Spiritual Archives

July 4, 2021July 3, 2021

Hold To Freedom

In 1775 our founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence, their plan for our physical freedom from the tyranny of the British crown. The following year, they made that plan a reality, and today we still benefit from that declaration that all men and women were created equal with the right to liberty and justice.

Before the foundation of the world, before man or woman was created, God drafted the plan of Salvation. 2000 years ago, He fulfilled His plan through His Son, Jesus Christ, so that anyone who wanted freedom could receive freedom. Today we still benefit from the freedom that Jesus bought for us that day on that old rugged Cross. We still have the same freedom the early Church had through the redeeming and cleansing blood of Jesus.

Freedom has been given to us physically, mentally, and spiritually, yet we still oftentimes choose the spiritual slavery of sin and the physical and mental slavery of ignorance. Why? Why do we return to slavery when we were created to be free? This is the lies of the enemy; he promises us cookies and cake if we give up just a little of our freedom and liberty. But as soon as we give up a little, he takes it all, and we are left with nothing. The dark side has no cookies, no cake, no security: only darkness, hunger, and slavery.

Don’t be fooled by the deceitful tongue of the enemy; his intentions are not for your good but for your destruction. He’ll show you how unfair and difficult it is to keep your freedom, but don’t let him beguile you. Don’t let him trick you with ‘the grass is greener on the other side.’ The grass is greener in freedom. Freedom of religion, speech, and assembly. Freedom from sin and ignorance. Freedom in the Truth. Hold to your freedoms, and don’t give them up. Don’t allow the enemy to deceive you; hold tightly to the Truth that is Christ Jesus. Hold tightly to your freedom, lest it be taken from you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold To Freedom.

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The Spirit of Que Será, Será

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

God has a plan for each and every one of us. He has good things in store for us. His desire is for our good, but if we don’t take it. If we allow our words and our actions to go unchecked, then we will miss out on all that God has planned for us. We have to tune in to God. We can’t ignore or expect someone else to speak good things into our lives. We have to do it ourselves through prayer and declaration. What we hear in the spiritual, we must proclaim in the natural.

Think about this:

God planned the world, and every one of us, before the foundations of the Earth were laid, from the eons before time began, He planned the sun, the moon, the stars, but until He proclaimed, “Let there be light,” there was no light.

When Ezekiel was taken to the valley of dry bones, nothing happened until Ezekiel began to prophesy.

This “Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” attitude we Christians have, is not a Biblical concept. This “Whatever God has for me, nobody can take it away from me” attitude is a spirit of apathy that is taking over the Church. We no longer care to fight for what God has in store for us. We just want everything handed to us, and if we miss something, we don’t care because we think, ‘well, it just wasn’t for me then.’ But is that how it is?

I want to remind you that the Israelites were led out of Egypt heading for the Promise Land. That was their promise from God. He had that in store for them, but did they receive it? No! they most certainly did not. So, who took it from them? You’re right, nobody took it from them, but disobedience and unbelief DID and WILL.

If you want to enjoy all God has in store for you, you have to slay a few giants. You have to break down a few walls. You have to fight a few wicked nations. Nothing in life comes easy. You have to fight your flesh, your spiritual attacks, and in some cases, physical and mental attacks from others. As a Church, we have to start proclaiming our blessings again. We have to proclaim our promises again. We have to get rid of Que Será, Será.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Overcome the Spirit of Que Será, Será.

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Watch and Pray

³²But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— ³⁶lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake. ~ Mark 13:32–37

What I say to one, I say to all, “Stay awake.” In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked His three companions, Peter, James, and John, to stay awake and to watch and pray so that they would not be caught out and fall into temptation.

On February 3, 1943, the troopship Dorchester went down in the icy Atlantic off the tip of Greenland with heavy loss of life. The torpedoes struck around 1 o’clock in the morning. Orders were that every man was to wear his lifejacket whether awake or asleep, but many of the soldiers ignored those orders and were caught sleeping without their lifejackets on.
Through fright and confusion, there were several men still without lifejackets after all the surplus stocks were handed out. Due to this, the loss of life was very heavy.

We have such a mandate. It is to stay awake, watch and pray. Jesus is coming back soon. He had given us our independence from sin, so we wear our salvation like a lifejacket. Do not be caught in the middle of the night when the torpedoes hit without your lifejacket on.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please help me stay awake and to watch and to pray so that I will not be caught without my life jacket on. Cover me with Your protection, and teach me to listen for and to recognize Your voice. Thank You, Father, for Your love and Your salvation, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Delight Yourself In the LORD

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalms 37:4

Why must we delight ourselves in the LORD? The word delight means “to give great joy or pleasure to.” In other words, you have, or you get great inward joy out of worshiping the LORD. It is not a chore; it is a pleasure, and when it becomes a source of joy. Then God will give you the desires of your heart.

The word desires mean:

1. To wish or long for; crave; covet
2. To ask for; request

God is saying, “If serving Me brings you pleasure and is a source of great joy to you, then answering your prayers will bring Me great joy and will give Me great pleasure to give you what you ask for.”

We have to desire to love the LORD. We have to desire to serve the LORD. We have to desire the LORD above everything. That’s when our desires begin to be given to us because our desires begin to be for good, not evil. We begin to change.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Delight Yourself In The LORD.

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Pray Even In Babylon

¹ In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ² And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.³Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, ⁴ youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. ~ Daniel 1:1-4

The enemy always tries to take us back to the land that the LORD has rescued us from. The LORD called Abram out of Ur of The Chaldeans. And now, several generations later, the people of Israel gave into temptation, and the LORD handed them over into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. He then goes on to not only take vessels from the Temple and put it in the temple of his gods, but he took the young men of Israel who were wise, well-educated, good-looking, and understand learning. He took the best of the best back to his land to reteach them and indoctrinate them.

He took them back to the land that God had called them out of. He not only took them back but tried to re-education them. He taught them the language and the literature of the Chaldeans. The literature isn’t just funny stories; the literature would be filled with their religious beliefs and rituals. The same religious beliefs God called Abram out of, yet Nebuchadnezzar dragged them back into it.

Even when we think that we’ve overcome something, if we slip in one area and refuse to repent and turn away, then the Devil will have a foothold in our life and will pry open enough room so that he can drag us back into our past. He will try to re-educate our religious beliefs, our very language. Our language is the way we communicate; it’s our impact on the world. If the Devil can change our language, then he will change our actions, and we will fall back into our old habits.

But don’t be discouraged. Even though Daniel was taken as a slave back to the sinful land his ancestors were called out of, he wasn’t overcome by sin. He overcame sin. Even if you have given in to sin and you have been dragged back into the generational curses of your past and/or ancestors, if you turn to God, you will overcome. You could be thrown in the fiery furnace like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and God will be with you. You could be thrown into the lion’s den like Daniel, and God will be with you.

Don’t let the past have any say in who you are today. Instead, call upon the name of Jesus, repent, turn from your sins, and you will be saved. You may not be pulled out of Babylon the moment you repent, but you will overcome Babylon the moment you repent because Jesus has overcome your past for you. All you have to do is follow Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray Even In Babylon.

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Keep Your House Full

¹⁴Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. ~ 1 Samuel 16:14

When the LORD rejected Saul, the Spirit of the LORD left him, and a harmful spirit filled him instead. Saul did not do all that the LORD had commanded him to do. He heard the words of the LORD. He was anointed by the LORD. He was king of the people of the LORD, yet when he refused to obey the words of the LORD, it was as if he gave the Spirit of the LORD an eviction notice. And because the Spirit of the LORD departed from him, another spirit, not of God, took up residence in him.

Our body is a house that must remain full. This is why Jesus tells us we cannot serve two masters and that we must abide in His love. If we obey Him, we will abide in His love, but when we live in disobedience, we are evicting Him from our life. When we evict the LORD, then we welcome unclean spirits into our lives. We welcome sin, torment, stress, pain, anger, evil and wickedness of all kinds.

When the LORD left Saul, he was never the same. Fear, anger, regret, and envy overcame him. What do we allow to overcome us by disobeying the LORD? Sin is crouching at the door, just waiting for the opportunity to move in and take control of our lives. We have to stay on guard. We have to obey the commands of the LORD. We have to seek righteousness, holiness, and goodness. Because what we seek, we will find. Most of all, we have to seek the LORD so that our house is never empty.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Your House Full.

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The Dangers of Growing Cold

²⁰And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. ~ Judges 16:20

Samson had grown so spiritually cold that he couldn’t feel when the Spirit of the LORD left him. Samson had become spiritually asleep. He was the Judge at the time. The leader of the people of Israel, and yet, even he succumbed to the distractions of this world. And when the Philistines came, he could no longer defend himself. Samson had become just as weak as everyone else. He had become human.

This still happens to us today. We allow the distractions of this world to slowly wean us off of God so that we don’t even realize that we are no longer abiding in His love. They distract us with our jobs, family, friends, past, television, riots and chaos, depression and grief, and every kind of temptation known to man. The world keeps us so busy that we forget to make time for God, and we stray from His protecting presence. Then when the world attacks, we are like a sitting duck. We have nothing to protect us.

But just as God redeemed Samson when he humbled himself and called out to Him, so will He redeem us when we humble ourselves and call out to Him. Our God didn’t die on the cross and rise again just to leave us in chains and slaves to sin. No matter what we’ve done or how far we’ve run, God will always come running to our rescue when we bend our knees and call on His name.

LORD God, please awaken the sleeping spirit within us. Let us hear Your voice and feel Your Holy presence once again. Help us to be aware of the distractions of the world surrounding us, that we might not fall into any trap set before us. Guide us on our journey back to You, LORD God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Be Like a Sentry on Guard

² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful. ~ 2 Samuel 11:2

The application here is that David had become spiritually lazy; he found himself in bed instead of out fighting the war with his soldiers. We are in a war, a spiritual war. A battle for our souls and the souls of our family, our friends, our congregations, our neighbors, those we know, and those we don’t even know.

We cannot afford to lie on beds and fall asleep while the battle rages all around us, we need to be doing what God has called us to be doing, and one of those things is our private time. If David was in his private time, he would not have been where he was not supposed to be, and not gazing at another man’s wife and lusting in his heart.

Spiritual laziness leads to spiritual slumber, and that’s exactly where David found himself; spiritually asleep. David started to think in his mind. He probably even fantasied about her. David had several wives by then, so it was not like he needed yet another. But the lust of the eye, as John wrote about in 1 John 2, got the best of him.

That is why we can’t let down our guard for one second; we must always be on the alert like a sentry. God warned Cain that sin is always on the attack; it never sleeps because it knows what it wants. You are what it desires. So, stay alert, armed, and ready to defend yourself from all attacks of the Evil One.

Dear LORD God, please awaken our sleeping spirit within us. Help us to stay awake, guarding our minds, hearts, and eyes as a sentry guard’s the gate protecting all inside the walls from any and all intruders. Help us to grow that we might not become distracted during our private time, prayer time, worship time, or Bible time. Help us to be on guard that we might successfully defend all attacks of the Evil One. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Dangers of the Second Look

⁷If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. ~ Genesis 4:7

As God told Cain, Sin is constantly at our door. There will never be a time when sin isn’t attacking us until Jesus returns for His bride. But we can defend ourselves against sin by doing what is just and right. And sin’s tactics haven’t changed from the beginning. With every sin, it’s the second glance, the second look that opens the door to the crouching sin. And all it needs is a small crack, a tiny little opening and in it comes like a flood.

This is where sin gets us, in our thoughts. In our fantasies. Because someone will say, I’m only looking to see, not to find. There is nothing wrong with looking as long as I don’t touch. Just remember, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is to get in and devour you. If you don’t shut it down at this point, you’ve 95% lost the battle.

We have to tear down every thought, opinion, word, and desire that is displeasing to God. We have to crucify the flesh with all of its pleasures and desires. We have to stand firm on the Word of God and make the firm decision to follow Him. That is the only way we will ever be able to overcome evil with good.

Dear LORD God, please give us the strength to overcome. Give us the desire to overcome. Let our hearts and our eyes not be swayed by the things of this world, but instead, may our heart’s desires be for You. May we strive for Your presence and Your love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Is Satan Stronger Than Lucifer?

Satan and Lucifer have to be two of the most talked about entities of the Bible. But Satan is our main enemy. We even refer to him as the king of the Kingdom of Darkness. So does that mean that Satan is stronger than Lucifer? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answer to that question in our video, Is Satan Stronger Than Lucifer?

Genesis 3:1a
Jude 10
2 Peter 2:12
Hebrews 2:6-8
Proverbs 12:23
Job 42:7
Revelation 12:9
Isaiah 14:12-15
Jude 8-9
Job 1
Job 2
Revelation 9:11
2 Peter 2:10-11
Daniel 10:12-14
Revelation 12:4-7
Isaiah 14:13-14
Isaiah 42:8
Revelation 12:8-9
Isaiah 14:15
Daniel 7:4
Daniel 7:7
Daniel 7:11-12
Revelation 19:20
Revelation 20:1-10

Is Satan Stronger Than Lucifer?

Satan and Lucifer

Satan and Lucifer are two different beings. Everything about Lucifer and Satan is different, including what type of being they are. Satan is a Beast of the Field, while Lucifer is a star-like celestial being.

Satan

^1b Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
Genesis 3:1b

⁷Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:7-9

Being Classification	Dragon
Place of Residence	Earth
Job Description	A Glorious One
Sin	Tries to kill God and starts a war in Heaven
Punishment	Thrown to earth

Lucifer

¹²How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star (Lucifer), son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! ¹³You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ ¹⁵But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
Isaiah 14:12-15

Being Classification	Unknown type of Celestial Being
Place of Residence	The Second Heaven
Job Description	An angel
Sin	Desired to be like God
Punishment	Locked in the Bottomless Pit

Summary

Lucifer is stronger than Satan for many reasons, but one main reason. Lucifer is an angel, while Satan is a Glorious One. Angels are stronger than the Glorious Ones because they have to fight off territorial spirits in order to bring messages between the realms.

¹⁰and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, ¹¹whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.
2 Peter 2:10-11

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