The parallels and comparisons to today’s western church are quite remarkable – with one important exception.

Today’s church is sleeping with the enemy, yet has no interest in trying to escape. Rather, having come under the strong delusion predicted by Scripture, the church is quite content with its position.

The “seeker-friendly” movement that has swept through the church has, by all estimates, not only been adopted by an overwhelming number of churches but has also succeeded in stripping the church of its power and authority mandated by scripture.

The original command given by Jesus to “go and make disciples of all nations” has been updated and modernized to read “go and make members” so that the church can grow.

Churches that remain true to the original mandate are few and far between. Not only that, the process of making disciples usually results in a decline, rather than an increase, in members.

There are a couple of specific instances that I want to reference before moving on to what I consider the more serious issue confronting us today – the disobedience of the church.

Appealing to the “itching ears” of the masses are a couple of movements that are generally viewed as being fairly modern concepts but in reality their roots are well described by Scripture.

First, we have the gospel of prosperity that preaches that Jesus came so that you could have Your Best Life Now – in other words, to make you wealthy, healthy and wise. Just a bit contrary to what Scripture tells us when we are told to “take up our cross daily” and “whoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it.”

The other instance centers around the gospel of self-esteem. This particular movement tells us that Jesus came so that we could have a higher self-esteem. Further, should you question this particular interpretation you are considered to be a malcontent and you should be removed from the church.

This particular movement was effectively described by the title of an obscure book that I ran across – “Are You Purpose – Driven or Spirit Led?”

Take some time and do a little research on your own. If you’re a member of a church that is a part of either of these, you need to get enlightened while you still have time.

The Disobedience of the Church

Most churches today are pretty ineffective and powerless when it comes to spiritual matters. Every so often a movement comes along that seems to show “signs & wonders” and it captivates us, at least for a season.

Regrettably, most of these “movements” generally die off of their own accord as the real source of the spiritual forces behind them begin to show their true nature.

By and large, today’s church has either forgotten or chooses to ignore the mandates of Scripture. In some instances, the church leaders put a “spin” on these mandates by saying that the Scriptures don’t really apply to their church, or worse.

I’m referring here to Paul’s message in Ephesians. More specifically – Ephesians 3:10, which states:

To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, (KJV)

A couple of years ago I was led to this passage and just couldn’t get it out of my mind without doing some extensive study and heartfelt prayer in seeking just why this section of Scripture weighed so heavily upon me.

The result of this was a study that led to putting together a guide for those interested in exploring this topic further.

You can download the PDF version here.

The file contains three different versions of Ephesians, Chapter 3, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on this chapter, excerpts from Wink’s Commentary, a number of quotes from Dr. Ed Murphy’s The Handbook For Spiritual Warfare and information gleaned from the teachings of Derek Prince.

In the interest of brevity, I’ll forgo a complete review of this subject here and just offer you the following from the study:

Here, in the ‘heavenlies’, the church has committed its most serious act of disobedience to the Lord. In choosing not to engage the powers and principalities, the church has, instead, fallen into collusion with the enemy. This is the major cause of powerlessness in the spiritual battle before us.

And, this excerpt:

Just as believers can take authority over demons through Christ’s authority, Paul here explains that the church, through Christ, is to do the same with powers and principalities in the heavenlies. Through this ongoing proclamation, the powers and principalities are weakened and ultimately brought into submission and defeat. The church’s role is not just to inform, but to enforce.

Now, please understand that I make no claim to being an expert in these matters. As I was led into this study, I merely drew upon the works of others that are far more knowedgable than me.

The resulting study was simply an exercise in bringing together these separate elements into a single (and, I’m sure – incomplete) document.

Upon completing this “assignment,” I shared the findings with a close friend that pastors a church in another area. With further study and prayer on his part, he began to embrace and then put into practice the message that these verses command.

The results of his leading the church in obedience to these commands were far more than we could envision or imagine – miraculous healings, an outpouring of deliverance and a continuing increase in the sincere conversion and salvation of those hearing the Gospel.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to download the file and read through it. Do some research and get the answers for yourself.

I know it changed my view of what this aspect of the “church” is supposed to be about.

So, in the interest of keeping things “fair and balanced,” I want to present you with one that falls at the other end of the spectrum.

Having been on the site for some six months now, this particular video has been viewed a rather paltry 2,000 times as compared to the previous video having received over 8 million views.

I think part of the reason for this less-than-popular showing is due in no small part to the scripture contained in 2 Peter: 6-8 where we learn that the message of the cross is an offense to the unbelieving.

And, it would seem, it is also an offense to many that claim to be believers.

This video, after all, deals specifically with that message – the message of the cross.

Does it present the entire story? No, not by a long shot.

But what it does present is a short, and powerful, message.

The video itself was put together by a professional editor and uses clips from a number of movies to get its message across – Jesus of Nazareth, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and The Passion of the Christ.

It may or may not be a video that you want your young children to watch – some of the scenes used from The Passion of the Christ are a bit graphic.

The purpose of the video, as presented on the site, is to encourage Christians in their faith and to nudge the un-believer into asking questions.

From sharing this video with friends and family, I can say that it accomplishes this purpose quite well. It has a way of giving us a renewed awareness of the work accomplished through the sacrifice Jesus made.

One final point, and then I’ll leave you to enjoy the video – continue watching the video until it comes to a complete stop. Just when you think it’s over – it launches into a new song and video segment (sort of like another story you may know).

In case it doesn’t play for you, here’s the direct link .

The video is entitled: Via Dolorosa/Revelation Song.

My original intent was to present you with a single post and highlight a few sacred cows that seem to be fairly commonplace in churches, however, it grew to be such a large article that I’ve decided to split it up.

Today we’re going to take a look at one of the videos from tangle.com. You may be familiar with the site’s previous name – Godtube. This site has become really popular in the Christian community as it really is a great resource for Christian music videos and messages.

Like any popular movement, it is also subject to infiltration.

Before discussing this particular video, I want to point out that if you haven’t read the first installment of this series, Spiritual or Soulish, I suggest you do so now. It provides the foundation for today’s discussion by dealing with our natural tendency to slide from the earthly to the soulish to the demonic.

This particular video is one of the site’s all-time favorites, having recorded over 8 million viewings and over 8 thousand comments, most of which are complimentary.

Without further ado, here’s the video. We’ll take up the discussion after you watch it.

(If, for some reason it doesn’t play for you, here’s the direct link)

One of the site’s favorites, I’ll also mention that the church I attend put on a similar version of the skit not too long ago.

In general, most of the comments on the video site, and the reception that the skit received in my church, were almost identical.

Fawning and gushing out phrases like “powerful,” “wonderful,” “excellent,” the skit, in general gets nothing but rave reviews.

So, just exactly what’s wrong with it?

First of all, let me say that yes, God has the power to use anything for good. And this is one instance where the word anything really applies.

You may need to take a second look at the video. Pay close attention to what actually takes place – specifically look at how the skit portrays Jesus as being pushed around by demonic forces and then having to struggle with them.

This particular skit serves to illustrate the lesson from the last installment about our tendency to view things from an earthly and soulish perspective.

This skit is some person’s worldly (earthly)  idea of trying to re-make the Christ into what people can relate to (soulish) and then to invoke our  (earthly, soulish) emotions on the outcome of the skit.

The danger, as I see it, is this:

Such a portrayal is not spirit-inspired (then again, maybe it is – but what spirit?) and it certainly doesn’t follow what scripture tells us about Jesus Christ.

From scripture, we learn that “even the demons believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). In other words, they shake because of their fear of the LORD.

Now, if they are so afraid of the LORD that they tremble in their fear, what makes you think that they can push HIM around and then fight with HIM?

Am I being too nit-picky about this? I don’t think so.

If you’ve ever had occasion to confront evil directly, then you already know, beyond any doubt whatsoever, that evil can’t leave fast enough in HIS presence, much less stick around and try to fight.

While the originators of this skit, and all who would seek to imitate it, may have good intentions, the bottom line is this:

It is a really sorry attempt by someone to “let us make GOD in our image.”

It dishonors the power and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. It forgets that we are talking about the Lord of Hosts, the Lion of Judah, the Ancient of Days, the great I AM that has the power to part the Red Sea, whose enemies melt before HIM like wax in HIS consuming fire.

And it is an affront, an insult, to the Spirit whenever we paint such a false picture.

In our feeble man-made attempts to entertain rather than preach the true Gospel, we violate Paul’s warning when he told us “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30). When we grieve the Spirit, rest assured that he will withdraw from us.

The Spirit-led preaching of the true Gospel has the power of God behind it. The message of the cross is offensive to the unrepentant (1 Peter 2: 6-8) and has the power to convict, to transform and lead to salvation.

In our (earthly, soulish) justification that “some good has come from it,” once again we fail in our obedience to Paul’s admonition that “this persuasion is not from Him who calls you, ” and  that “a little leaven leavens all the lump” (Galatians 5: 8-9).

Our acceptance and allowing “a little leaven” is nothing less than welcoming in the Trojan horse of the dumbing-down of the Gospel.

As we welcome in  this “leaven” with open arms, we will truly see the scriptures come alive, for “they are vanity, the work of delusion; in the time of their judgment they shall perish” (Jeremiah 10:15) “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, so that all those who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

My personal suggestion would be for us to stop this (earthly, soulish) worshipping at the false altar of entertainment (idolatry)  and start preaching the unaldulterated truth of the scriptures.

Satan fears the Word of God. From a personal perspective, I’ve been blessed to have seen the power of the Word of God change lives, heal the sick, cast out demons and to set people’s hearts on fire with purpose and power.

In the early church, people were drawn to the Lord because they witnessed

• the power of God

• miracles

• plain truth, cutting through men’s hearts

• urgency of the message

• the authority of those who preached

• the call to abandon all for Him

Today’s church draws people because of:

• gimmicks

• movies, media & more!

• convenience of the message

• you don’t have to change to belong

Is it just me, or do you see something wrong with this picture?

The Word of God really doesn’t need our feeble and mis-directed embellishments.

For some time now, I’ve been observing how many of today’s “christians” have willingly swallowed the deception that is rampant in today’s world.

And, for the most part, the church has been the first to belly up to the trough. There are exceptions, of course, but they’re getting harder and harder to find.

I’m going to admit that this particular subject is one that I’ve really been avoiding and just didn’t want to address. Things just finally got to the point where I couldn’t avoid it any longer.

The only way I can describe it is to call it a “restless and troubled” nagging in my spirit.

This particular post will be the first in a series dealing with deception in the lives of today’s believers, deception in the church and the disobedience of the church.

So, without further ado, let’s start killing off a few sacred cows.

A Little Background

I recently re-read Derek Prince’s teaching sheet titled “Spiritual or Soulish,” and that’s when things finally started to come together. In this installment, I’ll be borrowing from his most excellent treatment of this subject so that we can have some common understanding.

In the original pattern of creation, there was a descending relationship. God moved upon man’s spirit; his spirit moved upon his soul; and his soul directed his body. The spirit of man comes directly from God and relates directly to God.

Through man’s rebellion, however, his spirit was set aside and his soul took over control. As a result, unregenerate man is controlled by the three functions of his soul: the will, the intellect and the emotions.

When God reconciles man to Himself, His purpose is to restore the original order, by which He once again relates directly to man’s spirit; man’s spirit in turn moves upon his soul; and man’s soul moves upon his body.

This explains the words of David in Psalm 103:1: Bless the Lord, O my soul. Through faith, David’s spirit had been reunited with God and was eager to worship Him. So his spirit stirred up his soul to move upon his vocal organs to utter the appropriate words of worship.

So long as man remains in submission to God and his soul remains in submission to his spirit, man functions in harmony with God and with himself. But whenever man reasserts his rebellion against God, his soul is no longer in submission to his spirit and the harmony is broken.

The Greek of the New Testament has a special adjective, formed directly from the word for soul, psuche, which describes action initiated by the soul. The adjective is psuchikos. In English, the natural way to render this would be soulish. Unforunately, there is no English for such a word.

As a result, different English translation of the New Testament have used a variety of different words and phrases to describe this word: natural, sensual, worldly, unspiritual, worldly-minded, without the spirit, and “to follow their natural instinct.” All of these translate into one and the same Greek word.

For our purposes, we’ll use the word soulish.

So What Does All This Mean to Us?

For understanding spiritual things, the soul is dependent upon the spirit. If it is out of harmony with the spirit, the realm of spiritual truth is closed to it. In order for the truth to be revealed to us, it is important that we approach spiritual things with the correct attitude – our soul submitted to our spirit and our spirit submitted to and in union with God.

Whenever the soul of a Christian is not submitted through his spirit to God, he becomes a channel through which every kind of carnality (earthly, sensual, worldly, and unspiritual) and division can infiltrate his life and infiltrate the church.

A Serious Warning

In James 3:15, the apostle speaks about a form of wisdom which does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual (soulish), demonic.

James has given us a clear depiction of a downward slide in three successive stages:

from the earthly to the soulish to the demonic.

In the first stage, christians become earthly and lose the true vision of eternity. Unable to see beyond the things of this life (success, pleasure, wealth, health), they are only interested in what their faith can do for them in this life.

Paul has a message for such people. 1 Corinthians 15:19: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Christians that are like that often consider themselves prosperous and successful – God considers them pitiable.

From earthly, the next stage is soulish. To be soulish is to be ego-centric, self-centered. For such people, the Christian faith is a way to get what they want out of life. They suppose that godliness is a means of gain (1 Timothy 6:5).

The soulish opens the way for the demonic. This is one of the main ways in which demons infiltrate the church and man.

A really common question I hear asked a lot is: “Do Christians ever need deliverance from demons?”

James has given us a clear answer to that one.

This downward progression from the earthly to the soulish to the demonic exposes both the individual believer and whole congregations to the activities of demons.

In many instances today, the church is an ungodly mixture. No clear line is drawn between the spiritual and the soulish. As a result, there is no barrier whatsoever to the demonic.

Genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit are interlaced with manifestations that are clearly demonic.

Lies, half-truths and outright deception are interwoven and wrapped up and packaged in messages and entertainment that are supposedly presented in the name of Jesus Christ.

All too often, we just swallow these half-truthful exercises in claptrap by the (earthly, soulish)  justification that we “got some good” from the message

We conveniently forget (or, perhaps, we choose to forget) Jesus’ admonition that a little leaven corrupts the whole lump.

If we were to practice some real discernment, we would realize that we are placing ourselves in danger of participation in the fulfilling of one of the most terrible warnings in scripture:

2Thessalonians 2:11-12:

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, so that all those who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.

Now I don’t know about you, but I believe that’s a pretty scary scripture.

Should God choose to send strong delusion, you’d best believe that it’s going to happen.

In the next installment – a few of today’s sacred cows that need the same treatment Elijah gave to the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings, Chapter 18).

Some of you may not be too pleased.

It’s certainly no secret to anyone that attempts to live the Christian life that there will be opposition. And that opposition may show itself in some of the most unexpected ways.

Family disputes, a sudden onset of illness, an unforeseen financial setback, problems with our work or business, depression, anxiety – this list can seem endless.

The really sad part of it is that we generally fail to recognize the real source of the problem. It seems that we’re programmed to respond to the symptom and ignore the underlying cause.

If you’re one of the few that are sincerely trying to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, you know full well what I’m talking about. The troubles can seem pretty overwhelming.

One of the first things we tend to forget is Paul’s warning from Ephesians 6:12 -

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We just forget that things are not what they seem. We forget that just maybe, there’s someone else in the room.

In these troubled times, we would do well to remember this. We would also do well to change our thought process so that this is the first alarm that sounds whenever we do encounter trouble.

In my conversations with other Christians, I’ve often encountered a general sense of helplessness and a sense of resignation in trying to deal with trouble. All too frequently I see others being totally weighed down by these troubles.

One of the more common answers that I get whenever we start to explore these issues usually goes something along this line:

“Well, I’ve asked the Lord to lift these burdens, but….”  You fill in the blanks. Chances are, you’ve been there. We all have.

The first thing we simply must do is to learn the lessons given to us in Scripture.

Dan Edelen, over at Cerulean Sanctum, had a recent post that pretty much sums up why it is that we so often are unable to fully cope with the trouble that is thrust upon us.

He refers to a bible study group that he attends and the particular scripture is Genesis 15: 11 -

And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

As Abram prepared his sacrifice to God for sealing the most important covenant, that offering came under attack. You will note – he didn’t ask the Lord for protection or help in defending the offering.

He fought off the attack himself.

What so many of us fail to realize is that we have been charged with the authority to defeat this enemy that works relentlessly against us.

Now, before you run off and start trying to fight this enemy on your own, there are a couple of things you need to know.

First of all, we need to understand the authority that we’ve been given and the source of the power behind it.

Our authority, and the power to enforce it, comes only from the Lord Jesus Christ. On our own, we really are helpless, we just don’t have a chance.

And that brings to mind another of the common answers that I frequently hear whenever I’ve explored this with others.

“You know, I tried to bind satan, but……” you probably know the answer to that one, too.

Whenever we asked the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives, we were given citizenship in a realm other than our citizenship on this earth. At that point, Jesus gave us the power and authority to overcome all the power of the enemy.

That’s the point where most of us just stop. And that’s our mistake. You see, that power and authority is wasted and is useless if we don’t learn how to use it.

Imagine, if you will, that you have just joined the military. Imagine, also, that you’ve never seen a gun before in your life. That gun you just got is not going to do you any good at all until you learn how to use it.

And so it is in this struggle we face against the powers of darkness.

A Few Specifics

Perhaps the most powerful weapon we’ve been given is the Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God.

As we read the word of God, we can learn just how we are to engage this enemy we face.

First of all, we learn that much of the fight we’re in is our fight. Having been given the authority and power to battle, it falls to us to fight the enemy. Yes, there will be times for us to call for help.

We can also learn just how we are to use the weapons given to us. One of the best examples given in Scripture reveals our failures to be obedient to God’s Word:

In Jude 1:9 we read:

“But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

This particular scripture is most revealing in that it demonstrates to us just how we are to invoke the power and authority that has been given us.

Notice, first of all, that Michael didn’t say “I rebuke you,” he said, “The LORD rebuke you.”

Secondly, whenever we presume to pronounce such a rebuke on our own, it is considered to be a blasphemous judgment. Just how far do you think that sort of approach will get you?

In yet another instance from scripture, we are all familiar with the words of Jesus when He commanded satan, “Get thee behind me.”

Again, this is another area where we too often are disobedient and presumptious in our attempts to fight the enemy. We try to do the same thing by saying, “Get thee behind me.”

And then we wonder why it doesn’t work.

You see, there’s another word for this type of presumption on our part. Arrogance. It’s something we’re all born with and it’s probably one of the hardest things for us to let go.

So I’m going to offer a couple suggestions for how to begin your next counter-attack against this enemy we face.

Taking what we’ve learned so far, I have found that the following usually produces some rather quick results when used as the opening portion of prayers in spiritual warfare.

Bear in mind that when I say quick results, I mean just that. Sometimes there is an instant sense of relief. At other times there is an equally opposite reaction. That’s when it’s time to call in reinforcements. (And that’s a subject for another time.)

So the next time you’re under attack (as in, maybe now?), try beginning your prayers in this fashion:

The Lord rebuke you, satan. The Lord rebuke you. Thank you, O Lord, for having granted to me all power over the enemy through the Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I claim that authority here and now and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, get thee behind me.

In following this format, we invoke the authority given us through the Lord Jesus Christ, and, in effect, we stand in His shadow as we do battle. Straying from His shadow invites disaster and is a sure guarantee of losing the fight.

Say it as many times as you need to get results. Wimpy and mild-mannered just won’t work here. You’re in a fight with  the prince of the powers of this world – you’re  not chastising a petulant 3-year old.

As you say it, pay attention to the portions emphasized. Continue to repeat it, putting more and more authority into it each time until you can say it with real authority and belief.

It’s a simple prayer – but in saying it you are calling forth the power and authority of the Ancient of Days, the Lord of Hosts, the Lion of Judah, the great I AM. Lay waste to this enemy that has come to steal, to kill and destroy.

Above all, expect results. Expect an answer and you won’t be disappointed. Remember:

Judges 6:12  And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him, and said to him,

Jehovah is with you, mighty warrior.

And that’s exactly where we were just a few years back. As it often does, the situation we were in had been thrust upon us without any warning.

I had gotten the call while at work. My mother was having severe chest pains. She had called me right after talking to my sister. And then my sister called.

All of us agreed that I should head over there since I was in closest proximity to where they lived on the lake.

While on the way, my sister called again and we agreed that she should call for an ambulance – just in case.

Yes, it was a heart attack. The local hospital managed to get her stabilized and then arranged to transport her to one of the major medical centers in the area.

She was scheduled to have a heart cath the following morning.

And that’s when things went from bad to worse. Following the heart cath, the decision was made to rush her to surgery for a coronary bypass. From there, she went into the recovery area.

Late that day, one of the nurses came out and expressed concern over the fact that she wasn’t waking up as she should. The nurse asked if she had ever had any type of seizures. Just the question itself was deeply disturbing.

It seems that she had had a couple of “minor” seizures and a neurologist had been called in to evaluate her.

On the next day, the news got even worse.

She had started to “posture” and was now “guppy” breathing. We were told that these were some pretty bad signs.

Posturing is an involuntary motion the human body sometimes does as a reflex action in cases of a severely damaged brain; and the guppy breathing is so named because it is similar to how a guppy out of water gasps for breath.

In other words – death throes. The combination of the two usually means that life is about to end and end quickly.

The neurologist told us that a CT scan had been done and that it showed conclusively that she had either had a massive stroke or possibly an outburst of numerous small strokes.

Having spent 20 years in a related medical field, I had learned all too well to recognize the patterns that showed on that CT scan.

And I knew from experience – people just don’t recover when the scans look like that.

I had fully expected him to ask us to remove the life support – but he didn’t.

My thoughts were that that request was inevitable and that he was giving us time to prepare for the worst.

My mother’s sister was there with us shortly after we had gotten this news. Her response to the news sort of caught me off guard.

She said – “We have to pray.”

Now, you need to understand a thing or two. At this point in my life, I was very much like the prodigal son and had really strayed away from the Lord.

Needless to say, I felt that my prayers were not very likely to get much of an answer.

That night I did pray, though. As distant from the Lord as I felt, I simply recited the Lord’s prayer and then asked for the Lord to heal our mother.

At the same time, I prayed “nevertheless, let Your will be done.”

I’ll be the first to admit that at that point my faith was a lot less than the proverbial mustard seed. Yes, I really hoped for a miracle – I just didn’t expect it.

Later the next day, the nurse came out to tell us that our mother’s breathing pattern had changed.

It had returned to normal. And the posturing, which had been constant, had abruptly ceased.

Her expression revealed her puzzlement at these events.

On the following day, the neurologist had a repeat CT scan done.

I’ll never forget that session when he came in to tell us the results.

We really didn’t know what to expect and most of us were prepared for more bad news.

He sat silently across from us for what seemed to be an awfully long time. My thoughts were racing headlong towards an ever-worsening scenario.

When he started to speak, he actually stuttered at the beginning. “I – I – I – just don’t really know what to say.”

“We did another scan just a little while ago, and I’m at a total loss. I can’t explain it. I’ve never seen this. Never.”

Our impatience was at it’s height as my sister asked, in a quiet and husky voice – “What ARE you talking about?”

“Her new scan,” he said, “it’s clear.”

“What do you mean – clear?”

“It’s normal.”

It was totally silent in that room as he got up and walked out. All we could do was look at each other in wonder at what we had just heard.

Our aunt showed up shortly after this exchange and we told her of the meeting. Bless her heart, she knew exactly what was going on.

“It’s God, it’s God!” she said. “Oh praise God – He’s answering our prayers!”

Over the next 2 or 3 weeks, our mother went through what seemed at the time to be a fairly slow recovery as she would lapse in and out of a coma, never seeming to be fully conscious.

As we walked in to visit her in the intensive care unit one morning following that 3 week process, she was sitting up in bed.

Fully awake. Fully alert. And no memory of what she had just been through.

Her last memory was the vague recollection of being taken into the heart cath lab.

It wasn’t until some time later that I was personally able to fully reconcile all that had happened. The realization and acceptance of these events took me some time to fully grasp.

As I consider these events, I came to the conclusion that it was most likely due to my lack of faith at the time. I just wasn’t ready to fully believe.

There is a scripture that pretty much explains it:

John 11:40 -

Jesus said unto her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Yes, God had heard our prayers.

And gave us a glimpse of His glory by delivering a miracle.

Yes, again.

And I really say that with just a bit of reluctance. I actually liked the old design, but I had begun to notice some things about it that you kind readers were far too polite to mention.

It was just a little bright. I didn’t really think so at first, but over time I noticed that it seemed to be just a bit glaring on the eyes. Or, maybe it was just a case of my eyes starting to get a little weaker than last year.

It really didn’t matter – the change was inevitable. The old theme I had built the site upon had outlived its usefulness. And I really did like that theme (yes, that was me sighing).

With the advances that Wordpress (that’s the publishing platform this site is built upon) has made over the past few months, the old theme just couldn’t keep up. So, I opted to pick up a newer version built on the same framework, one that is up to date and much more likely to stay current with all the features that Wordpress has.

Here’s hoping you like the new look – I tried to retain the essence of what was here before. At the same time, I felt that some changes in the color scheme (or the lack thereof) were definitely in order.

My primary aim was to make the site a little friendlier on the eyes without going overboard on the colors.

The other benefit is that I can now continue tweaking here and there to take full advantage of all the new features in Wordpress. Nothing too striking or severe from a reader standpoint – although the new threaded comment feature  really is pretty neat.

Overall, you’ll notice a few things that are just a bit different and there are a few little bells and whistles scattered about that weren’t there before.

These changes should make for a better experience for both of us.

The attack itself began, as it almost always does, very subtly and almost unnoticed. Building into a major battle.

I want to spend a few minutes exploring what actually turned into a fairly strong spiritual battle in the hope that you might gain some insight into how to combat this should you, or someone close to you, experience something similar.

I’m going to talk about a couple of (unfortunately) common issues that affect all of us:

Depression and Anxiety.

A Little Background

First of all, I want to relate to you a brief history of my own first-hand encounter with this particularly aggressive and vile attack that our enemy seems to relish.

It was during a particular period of time late last year – -

I had been talking quite often with my good friend Tom ( you can read about Tom here ) and in the course of our conversations we had both begun to remark about how we each had begun to suspect that we were under some kind of spiritual attack.

Both of us were being influenced by an attitude and general mindset that could only be described as depression with a big dose of anxiety thrown in.

The actual realization that we were under attack hadn’t occurred to either of us. It was only after we started talking about it and realized that we were both experiencing the same thing at the same time.

That’s when the light came on. After all, how else would you explain the fact that two people, separated by hundreds of miles, would be having the same identical experience simultaneously.

So we resolved to join together and fight back.

We tried both prayer and turning to scripture to find ways to drive the enemy away. At the best, it seemed that all we were able to accomplish was to just ‘hold our own.’ The attack just continued and even grew in its intensity.

Over time, I’ve learned that whenever we enter into these spiritual battles we usually get one of two possible results.

Either the attack is beaten off, or it gets worse.

Regardless of the result, either good or bad, the simple fact that there was, in fact, a result, leads me to conclude that the underlying cause was, without a doubt, a spiritual attack. And that is always enlightening.

Just knowing what’s actually going on is more than half the battle.

In this particular instance, it seemed that the more we prayed (in the context of spiritual warfare) the more intense the attack became. We both concluded that we at least knew the source of the attack – things clearly were not what they seemed.

Our prayers were obviously stirring something up – they seemed to just enrage this relentless and almost overwhelming force that we were up against. We were really wearing down.

Breaking Through

This attack continued for week after week. And, I’ll be the first to admit, it was really starting to take a heavy toll on us. We constantly reinforced each other that no, we weren’t going crazy – this attack was as real as a physical assault.

We were both drawn to a particular section of scripture – Isaiah 61 -  verses 1 – 4:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;

he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

The most significant revelations about this particular scripture were in the facts that, first and foremost, this was the scripture chosen by Jesus when He announced to the world why He had come to this earth.

Secondly, I finally recalled having read a teaching article by Derek Prince in which he talks about his personal battle with depression.

This particular scripture not only addresses the issue of depression, it gives us the solution for fighting back and then goes on to promise that we can prevail and restore that which has been stolen from us.

Specifically – the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. The spirit of heaviness. What we, in our feeble attempts at intellectualism, today call ‘depression.’

If you’ve ever encountered depression then you know that the word ‘heavy’ is a most appropriate description. There is a sense of some ‘heavy’ and unseen weight that is constantly and relentlessly pushing down upon you.

So – now we know. Depression is not always just a ‘chemical imbalance’ to feed the purses of those who specialize in treating ‘clinical’ depression.

It is a spirit.

An unsettling revelation. Yet, at the same time, an encouraging one.

Which brings us to the next question – just how do we combat this spirit of heaviness?

The answer lies in the first section of this verse - the garment of praise.

Fighting Back

Now that we were armed with this knowledge, we began to start to formulate a battle plan. We continued to pray in the context of spiritual warfare. And we began to add more and more praise to our arsenal.

Praise when we prayed. Praise throughout the day. And an almost constant playing of all sorts of Christian music to accompany not just our prayers but to constantly feed us with encouragement and uplift us.

While this battle had gotten to the point that it seemed to have no end in sight, once we began to purposely add in the element of praise there was a noticeable shift that took place. And it happened rather quickly.

Encouraged by these results, we continued and each day would add an even greater intensity of music, prayer and praise.

In the end, this attack did not lift in the same manner in which it came.

It had come slowly, and almost imperceptibly at first, gathering momentum and strength over time. By the time we started to realize that it was present, it was almost overwhelming.

It had lasted over 3 months.

It was only in retrospect that we could actually start to discern how it came in at first as a creeping trickle only to grow into a tremendous flood.

No, when the attack lifted, it was an abrupt and immediate event – here one day and gone the next.

In these troubled times we live in, we would all be well advised to understand the schemes of this enemy that is set against us.

Depression and anxiety will frequently come as a double-edged attack. Recognizing that this is a tactic of the enemy to take us out gives us the ability to not only fight back but to also overcome.

We also need to understand and recognize that it can be a long, hard fight.

In Conclusion

When I began this post, I referred to the fact that some of those that are close to me were under attack.

Of those, two are committed to following the Lord Jesus Christ, and one is not.

As I write this, the one who is not a follower of our LORD is headed off to get another prescription for meds.

The two that follow the LORD are now free from the grip of this attack.

Having been through this same scenario before, when we fought back we launched an all-out attack using the full armory of praise, music and spiritual warfare prayer. And, at least in this instance, the fight was over rather quickly.

Should you, or someone close to you, become a target for a similar attack, I sincerely hope that this article will offer both encouragement and guidance for the battle you face.

And should you have the need for someone to draw swords with you, get in touch.

It certainly is no secret that our economy is, at the least, a bit troubled right now. Banks in trouble, government bailouts, record unemployment levels and a stock market behaving like Chicken Little.

And the whole mess triggered by massive failures in the mortgage industry.

So – we bought a house.

In the middle of the housing crisis, right in the middle of one of the country’s hotspots for foreclosure.

Since moving to Indianapolis several years ago, we had rented a house on the west side of the city in one of the outskirt communities. When we first moved here, we noticed that there was an alarming number of houses for sale in the Indy area.

And that sure seemed to smack of an unstable market to us. So we made the decision to rent.

About a year ago, our landlord defaulted on his mortgage and the bank began the foreclosure process. We managed to contact the attorneys handling the foreclosure and they agreed that our continued presence in the house would help to protect the bank’s property. The initial filing for the foreclosure process started in March of this year.

As the process was winding down, we knew we would have to move.

Talking with our next-door neighbor, we asked if their landlord had any other rental homes. That’s how we met Barry.

Barry came by and told us that he didn’t have any other rentals available, but that he would be happy to help us find a house to buy. Aside from a few rentals, Barry made his living as a realtor. More importantly, he was a Christian and sincerely dedicated to serving his clients. ( Was this a chance encounter? No. Remember – nothing “just” happens.)

We weren’t particularly interested in buying. If you’ve followed this blog at all, then you know about a couple of the incidents that have occurred (you can read about it here, and here).

Aside from the enormous spiritual growth brought about from these incidents, there were some pretty dire financial consequences as well. Huge medical bills for stuff not covered by our insurance (thank you, Hillary – but that’s a topic for another time).

Paying off those expenses had been a strain and several accounts had gone into collection. While we had always paid our obligations, we also knew that these collections had probably not been good for our credit rating.

So, we didn’t pursue the purchase option. After all, if you watched the news, it was almost impossible to get a mortgage today. Instead, we just concentrated on trying to find another rental.

And we did. Finally finding a place that would suit us, we agreed to sign a lease and get the move over with.

As we were literally walking out the front door to go sign the lease, Barry pulled into our driveway. Explaining our credit concerns to him, coupled with the fact that getting a mortgage was all but impossible, he nevertheless convinced us to take a few minutes and go meet with the mortgage company he used.

We sat across from the loan officer as she entered our information into her computer system and then submitted it.

Instant approval. Time to go house shopping.

Barry sold us on the idea of looking for a HUD house. It seems that Indianapolis (and the state of Indiana in general) was loaded with HUD foreclosed houses. As a result, HUD had some pretty interesting programs designed to move these properties.

We were “first-time buyers” under their program. That just meant that we hadn’t owned a home in the last 3 years. As a result, HUD had a real promotion available. Buy a house for $100.00 down – and HUD will pay you a $1,000.00 bonus at the closing. Pretty hard to beat.

After looking at 20 or so houses, we finally found one that we liked. Situated in a neighborhood about a mile from where we lived, the house was in a subdivision of houses that sold from $120 – 170,000. (You can still buy a lot of house in Indy for under $200K.)

The house was 6 years old, 2 stories with about 2300 sq ft (+ garage) and HUD’s asking price was $99K – it was priced to sell.

As we sat down with Barry to prepare our bid for the house, we had a lot of discussion as to what would be the best way to approach the bid process. As Barry and my wife were discussing possible bids to enter, I blurted out -

$96,210.00. (Now where did that come from?)

And that was our bid. We entered it on the last day of the bid process. The following morning we got word from Barry that we were the successful bidders.

(About 2 weeks later, I checked the HUD website – just out of curiosity. We were the successful bidder by $160.00.)

We moved in the first week of October.

Shortly after moving in, my wife and I were discussing the amazing twists and turns we had just gone through in winding up in the new house.

It was then that I mentioned to her that I had this really strong urge to host a Bible study in our new house. Her jaw dropped and she looked at me and said, “You too?”

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It’s so easy sometimes for us to forget that God wants to bless His children, even in the small things. I’m the first to admit that it wasn’t until the last few weeks of this experience that we really began to seek the Lord’s guidance in directing our course.

Even though we didn’t think we were “hearing” His response, the incredible timing and the subtle, yet amazing, twists and turns that we wound up taking were clear evidence that He was involved in even the smallest details.

Throughout this process there were timetables that seemed impossible to meet, schedules and concerns that simply couldn’t be handled.

Once we  recognized that we in the midst of experiencing God’s favor, we just stepped back and watched in amazement as every timetable, every schedule, every deadline and concern just melted away. The incredible timing of every event left us shaking our heads in wonder. The timing was never early – it was always just in time.

We really need to get better at getting out of the way.

It seems that they had been running a promotion and she was to receive a gift card from the bank in the amount of $900.00. Rather than spend the money on ourselves or on Christmas presents, she felt led to donate it to one of the local shelters that has a special place in her heart. It’s an organization called Sheltering Wings.

Tucked away in an outlying area of Indianapolis, Sheltering Wings houses women and their dependent children who suffer from domestic violence and abuse. Just this year, they were honored by the White House Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. You can visit their website and see their award-winning video here.

When the gift cards arrived, she called and made an appointment for us to deliver them. The facility itself is highly secure and it helps if they know you’re coming.

Before we left the house, we said a simple prayer of thanks for our being able to be a blessing to others and asked the Lord to multiply our gift.

Following a tour of this incredible facility, we had presented them with the gift cards. My wife mentioned that we had prayed over the cards asking God to multiply the gift.

We really didn’t give it much thought after that. Until the phone rang about 10 days later.

The lady that we had presented the card to was on the phone. Crying. Tears of joy.

It took her a while, but she was finally able to relate to us the series of events that had just taken place.

Just a day or so after our visit it seems a lady from here in Indianapolis had traveled to Chicago to visit the Oprah show. While there, she was chosen at random from the audience, along with a group of others, to receive a $1,000.00 gift card.

These gifts carried a condition – the recipient had to spend it on someone else.

This lady chose to spend it on Sheltering Wings. She called the facility and got the coat sizes for each of the shelter’s occupants and then she went shopping to buy winter coats for them.

Visiting a local department store, she soon discovered that there wasn’t nearly enough to buy all the coats that were needed.

As she expressed her disappointment to the store’s clerk, the general manager happened to come over. Upon hearing her story, the general manager told her to continue her shopping spree and get coats for everyone.

The store was going to make up the difference. She was also told to be sure to pick out new hats and gloves to go with the new coats.

After making the delivery to the shelter, this lady returned to work. It seems she was employed by a locally based company that is well known for philanthropy.

Overjoyed with the events that had just taken place, she related the story of the department store’s generosity to everyone that would listen.

It only took a short while for the news to reach the company’s management. A couple of quick phone calls were made, and then – the company wrote out a matching check and asked her to personally deliver it to the shelter.

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It sure is tempting to want to interject something about how this relates to the troubled economic times we are going through, but I’m going to spare you.

I think it’s enough for us to recognize that God is the one really in control of our economy – yours and ours. And if we stay obedient, He will take care of us.