HARD TALK

A Word for Today’s Christian Youth

Cleveland & Nordia McLeish

Heart of a Christian Playwright

Since 2002

Copyright © 2013 by Cleveland O. McLeish. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other – except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the authors. Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version of the Bible.

Published on CreateSpace by Cleveland O. McLeish

ISBN-13: 978-1479105250

ISBN-10: 1479105252

Other Christian books and plays by the Heart of a Christian Playwright can be purchased from the websites Amazon.com or ChristianPlaywright.org.

To all the youths of Old Harbour & Olympic Way Church of God of Prophecy. It was a pleasure serving you.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

ISSUE # 1: Relationships/Dating/Courtship

ISSUE # 2: Masturbation

ISSUE # 3: Pornography

ISSUE # 4: Sex Outside of Marriage, a.k.a. Fornication

ISSUE # 5: Abortion

ISSUE # 6: Sexual Abuse

ISSUE # 7: Music

ISSUE # 8: Worship

ISSUE # 9: Spiritual Gifts

ISSUE # 10: Spiritual Warfare

The Challenge

Recommended Reading

Acknowledgments

It’s not easy to find people who are willing to read and give feedback on a book, especially in this generation of non-readers. These people are special, and I thank them for making this book complete. I want to thank Art Thomas for his invaluable insights and contributions on spiritual gifts. You can view his work and ministry at www.SupernaturalTruth.com or www.ArtThomas.org. Special thanks also to Amanda Campbell and Stacy-Ann McLeish-Brown, who took the time to read and review this book. Also to my editor for adding a high level of professionalism to the book, including some theological insights and corrections.

“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (I Timothy 4:12)

Introduction

This book is not for the faint of heart, or those elders among us who want to continue thinking we are all like they were when they were young: innocent and unexposed. Due to the content of this book, it’s not for those who still believe that the nature of young Christians is, by default, towards holiness, righteousness, and purity. The right approach to reading this text is one of full acknowledgment that Christians are still sinners, and that only the Grace of God, through Jesus Christ His Son, will and can save us.

This book is for young people and the focus is on some of the issues directly affecting them. It hints at our frailty and weakness, but also the possibility of freedom in Christ. It will challenge you to live a life of purity through a radical approach and a daily conscious decision. It has been said that salvation is free, but maintenance will cost you your life. Paul says it best: “I die daily.”

Young people are more vulnerable now than twenty years ago. We live in a generation where children are having children, young adults are becoming grandparents, and fathers are delinquents. Everything’s changed, and we believe we have an obligation to speak to this generation of young people. We have a word for the youth, so to speak.

We have had the privilege of seeing two different generations of young people. In the 90s, youth were consistent participants in church. Youth services were overcrowded. We had musicians, worship leaders, future pastors, willing workers, and ministers. It was great.

Then came the new millennium and things began to change. It saw the advent of social media and great leaps in technology. Newer, more advanced cell phones with numerous features became common. Church was not adapting fast enough to the growing technology to remain interesting, and a majority of young people just lost interest. Those who keep coming may not admit it, but find other activities outside of church more fulfilling, fun, appealing and exciting. Can we blame them?

Twenty years ago young people were told to read their Bibles and pray every day, and there was nothing more satisfying than that. Now they want so much more, and the Church is stuck in the 20th century.

We want to use these new media to speak to young people. Even though the tide has shifted, nothing is more important than our relationship with God. To some extent, as adults, we have a responsibility to convince this generation of that fact.

Solomon said it best. He was the wisest man who ever lived and boasts of his lifestyle. He denied himself no pleasure. All that the world had to offer, he took advantage of. He had 300 wives and 700 concubines. He had the wealth, the health, and the fame. Yet, at the end of the day, his words were, “Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Within the pages of this little book, we will briefly examine some of the major issues affecting our youth today. Let us see for ourselves if there is any truth in the words of King Solomon.

The arguments presented here are based on years of observation, research, experience, and just being really inquisitive. Take this journey with us.

Setting the Foundation

What better foundation to build on than that four-letter word we sometimes love to hate: LOVE?

What is love?

I have asked this question countless times, and the best answer I can get is that it’s a “feeling that we feel when we feel a feeling.” That’s not much of a definition, is it? Love is hard to define. We feel it, but we can’t define it. Sometimes we find it hard to express it in words.

Young people love this word, even though they have no idea what it is. Sometimes, they create their own definitions. There is a truth behind love that we don’t like to talk about or think about. Because of sin, there is a separation from God. Being separated from God also meant being separated from other things as well.

I John 3:7-8: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

God is love.

We live in a world that has been separated from God, and to some extent is not interested in being reconciled to Him. We try to separate Him from who is He is and attempt to redefine love. It’s difficult. The truth is that we are not supposed to separate love from God. Without God, it is not love. God is the source of true love.

Our understanding of love, then, is the foundation of every issue we face in this life. Love can change us or it can destroy us.

The two greatest commandments given to us by Jesus Christ are to: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

If every single human being on earth lived these two commandments, there would be no crime, violence, hatred, covetousness, jealousy, greed, famine, poverty or sexual perversion. These exist because love is lacking.

I know we don’t want to believe this, but it’s the truth. Just think about it. If all our motivations were based on those two commandments, the world would be a better place.

Prayer

“Father in Heaven, forgive me for failing to love. I have tried to redefine love by removing You from it. I was wrong. I acknowledge that I need you to truly love and ask for your help in doing so, in Jesus’ name.”

ISSUE # 1: Relationships/Dating/Courtship

The most obvious question is, are these different or the same thing? I want to examine this in a Christian context, as I am assuming I will be speaking mostly to young Christians who really desire to walk the walk.

“Relationship” Defined

Man was not created to live in isolation. This has been demonstrated from the very beginning: “It is not good for man to be alone.” We are relational beings. We want to feel like we belong. We form friendships, clubs, cliques, and gangs in our attempts to satisfy our desire to belong.

Do you ever notice the difference between someone when they are around friends and when they are isolated? That’s what community does. It engages us on another level. It is not so much that we become a different person in our different groups, but these settings bring out what solitude can’t. People who run prisons know that the worst punishment that they can inflict on an inmate is isolation. They take them and lock them away in solitary confinement. This can drive a human to madness.

We need relationships, but there are different types:

• A state of being connected or related.

• Association by blood or marriage; kinship.

• The mutual dealings, connections, or feelings that exist between two parties, countries, people, etc., or a business relationship.

• A romantic or sexual involvement.

What we find common among our young people is romantic or sexual involvement. Let us not bury our heads in the sand. Almost a decade ago, a study revealed that 80% of our young Christians were engaged in sex. I can’t imagine where that figure now stands. Even as you read this, I am sure you know what I am talking about. You are either among the 80% involved in it or the 20% not involved. Many of our teens are in serious relationships. Some of our young people are more sexually involved than some married couples. I heard a married teacher say once that his students are having more sex than he was. It’s a reality we can no longer overlook. Further on in this book, we will begin to see why so many are falling prey to fornication, and yes… it is still a sin, still the only sin done against the body, and still abhorred by our Heavenly Father.

Naturally, we need to learn to relate to each other. It is a joy to take life’s journey together, creating magic moments and working through the hard times, being there for each other and—most importantly—growing stronger together. It makes the journey fun to relate to and learn from each other and everything around us. This is the definition of friendship. God designed it and approved it. We are privileged to experience it. It is like our consciousnesses merging to become one. It’s not just about getting along.

Relationships are important. We strive and survive through our relationships. I am not speaking about intimate involvement, but that unique and special institution we love to call “friendship.” Even criminals know the importance of relationships. They rob and kill to be able to maintain their relationships.

“Dating” Defined

It is not enough just to look up the definition of “dating.” What you find may surprise you. Dating, according to society, is not what Christians tend to think it is. Dating, according to society, is where intimacy is practiced before commitment. It often involves romantic talk, holding hands, kissing, making out, and often sex. In the context of dating, commitment never precedes intimacy.

The word “date” shares a lot with the word “mate.” It doesn’t sound good to tell someone you are mating; you prefer to use the word dating. It sounds better doesn’t it? In reality, dating and mating are sometimes the same. As a matter of fact, if you look up the word “date” in an encyclopedia, it will say, “See: Sex & Teenage.”

I’m sad to say that this is the level of dating our young people are now engaging in. Young men are saying they don’t want “no puss in bag.” Young women are saying they need to be confident the man will perform. Yet, most of these young people are not even close to ready for marriage. They just want to have a good time, and just like everybody else, they must have an intimate companion.

It is evident that we can’t stop our young people from seeing someone, so we now have a new concept called “Christian dating.” But is there really such a thing as Christian dating, if what I described above is what is being practiced?

Christian Dating

This is a term newly created as a label for something we apparently have no control over. We have also given it a definition: “Christian dating” is a pre-arranged social activity shared by two single persons of the opposite sex. It can also involve a number of couples. (Yeah, right.) Bulk dating is a thing of the past with our young people. The truth is, they want to be alone with the person of interest. They want privacy. They want to kiss and enjoy some level of petting.

It is sad that we sometimes don’t know our young ladies are seeing anyone until they become pregnant. But even then, we still might never know with the options now available to unexpected mothers. (More on that later.)

Dating is a concept that has only existed in the last 150 years with the increase in sexual activity among young people.

Young men and women, contrary to popular belief, you do not have to date this way. Having an exclusive relationship as a teenager or young adult before getting a career can be damaging. You miss out on many valuable friendships that you could have had. You allow a serious distraction to deter you from accomplishing your career goals; and in return, you will have nothing to offer in a relationship.

In high school, I lied about being a virgin. It wasn’t cool to be a virgin. I had no one in my life to tell me it was really the coolest thing, so I lied and made up stories of exploits I never had. Now as I look back, I realize how ignorant I was. I was better than everybody else, but didn’t know it. I could have chosen at any moment to do and be what everyone else was, but they could never again be like me. I was a peculiar, royal, set apart, a cut above the rest, unique, one in a million, pure, an undefiled champion who thought I was missing out on all the fun.

I hope I am talking to at least one virgin who can make that conscious choice to be different. Being sold out for Christ requires sacrifice.

When I met my wife, she desired so much to remain pure that she chose not to date, and I loved her for that. It is sad that women now think that there is no difference between a sinner and a Christian man—that they both ask and want the same thing. But it’s not true. Though few we may be, there are still gentlemen who are willing to wait and a few ladies who can appreciate that choice. Ask yourself this question, as you evaluate your own true motives to date: What is the purpose for young people who have no intention of getting married any time soon to date?

It is no surprise that dating is the reason why so many young people are involved in the act of pre-marital sex. Dating is the reason for the increase in teenage pregnancies, which also increases the number of abortions done each year. We need to put a higher value on ourselves and not sell ourselves short of what we truly deserve.

The idea of dating was conceived in sin and it breeds more sin.

Prayer

“Lord, help me to be strong in a world that promotes and celebrates weakness. I want my life to reflect Your glory and image. Help me to choose Your way every day, in Jesus’ name.”

Am I Saying That Christians Should Not Date?

If what we mean by “date” is similar to what the world does, then yes. I encourage young people to spend time in groups, and spend time with different people in a friendly/brotherly/sisterly context as opposed to having an exclusive partner. Dating will rob you of a complete social experience.

Should Christians Kiss?

Socializing should not involve kissing. If we examine what kissing is, it should be clear that it’s the beginning of having sex. It’s generally the first thing you do: you kiss, then pet, then have intercourse. It’s progressive and I strongly doubt that there are any young couples who have engaged in kissing in a relationship lasting more than two years, who have not had sex. Check it for yourself. It is possible to kiss and not have sex, but extremely hard. Don’t gamble with your soul.

Kissing is dangerous. If we are serious about Christ, we need to be willing to make sacrifices. We constantly choose to play with fire. The Word says “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” The questions we have to ask ourselves are, “Do I put a greater value on pleasure than purity? Do I love pleasure more than I love God? Is God first in my life?”

We have to believe that God is not trying to rob us of pleasure, but heighten it. He gives us the best. We just need to learn to wait. Don’t kiss just because everyone else is kissing, or just because you want to feel that tingling all over. Love God enough not to do it. He loved you enough to live a sin-free life validating His sacrifice. If you choose to kiss, you run the risk of hurting God.

Should a Single Christian Woman Accept Money From a Man?

It is a common practice now for unmarried women to accept monetary gifts from unmarried—and even married—men, but is it really okay? Are there strings attached to such gifts?

In my experience, I’ve given money away thinking no strings were attached, only to discover later that I was wrong. We are talking about hard-earned money that cost us much-needed sleep and required some level of sacrifice. Giving that money away has to mean something, and for me it did. I experienced severe disappointments when my expectations weren’t met.

I’m not saying we can’t help a friend out, but when a girl has an interest in a boy or a boy has feelings for a girl and money comes into play, it’s very different from helping out someone in a jam. Our emotions are involved; expectations are attached and there is a value placed on that monetary gift. Men love to invest in their future. There is some level of fulfillment that comes with giving women money, paying for their hair and nails to be done or taking them shopping, or providing the money for them to go shopping. (Men really do hate to go shopping with women.)

Unemployed women experience great temptations in this area and it requires supernatural strength to resist the urge to accept. Know that a man thinks it a noble gesture to give money and he will tell you there are no strings attached; but monetary gifts are always an investment with future expectations attached.

Do you really believe a man would work for his money and give it away with absolutely no strings attached? Don’t be surprised if men you take money from begin to act and talk to you as if they somehow control you.

“Courtship” Defined

Courtship is the time-honored and successful practice of two people learning enough about each other to know whether or not they are compatible for marriage. It often involves friendship, discussing each individual’s future plans, knowing the parents (if they’re alive) and praying privately for God’s will in the matter.

After deciding it is God’s will to get married, the couple pray together, then go to their parents to seek their blessing, and finally to a pastor to seek his approval. After being engaged, the couple still avoids intimacy until marriage.

In this regard, courtship differs from dating in that commitment comes before intimacy. This is recommended in the Church. Why would couples court if they have no desire to get married? Why else would there be a couple?

How many couples do you know who dated in high school and college and ended up getting married to each other?

Hypothesis

Young people should prioritize. God first, then family, church, and career. Maybe career over church—it doesn’t matter. When an intimate relationship tops that priority list—and more often than not, it does—then everything else loses its true level of importance. It may seem that nothing matters as much as the person you love, but it’s dangerous. Early love can lead to underachievement.

When that happens, you become an adult who has invested all of your time, energy, and resources into love. That will not set you on a career path or put money in your pocket. Eventually, if you are fortunate, you may be able to get a minimum wage job as a secretary or a construction worker; or you could be a stay-at-home young adult with little or no education and few opportunities. In other words, love has its season and place. There is a time for it.

I recommend that teenagers socialize and spend time with peers, not locked away in some room or corner exploring each other’s bodies in the context of a more specific and exclusive relationship. Teenagers who court, or date, miss valuable social development. You miss what it means to be young and free.

The Problems With Going Steady:

• Places sexual pressure on individuals.

• Jealousy or possessiveness develops.

• Can rob individuals of the opportunity to interact with other people; early commitment and isolation narrows social relationships.

• The earlier people start to go steady, the earlier they marry; and these marriages have a low success rate.

At the end of the day, you will have to ask yourselves, “Was it worth it?” God is seeking a generation of young people who will feel joy in turning away from sin. He wants a set of young people who will walk in purity and faith. He wants the passion that we have for so many others things. He wants us to get as excited in His presence as we get when we are introduced to new levels of technology.

I know how hard it can be to submit totally to God. After all, it seems He wants to take away all the fun. We have this rush of feelings and an inability to place them sometimes. We really just want to belong.

The truth is, not every feeling you feel is love.

Love Verses Infatuation/Lust

How do you tell the difference between true love and infatuation or lust?

Infatuation is an emotion. Emotions can’t always be trusted. They will change as circumstances around you change. When you are infatuated, you are so obsessed with someone that you fail to see any of their faults. You don’t want to see any faults.

Real love isn’t blind; it is unconditional. Real love is deeper than just emotions. Someone may have the worst habit in the world, but you love them regardless. You know you’re in love when another’s desires become your desires too. You want the best for one another. Love is a commitment to the other person, whether the emotions are there or not. It is a type of devotion that will continue when the emotions aren’t there.

Infatuation is love at first sight: fireworks, bells, butterflies in the stomach. You can be infatuated with someone you have never met, like a singer or someone you noticed at school. It is an emotion-based fantasy of how things would be if you were paired with a specific person.

Real love takes time. It’s a growing experience based on shared interests, beliefs, and attitudes.

Infatuation may lead to love over time, but it is not love. Infatuation only takes. Infatuation wants to know, “What is in this for me?”

Real love gives and expects nothing in return. Love says, “What can I do for you? How can I make you a success? How can I meet your needs?”

Infatuation is insecure. It gets jealous and unreasonable, and fades with time, separation or change. Being apart will kill infatuation over time, because infatuation must take to survive. When someone else comes along who has more to give, infatuation will switch its attention from an old flame to a new one.

Real love is not jealous or unreasonable. Real love will never fade with time, separation, or change. You’ve heard it said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well, that is only true with real love.

Infatuation says, “I love you because you are pretty/beautiful, rich, talented, sexy, popular, brown, have long hair, or speak with an accent.”

Real love is unconditional. Even if an accident occurs and the penis or vagina ceases to function, love remains. Even if either arms or legs are lost in an accident, love remains. It’s hard to imagine loving someone who is unable to function at his/her fullest human potential, but real love is able to see past the mundane and appreciate someone regardless or in spite of it.

Infatuation is all about looks, smell, and sex. I have heard men say that six weeks is the longest they are willing to talk to some girls without getting sex. I know many of you ladies have had the unfortunate experience of falling to this temptation, and many have felt the pain of being rejected afterwards.

Real love will either wait or make a serious attempt not to have sex. This position seems strange in our society, but there are still a few who value purity. Just because the whole nation seems to be having sex, does not mean we need to follow suit. God has called us to greater pleasures than sinful and casual sex.

Infatuation can’t last or survive beyond one year. I think there are cases where it has lasted a little longer, but generally… one year.

Real love lasts a lifetime.

Examine your past life and experiences. How many one-year or couple-months relationships are on your record? You have probably never really been in love.

Infatuation is all about self-satisfaction. How many times have you had to tell someone how selfish they are? Maybe you have been told as well.

Real love acknowledges that loving God and keeping His commandments come first. Everything else follows. Our priorities need to be in that order.

I know it sounds unreasonable for God to tell us not to have sex until we are married, especially when the sexual feelings begin to sting us at such an early age, but consider how undermined our society has been by this act. The best place for sex is within marriage.

Two things destroy any society: sex and money. With these as the ultimate motivation behind every decision we make, society can never get better. Because so many fail to believe and accept that, we are constantly faced with many under-achievers who go to school for the wrong reasons. Under-achievement leads to unemployment, crime, violence and poverty.

Scripture clearly tells us that where sin abounds, the love of many will wax cold. Do we see this happening in our society? There was a time when black people were united; we were slaves desiring nothing else but to be free. Now we have that freedom we have turned on each other for our own selfish gains. Where is the love we once shared?

Real Love that leads to marriage is not the only love missing from our world today. True love in every sense seems depleted from our existence. Self-love is not love. Self-love is a New Age doctrine. We were not created to love ourselves. We are to love each other as we would want to be loved. There is no place in the life of Christians for what is called “infatuation.”

Prayer

“Lord, help me to desire true love: the kind of love that You intended us to have and share. Help me to overcome the temptation to practice self-love and adapt to a lifestyle of infatuation and lust, in Jesus’ name.”

ISSUE # 2: Masturbation

Is it acceptable for Christians to masturbate?

This is a big issue in the church, especially among young people. The problem is that very few are willing to admit they struggle with masturbation. It feels like a suitable alternative to fornication, but is it right or wrong?

I saw my first pornographic picture when I was in High School at the innocent age of 14. That was the very first time I knew any such thing existed. It’s not like now, when five-year-olds have access to free porn. (More on pornography later.) I was fascinated by the picture. It demonstrated something I thought I would go home and try… and I did.

Nothing in my life to that point could compare to the pleasure of ejaculating, and that began my downward spiral into an addiction to porn and masturbation. It’s really hard to separate the two, but because I know people who masturbate and don’t view porn, it is necessary to do so.

“Sexual intercourse is between two people.” “You cannot have sex with yourself.” These statements seem justifiable enough. Sadly, I heard this first in church in a Bible study. The question was debated a little over a decade ago. It felt good after thinking I was sinning to know it was ok. After all, a man needs to “go” from time to time. That’s why we have wet dreams, right?

Then, as people continued debating the subject, we’ve come to understand that masturbation is dependant on fantasy: those thoughts of undressing someone and having sex. Some people have tried to convince me that it is possible to masturbate without thinking about anything. Yeah right?

So, new arguments arose: masturbation is not a sin, but fantasizing is. The sin is called lust. Jesus said that if you even look at a married woman with thoughts of having sex, you have already committed adultery in your heart. Masturbators then are adulterers, as sometimes our fantasies are about married women.

I found a life of masturbation to be a very private and difficult struggle, especially since, as a Child of God, I wanted to live right. I wanted to serve God wholeheartedly, but there was this one thing like a thorn in my flesh. It was highly addictive. It was invigorating to imagine sleeping with any girl I wanted, whether she was the next door neighbor or a movie star. I could watch a movie with a sex scene or see a woman dressed skimpily on the street, and I would go home and star in a personal X-rated movie in my head.

How could God be pleased with such behavior?

I wanted to be free. I tried everything. Then came the internet, and my habit went to another level. I knew God was not pleased with my choice to indulge in this, but I could not stop myself. The truth is, I wanted to do it. I enjoyed the rush of emotions and the pleasure. Isn’t that why we sin?

Yet it was only satisfying for a moment. This is why we keep going back to it daily. It’s like drinking water that never truly quenches our thirst. But God has provided a fountain of living water (His Word) and He says if we drink from it, we will never thirst again. With such a choice, why then should we continue to break God’s heart time and time again?

I understand the struggles we face as young people. It’s never an easy road, but I also know now that it is possible to be free, because I am walking in that freedom.

So, is masturbation wrong?

If you masturbate, who or what do you think about when you do it?

Triggers for this habit are easy to come by. Maybe a glimpse up a girl’s skirt for guys, or just the way our own Church sisters dress these days, in skintight pants and exposed underwear. Billboards, ads, movies, music, and newspapers all use sex to sell products from peanuts to cars. It’s everywhere.

Back in the day, Job had to make a covenant with his eyes not to look at a woman lustfully. It’s not easy, but it is possible.

As young people, we first need to realize that, by ourselves, we are weak. But God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. Where we fail, He makes up for it. It takes a total dependency on Him and a whole lot of the Word.

Yes, we need the Word, and it is one of our greatest weaknesses that we don’t like to read. I am probably lucky if I still have your attention this far into my book.

The Word has more power than you know. I spent a year reading the whole Bible and it changed my life. An increased appetite for God’s Word will decrease your appetite for sin—guaranteed. It may be the only thing that can. Even masturbation will lose its addictive appeal.

The greatest battle we fight is not a physical one, but a mental one. The battle is in and for our minds. Whatever controls our mind controls us.

Masturbation begins and consummates in the mind. What you do with your hands and other members of your body is just a manifestation of what is happening in your mind. Is it possible to masturbate without thinking about sex?

James 1:15: “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Allow me to introduce you to the concept of “drug tolerance.” It is when the same dosage of a drug over time gives less of a high; to achieve the same level takes a little bit more each time. Do you see the danger with this practice? It applies to habitual sin as well.

Masturbation may be enough for now, but over time you will want more. Sin has a progressive nature. Masturbation may seem innocent at first, but it moves from one stage to the next. Sooner or later, only the act of fornication itself can appease the flesh. I am convinced that all rapists are masturbators.

Masturbation is self-gratification. If we look at it in light of the two greatest commandments, we should see that it clearly demonstrates neither a love for God nor our neighbor.

If you struggle with this sin, you can be free. I speak as one who thought I would never be free of it. I prayed, fasted, went to a deliverance minister, went countless times to the altar, and even confessed to a few trusted friends. What else could I have done? The desire just kept coming back and I just kept satisfying it.

I became free when I stopped trying to deliver myself. I let go, got busy with the ministry, and spent time in the Word, researching, teaching and being accountable. One day I just realized that the hunger I once had for this habitual sin was no more. It takes time, but it is possible. We must lose our appetite and love for sin in order to be free from it.

Who the Son has set free, is free indeed. Do you want to be free?

Prayer

“Lord, forgive me for using the members of Your holy temple to satisfy my thoughts and fantasies. Forgive me for the very thought of sinning against you. Forgive me for my inappropriate behavior and thoughts towards others made in Your image and likeness. Help me to break free of this addictive habit by increasing my desire and appetite for Your Word. Help me to draw nearer to You and further away from sinful thoughts and actions. Help me to find satisfaction in You and only You, in Jesus’ name.”

ISSUE # 3: Pornography

This is a billion dollar industry, and I’m sad to say that some of that profit comes from Christians (even pastors, deacons, ministers, and evangelists). Statistics say that one in two individuals has viewed porn at some point in their life. Many are addicted to it. How can something so decadent be so appealing?

Pornographic movies and pictures do not reflect a realistic view of what sexual intercourse is or should be. Yet many people have bought into these depraved acts to the point of wanting to play out what they see. Pornography has introduced people to anal sex, bestiality, fisting, incest, bondage, and many other conflicting and contradictory modifications to the God-given act of sex, which should be performed within the context of a legal marriage between a man and a woman.

Now, if our minds control us, who do we become if our minds are controlled by porn?

Pornography is sister to masturbation. They often travel together and are seldom apart. The debate over porn within the Church is heating up. Solomon says that there is a time and a place for everything—does that relate to pornography as well?

Can a married couple watch porn? I have heard this question asked and answered from different points of view. I have heard it argued that some marriages need the extra kick, motivation, or the extra lessons. Can porn really help a sex-deprived marriage?

Is it okay for Christians to watch people having sex? Let’s examine some facts about this practice.

“Pornography” Defined

Pornography is the portrayal of erotic behavior designed to cause sexual excitement. It is words, acts, or representations calculated to stimulate sexual feelings independent of the presence of another loved and chosen human being. It is divorced from reality in its sole purpose to stimulate an erotic response. It is preoccupied with and concentrates on sex organs for the purpose of sexual stimulation. It emphasizes them and focuses on them in varying ways calculated to motivate sexual desire.

“It is divorced from reality.” Make particular note of that. When you watch pornography, you see what other people want you to see. Let’s talk about this.

First, we need to understand what it means to be anti-God. The Devil is Anti-God, meaning he is against anything God-given, God-created, God-inspired, or God-made. You would understand why he would have a twisted and contrary version of sex. He understands how the subconscious works; it is the underlying influence to all we know to be detestable, including homosexuality.

When a man watches porn, he is not just watching a woman having sex; he is also watching a man. This enters his subconscious, and eventually he begins to wonder about his identify. Homosexual or bisexual tendencies develop. This is not the case with everyone, but it happens for many.

We need to understand that there is nothing innocent about pornography. It feeds on our emotions, and disrupts our natural sexual instincts. It perverts our minds and wills, especially when we begin to play out what we see.

Pornography is also highly addictive. You may read this and want to stop, but find it difficult. This is not to say you are possessed by a porn demon, but bad habits are easy to form, especially the ones that appeal to you and make you feel good. That is what young people want: to feel good. Church, the Bible, and prayer don’t always accomplish that. Sin, music, and controversial lifestyles do—but guess what? It is the same twisted lie used by the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

God said that in His presence there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand pleasures forever. The devil craftily asks, “Did God really say…?”

Breaking free from porn may require a radical amputation. You will need to get rid of that which causes you to stumble. You may need to get rid of your internet access, or find a program that can block any access to X-rated materials. Safe Eyes is a good recommendation. You simply install it on your computer and make sure that someone other than you has the password. You will need to destroy the pornographic magazines, clean your hard drive of the pictures and videos you have saved, and get rid of the DVDs. Do a complete house cleaning. It may be the most difficult thing you have ever done, but you will not regret it. In my own experience, I have found that the best time to do this house cleaning is right after the act. That is when our desire to be free is strongest and we are willing and strong enough to do what it takes to be free.

Matthew 18:9: “And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”

James 4:7-8: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

We can live free of habitual sins. I know it’s easy to justify our choice to sin by saying that no man is perfect, but we also need to remember that there is a consequence for every sin. We must never give up trying to live that life of purity. Others who indulge may seem happy and satisfied at the moment, but they won’t be forever. Sin has no happy endings. Only the righteous will experience the happily-ever-after. The choice is yours.

Are you addicted to pornography? Do you want to be free?

Prayer

“Lord, forgive me for hurting you so much. Forgive me for using my eyes and mind inappropriately and selfishly. Forgive me for dishonoring Your image and for resisting Your work in my life. I sincerely repent and ask that as I do some house-cleaning, you will help me find and experience the freedom that only You can give, in Jesus’ name.

ISSUE # 4: Sex Outside of Marriage, a.k.a. Fornication

In 2005 a study found that 80% of Christian young people were having sex. It’s hard to imagine what the percentage is now. It would seem that being a virgin is no longer considered fashionable, but something to be ashamed of.

As I mentioned earlier, in high school I used to lie about being a virgin. I never saw it as something to boast about—not when everybody was telling their stories. But now I am pretty sure I wasn’t the only one lying about it. That was high school. Those behaviors are now starting in primary school. Teenage pregnancies are at an all-time high, creating a big opportunity for our adversary to introduce the convenient and controversial course of action called abortion. (More on this later.)

What Went Wrong?

I don’t need to go outside the Church to speak about fornication. Many of our young people are involved in this act. They may even question the Church’s doctrine about it: how can something that feels so good be so wrong?

Understand that when man sinned in the Garden of Eden, everything was turned inside out. What feels good can be wrong and what feels wrong can be good. Think of the difficulty of maintaining a consistent prayer life and study of the Word. Nothing is more important to us as Christians, yet it is the most difficult habit to form. How easy is it to have sex? Never use your feelings to dictate your morals.

So why the sudden upsurge in sexual activity among young people?

It’s rare for a virgin to get married now, and some believe that it will soon be impossible. Isn’t that sad? Why are brides still getting married in white, when tradition dictates only a virgin wears white? What we’re seeing now is that, by the time couples get married, both would have already had sex outside of marriage. It is also a growing trend for engaged couples to have sex before the wedding.

There are three types of sex being practiced in our society: vaginal, anal and oral sex. Only one of those is not a controversial subject in any given circle. The other two are strongly influenced by pornography.

Young people are involved in oral sex. They believe that it’s not fornication unless there is penetration. But if oral sex is not sex, then what is it exactly? Young people are engaged in heavy petting and “French” kissing, which we all know are the initial stages of sex. Why do we think we can play with fire and not get burned? As with other virtues, abstinence requires a radical approach that not many are willing to take.

Is it strange that, with the increase in internet access and media exposure, we have also seen an increase in sin? Satan is the god of this world and he has not been on vacation on a beach sipping rum. He is not locked away in an office in Hell watching the world from a television screen. He is right here on earth and he has been busy building a kingdom that opposes God. We live in that kingdom.

God advertises His way of living in the Bible. We seldom read it. The devil advertises his way through everything else. When the Bible is missing from our lives, all we see, hear, and believe is everything else. Then comes trouble. Addictions form. We go through many seasons of guilt and avoid the Word even more. It can be an endless cycle of failing in our Christian walk.

I John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

God is seeking a generation of young people that will love Him more than sin. I remember days passed when messages like this would challenge us to live better Christian lives. I remember days when the presence of God was so rich in Church; we would vow never to commit another sin. We have replaced that presence with our own wills. We have assumed control over the Church, so now we do whatever pleases us, while still performing the traditions of churchgoers. We sing the songs, read the scripture, even pray the prayers, but our wills are not God’s.

If they were, there are things we would not do—things we would try our best not to do. What is God’s will as it relates to sex outside of marriage?

I Corinthians 6:18-20: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

Fornication is the end product of a sin that began as a desire—as a mere thought. Let us tie this in with previous discussions.

We feel the desire to have sex, so we date. You would want to convince yourself otherwise but let’s reason together. Dating should be for the purpose of marriage. Marriage makes it legal and right for a couple to engage in sex. If you are dating and you have no intention of getting married, then that really only leaves one reason to date.

Don’t allow yourself to be deceived. I have asked many young women and men why they are dating and their answer is, “I don’t know.” There is a reason for everything we do. We must be willing to admit to ourselves that we are not dating because we want to get married, but because deep down we really want to have sex. We think we are safe as long as we don’t admit, even to our own minds, that that is really the reason we are dating.

Let’s be real. I have had the experience of inviting someone over to my house knowing deep down that I wanted sex. To avoid having sex would require not inviting the person, but I figured that if I didn’t think about it, then if the person came over and sex happened I would be safe. God would understand. God would know I didn’t plan it. But God knew. He always did. I had gone so far as to be careful not to put on any gospel music, because it would create an atmosphere that was not conducive to fornication. Such is our ignorance of how sex outside of marriage really comes down to us just wanting it, even when we know that we shouldn’t. We create opportunities for it to happen, while trying to keep our true desires out of the forefront of our minds lest God sees what we are truly up to. God knows! He sees!

When will we stop playing with fire?

Proverbs 6:27-28: “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?”

Fornication is a progressive sin that begins with a kiss or a touch. When we begin to kiss, we begin to have sex. Eventually you will reach a point of no return. Young people are having sex because they refuse to give up dating and kissing. Choosing a life of purity is possible if you are radical enough.

Contrary to popular belief it is cool to be a virgin. Can you imagine, if Jesus was to come into this world today, how hard it would have been to find a pure virgin? Be different. Even if you stand alone, stand with dignity. A virgin can change their status at any time, but there is no going back for non-virgins. You are a rare gem.

For those, like me, who had given into the temptation, renew your vows of chastity and walk in purity. Present your bodies a living sacrifice to God and He will reward you mightily.

There is nothing to gain from a life of fornication. I have tried it and have nothing to show for it. Others have tried it and have to live with the consequences of becoming unexpected parents, of being single parents, or the guilt of having had an abortion. Fornication is self gratification. In no way does it demonstrate love for God or neighbor. In fact, when we fornicate we involve others in our sin. That is why some of our friends may never come to Church.

I have been in circles where guys discussed their “kills.” I have heard it said that Christians are now easy to get into bed. Why are we selling ourselves so cheap and destroying the witness of God? We should put greater value on ourselves. God does.

Fornication has many consequences that I myself have experienced in the past.

Fornication disconnects us spiritually. We become like a burned-out light bulb. We’re connected to the same source that powers all the other bulbs, but we receive no power. No matter what is happening in church, we feel nothing. All sense of God’s presence is lost, along with worship and sensitivity to the movement of the Spirit. Why? Because fornication is defiling God’s temple and His Spirit will not dwell in an unclean vessel.

Additionally fornication binds you to the person you have sex with. This is a spiritual bond called “soul ties.” In Biblical times, women became wives to the men they had sex with; it was a bit different from the way it is now. The Word tells us, “the two shall become one flesh” (Mark 10:8). That is exactly what happens when you fornicate: you become one. If you fornicate, then by the time you officially get married, you would have been married several times already, in a manner of speaking.

Fornication also puts you at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including the incurable HIV/AIDS. This, to me, is the ultimate consequence of a particular sin that should not have been committed by God’s children in the first place.

Fornication leaves you defenseless and opens you up for demonic possession. A demon will not see an open door without walking through it. As children of God, we are covered under the Christ Blood and sealed by the Holy Spirit, but during the act of fornication, we forfeit all those privileges.

Fornication is also the reason for the increase in unwanted pregnancies.

Prayer

“Father, I know that my body belongs to my spouse and You are only willing to share my body with that person in the confines of marriage. Please forgive me for stepping outside Your will and gratifying my flesh. Help me to walk according to Your Spirit and Word and not seek after the pleasures being offered so freely in and around my community. I know you have something better for me than merely temporary pleasures. Help me be patient. Help me be strong. Help me be different, in Jesus’ name.”

ISSUE # 5: Abortion

About one out of every four pregnancies is terminated. 1.2 million abortions were reported in the United States in 2008.

The most guarded secret for teenagers and young adults now is not that of being sexually active (which is seen as the norm), but the fact of having terminated an unwanted pregnancy. So many people are carrying the burden of that secret, hurting and suffering alone.

This option has allowed children of bishops, pastors, deacons, and ministers to be sexually active without the fear of bringing disgrace on the family. After all, abortion is an option accessible to all.

The question of whether abortion is right or wrong lies in the profound question: “At what stage does a baby become a living being?”

This question is argued on all levels. Those who are for abortion argue that conception produces a mass of tissue which is not a baby unless it is born. Those who are against abortion agree with the Bible:

Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

In other words pregnancy may be unwanted and unexpected, but at the moment of conception, not only is a soul born, but a God-given purpose is attached to that soul. God has a plan for each life established at conception. Abortion, then, not only destroys a life, but destroys God’s ultimate plan for that life.

It is never the will of God for us to take matters into our own hands and destroy a life and a purpose. What if our parents had chosen to abort us when we were conceived? How many unhappy people would be in the world today? I’m sure there is at least one person who depends on your voice, smile and presence… even if you are not aware of it.

A very smart man once wrote, “Everyone who supported slavery was free; everyone who supports abortion was born.” Think about that. The fact that you can choose to terminate a life is because your mother never made that choice.

The bottom line is, if you choose to engage in sex outside of marriage and get pregnant, carry the child and deal with the repercussions. It is better to fall into the hands of men than the hand of God. I know the shame and the embarrassment that can accompany the visible consequences of our choices. That gives us no right to make additional poor and harmful choices.

In this life, especially now, you will meet people who have had abortions in the past. It may be hard to relate to them, especially if they willingly confess, but know in your heart that God can erase all sins and make all things new. If God does that for us, He can do it for anybody; we need to learn how to stop holding people’s pasts against them and love unconditionally.

Have you had an abortion in the past? God loves you. He wants to forgive and restore you. He wants to free you from the guilt and burden.

Prayer

“Lord, you know how stubborn we can be at times. Sometimes we feel like we have a better solution than the one you offer, and every so often we make mistakes. I know you don’t approve of abortions, but at times it seems to be a convenient and appropriate solution. I am deeply sorry Lord, knowing now that I may not have only terminated a life, but also a God-given purpose. I am worthy of punishment, but Christ bore that punishment for me on the cross and I accept His atoning sacrifice for my sins. Forgive me, Lord, remove my transgression, renew my mind and spirit, and help me to forgive myself, in Jesus’ name.”

ISSUE # 6: Sexual Abuse

In recent times, many prominent figures have come forward and confessed that they had been abused as children. We know some of them. There is no need to write their names here, but we should acknowledge that this is indeed an issue that young people face. Again, we find people suffering in isolation, as it’s not something easily confessed.

I wish we would read the Bible with understanding. If we did, we would know that our deliverance and freedom involves confessing not just to God, but also to one another. The Word says that we should confess our sins to one another and pray for each other. Yes, we live in times when no one can be trusted, but trust is not the issue. It doesn’t matter if some people can’t handle what you tell them; it matters that you do what is necessary to be free. Once you gain that freedom, what people say becomes irrelevant. It surprises me how deeply we are affected by irrelevant gossip. If people are talking about you that means you are making progress. Take it with a smile.

• 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused by the age of 18.

• 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused by the age of 18.

It’s often easier for girls to come forward about this. Boys are a lot more reserved and may never say anything until they are grown men, as has been the case with some confessions we have heard in recent times.

This is a real issue. It may not seem relevant to some of us, but you never know just how close to home it really is. One reason for this is we fail to believe how subtle abuse can be. Sexual abuse is any sort of non-consensual sexual contact, including sexual touching of any part of the body, clothed or unclothed. When I read this definition for the first time, I realized that even I myself have been guilty of this from as far back as Primary School. I don’t know if kids still play “Inches” and “Purple Touch.” Maybe times have changed.

Sexual abuse in its mildest form is touching someone inappropriately and without consent. This is something we often do… even in our own families. Studies have shown that, as innocent as this may seem, it can have long-term psychological effects. Most offenders are not strangers; over 80% of offenders are known to the child.

We live in a society that loves to touch. We take any opportunity we get. Be warned that as innocent as it may seem to you, you could be sexually abusing someone. I remember the days when young women told their parents when they felt like they had been touched inappropriately by their peers. Now they want to be touched.

Maybe we have been fortunate enough never to have been inappropriately touched or taken advantage of sexually, but in our day and time, we will meet people who have.

We cannot live our lives like ostriches, with our heads buried in the sand. There are real people with real issues in and around our lives. That is why your testimony is so important, because there are other young people who need to know that someone has faced their issue and overcome it. That is also why the devil wants to silence you.

I confessed my struggle with pornography during a message on Sunday morning, and I can say at least one young man identified with what I went through and received enough hope to give Jesus a chance in his life. That is what real testimonies do. They challenge and change those who hear.

We can keep our actions and experiences a secret, but know that the fruits they bear will eventually become evident. Regardless of how we choose to live, our lives do bear fruit (Matthew 7:19). It can be fruits of righteousness, love, faith, hope, or fruits of unrighteousness, bitterness, anger, hate, coldness, lukewarmness, insecurity, inability to trust or love, low self esteem, inconsistent emotions, anti-social personality, anxiety, depression, or disconnectedness from reality.

Mark 4:22: “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.”

The fact is, you will never experience spiritual growth until you deal with your issues.

What are you struggling with today?

Examine your motives. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Loving yourself more than God and your neighbor is self-gratification, and a doctrine of devils. It’s the opposite of what God teaches. Let us not be deceived into thinking we can overcome on our own. How then would God be glorified?

Prayer

“Father, in ignorance, I may have acted inappropriately to a brother or sister. I ask your forgiveness. Give me the courage and strength to say I’m sorry and make amends, that my actions will not be the cause of future trauma in the life of the victim. For those who have acted inappropriately to me Lord, I forgive them as you have forgiven me, in Jesus’ name.”

ISSUE # 7: Music

If you have made it this far, I want to commend you. You are helping to dispel the idea that we live in a generation of people who will not read. The sale of books, even with the evolution of digital versions, has declined over the years. Books are stacked untouched on book shelves and we tend to miss out on the valuable information there. It’s unlikely that some of that information will be passed on otherwise.

On that note, let us talk a little about music. It’s not possible to exhaust this topic in one short chapter and I do want to discuss two other major issues that I’m led to write about, worship and spiritual warfare, so our discussion on music will be brief.

What Is Music?

Music is the art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. In other words, music is a powerful art form. We should acknowledge just how powerful this medium really is. Our society has been built and broken through music.

Music affects us voluntarily and involuntarily, whether we are willing to admit it or not.

Proverbs 23:7: “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”

If we can begin to understand this one verse among thousands of verses in the Bible, we will see just how powerful and influential music is. Music influences how we think and what we think about.

Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This verse cautions us to guard our minds. When we listen to garbage, we think about garbage. When we listen to songs about violence and sex, we think about violence and sex. Your own life’s experiences should already teach you that. Music is the only medium that can put something in you without your permission.

Young men want to act, talk, and be like a thug or gangster. Where do we think the influence for this behavior comes from? Secular music is all about money, violence, and sex. We would want to believe that it is a reflection of what is happening in society, but it is actually the reason. As music gets worse, society gets worse. Doctrines of devils will tell us that music is only telling us what is already happening, when in fact it is dictating our thoughts, controlling our minds, and determining our actions. Music is one of the reasons so many young people are having sex. You can debate it all you want, but do your own survey. Maintaining your purity and passion for God will require better choices of music.

The body develops like the mind develops. If we expose the mind of a child or teenager to adult movies and music, it will produce adult thoughts and desires. Do we see this happening in our society? How many parents have teenagers who talk back and have no respect? We have to be careful how our young people are plugged in without us knowing what they are listening to. Eventually, their behaviors will affect us.

Prayer

“Lord, forgive me for my poor choice of music. I realize now that it has affected me and pulled me away from Your presence. Where you are, Lord, is where I want to be.”

Origin of Music

Music is not just art, it is a force—a weapon that can be used to affect change. Music is not changing with the world; it is changing the world. The Devil is fully aware of this. Are you?

Let’s consider an idea that has been put forth about the origin of music.

Isaiah 14:11-12: “All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!”

Many Christians throughout the ages have considered this passage to be addressed to the Devil. Greek translations of the verse use the name “Lucifer” where most modern English translations have “morning star”; from here we get the tradition of applying the name Lucifer to the fallen angel who we now call Satan.

Isaiah speaks of “the noise of your harps.” In some translations (like the New King James Version), another passage that is often considered to refer to the Devil, Ezekiel 28:13, refers to his “timbrels and pipes.” Some Christians take this to mean that, before his fall, Lucifer was an angel of music—possibly even directing the ministry of music in Heaven.

This would mean that music existed long before we did, and it had significance and purpose. If there was a moment in history when all was one and Lucifer was good, isn’t it possible that, now that the world is divided between good and evil, music is also divided? We can suppose that, after his fall, Satan still makes use of music for his own evil purposes.

Whether or not this interpretation is correct, it should remind us how powerful music is. Music can belong to God; it can also belong to the Devil. Music affects us deeply—that’s why we enjoy it—but we should recognize that they way music affects us gives it power to push us toward good or toward evil.

Are you beginning to see the beauty of what was, and to some extent, what still is?

Music is divided. Its purposes are divided. Music will:

Exalt and glorify God and His attributes, and speak to loving others

or

Exalt and glorify Satan and his attributes, and exalt and glorify the self.

The Devil has found a medium to get what he has always wanted: worship. He uses it to serve his own purposes, spread his doctrines, and advance his dark kingdom here on Earth, and even Christians are now plugged into his version of music.

I am in no way arguing whether a particular rhythm is sacred or secular. I am speaking generally as it relates to all that we call “music.” Its one medium exclusively owned and created by God, but accessible to be used for evil.

Some people love noise; they love when the music is turned up loud. But noise drowns out all thoughts of God. You will not hear His still, small voice. He will not compete with any distractions. Do you ever wonder why it seems God speaks to you in the shower? It is probably because that is the only time we are isolated from all your distractions.

Do you want to hear from God? Do you want Him to speak to you? You will never hear Him until you learn to listen.

Music is also an ideal medium for the creation and spread of heresy and Gnosticism.

What is Gnosticism?

“Heresy” is an unpopular word today. It refers to ideas that claim to be Christian beliefs but are not. It can be regarded as the pollution of Christianity with half-truths. It’s the reason Paul had to write 13 letters to different churches—that was not because he was bored, but because he was fighting against man-made doctrine.

“Gnosticism” comes from the Greek word “gnosis,” which means “knowledge.” In the first few centuries of Christianity, Gnosticism was the biggest heresy that the Church struggled with. The Gnostics claimed to be true Christians, but they believed that in order to be saved a person needed secret knowledge that couldn’t be found in the books of the Bible that most Christians knew. They believed, among other things, that the god of the Old Testament was not the same as the God of the New Testament; that the god who created the world in Genesis was evil and the God who sent Jesus had defeated him.

The Gnostics are a good example of how distorted your thinking can become without you realizing that you’ve strayed from Christian truth. The Gnostics believed that the God of Abraham, Moses, and Israel was evil—that the creation of the world was a crime against the true God—but they still considered themselves Christians. In fact, they thought these ideas were the “secret knowledge” that made them better Christians than everyone else.

We are still at risk of adding our own “secret knowledge” to Christian doctrine. We acquire this knowledge through bits and pieces of information we gather along the way: Sunday sermons, a talk with the neighbor, a television program. We add our own thinking to it, and that becomes the gospel we live by. We seldom consult the Word of God, and often read it with no intention of doing what it says because we think our way is better. It feels better and easier, so we just stick with that. We invent our own religion and lead ourselves astray.

Today’s Gnosticism is a set of doctrines merging God’s principles with worldly and fleshly principles. Take, for example, a gospel song with the title “The God in Me” or “Shake That Booty That Jesus Gave You.”

In a modern age of Gnosticism we are pairing marriages with porn, singles with heavy petting, watching movies that glorify the dead/Satan/lust, and listening to music that glorifies Satan and his agenda. All this is happening within the Church, among God’s people.

Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Later on, when we discuss spiritual warfare, we will realize that not everyone who claims the name of Christian really is. Most of us are just traditional Church-goers.

Prayer

“Lord, teach me to turn the music off sometimes and just to listen. Teach me to make better choices in music. Give me the strength not to compromise or try to fit into this world, but accept that in this present world, I am a tourist and not a resident; that I am in the world but not of the world, and I am already a tenant of Heaven and need to act accordingly, in Jesus’ name.”

ISSUE # 8: Worship

I went to our national youth camp a few years back and had an experience I will never forget. Each night before the messenger came on, we had vibrant worship sessions led by able and highly effective worship leaders. What I experienced each night was somewhat different from church: at camp, 99% of the youths participated. They would cry, jump, fall, wave their hands, clap, sing, and dance gleefully and joyously in the presence of the Lord.

When the music faded, the singing ceased, and the messenger stopped speaking, and the young people were asked to write a question for a panel (of which I was a part) would seek to answer. Many asked, “Who is God?”

Imagine my shock at the frequency of this question. If those who asked the question did not know the answer, then who were they paying homage to every single night? Who made them dance, skip, clap, sing, and jump? We worship, but do we know who and why?

If I asked you that question, would you be able to answer? Why do you worship God?

We may never fully appreciate the privilege of worship now unless we fully understand what it was before. This is where the Old Testament becomes relevant. I know many have thought the Old Testament no longer matters, but that belief is far from the truth—another Gnostic belief.

In the Old Testament we are introduced to worship when Cain and Abel bring their offerings to the Lord (Genesis 4:3-4). One was accepted, the other rejected. Why?

Abel brought what was required. Cain offered what he felt like offering. I am thinking that in today’s Church we see more of a reflection of Cain’s attitude than Abel’s. God required animal sacrifices; Cain brought vegetables. Understand that unless we bring what God requires in worship, it is rejected. We can’t do as we please, say as we please, and give as we please. God has standards. He taught us that in the very first book of the Bible.

Let’s dig a little deeper. I need to quantify my statements with adequate scripture.

The laws which God gave to Moses and the people (Mosaic Law) called for a number of specific kinds of sacrifices or offerings.

The objects offered for sacrifice were sometimes brought by the common people and their leaders, but only the priests could perform the sacrifices, which were to be offered to God and to Him alone. Leviticus describes five basic kinds of sacrifices offered by Israel’s priests for the people.

Whole Burned Offerings (Leviticus 1:1-17): This sacrifice required a bull, a male sheep or goat (without blemish—perfect), or a dove or pigeon for those who were poor.

This sacrifice was in worship to God and showed devotion to Him. It was also offered to ask God’s forgiveness. The entire object was burned on the altar as atonement and was to be accepted by the Lord. The offering had the effect of removing and nullifying the effects of sin and averting God’s wrath from the offeror. In short, it restored the relationship of the offeror with God.

Grain Offerings (Leviticus 2:1-16): This was a mixture of fine wheat flour, olive oil, and incense; bread baked without yeast or honey in loaves or wafers; sometimes salt was added. This offering was sometimes used along with burned offerings or peace offerings.

The reason for this offering was thanksgiving and worship to God, and recognizing that God is the giver of blessings and provides good things. There was no shedding of blood; therefore no atonement could be made with this sacrifice. This was an offering of a gift to God as a result of the inner moving of a worshipper’s heart.

Peace Offerings (Leviticus 3:1-17), also known as “Well-Being Offerings”: This offering required fat and certain inner organs from a bull, cow, sheep, or goat that had nothing wrong with it (without blemish), and also various kinds of bread made without yeast.

The reason for this sacrifice was to worship God and ask for God’s blessing. Some of the meat was kept and eaten. This offering could not make atonement. There were three main reasons for this sacrifice: thanksgiving to God, a vow to God, or a freewill offering to God. All three were offerings that the offeror was under no obligation to make and therefore represented a gift to God, but with the renewal and reminder of the covenant made with the nation present in part of the sacrifice at its conclusion. (See also Exodus 24:1-11.)

Sin Offerings (Leviticus 4:1 – 5:13): This was the most specific of all sacrifices. It required a young bull for the high priest and the whole nation, a male goat for a tribal leader, a female goat or lamb for ordinary people, two doves or pigeons for the poor, two pounds of fine flour for the very poor, and two goats and a ram on the Great Day of Forgiveness (when one goat carries the sins of the whole nation into the wilderness).

The purpose for this was to ask God’s forgiveness and to make amends for specific unintentional sins, as well as to become clean after becoming ritually unclean. The shedding of blood secured atonement or forgiveness. It atoned for the unwitting sins of individuals or of the nation. No restitution was necessary because of the nature of the sin.

Guilt Offerings (Leviticus 5:14 – 6:7): This offering required a ram that has nothing wrong with it, or the price of the ram in addition to paying back what was stolen or destroyed plus twenty percent.

The purpose of this sacrifice was to make up for cheating the Lord or unintentionally destroying something that belonged to the Lord. This offering was also required to make up for robbing or cheating another person.

This sacrifice required the shedding of blood to atone for unwitting sins for which restitution was required, or when a sin (inadvertent or deliberate) could be assessed in monetary terms.

In all cases, different requirements were in place and different items were used. There are specific instructions that needed to be followed to the letter. All animal sacrifices were to be perfect. An animal could not be picked or bought at random to be offered as a sacrifice, and no one could do as they liked or bring what they felt like bringing, which seems to be the kind of worship we see in our churches today.

God has redeemed us, but the standards of worship have in no way been diminished. Worship was and is what God requires, and not what we choose or feel at any particular time. As we look back at worship in Old Testament days it may seem to us to be a very frustrating procedure, but man cared about their relationship with God enough to do what it took. I wish I could go into depth, but this book does not call for it at this time. Instead, I encourage you to do some additional research. You will discover more specifically how these different sacrifices were made, as well as the duties of the offeror and the priests.

I must note one particular method called the “Heave and Wave” where the offering was placed on the outstretched hands of the offeror, and the priest put his hands under those of the offeror. Then the priest would move the whole backward and forward in a horizontal movement.

These sacrifices were to be made yearly. There was a particular and specific schedule that must be followed and adhered to, which included the daily offerings, Sabbath Day Offerings, New Moon Offerings, Feast of Trumpets, Feast of Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), The Day of Atonement, and The Feast of Tabernacles.

The only alternative to these sacrificial offerings was living life according to one’s own desires. To be identified with God, you had to obey His commandments. In essence, you could not—and still cannot—have it both ways.

Let’s bring this discussion a little closer home.

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).

This is the verse that connects what worship was to what it is. I believe we need to understand this strongly enough to run the risk of boring you with too much detail.

The connection has been referred to as “typology.” This is a term you will soon fully understand. In essence, typology will reveal exactly how Jesus fulfilled the law and prophets. It will show the parallels between Old Testament worship and New Testament worship, and hopefully you will begin to see that they aren’t so different. Both require effort, sacrifice, and self denial.

THE SIN OFFERING presents Christ atoning for the guilt of sin (Hebrews 13:11-12). It shows Christ as actually burdened with the believer’s sin, standing in the sinner’s place as his substitute. This offering tells of the Lord’s death as presented in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and I Peter 2:24. It carefully guards the holiness of Him who “was made sin for us.”

THE TRESPASS OFFERING shows Christ atoning for the damage caused by sin and has in view the injury caused by the sin as opposed to the guilt of the sin. This aspect of the Trespass Offering is seen in Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”

THE BURNED OFFERING acknowledges that sin is not conspicuous, and sets forth Christ offering Himself without spot to God to perform God’s will with joy. The offering is called a sweet savor to God, because it deals with Christ in His own perfection and devotion to the Father’s will, as opposed to the non-sweet savor offerings, which show Christ carrying the believer’s sin.

The sacrificial animals symbolize Christ in some aspect of His redeeming character. The ox shows His patient endurance as Savior (I Corinthians 9:9). The sheep or ram portrays Christ in His unresisting facing of death (Isaiah 53:7). The goat typifies a sinner, and when it is used for Christ, shows Him as the One who was “numbered with the transgressors.” The turtledove or pigeon both symbolizes mourning innocence and portrays poverty. It symbolizes Him who became poor that we might become rich (Hebrews 7:26).

THE PEACE OFFERING is a sweet savor offering showing Christ as our peace. Jesus Christ made peace, He proclaimed peace and He is our peace (Colossians 1:20). The offering shows God as propitiated and the believer reconciled—God and the sinner brought together in peace, both satisfied with the finished work of Christ.

THE MEAL OFFERINGS typifies Christ in His human perfection tested by suffering. The fine flour represented His sinless humanity. The fire is the testing by suffering, even unto death. The frankincense symbolizes the aroma of His life toward the Father (Exodus 30:34). The absence of leaven, a type of evil, shows His spotless character. The oil mingled with the offering speaks of His conception by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-23). Oil poured on the offering speaks of his endowment with the Spirit (John 1:32).

Why Do We Worship God?

Is it an unrealistic request? Is it an obligation or duty? Is it based in tradition and centered on Church activities and different functions? Is it what we do with our hands and say with our mouths? I think where we go wrong as young people is in confusing worship with praise.

The Word says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalms 150:6). Also, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

If what we do with our hands, feet, body and mouth is praise unto our God, then what is worship? Confusing the two will lead to what has become the norm these days: we praise, but we do not worship.

Here is one of the answers you seek:

Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

God is to be worshipped in spirit and truth. We worship by presenting our bodies to God; our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Churches globally are suffering because we don’t understand this Biblical truth. We go to church and we give God sounds and physical gestures, when what He really wants and expects is YOU. We have become the acceptable sacrifices that He requires. He wants us to lay our lives down daily for Him, which is a reasonable request when we consider that God Himself demonstrated this with His own life.

The sacrifice has changed. It is no longer rams, goats, sheep and pigeons. The sacrifice is YOU.

As members of the Church body we believe our first priority is to worship God, yet so many of us don’t know or understand why. We become content with going to church on Sunday mornings, participate in prayer, sing a few songs, read some scripture, listen to a message, and go home feeling we have accomplished our worship duties for the week; so we dedicate the rest of the week to doing our own thing. This is not the worship the New Testament teaches. Worship is defined in a completely different way.

We have become priests (I Peter 2:5). In the Old Testament, only selected Levites had the privilege of high worship. Jesus Christ has now given that privilege to every single Christian. All Christians are priests. As the priest once made the necessary and acceptable sacrifices, we should do likewise.

Worship, then, becomes a lifestyle: something we do daily and every moment. Worship becomes a sacrifice that takes conscious thought and effort. Worship becomes a new culture. When we become saved we are no longer participants in a secular culture, but one of ultimate worship of God. We give ourselves to God. We surrender to Him. We lay our lives on the altar of sacrifice. This is what pleases God. He is not moved by our lip service and physical gestures; He is moved by the state of our heart, how willing we are to surrender totally to him in humility, just as Isaac did at the moment he realized he was to be the sacrifice. He did not run or fight; he lay down.

I want every young person who reads this book to understand what it means to be in Christ and to “Give ourselves away.”

Every man is tri-partite: body, soul, and spirit. We believe God is a trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Within the same context, Jesus formed the Church: Body, Soul, and Spirit.

As the human body consists of many members, so also is the body of Christ. Jesus is the soul of the Church and we are the body. The Holy Spirit completes us. The Church will never experience its fullest potential until the body functions as one unit: the young, old, and in-between need to move as one body. As young people in Christ we are not privileged to segregation and isolation. We need to be a part of the whole. That is what it means to be a Christian. We become a part of ONE body. No one part is more important than the other. We are all equal. Every member of the body has a different function and ability, but all members act as one.

As we consider worship scripturally, we find four main ways to incorporate this doctrine into our lifestyle.

Offer God Your Whole Self (Romans 12:1)

Young people, we have received the mercies of God through Christ’s work. It is a gift so great that Paul spent 11 chapters of his letter to the Romans describing it. How can we thank God for such a gift? He no longer requires animal sacrifices, but something much more precious: ourselves. We can sign over the title deed of our lives and say, “God, I want the rest of my life and every part of my being to be one long expression of my gratitude for the gift that you have given me.” All things considered, this is a reasonable request.

We may think that this sacrifice is not very valuable because we have so many problems and faults. After all, we are not perfect. But God says it is “holy” and “well-pleasing” to him. According to Paul, this sacrifice is our “spiritual service of worship.”

What is stopping you from offering yourself completely to God?

Offer God Your Praise (Hebrews 13:15)

This is what we do at church, but not just at church. Christ paid for our sins so we could have the privilege of drawing near to God and communicating with Him at any time: in the morning when we wake up, on the way to work or school, or during a busy day. Whether we are together as Christians or alone in a room, we can give praise.

God is pleased when we offer spiritual sacrifice of praise. We should praise Him and thank Him for all He is and all that He does for us. The practice of thankfulness to God is stressed several times in the New Testament. I want to submit to you that if you really knew who God was, you would not come to church to just “watch” and “chill.” People who we see get excited for God and do crazy stuff when they come to Church are not fanatics. We laugh at them because we are ignorant. Those people know God. When we get to that place, we understand that a heart that knows God—a life that has been touched by God—will praise.

Understand that we add nothing to God by thanking and praising Him. God is self-existent and needs nothing. We are the ones in need. We are the only ones who stand to benefit from this. If we don’t seek to please God, he remains God; we are the ones who stand to lose.

We choose to praise, sometimes against our present feelings and circumstances. We choose to thank God for His many blessings rather than buy into the lie that we are mistreated and unfortunate. We praise to assert the truth that we are fantastically blessed beyond anything that we could ever deserve. In spite of our rebellion against God, which rightfully deserves His wrath, He has forgiven us, adopted us into His family, guaranteed us eternal life, given us a significant role in His purpose, indwelt us with his Spirit, provided us with Christian friends… and the list goes on.

When is the last time you stopped to count your blessings?

What hinders us from giving God thanks daily?

Offer God Your Material Resources (Hebrews 13:16)

Two more ways in which we worship are by doing good and sharing. Young people give the smallest offerings and often refuse to pay tithes, We don’t put a price on pampering ourselves, beach trips, make-up, hair styles, clothes, shoes, food, and entertainment, but God gets the smallest donations. As leaders we mention this so often that young people get offended, thinking we don’t want them to look their best. Of course we want you to look good, but looks will not matter if God is at the bottom of your priority list.

Sharing refers to the generous giving of our material resources to God’s people and God’s work. This is identified by Paul as a sacrifice which pleases God. Paul wrote, “I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). (As young people we tend to read verses like this and all we can think about is how hard that name that begins with “E” is to pronounce.)

Young people generally regard giving financially to God in the same way they regard the government requiring taxes to be paid: it has to be done, and we look for ways to give as little as possible. Paul’s view is very different from this. He says that giving is a privilege (II Corinthians 8:4) and something that we should do generously (II Corinthians 9:6) as an expression of our commitment to God (II Corinthians 8:5).

When we give our money to God in this way by supporting our local church, other Christian workers and ministries, and the needy, God regards it as an expression of worship fully as spiritual as praising him. This is because giving of our money represents a giving of ourselves, since money represents the time and effort and creativity that we have invested in order to gain it. Such giving is also an expression of our trust in God to continue to meet our material needs—which Paul tells us God will fully supply (Philippians 4:19).

What stops you from giving and sharing freely?

Offer God Your Service to Others

This refers to ministry—performing deeds of loving service to other people as representatives of Christ. When we relate to the people God brings into our lives with Christ-like, sacrificial love, God regards this as an expression of our worship to Him. “And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).

The enemy has always tried to distort worship. In this context we should seek to please others above ourselves, but somehow we are convinced that pleasing others is not possible, so we only live to please ourselves. This is not biblical. Like marriage, every decision we make should be in consideration of others and not ourselves. Selfishness is a doctrine of devils. We need to be careful whose laws we abide by in our day-to-day living. God is pleased when we consider others above ourselves. This kind of lifestyle is acceptable, as God wants to love people through us, and also because this demonstrates that we are living with an attitude of trust in His love for us. We are motivated to love others because we understand and believe in the love that God has for us (I John 4:16-19).

Worship Is an Attitude

The underlying concept of worship in scripture is that of service to the One we revere. This understanding expands the application of worship far beyond the walls of the church building; it includes any activity done in service to and because of the One worshipped.

Worship is homage consisting of an attitude of deep respect, adoration, reverence, and even awe, and also the activities designed to describe the position and worth of the One worshipped. We must understand that biblically, the Creator initiates our worship of Him and that our response in worship is merely a reaction to His insertion of Himself into our lives.

In this new age of technology, I have noticed that the respect and reverence God once had from us is diminishing. We take our cell phones to Church, and no matter how the Spirit of God is moving through the service, cell phones are answered, and texts are read and responded to. Where is the respect and reverence for the presence of God? As young people, we need to know that there is a time and a place for everything. Cell phones are a distraction. They are one of the reasons everybody wants to sit at the back of church now. God needs some front-bench young people who will boldly declare that nothing is more important to them than Him. He wants to be our source, motivation, and reason.

Worship involves knowing when to put aside all that distracts us. In the Old Testament worship is confined to the tabernacle or temple. In the New Testament, we are the temple. In this context the worship of God is expanded to any time, any place, and any circumstances.

Worship as a Requirement

Philippians 2:9-10: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

So high and great is Jesus that eventually the knees of everyone born or created will bend in reverent homage to Him.

We only have two choices in this matter: we either know Jesus as Savior and Lord or we will know Him as Judge. Whatever path we take in life eventually leads to that moment in time where we will stand before Him. It is then that the value of everything we have, thought, and did will diminish and the quality of our worship will be accounted for.

Worship as a Command

I Chronicles 16:29: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

God demands our worship, not because He needs it, but because we need it.

We worship what we choose to give the supreme devotion of our feelings, time, and energies. God must command us to worship because we can choose to give our feelings, time, and energies to things other than God. Acceptable worship of God involves consciously choosing to worship and serve only Him, even in the face of the temptation to give these things to others.

If we fail to submit to God in worship, we are guilty of the sin of disobedience.

God also gives us the special privilege of worshipping Him through the exercise of spiritual gifts. Every born-again believer has a gift. I grow tired of hearing young people say they don’t know their purpose or calling. Sometimes it’s not that we don’t know, but that we ignore our own gifts and we covet others instead. It becomes necessary, then, to take a few pages to discuss this issue, as Paul urges us in Romans 12 to express worship through the use of our spiritual gifts.

As we begin to discover our spiritual gifts, exercise them regularly in the service of others, and give God praise for the fruit of this ministry, we discover a form of worship that is uniquely satisfying.

ISSUE # 9: Spiritual Gifts

Defining “Gifts”

I want to approach this issue with caution. It is necessary to make some distinctions before we can adequately address spiritual gifts.

We often confuse calling, gifts, and talents. These three things are not the same, but they can and sometimes are related. Your talent can become your gift and your gift can become your calling or purpose, but your gift might not have anything to do with your talent. For example, you may be able to sing, but your main gifts may be teaching, preaching, and leadership.

In essence, I want to explore the question of why we are here. Hopefully you will discover your purpose within the pages of this book.

Spiritual Gifts and Natural Talents

Natural talents reveal you, but spiritual gifts reveal Christ. A talent for writing does not necessarily mean that writing is a spiritual gift for you. The talent for writing brings glory to you, but if the Holy Spirit empowers you to write what Christ wants you to write, then He gets the glory—and you have a spiritual gift.

One benefit to this concept is that it clarifies the difference between spiritual gifts and the virtues that all Christians should have. Consider the gift of faith: all Christians are supposed to have faith, because “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). But Paul taught that no individual has every spiritual gift (I Corinthians 12:27-30). Obviously, there must be a difference between faith and the gift of faith.

Faith is your own belief, trust, and confidence, whereas the gift of faith is the ability to share in Christ’s supernatural belief, trust, and confidence! When we define spiritual gifts in this way, we get a far clearer picture of what God intends for His Church.

Parable of the Talents

We are accustomed to using this to make people feel guilty for choosing to be passive. We tell them, “If you can sing and you don’t sing for the Lord you will be cast into utter darkness.”

The word “talent” in Greek refers to a unit of measure. In the parable it speaks about money, but parables are symbolic so we draw a parallel. What does God value so much that He entrusted it to our care and expects us to use it to bear fruit? The answer is His Word, or the Gospel.

The man with the one talent did nothing, which corresponds to most Christians these days. If we share the gospel with others, it multiplies. If we don’t share it, what happens? Nothing! And we will be called to account.

Natural talents or abilities have their place, but what is expected of us is to operate in our spiritual gifting, and every born-again believer has a gift.

In essence, a natural talent can be used to bring glory to yourself. It can also become a spiritual gift by order of the Holy Spirit. This is when your talent brings glory to God; and your “calling: is what you do with what you have been given.

The bottom line is, regardless of the many theories that are out there, spiritual gifts should not be confused with the fruits of the spirit, a talent, or a calling. I’ll define each of those below:

Fruits of the Spirit

Fruits of the spirit are the result, product, or consequence of being filled by the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled (Galatians 5:22-23).

When the Holy Spirit enters our lives at the time we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He brings these attributes with Him. Every Christian should exhibit these qualities (“fruits”). If not, they are not allowing Him to work through them, or the Holy Spirit is not inside them.

Natural Talent

A talent is often mistaken for a spiritual gift. These abilities are independent of our accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Webster’s Dictionary defines a talent as “any natural ability or power; natural endowment.” Music, art, organizing, and athletics are examples of talents which can be used both by Christians and non-Christians. Talents can also be used to accomplish God’s will, both inside and outside of the church, or for personal gain.

Calling

Throughout the Bible, a “calling” is mostly associated with all of us who are followers of Christ. Any one of us who has a walk with Christ has been called to some sort of ministry. A biblical calling is really nothing but a spiritual gift and a passion. Your passion has four parts: personality; background; life situations; and the maturity of your spiritual walk with Christ.

What you find is that any two people who are called will carry out the same gift differently. Teaching for example. One may feel comfortable addressing a small group, while the other wants to see a large gathering—but both have been called to teach.

One reason it is so important to understand spiritual gifts is that getting Christians involved in church today is hard. It is said that 90% of the work is being done by a weary 10% or 20%. Why is it that, in a church that calls all its members to be active participants, we have so many passive spectators and critics? Spectating and criticizing are not gifts!

We need to know the gift God gave us at our spiritual birth and how that gift functions in the body of Christ. Remember that the Church is one body and should function as one. If one member of the body is not functioning, then the body is not functioning at 100%.

If you don’t know your gift, then you don’t know which part of the body you represent. If, as a member of the body of Christ, you don’t know if you are the eye, ear or mouth….then that means some parts of the body is not functioning… which is why the Church is not moving forward.

The church will grow when the members of the body begin to function within their specific gifting.

Romans 12:4-8: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

It is essential to understand how we all can minister together toward our common goal. We must know how God can and will use us.

We cannot be content with not knowing what we are supposed to be doing as members of the body of Christ. I remember previous generations of young people who were mindful of where they fit into the body. These days, young people seem to be all about the hype, entertainment, and fun. We seem to think that greater pleasures exist outside of Christ, but that is the same lie Eve fell for in the Garden, which led to the fall of man.

Christ’s strategy for reaching the world for himself is through the Church (Ephesians 3:10-12). We have a responsibility to know and exercise our gifts. There is no greater pleasure than doing what we know we’re supposed to be doing. We’re the Church, but often we are the ones who stop the Church from moving forward as we become disconnected from the whole.

What is the Church? It is not a magnificent building. We are the Church. Whatever we as individuals choose to do in our different geographical locations, it is the Church that is doing it, as that is what we represent. If you go to a party, the Church goes to a party. If you dress inappropriately, the Church dresses inappropriately. These behaviors destroy the witness of the Church to the world. He has called each of us to contribute in a positive way and be representatives of Christ (Ephesians 4:1)!

Everyone is expected to contribute in a unique way (Ephesians 4:7). Just as members of our body have individual functions, so we are unique in our own ways and purposes.

Do you want to know what spiritual gift you have received and where your gift can be used in the Body of Christ? You will if you apply yourself to read and study God’s Word. I came into my fullest potential when I spent a year reading through the Bible. Do not buy into the lie that a verse a day will keep the devil away; consider the Bible as one book, like a novel. Reading random, isolated verses will not help you. This calls for dedication and discipline. It’s not easy to sit still and read the Bible with so many distractions around us, but unless we do it our purpose and gifts will not be revealed to us.

Spiritual Gift

A spiritual gift is a special ability given to us at our spiritual birth. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us (John 3:5; Romans 8:9) when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and we are told we are given the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. We are given a spiritual gift at the point of spiritual birth which the Holy Spirit has specifically chosen for us.

I Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says about our spiritual gifts. They are explicitly addressed in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4, and I Peter 4. The central thoughts of each passage are as follows:

I Corinthians 12-14

Everyone is given a spiritual gift, which is selected by God. There is a great difference between gifts, but all are needed and all are part of one body—that is, the body of Christ. Without love, they are useless in trying to minister for Christ and, in fact, can be disruptive.

Romans 12

The supreme application of all doctrinal teaching is to give our entire lives to Christ in ministry. We must honestly evaluate who we are, and use our gifts in service to God. He gives us gifts out of His grace, and it is love that keeps the service appropriate.

Ephesians 4

All of us are called to unity, maturity, and ministry. As leadership gifts are exercised to equip and prepare others to use their gifts in ministry, the entire body will grow in maturity, be stable, and become one. Again, it is God’s grace that is emphasized, and love holds the body together through the process.

I Peter 4

We should live totally for God, even in suffering; in fact, it is suffering that allows us to keep everything in perspective. The end is near; therefore we should use our gifts to serve each other with the grace that God has given us. It starts with love and ends with praise given to Christ.

Spiritual gifts allow us to fulfill different roles in the Church. I can’t emphasize enough that we all function in different ways.

Paul uses the analogy of a human body with its many members to enable us to understand how, though having a variety of functions, we have a unity of purpose. In I Corinthians 12 he repeatedly emphasizes the variety of gifts and members of the body, but he also emphasized there is one Spirit, God, Lord, and Body who we all serve.

Unity in variety is Paul’s understanding of gifts.

Who Gives Spiritual Gifts?

Spiritual gifts come from God. They are gifts, not something we earn. I Corinthians 12:4 clearly states that it is God who has given us gifts. I Corinthians 12:11 elaborates further, stating it is His Spirit which bestows these gifts. Finally, in Ephesians 4:11, we are told that Christ, as part of the Godhead, gives these gifts also.

This means we cannot lay claim to any of these spiritual gifts. We should not assume personal possession of spiritual gifts. God uses us for His glory and not our own; He will not share His glory with any man. The gifts are distributed to us by the Holy Spirit as He wills, without relinquishing ownership or rights.

Who Receives These Gifts?

All believers are given at least one gift. I Corinthians 12:7 tells us that “to each one” is given a gift. Therefore, all Christians can count on the fact that they have been given a gift. You have at least one gift. You also have a choice: you can use your gift or be passive. Either way, we all must give an account for what has been entrusted to us.

When Are We Given These Gifts?

At conversion, we receive our gift. At conversion, a believer is indwelt with the Holy Spirit according to Romans 8:9 and Galatians 3:2-5. I Corinthians 12:7 state that when He comes into our lives that He brings a gift or “manifestation of the Spirit.”

Which Gifts Does God Give Us?

God chooses the specific gift we need to function within the body. I Corinthians 12:11 and 18 tell us that we receive the gift just as God determined. How exciting to know that God selected the gifts to give us! Gifts are given according to our different personalities. God is not trying to override who you are; He wants to manifest who you really are.

What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts?

The purpose is to build up the Body of Christ such that it can fulfill its God-given mission. I Corinthians 12:7 states that gifts are “given for the common good.” I Corinthians 14:12 tells us that they are to “build up the Church.” I Peter 4:10 also says that they are “to serve others.” I Peter 4:11 continues to say, “so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” Finally, Ephesians 4:12 tells us that they are “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

The work of the ministry is to the world. The Church exists as God’s instrument to reach the world and spiritual gifts build up the Church to be an effective instrument.

What Are Spiritual Gifts?

They are abilities which enable Christians to effectively function in serving and building up the Body of Christ. Often gifts complement our talents. God in his infinite wisdom knows which gifts will be best for our talents, background, personality, and situation in life.

How Do I Confirm Which Gifts I Have?

God gives us gifts to build up the Body of Christ. We should see the body being built up as a result of us using our gifts. As a Christian, you too are part of the Body of Christ; therefore, you will also be built up through the use of your gifts. If you are not encouraged through your service in an area, it is probably not your gift. Through exercising your gift, you should see fruit and receive the deep satisfaction of knowing that God is using your life.

It is important for you to recognize your gifts, as this step is one part of finding your true calling. The other part is recognizing and understanding your burden, which is the combination of your personality, background, life situation, and walk with God.

Gifts of the Spirit

The following is a list of definitions for the 31 distinct spiritual gifts in the Bible, including some of the scripture passages pertaining to them.

You will notice that I have based every definition on the concept that Jesus Christ shared in John 16:13-15. Since Spiritual Gifts have to do with our roles in Christ’s body, it only makes sense that they reveal Jesus in this world.

Faith takes place when the Holy Spirit enables you to participate in the unshakable faith of Jesus Christ and expect the impossible to become possible. (I Corinthians 12:9)

Miracles take place when the Holy Spirit allows you to share in Christ’s authority over nature and work miracles. (Matthew 9:8; I Corinthians 12:10 and 28; Galatians 3:5)

Signs and wonders take place when the Jesus confirms the message you preach by producing supernatural signs through the Holy Spirit. (Psalms 105:26-45; Mark 16:19-20; Acts 6:8 and 15:12; Hebrews 2:4)

Raising the dead takes place when the Holy Spirit makes the resurrection power of Christ known through a believer. (John 5:21, 11:21-23, and 38-45; Acts 26:8; Romans 4:17; Hebrews 11:35)

Gifts of healing take place when the Holy Spirit makes part of the healing power of Jesus Christ known through a believer. (Psalms 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 4:23-24; Luke 4:40; Acts 3:16, 5:16, and 9:34; I Corinthians 12:9 and 28)

Prophecy takes place when the Holy Spirit makes known to someone what Jesus is saying in order to encourage, edify, or exhort the Church. (Romans 12:6; I Corinthians 14:1-3 and 32; II Peter 1:21)

Tongues takes place when the Holy Spirit demonstrates Christ’s knowledge of all languages by speaking a message spontaneously through a believer. (Mark 16:17; I Corinthians 12:10 and 28, 13:1, and 14:13-19 and 39)

Interpretation of tongues takes place when the Holy Spirit demonstrates Christ’s understanding of all languages by enabling a believer to comprehend the meaning of a message delivered through the gift of tongues. (I Corinthians 12:10 and 14:5, 13, and 26-28)

Knowledge and understanding take place when the Holy Spirit enables a believer to participate in Christ’s supernatural ability to learn, understand, and retain information. (Ecclesiastes 2:26; Daniel 1:17; Luke 2:47; I Corinthians 13:2)

Messages of knowledge take place when the Holy Spirit takes something Jesus knows and makes it known to a believer. (I Corinthians 12:8)

Messages of wisdom take place when the Holy Spirit takes a part of Christ’s wisdom and makes it known to a believer. (I Corinthians 12:8)

Wisdom and insight take place when the Holy Spirit enables a believer to participate in Christ’s ability to accumulate and apply supernatural wisdom. (I Kings 3:12; 1 Chronicles 22:12; Daniel 1:20; Acts 6:10; James 1:5 and 3:13 and 17)

Discerning spirits takes place when the Holy Spirit allows a person to clearly understand what Jesus knows about the working of angels, demons, Himself, and humans in the spiritual realm. (Acts 16:16-18; I Corinthians 12:10)

Visions and dreams take place when the Holy Spirit pictorially expresses revelation from Christ. (Ezekiel 11:24; Daniel 10:1)

Interpreting visions and dreams takes place when the Holy Spirit makes known Jesus’ understanding of the meaning of the symbols He used when giving a dream or vision. (Daniel 1:17; 2:23-30)

Craftsmanship takes place when the creative nature of Jesus Christ is expressed through a believer by the power of the Holy Spirit to make something (physically or digitally). (Exodus 31:1-6 and 35:30-35)

Music takes place when a Christian reveals Christ’s authority, power, love, or nature through singing or the playing of a musical instrument. (I Samuel 16:14-16 and 23; I Chronicles 25:1-7; Job 35:10)

Prophetic design takes place when the Holy Spirit empowers a person to express a prophetic message from Christ by use of an artistic medium. (Genesis 30:29-43; Numbers 21:4-8; Ezekiel 4:1-3)

Writing takes place when the Holy Spirit empowers a person to express a prophetic message from Christ through written words. (Exodus 17:14 and 34:27; Jeremiah 30:2; Habakkuk 2:2; Romans 16:25-27; II Peter 1:20-21; Jude 1:3; Revelation 1:11 and 21:5)

Teaching or public speaking takes place when the Holy Spirit awakens a believer to a teachable moment and empowers them to speak or act as a direct representative of Christ in that situation. (Mark 11:15-18; I Peter 4:10-11)

Encouragement and exhortation take place when Jesus Christ encourages a person or group of people through an individual who is empowered by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 15:32 and 20:2; Romans 12:8)

Mercy or compassion takes place when the Holy Spirit enables a believer to share in the compassion of Christ, which stirs the person to an action that demonstrates what Christ wants to do in that situation. (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, and 20:34; Mark 1:41; Romans 12:8)

Giving or generosity take place when the Holy Spirit empowers a person to reveal Christ’s love and nature through the giving of a gift. (Romans 12:8; II Corinthians 8:7)

Voluntary poverty takes place when the Holy Spirit stirs a person to give more than what is reasonable and live in relative poverty (like Jesus did) so their finances can be used to support Spirit-filled ministries and spread the Gospel. (Matthew 8:20; II Corinthians 8:1-9)

Success and prosperity takes place when the Holy Spirit enables a person to enjoy success and prosperity from Christ so that they can bless others with their wealth. (Genesis 27:20; Deuteronomy 8:18; I Samuel 2:7; I Kings 3:13; II Chronicles 32:29; Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 and 6:2)

Hospitality takes place when the Holy Spirit empowers a believer to reveal Christ’s love through hospitality. (Romans 12:13 and 16:23; I Timothy 5:10)

Service or helping others takes place when the Holy Spirit empowers a believer to serve in such a way that reveals Christ’s love and nature. (I Corinthians 12:28; I Peter 4:10-11)

Celibacy takes place when the Holy Spirit empowers a person to abstain from sexuality for the sake of being more effective in ministry, just like Christ. (Matthew 19:11-12; I Corinthians 7:7-9)

Leadership or governing takes place when Jesus grants a person a place of authority and the Holy Spirit gives the abilities necessary to carry out that role. (II Chronicles 13:5; Daniel 2:37-38; Luke 1:32-33; Acts 13:21; Romans 12:8 and 13:1)

Control over wild animals takes place when the Holy Spirit empowers a person to share in the authority Jesus has over wild animals. (Genesis 1:26-28 and 8:17-19; Jeremiah 27:6 and 28:14; Ezekiel 39:17; Daniel 2:38; Mark 1:13 and 16:18; Acts 28:3-6)

Administration takes place when the Holy Spirit empowers a believer to administrate, organize, and direct people, projects, or programs just as Jesus intends. (I Corinthians 12:28)

Prayer

Lord, help me to find my rightful place in the body of Christ. Forgive me for thinking I was my own person and could do my own thing. Help me to identify my gifting and purpose. Stir up the gift that you have placed in me and give me the will and courage to exercise that gift and play my part in the building of Your Kingdom, in Jesus’ name.

ISSUE # 10: Spiritual Warfare

I want to emphasize that no matter how old we get, we’re always learning, especially as relates to our Christian journey. In the area of Spiritual Warfare I have learned a lot over the years, and there are some theories that I’m still struggling with as a young man myself. I am going to broaden our scope a little with the intention of provoking thought and discussion on various topics relating to Spiritual Warfare.

Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

The word “spiritual” comes from the Greek word “pheuma,” which means “non-carnal, non-physical, mind, or breath.” In other words, spiritual warfare is a battle being fought that we cannot see. We cannot see our enemy. We just have to know he is there fighting. Neither can we fight back with what we can see.

As Christians we want to see. We allow ourselves to believe that somehow our natural senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling can be involved in or affect what is spiritual. When it comes to this spiritual war, unless God allows it, we can’t see, hear, taste, touch, or smell our enemy.

Spiritual warfare is not a natural or physical battle, nor does it appeal to any of our natural senses.

I Corinthians 2:14: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

Too many Christians want a God that appeals to their senses. That will never happen because “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). As much as we would like to contain all that is spiritual in a little box so we can manipulate and understand it in human terms, we can’t. The spiritual cannot be contained because it is bigger than us.

The physical world came out of the spiritual world. Before anything else existed, the spiritual world existed. At all times, things are going on around us that we cannot see, hear, touch, smell, or feel. When we are attacked spiritually, we cannot fight back with natural, tangible weapons.

II Corinthians 10:4: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

The weapons we use are not visible. They are not physical or tangible.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

The Word is powerful, but if you just hold the Bible like a sword and swing it, nothing will happen. Using the physical Bible to try and beat a demon out of someone will not work. Throwing water, salt, rum, or cream soda will also have no effect against a demon. The Word has to be transferred from the pages into our inner person, into our spirits, to become a weapon we can use.

The Church will have serious problems if all its members do is hold or carry a Bible. Too many young Christians are not making time to spend in the Word, where our true power lies. Therefore, what we find is that there are too many powerless Christians. This is the reason we fall for half truths, Gnostic beliefs, and doctrines of devils. There are no solid walls to keep the lies out.

I wish I could go into details, but enough books have been written on this topic. I am simply trying to whet your appetites enough for you to do additional research and reading.

The Word says in the last days knowledge will increase and it is increasing, but you will never gain a wealth of knowledge until you learn to read. Our dependence on media for information is highly misleading. The media shows you what you want to see and hear. They play on our emotions for ratings and money. They are also highly influential in telling people what to believe. You would be surprised at the things some Christians believe.

For example: There are no conference rooms in hell. As a matter of fact, scripture would suggest that Satan spends a lot of his time walking the Earth and going before God to accuse our brethren. He has no time for meetings.

I want to engage your mind and experience a bit as we go along, so here are three questions to ponder:

Are Satan and Lucifer the same person?

Can Christians be possessed by demons?

When, according to Scripture, was Satan cast out of Heaven?

It’s surprising that if we ask a committed Christian some of these questions they would be unable to answer. In some cases our beliefs are littered with Gnosticism right in the Church. People who should be walking according to the Word of God are living based on common sense and emotions. That is why it appears we are fighting a losing battle. The truth is, in some sense, that we are losing the battle—and we will not gain victory until we understand and engage in the battle for which we are enlisted as believers.

As with worship, for us to gain a better understanding of the topics to be discussed, I would prefer we start at the beginning.

Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

What do we know about God’s origin? He has always existed. There was a time when man did not exist, angels did not exist, and solar systems did not exist, but God has always been. God was not born or created. He just is, was, and will always be. This statement troubles a lot of young people. We believe naturally that for something to exist it either has to be born or created. So who is God’s mother or father, or who created Him? If we argue this in human terms we will never come to a full understanding of who God is. He is the only One who was never born or created. For the world to exist, someone had to exist. For all that is to be created, someone had to already exist. God is God. As believers we need to accept this and move on.

Genesis 1 verse 1 speaks of the beginning of the heavens and Earth as we know it: the physical world as we know it.

Genesis 1:31: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”

It was very good. (It was perfect)

Genesis 2:1-2: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”

So far we see no indication that there was anything wrong, anywhere. No indication that there was a great spiritual battle raging anywhere. All was good—it was very good.

In the midst of God creating all these beautiful things, he also made man, fearfully and wonderfully in His likeness and image.

Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”

So, man is a reflection of God. God made something even more beautiful and called her woman. Now here we have a beautiful garden, pretty flowers, clear rivers, friendly animals, and two beautiful human beings who are given dominion over all living things. Man was to rule. He would be glorified above angels.

One angel became jealous. Pride filled his heart. “How could God create these creatures and give them a higher position than me?” Did Satan have any reason or opportunity to sin before the creation of man?

Most Christians think that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven before Genesis 1. I have a hard time believing that, as it would suggest that the whole story from beginning to end is not contained within the Bible. Some theologians believe that millions of years passed between the events of Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 (the “gap theory”) during which some great cosmic battle ensued, and it was at this point Satan was cast out. To assume this would also assume that there was a previous creation story before the events of Genesis 1:2.

A reason for the gap theory is that scientists developed some new theories claiming that the Earth is millions of years old, so Christians tried to fit those millions of years into the Bible. They developed several theories: the day-age view (that one day is like a 1,000 years), the gap theory, the local flood view, the framework hypothesis, theistic evolution, and progressive creation. I don’t need to get into the details of each of these, as they can be easily researched. The point is that as knowledge increased over the past centuries, so has confusion.

One question to consider at this point is, “How old is the Earth?” Our claim is that there were roughly 4,000 years before Christ and now we are 2,000 years after Christ, making the earth about 6,000 years old.

Another significant question is, how many years after creation was the Flood? I want you to note that, based on the genealogies in Genesis 5 and the Flood story in Genesis 6, the Flood took place 1,656 years after the creation of Adam.

The age of the earth is still a controversial subject, but many believe that the evidence the scientists are using to determine that the earth is millions of years old is not valid. They argue that at the time of the Flood, the whole earth would have been covered with water, resulting in any fossils or specimens unearthed appearing older than they really are.

So then at what point in Scripture are we introduced to spiritual warfare? We have no biblical reason to believe the war began before Genesis 3:1.

Genesis 3:1-7: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden?”’

The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”’

‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Whatever was going on in the heart of Satan, this is the point where he acted on it. This is the moment he fell from grace. Man had sinned. Woman had sinned. Satan had sinned.

If you’re like me, I’m sure you have asked the question, “Why didn’t God just destroy Satan?” The answer is simple. Because He would also have to destroy Man and Woman—but He loved them. God had no intention of starting over. He wanted to redeem Man, and restore us to the garden.

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

If Satan had sinned before this moment, then God probably would have destroyed him or banished him, and man would not have had anything to worry about. Satan acted on his desire when he knew God had more to lose than just a rebellious angel.

Now that we have established that, let’s look at a man whose life is a great study in spiritual warfare: Job. (The Bible in chronological order would put the book of Job after Genesis 11.)

Job 1:6-9: “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’

Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.’

Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’

‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied.”

This has always puzzled me. If Satan was cast out of heaven, how was he able to go before God? I have argued this point in length and some good observations have been presented. We always believed this meeting took place in Heaven, but if the presence of God is everywhere, then maybe it took place right here on Earth. We could argue both ways. The fact is, a meeting took place with God, and Satan was there.

At this point we see that God permitted Satan to kill Job’s servants, all of Job’s cattle, and all of Job’s sons and daughters, and also to afflict Job’s body, the results of which turned his wife against him. Three or more close friends came to find out what great sin Job had committed to deserve such punishment.

Job was not aware of exactly what was taking place in the realm of the spirit, but we know. God in His supreme wisdom revealed both worlds to us through His Word. Job knew nothing of the meeting that happened in Heaven. He did not know who was destroying His life. He could only see the physical results of a spiritual attack.

In our own lives we won’t see who or what is attacking. We will only see the physical results. People talk about us. They attack us. They hate us. Friends hurt us. Our marriages undergo stress and problems. We go through trials and difficulties. We get sick. We go broke. We get held up by gunmen. We get hurt. People around us die.

But these are not the things we fight against. Job understood this and patiently waited for his change to come. Understand that sometimes in this war, when everything around us is going wrong, we just need to stand still.

2 Chronicles 20:15: “He said: ‘Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”’”

That puts a certain spin on things. We’re in a battle… a war. In our own natural and human understanding that means we should be fighting. But God says, not to fight; the battle is not yours, but God’s.

We are in a spiritual battle, an unseen battle, and Satan struck the first blow in Genesis 3. We have been at war ever since. It is said that to fight our enemy we must understand our enemy, so…

Who Is Satan?

God in His wisdom did not dedicate a whole chapter or book to discussing Satan. But, as I mentioned earlier, Christians have traditionally looked for clues about who he was and who he had become in the words of the prophets, especially Isaiah.

Isaiah 14:12-17: “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: ‘Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?’”

In order to fully understand the text we need to look at the verses before and after. Read Isaiah Chapters 13 and 14.

Who is speaking? Isaiah, the prophet.

Who is he speaking to and about? He is clearly addressing the King of Babylon. However, there is sincere disagreement among Christians about whether or not Isaiah is also speaking to Satan. Was Isaiah only speaking to a man, or also to the spirit behind the man? He says, “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble?” but he also says, “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God.’” Sometimes he seems to be referring to a mortal man, and sometimes he seems to be referring to something greater.

We see this again in the book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 28:12-15: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.”

The prophet is explicitly speaking to the King of Tyre, but a lot of that language obviously doesn’t apply literally; the King of Tyre in the time of Ezekiel (in the 6th Century B.C.) was not also alive in the Garden of Eden. But, if the passage does refer to anyone literally, it would seem to refer to a fallen angel—to the Devil. That is how many Christians have traditionally interpreted this passage.

There is one additional thought I want to share: if angels can assume a human body, then how possible is it that the Kings of Babylon and Tyre were in fact Satan himself in human form?

These passages and others tell us that Satan was once glorified, but is now (and will be) cast down. According to Scripture, there are four fallings that Satan will experience:

Satan fell from his glorified state to profane (Ezekiel 28:14-16). This is what Jesus spoke of in Luke 10:18 when He says He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (This is the only fall of Satan that has already happened.)

Satan will fall from having access to heaven (Job 1:12; 1 Kings 22:21; Zechariah 3:1) to restriction on the earth (Revelation 12:9). (This has not happened yet.)

Satan will fall from his place on the earth to bondage in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3). (This has not happened yet).

Finally, Satan will fall from the bottomless pit to the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:10). (This has not happened yet).

Satan has fallen and will continue to fall. He is a defeated foe, but he is subtle and crafty and very deceptive. The Bible calls him a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies. He is not to be feared but resisted, as he will come against us. He is a created being with some glorious qualities in himself. Scripture says he can transform himself into an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14), deceiving many with his apparent glory, beauty, and goodness.

Why Did Satan Rebel?

He rejected God’s plan to create an order of beings (humans) in His image (Genesis 1:26). Humans are beneath the angels in dignity (Hebrews 2:6-7; II Peter 2:11), but humans are to be served by angels in the present (Hebrews 1:14 and 2:7-8; Psalms 91:11-12). Human status would be lifted in honor and status above the angels (I Corinthians 6:3; I John 3:2).

Satan could not submit to serving human beings. He wanted to be the highest among all creatures, equal to God in glory and honor, and the plan to create man would eventually put men above angels. He is also very persuasive, convincing one-third of the angelic beings to join him in his rebellion (Revelation 12:3-4; 7, and 9) and He is still convincing Christians, especially the younger generation, to rebel against God. Like in the Garden of Eden, he is still asking the question, “Has God really said…?” and, like in the Garden of Eden, we are still buying into his lies.

Satan’s present strategy against Man is to obscure the image of God in man (that is, make it difficult to understand) by encouraging sin and rebellion, to cause Man to serve him, and to prevent the ultimate glorification of Man.

Satan, however, is limited, and sometimes we give him too much credit. He is limited in that he can only be in one place at a time. He cannot read minds. He cannot speak the truth. If you know the truth, you have the authority over him. When the truth lives in you, you can declare: “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.”

If you don’t have the truth lodged within your inner self, you are vulnerable to Satan. He can twist and turn you as he likes, manipulate and deceive you. But at any given moment of the day, he can only be in one place at a time.

There are other beings at work in this world opposing God and all He stands for. These are known as demons.

Devils and demons must submit to the name and person of Jesus Christ, who lives in all born-again believers (Mark 1:34; Luke 4:40-41). This is why we can’t afford to “play” church. We need the Spirit of God in this temple—our bodies. He said that if we don’t have His Spirit, we are none of His. But with His Spirit we have authority and power over the enemy.

I John 4:17: “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.”

Just as Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, victorious over all the power of darkness, so are we in this world. We are more than conquerors. These are powerful truths to be embraced by every believer to ensure a powerful finish in the last days.

Who Are Demons?

We believe that the demons we contend with are the one third of heavens angels who rebelled against God and were kicked out. A majority of Christians believe and accept this, even though the belief is based on only one Chapter in Scripture that’s speaks of this one third in a book strongly believed to be a prophetic book of things yet to come to pass.

Revelation 12:1-17: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who ‘will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.’ And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.’

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.”

Are these fallen stars really the demons we contend with today? Since this is such a controversial question, allow me to share my own theory. I pray you will approach this information with careful thought and consideration for the Scriptural references given.

In the Book of Daniel we read that some secrets were about to be revealed, and God told Daniel to shut up the book until the last days.

Daniel 12:4, 9-10: “But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge…. Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.”

It should not surprise us, then, when new information surfaces.

In the days of Noah, the Bible speaks of angels who left their first estate because they saw that human women were beautiful. They begun to bear children with women and the Nephilim were born: these hybrid children were giants in the land (Genesis 6:1-4).

Here is my theory. I suspect that almost the whole human population of Earth was polluted by these crossbreeds who, because they were descended from angels and not only from humans could not be redeemed like mortal humans by the blood of Christ. Perhaps only Noah’s family was untouched.

God had to do something. If this were allowed to continue, there would not be a pure human bloodline for Jesus to come into this world and mankind would have been lost forever. I used to think it was cruel that God sent a Flood to wipe out the whole Earth. But now I suspect that He had to, or we would not be saved—Jesus could not have come.

In the same way, we have questioned the wars the Israelites fought and thought it cruel that God approved the slaying of people, but if we read the Bible carefully we may realize that the battle has always been against these giants and those under their influence who opposed God.

Scripturally we know that the Flood came. All life on land died, except that on the Ark. But we have given very little thought to what happened to the angels who left their original state. Those fallen angels would not have been destroyed by the flood because they are spirits and spirits cannot cease to exist.

Jude 1:6: “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.”

Also consider this passage of scripture that supports the text in Jude:

II Peter 2:4: “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.”

But if those angels are in chains, they are not free, and if they are not free, then they could not be demons—right? Are these angels different from the third that we read rebelled in Revelation?

My theory is that Satan’s failed attempt to derail God’s plan to send a Savior into this world resulted in the giants called Nephilim. They were crossbreeds of fallen angels and humans. All this because Satan did not want any one of us to progress from a justified state to a glorified state. He knew the promise of a coming Savior, and wanted to stop it.

There is a place for the souls of humans who die as sinners to go, and there is a place for the souls of humans who die as Christians to go—but what of the souls of hybrids? When their bodies died, where did their souls go?

What if they were left to roam the earth, free to seduce and corrupt mankind? In that case the spirits of the giants still afflict, oppress, destroy, do battle, and work destruction on the Earth.

Scripture tells us that Jesus went to the bound fallen angels and proclaimed to them their final and eternal defeat. So dreadful is that prison of darkness that the demons in one man begged Jesus not to send them there, but to allow them to go into a herd of pigs instead. Those demons knew who Jesus was, and asked Him if He was there to “torment them before their appointed time” (Matthew 8:28-34). During Jesus’ ministry, He referred to these demons as “unclean spirits” and not “fallen angels.”

These spirits resurfaced after the Flood and began their campaign against God. When it became known that the Messiah would come through the seed of Abraham, the enemy began to occupy the land of Canaan in advance of Moses’ arrival with the children of Israel. That is why, when the children of Israel got there, they found giants in the land. It was no coincidence. I am even compelled to think that there is a reason God told Abraham to pack up and go but not tell him where he was going: if God told Abraham, the enemy would also know and attempt to derail God’s plan.

Throughout the Bible the enemy has tried to block the entrance of the Messiah, but he could not stop Jesus from coming because God foiled every single one of his plans.

We should also note that Scripture tells us that giants existed even after the Flood. If I’m not mistaken, David killed the last one. Does that mean angels were still sleeping with humans?

I could cite many more instances where the influence of these spirits was evident, but this is just a basic summary, the conclusion being that demons are the disembodied spirits of the offspring of the angel hybrid Nephilim destroyed in the flood and subsequent judgments of God.

What are your thoughts on this theory?

Allow me to substantiate my claim by making a distinction between fallen angels and the Nephilim spirits.

There are fallen angels chained in Hell. Those not in chains inhabit heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12, Matthew 12:24-25; Mark 5:2-9). These are powerful beings. They freely move between Heaven and Earth and seem to be human like in appearance. They have their own bodies and don’t need to possess one. They can take human form for extended periods of time, like those who visited Abraham, Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, and others in Scripture.

Jesus and Paul refer to fallen angels and Satan as “devils” or “wicked spirits.” Demons are called “unclean spirits,” or they are simply called demons.

Demons want to occupy a body. If they are cast out, they will go into animals to avoid roaming in desolate places (Mark 5:12-13; Luke 11:24-26; I Peter 5:8). If a demon cannot find a host he returns to the one he was cast out of with seven more spirits worse than himself.

Angels can fly and move through the spirit realm in heavenly places. Demons are earthbound and must walk (Matthew 12:43). They are never seen in heavenly places (Mark 5:1-3).

What Are The Demons’ Agendas?

Because we are in a war we sometimes think the Kingdom of Darkness must be an organized army with daily meetings and conferences. There are no conference rooms where demons meet to plan the destruction of man. What we have is a once glorious angel named Satan roaming the Earth alone, and spirits looking to occupy a body that care nothing for the Kingdom or the things of God. Inasmuch as they are evil, they are under the rule of Satan. But I’m sure Satan cannot keep tabs on all of them, which means they have their own agendas.

As a result, we now have doctrines of devils and Gnosticism.

Jesus warned that the last days would be just like the days of Noah before the flood. Rebellious angels came and seduced women to sleep with them and bear them children. (Yes, I’m sure it took some convincing.)

Fallen angels and demons are still at work in the world today. They have their own doctrines, and we see evidence of these infiltrating the church.

Now we have Christians listening to all kinds of music.

Now we have Christians watching any type of movies.

Now we have Christians using God’s forgiveness as an excuse to live in sin.

Christians believing the “Once saved, always saved” doctrine.

Christians believing that faith is good enough—no need to work. “I don't care about anyone else, once I'm saved.”

There is no altar ministry. No witnessing. Christians fall prey to the seducing spirits and create their own doctrines.

This is important enough to repeat it. Gnosticism means acquired knowledge. It’s doctrine that is formulated outside or independent of a careful and disciplined study of scripture and Bible Study.

We hear something and just add it to what we believe and live by it as our own doctrine. Sometimes we find that the members of our own church live by a different set of doctrines than those put forth by the Church. This behavior is not new. Gnosticism goes way back to the time of Paul.

More On Gnosticism

When Paul wrote 13 letters to the Church, everybody had their own ideas of what Christianity should be, just like now.

People created their own beliefs, which is what is happening in the Church today.

We have preachers who are not studying God’s word. There are cases where people pull a message straight from the internet and preach it. No one is digging to find the truth anymore. We take claims at face value and end up with beliefs that are mixtures of the truth and our own thinking.

If there was ever a time when we needed to seek out the truth for ourselves in Scripture and supplemental readings, that time is now. This is not the day and age to take what people say for gospel.

I John 4:1: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Test the spirit against the Word. If we walk through this life with NO WORD, we will die spiritually. There are a lot of zombies in the Church—dead, lifeless Christians! No word. No life. No fire. No zeal. No drive. The wages of sin is always death. Christians are still dying spiritually in our Churches because of sin.

Everything Paul wrote of in his letters was happening in the Church: malice, sexual immorality, idol worship, addiction, and arguments about food, who had more power, or who had the better gifts. In I Corinthians 15:29, people were being baptized for those who were dead.

Gnosticism and doctrines of devils have become highly influential. For years, now, the Church has been going through a period of secularization. We have begun to adopt principles from the secular world into our churches. We mix the profane with the pure. Now we have the five-step plan to overcome depression and the ten-step plan to live righteously.

• Christians now believe they don’t need Bible study, fasting, or Sunday school.

• They don’t need to partake in the Lord’s Supper and Washing of Feet.

• They don’t need to witness to their neighbors or those they pass on the street.

• They don’t need to read the Bible every day—or if they do, they only need to read one or two verses.

• They don’t need to pray every day, much less three times a day.

• They don’t need to pay tithes or give a substantial offering.

• They don’t need to be perfect.

• They don’t need to be kind to the poor, orphans, or widows.

The Church has seen its greatest casualties in these last days. The sad news is that when a Christian dies spiritually, they can still carry on and nobody knows. It’s easy to fool the crowd, especially in a day and age when Christianity is measured by dress code, speech, and gestures.

It’s not that we are perfect, but we should strive for perfection. The culture of the Church that Jesus established is one of love. We are replacing it with traditions, and ten-step programs that sometimes don’t even meet the needs of the people. We only need two steps: Love God, Love Your Neighbor.

Christians have reduced God to one of us. We don’t understand the sovereignty of God. He is Creator and we are creation. We are fortunate that such a God is willing to call us “friend,” but our human understanding of friendship sometimes make us think that makes us equal to God. I remember when Job thought God owed him an explanation for his suffering. When God finally spoke, it was a series of questions and challenges.

Job 38:4-18: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?

Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken.

Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.”

The word tells me, “His ways are not my ways, neither His thoughts my thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8). Some have lost their appetite completely for God. These will say, “Scripture is too long,” “this song is too old,” “Bible study is too boring,” or “preacher’s talking too long.”

The early churches read Paul’s letters and changed. The Church experienced revivals because people turned from their own ways of thinking back to God’s way of thinking: back to righteousness.

Has the Word lost its value and power in the Church?

What Are We Fighting Against?

Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Galatians 5:17: “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

Romans 7:15-21: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

Romans 8:7: “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”

Based on these passages we see that the war is not against flesh and blood. We fight against:

• Principalities.

• Powers.

• Rulers of the darkness of this world

• Spiritual wickedness in high places.

• Carnal minds.

• Sinful natures.

What is our understanding of each of these?

The Carnal and Natural Battle

We have already established that we fight against the Devil, fallen angels, and demons. But we also fight against ourselves. We find it easy to blame our sin on the Devil; we say “the devil made me do it,” but sometimes we give him too much credit. We do it to avoid personal responsibility. We want to do it and sometimes we just do it. It doesn’t take a devil whispering in our ears to sin. It is natural to sin. We desire it. It is unnatural to serve God. It feels uncomfortable and weird. Everything that is good is hard.

It’s hard to:

• Pray at school, at work, and at home.

• Fast.

• Study the Word.

• Come to church, come to nightly services.

• Stay for Sunday school.

• Witness.

• Love our enemies.

It’s hard. It’s so much easier to sin, because the truth is, we want to sin. We enjoy sin. We might not admit it and we do experience guilt because we know we shouldn’t, but sin is enjoyable.

Sometimes sin is easy because we can do it in secret. Many have been taken by surprise when their innocent daughter got pregnant or was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. Sometimes we get caught, but most of the time we go on for years. We still go to church and participate in the different activities, but we are living sinful lives. We fool everybody but God.

Christians have sex out of marriage because they enjoy it.

They listen to illicit music because they love it.

Sometimes my greatest enemy is not the Devil, but me. My flesh wars against my spirit (Galatians 5:17). We have a choice, though. We can continue walking after the lusts of the flesh or choose to walk in the Spirit. It’s not easy breaking free, but it is possible. There is nothing God can’t do. “I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13)

Standing Still

The enemy can take away the children, my health, my wealth, car, house… but at the end of the day, my victory depends on what I choose to do when all is lost.

That is the battle we fight. Job understood this. David understood this. Elijah understood this. When all odds are against us, God can rescue us from anything. He has done it a million times, and will do it again. Our duty is not to attack Satan or to defeat him, but rather to withstand his attacks. Our task is defensive, not offensive.

Those who would attack Satan do not understand Satan’s power, or God’s plan. It is not we who will defeat Satan, but Christ. Our duty is to resist Satan, not to remove him.

I hear Christians speak of “binding Satan” and I now hear Christians sing as though we can “run Satan out of town.” The Bible doesn’t say anything about these kinds of warfare, only about standing fast in the face of his attacks. We are to stand (in effect, to stand still). God is the One who wins the battle. Only the spiritual can fight the spiritual.

In the book of Revelation the saints who are “overcomers” do not defeat Satan. Indeed, many of them actually die at his hand (Revelation 12:11). Satan’s final defeat comes not at the hand of the saints, but God (Revelation 20:7-10).

I Corinthians 16:13: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

Things will go wrong. Hardships will come. Difficulties and trials are plentiful on our Christian journey. Sometimes it is sickness. Sometimes we will have no money. Sometimes we lose loved ones.

We have no control over what happens tomorrow. We are physical beings in a spiritual war, but we get to choose how to respond to it. God never promised a smooth road; He promised He would never leave us alone. He promised He would not leave us comfortless.

Many give up in the face of evil and death, but I hear David say, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalms 23:4).

God is saying to us, in the midst of it all, “Stand firm. There’s a bigger war going on than a man carrying a gun or knife; than fatal accidents on the road; than the sickness that eats away at our temporary bodies… But it’s a war I will not lose.”

I Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

The Weapons of Warfare

II Corinthians 10:4: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

James 4:7: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

I Peter 5:8-9: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

Use the Word of God, just as Jesus Christ did, to overcome temptation in the wilderness. Jesus overcame the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (Matthew 4:1-11; I John 2:15-17). Know and memorize the Scriptures and hide the Word of God in your heart to be ready for Satan’s attacks.

Read Psalm 119 to grow in love with God’s Word. Most Christians avoid this psalm because it is so long, but it’s a psalm that reaffirms the power of the Word.

Use the Blood of Jesus. We should acknowledge the blood of Jesus and His absolute atoning sacrifice as cleansing us from all sin. Jesus’ blood destroyed the work and kingdom of Satan. Jesus’ blood now gives you overcoming power to resist sin and causes the Devil to flee from you. Do not be afraid to speak the blood over your circumstances.

Use the Weapon of Your Testimony. Using your own testimony of how God’s grace works in your own life gives you a clear conscience and empowers your own faith in Christ. Use your own testimony of how God has forgiven you and cleansed you from sin. He will empower you more and this will cause you to be evangelistic. This will cause others to come to Christ and bring defeat to Satan and his kingdom of darkness. “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” (Psalms 19:7). The reason people no longer testify is that the spirits working against God don’t want them to. Break free. Testify!

Die Daily—Be Willing to Give Your Life. Your life is but a mist, (James 4:14). Put the value of your life into God’s hands and don’t put all your value in your temporary existence. Put all your value and faith in the eternal position of living with Christ forever. Comfort yourself with God’s faithfulness to complete this work in you.

Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Use Prayer. Prayer is our invitation to access the very presence of God, to go to His presence to find freedom, His kingdom, His life flow, and deliverance from sin and temptation. God will even tell us secrets in quiet places. Find a closet. Kneel by your bed. God desires for us to draw near to Him in prayer and to have intimacy with Him. We can take our needs to our heavenly Father, who is a great Father, and is very faithful to meet all our needs.

James 4:8: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

(Also see Hebrews 4:14-16.) Jesus Christ is a faithful high priest who sympathizes with all our weaknesses. He has given us a model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Pray without ceasing. P.U.S.H.: Pray Until Something Happens.

Use the Name of Jesus. Never close your prayer without the name of Jesus. Use it. There is power in the name of Jesus. Speak the Name of Jesus to your situations and circumstances.

Mark 16:17: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons…”

John 14:13-14: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

(Also see Matthew 18:20 and Luke 10:20.)

Use Faith. Those who please God live by faith.

Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I John 5:4: “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

Our faith is in the Word of God and His promises to us.

Romans 10:17: “Faith comes by hearing and the hearing (of faith) by the Word of God.”

Luke 12:6-7: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Faith and hope in God are the opposite of unbelief, which is the root of all sin. The shield of faith is the weapon by which you take every thought captive and extinguish the fiery darts of Satan’s lies in your mind. The anchor of our soul is hope! Hope in God; He is the one who centers our life in His powerful grace!

Use Praise and Worship. Proclaim! Exalt! Adore! Magnify! Praise the Lord. You will find this is an amazing weapon!

Psalms 149:6: “May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands.”

Use Fellowship. Humble yourself, confess your sins one to another, and be accountable to somebody.

James 5:16: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Do not believe the enemy, who wants you to struggle in silence and isolation. Your deliverance is in your confession. The enemy will tell you not to tell anybody your business. He wants to silence you because he knows the freedom that awaits you.

Isaiah 57:15: “For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

Fellowship gives a natural way to be edified and built up in the Body of Christ. We need encouragement! We must be freed to fight the enemy! We must be able to receive strength from one another (I Corinthians 12:12-26).

Use Affirmation. Who are you in Christ? I was asked this question once and I couldn’t answer. I can answer now.

We must study what God says about us. We must know what God has given us in Christ Jesus as His children, His church, His bride, His friends, and His warriors. We must know our true position and protect ourselves from the Devil’s scheme of shame and condemnation. We must affirm daily: I am God’s child (John 1:12); I am a friend of Jesus Christ (John 15:15); I have been justified (Romans 5:1); I am free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2); I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16).

Use Submission. If you will trust God to exercise authority in your life, especially spiritual authority and parental authority, your life will be protected and blessed. Pray for those in authority over you so that you can live a peaceful life. God will even make your enemies to be at peace with you. “Honor your mother and father that it may go well with you”—make sure you have done everything within your ability to make peace with your parents.

Use the Armor of God Daily! As it says in Ephesians 6:14-18, stand firm with:

• The belt of truth buckled around your waist. (Memorized Scriptures. The Scriptures are now a part of your daily living. The Word of God is a part of your thinking.)

• With the breastplate of righteousness in place. (Your spiritual vitality is protected by this breastplate, telling yourself the truth of who you truly are!)

• With your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (Testify of God’s good news to those around you. Share your testimony! Share the truth of forgiveness!)

• In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

• Take the helmet of salvation. (You are saved! You now walk in the victory of Jesus Christ, knowing you are alive from the death of sin. You now take all your thoughts captive to Christ’s holy ways and to His holy word! The battleground is in the mind; however, the battle belongs to the Lord. Invite Christ into your thoughts.)

• And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Remember Jesus’ battle in the wilderness, when He was in pain, fasting for forty days, and overcame the Devil, giving us an example to live by.)

• And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Use the Gifts of the Spirit. It is vital to know and understand the power of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives to overcome Satan in greater battles. (I Corinthians 12:1-11 and 27-31; Romans 12:3-8.)

Use Love. You are a secret-keeper, a safe person. You do not walk in judgment any longer. You have chosen to forsake the sowing of strife. You have chosen the higher road of love, which desires to cover a person’s sin and take it to the cross of Christ.

Proverbs 10:12: “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.”

Proverbs 17:9: “Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.”

I Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Use Joy. The joy of the Lord is your strength! Satan would want to replace this with condemnation and his work of shame. This tactic paralyzes believers. Believers lose their confidence, and condemnation steals away the strength of God! Condemnation causes you to keep your eyes on your sin, but God’s joy gives you spiritual vitality! The joy of our Lord’s salvation makes us able to shut Satan’s mouth and walk in confidence. (Nehemiah 8:10; Romans 8:1; Revelation 12:10.)

Use Forgiveness. Forgiveness is a very powerful weapon. The gospel is the love story of Almighty God, where God completely forgives and reconciles mankind to Himself. Jesus Christ died on the cross to bring absolute and complete atonement; when God Himself became our sacrifice for complete forgiveness and cleansing from all sin. Forgiveness is a powerful spiritual weapon because now that God has forgiven you, you can forgive in turn, which changes the spiritual atmosphere and the condition of your heart and also has the potential to change the heart of the one you release from emotional debt. (Matthew 6:14-15; I John 1:9.)

Use Endurance.

James 1:2-8: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

Romans 5:3-5: “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

In addition, I need you to understand that we live in a world saturated with darkness and we are the light. To become light, we need prayer, and for the Word of God to live in us. The Word dispels the inner darkness. Prayer dispels the outer darkness. You will be overcome by darkness if you do not use these weapons.

Finally, there is a war going on, but it is not a war like the wars which are currently going on between nations today (although such wars may be part of the bigger war). It is a spiritual war. It is a war between Satan, his fallen allies, and Christ and His church. It is an invisible war in that we fight against unseen forces. It is, therefore, a war which must be waged by faith, and not by sight. It is a war that we cannot fight with our own strength, but only with the strength which God Himself supplies.

The war is not being waged to see which side will win. God has already won the war through the death of His Son on the cross (John 12:31 and 16:11). The war is for our good and for God’s glory. It is a part of God’s instruction to the angelic hosts (Ephesians 3:8-11). The war is a part of God’s eternal plan and purpose for his creation.

When our lives come to their end, I pray that we will be able, like Paul, to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7).

The Challenge

I have spent days, weeks, months, over two hundred pages, and thirty thousand words just to tell you three words: God loves you. Some believe and others don’t, but it doesn’t really matter. In the end:

Philippians 2:10-11: “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Twice in Proverbs, the wisest man who ever lived spoke the words, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25).

A day is coming when every single human being will stand before God individually to give an account of the life they have lived.

Hebrews 9:27: “…People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

We will be judged on how we have responded to God’s love for us. Our relationship with God has always been one of action and reaction. God made us perfect. We reacted by sinning. God reacted by dying in our place. How will you react to that? In other words, will you love Him in return?

In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” This could easily be rephrased as, “If you love me in return, you will live as I have lived.”

Young people, there are enough distractions in this world to sidetrack us from the goal. Because of this, too many of us run the risk of hearing, “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers” (Luke 13:27). But it is not God’s will that any of us should perish (II Peter 3:9) and so we have an opportunity—as of right now—to set the record straight.

Revelation 20:12: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”

John 12:48: “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”

Everything you say and do in your entire life is being recorded in a book, and your book will be compared to God’s book in the end.

The purpose for which we were created is to worship God, not ourselves. How we should do this is recorded in the book we know today as The Holy Bible.

David said in Psalms 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” If you are walking this Christian journey without knowledge of God’s word you are walking in darkness.

Let us compare God’s book to our book.

Change of Sacrifice

Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

The key words to consider here are “holy” and “pleasing.” But as we look at society and the Church, this is what we find…

Extramarital affairs, or adultery, have risen to alarming rates in the last decade.

Those addicted to pornography, especially men, have also increased, and this includes the sins of lust and masturbation.

The figure we got years ago was that 80% of young Christians engaged in sex outside of marriage. For society in general the figure is almost 100%.

I Corinthians 6:13-16: “You say, ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.’ The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’”

God did not have a plan B or C—He had one plan: abstain until you are married. The Devil has three plans: contraceptives, the morning-after pill, and abortion.

Dr. Lawrence White writes: “We live in a society where passions are riderless horses, uncontrolled and uncontrollable, in which there is a desolation of decency, in which love has become a jungle emotion, lust exalted to lordship, sin elevated to sovereignty, Satan adored as a saint, and man magnified above his Maker… Everything has been turned upside down and inside out… Right is wrong, and wrong is right. Good is bad and bad is good. Normal is abnormal, and abnormal is normal, true is false and false is true. We are fast degenerating into a decadent culture obsessed with selfishness and sin, death and destruction.”

Isaiah 5:20-21: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”

So why are we not presenting ourselves fully to God?

Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

What does it mean to conform? It means to comply in actions, behavior, etc. with accepted standards or norms. Why do we insist on conforming to the standards of this world when God tells us, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (I Peter 2:9).

What does it mean to be transformed? It means to change remarkably—to change the nature, function, or condition; to convert.

So let us rewrite Romans 12:2: “Try not to comply in actions or behaviour or seek to maintain standards thought to be acceptable, or even to try to fit into this world, but be changed in nature, function, and condition by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Only the Word of God can transform how you think. Nothing else has the power to do that, so why do we neglect His Word? 90% of young Christians do not engage in daily reading and study of God’s Word. 95% of young Christians are absent from weekly church Bible studies.

The Scriptures declare that young men overcome the evil one through the Word. The absence of the Word is the absence of victory. Without the Word, we don’t stand a chance. Eventually we are killed in battle. Even though we remain alive physically and still come to church, but there is no passion, no zeal. Spiritually we are dead. We become like zombies in the house of God.

Assembling Together

Hebrews 10:23-27: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”

The Word for Today makes this profound statement: “God will say things to you in His house that He will not say anywhere else.” Christianity was not meant to be lived in isolation. The only record we have of Jesus being tempted by the devil was when He was alone. We were created as relational beings. We need each other to survive.

David further states in Psalms 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

A part of the vow we made when we became members of the Church is to attend regular services as much as we are able.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”

The Word of God

John 4:23: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

We emphasize the spirit but we don’t emphasize the truth. The truth about true worship is that it’s a lifestyle. It is what you do every day. It is the choice we make to die to ourselves daily.

It is said that a Christian experiences spiritual maturity if he reads, meditates on, and applies the word of God at least four times a week.

II Timothy 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

The word of God is described as the sword with the armor of God that we are required to wear daily. It is the only offensive weapon we have. Without it, you are a soldier on the battlefield without a weapon. That is why you are so easily discouraged. When you do not have the Sword of the Spirit, the enemy easily wears you out because you cannot fight back.

Matthew 4:4: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

David said, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalms 119:11).

Doing Good

Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

How many of us pattern our lives on this passage? People come to us for help and we turn them away.

Hebrews 13:16: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

I John 3:17: “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”

Proverbs 19:17: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

It is being written in some of our books that we do not give to the poor or lend to the Lord. When the day of judgment comes and God separates the sheep from the goats, if we are not careful we will find ourselves among the goats.

Matthew 25:34-46: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

The “golden rule” of the Bible is, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). In other words, treat others as if the shoe were on the other foot. It is by the grace of God that some of us are sane, and not poor, unfortunate, and walking the streets like others. We have no right to shun or condemn even those whose lives have been destroyed by drugs and alcohol. Jesus calls “Love your neighbor as yourself,” the second greatest commandment in Matthew 22:39. (Remember, also, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”)

Having the Right Attitude

Philippians 2:13-14: “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”

The Bible did not say, “Do some things—or if you think you have cause to argue or complain, that’s okay.” The Bible says to do everything without complaining and arguing. Our efforts count for nothing when we crown everything we do with a complaint.

1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

In all things—meaning when you are going through a rough season, give thanks. When you have no money and can’t see a way out, give thanks. When you are sick and God seems to take a long time to heal you, give thanks. Why?

Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Gold will never be gold unless it passes through fire. If your life is difficult and you have trouble on every side, you are blessed. Trials, persecution, and hardship are not an indication that God has forsaken you, but evidence that God is still working on you.

Job 23:10: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

Sometimes we use our struggles as an excuse to indulge in sin. Sometimes we celebrate our accomplishments with sin.

Colossians 3:1-2: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

For too long, we have been pushing mediocrity in God’s face and saying, “Take it or leave it.” We give ourselves the best and give God the change. The attitude of Cain still reigns in our churches, but God is still a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24).

Forgiveness

Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

When God forgives us, we have a nice word for it: “justification.” Just as if I did not sin, my slate is wiped clean—a fresh start.

Psalms 66:18: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened”

Forgive as God forgive you. That is what the Word of God teaches. We have many issues of the lack of forgiveness and I understand why. It’s hard to forgive when our friends and family hurt us terribly, but have they done any worse than we have done to God by choosing to go our own way? If God can forgive us, we should forgive others. We hurt God far more than anyone could ever hurt us.

Prayer

Do we make time to pray? It always puzzles me why people say, “I don’t have time.” God made you a steward of your time—it’s not something you have; it’s something you make. If we can make time for ourselves, we can make time for God.

Prayer is the key to the heart of God. How many of us have a consistent prayer life? It is alarming to know that many young Christians go for days without praying. It is alarming to know that we make time for ourselves but don’t have any time when it comes to God.

Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

So we struggle and our lives never change for the better. Our circumstances remain the same and it feels like we are caught in the cycle of life. We get frustrated, angry, and disappointed, and worry constantly… but why do we worry when we can pray?

As you pray, be mindful also that there are conditions for your prayers being heard and answered.

I John 3:21-22: “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.”

So we begin to see that everything is connected. Once you are living in accordance with the Word of God:

John 14:13-14: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Do you find that your prayers go nowhere? Do you find that you struggle to find testimonies because God is not fulfilling your request? Do you wonder why?

John 15:7: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

The Lord’s Supper

I Corinthians 11:23-26: “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

The Bible did not say if you eat and drink—it says whenever—which makes it a clear command.

John 13:4-5 and 13-17: “So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him…. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’”

Again, Jesus is giving a clear command, but this time He emphasizes that we have a choice. He says, “If you do them.” But here also we see the benefits…. “You will be blessed if you do them.” Or, as the King James Version reads, “Happy are ye if ye do them.”

When was the last time we demonstrated our love for God by partaking at the Lord’s Table?

Tithes and Offering

Malachi 3:8-11: “’Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How are we robbing you?” In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

You would be surprised at how many working Christians are not paying tithes. Yet we see clearly that this is the only time in the Bible where God tells us we can test Him. Hear our response.

Malachi 3:14: “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?”

Haggai 1:5-6: “Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’”

Righteousness and Purity

God is tired of the inconsistency—one day hot, the next cold. Because we have neglected the Word of God, we find ourselves in a very unpleasant place:

Amos 5:21-24: “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

God is calling us to righteousness, not just on Sunday but every day of the week. He is calling us to a life of purity and truth. Will you answer that call?

God wants 100% from each of us. Unless the sacrifice you present to God is whole and without blemish it is not accepted.

But how can it be without blemish when I am a sinner? David said it best: “A broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Psalms 51:17). True repentance makes us perfect in the eyes of God. So when will we stop making excuses? When will we stop saying “Oh the little I do.” God did not do little for you. He wants the deed to your life. He wants the deed to your time, money, body, mind, and spirit.

How can God make such a claim? Some of us might think it was only a piece of God that came to earth and died—but it was not a piece of God. Jesus is God. God himself lived in human flesh and gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God could have been born an adult but He wanted to walk in our shoes from beginning to end.

Why?

Hebrews 4:14-15: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”

Jesus knows what it takes to live a righteous life. He took the same journey we are taking today and He made it back to Heaven—and He tells us how to do it.

I Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Do you think God would do all that and then accept mediocrity? God is saying, “Don’t tell me you can’t live and not have sex outside of marriage. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t live and not look at porn. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t live and not tell lies. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t live and not lust. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t live and not get drunk or go to clubs and dance. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t live and not be humble, patient, pure, and righteous. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t live and not be free from habitual sins. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t attend regular services, have a consistent prayer life, and study my words. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t give offering and pay tithes. I did it! Don’t tell me you can’t forgive and forget and give up malice. I did it!”

There is a call on your life today. A call to righteousness and purity. A call to rise above the circumstances of life. A call for true worshippers who will serve God with all their heart, body, and soul. You have been judged by the Word of God today. It is time for you to respond.

God loves you. Do you love Him enough to cast off the works of flesh, resist the Devil, and fully surrender your life to Him? God doesn’t need your sacrifices, money, songs, or labor. He wants you! You are the apple of His eye, the center of His love, and the reason He has not yet returned to put an end to this world and usher in the new Heaven and Earth. God is waiting on you to make it right and snatch a few other souls out of hell. He is patient, but He will not wait forever.

In our churches we have seen the walls of righteousness break down. The standard of worship has diminished, and the choice to live pure has been both under-emphasized and over-rated. If young people are the future of the Church and next in line to receive the baton of spiritual leadership, we have a responsibility to become agents of change, but first, we must change. We have become too comfortable and accommodating of sin—that change will now require a more radical approach.

Prayer

“Father, I acknowledge who You are. I thank You for taking me through this book and for all the information you have given me to process. It’s a lot—maybe even overwhelming. But there are things I needed to hear, and I thank you. Help me, Lord, to find my rightful place in the Body of Christ, to be engaged in this battle that has been raging from the beginning of time. You have given me weapons to fight and armor to protect me in battle. Teach me to adequately use what You have given me. Help me not to walk like those who are ignorant. I believe You are calling me out of the mundane to walk among those who have done great things for Your glory. I want my life to reflect Your image. I want my life to bring You glory. I want the enemy to know that I will no longer walk in fear, but in power through Your Holy Spirit. Help me love as I should, pray as I should, commit to reading my Bible daily so the work that You have begun in me will be complete. Help me to turn the tables on the enemy so I will become someone he fears as I consciously choose to walk in the authority I have, in Jesus’ Name.”

Recommended Reading

DeMain, Randy. The Nephilim Agenda: Exposing the Ultimate Last Days Deception. XP Publishing, 2010.

I sincerely hope that you have found my book thought-provoking and helpful in your Christian journey. If the book has helped you, please consider helping more people find it by leaving a review on Amazon.com or recommending it to others.

Table of Contents

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

ISSUE # 1: Relationships/Dating/Courtship

ISSUE # 2: Masturbation

ISSUE # 3: Pornography

ISSUE # 4: Sex Outside of Marriage, a.k.a. Fornication

ISSUE # 5: Abortion

ISSUE # 6: Sexual Abuse

ISSUE # 7: Music

ISSUE # 8: Worship

ISSUE # 9: Spiritual Gifts

ISSUE # 10: Spiritual Warfare

The Challenge

Recommended Reading