THE WALK
PART 41

WALKING RIGHT SIDE UP II

The word of the Lord for us in this hour is “do not fear”. WE have a choice everyday as we “walk” with Jesus in this journey to either panic or pray! If we are to become what God is calling us to be, we must RELY on Him for everything. Those who have committed their life to Christ must come to the revelation of knowing that He will never fail them and that He will love them forever. We are reminded in the eighth chapter of Romans that God constantly watches over those whom He has foreknown, redeemed, predestined, called, justified and will glorify. It is our Lord and Savior that protects us, saves us, forgives us and fills our spirit with promises that cannot be broken. Verse 31 say’s, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against (defeat) us?” In addition, we have confidence in the promise found in verses 35-37, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation (troubles, difficulties), or distress (worry, anxiety, fear), or persecution (suffering as a martyr) or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. No, in all things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through Him that loved us.” We can stand firm and believe with complete faith and trust, that no matter how dark the world becomes, we can be filled with His pure, holy light and be the reflection of HIS GLORY.

In II Chronicles, we see that a million-man army was attacking Asa but instead of relying on his fleshly ability to fight or run away in fear, he turned to God in fervent prayer. In a powerful and humble request, Asa confessed that he did not have the strength or resources to do battle against this enemy. As he cried out to God, he depended upon Him in faith and the awesome power of the Lord come to his rescue – and the enemy was defeated. I believe we can see the parallel between Asa and us as the children of God today. We stand in this hour observing the world as an environment of evil that has blinded the eyes of an endless multitude. The deceived are committed to fight for the kingdom of darkness and against the children of light. As we ponder the situation, we are trying to find the clear word of the Lord as to how involved He is calling us to be. We are listening to His voice and waiting to hear HIS specific instructions about what we are to do and say in the midst of this chaos. We do not want to waste our time arguing against this “upside down kingdom” with the carnal weapons of our flesh but rather desire to “walk” in divine wisdom and the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit because we know it is the only power that is effective. We desire to see God’s victory and to do His will, however we realize as Psalm 127:1 say’s, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman stands guard in vain”.

Spiritual warfare has as much to do with discerning right from wrong as it does praying and confessing. If we are not aware that something is trying to deceive us – we will not sense the danger of being defeated. Selah. In addition, the amount we are aware of God’s absolute truth depends on the abandonment of our will and our level of serious determination to be “filled” with His Holy Spirit. Those who sit at the feet of Jesus and learn directly from Him will be the ones who are given the revelation of His mysteries and His keys to spiritual success. Today we find ourselves in the middle of a “War of the Worlds” except this is NOT just a fictional fantasy, but rather a literal spiritual assault against God and His Kingdom. Satan is using a deceptive strategy and when we stand back and see the big picture, we know his weapons are actually “words”. The foundation of all communication has always been words, as God’s Word has always been the supreme law that rules heaven, earth, the cosmos and under the earth. It is difficult to argue the weight of God’s statement in Proverbs 18:21 that “life and death is in the power of the tongue.” Therefore, I believe we must pray not only for self-control to prevent us from releasing carnal words of frustration but also for discernment and wisdom to know how to reply and when. Remember that Jesus was under the control of the Spirit when He went through the process of His crucifixion and only answered with humility and holy wisdom. If we agree that pure words from the Fathers heart accomplish His will, then we can also be sure the devil realizes how much influence words can have. Since he is the father of all lies (John: 44), we know that words of deception are his most powerful weapon just as much as God’s Words are His most valuable asset.

Words reveal the character of the one who spoke them and becomes the evidence of identification. Selah. God is perfect and His Words are perfect. In this light, we can also be sure that Satan’s strategy for distorting, reshaping, disguising, misusing, twisting and manipulating are for the purpose of conforming minds and gaining followers. The devil is the ultimate imposter and his words are an empty, devastating disappointment, however if he could somehow “infuse” words with secret meanings and hidden properties of emotional persuasion, he might well be able to lead whole populations in ways that appear to them to be good – but which are ultimately devastating. This upside down kingdom is using this dangerous “word game” to convince those who are NOT sensitive to God’s Holy Spirit. This is the reason why it is crucial to stay consumed with an attitude of prayer and focused with the awareness of God’s presence. Listening to His still small voice is the ONLY way we will discern the difference between absolute truth and a spray-painted illusion of humanistic logic that “appears” to be truth. We are reminded that God’s Word is the pure, genuine, absolute reality that will never fail and our guaranteed promise of everything He has spoken. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” (Mathew 24:35)
We like to think words are just symbols that correspond to meanings but they are so much more. Words misused are little psychological explosive devises and when skillfully assembled they can become weapons of mass destruction. Deception can destroy the consciences of individuals, nations and the entire world – not physically and not immediately, but their ultimate result is part of Satan’s vision of stealing, killing and destroying. This is how the accuser of the brethren has ruined most of the governments and nations of history. The world’s conflicting ideologies, philosophies and religions are rooted in rebellion against the divine reality of God and His law, but how did it happen? By the use of clever language, twisted concepts and penetrating suppositions that build a tangled structure that seems strong and valid. It must appear impressive by instilling feelings that it has superior knowledge and the power and control of authority. These words (weapons), cause the weak to doubt themselves and to become intimidated into an alternate reality similar to the altered state of mind that drugs can give. For example, as homosexuals once seen, as people who were possessed with evil and who needed deliverance, are now embraced as being “gay”. The upside down kingdom has turned around the idea of abomination into something happy, normal and respectable. The same is true with abortion, as it was seen in the “right side up” world as a destructive, premeditated form of murder that was a sinful act of shame, it is now a “pro choice” for anyone that wants to terminate a human being. Political correctness has hijacked our language and conformed what was “unacceptable” in the eyes of God to a new “socially acceptable” world order. Atheist whom the Bible refers to as “fools” are now called “Brights”, illegal aliens are now referred to as “undocumented immigrants”. Today, increasing numbers of the socially acceptable refer to pedophilia as “intergenerational sex” and child molesters are now called “minor –attracted persons”. Euphemisms are now being used to convert a negative association into a positive one. To avoid offending Islam and Muslims (as a religion of peace?), our country is replacing the word “terrorism” with the more friendly term, “man-caused disasters”. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And, no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (II Corinthians 11:13–15) This passage contains perhaps the most important bit of information believers need to remember concerning the nature of Satan and his work. Paul tells us in this passage that the Devil “disguises” himself as an angel of light (verse 14).
Of course, Satan and his minions are often the direct source of much of the outright perversity and obvious evil that we see on this planet. However, since he is a coward and afraid of the light, the evil one would much rather approach us in the “guise” of something good and not something wicked. It is the old “wolf in sheep’s clothing idea”. If he came at us blatantly, he would be noticeable and easy to resist. The idea is the blind and spiritually unlearned are more likely to embrace his lies if he can somehow convince them (with the power of his words) that he is reliable. It is more easily understood in this sense, as to how the anti-christ will be able to convince the masses that what he can do is the healing solution to a suffering planet. Civilization has wondered just how Hitler and the other evil dictators of the past could persuade seemingly educated and “common sense” thinking people. These orators of hell were empowered with “weapons of communication” that could manipulate the human mind! We must pray constantly to have God’s view and for the protection of our thoughts from the dark arrows of words that are disguised as truth. As we recognize the imposter, we can not only focus our energy to God’s will but also help others to know His divine reality. How can we be led by God’s Spirit if we are agreeing with the wrong words?