Like it or not, every one of us is in a spiritual war. God is for us, and the devil is against us. The one we cooperate with is the one who will control us. You can’t be discharged from the service in this war, and ignorance of its extent only aids the enemy. The enemy loves to work covertly, using his only weapon, deception. In this teaching, Andrew exposes this war and the enemy for what he is.
welcome to gospel truth with Andrew
Wommack a teaching ministry that
emphasizes God’s unconditional love and
grace and now here’s Andrew welcome to
our Tuesday’s broadcast of the gospel
truth today I am continuing a series
that I started yesterday talking about
the believers Authority I have a
brand-new book out on this and the
subtitle on this book is really
interesting it says the believers
Authority and then the subtitle says
what you didn’t learn in church you know
there is a lot of teaching on the
believers Authority but in my estimation
I think it’s it leaves something it
there’s things wanting in it and there’s
many things than I disagree with and
that’s the reason that I’ve taught on
this myself but there is a overemphasis
in many cases I believe that the way the
believers Authority is taught and it of
course as you talk about your authority
you have to talk about what authority or
power does your enemy the devil have and
I think it’s often way overstated
Satan’s power and this leads believers
into a thing to where they are giving
Satan way too much credit they are
actually empowering him by doing that so
I’m trying to put this back into an a
balance we’re going to be talking about
our authority over the devil but this
book I think has a tremendous potential
to really touch people’s lives this is a
brand new book we also have this in CD
form and then we have DVDs as seen on
television and they would be a blessing
to you and one of the things that we’re
doing now is we have this study guide
and it’s the same material that’s
covered in the book but it’s in a
different format where it asks questions
there’s an answer key it’s set up for a
person to facilitate a Bible study or a
sunday-school class and there’s a DVD in
it that allows you to reproduce this
book as many times as you need so that
like if you are disciple in other people
in teaching in class then you can print
out the materials you can print out the
and things like this so that everybody
can have their own copy of this and
that’s really tremendous we’re getting a
great response to our study guides we’re
now putting out a study guide to go with
every book that we produce and so these
new materials I think are really going
to help you to be able to get this
teaching and get the full impact of it
yesterday I started this teaching and
basically what I’ve done so far is just
trying to emphasize that there is a
battle going on not directly between God
and the devil Jesus has already
confronted the devil and he beat him and
destroyed him hands down but then the
Lord turned his kingdom over to us here
on this earth and we have shared
authority with him and Satan isn’t
fighting God directly what he’s doing is
fighting God’s people and if we don’t
take our authority and exercise it then
Satan is able to do things really
illegally he’s already been conquered
he’s a defeated foe we have been given
the authority to exercise the defeat of
Satan but if we are unaware of this
Satan comes against us and he in a sense
is doing things illegally because we
just aren’t enforcing the victory that
Jesus has bought for us so the point is
that Satan isn’t fighting God directly
what he’s doing is fighting God’s people
and one of the things that he uses is
ignorance this is the reason that the
Bible says in John chapter 8 verse 32
and you shall know the truth and the
truth shall make you free once you
understand that Satan is a defeated foe
that we’re the ones with the all of the
power and authority and that there is
absolutely no right for the devil to
oppress and destroy people’s lives the
way that he’s doing once you know this
and I mean you know it in your on your
heart level then you get set free
because Satan’s only power really is
deception now I’m going to expound on
that more so I won’t go into that a lot
right now but later we’re going to be
talking about this that Satan can’t do
anything to you without your consent and
cooperation and one of the reasons that
people yield to the devil so much is
because they do
not realize we’re in a spiritual battle
they’re thinking that it’s just on a
human level that you have this sickness
that you have this poverty that you have
these relational problems that you’re
having problems at work that everybody
else seems to pass you up and nothing
ever works for you and people just think
it’s all on a human level it’s all
natural when many of these things are
demonic in their origin and if you don’t
understand that and then take your
authority and resist the devil the word
resist means to actively fight against
then he’s not going to flee from you and
there’s a lot of people who are praying
and asking God for help but they aren’t
taking their authority because they
don’t realize that it’s a spiritual
battle
they are just dealing with things in the
natural realm you know I said a lot of
things on that yesterday I’m not going
to go back and say that but I’m aware
that not every person watches this
program every day even if you watch it
you don’t always remember from day to
day what was said we get busy with life
and all the things we’re doing that’s
the reason that I’m really encouraging
you to get this book this study guide
the DVDs the CD you need to get this
material so that you can review it and
go over and over this because these are
things that we often let slip and we
just don’t remember but yesterday I
mentioned out of Ephesians chapter 2
verse 2 that there is a spirit of this
world the Prince of the power of the air
that works in the children of
disobedience before we got born again we
were all under the control of demonic
spirits and I know that there’s a lot of
people whole not me
yes you were according to Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 2 and then in Ephesians
chapter 6 verse 12 it says that we
wrestle not against flesh and blood but
against principalities against powers
against rulers of the darkness of this
world against spiritual wickedness in
high places and I know that there are
many of you thinking well I don’t have I
don’t ever encounter any demonic stuff
the Bible says that it is not flesh and
blood it is not just human there is
demonic activity many sicknesses are
demonic much poverty is demonic
there is a demonic attitude
of poverty that many of us have been
taught to where we are looking to all of
these things we’re using values that put
us in debt and it’s demonic and origin
and you aren’t just going to get a
physical answer this is the reason that
people win the lottery and they get all
of this money and you would think that
when they win millions and billions of
dollars that all their problems will be
over but the scripture says proverbs
23:7 as a man thinks in his heart so is
he the reason people are poor is because
of wrong attitudes wrong belief systems
and much of that not all of it but I
would say a large part of it is demonic
in its origin especially people who are
just have given themselves over to lust
and they can’t control themselves and so
they do things to excess they gamble
they eat to access you can eat yourself
into poverty they indulge every lust and
every desire they don’t use any
restraint you know you may not see this
but if you just keep peeling back the
layers at the root of a lot of poverty
is just self-indulgent and things that
comes from demonic spirits and this is
the reason that they win the lottery
they get millions of dollars and you
would think that to solve their problem
but in a matter of years they’re back in
the same situation because as a person
thinks in his heart that’s the way that
he is it’s not because they don’t have
enough money it’s because of the way
they think and so you give a person
who’s thinking incorrectly a lot of
money and I guarantee you they will be
back in poverty in a short period of
time and statistics bear this out that
the vast majority the majority of people
who win the lottery are in the same or
worse financial condition five or ten
years down the road because they they
had a problem to start with and just
giving them more money does not solve
the problem man there are some powerful
things I could say about that let me
give you a scriptural example I made
reference to this briefly yesterday but
in Matthew chapter 16 Jesus asked his
disciples who people were saying that he
was and some of them said well
you some people say your profit some
people say you’re Elijah reincarnated
some people think you know all these
different things and then jesus said
unto him in verse 15 he said but whom
say ye that I am Simon Peter answered
and said thou art the Christ the Son of
the Living God
men a very clear declaration of the
deity of Jesus the fact that he was the
Messiah and look at Jesus response to
this in verse 17 jesus answered and said
unto him blessed art thou simon barjona
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it
unto thee but my father which is in
heaven
so Jesus when he heard this declaration
said Simon this isn’t just human this
isn’t just natural you didn’t figure
this out on your own you were inspired
by God this is the spirit of the Living
God inspiring you to say this this was a
confession that was brought forth by the
Holy Spirit so here is Jesus saying that
you were inspired influenced led by a
godly spirit the Holy Spirit that this
was inspired by God it didn’t just come
out of yourself
no man on his own the scripture says is
that no man speaking by the Spirit of
God can call Jesus accursed
and no man can say that Jesus is Lord
but by the Spirit of the Lord nobody on
their own can embrace and confess that
you are the Christ the Son of the Living
God without being supernaturally
inspired if you would just think about
what I’m saying right here this is very
revealing you don’t just say these
things on your own it is not human
nature to embrace Jesus and to embrace
the things of God and to believe that
there is a God whom you can’t see human
nature just human left to themself will
not believe for things that they can’t
see so you have to be inspired by God to
believe that Jesus is the Son of God and
to embrace him and to seek Him and to
serve him and that’s what Jesus is
saying here it says over in John chapter
6 verse 44 that no
and can come under the Father accept the
Holy Spirit drawing no person on their
own just goes after God but the Holy
Spirit draws people there is this godly
influence at work to draw people unto
God some of you watching this program
right now this is abnormal for you to be
watching a Christian television program
and listening to a guy talk the way I’m
doing and yet you kind of were wondering
what’s going on the Holy Spirit’s
drawing you the Holy Spirit is speaking
to you you feel a drawing in your heart
this isn’t human it’s not natural it’s
God inspired and that’s what Jesus said
about Peters statement that he was the
Christ the Son of the Living God now
that took place in the 17th verse look
at this in the 21st verse this is the
same day this is just a matter of
minutes maybe an hour or two later it
says from that time forth begin Jesus to
show unto his disciples how that he must
go into Jerusalem and suffer many things
of the elders and the chief priests and
scribes and be killed and be raised
again the third day then Peter took him
and begin to rebuke him here’s the
disciple rebuking his teacher and it was
because Peter just thought that this is
unacceptable we are never going to let
anybody kill you we’ll fight to the
death will defend you Jesus this isn’t
going to happen so he began to say and
rebuke him saying be it far from the
lord this shall not be unto thee and
look at Jesus reaction he turned and
said unto Peter get thee behind me Satan
thou art an offence unto me for thou
savourest not the things that be of God
but those that be of men now here’s
Jesus speaking to the same person that
just moments before he had said Simon
this didn’t come from you this is
inspired by God it was the Holy Spirit
that revealed this unto you you are
speaking under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit in just minutes he turned
around and he says get behind me Satan
for you are an offense unto God now I
don’t know how you can read this and not
come to the conclusion that the things
that people say the things that people
do are
not all just of their own choosing it is
not just them doing it by themselves
totally free will but we are influenced
by God are we are influenced by the
devil I mean that is just so clear in
this passage and it’s clear it’s the
same person see these weren’t two
different people this is the same person
that in just moments he said you are the
Christ the Son of the Living God and
moments later here he is saying that’s
an not going to happen Jesus we won’t
let it happen in Jesus turned around and
he says get behind me Satan I tell you
that is such a dramatic illustration of
this that so much of what is going on is
not just human there are demonic things
happening and if you understand this
it’s going to make a huge difference in
the way you relate to people you know
when I first got started in ministry I
didn’t understand this as well as I do
now and I used to take a lot of things
personally and think this person’s mad
at me and why are they doing this and I
took offense easier than I do now I have
come to realize that people just yield
themselves to the devil sometimes they
say things that they don’t really mean
and believe and I’ve been able to
separate and recognize when something is
is just inspired by the devil and it’s
coming against me trying my faith and
trying to steal the word from me and
because of this I deal with things
differently I don’t take the same
offense I can sit there and be angry at
the devil and recognize that this is the
devil coming against me and separate
that from that person and there’s not a
perfect separation because Satan
couldn’t have spoken those things
through this person without their
cooperation and so there is some
responsibility on the person’s part but
I can recognize that sometimes people
just have a flesh flash and that they
allow the devil to take charge and I can
separate between that and I can turn
around and be angry at the devil and
rebuke the devil and yet have no
animosity whatsoever towards the person
I know some of you are thinking this is
weird but this is what I’m trying to get
raus that there is a spiritual warfare
Satan can speak through people and if
you understand this it’s going to make a
difference for one thing you’re going to
recognize that you’re fighting a
spiritual power and that spiritual power
cannot be overcome in physical natural
ways so you getting into the flesh and
arguing is not going to solve the
problem sometimes you just need to cut
to the chase go to the root of the
problem deal with the demonic thing and
leave out the person who is in between
who’s being used by the devil and you
just need to go straight to the root of
that thing you know let me give you an
example I hate to use this example
because I always get criticized over
this and people think I’m just mean and
that’s but this is my testimony and it
really illustrates the point that I’m
making and it’s about my mother you know
I love my mother at the time I’m making
this program my mother is 96 years old
we have a great relationship and but
there was a time that my mother this is
back when my son Joshua was just one
year old and he’s now I think he’s
turning 35 by the time this program is
aired and so that would have been 34
years ago long time ago my mother had
tried to stand on healing and she had a
failure she didn’t get the results that
she wanted and so she was kind of
wavering on whether this healing thing
was of God she thought I was on the
lunatic fringe and a little strange and
so she had tried to cooperate with me
and believe she didn’t get the results
that she wanted and so she was pretty
negative about it and this is back when
Jamie and I were in our poverty days and
my mother offered to take us on a
vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains in
North Carolina and Tennessee
so anyway we were going with her and I
told her I said we don’t have any money
but she offered to pay for everything so
we were going on this vacation this is
right after she had tried to believe her
healing had a negative experience and so
she had a cold and she really thought I
was too extreme on my
and about believing for healing and
stuff and so as we started the things
she was in kind of a bad mood and she
started confessing oh I’ve got this cold
Joshua’s going to catch my cold and I
began to start saying no he’s not going
to catch your cold and I began to start
taking my authority and resisting this
realizing that my mother she wasn’t
aware of it but her negativism and the
doubt that she was speaking could have
been an inroad into our lives and into
her son’s life and he could have gotten
sick so when she’d say he’s going to get
catch this cold I’d say no he’s not
going to catch this cold she said now
don’t set him in front of the air
conditioner he’ll blow on him and he’ll
get cold and she just was speaking
negative she was complaining about I
don’t have the money for this trip and I
said well let’s turn around now and go
home because I don’t have any money I
can’t help you I said if you don’t have
the money we can’t do it and she said oh
I’ve got plenty of money she was just
negative she was just having a bad day
and anyway this went on all day long and
because she’s my mother because I loved
her I tried to just be positive when she
was negative and not do anything but he
just kept on and on and on and that
night we stayed in a hotel room we all
stayed together my mother was in one bed
Jamie and I were in another and we
brought in a crib and we had Joshua in
this crib and anyway we went to bed in
about 11 o’clock or 11:30 something like
that Joshua woke up and he had this
croup in his throat that I mean it was
really loud you could have heard it in
the next room so I got up I prayed over
him I spoke in tongues i rebuked this
and within just a matter of moments
everything was fine he went back to
sleep I put him to bed but for every 30
minutes for hours he would wake up and
his crew would be back and it was just
this battle going on and somehow he may
not really believe this but I think that
the reason that it was going on and that
we were struggling is because my mother
had spoken these negative words she was
in disagreement there wasn’t unity Satan
was using that to hinder our faith and I
was just countering it and so here I was
rebuking this sickness praying over him
speaking in tongues he’d get better I’d
put him down but within 30 minutes he’d
be back up so that went on from like
11:30 until 2:30 or something like that
three
in the morning and every 30 minutes I
was up and down like a yo-yo praying
over my son in any way one time on the
way back to bed after I got Joshua down
my mother of course had been hearing all
of this laying there just listening to
it and my mother just spoke I mean real
real sarcastically and said admit it
Andy he’s sick and you know she knew
that I wasn’t allowing sickness we
weren’t putting up with sickness I was
fighting against it and she just in a
sense says it didn’t work
you lost just admit it that he’s sick
and you know what this I’m not saying
that this is the way you should do
things I’m this is my testimony I’m just
telling you this is what happened and it
does illustrate the point that I’m
talking about that when she said that I
mean it got all over me it was exactly
like Jesus with Peter Jesus loved Peter
Jesus wasn’t mad at Peter but he
recognized that Satan had inspired Peter
to say what he said and he turned around
and says get behind me Satan you know
what I did I remember getting right down
in my mother’s face and I said Satan in
the name of Jesus I rebuke this I
refused to accept this unbelief I
renounce this in the name of Jesus my
son is not sick he is well we refused to
accept it and I just spoke directly to
the devil that I believe inspired that
statement and did you know that Joshua
slept the rest of the night he never got
sick he never had another problem he was
finding the rest of the trip my mother
never said a word that night nor the
next two days if we were on vacation and
she wouldn’t talk to me I couldn’t make
her talk finally two or three days later
she said well I’m sorry you think I’m
the devil and I tried to explain I said
mother I am not mad at you but you just
gave in to your doubt you were speaking
things and it was inspired by the devil
and I said it worked I said I rebuke
this and took authority over it and I
said I never had another problem with
Joshua
and I tried to explain to her my mother
came around we are great friends I did
not hate my mother but I’m just trying
to illustrate again I say I share that
with reservations because I know I’m
going to get people saying that you
shouldn’t be doing things like this well
maybe you could have used more class
maybe you could have been more tactful
than what I did but the point is we were
fighting sickness and I knew that that
unbelief was inspired by the devil when
I countered it end of situation end of
the problem I’m telling you the way that
you realize it or not there are a lot of
things that are being spoken against you
that you may just think it’s people and
you’re trying to deal with it only on a
human level but just as Jesus did just
as I did likewise you should recognize
that there are things that are demonic
in origin and you are only going to
overcome it if you take your authority
and overcome the devil I’m out of time
today but I am going to continue this
teaching I got a lot more to share on
this and I think that this could really
help you again I’d like to encourage you
to please get the book and the study
guide that we’re offering here on the
believers Authority this is a brand-new
teaching our announcer will give you
some information and listen and then
call or write and join me again tomorrow
as we continue the gospel truth
the believers Authority is available for
the very first time in book form you can
receive your copy for seven pounds
request book T 327 when you write or
call or when you go to our website a
Spanish version is also available
request book T 735 the believers
Authority companion study guide is
available 417 pounds fifty request study
guide T 427 when you contact the
ministry this teaching is also available
in a six part CD album or it’s available
in a DVD album made from Andrews daily
TV broadcast each is offered for 19
pounds request CD album t 1045 C or DVD
album t 1045 d the first teaching in the
audio CD album titled we’re in a
spiritual war is also available for
three pounds but if you’re simply unable
to afford it andrew and his partners
will provide this first CD free of
charge request teaching number TL 18
when you write or call and will be
pleased to send it to you you know what
I was sharing today is just a very very
brief summary of some points and I have
so much more material on this I’ve got a
website that of course lists all of our
material and one of the good things
about the website is that you can get
the things that we’re offering they’re
free we have hundreds of my teachings
available as free downloads that you can
get as mp3s we also have about 10 years
worth of television programs probably 13
or 14 years worth of radio programs that
are free and that you can watch or
listen to right there on the web I’ve
got books articles just a wealth of
information of a Bible commentary that
you can get right on the web it would be
a tremendous blessing T we have that
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telephone our helpline number is zero
one nine two two four seven three three
hundred we’d like to point out andrew’s
upcoming speaking schedule he’ll be an
Amsterdam for the Euro spirit conference
May 21st through the 23rd Colorado
Springs Colorado for the annual summer
family bible conference June 29th
through July 3rd and in South Africa for
a gospel truth seminar July 21st through
the 23rd for more details on Andrews
next meeting in your area call our
helpline or visit our website at aw mi
dotnet this is Andrew Wommack and I’d
like to invite you to join me on May the
21st through the 23rd in Amsterdam I’m
going to be speaking at the Euro spirit
2009 and we’re going to have a number of
different speakers I’ll be ministering
to each day the 21st through the 23rd of
May we’re going to be holding this at
the Victory Outreach in Amsterdam it’s
going to be a great time and so all of
you watching over god TV I’d encourage
you to come and be a part of this May
the 21st through the 23rd Victory
Outreach in Amsterdam
if you just know what God told you to do
then it’s not a challenge it’s an
adventure I wasn’t ready to make a
commitment until I really knew that this
was God so we decided that okay from
this point on we’re not going to speak
to each other we’re not gonna write
we’re not gonna be in contact I gave up
marriage and I thought all right that’s
it
I need to read the Bible I need to find
out what what it says I need to find out
who God is we could be dropped from the
helicopter anywhere on the subcontinent
of India and somehow God was could
direct us
God has given us a plan and we’re seeing
people change forever
and it’s not just surface it is inner
spirit
be sure to tune in tomorrow for more
gospel truth