Notes from Pastor Perry Stone's recent teachings on Manna Fest
As I have continually stressed in my notes, the big picture in this world is that we are in a spiritual warfare. That is, Satan declared war on God when he took a third of the angels with him, believing he can be greater than God and deserves the worship of all beings.
In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul describes the Armor of God by correlating it with the armor of Roman soldiers. Just like the armor protected Roman soldiers from enemy attacks, the Armor of God protects Christians from Satanic attacks.
Many people associate "Satanic attacks" with demon possession. And while that is indeed one of the many ways Satan can attack us, it is not the only way. Temptations and deceptions of all kinds are a part of Satan's bag of tricks, so it is important for us to realize that anything that pulls us away from God derives from our inherent sin or Satan. Those are the only two factors why we turn our backs on God.
Below, Pastor Perry discusses 1) weapons Satan uses to attack us, 2) the Armor of God against ALL attacks, and 3) ways we can stand strong despite the harshest of Satan's attacks.
Weapons of Satan
1. “Snares are seasonal; darts are daily.”
Snares are seasonal because they’re set typically when we are the weakest. For example, when Satan tempted Jesus, it was AFTER Jesus had fasted 40 days and nights (Matthew 4:1-11).
Darts, on the other hand, are daily. Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31) because in order to serve the Lord, we must battle the darts (temptations, personal weaknesses, etc.) every day. We must discipline ourselves against sinning every day.
As I have said above, the two factors that pull us away from God are either ourselves or Satan. How do we discern which is which, and why is it important?
It's important to discern between the two types of temptations because if we don't recognize the correct root of the problem, we will never be able to fix it. Simply put, if we're the problem, blame-shifting it on Satan really wouldn't be the effective solution. And this is true conversely as well: If Satan's the problem, blaming ourselves won't resolve the issue either! (Forget not that Satan has no problem pitting us against ourselves!)
Essentially, wrong thinking leads to wrong solutions. Worse, wrong thinking opens the door to snares set by the enemy. Ignorant is not bliss. Ignorance will get us killed (Hosea 4:6)!
Satanic attacks can be further divided into the following:
1. Attacks that Satan brings without us knowing it or seeing it coming
2. Attacks that we can see but don’t know how to get around
3. Attacks that we march towards, knowing it’s going to be an attack
4. Attacks that once we’re in, we’re not sure what to do next
The key is to discern first who is the problem: Us or Satan or both? Deep prayer and fellowship are two very powerful tools.
2. Arrows of Satan
Roman soldiers used 3 types of arrows, which are also representative of Satanic attacks:
1. Normal arrows
This represents "common testing" (1 Corinthians 10:13), trials that many people go through (such as, "Should I cheat on this test?" Or, "should I take advantage of this person?" etc.)
2. Arrows lit at the tip (normal arrows where their metal tips are dipped into oil and set on fire)
This represents "seasonal testing" (Luke 4:13), trials that tempt a person to fall into a sin that he/she has resolved to break. Examples include turning away from deep sins like pornography, abusive relationships, drugs, etc. People previously involved in heavy sins but have determined to break them would often go through a good period where they can hold themselves in check but then get hit with the deep desire to re-commit those sins again. This would be Satan hitting us when we are at our weakest. But, hold on to Jesus and don't give in.
3. Combustible arrows
This represents "the hour of testing" (Revelation 3:10). Situations like what happened to Job (Job 1 & 2) is an hour of testing. This could be watching a child going through turmoil that you wish they didn't, or losing a loved one, etc. There is no undoing the damage, and these situations can be very difficult to deal with. But, let us be inspired by Job. Despite losing his family and everything else, Job did not curse or blame God. Job knew not what was happening, but he continued to stay strong in God, who guided Job through his hour of testing. Job never lost sight of God, and neither should we. We should know by now that when everything is failing or has failed, there is only one person we can turn to who can guarantee us success: Jesus. Don't run away when things turn sour. Run toward God.
3. Spear of Satan
1 Samuel 17:4
2 Samuel 21:15-22
1 Chronicles 20:5
Genesis 3:15
Genesis 6:4
Goliath is a perfect picture of Satan.
- He had 6 weapons (1 Samuel 17:4-7)
- The weight of his armor suggests him to be bigger than the average Jew (who averaged 5’6” at the time), to be about 9’ tall
- The spear he used was tied to his wrist, so that when he throws his spear out at a prey and successfully hits and wounds it, he can slowly reel in his prey. That is, once his spear hits the prey, that prey is not getting away.
Satan against Jesus
Matthew 12:43-45
Matthew 4:1-11
Luke 4:1-16
Matthew 27:40-42
Mark 15:30
Satan has attacked Jesus many times during Jesus' lifetime on Earth. Examples include Satan tempting Jesus with all the kingdoms of the world and, through the hard-hearted Pharisees and people, mocking Jesus and tempting Him to get off the cross.
Several realizations from this fact:
Satan KNOWS who Jesus is. Satan and his demons KNOW Jesus is the Truth, that Jesus is God. Satan knows this because SATAN READS THE BIBLE.
This is made evident by the fact that he quoted Psalms 91 when he tempted Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11).
And because Satan knows who Jesus is and Jesus's mission on Earth, Satan has been trying to either kill off Jesus and/or all Israelites or stymie Jesus's mission.
If Satan can force God to break his promises, then Satan would prove he is better than God, for what is the point in placing our faith and trust in God if God cannot guarantee His Word?
Take a moment to really think through the above two points.
If you are still doubting the person of Jesus Christ, the God of Jesus Christ, open your eyes. Jesus's greatest enemy shows no such doubt. In fact, he even knows and quotes Biblical Scriptures.
Attacks from Satan doesn't have to be demonic possessions. It can come in the form of non-believers.
As we have learned from past teachings from Dr. Chuck Missler, Satan cannot be in two places at once. He therefore cannot personally attack everyone at the same time. But, let's not forget that he does have 1/3 of all angels on his team. That's definitely enough to do some major damage. Furthermore, the people he has blinded and turned away from God, they now bear the heart of Satan. Satan certainly makes very efficient use of these people and pits them against Christians.
When Satan throws his spear at his prey and misses, he will reel it in and throw it again. He will keep doing this until he succeeds. And when he does, he will not let his prey get away.
Some sub-points from this realization:
1) The longer we are Christians, the more attacks we will bear.
2) The attacks get harder and harder (see The Counter Attack below).
3) It is therefore very easy for us to become battle-worn and give up. And if we do, then Satan's tactic worked. He would have succeeded in tiring us up and finally piercing his spear right through us. Therefore, just as our enemy is persistent in his chase, we need to be even more persistent in our vigilance.
The Counter Attack
"When at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Satan definitely embraces this idea.
As mentioned above, when Satan throws out his spear and fails to penetrate, he will try again. That is, in response to our success in blocking his spear, Satan's future attacks will only become greater.
In 1 Samuel 17, David kills Goliath all by himself. However, in 2 Samuel 21:15-17: Ishbi-Benob (another giant; brother of Goliath) almost kills David.
In Exodus 2:11-12, Moses whipped and killed an Egyptian by himself. However, in Exodus 17:12, Moses needed help to face those who opposed him.
These two examples show that Satan will just keep coming at us. The attacks will be easy in the beginning because we're young (in Spirit) and are eager to fight. However, as the attacks get harder, we also get more tired. Both of these elements therefore make us vulnerable to further attacks.
2 Samuel 21:15-17
Exodus 17:12
Luke 10:1
Deuteronomy 32:30
In these Scriptures, we see that God's people don't fight alone. When we are weak in the Spirit and know we're on the verge of giving up, we need to surround ourselves with God's people, for together, we can strengthen each other.
We need to understand that the war is not over until it is over.
How heartbreaking would it be to have stood so tall for so long only to lose it all because we could not see ourselves to the end? We already know God and His people win the war. With the certainty of such a victorious end, how could we fail in standing strong until the end? Satan's attacks will get harder, but we have the Armor of God, and we have fellowship with other Christians, and most importantly, with Christ. These are very powerful defenses against Satanic attacks -- but they are powerful ONLY when they are vigilantly maintained.
Before I go on to talk about the Armor of God, here's an interesting blip from Pastor Perry:
David was instructed by God to select smooth stones to defeat Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40). Rough edges of stones in a stream are smoothed out by the constant flow of water running over them. Just like the stones are made smooth by the running water, our souls are smoothed by the constant anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Lastly, David picked up five stones because he knew Goliath had 4 other brothers. That is, David picked up five stones not because he wanted extras in case he missed Goliath the first time and needed more "ammo". David picked up 4 extra stones because should Goliath's 4 brothers come after him, he could take each of them out with exactly one stone per giant. David had such confidence in his future victory because he knew he was doing God's will and under the protection of God. When we are on God's mission, success is a given; there is no need to doubt.
The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-20
Paul likened the Armor of God to the armor of Roman soldiers:
Loin girt (belt) of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Feet shod (Roman version of cleats) with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace
Shield of Faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the Spirit/Word of God
Sword of the Word
The sword often represents the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).
The Hebrew word for "sword" in this Scripture means "a double-edged dagger that is meant to destroy" (Ephesians 6:17).
The sword is double-edged because the first edge was created when God spoke His Word into the Bible, and the second edge was created when we speak the Word.
Luke 4:1-11
Matthew 4:1-13
Deuteronomy 6:13, 16; 83
When Jesus spoke the Word, the Word became a weapon.
Shield of Faith
Roman soldiers carried with them two kinds of shields:
1. Victory Shield: This is a decorative shield, symbolic of the soldier's past victories. It is therefore also symbolic of our faith in witnessing (e.g., God helped me win this and this battle in the past.)
2. Battle Shield: This is the shield the soldier would use in the battle field. IF MAINTAINED WELL, it can quench all the fiery arrows of the enemy, preventing them from penetrating the shield. It represents our faith. That is, our faith is our shield against the fiery arrows of Satan.
Ephesians 1:10; 2:5, 6, 22
There are times where a group of Roman soldiers need to link their shields together to form a large platform of shield to block bigger attacks. An individual shield can only block so much. But when linked together with tens of shields, the ability to block multiplies. In order to effectively block out all arrows, there can be no crack between the shields.
Individually, if the shield is not well-maintained, the shield will not be effective. A Roman soldier's shield was covered with cowhide. In order for it to be effective, the cowhide needs to be oiled (anointed!) so that it does not dry out. If it dries out, then it catches on fire when it gets struck by one of the enemy's flaming arrows, rendering the shield useless. Worse, a shield on fire distracts the soldier from the battle. Instead of focusing on his enemies, he now has to tend to himself.
Similarly, we need to tend to our individual shields of faith. We need to make sure it never dries out by anointing it with the Holy Spirit. As long as we make sure there are no "cracks" in our shield, we are guaranteed that it can "extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16)! And when we fail to keep our shield of faith in top shape, the shield would fail during an enemy attack, leaving us vulnerable on the battlefield. We not only have to deal with the attacking enemies but also problems within.
And of course, when we group together to fight against bigger attacks, we can only stand strong and united when each one of us bring forward our optimally kept faith to ensure 1) no crack in individual shields faith and 2) no crack between the shields of faith.
Keep the Shield of Faith from Cracking
Isaiah 21:5
1 John 2:20, 27
1 Corinthians 12:7-10
Anoint the shield with oil (which represents the Holy Spirit). Roman soldiers rub the oil into the cowhide on their shields, so that the cowhide can absorb the oil and not become dry. Once the shield has been oiled, it is then dipped into water and rubbed down again with oil to fix any dry spots that are prone to cracks. This process is repeated as many times necessary to ensure there is no cracking of the shield.
Water: Washing with the Word of God; washing the mind; renewing the mind -- We should thus be in a place where the Word is preached! (How else would we be able to be washed with the Word?!)
Oil: Anointing of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is the one who builds our faith
Jude 1:20
Build up in the Holy Spirit so that the Spirit may work in us.
Ephesians 5:26
Be in the Holy Spirit so that when our shield is dry, God can easily restore our shield of Faith.
Hence, when we constantly anoint ourselves with the Holy Spirit, we "rub" God's essence into our mind, body, and soul. This anointing isn't just a one time deal. It has to be constantly checked for possible cracks or vulnerable spots so that they can be fixed BEFORE the next battle!
A Roman soldier would never march onto a battlefield unprepared. He would never march onto a battlefield without making sure there was no crack in his shield, because he knows that shield guards his life.
We therefore need to be vigilant about keeping our faith strong. It is the only thing that protects our eternal life in God. We cannot afford to have any cracks in it and make it easy for the enemy to win us over!
Don't ever put ourselves in a situation where we are forced to fix our shields in the middle of a battlefield. Fix the shield BEFORE the battle.
The Shield of Faith will quench ALL fiery darts. ALL.
The Mystery Weapon in Ephesians 6
Roman soldiers also carried a spear, so where's the spear in the Armor of God?
Ephesians 6:18
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit"
The Spirit is the spear.
Before a Roman soldier would use the sword (Word of God), he’d use the spear (praise and prayer in the Spirit).
4 Ways to Fight against Satan
1. Fight your battles with the knowledge of God’s will and you will always win
Peter was able to sleep before his execution (Acts 12:5-11). How could he sleep? Because he knew he wasn’t going to die!
John 21:18
Jesus told Peter he was going to live to an old man!
Similarly, there were 3 instances in the Bible where Jesus specifically stated that his time had "not yet come" (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20).
Based on the Scriptures, Jesus knew when certain things were going to occur and knew they would not occur until God's designated time. For example, Jesus knew He wouldn't die until it was His time to die. Thus, despite all the dangers he faced on His way to Jerusalem, He knew none of His enemies would be able to harm Him. And when His hour of testing came (John 18 & 19), He was arrested, beaten, and sent to the Cross.
The idea here is KNOW THE WORD. God communicates with us through the Word, and God communicates with us individually through prayers. When we know the Word, we know God's plans. And when we know God's plans, we may not know how God would get us out of dire predicaments, but we can rest easy knowing God would get us out.
2. Learn to pray without ceasing
That is, we should continually have our mind and heart set toward God
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, Paul listed the following things every Christian should do:
- Rejoice evermore
- Pray without ceasing
- In everything give thanks
- Quench not the Spirit
- Despise not prophesying
- Prove all things
- Hold fast that which is good
- Abstain from all appearance of evil
When the Church heard about Peter’s execution within 24 h, they never stopped praying for him (Acts 5) until Peter was safe.
Matthew 26:40
Luke 22:44
There are times when intercessions (praying without ceasing) are necessary to help us through the tough times, especially during demonic attack. Sometimes, praying along with fasting are necessary (Mark 9:29) to break the attack.
3. Break the soul ties that are keeping us bound
People can be chained to the wrong people or to the world.
Acts 12:7
The chains that tied Peter down came off of hands; Peter recovered his sandals and his garments.
We do work with our hands. Therefore, by tying down our hands, our enemies prevent us from doing God's work (Psalms 18:34). Sandals represent walk. When Peter got his sandals back, his walk was restored. Similarly, when Peter got his garments back, his Spirit of praise was restored (Isaiah 61:3)
4. Be delivered from the expectations of people
Jesus told us to love God and love others as ourselves. That's it. We are here to do God's work and be judged by God only. We are not here to live up to other people's expectations of us, and we should not imprison ourselves with such expectations!
* * * * * * * *
For me, the take home message is 1) always wear the FULL Armor of God, and 2) keep that Armor in tip-top shape. If every component is diligently anointed, there is no way Satan's attacks can penetrate. We have God's Word on it.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10-14).
2 comments:
This is awesome info to study and apply! thank you.
Thank you, Nigel. I'm super this lesson has blessed you. May we always keep our armors in top shape!
Post a Comment