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

address on your screen I encourage you

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days a week at a WME net on our website

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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