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.
on a teaching ministry that emphasizes
God’s unconditional love and grace and
now here’s Andrew welcome to our
Thursday’s broadcast of the gospel truth
today I’m continuing a series that I
started this last Monday talking about
the believers Authority and this is a
powerful teaching I believe that this is
where a lot of Christians are making
their mistake they are asking God to do
what he told us to do he gave us
authority over the devil to resist the
devil and Christians are beseeching God
and not taking their authority and Satan
is winning because we aren’t stepping up
to the plate and taking the authority
that God has given us so this is a major
teaching this is a major thing and I
have a brand new book out on this I
entitled the believers Authority it’s
subtitled what you didn’t learn in
church and we also have a study guide on
this this is nearly 400 pages I think
it’s three hundred and seventy or eighty
pages and it’s really a great deal it’s
specifically designed to help you teach
a Bible study or a Sunday School class
something like that there is some
material that you read where we start
the subject and start it going and then
there is a place where you ask questions
there’s an answer key to those questions
there’s a teacher’s guide section in
here there’s a list of all of the
scriptures that were used in that lesson
and it is just a great way to do it plus
there is a cd-rom on the inside cover of
this that allows you to print this book
as many times as you need so if you have
15 or 20 people in a Bible study you
could actually fit print out all of the
copies so that every person there could
have a copy of this in their hand as you
go through and disciple them I’m excited
about this because really this kind of
teaching this subject is something that
you need to meditate on you just don’t
get it by hearing it it’s the kind of
thing that you need to go through and
especially to be able to share it with
other people you need to be able to
break it down to discuss it I’ve already
covered some things in just the first
three days this week that are so
contrary
why people believe that it takes a while
for this to soak down on the inside I’ve
been talking about how we’re in a
spiritual war we before we really take
our authority and use it you’ve got to
realize how serious the situation is and
I remember when I was drafted and
trained to go into Vietnam
everybody knew we were going to Vietnam
but you know when you were in basic
training they tried to scare you and do
things and there was constant I remember
that there was just explosions going off
all of the time we were always shooting
our weapons we were throwing hand
grenades when you’d go through these
local crawl pits
they’d have machine-gun fire above you
and then you’d go beside a pit and
they’d explode knit it bounce you off
the ground and you know there was just
all of these explosions and over a
period of time I kind of got used to it
and when I was in basic I knew that they
weren’t going to kill me I knew that
they were wanting me to live too so I
could go to Vietnam and fight the battle
and even though they said this is
dangerous I knew that they were doing
things in a way that you know you would
have had to have really done something
stupid to get hurt and killed and basic
and so anyway even though there was
explosions there was rifle fire there
was all these things going on I took it
all with a grain of salt and over a
period of time I kind of got hardened to
it to where it didn’t even affect me I
could sleep through things when there
was explosions and stuff going on but I
remember when I got into Vietnam and
when we landed it long been in Vietnam
there is a mortar attack and he wasn’t
real close but it was close enough that
they made us get off and run and crawl
to this bunker and get through this
mortar attack and we came in in the
middle of the night and they processed
us and after I think it’s 2 or 3 o’clock
in the morning I was laying on my bunk
and it was one of these metal bunks that
had the springs in it and the mattress
on it and I was laying on this bunk in
Vietnam and you know what there had been
explosions going off you could hear it
in the distance but like I said I was
used to that in basic and I just kind of
had hardened myself and it didn’t mean
anything to me but as I was laying in
that bunk trying to go to sleep there
the Rockets were coming in and I could
hear these explosions and they were
close enough to us that my bunk those
Springs I was bouncing on my bunk from
the explosion of rockets and mortars and
I remember laying there and it just
dawned on me that this wasn’t basic this
wasn’t friendly fire trying to prepare
us for something and teach us this was
somebody shooting at us they were trying
to kill us and it was close enough that
my bunk was bouncing from the explosions
and you know what happened I remember
laying there and just thinking I’m not
in Kansas anymore this isn’t this isn’t
make-believe anymore somebody’s trying
to kill me and they’re close enough that
I can feel the percussion from this
thing and you know what I mean I got
serious all of a sudden it was no longer
training all of my antennas went up and
they put us through a week of training
once we got into Vietnam and you know in
basic people half-heartedly paid
attention they were goofing around and
doing things you know what they had our
attention I mean I was listening to
everything they said I knew that my life
could depend upon it I mean as they were
teaching us you could hear the
explosions and all of the sounds of war
going on in the background and all of a
sudden I they had my attention I was
completely committed focused I was
learning everything they had to tell me
and the point that I’m trying to make is
that there’s a lot of you as Christians
that haven’t taken this seriously you
don’t realize that we’re in a spiritual
war that everything we do every attitude
every emotion that you have every action
that you have everything that you say
everything that you do is either
yielding yourself to God and allowing
him to have dominance in your life and
release his love and all of his blessing
or we are allowing Satan to have access
to us through our emotions and through
the things that we’re doing now I know
that that’s a very simple statement but
that is that is something that I
Everage person doesn’t accept I would
say that probably the majority of you
watching this program you might sit
there and say well yeah that’s true but
in practical terms you do not live your
life that way for instance I can
guarantee you there’s some of you on
your way into work people will cut you
off and you say things you may wave at
them with one finger you may do things
and you you may sit there and say well
they don’t know I mean I I didn’t hurt
anybody they didn’t hear what I’ve got
to say you’re missing the point I use
this verse on our program yesterday out
of James chapter 3 verse 16 it says for
we’re envying and strife is there is
confusion and every evil work did you
know whether the person that cuts you
off in traffic here’s what you’ve got to
say or not did you know that if you vent
and if you do something and yield
yourself to the flesh and and yield
yourself to anger and bitterness and
things like this did you know that you
are allowing Satan place in your life
and again we’re envying and strife is
there is confusion Satan is the author
of confusion and every evil work you
have just opened up a door into your
life to the devil and it’s amazing to me
how people don’t realize that we’re in a
war they don’t take it seriously like
well I didn’t hurt anybody you know my
daddy in law he was crate guy we had a
good relationship and I like them but bf
was he had a little attitude problem and
he was very outspoken and I remember
being with him one time and he got mad
and called a guy in front of him a jerk
and he was saying all of these things
and just blasting this guy and I’ve said
something I don’t remember exactly what
it was but I made a reference to that
and BF had no connection he says it
didn’t hurt a person he didn’t hear what
I said
it didn’t affect a thing nobody was
offended and he didn’t realize that
whether anybody else hears this or not
it’s affecting you you are yielding
yourself to an attitude that I can
guarantee you did not come from God that
came from the devil
and it opens up a door into your life I
remember another instance where I was
there was a guy in our church who got
born again I mean a dramatic conversion
but he had been a total mess prior to
this time I mean he was the first person
in the history of California who is
indicted by a grand jury three times
before he was 13 years old he was in and
out of reformatories from the time he
was five years old he lived a terrible
life a terrible ungodly life and when he
got born again he did get born again and
he was genuinely saved there was a
change in him but you know what there
was still a lot of things that were
being worked out in any way one day I
went over to his house I knew he was
supposed to be there he had told me to
come over so I expected them to be there
but I knocked on the door nobody came so
what I did I walked around the house
into the backyard he worked on old cars
and he upholstered them and so I thought
maybe he was out there working on one of
these cars and when I walked around the
side of the house this guy had a fence
post and he was beating this car and I
mean saying words that I didn’t even
know what all I meant and he was blasted
in this car and yelling and he was
beaten the devil out of this car and I
came around the corner and this guy saw
me and all of a sudden he stops and got
a twinge of conviction you know I was a
pastor of the church and he stopped and
looked at me and he says it’s a car he
says I didn’t hurt anybody he says it
doesn’t matter if I say something to a
car it’s a car it’s okay I didn’t do
anything wrong and I had to start
teaching him that it doesn’t matter if
it’s a car it doesn’t matter if it’s a
tree it doesn’t matter if it’s a dog
that you’re mad it doesn’t matter
whether the thing that you’re mad at is
a person or a innate object or an animal
if you are giving place to anger like
that it says in James chapter one the
wrath of man does not work the
righteousness of God that is an
understatement the wrath of man is
actually a yielding to the devil God is
not the one who inspires us to say
these things and the blast things and to
do all of this this is being inspired by
the devil and you do that again James
3:16 we’re in fein and strife is there
is confusion and every evil work you’ve
just thrown open the door to the devil
and it doesn’t matter if it’s car
doesn’t matter if it’s a tree doesn’t
matter what it is you have thrown open
the door by your anger and by saying
these things and you are just allowing
Satan to come in and steal kill and
destroy in John chapter 10 it says the
thief cometh not but for it to steal
kill and to destroy us talking about the
devil the rest of the verse goes on to
say but I am come that you might have
life and have it more abundantly if you
yield to Satan if you yield to him
whether it’s through actions whether
it’s through words whether it’s through
emotions when you yield to the devil you
are yielding to Satan the author of
those things and he is going to come
steal kill and to destroy
in Romans 6:16 the scripture says know
ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves
servants to obey his servants ye are to
whom ye obey whether of sin unto death
or of obedience unto righteousness when
you yield to sin and it doesn’t have to
be just total rebellion he could just
you know you could yield to depression
and I know that some of you right now or
what that’s that’s not sin yes it is the
Bible says rejoice in the Lord always
and again I say rejoice it says in John
chapter 16 verse 33 in the world you
shall have tribulation but be of good
cheer I have overcome the world it says
in John 14:1
let not your heart be troubled you
believe in God believe also in me it
says in Philippians chapter 4 rejoice in
the Lord always and again I say rejoice
in the Old Testament Deuteronomy chapter
28 it says that God brought judgment
upon the children of Israel because they
would not praise the Lord for the
abundance of all things because they
didn’t express joy and thankfulness God
brought judgment on that God would be
unjust to judge you for something that
you have no control
all over again see what I’m doing I’m
hitting up against some concepts right
now that are probably hindering some
people from receiving because you said
pay depression it’s just a byproduct I
don’t choose depression I don’t have any
authority in this area yes you do our
God would be unjust to command you to
rejoice in the Lord always he didn’t say
when you feel like it when everything is
going good rejoice in the Lord always if
you aren’t rejoicing in the Lord you are
giving place to the devil you are
yielding to the influence and the
tendencies and the temptations of the
devil and Satan is having inroad into
your life and he’s affecting you and
doing things through this you can’t
control your emotions again even a large
segment of the church will say no
emotions this is all humanistic it is
just natural it’s hormones its chemicals
I don’t have any control over that’s not
what the Bible teaches the Bible teaches
in James chapter 1 that sin is conceived
in your emotions in James chapter 1
verse 14 but every man is tempted when
he is drawn away of his own lust and
enticed then when lust hath conceived it
brings forth sin and sin when it is
finished bringeth forth death if you
read this in the NIV it talks about
desires the word lust has taken on a
connotation today where we just think of
that as sexual and always demonic but
the word lust if you look it up in a
dictionary it’s just a strong or
overpowering desire or emotion this
isn’t talking about necessarily demonic
lust for a person that’s not your mate
matter of fact the scripture in
relations chapter 5 I believe it’s verse
16 says the spirit lust against the
flesh and the flesh lusts against the
spirit in that instance you know that
this isn’t talking about some sexual
desire it’s just talking about that the
Holy Spirit has strong emotions and
wants us to be separated unto God and is
jealous over us and so the word lust
here is literally talking about in your
emotions and notice it
says every man is tempted when he is
drawn away of his own lust desires
emotions and enticed and when your lust
your desire or your emotions have
conceived it brings force in this verse
is saying that sin starts in your
emotions most people are looking at the
actions of sin they don’t want to go out
and commit adultery but they will
indulge all kinds of emotions that
conceive and lead towards the birth of
the act of adultery and they don’t make
this connection they think well all I’ve
got to do is just stop the birth well
this is like a woman who doesn’t want to
have children but she takes no authority
no responsibility over her own actions
and so she has relationships constantly
and she allows people to impregnate her
but then she doesn’t want the birth and
so she uses abortion to stop it and she
does all these things most people would
say that’s irresponsible that’s not what
you’re supposed to do and I agree but
you know what spiritually Christians are
doing the same things they allow their
emotions to go places they should never
go they read things they watch things
that that conceive lust emotions in
their heart and then they try and keep
from acting it out I remember a Bible
college student that came to me one time
and his wife had severe depression and
so he brought her into my office and I
was talking to her and she was basically
telling me that ever since she was a
little girl she had severe depression
and for one month or two months out of a
year she would just be depressed and
then she’d snap out of it and she was
okay
and she was acting like there was no big
deal and I was saying look this is
serious you need to stop this and she
was basically saying no this is the way
I am she had accepted it see she didn’t
realize that there’s a spiritual war
going on and she didn’t realize that
when you indulge depression that you are
conceiving something and I tried with
everything I had to show her these
scriptures and to tell her that every
time you give place to depression every
time you let your emotions go south
okay what your justification is you are
conceiving something and then you aren’t
going to like the birth of this it’s the
devil that’s conceiving those negative
things on the inside of you and you’re
trying to stop the birth you don’t want
to act it out but you don’t want to take
any responsibility for the conception
that’s as irresponsible as a woman who
has physical relationship with a man all
of the time and yet just can’t
understand why she gets pregnant and why
she’s giving birth she doesn’t want the
children but she loves the relationship
that’s not the way that it works you
have to take authority over yourself and
I’m telling you that if you have
negative emotions there are times that
some of you know that you’re wrong you
know that you shouldn’t be griping you
know that the Bible says rejoice in the
Lord always you know that strength and
power is in joy you know this but you
feel something so passionately that you
just feel like I’m just going to vent
I’m going to let all of this out I know
I shouldn’t but I just think I’d feel
better if I do it I felt that way I
remember a time that I went to Bridgette
Colorado there was 10 people in this
church I went there we saw a man raised
from the dead and the church grew from
10 to a hundred people in a town of a
hundred and forty-four people I gave up
everything for the first time in my life
I could see light at the end of the
tunnel and it wasn’t a train it was
actually the end and I was seeing
success when I was in Childress Texas
and I left all of that and went to this
little tiny place called Pritchett
Colorado if it wasn’t the end of the
world you could see it from there it was
that close
I went there laid my life down gave up
everything that you know I had been able
to accumulate everything that was going
good in my life I left it to go to this
little tiny place of pretty Colorado and
within six months the people were
wanting to string me up lynch me they
hated me they were circulating rumors
that I was having an affair that I was
getting drunk doing drugs they lied
about me they said anything and
everything and I just got tired of it
and you know what I was going to have a
pity party
I mean I was waiting on Jamie and the
boys to go to bed and I had determined I
was just going to get down and gripe and
complain and tell God how upset I was
over this I knew it wasn’t right but I
just that’s the way I felt and I just
wanted to do it and you know while I was
waiting on Jamie and the boys to go to
bed praise God the Holy Spirit began to
encourage me and by the time they
finally got to sleep and I was ready for
my pity party I went down and just
started praising God and decided I was
going to do what the word says and I
wasn’t going to indulge my flesh and so
I can relate to what many of you feel
but I’m telling you it’s wrong I’m
saying that you conceived something
every time you have a negative emotion
every time you just indulge your desire
to gossip every time you sit there and
just say well I’m I know I shouldn’t say
this but I’m just going to go ahead and
say every time you give in to the devil
you need to recognize we’re in a war and
it says in 1st Peter chapter 5 verse 8
that be sober be vigilant because your
adversary the devil as a roaring lion
goes about seeking whom he may devour if
you really understood that we were in a
spiritual war if you really understood
that Satan is just looking for an inroad
into your life just a crack in the door
he’s wanting the opportunity to come in
and just destroy your life if you really
knew this and understood that indulging
these negative things is giving place to
demonic spirits and attitudes and that
whatever you do you’re going to conceive
something that’s going to bring forth a
birth that you don’t want if you really
knew that if you really believe that I
guarantee you you’d act differently and
see this realization that I’m talking
about is what caused me not to go ahead
and have that pity party even though I
had sent out all of my invitations even
though all of the demons in Colorado had
gathered that just let me vent and take
advantage praise God that the Holy Ghost
kept me from doing that and saying these
things it would have caused negative
things in my life and ministry
I’m telling you you need to recognize
you’re in a war you need to take some
responsibility you need to take the
authority that’s been given us and we
need to stand up and recognize that you
can’t just do what you want to do when I
realized I was in Vietnam you know what
I started acting differently I didn’t
necessarily want to be in Vietnam I
didn’t want to be doing those things but
the fact was I was there and I had to
act accordingly and if I would have
acted the same way that I did when I was
back in the States and walking in a war
zone I could have gotten killed I had to
act I didn’t like it I didn’t want to be
there but it was the reality you may not
want to face the fact that you’re in a
battle but you are and you ignoring it
is not going to make you exempt all its
going to do is guarantee that you lose
you need to receive these truths you
know the teaching that I’m giving here
I’ve got a brand new book and study
guide out on this a CD a DVD set I’d
like to encourage you to please get them
our announcer is going to give you some
information about how you can get these
materials and please call or write and
get these materials and then 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 for 17 pounds 50 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 I’ve got a Bible commentary
that you can get
on the web it would be a tremendous
blessing T we have that address on your
screen I encourage you to check it out
today you can reach us through our
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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 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
Woo’s 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 but I never
could see myself being a missionary
because to me a missionary is somebody
who really likes to be out there you
know who’s who likes to stand on the
stage and have the million people out in
the congregation and preaching to the
masses and that is so totally not me
you