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 Wednesday’s broadcast of the gospel
truth today I am continuing a series
that I’m entitled the believers
Authority and this is something I’ve
taught on for many many years but I do
have a brand new book out we just turned
this into a book I’m really excited
about this because this is a teaching
that is different than what you’ve heard
in church matter of fact it it’s the
title is the believers Authority and
then the subtitle is what you didn’t
learn in church this is radically
different than the way most people
approach taking authority over the devil
we’re going to be explaining some things
about Satan where he came from where he
got his authority from that is just
going to rattle a lot of people’s cage
because that makes a big difference in
when you understand where your enemy got
his power from and what authority and
power he has and when you understand
that yours is infinitely superior it
makes a big difference in the way you
relate to him we’re going to be exposing
what I consider to be much of the
foolishness I don’t know any better way
to say it than just foolishness that is
in the intercession movement spiritual
warfare movement and I guarantee you
this is going to be different but that
doesn’t mean it’s wrong it’s definitely
working in my life and I’m seeing good
results from it so for the first couple
of days this week what I’ve been trying
to do is just stress the fact that we
are in a spiritual war that not
everything we’re dealing with is
physical there are demonic powers
operating behind the scenes that are
inspiring people I’ve used Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 2 where it says that
every person not some but every person
prior to being born again has the Prince
of the power of the air the spirit that
now works in the children of
disobedience every non-believer is under
the
influence and again I’m not making a
distinction between possessed oppressed
deep breaths this Greek only says that
they are demonized at times everyone of
us have had Satan influence us and we’ve
said and done things contrary Ephesians
chapter 6 verse 12 says that you 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 that’s specifically saying it is
not physical the the strife the
criticism the variance between people
often is demonic and its origin and if
you don’t recognize that and if you’re
only trying to solve situations with
physical power well then you aren’t
going to be successful you need to
recognize that there is a demonic power
operating that causes this division we
took the examples in Matthew chapter 16
where Jesus complimented Peter and said
blessed are You Simon bar Jonah for
flesh and blood hath not revealed this
unto you you were inspired by the holy
spirit you were speaking under the power
and the direction of the Holy Spirit and
then in just a couple of verses Jesus
turns around and says get behind me
Satan for you savor not the things that
be of God Jesus complimented Peter for
being inspired by God under the control
of God and then in just verses turned
around and rebuked him for being under
the control of the devil so in one
person you can see on the same day or
certainly within a very short period of
time the same person was under the power
and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
and in just a few verses was under the
control of the devil you can go back and
forth you aren’t either all being led by
the Holy Spirit or all being led by the
devil there can be a combination and we
can go back and forth between these two
we have the Spirit of God working on us
constantly to bring us unto God to
inspire us to forgive and operate
goodness and kindness towards people and
we have the spirit of the devil through
demons constantly trying to get us into
selfishness pride unfor
bitterness and a lot of people don’t
recognize they just think everything is
on a natural level let me use this verse
out of James chapter 3 and verse 16 and
you know in my estimation I think this
is one of the most critical scriptures
in the Bible in a negative way it says
in James 3:16 it says for wherein v-nand
strife is there is confusion and every
evil work you know confusion it says
over in 1st Corinthians chapter 14 that
God is not the author of confusion but
of peace as in all of the churches of
the Lord so if God isn’t the author of
confusion guess who is Satan is so in
James 3:16 again where it says where
envy and strife is there is confusion
you could say there is the devil the
author of confusion and every evil work
it didn’t say some evil works it didn’t
say this is a big in wrote of the devil
this is saying this is one of the most
sweeping scriptures in the Bible that
when you get into envy and strife you
open up the door to the devil and
everything he wants to do in your life
boy that is one strong powerful
scripture and again most Christians they
don’t like this terminology about being
humanists we think about as being people
who are non-believers who don’t
acknowledge God any spiritual realm
everything is just all physical natural
there is a physical explanation for
everything and we criticize that but
there are a lot of Christians who don’t
recognize that envy and strife opened up
a door to the devil and allow him to do
whatever he wants to and so they think
that there’s only physical natural
reasons that all of these things are
happening and they don’t even make the
connection they don’t connect these dots
about that it’s this envy and strife
that is causing this problem I’m sure
that there’s people watching this
program right now that you have
unforgiveness bitterness in your heart
there’s probably been hurts and pains I
mean we live in a fallen world and
bad things to happen to all of us and I
can guarantee you there’s lots of people
probably millions of people watching
this program who have unforgiveness they
have people that they have bad feelings
towards you talk about them you say
things you are critical of them and
you’re thinking but they deserve it and
you’re just thinking on a human level
I’m saying through this verse that
whether you realize it or not we’re in
Ving and strife is there is the devil
confusion the author of confusion is the
devil and every evil work you are
throwing open the door to your life and
just allowing Satan free access to you
by harboring unforgiveness there are
some of you that think well no I’m
hurting this person I just can’t let
them go and you know what the person let
me just say this in love I know there’s
going to shock some of you and it’s not
going to be a blessing at first but
sometimes you got to be terrified before
you get edified some of you think you’re
hurting the other person by holding
things against them and saying I’ll
never forgive them and let them go and
you know what the other person could
care less they have forgotten you they
are not being bothered by this your
bitterness and your unforgiveness isn’t
holding them and hurting them but you
know what it’s doing it’s allowing Satan
to bind you your life is in a mess and
you are having all kinds of problems and
you can’t understand why do these things
happen and you just feel like nothing
ever works for me and you’ve never made
this connection
I’m helping you don’t understand that
you are in a spiritual war and when you
get into unforgiveness bitterness and
strife you aren’t hurting the other
person you’re hurting yourself you are
allowing Satan a direct inroad into your
life where he’s going to eat your lunch
and pop the bag and then you just can’t
understand how did the devil how was he
able to do this envy and strife is a
direct in wrote of Satan into your life
that allows anything he wants to do you
know I had an instance many years ago
this has been nearly 30 years ago where
I went to a church I won’t mention what
church or what town so that I won’t be
critical of any individual
but this church was just coming from a
denominational mindset to where they
believe God could do miracles but they
didn’t believe that we had any authority
we couldn’t control them and so it was
just kind of like God could do a miracle
and you just pray and ask and if it be
your will well they were coming into the
place under the leadership of the pastor
to believe that it was God’s will for us
to be well and so they had started
taking this standing believing God wants
us well and before I got there two days
before I arrived to hold a meeting in
this church they had buried I think it
was a 16 year old boy and the whole
church he had been in the hospital and
in a coma and the whole church had
fasted and prayed and they had believed
God they had Prayer around the clock and
they had tried to see this boy healed
and yet he wasn’t healed he died they
had his funeral two days before I got
there so when I got there of course this
was on the minds of everyone they were
brand-new at really believing that it
was God’s will to heal every single time
and their faith was shaken and so I just
had to start dealing with this and for
the first three days after I got through
with the morning services every day I’d
go out and I’d eat with the parents of
this boy who had died because they were
asking questions why how could this
happen
everybody prayed we had hundreds of
people pray and we had people fasting we
had around the clock Prayer if it’s
really God’s will how could this happen
and at first I didn’t know what to tell
him I just told him I said look it is
God’s will that’s what the Bible clearly
teaches but I said there’s things that
you know can happen to keep God’s will
from coming to pass and I said I don’t
know what the problem is so that’s the
reason I was going out to eat with him
and I was asking them questions and I
was trying to help them in fact figure
out what went on
well anyway to make this story short
there was so much strife in the home the
husband and wife had already planned on
getting a divorce they were in the
process of separating and there was
tremendous amount of strife and this not
only was between the husband and the
wife but of course the children were
affected by this and there was just high
levels of strife in the home and the
very day that this tragedy happened the
mother had a fight with her son and got
so mad that she says get out of this
house and never come back I never want
to see you again and you know she
probably didn’t mean that she probably
just got into the heat of the emotion
and like we were teaching from mark
chapter 16 she allowed the devil to
speak through her she probably didn’t
mean that towards her son but
nonetheless he got hurt by this he went
to school and because of all of this
stuff going on he broke the school
policy he left the school grounds he
went over to a friend’s house during
lunch and they were eating lunch at his
house and as they were eating they found
the father’s gun and they got this gun
and were playing with it and the boy
accidentally shot himself in the head
and that’s the reason that he had been
in a coma and that’s why everybody was
praying for him and when I found out all
of this stuff you know what I did I
turned over to James 3:16 and said we’re
in Ving and strife is there is confusion
Satan the author of confusion and every
evil work they were saying how could
this have happened how could our son
have died well the reason all of this
happened was because they tolerated
strife they were saying things and
hurting each other and this allowed the
devil to come in and Satan I got this
boy to a place where he was doing things
that were foolish and childish and he
violated the laws you shoot yourself in
the head with the gun and I guarantee
it’s going to cause brain damage and if
it’s severe enough it will kill him and
that’s exactly what happened and they
just couldn’t understand how this had
happened after I learned all of these
things I said I know exactly how it
happened you can’t allow strife in like
this you can’t just sit there and live
in strife and think that it has no power
I know that I’m speaking to a lot of
people right now that man this is
shocking you because you live in a lot
of strife and you just think well this
is the way my family is we were raised
this way this is the way some people
just interact with their family you know
there’s a lot of people that are raised
with a double standard you treat
strangers better than you treat your own
family when you’re at home boy you say
things that you would never say to
anybody else you do things that you
would never do you let your hair down
you just expose all of your carnal
necessity if you’re going to treat
anybody good it ought to be the people
that you are committed to living with
the rest of your life you ought to treat
them better than you treat anybody else
you know my brother right after he first
got married of course they got all of
these gifts at their wedding that
everybody does and they had all of this
China and the sterling silver and the
Cristal and all of these kind of things
but they were using these other plates
and these other utensils anyway he came
home one day after work and his wife was
fixing supper and she had all of the
China out the crystal the sterling
silver and he says so what does all this
for and says well we got friends coming
over for supper tonight and so I put out
our best you know what my brother did he
grabbed all at China and the crystal and
the sterling silver and put it up and
put out the other stuff and he says from
now on our family will use the China and
the crystal and the sterling silver and
we’ll use the other stuff for other
people now that’s symbolic as much as
anything but you know what it really
does say something about that my brother
put a priority on his family and because
I would he had a great family not his
wife died a few years ago in a car wreck
he’s remarried but I mean they had a
great relationship because he honored
his family and he put his family first
but most of us were raised with a double
standard to where around family you may
say things you may scream and yell at
each other but when you’re out in public
you don’t treat each other that way you
act like everything’s fine and you try
and present this image and you treat
strangers better than you would treat
your own family some of you that’s just
kind of the rules that you grew up with
and you never thought about it and so
you tolerate strife in the home as well
this is family we just this is the way
we treat each other the Bible says we’re
envy and strife is there’s confusion and
every evil work you are opening up a
door to the devil and there’s some of
you that are praying the Word of God and
you pay your tithes and you pray and
believe God for Prosperity and you are
trying to prosper and yet it seems like
every time you take one step forward you
take two steps backwards you’re
struggling financially and you just
can’t understand it
because you are giving and you’re
believing all of the scriptures and
speaking the word and you just can’t
understand how is it that the devils
enter in you do you have strife in your
heart are you at variance with the
people in your family are you
criticizing people are you mad at people
do you have unforgiveness if you have
any of those things there’s no reason to
look any further than that because that
just opens up the door to every evil
work you give Satan free shots at you
every time you get into strife and
bitterness and I know some of you right
now are just being overwhelmed like oh
man if this was true I’m in big trouble
you are I tell you Satan takes advantage
of strife and most people just don’t
connect these dots and they don’t
understand how is it that I was a been
sick and then all of a sudden this
terrible thing happened and man I’m
trying to eat right and I’m healthy and
I do this and I just can’t understand
why I’m sick well are you operating in
strife you know I’ve actually been in a
home one time where the woman was
talking about her son and there was just
a tremendous amount of strife between
her and her son and she was just I just
can’t understand why this is I pray for
him I’m trying to do all of the right
things but I stayed in her home I saw
her interact with her son and one of the
things that happened her son came down
and I mean she just yelled at him about
get up there and make your bed you lazy
kid you’re never going to amount to
anything unless you do better and she
just railed on him and she had already
asked me the day before about what is it
that’s caught why can’t we get along and
you know what I did I just walked into
her and I said why don’t you tell me I
hadn’t made my bed yet I said why don’t
you talk to me the way you talked to
your son and tell me and yell at me and
say you lousy thing you’re never going
to amount to anything I said you would
never speak to me that way and yet this
the way you speak to your son and you
wonder why you’re having problems where
in viña and strife is there is confusion
and every evil work when you think that
you can talk to your mate or your child
like a dog and treat them like that
because their family members then I you
know what something is seriously wrong
with the way you think you need to treat
everybody good but if you are going to
have double standards you ought to treat
the people that you live with and love
the most the best and yet it’s not that
way you know I’ve pastored churches and
I had a lot of people come in for
counseling and I remember often that
people you know in a counseling session
they try and be on their best behavior
and they had try and say well honey and
they would say these things and they
would say they would try and restrain
themselves and I knew that when they
were at home if they would have been
talking about this that had been
screaming and yelling but see they were
on their best behavior in front of me
and I remember one time a man who is
just treating his wife terribly and the
man I mean it is usually there’s two
people that have a problem it’s not all
one-sided but the man seemed to be the
majority of this problem and anyway I
just unloaded on this guy I mean I
talked to him and I said you are a
first-class jerk you treat your wife
terrible and I blasted this guy and I
said unless you change unless you do
some things man you’ll never see her
love you and respect you the way that
you want and I just blasted this guy
because it was all true
and you know what this guy did you could
tell that he was upset he did not like
what I said but he honored me and he
respected me and he controlled himself
and he says well you’re probably right
and he tried to be polite and he
received the criticism he didn’t like it
but he received it and you know what I
did I took that and I said I know that
you don’t like what I’ve said but
because I’m a stranger you are treating
me with respect and being nice and doing
things I said if your wife would have
said to you what I just said it would
have been World War three
you would have let her have it and I
said this is one of the big problems in
your life is that you’d think that
because she’s your mate that you just
have freedom and right to say all of
these things and you express yourself
and you don’t hold anything in and you
just VIN it and you spew out all of this
venom and then you wonder why you’re
having these problems I said if you
would treat your wife with as much
respect as you just treated me with you
would have a good marriage and I know
that there’s people watching this
program all around the world that it
right now is just like a lights going on
some of you this is the first time this
has ever dawned on you that you mean I
just don’t say everything that I feel of
course you don’t say it to your boss of
course you don’t say it to a judge or
somebody who has the ability to you know
punish you for it
of course you don’t say it maybe the
friends and stuff you reserved yourself
but at home there is some of you that
you there is no filter between your
brain and your mouth you say things and
you let this strife out and then you
wonder why is it that we’re having
problems how come we’re having financial
problems how come people are sick how
come things aren’t working better and
you just never connect the dots you
don’t have to be not tithing and not
giving to have financial problems you
could be doing everything the word says
but just get into strife and start doing
that and every evil work that means even
financial ruin can come at you through
this strife that you allow into your
life you could be eating healthy and
exercising and trying to do things right
but just be an angry bitter person have
unforgiveness in your heart and I
guarantee you Satan will come in and put
sickness and disease on you and destroy
your life I don’t know how to make this
any clearer but we are in a spiritual
war and whether the person that you’re
angry at it it doesn’t matter if it’s a
family member it doesn’t matter if it’s
somebody else it doesn’t matter if it’s
a person that cut you off in traffic and
you think well they don’t know what I’ve
said they didn’t hear me it doesn’t hurt
anything it doesn’t matter whether the
person you’re angry at and critical
about is being hurt or not that
bitterness that strife is
opening up a door into your life and
allowing the devil to come in and just
shoot his best shot and there’s not a
person watching this program that is so
far ahead and so strong in the Lord that
you can just give the devil free reign
in your life the shoot is best shot to
bring his his best disaster into your
life and overcome it no you can’t do
that you need to close this door to the
devil you need to recognize you’re in a
spiritual battle in your actions even
your emotions are direct inroads of
Satan into your life and if you don’t
understand that it doesn’t mean it’s not
happening it just means that you don’t
have a clue why it’s happening you’re
one of these that feel like everything
is out of control and now I have no
control and who knows why things happen
there’s very good reasons why things
happen and I tell you a lot of it’s
because people don’t realize we’re in a
spiritual war they indulge their flesh
they do things that they shouldn’t be
doing and they are giving Satan place in
their life you need to recognize we’re
in a spiritual war now I’m out of time
today but I am going to continue to
teach on this on our program tomorrow I
encourage you to listen in and also I’d
like to encourage you to get the
materials we’ve got this brand-new book
study guide a DVD and CD of this
teaching on the believers Authority and
it could make a big difference in your
life listen as our announcer gives you
that information and call or write today
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 for 17 pounds 50 request study
guide T for 27 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 let me
emphasize once again that this is a
brand new teaching that I have out I
have this brand new book this is the
very first time we’ve offered this book
and it’s companion study guide and I
think that this book on the believers
Authority what you didn’t learn in
church it’s going to make a huge
difference this is one of the
foundational things that God has taught
me and I tell you it makes a big
difference in my life I believe that
this is really going to help you so we
have a lot of information on this you’ve
got this book you’ve got the study guide
we’ve got a DVD that was made live from
a gospel truth seminar where I taught on
this subject we’ve got our television
programs that you can get and a CD set
so a lot of different ways that you can
take advantage of this teaching please
call or write today you can reach us
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number is zero one nine two two four
seven three three hundred we’d like to
point out Andrews 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 me 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 gonna 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 a 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