Category: spirtual warfare


In Jesus we are Prepared for Battle

Filed under: Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
August 17, 2009

In Jesus we are Prepared for Battle

We can achieve victory over evil when the power of God is supporting us.

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

This means that we must be following the lead of the Holy Spirit and this requires that we chose to remain pure in all that we do. We must eliminate all evil from our own actions because they seperate us from God.

This is particualrily difficult becasue evil choices are all around us and God has give us the ability to choose our own path. He gives us the ability to choose between good and evil, light or darkness, love or hate, to save a life or to kill. In fact, choice is the reason that we are here on this earth. Our choices will ultimately determine where we spend our eternity, with God or the devil.

This posting is directed at the people who choose to do God’s will. Your choices will require that you confront evil in ways similar to the way that Jesus did. It is certainly important for you to make your choices based on the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Knowing that your steps are ordered by the Lord will ensure that the support and empowerment of the Lord will be with you. Of course this all takes time in prayer as we discussed in our postings the Holy Place. Taking on the forces of evil without God’s direction is not recommended. I offer the following scripture as support for this statement:

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19:13 – 16)

We need the power of God that comes by way of the Holy Spirit to successfully engage in spiritual warfare. The passage below identifies how Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit:

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11

John Baptizes Jesus - Making Straight The Way Of The Lord

John Baptizes Jesus - Making Straight The Way Of The Lord

In being baptized, the identity of Jesus is revealed as the Son of God, and as a result His mission is confirmed. He is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is fully prepared for the battle with Satan that He will enter into immediately.

In our next posting we will find that the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness where He will be tested for 40 days and nights.


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Jesus is the Miracle Worker in Us

Filed under: Jesus, Ministry, Spirituality, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
August 11, 2009

Jesus is the Miracle Worker in Us

Jesus was asked if He was the “Coming One” by the disciples of John the Baptist. Here is how He responded:

Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:4-6)

Jesus Heals the Leper

Jesus Heals the Leper

Jesus came into this world to deliver a series of messages from the Father, and He proclaimed these messages by the power of the Holy Spirit. In addition, His words were reinforced by miraculous actions that demonstrate the truth of what He spoke (we have demonstrated this repeatedly throughout in our postings.)

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

For example, Jesus’ statement, “I am the the Light of the World” is demonstrated in His Transfiguration that is pictured above. However, Jesus also charges us with being the light of the world as well.

Therefore in a like manner, we who follow in the footsteps of Jesus are also charged with the responsibility of communicating the words and thoughts that God places in our hearts and to do the things that He shows us to do. Therefore, when we do them we should also see our actions reinforced in miraculous ways by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

This is what separates us from false doctrines, false profits, sham artists and all forms of false religions. Anyone can make a false claim or be seriously mistaken about the truth. Many intelligent people can study the Bible and preach the Word in front of thousands of people and move them emotionally. But Jesus empowers His followers with His Spirit. So then we should walk just like Jesus did.

In the case of Jesus the bottom line was and always will be; does God support the words and actions of His ministry with miracles? So then it should be the same with His followers. It sure was true in the lives of Jesus’ apostles. Therefore, we must ask ourselves if people blessed by God after the delivery of our message? Are the hearts of the people changed to conform with God’s will? Has the impossible transpired? Are bodies healed, curses broken or the lost saved? Remember, those who believe in Jesus will do the things that He did, and greater that these will they do. So speak the things that God has given you in boldness and without fear, knowing that God will support the things that He has given you to do. Also realize that it is up to you to speak the Word and to demonstrate your faith by initiating action no matter how impossible the action may seem.

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

Saint Peter Healing the Cripple - Raising Tabitha - Masolino

Also understand that God’s support often comes only when things are impossible for us or when we give up on doing them. When we initiate an activity that we know is impossible and it gets done then there can be no doubt that it is God doing the work and as a result, getting the glory. The actions of Moses provide a good example of what we are discussing here.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21)

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Moses stretched out his hand in faith over the Red Sea, knowing full well that the Lord would support his action and part the Red Sea. In fact, if we look at the books written by Moses, we find that he stretched out his hand quite often in expectation of God’s action. Interestingly, these actions were often in response to a request from God. It is also interesting that God never took unilateral action but required Moses to initiate the activity. Time after time, Moses had to demonstrate faith in God by taking action in faith so that God could do the impossible. So, Moses demonstrated faith with actions and God supported his actions with miracles.

This is exactly what we are to do. Set a direction that is based on God’s communication. Ignore the impossible and with absolute faith (without doubting) stretch out our arm and know with certainty that God will take action in support of what He has given us to do.

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Jesus is the Reward of the Spirit Filled Warrior Nation

Filed under: Bride of Christ, Covenant, Jesus, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, New Jerusalem, spirtual warfare, The Ark Of The Covenant, The Holy Of Holies — 2 Comments
June 26, 2009

cropped-possessthevisionfront013.jpg

Jesus is the Reward of the Spirit Filled Warrior Nation

The promises of God to Israel for taking the Promised Land are predictive of the rewards we as Christians will receive for entering into spiritual warfare and taking down the strongholds of evil around us.

The Ark Brings Down the Walls of Jerico

The Ark Brings Down the Walls of Jerico

To understand our spiritual rewards better we must first summarize the rewards promised to Israel.

Israel’s rewards included peace, prosperity and possession of the Promised Land and everything in it:

But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, (Deuteronomy 12:10)

In addition, God would abide with them in the land such that their offerings could be made:

Then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the LORD. (Deuteronomy 12:11)

They also received favor from the Lord that came in the form of the early rain as well as the latter rain for their crops. Through this rain they would then derive their new wine and their oil:

Then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled. (Deuteronomy 11:14 – 15)

Again, these physical rewards are prophetic of our spiritual inheritance. In place of the land of Canaan the Christian Nation will enter into the New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven. The New Jerusalem is also referred to as the Lamb’s wife in the Bible. We will cover the New Jerusalem and the Lamb’s wife in greater detail later in subsequent posts. For now, suffice it to say that each true Christian is a component of the bride. After Christ comes again, the bride will become one with Jesus in marriage and as a result, Jesus will love and care for us as a perfect husband loves and cares for his wife. In addition, since Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him, then we will become one with God as well.

Until the time that Jesus comes for His Bride, she is to be working preparing the way for His return. This would be a similar mission to that of John the Baptist:

Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. (John 1:22 – 24)

John Baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River

John Baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River

The work that we do as members of the bride comes with the blessings of the Holy Spirit that empowers our work. The harvest of our grain is prophetic of the spiritual seeds that we sow and in turn, the spiritual fruit that we reap. Our new wine is the new covenant which is based on the shed blood of Jesus that is effective in setting us free from sin. Finally, our oil is the anointing of the Spirit that enables us to achieve His purpose.

This is the essence of the new covenant. We enter into it by eating the body and drinking the blood of Jesus as He taught us at the last supper:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:26 – 28)

However, this physical act of communion that we practice today is emblematic of the transformation of our nature to that of Christ Jesus through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

eucharist_in_monstrance

It is in eating His body and drinking His blood that we become like Him. In encouraging and fostering this transformation we must prepare ourselves, the bride of Christ, for the Bridegroom. We do this by carrying on the mission and the works that He did here on this earth:

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:6)

In addition, let us not forget that gifts and blessings come from God washed with the blood of Jesus. As we have discussed previously, we have open access to the Holy Place that brings with it the blessings of becoming enlightened to know our purpose, our mission and our direction. We can commune with the Father and are empowered to be victorious in spiritual warfare, which in turn brings safety, protection salvation and peace to the loved ones that we pray for. In this regard, we take up our cross and follow in His footsteps. We cling to the promises of God with all of our being and remain steadfast to our purpose, our dream and the mission that He created us to achieve.

All of this is to say that in Jesus we have a perfected Manna in that He sustains us as we walk in our desert place toward the fulfillment of the new covenant.

Violence in Heaven

Violence in Heaven

This covenant will be fulfilled when the bride takes possession of the spiritual Promised Land, which is in heaven, and the bride is united in Christ Jesus and the two become one.


cropped-possessthevisionfront013.jpg

Read my book entitled, “Possess the Vision.”


Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime. They start in his youth when amazingly he has a series of dreams that warn of impending danger that come true. In a mind gripping account he tells what happened when he turned away from God and suffered demonic attacks that took him into spiritual Golgotha, the place of death. There he is confronted by Satin and is brought before the judgment seat of Christ. Fortunately, judgment is not dispensed. He awakes in the hospital the next day disbelieving what he perceives as a very bad dream. He is then pummeled by a series of physical attacks and teeters near death for months. Out of desperation he picks up a bible and later gives his life back to God.

Immediately God responds by leading him through a series of spiritual and prophetic experiences, that when melded together, communicate God’s desire. Possess the Vision weaves these experiences into a proposal to unite Christians in a common ministry to improve the life and living standards of the world’s people — in support of the command of Jesus Christ that we love one another.

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The Spiritual Duty of the Warrior Nation

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus is the Most Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
June 23, 2009

The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

The Spiritual Duty of the Warrior Nation

In the section entitled: “the Duty of the Warrior Nation”, which can be found in the posting; Jesus-and-the-Covenant, we get an interesting insight into what God expects of a warrior. In this posting you will find that God communicated the nation of Israel (via Moses), to utterly destroy the evil religion and the people who inhabited the Promised Land.

The Ark Leads the People to Canaan

The Ark Leads the People to Canaan

This message applies to Christians today, in the sense that we are all called into the spiritual battles of Jesus. There is a huge difference however between our spiritual battles and the physical battles of Israel. Israel’s warfare was physical because it required the destruction of a people devoted to an evil religion.

The Walls of Jerico fall Befor the Ark

The Walls of Jerico fall Befor the Ark

While our spiritual warfare addresses the defeat of the devils evil forces and the restoration of God’s intentions for mankind.

Violence in Heaven

Violence in Heaven

Let’s look at a scripture that helps to reinforce this idea:

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. (Luke 9:51 – 56)

Paul also entices us to enter into spiritual warfare in this scripture:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints;  (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Additional information may require a review of the ten postings on our web site that start with the posting named Jesus-the-Golden-Altar-of-Incense.  One thing that we did not cover there however was the savagery of spiritual warfare. The warfare of Israel taking the Promised Land by force is prophetic of our requirement to take the spiritual Promised Land (heaven) in a like manner. Both call for the total elimination of evil from the land. Again, here are some supporting scriptures:

For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’  Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. (Matthew 11:10 – 14)

Therefore, we are called on to utterly destroy the spiritual places where evil spirits serve their false gods. We are to destroy their Altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire: we are to cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names form those places, all in the spirit. These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God with such things. But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. (Deuteronomy 12:1 – 5)

Please note that victory in the spirit will also bring victory here on earth as well.

We enter into spiritual battle because the Lords prayer instructs us to so as it states:

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

It is therefore God’s will that we become spiritual warriors and dispossess all evil from our Promised Land.

In our next posting we will take a look at the rewards of being a spirit filled warrior for God. Until then, may God’s blessings be upon you.

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime.

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Jesus is the Holy Place of Empowerment and Truth

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
April 7, 2009

The Book Cover

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of the amazing spiritual warfare raging over my life. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

Jesus is the Holy Place of Empowerment and Truth

In this post we plan to summarize the material that we have covered in our section entitled, “Jesus is the Truth.”

Jesus proclaimed Himself to be “the Truth” when He stated: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Therefore, our goal for this series of postings has been to better understand what Jesus meant when He claimed to be the Truth.

One clue to finding understanding of this is to follow a lead that Jesus gives us in scripture:

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. (John 5: 47)

So we searched the books of Moses but found very little reference to Jesus. Then we concluded that perhaps the Tabernacle was the missing link. Perhaps Jesus was stating that He was the fulfillment of the place on earth that God could dwell with His people. This view is supported by the following words of Jesus:

Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44)

Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

Jesus, Moses and the Tabernacle

Since the Tabernacle was the home of the Covenant stones that contained the Ten Commandments (housed in the Ark of the Covenant) it was the home for our laws. In addition, there were many laws written by Moses concerning the Tabernacle, its construction and the duties of the priests relevant to the use of its components in ministry.

Moses and the Ten Comandments

Moses and the Ten Comandments

The big “ah- ha” moment came when a deacon friend of mine told me that the entryways to the three compartments of the Tabernacle are also called the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Way is the name of the gate that leads into the Tabernacle Courtyard. The Truth is the name of the curtain that leads into the Holy Place, and the Life is the name of the veil that leads into the Most Holy Place.

Our focus for this section will be on the Holy Place since it can be entered only by passing through the passage way called the Truth. To start with, only priests could enter into the Holy Place. Even then, entering the Holy Place was not taken lightly as one would have to consider their worthiness to enter into God’s house. In addition, entry was a momentous event as it signified entering a closer relationship with all mighty God. The Holy Place was sacred. It was the place of empowerment and bringing down the forces of evil through prayer before God.

So with all of this understood, we can come to understand what Jesus meant when He said “I am the Truth”. He is saying that by coming to Him in prayer that we can be empowered to reach the spiritual maturity necessary to attain our mission on this earth.

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Perfect Faith Brings Down the Giants Before Us

Filed under: Faith, Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 2 Comments
April 3, 2009

The Book Cover

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of the amazing spiritual warfare raging over my life. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

Perfect Faith Brings Down the Giants before Us


In our prior post we discussed the role of faith in the spiritual warfare of Jesus. We presented an example where Moses brought the people to the brink of the Promised Land but they refused to enter it because they saw giants  and they feared for their lives. The result was that God led them back into the wilderness for forty years until all those who refused to enter the land died. God built himself a new nation from the youngsters and taught them to depend on Him totally. They depended on God for their manna to eat every morning, as well as their water that came out of pure rock. They depended on Him for the cloud that covered them from the sun during their day time travels as well as the fire that guided their night time travels. They grew up knowing only a total dependent of God.

The Light at Night from the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

The Light at Night from the Holy Place of the Tabernacle

This led us to consider our faith in Jesus as we contemplate entering into ministry. In our prior post we made the following statement:


Think about this for a moment: Does God give us direction because we have the natural ability to get there without Him? What would such a thing prove except that we are highly capable and do not need God. I don’t think that this is the case. He gives us direction so that we can demonstrate our faith in Him so that He can display His awesome power in our behalf. God gets the glory when others can see His miraculous works. So, step out in faith and know that when the impossible stands before you, that your perfect faith in God will deliver a miraculous work.

While the example of the people fearing the giants in the land showed what can happen when we lack faith, this story shows what can happen when we have faith that even the giants will fall before us when we know that we serve a mighty God:

Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Sam 17:40-51)

David and Goliath

David and Goliath

David had perfect faith in the Lord. He knew that the Lord would support him and that the battle was the Lords, not his. He achieved this by announcing that he came in the name of the Lord, and that the result would prove that God supported the nation of Israel. David also prophesied the result, which meant the he had received his direction from God. His steps were illuminated at the Golden Lampstand.


Walk in faith toward your God given mission. Do not trust in your own abilities but rather have the perfect faith that David displayed by announcing that the mission is being done in the name of the Lord. Tell the world that the work is His and that its accomplishment is proof that God supports the mission. Do not initiate activities without these steps. If you engage the mountain in battle without Him you will exhaust yourself. Only after you have given up and turn things back over to Him will His support be returned.

If you are considering entering into a ministry then it may be a good idea to ask yourself the following questions first: Ask yourself if it is possible for you to accomplish this on your own. If so where does God fit in? Also ask how your initiatives will give glory to God? The world will not change much based on the things that we do on our own, but rather, it will change when it sees what God can do through the people that have perfected faith in Him. So in this regard be like David!

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Have Perfect Faith in Jesus

Filed under: Faith, Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, Ministry, spirtual warfare — 1 Comment
April 2, 2009

The Book Cover

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of the amazing spiritual warfare raging over my life. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

Have Perfect Faith in Jesus

The world is a stage in which each of us has the opportunity to choose what our life is to be. Every person has the ability to change their world and world to the others around them. No mater how insignificant, uneducated, poor, sick, imprisoned, or ashamed you may be of yourself, I tell you that with pure faith in God you can rock the world. All it takes is for you to step out in faith based on God’s leading’s. Consider that Peter was able to walk on water until his faith was shaken by the circumstances around him. He lost his trust in Jesus when he felt the winds blow and saw the waves roaring around him. When Jesus reached out to save him all He could say was: “Why did you doubt”?

Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water

Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water

Our faith in God must be absolute; it must be without doubt and worry, especially for the consequences of our actions. One thing is sure, when we step out in faith in the direction God leads us, we will be met by sharp opposition from the spiritual realm. The winds of contrary opinion may blow around you and the waves of unforeseen obstacles will roar and crash against you. These are the forces of evil engaging in spiritual warfare. This is precisely why we must enter into the Holy Place that is in Jesus. We must pass through the passage way called the Truth, which is Jesus, into the place of empowerment. As indicated in previous postings, we must have our pathway illuminated by Jesus our Golden Lamp Stand. We must have a close personal relationship with the Father through Jesus our Table of Showbread and our Bread of Life. We must be empowered for spiritual warfare through Jesus our Golden Altar. When Jesus said He was the Truth, this is what He meant.

So you want to step out into ministry? You will have to enter into spiritual warfare to be successful. Consider that even Jesus, after being baptized by the Holy Spirit in preparation for His ministry was led into the desert where He was tested by the devil.

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness by the Devil

Yes, even Jesus had to be victorious over the devil prior to entering into ministry. Therefore, each of us that step out in faith can also expect that our faith and readiness will be tested. This is why it is so important to be inside of the Holy Place that is in Jesus. Only those who know that have perfect faith in Jesus and know that He will support their actions will see the immovable objects disappear at their approach. They that enter in will be the ones that see the miracles transform the circumstances around them.

Remember the story of Moses leading the nation of Israel to the Promised Land?

Moses before the Burning Bush

Moses before the Burning Bush

He got them to the doorstep but they would not enter because their scouts had reported giants in the land. They had fear in their hearts which is the opposite of faith in God. They ignored the demonstration of God’s power that had freed them from the bondage of Egypt. They apparently forgot that it was God’s desire that they enter into this land. In other words they trusted more in their own ability than they did in the power of their Lord. Here is the story:

Then they told him, and said: We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!  (Numbers 13:27 – 14:1)

Think about this for a moment: Does God give us direction because we have the natural ability to get there without Him? What would such a thing prove except that we are highly capable and do not need God. I don’t think that this is the case. He gives us direction so that we can demonstrate our faith in Him so that He can display His awesome power in our behalf. God gets the glory when others can see His miraculous works. So, step out in faith and know that when the impossible stands before you, that your perfect faith in God will deliver a miraculous work.

In our future postings we plan to present some Bible passages that help to illustrate how our faith can change the course of our lives and the lives of those arround us.

Until then, may God bless you and keep you always.

Joe

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Why We Should Enter Into the Spiritual Warfare of Jesus

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Golden Lampstand, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Table of Showbread, spirtual warfare — 6 Comments
April 1, 2009

The Book Cover

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of the amazing spiritual warfare raging over my life. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

Why We Should Enter Into the Spiritual Warfare of Jesus

In our past several postings we have taken a good look at the spiritual warfare of Jesus. We did this of course in our quest to show how His words and deeds match up to the attributes and functionality of the Golden Altar of Incense. From this analysis we have verified that Jesus is victorious in spiritual warfare as the Golden Altar predicted.

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This analysis was preceded by similar studies that correlated Jesus to the Golden Lamp Stand and then the Table of Showbread. What these subsequent studies reveal is that there is an direct correlation between the words and deeds of Jesus, and attributes and functionality of these two objects. From these studies we have verified that Jesus is the light of the world and the bread of life as He claimed.

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

What we have found then, is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the hidden prophesies contained in the design of the Holy Place. Therefore, since the entryway to the Holy Place is called the Truth, and Jesus claimed to be “the Truth”, we now have a better insight into the identity of Jesus.

Jesus is the way of truth through which we must pass to achieve a closer relationship with the Father. He is the doorway of truth through which we must enter to find our purpose and the steps that we must take to please the Father. He is the passageway of truth through which we are led to victories over the forces of evil. Finally, He is the entryway of truth through which we enter into the Fathers’ perfect love, which results in our health, prosperity and joy. So, the benefits of our entry into Jesus, (the Holy Place) are the benefits of entering into spiritual warfare.

Choosing not to enter can be a very dangerous proposition as we are in a war weather we like it or not. Innocent bystanders are frequently injured or killed in war. Often times they can become traumatized when struck unexpectedly by an unknown and unseen enemy. Since they have chose not to enter into God’s provision they are not skilled or equipped for the battle. They may not even understand that they have become a victim of war. The result is that they are often doomed to live under the domination of evil.

I can speak about being an innocent victim of spiritual warfare because I was one. The attack rocked me to the brink of death. I even crossed over to the spiritual side where I found myself on the Judgment Seat before God. There I experienced what the spiritual reality of making poor choices in this life. I got to experience a confrontation with Satan, I walked through Hell and I swam in the Pit of Fire which is the second death. God had mercy on me however, withheld judgment against me and gave me a second chance.

If you are interested learning more about the details of this and other spiritual experiences of my life, you can order my book which is entitled, “Posses the Vision”.

possess-the-vision-front02.jpg

I guarantee that it is not for the faint of heart. But is it the most real experience of my life and when you read it you will know that every word is true. When you read this book you will understand why you must enter into the spiritual warfare of Jesus and fight the forces of evil here on this earth. The book can be purchased at Amazon by clicking on the following link: Amazon.com: Possess the Vision: Books: Joseph, W Gordon. Once there you will also be able to browse through the book as well. As a special bonus, I will send a free electronic copy of the book to anyone who asks for one by way of the comment section below.

That is it for today. Next time we plan to look at some more reasons to enter spiritual warfare.

May God bless and keep you always,

Joe

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The Spiritual Warfare of Jesus Requires Unity

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 4 Comments
March 30, 2009

The Book Cover

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of the amazing spiritual warfare raging over my life. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

The Spiritual Warfare of Jesus Requires Unity

We have been presenting the analogy between the physical warfare led by the Ark of the Covenant, to the spiritual warfare led by Jesus since the time of John the Baptist.

Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matt 11:10-12)

John the Baptist

John the Baptist

Today we address the necessity of unity in either form of warfare. In the following scripture Moses directs the nation toward unity by reminding them of the promise of the Lord:

“You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes — for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. (Duet 12: 8-11)


Moses and the Ten Comandments

Moses and the Ten Comandments

The inheritance referenced here is the covenant made between God and Israel that included the reward of the Promised Land (symbolic of heaven). Crossing the Jordan (symbolic of the baptism of Jesus) is required to enter into the Lords promise.

The Baptism of Jesus

The Baptism of Jesus

Once inside the Promised Land they engage in battle to drive out the evil that is there and the Lord goes before them to ensure their victory.

The reference to the place where the Lord chooses to make His name abide (in the above scripture) is the Tabernacle, which is prophetic of Jesus (see of our prior postings on this subject The-Tabernacle-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus.)

Unity is required in spiritual warfare as well. Let us take a look at what Jesus prayed for His disciples:

But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17: 13-23)

In this prayer is an extraordinary call for spiritual unity. Jesus is stating that we can become one with Him. Oh, happy day! But then, how can this be?

The answer is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle (this s in line with our previous teachings – The-Tabernacle-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus.) Let me explain this a bit. The Tabernacle priests were able to enter into the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. They therefore were one with the Holy Place by simply being inside of it. Since Jesus is the fulfillment of the Holy Place, we find that Jesus’ prayer sustains these claims. We become one with Jesus by entering into the Holy Place, which is the place relationship with the Father, of enlightenment as to who Jesus is, and of spiritual warfare through prayer.

Of course a prerequisite to entering into the Holy Place is to first wash at the Brazen Laver found in the Tabernacle courtyard. To find out more about this go to the following link and look for the section on the Brazen Laver:

Jesus-is-the-Way

The implications of this on the current state of the church is eye opening. We certainly have not reached a state of unity but rather seem to be fragmented into hundreds of pieces.

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you alway!

Joe

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The Purpose of Spiritual Warfare

Filed under: Jesus, Jesus the Golden Altar, Jesus the Holy Place, Jesus the Tabernacle, spirtual warfare — 4 Comments
March 27, 2009

The Book Cover

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of the amazing spiritual warfare raging over my life. To learn more go to: Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

The Purpose of Spiritual Warfare

In a prior posting we provided information that demonstrated that Jesus has ascended to heaven and has prepared a place for us (the Promised Land). In addition, we quoted His words that reveal that violence (spiritual warfare) is necessary to take heaven by force. For anyone interested in reviewing this posting, please use this link: Jesus-Leads-us-To-The-Spiritual-Promised-Land

Jesus Ascends into Heaven

Jesus Ascends into Heaven

In a subsequent posting we addressed how the Tabernacle was instrumental in parting of the waters of the Jordan River, therein enabling Israel to cross over on dry land in their journey to the Promised Land. We also communicated how the walls of Jericho fell as the Ark of the Covenant (a component of the Tabernacle) led the army of Israel into battle. Again, use this link to review this post: Jesus-Our-Tabernacle-Leads-Us-To-The-Promised-Land

In our last posting we communicated how all of this was prophetic of Jesus Christ. A link to this post can be found at the very bottom of this page.

Today we address the purpose of spiritual warfare. We start by presenting the words of Moses as he prepared the nation to cross over the Jordan River and enter into the Promised Land.

Moses Praying on the Mountain - by J Hartly 1922

Moses Praying on the Mountain - by J Hartly 1922

Moses came before the people on the edge of the holly land and gave them instruction to prepare them for the battle. To ensure that things would go well for them. Here are some of the statements that Moses made that help us to understand the purpose of spiritual warfare:

Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. (Deu 9:4 NKJV)

The Lord clearly states that the purpose of casting them out to eliminate their wickedness. Spiritual warfare seeks to eliminate evil. Because of this the people and their evil religion are to be completely destroyed. No one is to be allowed to live:

When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. (Deu 7:1-2)

A close up of the bronze panel depicting the story of Joshua, with the arc of the covenant and the city of Jericho. Joshua lived a righteous life in the name of God and because of this, he was able to destroy all of his enemies and reclaim the Promised Land.

A close up of the bronze panel depicting the story of Joshua, with the arc of the covenant and the city of Jericho. Joshua lived a righteous life in the name of God and because of this, he was able to destroy all of his enemies and reclaim the Promised Land.

In addition, the mission of spiritual warfare is to destroy evil:

But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire. (Deu 7:5)

As I have stated before, the war of the nation of Israel was a physical war. While it is prophetic of our spiritual warfare, one must remember that we do not engage in physical confrontations:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6: 11-13)

Violence in Heaven

Violence in Heaven

The ministry of Jesus is devoted to spiritual warfare. He confronted the scribes and Pharisees with their hypocrisy. He healed on the Sabbath to demonstrate that the welfare of people was more important than the letter of the law. In fact, He showed us that the changing of our heart is far more important than blindly following rules or attempting to game the system.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Matt 5: 27-29)

Jesu and the Adulterous Woman

Jesu and the Adulterous Woman

So Jesus once again raised the bar. He not only fulfilled the old covenant but He replaced it with a much better one. One that is pleasing to God. So now, simply refraining from the physical act falls short of the mark. Victory in the physical realm is insufficient as spiritual victory is the goal. Victory requires that we change our nature (through the leading of the Holy Spirit) and that includes even the desire for evil. Our heart must be pure so that we can put on the entire armor of God and be victorious in the spiritual warfare that rages all around us.

Read my book, “Possess the Vision,” that tells of the amazing spiritual warfare raging over my life. To learn more go to:Possess-the-Vision-at-Amazon

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