Really, your whole life flashes before your eyes! You hear the startled cries of people rushing around in the hallways, and suddenly you begin to fathom how quickly everything that's dear to you could be snuffed out!

There Lindsay and I were — afraid that the hotel was going to collapse around us, scared that the firemen were going to find us and our children and the babysitter crushed beneath the charred rubble of that building.

The devil was mocking me and saying, "You're going to die," but as I prayed in tongues, all at once I heard the still, small voice of God speaking to me very clearly. He was saying, "Richard, I've given you the names of forty nations where you will be preaching. You've only been to seven of them so far." Like a bolt of lightning, it hit me: I'm not going to die in this earthquake!

Oh, it's so good to have a word from the Lord! It's so good to be in tune with the still, small voice of God! The whole world today is straining to hear a word from somebody! Some are seeking a word through Tarot cards, Ouija boards, psychic hotlines, or astrologers. I'm sure there were people during that earthquake who desperately longed for a word from their personal psychic —Am I going to live or die?

In the world today, you can hear every kind of voice. BUT I'VE GOT NEWS! The future of a man or a woman, a boy or a girl, who is in Christ Jesus is not determined by some chance position of a star in the heavens! It's not determined by a random number or the rotation of some random numbers! YOUR FUTURE IS DETERMINED BY THE DIVINE DIRECTION YOU RECEIVE FROM GOD AND WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR FAITH IN HIM!

The Bible declares that we as Christians should follow Jesus because we know His voice! (See John 10:27.) But many believers today don't appear to have their "spiritual ears" on. In fact, I'm not sure they would even know the Holy Spirit if they met Him coming down the road! That's why I believe so many Christians are stumbling and fumbling their way through life, smashing into walls!

You see, John 14:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit IS the Teacher, and it's through your personal prayer language that He teaches you which direction to go. Now I'm not talking about something which can take the place of good common sense. God has given us a brain, and I believe we should use our minds and our God-given common sense to the fullest.

But when we pray in the Spirit and receive the interpretation back from the Lord, our minds become sharpened, and we can see beyond the limitations of our minds into the realm of the Spirit. We can begin to grasp the mysteries or "hidden things" of God. How? First Corinthians 14:2 declares that when you're praying in the Spirit, you're speaking mysteries to God. And when you receive the interpretation back to your mind, THE LORD BEGINS TO REVEAL THOSE MYSTERIES TO YOU! That's one of the primary reasons He sent the Holy Spirit in the first place — TO GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH! (See John 16:13.)

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT CAN FINE-TUNE YOUR SPIRIT TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD!

I'm reminded of the story of the country boy who went to visit his city friend one day, and while they were walking along a busy, crowded street, the country boy exclaimed, "I hear a cricket!"

"How on earth can you possibly hear a cricket," the city boy replied, "with all the noise of the cars, the horns, and the people passing by?"

But the country boy just stooped down and carefully reached into a crevice in the wall and pulled out a cricket. The city boy whistled in amazement and shook his head. "How in the world could you hear that cricket with all this noise?"

The next thing he knew, the country boy reached into his pocket and took out a bright, shiny silver dollar, flipped it up into the air and let it clatter onto the pavement. Everyone around them froze and then began frantically looking for the silver dollar. The country boy looked over at his city friend and grinned. " Well," he said slowly, "it depends on what you're listening for."

Friend, if you're listening for the voice of God, you're going to hear the voice of God! If you're tuned in to His Spirit, then you're going to hear a word from His Spirit!

I'm talking about becoming so sensitive to the Spirit of the Lord that it's as if you're a little child out in the backyard playing hide-and-seek and you're listening carefully, straining to hear the footsteps of the one who is searching for you. You're waiting to hear the sound of the leaves rustling on the grass as they tiptoe toward you so you'll know exactly where they are. You're listening so intently that you can almost hear their feet gently pressing down on the blades of grass. That's how sensitive we must be to the Spirit of God!

There are many ways you can tune in to the still, small voice of the Lord. You can hear from God through His Word, or by following His leading as the Holy Spirit bears witness with your spirit about a certain direction for your life. You can also tune in to the Lord by following after peace as the Bible teaches in Romans 14:19.

But I know from my own personal experience that the more I pray in the Spirit, the more I pray in tongues, the more clearly I can hear God speaking to me IN ALL OF THESE WAYS! AND IT HELPS ME FINE-TUNE MY SPIRIT TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD!

JESUS IS THE ONE WHO SAID, "THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES!"

Now I want you to visualize for a moment the Lord Jesus Christ as He walks into a crowded room where His disciples are gathered for a meal. It's several days after His bloody death upon the cross, and you can imagine the shocked look on their faces when they see for themselves that the Lord is really alive!

I want you to listen with your whole heart to some of the final instructions He gives them before He ascends to Heaven: And these signs shall follow those who believe; in my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues (Mark 16:17).

Now some people believe that speaking in tongues is an experience that's out there somewhere on the periphery of Christian life. But apparently the Lord must have thought it was a vital part of our daily Christian walk, or He wouldn't have mentioned it in some of His final, parting instructions to His disciples!

In John 7:38, Jesus gave us a beautiful picture of the way the Holy Spirit operates in our lives. He declared, He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Now I believe it will help you grasp what Jesus was saying here if you understand the real background of this story. Jewish historians teach that on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the rabbis would take barrels of water and tip them over, spilling the water down the steps of the temple in a great celebration. The water would splash and tumble down the porch steps, then go rushing out into the streets, and the people would rejoice and dance in the water, magnifying God with loud voices!

When Jesus spoke those words in John 7:38, He and His disciples were standing in front of the temple on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. No doubt, He must have seen the rabbis overturn those barrels of water. He must have watched, spellbound, as the water gushed and tumbled down the steps of the temple. And He must have seen the people laughing and rejoicing and whirling around and around as they danced in the water, rejoicing in total abandonment before the Lord!

As He watched the water go rushing and splashing down the steps, He must have cried, "You think this water is something! Just wait until you feel the rivers of living water come bubbling up from the innermost part of your being!" And the Bible goes on to say that He was describing the Holy Spirit which had not yet been given or poured out because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Now before we go any further, let me just say that Jesus wasn't talking about a gift of tongues here. And I believe that's where much of the Church today has a terrible hang-up! You see, the gift of tongues is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit, and it comes only as a sovereign manifestation of the Lord. (See I Corinthians 12:11.) But Jesus was describing here a daily, personal, devotional prayer language. He was talking about a dynamic two-way communication between born-again believers and our heavenly Father!

Before the Lord left this earth, He promised His disciples that He would not leave them "comfortless." He declared, I will send you another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Who will be WITH you and IN you (John 14:17,18). The Holy Spirit is the Divine Paraclete, the Helper, the Comforter, the Strengthener, the One called alongside to help.

How does the Holy Spirit help us? Romans 8:26 says,

Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself [Himself] makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

That means that when you feel as if your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and flying back down in your face, you can pray in tongues AND YOU'RE PRAYING ON A STRAIGHT-LINE CONNECTION TO GOD! When satan rears his ugly head and snarls, "Do you really believe that little prayer of yours is going to get through?" you can pray in the Spirit, AND SATAN DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PRAYING ABOUT! YOU'RE REALLY LEAVING THE DEVIL OUT IN THE COLD WHEN YOU PRAY IN TONGUES!

THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT IS FOR YOU!

On the Day of Pentecost, about one hundred and twenty believers were gathered together in the Upper Room, when all at once they heard the roar of a mighty, rushing wind sweep down from Heaven, and huge tongues of fire seemed to appear out of nowhere and settle upon the crowd. Acts 2:4 declares that they were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues as the Spirit of God gave them utterance!

In Peter's soul-stirring sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he proclaimed, For the promise [of the Spirit] is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call! (v. 39). Friend, if the Lord our God has called you out of darkness into His kingdom of light, then this promise of the Spirit and speaking with tongues is for you too!

If you've given your heart to Jesus, the Holy Spirit took up residence in your spirit—your belly area, your innermost being—the very day you made Jesus your Lord. Proverbs 20:27 tells us, The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly. It's in your belly area, your solar plexus, where the Holy Spirit now resides, and He bears witness with your spirit that you've been born again!

Now the Holy Spirit is not an "it." He is a person, and a person speaks. What is the Spirit of God saying? He is making intercession to the Father seven days a week, twenty- four hours a day, praying on a straight line to the throne of God in Heaven! AND ROMANS 8:27 SAYS THAT HE'S ALWAYS PRAYING GOD'S PERFECT WILL! That means the only way you can be certain you're praying God's perfect will is if you're praying in the Spirit!

There are some people today who are waiting for the Holy Ghost and fire to come raining down from Heaven before they'll begin to pray in tongues. But the apostle Paul declared in I Corinthians 14:15, I WILL pray with the spirit, which means that praying in tongues requires an act of your human will!

If you refer to the original Greek, you'll discover that the words "I will" in this passage can also be translated "I determine." That means you have to make a determination to pray in tongues! God, by His Spirit, is not going to seize your tongue and force you to speak! Why? Because the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He won't force you to do anything against your will!

There are some Christians who burst into tongues only when they're flooded with overwhelming joy or horrible, gut-wrenching sadness. But the message Paul is driving home to us is this: we can pray in tongues AT WILL. We can release this wonderful language of God whenever we wish! Seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, we can pray in the Spirit!

Now let's lock in on the Scripture in I Corinthians 14:14. Paul explained, For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. When you're praying the mysteries of God in the Spirit, why don't you stop for a moment and begin to pray in English? Let the Lord water your mind. Let Him illuminate your thinking. Let your mind blossom and come alive, and let the Holy Spirit invade your life with fresh revelation from Heaven!

You see, if you only pray in tongues without receiving the interpretation, it releases your spirit, but your mind remains untouched. But the interpretation reaches your mind too! When you receive the interpretation from the Lord, it may come in the form of His response back to your prayer, or it may come as a fresh revelation of what you were trying to say to Him in the first place. This experience is a total release of your innermost being, AND IT CAN HELP YOU STAY ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH WITH GOD!

Now let me just say that you may not receive the interpretation back to your mind at the exact moment you're praying in the Spirit. You may get a flash of understanding later as you're driving down the road in your car, or something may hit you out of the blue when you're standing in front of the mirror. The revelation knowledge will come when God says the time is right. All you've got to do is catch hold of it with your faith and receive the divine directions you need from headquarters!

ARE YOU A BROKEN CISTERN OR A FULL RESERVOIR?

There's a Scripture in Ephesians 5:18 which is a classic verse concerning the Spirit of God: Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. If you trace the word "filled" back to the original Greek, you'll discover it means to be in a constant state of being filled with the Spirit.

Friend, you can be filled to overflowing with almost anything on almost every street corner. It's available. You can purchase it. But money can't buy what I want to be filled with BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS FREE!

When many of us were children, we had water wells on our property, and the water was sweet and pure as it bubbled up from deep within the earth. But before we could dip down into that cool, crystal-clear water and bring it up, we had to uncoil our rope and bucket and let the bucket drop down into the well.

I believe that much of the Body of Christ today has lost its rope and its bucket, and we've let the memory of that sweet, pure Holy Ghost water slip away from us! But our Lord and Savior can give us another rope and bucket!

In Bible days, Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, compared Israel to a broken cistern. (See Jeremiah 2:13.) Cisterns were underground reservoirs which were designed to capture rainwater, and Jeremiah declared, "You're like a broken cistern. YOU LEAK!"

Now let me illustrate that Scripture by telling you a story I remember from my childhood. There was a man in the church who would throw himself down at the altar every Sunday, rain or shine, and great big tears would roll down his cheeks as he cried out, "Lord, fill me! Lord, fill me!" Then he'd rush out and live like the devil the rest of the week!

Finally, one Sunday when he was hollering, "Lord, fill me!" a sister stood up in the back of the church and shouted disgustedly, "Don't do it, Lord! HE LEAKS!" BUT, FRIEND, JESUS CHRIST CAN PLUG UP THOSE LEAKS!

I tell you, the Lord didn't create us in His image to be like broken cisterns! He created us to be full reservoirs. Full of what? Well, certainly some people are just "full of it," but that's not what I'm talking about here! I'm talking about being full of the Word of God AND FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. I'm talking about being full of built-in boldness which only the Holy Ghost can give!

I SPEAK WITH TONGUES MORE THAN YOU ALL! (I Corinthians 14:18)

When a man like the apostle Paul, who was perhaps the greatest intellect of the New Testament, declares, "I speak with tongues more than you all," it really grabs my attention! And he was speaking here to the church at Corinth, which was known far and wide for the zealous way it pursued the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit. Now that tells me Paul must have prayed in tongues a whole lot! And I believe the reason for this was because Paul faced colossal needs in his life and ministry!

Wherever he went, he wasn't greeted with waving banners, proclaiming, "Welcome, apostles and missionary evangelists!" No! He was greeted with rods and sticks and rocks and stones and left for dead on the roadside, or found floating on some timbers in the middle of a windswept sea! Paul faced gigantic needs in his life and ministry, and he discovered that one of the most powerful ways to receive God's help was by praying without ceasing in the Spirit!

It's easy for me to grasp how Paul must have felt because I've faced some mind-boggling needs in my own life and ministry! So I pray in tongues every day of my life because I desperately need answers! I don't know how to withstand all the fiery darts that satan hurls at me unless I put on the whole armor of God, WHICH INCLUDES WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE SEVENTH PIECE OF THAT ARMOR-PRAYING ALWAYS IN THE SPIRIT!

There have been times when I've been involved in critical business meetings and been faced with bewildering decisions. I'm talking about situations where all the odds seemed to be stacked against me, and I had no idea what to do! But God knew what to do! So I tried to get as close to Him as possible, and the closer I got to Him, the more answers I received!

As I prayed in the Spirit, God began pouring out His revelation knowledge about how to solve those problems! THANK GOD, WHEN I PRAY IN TONGUES, I GET DIRECTIONS FROM HEADQUARTERS. AND YOU CAN GET THOSE POWERFUL HOLY GHOST DIRECTIONS TOO!

YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER AFTER THE HOLY GHOST COMES UPON YOU!

As Jesus stood upon the Mount of Olives, only moments before He ascended to Heaven, He told His disciples, You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you (Acts 1:8). And Acts 10:38 proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power! The Bible teaches us clearly that Jesus Christ was full of the Spirit of God and full of Holy Ghost power! And we must be full of the Spirit, too, IF WE WANT GOD TO POUR ON THE POWER IN OUR LIVES!

It didn't take long for the early Church to grasp how desperately they needed the power of praying in the Spirit without ceasing. The Bible tells us in Acts 12:1-5 about the terrible deathblows King Herod struck against them:

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex [or kill] certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews [or religious leaders], he proceeded ... to take Peter also.... And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him.... Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

I want you to look again at verse 5 because I believe this is the key verse of this entire passage: PRAYER WAS MADE WITHOUT CEASING OF THE CHURCH UNTO GOD FOR HIM.

The Scripture says that Herod had already executed James, the brother of John, who was one of the apostles. And when he saw how it delighted the religious leaders, he decided to go all the way to the top. So he seized Peter, who was the chief apostle, and had him bound with chains.

Now I want you to get a picture of Peter's horrible predicament. There he was in a dark, dismal jail cell, with two heavily armed guards posted on either side of him. And outside his cell there were even more soldiers posted, watching him vigilantly.

I want you to imagine those men standing at attention, their swords and weapons ready, zealously guarding this apostle of Jesus Christ. I tell you, Peter was held fast in that jail cell and threatened with a violent death!

But, suddenly, a mighty fuse of prayer was lit beneath the Church! They began to pray without ceasing! THEY BEGAN TO LIFT UP THEIR VOICES IN PRAYER TO ALMIGHTY GOD!

Now the only way I know you can pray without ceasing is by praying in tongues, praying in the Spirit. So that tells me they were having a powerful Holy Ghost prayer meeting for Peter that night! You see, it took earnest, sincere, heartfelt praying in the Spirit, because it appeared that all was lost!

As those believers began to pray in the Spirit without ceasing, the Bible says that back in that jail cell, an angel tapped Peter on the shoulder and his chains dropped to the floor. Then the angel whispered urgently, "Come on, Peter, get up! We're getting out of this place!"

In the shadowy darkness, Peter fumbled for his clothes and shook himself, not really knowing if he was awake or dreaming. Then he arose and followed the angel out of his cell, hurrying undetected past the first guard and then the second one. When they reached the huge iron gates of the prison, the Bible says that the gates swung open by themselves. Then the angel led Peter out into the street, AND HE MADE HIS WAY BACK TO THAT HOLY GHOST PRAYER MEETING!

Friend, I believe with all of my heart that those men and women were praying in the Spirit while Peter lay in prison wrapped in chains! You see, the Church in the book of Acts believed in praying in tongues, praying in the Spirit without ceasing. They were a tongue-talking, Holy Ghost-filled, New Testament Church!

No doubt, many who were there that night had been filled with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost just as Peter had been. I believe they were praying with the Spirit and praying with the understanding also. I believe they were magnifying God in tongues and receiving divine revelation from the Father back to their minds!

I don't believe there was anyone there that night who was hanging back on the sidelines, murmuring, "Well, tongues just aren't for everybody." No! This was a Full Gospel,

Pentecostal, Holy Spirit-anointed prayer meeting AND IT PRODUCED EARTHSHAKING, WONDER-WORKING RESULTS IN THE CHURCH!

THE NIGHT GOD CALLED ME INTO ALL-OUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Now let's bring this down to a personal level because I have something to say to you straight from my heart! If you have a hangup about praying in the Spirit, then I can relate to the way you feel. You see, it's forever branded in my mind how I felt the very first time I prayed in tongues.

I was only twelve years old at the time, and I was in a Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International convention in Seattle, Washington. As we began to pray, I managed to blurt out only three or four words in the Spirit, and they sounded like some kind of strange, foreign dialect to me. I remember having the distinct feeling that I was crazy and that everybody else in the room was crazy too!

Friend, no one has to pray in tongues to be a Christian! The angels aren't going to turn you away from the pearly gates if you've never prayed in tongues! But I've seen the extraordinary results that praying in the Spirit has produced in the lives of people such as my father and mother, Oral and Evelyn Roberts, and many other great men and women of faith whom I know. And that's the kind of Holy Ghost power I want operating in my life too!

Lindsay and I went through a terrible ordeal which really drove home to me the need for Holy Ghost power! You see, Lindsay had a device installed in our house which periodically sprays a chemical into the air to kill mold and mildew. But before she could warn our daughters about it, our oldest, Jordan, began to examine the mechanism out of curiosity. All at once, the chemical spray shot straight into her eyes! The next thing she knew, the room went fuzzy white! She couldn't see a thing!

I was out of town preaching at the time, so Lindsay rushed her to the doctor where they washed her eyes out with solutions and immediately put her on strong antibiotics and steroids. After they had carefully examined her eyes, Lindsay was told that the chemical had eaten away the protective layers of the cornea and exposed the raw, bare nerves on both eyes. So they bandaged both of Jordan's eyes shut and sent her home.

As soon as her eyes were completely without sight, she burst into tears and said, "I want my dad. I want to see my dad right now!" Well, naturally, it upset Lindsay to see Jordan upset, so by the time they left the doctor's office, they were both crying.

You can imagine the awful feeling that gripped me when Lindsay called me later that evening with the shocking news! Immediately, I went into spiritual warfare, praying in tongues and rebuking the devil. In fact, I think I fell asleep that night stomping on satan's head! The next morning, when I found out that Jordan could see perfectly again and no permanent damage had been done, a great sigh of relief flooded through my soul! Glory be to God, HER EYES WERE COMPLETELY HEALED!

Now perhaps you're thinking, Well, Richard, maybe her eyes would have gotten well anyway! You'll never convince me that Jordan's eyes would have healed that quickly if I hadn't gone into spiritual warfare by praying in the Spirit! Of course, I'm deeply grateful to the doctors for all they did to help, but I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that God called me into all-out warfare against the devil that night— praying in tongues, praying with my understanding—AND MY LITTLE DAUGHTER WAS HEALED!

IT'S TIME TO LET THOSE CURRENTS OF LIVING WATER FLOW!

God is looking for a people today who are not intimidated by the devil's onslaught, who will use every weapon in their Holy Ghost arsenal, including praying in the Spirit! The Lord is calling His Church today to prayer, and not just any kind of prayer — prayer without ceasing in the Holy Ghost!

Friend, if you've ever been struck by a need that was tearing your insides out and you had no earthly idea how to pray about it, then you're a candidate for this Holy Ghost experience! If you've ever needed God TO POUR ON THE POWER, then you're a candidate to receive this Holy Ghost power!

When I was a boy, there was a soft drink called Bubble Up. Well, I believe the Holy Spirit is the original Bubble Up! Jesus declared that there's a living, bubbling stream welling up from the very depths of your soul! I tell you, that feeling down in your spirit, in your belly area — that's the Holy Spirit! And I believe He wants to bubble up in you right now as you pray this prayer out loud:

"O God, I need a fresh new bathing of Holy Spirit power, a dynamic new touch of the Holy Ghost and fire! When I don't know how to pray, when all I have within me is a sigh and a groan, let the Holy Spirit's prayer come flooding up in me! I want to be filled and undergirded by the Spirit of the Lord!

"God, I'm calling out to You, my Savior, and I yield myself into Your hand. Open up my divine communication system with Heaven. Illuminate my mind, and help me grasp Your revelation knowledge. I want to carry on a daily conversation with the Lord!

"Let me rise up in the morning praying in tongues, and let me drift off to sleep at night praying in the spirit under my breath! O God, let Your rivers of living water FLOW! Let them come bubbling up in me from the depths of my soul! I want to feel the Holy Spirit praying through my spirit. I want that built-in boldness that only He can give! Amen."

Friend, just begin to release the Holy Spirit's power in your life! Let those warm currents of living water come bubbling up in you! Don't worry about what someone else may think or say! Just lift your voice to God in your supernatural prayer language! Let that heavenly, divine energy come flowing up out of your soul!

THERE'S A RIVER FLOWING IN YOU! Just yield your tongue to God and let those rivers of living water FLOW! Then stop and pray in English and receive fresh revelation, fresh directions, from headquarters! Receive the divine guidance God has for your life!

If you need further prayer, why don't you call the Abundant Life Prayer Group (918- 4957777) and let our Holy Spirit-anointed prayer partners help you release your prayer language! They'll help you prime your pump so you can unleash the Greater One, the Holy Spirit, Who is living in you!

Chapter 4

JOY

You've Got to Have a Full Dose of Happy, Hilarious Joy!

Much of the Body of Christ today is beaten down. They feel ambushed, crushed in their spirits, full of misery. They're walking around with their heads hanging down, ashamed, subservient to the world. Really, it seems as if the devil has had them by the throat and he's been wringing the very life out of them! Now they're parked under a weeping willow tree, eating sauerkraut sandwiches!

On Sunday morning many precious people come into the confines of their churches and begin to praise and worship the Lord. Suddenly, for a fleeting moment, Holy Ghost joy breaks out! The clouds begin to lift! The sun comes blazing through! But when they go back into their communities, somebody slams a lid on them! They're intimidated, downtrodden.

They're ashamed to allow the joy of the Lord to come shining forth! But, friend, I don't want anybody to put a lid on my Holy Ghost joy!

The apostle Paul declared in the preamble to the sevenfold armor of God, Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might

(Ephesians 6:10). Now most Christians completely overlook that verse. They're so concerned, and they should be concerned, about putting on the seven pieces of their Holy Ghost armor that they fail to grasp the most powerful part of that passage.

In the Amplified version of that verse, Paul said,

In conclusion [or to sum it up, or here's the final thing I'm going to say about this], be strong in the Lord—be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him—that strength which His [boundless] might provides.

How can we be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? Nehemiah revealed the answer in Nehemiah 8:10: The joy of the Lord is your strength! The only way we can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might is to be filled to overflowing with Holy Ghost joy, which is our strength!

DON'T GO INTO BATTLE WITHOUT HOLY GHOST JOY!

I want you to imagine for a moment a big, barrel-chested heavyweight boxing champion being confined to a hospital room for two solid weeks. He's lying flat on his back, drifting in and out of consciousness, with IVs hooked up to his body.

They're drawing blood every day and running all kinds of tests and examinations. At last, his condition begins to improve and they discharge him from the hospital on Friday night at six o'clock. But at eight o'clock that same evening he's scheduled to take on one of his leading contenders in a world championship title bout!

They wheel him down the hospital corridors in a wheelchair and carefully load him into a limousine and drive him to the boxing arena. Then they take him into the locker room where he desperately tries to put on his boxing trunks. But they're falling down around his knees because he has lost so much weight!

So they strap his trunks on and wheel him out into the crowded arena. Pandemonium breaks loose when the fans catch sight of him! Painstakingly, his trainers lift him into the ring, and the announcer proudly introduces him to the crowd.

Now wouldn't that be ridiculous? Why, imagine any fighter in that predicament would cancel the fight, or at least postpone it, SO HE COULD REGAIN HIS STRENGTH!

Friend, there are many Christians today who are stumbling onto the battlefield of life without any strength because they don't have the joy of the Lord, which is their strength. What does the Bible say? They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31). Just as that boxer would have to wait for his strength to be built back up, we've got to wait upon the Lord SO HE CAN RECHARGE OUR BATTERIES!

How does waiting upon the Lord recharge your batteries? Psalm 16:11 says that IN HIS PRESENCE is fullness of joy. If you're praising and worshiping God, if you're lingering in His presence, you can't help but come out of the presence of the Lord bubbling over with Holy Ghost joy, which IS your strength!

That's the reason why the apostle Paul and his fellow missionary, Silas, were praising the Lord in the midnight hour in that dark, dingy jail cell in the city of Philippi. They were renewing their strength! Oh, they desperately needed God to recharge their batteries because they had been brutally beaten and jailed for their faith!

You see, those men were in the city of Philippi on a mission for God to establish a great church there. And the Bible says that each day on their way to prayer, they were confronted by a fortune-teller, a soothsayer, a slave woman, who had a spirit of divination. Actually, this woman was a prophetess of the devil. She had a gift from satan of telling fortunes!

Day in and day out, as Paul and Silas passed by her, she would mock and taunt them, crying in a loud voice, These men are the servants of the most high God (Acts 16:17). Paul just ignored her at first but, finally, the Bible says that he became grieved in his spirit by her scornful cries. So he whirled around to face the woman, AND THE BIBLE SAYS THAT HE SPOKE DIRECTLY TO THE SPIRIT.

Now Paul didn't carry on a long, drawn-out conversation with this fortune-teller. He didn't quiz her about how many years she'd had that particular gift from the devil. He merely spoke to that spirit in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, saying, I command you in the Name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! and that spirit came out!

The Bible says that this woman was owned by a conglomerate of businessmen who made a lucrative profit from her fortune-telling. And when they discovered that she had lost her power to tell fortunes, they flew into a rage! So they rounded up Paul and Silas and marched them before the local magistrates who, in turn, became so stirred up by the whole incident that they tore their clothes to pieces! Then they beat Paul and Silas within an inch of their lives and cast them into prison!

There they were—whipped, beaten, bound with chains—wondering if they were going home to be with the Lord that very night. And yet in the midnight hour, in the darkest hour of the night, they lifted up their voices in praise and worship to God! Oh, it's hard to sing praises unto the Lord when your persecutors have torn your flesh with whips and they've put no salve in the wounds! It's hard to worship the Savior when you're lying on a damp, dirty jail floor, bent double from pain!

With stripes on their backs and stripes all over their bodies, Paul and Silas sang praises unto God! With chains on their hands and chains on their feet, they sang worship songs unto the Lord! With no prospect of deliverance, no earthly hope of escape, they lifted up their voices unto God! Out of their lips came the joy of the Lord, which was their strength!

You know, midnight can be a very dark and lonely hour of the night. It's a time when somehow the whole weight of the load you've been carrying seems to land squarely on your shoulders. There's just something about the stillness of the midnight hour that can cause you to roll out of bed and lift your hands up in the air in praise and adoration to Jesus! Oh, there's something special about the midnight hour!

So Paul and Silas were singing praises unto God at midnight, the darkest hour of the night,

and the Bible says that the other prisoners heard them! Quick as a flash, the joy of the Lord came bubbling up in their souls, and supernatural strength came pouring into their bodies until, finally, their prison cell was bursting alive with Holy Ghost joy!

In the next split second, those prisoners felt their chains begin to rattle. The prison floor began to shake beneath their feet. The very foundation started to rumble as a great earthquake shook that prison to its core. Then the cell doors swung open, and the chains fell off the prisoners' hands and feet! Paul and Silas burst free from those chains because the joy of the Lord was their strength!

This is more than just some high-sounding story from the Bible about two men who sang praises to God at midnight! It's the story of you and me as we grapple with our own trials and torment! It's the story of how we can let the joy of the Lord come bubbling up in our souls until we shake the rafters with our praise and worship! AND WHEN WE WORSHIP THE SAVIOR, NO CHAINS, NO SHACKLES OF THE DEVIL, CAN CONTAIN THE JOY OF THE LORD, WHICH IS OUR STRENGTH!

THE STORY DOESN'T END THERE!

Don't think for a moment that that's the end of this story. The Bible says that when the earthquake struck, the jailer was sound asleep in his quarters down the hall. Like a bolt of lightening, he was jolted awake by the rumbling of the earth. When he peered down the hallway, he could see that all the cell doors were standing wide open, and he thought to himself, Oh, no! All the prisoners have escaped!

Now this man was a Roman citizen, and he knew that according to Roman law, if his prisoners escaped, it would mean his death. So he decided to save Caesar a trial! In desperation, he drew his sword and was about to plunge it into his own flesh when out of the darkness Paul cried, "Don't do it! We're still here!"

In complete astonishment, the trembling jailer grabbed a lantern, stumbled down the hallway, and exclaimed to Paul, What must I do to be saved? (v. 30). Oh, what a wonderful question! And Paul gave him the answer for all eternity. He declared, Believe on the Lord

Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your household! (v. 31). Friend, that man and his entire household received Jesus Christ BECAUSE PAUL AND SILAS WERE FULL OF HOLY GHOST JOY!

The joy of the Lord isn't given just for you and your family — "us four and no more." It has been poured out upon the whole Church to draw lost souls to Christ! If we're so sour that we look as if we've been sitting under an old weeping willow tree all day long, with the grim reaper by our side and a permanent frown plastered on our faces, we're not going to win many souls to Christ! But a hilariously joy-filled Church, a Church that's wearing the sevenfold armor of God, using all the weapons of our warfare — THAT'S THE KIND OF CHURCH THAT WILL DRAW THE WORLD TO CHRIST!

ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR THIS LAUGHTER FROM HEAVEN?

If anyone was ever a candidate for a fresh filling of Holy Ghost joy, it was Richard Roberts when the joy of the Lord came into his life!

And, friend, you may feel like you need a good strong dose of holy joy and laughter today too! Your face may be frozen into a perpetual frown, and you may need a fresh dose of laughter from Heaven to cause a smile to crack through that frown!

You may say, "Well, Richard, I'm not suffering that badly!" You may not have been thrown into jail for your faith or left for dead on the roadside like the apostle Paul was, but in your inner man, you may have felt like you were left for dead at times! Maybe somebody didn't take rocks and stones and physically hurl them at you, bashing and bruising you on the outside, but have you been bruised deep down on the inside? I can tell you from experience that the bruises on the inside can sometimes take longer to heal than the bruises on the outside!

There are so many people in the Body of Christ today who've been beaten every bit as badly as Paul was. We may not have been lashed with whips or struck with rocks and abandoned for dead on the highway-side of life, but the net result was still the same. All the joy has drained out of our hearts, out of our faces, and out of our churches, and we need a fresh filling of holy joy and laughter! Why don't you let that Holy Ghost joy begin erupting down in your soul as you pray this prayer out loud:

"Lord, Your Word declares that weeping endures for a night, but JOY comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5), and, With joy shall you, draw ... from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3). God, help me not to be so burdened down by the affairs of this world. Help me release the stress, the pressure, and let that holy oil of joy FLOW! Give me a fresh filling of the joy of the Lord so I can put my "worrier" on the back burner of my life!

"Heavenly Father, I need a Holy Ghost tune-up! I want to drink deeply at the well of Holy Spirit joy! The Bible says that laughter works like a medicine, so I intend to take my Holy Ghost laughter medicine every day of my life!

"I may not look different on the outside, but on the inside my laughter medicine is working overtime! From the depths of my belly, I can feel Your holy laughter rising up in my soul. IN JESUS' NAME, I WANT TO LAUGH MY WAY TO GLORY! AND I WON'T LET ANYBODY PUT A LID ON MY HOLY GHOST JOY! Amen."

Oh, friend, just let that fresh new WAVE of holy joy and laughter come bubbling up in your soul as I add my prayers to yours:

"Lord, I give You praise and glory for this powerful baptism of joy that's erupting in the soul of this man, this woman, this young person. Let it burst alive in their hearts and come RUSHING and FLOODING up to You!

"God, let there be joy in the camp! Let there be a Holy Ghost time of laughter from the Lord! May holy laughter get all over them and set their souls on fire until they can't stand still!

"And when those pressing problems come raining down on them, I ask You to give them a double dose of Your holy joy! May they start laughing hilariously-laughing at the devil, laughing with the joy of the Lord reigning in their hearts!

"Give them a knowing in their hearts that they can rise above the tumult! They can rise above the devil's roar! They can break forth in holy laughter-laughter which cannot be contained-BECAUSE GOD IS SWEEPING OVER THEIR SOULS WITH HOLY GHOST JOY! Amen."

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 Faith

Chapter 2 The Armor of God

Chapter 3 Praying in the Spirit

Chapter 4 Joy