The subject of Spiritual Warfare is one where mis-information by Satan meets a warm embrace by soulish ministers who allow the needs of their bellies (money) to make them prefer to see saints wallow in ignorance. Of those who blight the nominal Church with the enslavement of blood washed saints as they make obeisance to Mammon, Paul had this scathing report in Philippians 2:17-21. Let no one be in any doubt that ignorance means big business for such ministers who have given deliverance a bad name as saints rely on them for even minor challenges of life.
Our King, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, Jesus the Messiah stated plainly in John 8:32 that the knowledge of truth brings freedom. For added effect, He proclaimed that those He sets free are free indeed (John 8:36). Today, let us be open for Holy Spirit to tell us the full truth about three realms of spiritual authority that will clear all confusion on this vital subject.
1. Realm of Spiritual Authority: Inheritance of Individual Saints
Every saint, no matter how young in the Kingdom or lacking in spiritual growth has an inherent inheritance in King Yeshua which guarantees the capacity to confront and overcome Satan and powers of darkness by whatever name they may be called! This is a redemptive blessing saints receive from Yeshua, Jesus Who is head of His Body.
It includes these indisputable rights:
- Right to use the Authority of the Name of Yeshua, Jesus, in faith, to command every adversary or adverse situation to bow – Philippians 2:9-11
This is different from praying to the Father in the Name of Yeshua, Jesus! Here, the saint is releasing a spiritual force to repel whatever evil that rears its head(s) in his/her circumstances.
- Right to overthrow Satan himself, by faith, with the Blood that Yeshua, Jesus shed at the Cross of Calvary! This right is released with bold faith in He who shed His Blood and the efficacy of that action for all generations. Satan cannot dispute the potency of the shed blood because that was the divine means by which his legal right as ‘god’ of this world was permanently taken away by Yeshua on behalf of the
redeemed!
“11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” Revelation 12:11
These two legal tools (The name and Blood of Yeshua, Jesus) are what gives us the right to resist Satan who will flee (1 Peter 5:8-9) and bind his spiritual agents who will comply!
Caution: know when to embrace Divine dealings and when to war!
Let it be said that discernment and wisdom is vital to know when one is undergoing a general process of life through challenges (in which case understanding of Romans 8:28-39 brings great comfort that ultimately, things will work out for good).
On the other hand, if a saint is outside the will of Yahweh or has sinned, His divine discipline may take effect any way He chooses and one needs to embrace it and come out better, not bitter as Hebrews 12:4-11 states.
In the same way, wisdom and discernment will reveal when Satan or his agents are at work which require the right response of spiritual warfare, using the Authority of the Name and Power of the Blood of Yeshua, Jesus!
In doing the above, saints are treading upon serpents and scorpions; pushing back the frontiers of darkness! It is not about them and their spiritual, intellectual or physical ability! Whenever they exercise the authority of the Name of Yeshua, Jesus and Power of His shed Blood, the Holy Spirit takes over to enforce the moving of the ‘mountain’ involved! Zechariah 4:6
For this reason, it is advised that saints should not use the Name or Blood of Yeshua, Jesus, in vain! They are not religious totems or amulets to be bandied about in fear or as acts of superstition! What some deliverance ministries have done in this regard cheapens these two powerful instruments of divine victory graciously made available to saints as an inheritance from King Yeshua.
The question somebody may ask is this: can a saint therefore get deliverance from a Satanic attack all by himself/herself? The answer is Yes, absolutely! The principles stated in this book are truths that set free for those who will receive in meekness and exercise faith in Yahweh and His Word! But we cannot stop at the individual because there is more to life in the Spirit!
2. Realm of Spiritual Authority: Corporate Inheritance
One of the most underestimated power centres on earth is the Body of Yeshua, Jesus! Satan knows it so and works over time to sow seeds of discord which prevent saints from becoming as united as Yeshua prayed for in John 17.
He also works over time to make saints neglect the divine concept of Church as a living, loving organism of various Body parts united in the Spirit to manifest Yeshua, their head. He does this by making leaders focus on an organisational construct which emphasises hierarchy, stiff systems such as committees that provide ambitious people pathways to ‘climb’ and achieve their humanistic ambitions, passing them off as the will of Yahweh.
Satan and his agents know that The Church, functioning rightly as The Body of its head, Yeshua, Jesus, will automatically be of same substance as Him, enjoying His unlimited authority and power on earth. This scripture needs to be understood and appreciated. Colossians 2: 9-10
One of the greatest and most untapped realities is the fact that once two or more saints are gathered in His Name, Yeshua, Jesus is automatically present! Matthew 18:20
We need to take Him at His Word and begin to consciously invest in walking in unity with saints that Yahweh aligns us with spiritually! Alignment is what releases the potency of our corporate strength as these scriptures show:
“19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in
heaven”Matthew 18:19
“10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”1 Corinthians 1:10
Saints, it is time to restore the invaluable ministry of prayer partners who meet to intercede, pray’ war and not gossip! Joel 2:73.
3. Realm of Spiritual Warfare: Specialised Anointing
In His wisdom, Yahweh has ordered His Kingdom on earth in a way that beyond the individual and collective realms of authority for spiritual warfare, some of those called to ministry are vested with extra grace and gifting so that their core
contribution to building up the Body is to be used by Him to heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, cast out demons and conduct deliverance whenever the Holy Spirit prompts them.
Not all preachers, including five fold leaders are called into this realm of ministry. Majority of Pastors, Teachers, even some Apostles, Prophets and Evangelists are not gifted to function as deliverance ministers or workers of miracles. All ministers should eat humble pie and stay within the remit of their callings and gifting! We lose nothing but rather gain all when we accept who Yeshua has made us to be in the Spirit and give room to others who are gifted differently to make input into the well being of saints.
In the same way, those who are called to function with gifts of healing, working of miracles or ability to discern spirits that oppress saints and conduct deliverance are not in any way superior to other ministers. It is immaturity gone berserk when deliverance ministers boast of their ‘powers’ and try to use such to control lives of saints by constantly creating negative scenarios or diagnosing their problems in such a way that inspire fear and consequent faith in them, rather than Yeshua who is head!
“4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” 1 Corinthians 12: 4-7.
“11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ” 1 Corinthians 12:11-12.
“28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues”.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?” 1 Corinthians 12: 28-29
Deliverance ministers cannot and should not rely on the charismatic nature of their gifting to speak down on those who are not called. Their best comes forth when they walk in alignment with other five fold ministers so that the brethren in the ministry/network or City Church can tap into the collective pool of spiritual strength embedded in corporate leadership as Ephesians 4:11-16 reveal.
A real problem arises when people called ‘deliverance ministers’ to isolate themselves from the Body to run exclusive or predominant ‘Deliverance Ministries’ where their ‘members’ are starved of the full counsel of Yahweh as they are rather fed very limited, narrow dogma which validate their ‘founders’ personal doctrine.
By such isolation, both the ministers and their ‘members’ are not built up on a regular basis by what other joints of the Body supply. They become proud and before long turn aside into vain jangling, creating dogmas and inventing points of contact by their soulish realms. Before long, they gravitate towards enjoying control over the lives of other saints who become ‘soul tied’ to their ‘anointing’. As people buy all their ‘books’, specially ‘anointed’ anointing oil (Olive oil), ministry becomes big business whose bottom line is money made and crowds gathered, not the glory or honour of the King! This breeds idolatry of the worst order.
Is it not ironic that in running such deliverance ministries, saints who fall victim are ensnared further, losing the ability to make decisions on even minor issues of life like marriage, career, education, where to live or when to travel! Have you ever wondered why the goal posts of fasting for deliverance are shifted with impunity?
There are cases where it appears some saints are asked to fast for, say, 7 days which is later shifted to 21 days; then 30 days, then 40 and 50 days and at times 100days with countless vigils and loud prayers that shift nothing! In some so called ‘African Churches deliverance ‘candidates’ are even asked to make pilgrimages to their headquarters on the continent for ‘topping up’ where even more ‘seed’ is sown.
Unfortunately and sadly, few have testimonies of being ‘delivered’. In further dishonour to the King, saints passing through spiritual or emotional oppression are video-taped/filmed for promotional purposes, without their consent or the ‘consents’ are blackmailed off them and broadcast to draw more crowds in. In some cases, testimonies of healings and deliverance are ‘staged’ and found to be false!
Those who are making a show of blood washed saints in this way are in for trouble with their King on the Last Day!
Final word: those who will not invest in educating saints to know who they are in
Yeshua and who He is in them and their awesome inheritance in Him just to create victim-conscious clients through series of psychological operations are guilty of mind control and witchcraft! They are not engaged in the gospel of the Kingdom but a dangerous subversion of it!
If they do not repent on this side of eternity, rejection by the King, as pronounced in Matthew 7:15-23 may be sure on the Last Day! Those who have ears to hear cannot claim that Yeshua did not tell them! Whatever confines fellow saints to permanent spiritual yokes of serf-dom does not have the Imprimatur of He who came to give His own abundant life and Liberty. Deliverance ministers who are truly called will invest in the empowerment of saints with truth that sets free, even if that means reducing the number of those who flock to them as sheep without shepherd. This will be the acid test for knowing those who are called, chosen and sent and those who sent themselves into ministry!