Speaker 1Father, our hands are lifted. Wonderful Jesus, the glorified here tonight. Here is Holy Spirit, thank you for having your way amongst us. Thank you for the spirit of wisdom and revelation dispensed onto us. We are so blessed. Thank you, Father. In Jesus' name, the Son of God. Amen. Can you please be seated? Thank you. Now, turn with me to the book of Isaiah, chapter 53, verse 12. I want to speak to you on the good fight for faith. The good fight for faith. Isaiah, chapter 53. Now, yesterday. Yesterday, I spoke about this chapter. It begins by saying, who has believed our reports? And to whom is the harm of the Lord being revealed? And we understood that this chapter is all about the gospel. When Isaiah said, who has believed our reports? Apostle Paul interpreted it as the gospel in Romans 10, verse 16. So, the reports of Isaiah is the gospel. It's the gospel. And in this chapter, we see what happened on the cross. How that our Lord Jesus Christ, He took our sicknesses, our diseases. He took our sorrows and our griefs. Hallelujah. Now, Jesus took your despair. Jesus took your anguish. Jesus took your sadness. The weights in your soul, in your emotions. The heaviness. We see the scoop of redemption. Now, when Jesus died, there was nothing He didn't do. There was nothing in the fall of man which His redemption did not recover. Hallelujah. Praise God. Now, we understood that Jesus bore our sins in His body. That's 1 Peter 2, 24. Now, He bore our diseases in His body. But not only did His body become. He didn't become an offering, but His soul also became an offering. Yeah. So, in verse 10, the Bible says that His soul became a trespass offering. His soul. Because Jesus took away our souls. He took away our griefs. All the heartaches we go through, He actually carried it in Himself. In His soul. He became an offering. His soul became an offering. Hallelujah. Praise God. Verse 4. It says, Therefore I will divide him a portion with the grace. And he shall divide the spoil with the strong. Because he has poured out his soul unto death. And he was numbered with the transgressors. And he bared the sin of many. And made intercession for the transgressors. Hallelujah. I want you to concentrate. It's a very powerful verse of Scripture. Therefore, now, this is God speaking, the Father. As a result of Jesus' obedience unto death. As a result. Of His sacrifice. As a result. Of Jesus taking our sins. Our pains. Our griefs. He became obedient unto death. He died for us. As a result of all that He did on the cross. Verse 12. Is the reward of His sacrifice. God is rewarding Jesus. For His obedience unto death. For all that He did for us. Verse 12. Is His reward. Praise God. So, I want us to see Jesus' reward in His obedience to die. His obedience unto death. And all that He did for us. This is His reward. He says, because of what He did. Now, I want us to read verse 11 for us to appreciate what I'm talking about. Shall we go to verse 11? Of Isaiah 53. He shall see that shall be in all his soul shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servants justify many. For he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore. You see. Because of his death. Therefore. I will divide him a portion with a great. Now, I want us to understand this verse. What does it mean? This is Jesus' reward. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with a great. God is talking about His son Jesus. Now, the word great here is literally the meaning in the Hebrew it's not great, it's the meaning, the meaning. I want to read it in the original Hebrew. In the Hebrew grammatical construction, it's a little different from the English here. The Hebrew actually says, therefore. The English says, therefore, I will divide him a portion with a many. Now, since there are many people and Jesus is going to have a portion. That's not what it means. The Hebrew says, therefore. I shall divide him the many as his portion. Therefore, I will give him the many as his portion. Therefore, I will divide him the many as his portion. Subtitles by the Amara.org community that he couldn't find any vocabulary in the Greek literature. So Paul coined his own word. So what is used here cannot be found in the Greek literature. Because the way you are more than a conqueror, there is no human language to describe how much of a conqueror you are. So Paul was speaking from the spirit. He couldn't find human vocabulary to describe who we are. So Paul himself coined his own word. So in the Greek, this one, Paul was the first to use the word. He put the words together for the first time to describe how wonderful you are. Hallelujah. That's amazing. He used the word kyupanikau. Kyupanikau. Kyupanikau means over, above, and beyond a champion. Can you imagine? You, you, you, you, you. You. I know you are struggling to survive, but the truth is that you are over. Above and beyond a champion. You are more than a champion. That is what redemption placed you. You are already on a victory ground. Redemption placed you where you are more than a conqueror. Now, what is the difference between a conqueror and more than a conqueror? The Bible didn't say we are conquerors. That would have been wonderful. But the Bible says we are more than conquerors. What is the difference? You are not a conqueror. You are more than a conqueror. A conqueror is one who goes to the battle. He enters into the fight and defeats the enemy. That's a conqueror. He has conquest. He has the victory. He defeats the enemy and brings back the spoils from the enemy. That's a conqueror. He's a good fighter. He's well trained. He destroys the enemy. He spoils the enemy. He takes everything he has and comes back home. That's a conqueror. Now, who is more than a conqueror? And more than a conqueror is the guy who is home. He didn't go to any battle. He just sat down. He just finished brushing his teeth. He just sat down. He was just yawning. He was just there. And the conqueror comes, brings all the victory, and gives it to him. Free of charge. He just gives to him free of charge. He gives to him. He says, "You didn't fight, but you have all the victory and all the spoils from the war." That is more than a conqueror. The truth is that it is Jesus who entered into the war. He entered into the battle and conquered sin, conquered death, conquered soul, conquered sadness, conquered diseases, conquered sicknesses, conquered everything the enemy did. The gift cometh not but for his team to keep and to destroy. But confirm that you may have life and have it the more abundantly. Jesus conquered everything, every defeat, every curse, and he brought all the spoils and gave it to you. Free. You didn't fight, but you are enjoying and reaping the benefits of his conquest. Hallelujah. More than a conqueror. See, I'm more than a conqueror. That's who you are. I am strong like the big city. strong. It is a confessional faith. You are confessing you are strong. Let the poor say, I am rich. He shall divide the inheritance with the strong. God calls you the strong. The church is strong. You are strong because Jesus took what weighed you down. Say, I am strong. I am strong. Hallelujah. Please carry away the burdens. I am strong. I am strong. I am strong. In my mouth sat I am strong. I know there seem to be fear all around but I say I am strong. It is as if my marriage is failing but I am strong. It is as if myself I am failing but I can say I am strong. I am not strong in myself. I am strong in him. He is my strength. Our ability has taken it away. It is as if I am feeling it but in reality it has taken it away. I speak the words of faith. As God called those things to me not as though they are. It is as if I am not feeling. But the truth is that I am strong. I am strong. God calls me strong. Therefore, I am strong. I am strong. He calls me strong so I am strong. Hallelujah. My sister, my brother, no matter what, you are strong. You are strong. Don't let your feelings determine who you are. You are not your feelings. Your feelings are not born again. Your spirit is born again. Your feelings are not redeemed. You can feel feelings. Feelings are chemicals. They can change every five seconds. It doesn't have to determine the real you. You should know the real you. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You are strong. Therefore, I will divide him, the spoil. I will divide the spoil with the strong. He calls us strong. The great question is, he shall share the inheritance with the strong. You know the inheritance. Peace is your inheritance. Now Jesus is sharing his inheritance with you because you know what? We are joint heirs. He made up joint heirs. Each children, then heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Joint heirs means whatever belongs to Jesus belongs to me. Whatever belongs to Jesus belongs to me. Whatever he received belongs to me. So he received peace. He is sharing the peace with me. He received joy. He is sharing the joy with me. He received healing. He is sharing the healing with me. He received strength. He is sharing the strength with me. So I am constantly receiving from him. He shall divide the spoil with the strong. And the word divide is in the imperfect sense. Imperfect. That means he is constantly sharing with us. He is constantly giving you his peace. He is constantly giving you his joy. So anytime you feel weighed down, know that, say Lord, your peace is mine. Your peace is mine. I receive your peace. I receive your joy. He is sharing his peace with you. He is sharing his joy with you. He is sharing his strength with you. You can never be a victim. You can never be a failure. It is too late for you to be a failure. It doesn't matter what you are experiencing. The final judgment has been written already. Your circumstances is not determining who you truly are. Just know your position and your position will transform your condition. You understand? Your position will transform your condition. It doesn't matter your condition now. Know your position. And as you hold firm to your position, gradually your condition will align to your position. Positionally, he sees you strong. Conditionally, you are weak. But positionally, you are strong. In God's mind, you are strong. In God's mind, everything is past. But you are feeling it. Just hold on to the word of faith. Hallelujah. Say, I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm strong. I'm strong. You wake up in the morning, you feel down. Say, I'm strong. You hear bad news, you feel way down. Say, I'm strong. You are not pretending. That's the real you. That's the real you. That's true. That he made you strong. And when you say that, it glorifies him. And the more you confess you are strong, what you say is what you become. You're strong. Hallelujah. Praise God. Hallelujah. Turn with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 6, verse 19. Hebrews chapter 6, verse 19. You see, our spirit is saved. But, the problem is our souls. Our souls are not saved when we go born again. That is why you feel sad. You can feel sad. You can feel down. You can feel weak. So, but Jesus made a provision for our souls. I want to tell you another provision that has been made for our souls. So that in the midst of life's turbulence, you'll be stable. Hallelujah. Have you ever been in a ship before? In a ship. Or you have watched a movie and you've seen a ship. Have you ever seen a ship sink before? Titanic. Yeah. Or a ship tossed by the wind. Tossed by the wind. Tossed by the wind. Now every ship needs an anchor. Now you know what an anchor is. Can you show the picture of an anchor? It's a very huge metal that is connected to the chains or a cable in the ship. It stabilizes the ship. It has chains connected to it which connect to the ship. It stabilizes the ship so that in the midst of contrary winds, as the wind beat against the ship, the ship can be stable. The ship can be stable. Without this metal holding the ship, the ship can collapse. It can be shipwrecked. It can wreck into two. So the anchor is very necessary. The Bible says that. Let's go back to our text. We have an anchor of the soul. We have the anchor of the soul. There is an anchor. The soul has an anchor. There is something that can stabilize the soul like the ship on the sea in the midst of challenges of life when the winds are blowing the ship to and fro. As I said, the ship is about to sink or even break apart. The anchor can keep it stable. The anchor is not needed when the waters are calm. Now when the waters are calm, the anchor is not needed. The anchor is always needed when the waters are when the waters are are slanderous. are slanderous. are contrary. It is not a joke if you ask those who go to sea the wind can be very stubborn. The ship can be lost like your soul in the days of trouble when your soul is in agitation. There is something that can keep your soul stable. So that in the midst of all the troubles you are going through your soul can be steadfast and stable. The Bible says there is an anchor of the soul. Like the way the anchor keeps the ship stable in the midst of the seas. The anchor can keep your soul stable so that you are going through the valley of the shadow of death yet you are not troubled. You are going through difficulty yet you are not troubled. Hallelujah. God has given us all of this provision. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast and enter it into that which is within the veil that within the veil whether the forerunner is for us entered whether the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus made an high priest forever even Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hallelujah. Now let me tell you something about Jesus and about the anchor of our soul. In this verse, Jesus is called our forerunner. You know a forerunner. If there is a forerunner then there is an afterrunner. A forerunner is one who runs before, ahead of you. One who runs ahead of you. One who runs ahead. Jesus is called the forerunner. Say the forerunner. Let me explain who Jesus is. This word forerunner is the Greek word prodomos. Prodomos. Let me tell you something wonderful Jesus is. Prodomos. A prodomos in those days, in the New Testament times was a servant. Servant. Now when a king is coming a king is coming home, the servant will run ahead of the king and goes to his homeland to announce to his home people the coming of the king. So he tells them to anticipate that the king is coming home. And actually tells them where the king has reached. And what the king is doing. And how the king is enjoying himself and what is happening. So he just runs ahead to announce to his homeland that hey people the king is coming he has reached so so and so and this is what is happening so he's coming so they are anticipating the coming of the king that's what is called a prodomos a forerunner it's actually a servant who runs ahead to announce look at Jesus the king of kings look at Jesus the king of kings I'm amazed when he entered heaven he actually went to the place of a servant prodomos to announce to heaven our coming I'm telling you today Jesus is announcing to your relatives that have gone ahead of you maybe your parents are dead your sister is dead your someone is dead I mean John Wesley talk about the saints who have gone ahead of us and Paul Jesus is announcing to them our coming that we are coming very soon we are coming home he's announcing where we are reached in our journey that we are it's a city we are still but we are still coming it's so slowly but surely he's just announcing to those in heaven that we are coming that's the prodomos and that's what Jesus is doing he's our forerunner so he haven't entered it's a surety it's a proof that we also enter we are the after runners hallelujah so those in heaven they know about us because there has been an announcement so that's a forerunner but there's a second meaning of the word prodomos forerunner the second meaning is that in those days large ships before they arrive home the huge ships in those days before the when they are closer there were smaller ships that will carry the carry the anchor of the ship and go ahead to the harbor you see smaller ships that will carry the anchor of the ship that will carry the anchor of the ship and move ahead and go to the harbor and they secure the anchor to a rock or what is called breakers so that I told you the ship needs an anchor otherwise the wind can toss it up and down so when it is closer there are smaller ships that will carry the anchor and go ahead and secure the anchor to a rock or to the breakers at the harbor those smaller ships were called the prodomos and they were called the prodomos the smaller ships so they will go ahead and secure the anchor that is very powerful so we are not home yet but our anchor is already there now the Bible says that Jesus actually became the prodomos now are you following me? verse 19 again which hope we have as an anchor of the soul and it is sure and steadfast it is sure and steadfast you see the way sailors will take the anchor and hit it on a rock but Jesus took our anchor and entered it to heaven the holiest of holies and locked it in the holiest of holies where the father is so that anchor is in the holiest of holies it has been locked to the rock of ages and we are found there so that anchor is holding us do you know that? do you know that? if the ship is coming to Ghana if the ship is not yet in Ghana but if the anchor is in Ghana you know what it means? it means no matter the troubles and the turbulence no matter what the ship is experiencing at long last it will reach home by all means the ship will reach home because the anchor has already gone ahead by all means you reach home because Jesus has taken our anchor and it is home and this is it oh man there is an anchor that is holding us we are on the sea of life Jeremiah 49 says there is sorrow on the sea it cannot be quiet we are on the sea of life and the storms are heavy you want to give up in life you want to give up because of the trials and the tribulations of modern life the anguish and the pain and the despair but listen no matter how you are being blown about you will never collapse you will never be wrecked you know why? you are a ship on the sea with an anchor there is an anchor that is holding you and that anchor is hooked to the rock of ages it is hooked to heaven itself where the father is and that is our hope we have hope we have hope you know God has given us hope Jesus is our hope no matter what you are going through there is hope for us and that hope is holding us there is hope that Jesus will not disappoint us there is hope that Jesus will not disappoint us there is hope that Jesus will not leave us I will never leave you nor forsake you there is hope that his word will not fail there is hope sometimes all hope is lost because the word of your husband is not trustworthy the word of your wife is not trustworthy the word of your pastor is not trustworthy the word of your friend is not trustworthy no human being is trustworthy I am telling you when everything fails his word is trustworthy he cannot fail therefore we can have hope in him that hope is sure and steadfast listen no matter how much you are crying there is hope for you Jesus is our hope and he is holding us in this life hallelujah the believer is far better than the unbeliever the unbeliever is like a sheep without an ankle so when we are troubled we feel we are dying all hope is lost but when we are troubled hope is not lost hope is not lost yeah hope is not lost in this life and hope is not lost in the next life so there is something holding you and I want you to keep on the hope the hope the hope hallelujah if you have hope you smile prisoners what country prisoners in a prison cell hope is not lost they don't have hope they don't want to they are going to come out so it is hope that keeps them the Bible says in Timothy 1:1 Jesus Christ who is our hope is the true and the faithful witness hope hallelujah you are troubled that you are never married no you have good hope that's Jesus you are troubled that your future is full of shame no Jesus Christ is your hope Mary you are troubled that your rebellion son will never change no Jesus is your hope and hope does not disappoint because the love of God is set at God in our heart by the Holy Ghost that is given to us this hope is the confident expectation of the promises of God Bible hope says that whatever he has said he will do it all the promises of God in him are yes and amen whatever he has promised his promises cannot fail so no matter what you are going through I came to assure you that his promises cannot fail therefore you can have hope and this hope can keep you on the sea of life hallelujah say I am strong and I have the anchor I have hope have hope have hope have hope Jesus is your hope all hope is gone lost all hope is gone lost so you can smile you can smile the David said though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death it's not death it's just a shadow but the devil makes you think you are going through death it's a shadow listen the shadow of a tractor can never kill you the shadow of a tractor can never kill you if a tractor passes by you and the shadow passes over you it can never kill you if I walk through the valley of the shadow whatever you are going through it's a shadow it's a shadow praise God because Jesus took it away it's a shadow hallelujah praise God say I am strong hallelujah alright let's go to 1st Timothy 6 verse 12 1st Timothy 6 verse 12 1st Timothy 6 verse 12 1st Timothy 6 verse 13 1st Timothy 6 verse 14 1st Timothy 6 verse 14 1st Timothy 6 verse 15 1st Timothy 6 verse 17 1st Timothy 6 verse 18 1st Timothy 6 verse 19 1st Timothy 6 verse 20 1st Timothy 6 verse 21 1st Timothy 6 verse 22 1st Timothy 6 verse 22 1st Timothy 6 verse 23 1st Timothy 6 verse 24 1st Timothy 6 verse 25 1st Timothy 6 verse 26 1st Timothy 6 verse 27 1st Timothy 6 verse 28 1st Timothy 6 verse 29 1st Timothy 6 verse 30 1st Timothy 6 verse 31 1st Timothy 6 verse 31 1st Timothy 6 verse 32 1st Timothy 6 verse 33 1st Timothy 6 verse 34 1st Timothy 6 verse 35 1st Timothy 6 verse 38 1st Timothy 6 verse 39 1st Timothy 6 verse 40 1st Timothy 6 verse 41 fighting, when people fight, they are fighting to win. They are fighting for victory. Now we are not fighting for victory. We are fighting from victory. Because they are already on victory ground. We are already on victory ground. So we are fighting to maintain our victory ground. How you see yourself in the spirit of scripture is very important. For instance, there are people who are fighting from defeat. You don't have to fight from defeat. Like, I'm sick, I'm dying. Lord, have mercy. I'm sick, I'm dying. Who told you? But the Bible also says, by his stripes we were healed. So how do we reconcile that? With that spiritual language, plus canon language. How do we reconcile that? So, he says, by his stripes we were healed. So even when you are sick, listen, you are not that sick looking. You are not that sick looking for healing. You are the healed having something. Oh, you didn't get it. You didn't get it. Aha. Don't pray as if you are a poor worm of the dust. You don't have it. God, no. That's what Jesus does. All right. See, fight a good fight of faith. And that's what Jesus does. When he says, lay hold on eternal life, what does it mean? Lay hold. He says, grasp eternal life. Lay hold on eternal life. What does it mean to lay hold on eternal life? Now, he's telling us how to fight a good fight of faith. He says, lay hold on eternal life. Let me explain. Assuming we have closed church and you just stepped out. There's somebody just approached you and started insulting you. Have you experienced that before? That person is just insulting you. But you've done nothing. Then all of a sudden, now, you have a choice to respond. You can respond in two ways. Number one, you can lose your temper. Why? Do you know me? Why? And you can fight back the same way. It even seems legitimate. Because the guy is insulting you. You don't even know what he's done. So you can just ship him. You can just retaliate. And give it to him. Well, well. And the people will even applaud. It's just, ah, you know you're right. When you do that, you have laid hold on the human life. You see, you have laid hold on the human life. That is what the human life will give you. The Bible says that you lay hold on God's life. When you're going through situations in life, you hold God's life. You can lay hold on the human life or you can lay hold on God's life. So if you just insulted a person back, you know what you've done. You've reacted in a human way. You've reacted the same way the human, the dumb believer will do. So what it means is that you have laid hold on the human life. Do you understand? But you went out from this meeting, the person insulted you, and you decided to respond the way the Bible says you should respond. You ignore the person. You don't mind the person. You respond the godly way. You have laid hold on eternal life. Eternal life is God's life. That means in situations of life, respond to God's way. Express God's life that is within you. You can express the human life or express God's life. God's life is in your spirit. Your human life is in your soul. You can respond soullessly or in a human way and insult the person back. You can also respond as the word of God will say you should do. You are responding to God's life. Please, are you there? Do you understand? Aha. But it hurts. Yes, it hurts. To respond to your feelings is to lay hold on the human life. If you respond to your feelings, because the reason why you are responding is because it hurts. It's not a joke. So you respond to your feelings. It hurts. You are now a slave to your feelings. Now, you see, you don't have to fight a good fight of faith. Why do troubles come your way? When you are sorrowful, when you are sad, you hear bad news. When things hurt, do you hold on to the feelings and the hurt? It hurts, but you can hold on to the feelings and the hurt. You are responding to the human world and get down, down, down. Yet something comes your way. It is sad. You feel the sadness, but now you decide to respond. The way you do it is the worldly way. Instead of complaining and murmuring, you start praising. You start responding to the scriptures. You start responding to what Jesus did for you. You are laid hold on eternal life. Hallelujah. Please, do you understand? Ephesians 6 verse 17. Let's start with the Bible and then we'll move on to the Bible and then we'll talk about what Jesus did for us. "Above all, taking the shield of faith." Now, I'm showing you how to fight the good fight. "Taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to point out the fiery dart of the rookie." "Above all." Now, this chapter describes the weapons of our warfare, the armor, the Christian armor. Now, let me show you how to use it practically when you are in life's challenges. "Above all, taking the shield of faith." "Above all." "Above all." Now, when he says "above all," he's not saying that it is above everything. He's not saying this is the most important armor. That's not what he's saying. The word "above all" literally means covering all. It means the word for covering all. The reason is that the shield, the Roman soldier's shield, was so huge that it covered all your body. It covered all your body. It was the size of a door. So, when you take the shield, nothing can touch you. Because the shield was the size of a door. Now, in those days, when the Roman soldier dies in battlefield, when they are going home, they carried him on his shield. So, he could lie on his shield. That's how big the shield was. Because the shield covered all. But this word also means "in addition to this." It says, "Taking the shield of faith." Now, say "taking." Now, the Christian armor is in two aspects. Two aspects. The first armor are the armor we have. The second armor are the armor we take. The armor we have and the armor we take. Follow me carefully. Now, go to verse 15. There's the armor we have and then the armor we take. Verse 14. "Stand therefore, have them." Look at it. So, all these verses, you see the word "have them," "have them," then "taking" and "take." So, there are weapons we are having and there are weapons we take. So, look at it carefully. "Stand therefore, have them, your loins. Get about the truth and have them, the breastplate of righteousness." Continue. "And your feet show the preparation of the gospel of peace." So, there are three weapons we are having. We are having the breastplate, the belts and the shoes. This is what we are having. The next verse. "Above all, take him." So, there are the weapons we have and there are the weapons we take. "And take him, the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to punch all the fiery darts of the wicked." The next verse. "And take." So, there are weapons we have and there are weapons we take. Let me give you an example. If a soldier is on a battlefield, he is always dressed. If a soldier is on a battlefield, he is always having his breastplate. He is always having his belt. He is always having his shoes. But he is not always having his shield. He is not always having his sword. No. He is on the battle. He is always having his breastplate. Always having his shoes. Always having his belt. He is always having. When there is a battle, when there is a battle, then he will pick up the shield. When there is a fight, then he will pick up the sword. So, these are the weapons we take. So, there are weapons we take and there are weapons we have. Please do understand. Alright. Okay. So, remember we are soldiers on the battlefield. I want to show you when there is battle. But sometimes we don't recognize when we are on the battlefield. We think it is normal. What is not battle, we think it is battle. But what is battle, we don't even know it is battle. That is the problem with the Christians. I want to show you when you are on the battlefield. Because we are dressed but we don't take it. So, the missiles are always hitting us. There is a time to take the shield. I want to show you how to take the shield. And I am telling you, your life will be very enjoyable. You don't take it every time. Aha. You are always having these days. But there is a time to take the shield. Are you following me? Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Please, I'm not going there. Remain insisting. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench. Let me show you when you are in battle. What is the battlefield? Christians don't even know where the battlefield is. The battlefield is not always binding and casting out. It's not always binding witches and casting witches. That, that, it's not casting demons, it's not spiritual warfare. It is casting demons. That's not the battle. The battlefield is in the mind. It's in the mind. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong hosts. To strong hosts. Casting down imaginations. The things you imagine, the things you image yourself in. Imaginations. That's where the battle is. And bringing every toss captive to the obedience of Christ. So, this is where the battle is. So, let me show you. So, let me show you. So, let me show you what happens. Let me show you why sometimes you are defeated. Why are you sometimes defeated? It's in your thought life. Your thought life. Negative thoughts runs through your mind. The devil knows where you are facing challenges in life. He's not a stupid devil. If the devil wants to tempt you, where will he tempt you? He will tempt you to the areas you are struggling. So, if you are struggling, you will be tempted to the areas you are struggling. If you are struggling in the marriage, that's the area he's going to tempt you. If you are struggling financially, that's the area he's going to tempt you. If you are struggling in your relationship, wherever you are, that is the very opportunity. That's how he's going to attack you. Now, he's very smart. So, whichever area you are struggling, start quickly. Give him your thoughts. And when these thoughts start coming, let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. If you know you are thinking wrong, what is the proof that you are thinking wrong when you start feeling wrong? Your thinking controls your feeling. I'll give an example. If someone even lies to you, that, look, sir, I just heard that your children had an accident on the progressive eating road. Maybe it's a lie. The moment you hear it, it came to your mind. You know what happens? Your thinking controls your feelings. You start feeling down. All you know is that it's even a lie. There are some that come and say, oh, it's not his children, it's another. Then your feeling will start changing again. So, your thinking controls your feeling. Okay. So, that's what the devil does. That's what he does. He will magnify the situation in your mind and give you thoughts. Negative thoughts will start running in your mind. And when this thought comes, instantly, it produces a kind of ill feeling. You become distressed or agitated. Now, listen. The battle has started. Now, you don't even know it's a battle. Those thoughts is giving you negative feelings. Now, if you dwell on those feelings, it will go further to what is called worry and fear. Now, you started feeling bad. You had ill feeling. You have distressed in your soul. You have agitations. Then it goes further to worry. Then it goes to fear. Then when it goes to worry and fear, you know what happens? Make sure you don't get there. Worry and fear. That is where sometimes the witches can get you. That is where Satan can get you. Worry and fear. The moment you are worried, you live in worry. Now, you have allowed, you have nurtured the bad feelings to a state where you are full of worry and full of fear. Every time you are worried, when you are in worry and fear, worry and fear is an insulation to the power of God. You know, an insulation. When you are in fear, insulation. You know, there is electricity in this building. There is electricity here. But an insulation is a poor conductor of heat. Do you understand? If you have rubber, if you have wood, power cannot pass through. But if you have something metallic, power can pass through. So, when you are in fear and you are worried, you become an insulation to God's power. God's power is flowing but you cannot receive it. Because you are in fear. So, there is a short circuit of the power of God. It cannot flow. When you are in worry, God's power is flowing but it cannot, the problem is not God. You have gotten to, you have lost your ground. You have moved your ground. So, in worry and fear, now, listen, this is where the real warfare is. Ordinary speaking, Satan cannot match you. Ordinary. If Satan can match you, then the work of Christ on the cross was a failure. What did Jesus do? He came to destroy the works of the devil. So, ordinarily, no witch, no wizard, no occultic power, none of these things, no. You know where you are? You are in Him. You know where you are and has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ, far above all principality and power, might and dominion and every other name that is named, not only in this world but in that also which is to come and has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all and in all. Satan is no match for the church. Wizards, witches, not at all. What is the blood of Jesus doing? What is the blood? They overcame Him by the blood. What did Jesus do? So, ordinarily, they cannot get you but they know how to get you. So, what happens is that they will remove you from your standing on the ground. If the devil can get you in your soul, emotions, all these feelings until you come to worry and now you are in fear. At that time, God's power is not intervening. And when you are in worry and fear, Satan has legal grounds into your life. He has legal grounds. So you are praying today, you pray well, there is success. But the next day, there is fear. Then the next day you pray, there is success. It's an unstable success. Because when you are in worry, Satan can walk in you. When you are in fear, Satan can walk in. I am telling you. So, there are real places to keep. Because you didn't know you were in battle when you started feeling those things. You just told yourself, I am just emotional. You said you are emotional. So you are allowing all those feelings to dominate you. You are emotional. You are thinking you are emotional. You are on the battlefield actually. Don't say you are emotional. You are fighting. And it is getting you to a place of worry. Please, are you here? Yes. Look at 1 Peter 5:7-8. Cast all your cares upon him, Cast all your cares upon him, for he cares for you. That means cast all your worries on him, for he cares for you. Then he said, be sober. Let's go on, be vigilant. Because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, is about seeking whom he may devour. The devil, he seeks whom he may devour. Now the word devour means to eat. But this word means to drink. It's like the carcass. The lion, after he has eaten the meat, the bones are left. But he doesn't leave the bones. He sucks out all the juices in the bones until it is very dry. That's the word devour. That's Satan's goal. So the Bible says, he is seeking whom he may devour. Now Satan cannot get you. He has to seek whom. He has to seek. There are some people who are not devourable. He has to seek whom. Not everyone qualifies to be his needs. So he has to seek whom. And whom is the one he is seeking for in a contest? The one who is warned. The previous verse says, Cast all your worries upon him, for he cares for you. Then he said, why? Because the adversary is seeking. So, he sees that, ah, all your life is full of worry. You are worried on Monday, worried on Tuesday, worried on Wednesday, worried on Thursday, worried on Friday. You are now a warrior. Worried in January. Worried in September. So he seeks and goes like, hmm. Then he comes. You are the right guide for him to devour. All the areas you are worried, he can get you. If you are worried about your children, if you are worried about your children, and you can get your children. If I worry about your finances, there are places where you are worried. there is no divine intervention. The places where you are not worried, you see a lot of fruitfulness. That's how it works. So how do you fight? How do you make sure you are not in the place of every day, you are down. You are down. How do you fight? Please are you here? He says, above all, take him the shield. If you don't take the shield, so people don't know when to take the shield. Where would you shall be able? Come on. The word able is the word dunamis. Where would you shall have the power? Anytime you take the shield, the power of God is released. The word is dunamis. To quench all the fiery darts. The word fiery dart is ballistic missiles. Satan throws his ballistic missiles in your thoughts to wear you down. Thought of anxiety. Thought of worry. Anger. Soul. Aha! He throws. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of fit are the issues of life. Your state is very important. So he throws arrows, missiles. But he says when those missiles are coming, those thoughts, to take the shield. With the shield you can neutralize. You understand? Because that's salt, that fiery dart, it comes with fire. It is aiming at not just burning you. Because you take the shield, you shall be able to quench. To quench means to put the fire off. So take the shield. Take the shield. So how do you take the shield? How do you take the shield? Your faith is a shield. How does faith operate? By speaking. By speaking. Now how does faith operate? By speaking. The Bible says, 2 Corinthians 4:13. We also If you are not speaking, you are not in faith. You cannot Faith is in speaking. If you have said something, there is no faith. Okay. So we haven't the same spirit of faith. How does it operate? According as it is written, I believe, therefore have I spoken. If you believe, you have to say it. Just when you say it, then the power of God is released. It's in your mouth. We also believe, therefore we speak. It's in your mouth. So this is it. So you are walking around in the day, all of a sudden, touch stands for a man in your head. Maybe you went to the doctor and the kind of sickness that was diagnosed. You know about three people who died with that sickness. Aha, and you have the same sickness. You know what Satan will do. If you were Satan, what would you do? You know the kind of arrows to throw against you. Is that not so? So as you are going, a thought comes on you. You are going to die. And it starts troubling you. Hmm, I'm going to die. It starts sinking. It starts sinking. When those thoughts of worry start coming, what do you do? Arrows are coming against you. What do you do? Christians think they are being emotional. They think it's part of life. No. No. That is where, take the shield of faith. Take the shield of faith. It can cover you. That's when you should start speaking. When those thoughts are too much on you, just get a place. And as you are going, start speaking. I will not die in Jesus' name. I will not die. You don't even have to quote a scripture. Just the spirit of the scriptures you have. Just say it as it is. I will not die. I will live to declare the works of God. Start saying it. As you say it, it says, take the shield of faith. Wherewith ye shall be able. The Greek says, wherewith ye shall have the dunamis. Wherewith ye shall have the dunamis. Wherewith ye shall have the power. As you speak, the power of God is released. As you speak, the dunamis is released. So when those thoughts come, take the shield and say, Jesus has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. As that thought comes, you should say, O death, what is thy sting? O grave, what is thy victory? I will not die. I shall live to declare the works of God. So just walk around in your house speaking in tongues and start declaring. Start declaring. You don't fight thoughts with your thoughts. You fight thoughts with your words. You see, you don't fight thoughts. How do you think against thinking? No, it's words because there are spiritual entities involved. If they can get you to a place of worry and fear, they can do whatever they want to do. So all your prayers still will not work because when you are displaced, you are not in your place. Please, I follow me. Aha. You cannot live your life without God's word. That's why you should know what God's word is saying about that situation. Maybe it is sickness. I'm telling you, the devil uses that sickness. There are so many thoughts against him. So many thoughts against him. And once the message is thrown against your head and you're having bad feelings, take the shield. Say, here is sickness. I will not be sick. And keep saying, by his stripes I am healed. By his stripes I am healed. Jesus took my sickness. He himself took my infirmity. That's what to do. You see, the shield of faith is in speaking. Faith operates by speaking. Are you here with me? Yes, sir. Speaking. You should say, I refuse to worry. I will not worry. You know you are worrying. But I know, you see, even if you are worrying, no, don't admit it. Say, I refuse to worry. But I know you are worrying. Don't worry. Just say it. I refuse to worry. I know you are fearing. But keep saying, I refuse to fear. In the name of Jesus. And whatever is just a shield of faith. A shield of faith. A shield of faith. I am telling you that we can become so hopeless. Maybe money is not coming. Now you haven't thought. No money. Your marriage will not work. No money. You cannot marry. No money. Things are not going to work. No money. And if you don't take time, you need to see these thoughts in you. You don't even know you are on the battlefield. The Bible says, if you don't take time, you need to see these thoughts in you. If you don't take time, you need to see these thoughts in you. cannot marry no money things are not going to work no money and if you don't take time you need to see this totally you don't even know you are on the battlefield the bible says casting down imagination and every high thoughts that rises itself against the knowledge of god i'm bringing every thought captive so it's all in the thoughts and in the mind that's where the battle is so when thoughts are coming that oh they're going to be poor luck is coming this is oh but my god shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory by christ jesus the lord is my shepherd i shall not want you have a second you have a second you have a second if jesus is a shepherd you shall not want so personalize it the lord is my second i have a second no shepherd will allow his sheep to wallow in hunger the young lions do luck and suffer hunger but they just seek the lord so i once go to faith hallelujah god cares for the reading god cares for the young lion me his child me his son will god ignore me his son behold the fowls of the air they so not matter yet i say not yet gather into pounds yet your heavenly father feed them and consider the minutes of the field how they grow they turn not not to this faith yet i say unto you that superman in all of his glory was put a raid like one of these malubaka malo shambalaba think of the father think of his life take the shield take the suit don't allow those thoughts to press down on your heart to press down on your soul take the shield and keep on speaking away speaking the power of god is released by your time the power of god the action also decrees everything and it shall be established unto thee what you say comes to pass christ has said you shall have what you say take the shield of faith he shall be able to quench to be challenged to be the fire of you and miss us you see a good christian is a talker of the word just talk confident you're walking alone on on on that street whatever is worrying you keep talking keep talking keep talking don't accept defeat keep talking keep talking keep talking even when you're becoming sorrowful over 10 or so with your word keep talking fast keep talking power is being released you see that you're becoming better and better and better and something is working in your heart in your emotions you keep becoming better and better and better and better maybe knew how to talk to himself they didn't say why are daughters quieted within me oh my soul hope down in god who is the help and the health of your countenance he will speak to his soul hope down in god why are you disquieted my soul is not quiet my soul there is turbulence there is written songs there is no happiness there is sadness there is uneasiness oh my soul you can speak to yourself you can speak to your mind you can cast worry from you you can order yourself from fear i resist the spirit of fear i refuse the spirit of fear i walk in love god has not given me the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind i have sound mind but he has the mind of christ i have the mind of christ i refuse to be worried i refuse to share i refuse to be agitated in the name of jesus i know who i am in christ all things are passed away behold all things are becoming i am in the love of god god loves me god cares for me god keeps me he said be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication when times give me let your request be made known unto god i walk in faith i walk in joy the peace of god garrisons my heart. The peace of God keeps my heart. You can walk in peace. Hey, the peace of God is mine. The love of God is mine. The wisdom of God is mine. That's how you take the shield of God. What am I struggling with? Hey, find out in the scriptures what God has said. In a bad situation, take a shield. And I'm telling you, all the missiles will be planted. All the missiles will be neutralized. Everything will be stabilized. And you will walk in victory. We are called to be in victory. But times lead on to God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ and make the silver of his knowledge. He says, your children are going to die. Just smile. Don't do anything. Take the shield. Take the shield. Take the shield. The seed of the just shall be delivered. Take the shield. Take the shield. Take the shield. Now sit down for five minutes. Sit down for five minutes. Now listen. Listen. He says, above all, take the shield of faith. Now let me show you how the Greek says. The Greek says, take the shield of the faith. It's not anything. Take the shield of the faith. Do you have YLT? It says, above all, take the shield of the faith. There's a little difference between faith and the faith. YLT. That's it. Above all, haven't taken up the shield of the faith. Do you understand? The faith. It's the shield of the faith. Say the faith. The faith. All right. Let me show you something. When the Bible says the faith, it's always referred to justification by faith. The faith refers to justification by faith. Okay. So in YLT, Galatians 3:23. Galatians 3:23. And before the coming of the faith, there's something called the faith. Before the coming of the faith and the law were being kept, shut up to the faith about to be revealed. Verse 24. So the law became our child conductor to Christ. That's by, the Greek says, by the faith you may be declared righteous. So when the Bible says the faith, it's talking about justification by faith. The faith is actually righteousness of faith. So when the Bible says the faith, it's the faith what made us righteous in Christ. It's called justification. Hallelujah. I want to take you a little deeper. So the faith means justification by faith. The faith means we have been declared righteous. What does it mean? Yes, it does. Let me tell you a little story. There was this man. They were on the sea. And he went to the sea with his son and his son's friend. And he realized that both of them were drowning in the sea. But he had this, what's it called, life saver. Life jacket. Yes. Life jacket. Something to throw to them to be saved from drowning. But it was only one. So he could only save one. One was his son, the other one was his son's friend. Now if you are throwing to one, whom will you throw to? Because you can only save one. But he has to make a quick decision. Your son and your son's friend. You are throwing the, this is a life saver or whatever. Only one can catch it, can you see it? His son was expecting to catch it. But the man threw it to his son's friend. All the time he was throwing it, he was shedding tears. You know why? His son was Christian, was born again. But his son's friend had not yet given his life to Christ. So he knew that if he saves his son, his son's friend is going to heaven. But his son was already a sage. He would die and go and live with Jesus. It's amazing. So what kind of love is this? So he threw it. He said, "Son, I want you to know that I love you. I will meet you very soon. I'm going to meet you with Jesus." As he was saying it, he was shedding tears, confirming his love to his son. And he threw it to his son's friend. And his son's friend was saved. And when he came home, he treated his son's friend as his son. Because he felt that his son's friend was taking the place of his son. So all his love, which he had for his son, now came on his son's friend. That is what is called righteousness. Now this actually happened. You know, Jesus, God could have saved on the cross either his son or us. But God saved us and made his son die. And he received us to the place of his son. Righteousness. The Bible says he has made him to be a son for us. Who in you knows something? That we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. You know what it means? Jesus became my son, that I might become his righteousness. That's the equation. Many some believe that Jesus took their son. But they don't believe they have become his righteousness. Then God didn't do a proper work. If you believe Jesus took your son, then you have also taken his righteousness. He has made him to be a son for us. That we can also become his righteousness. So now righteousness means God has received you as his son. So you see that boy? All the privileges his son had, he gives to him. Now he's treating him as his son. You know what redemption did for us today? In righteousness, if you believe you are his righteousness, it means God is now treating you as his son. So the greatest weapon against the enemy is to know your righteousness in Christ. It's to know who you are in Christ. Praise the Lord. Let me give you my last verse of scripture, Romans 10 verse 6. Romans 10 verse 6, King James Version. But the righteousness of faith speaketh. It's okay. speaketh. It's okay. speaketh. It's okay. Speaketh. What it says is that those who know they are righteous by faith, they should always be speaking. I am righteous by faith. Now. Now. Now. Now let's go to verse 8. Verse 9 Verse 9 Verse 9 and verse 10. and verse 10. and verse 10. For with the heart man believes unto For with the heart man believes unto For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, righteousness, righteousness, with the mouth confession is made unto with the mouth confession is made unto with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. salvation. salvation. There are some people who are saying, I'm healed but they don't believe they I'm healed but they don't believe they I'm healed but they don't believe they are righteous. are righteous. are righteous. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. You have to believe in your heart that You have to believe in your heart that You have to believe in your heart that God has made you righteous. God has made you righteous. Now whatever you say with your mouth Now whatever you say with your mouth Now whatever you say with your mouth will end in salvation. will end in salvation. Look at it. Look at it. Look at it. You believe with your heart unto You believe with your heart unto You believe with your heart unto your righteousness and whatever you your righteousness and whatever you your righteousness and whatever you see will give you soteria. see will give you soteria. I don't know whether you get me. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. God has made his righteousness. What it God has made his righteousness. What it means is that God is giving you what he means is that God is giving you what he means is that God is giving you what he says is this. says is this. says is this. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And the day you have this revelation, And the day you have this revelation, And the day you have this revelation, sometimes I'm praying, I say, Father, sometimes I'm praying, I say, Father, sometimes I'm praying, I say, Father, give me what Jesus deserves. give me what Jesus deserves. You know, because you are among the You know, because you are among the You know, because you are among the place of your son. place of your son. place of your son. Like the man we see, Like the man we see, Like the man we see, God is treating you as his son. God is treating you as his son. That's how much he loves you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Once you know it, you know that there's nothing God will withhold from you. Nothing God will withhold from you. Take your shield, know who you are in Take your shield, know who you are in Take your shield, know who you are in Christ and start speaking. Christ and start speaking. It will give you boldness. Know who you It will give you boldness. Know who you are in Christ and start speaking. are in Christ and start speaking. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. I'm telling you that as you go, from I'm telling you that as you go, from I'm telling you that as you go, from tomorrow you may be on the battlefield. tomorrow you may be on the battlefield. When thoughts start bombarding your mind, When thoughts start bombarding your mind, When thoughts start bombarding your mind, don't think you are being emotional. don't think you are being emotional. Use your lips. Use your lips. Use your lips. Use your mouth. And if you do that, you'll Use your mouth. And if you do that, you'll be in constant teaching. be in constant teaching. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. So in two minutes, if you want to So in two minutes, if you want to So in two minutes, if you want to start, if you want to, I want to give start, if you want to, I want to give start, if you want to, I want to give opportunities to use your shield in opportunities to use your shield in opportunities to use your shield in two minutes. two minutes. two minutes. Maybe before you came, there are some Maybe before you came, there are some Maybe before you came, there are some things bothering you. things bothering you. And they are keeping you worried And they are keeping you worried And they are keeping you worried because you have to guard your heart because you have to guard your heart because you have to guard your heart not to get into worrying fear. not to get into worrying fear. Fear is not good. Fear is not good. Fear is not good. Make sure you are not in fear Make sure you are not in fear Make sure you are not in fear by taking the shield. by taking the shield. It is in your mouth. It is in your mouth. It is in your mouth. So I don't know whatever. It's troubling your mind. Now, if I have to take the shield, take the shield in faith. Here, make sure you're not troubled. Whatever is oppressing your mind, every kind of oppressive thoughts, come on, take it. Whether it is finances, whether it is maritime, whether it is relational, whatever. Whether it is your walk with God, whether it is bitterness, unforgiveness, whatever. Take the shield. Be clear who you are.
PodcastTranscript AI