Recovered In Christ

December 13, 2012

Proper Use Of The Will

“For deliverance from the power of sin and protection from deceiving spirits in their workings, it is important to have a clear apprehension of God’s purpose in redemption. God created man, with dominion over himself. This dominion was exercised by his act of will, even as it was by his Creator. But man fell, and, in his fall, yielded his will to the rule of Satan, who from that time by the agency of his evil spirits has ruled the world, through the enslaved will of fallen man. Christ the Second Adam came, and taking the place of man, chose obedience to the Father’s will, and never for one moment diverged from His perfect co-operation with that will. In the wilderness He refused to exercise the Divine power at the will of Satan, and in Gethsemane in suffering His will never wavered in the choice of the Father’s will. As Man He willed the will of God right through, becoming obedient even unto death, thus regaining for regenerated man, not only reconciliation with God, but liberty from Satan’s thraldom, and the restoration of man’s renewed and sanctified will to its place of free action, deliberately and intelligently exercised in harmony with the will of God.

Christ wrought out for man upon Calvary’s Cross salvation of spirit, soul, and body, from the dominion of sin and Satan; but that full salvation is wrought out in the believer through the central action of the will, as he deliberately chooses the will of God for each department of his tripartite nature.

The will of the man united to the will of God–and thus having the energizing power of God working with his volition–is to rule his (1) “own spirit” (see Prov. 25: 28; 1 Cor. 14: 32); (2) thoughts or mind (Col. 3: 2) inclusive of all the soul-powers; and (3) body (1 Cor. 9: 27), and when, by the appropriation of God’s freeing power from slavery to sin and Satan, the believer regains free action of his will so that he gladly and spontaneously wills the will of God, and as a renewed man re-takes dominion over spirit, soul and body, he reigns in life “through . . Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5: 17). – Jessie Penn-Lewis; War On The Saints, Chapter 9

“For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus  Christ.” (Romans 5:17)

November 2, 2012

One day when I’m really old and have more to say (or perhaps less to say!!) I think I’m going to write a book and call it “Diary of a recovered sociopath”. I’m not kidding! The more my eyes are opened to the insanity of this world and to the absolute depravity that I lived in, all my life – the more breathtaking and outrageous is God’s grace demonstrated in what he did for this world – for me, through Christ. Seeing myself as I was and truly am on my own power against Who God Really Is, is like watching a black ink spot against a white canvas – the starkness of the contrast was mind blowing.

My conscience was seared. Deadened. Totally submerged. Flat lined. Most people that I hear chatting about their desires and evil thoughts that they think make them so badass makes me laugh. I lived and moved and breathed depraved, horrific wickedness and did it all with a song in my heart!  But God chose not to leave me there – and the things I came to despise and tried to “cure”, the nagging anxiety, sleepless nights and mounting dread – they were truly the only things in my life that had integrity.

God touched me. Restored my conscience and set me on a path of confession and restitution that ultimately did nothing but open my heart and mind to the truth: that in my “restored” state, in all my good works, and in the power of the communities of do-gooders that I became a part of – we were all just as depraved as the monster I used to be. Simply a febreezed corpse. Imagine having a dream that you are building an entire ship to cross the ocean – building it from scratch…pouring so much hard work into it – and when you wake up from that dream, you are angry because now, in reality, none of your hard work has made you any closer to crossing the ocean! But what stayed with me was the truth that there is an ocean to cross and I yearned to cross it.

I had mistaken my restored conscience for redemption.

Take all my good works and amends and peace and stillness and fruit – take it all – and it can never wash out the stain on God’s pure canvas. We are incapable of a truly good act of our own selves. Any good deeds we do (outside of Christ) is merely a “relative” good deed. A truly good deed is done for the glory of God. Many have wallowed in despair in this place, many have sought out more elaborate rituals of stain removal, many have simply stamped out their conscience – again.

But some, meant for all, accepted by few have done the only thing that captures God’s heart – they have sought Him with all their heart and strength. They have responded to the only one who can remove this stain, the only one who does not offer a way for redemption – but who offered Himself as The Way of Redemption. Jesus Christ.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulness of God.”Ephesians 3:17

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

“The believer now finds the following results in experience. He has clear vision in the light of God, of the enemy’s workings, without fear; a clear mind, intelligently in exercise in all its actions; a calm decision of the will, with a strong pure spirit in resisting, without hesitation, all he sees to be of the Adversary. Instead of acceptance of the enemy’s workings, there is an established attitude of refusal; instead of a lie in the mind there is truth; instead of ignorance there is knowledge.

The delivered believer now has a deep longing for the deliverance of others he sees to be in the net of the fowler; acute insight into the devil’s true character in his bitter enmity to Christ and His redeemed; past perplexities in spiritual experiences are now clearly understood, and the Adversary detected where it was little thought he had a place; the undeceived one now seeing with astonishment the “naturalness” of his supernatural workings. This man is never off guard now, but always alert, watching against the powers of darkness, while relying upon the strength of God, and there is a manifest development of resisting power against the wicked spirits attacking him in the heavenly places, instead of the weak and passive attitude of the past, which enabled them to hinder or mislead him.

The steps to deliverance which have been given, deal with the PRACTICAL ASPECT OF THE BELIEVER’S ACTIONS. On the Divine side, the victory has been won, and Satan and his deceiving spirits have been conquered, but the actual liberation of the believer demands his ACTIVE COOPERATION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, and the steady exercise of his volition, choosing freedom instead of bondage, and the normal use of every faculty of his being, set at liberty from the bondage of the enemy.

“He that doeth the truth cometh to the light” (John 3: 21) said the Lord. Evil spirits hate scrutiny, and so work under cover with deception and lies. The believer must come to the light of God for His light upon all spiritual experiences, as well as all other departments of the life, if he is to “cast off the works of darkness” (Rom. 13: 12) and put on the armor of God – the armor of light.

The Blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin, if we walk in the light; but the light must shine in for the soul to walk in it. The evil spirits can be cast out in the Name of the Lord Jesus, but the GROUND THEY HAVE GAINED CAN ONLY BE REMOVED BY THE INTELLIGENT CHOICE OF THE WILL REFUSING the ground given to them, and appropriating the deliverance by death with Christ on Calvary.” (Jessie Penn-Lewis; War On The Saints, Chapter 8)

Dear God – thank you for the simple but powerful truth in these words. Thank you that the author of these words was filled with the Holy Spirit when she helped a certain man overcome his depression and despair, a man who later became the founder of the movement that gave birth to the fellowship that rescued me from addiction and death. God – I thank you for my complete deliverance and for the deep longing you have given me to see my people in the fellowship delivered from slavery. Thank you for giving me a recovery family that make me feel like I’ve won the lottery just by knowing them. I love you. Amen.

October 5, 2012

Deep Allegiance To The Truth

“The very first step to freedom is the knowledge of the truth as to the source and nature of experiences the believer may have had since his entrance into the spiritual life, which possibly may have been perplexing, or else thought with deepest assurance to be of God. There is NO DELIVERANCE FROM “DECEPTION” BUT BY THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF TRUTH. And this facing of truth in regard to certain spiritual and “supernatural” experiences, means a keen edged knife to the man in his self-respect, and pride.”

“It requires a very deep allegiance to the truth which God desires should reign in the inward parts of His children, for a believer to accept truth which cuts and humbles, as readily as he accepts that which is agreeable. The “undeceiving” is painful to the feelings, and the discovery that he has been deceived is one of the keenest blows to a man who once thought that he was so “advanced,” so “spiritual,” and so “infallible”, in his certainty of obeying the Spirit of God.”

“The Scriptural ground for obtaining deliverance is the truth concerning Christ’s full victory at Calvary, through which believer CAN BE DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF BOTH SIN AND SATAN, but in actual fact the victory won at Calvary can only be applied as there is conformity to Divine laws. As the deceptions of Satan are recognized, and the will of the person is set to reject them, he can, on the basis of the work of Christ at Calvary as set forth in Rom. 6: 6-13; Col. 2: 15; 1 John 3: 8, and other passages, claim his deliverance from these workings of the devil in deception and possession.

Just as there are various degrees of deception and possession, so there are degrees of deliverance according to the understanding of the believer, and his WILLINGNESS To FACE ALL THE TRUTH ABOUT HIMSELF, and all the ground given to the enemy.” (Jessie Penn-Lewis; War On The Saints, Chapter 7)

Dear God, I pray that you would open our eyes to the deception of Satan in our lives. Help us to reach beyond hurt feelings, bruised pride and the need to defend our “position”. Let us latch on to The Truth. Save us from the strong delusion that to all appearances is imperceptible. According to you and your will, let us see. Amen.

“I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.” (Philippians 3:6)

I can relate! I was zealous! I was not a hypocryte! I have not met one person more loyal to the “program” than I was – not one person that was more willing, more dedicated, more committed to the “program” than me! I don’t say this in arrogance – I simply have never met anyone who demonstrated such rigorous fidelty to this as me. I was a champion for the purity of my religion and this was my religion: “Choose your own conception of God”!

That is the core and heart of our religion which is what our fellowship has become – in which we pretend is not a religion.

…and then I met Christ. THE Christ. The Jesus of the Bible.

Could I still cling to my transcendental meditations? Could I still say that all paths led to God? Could I still claim that I was manifesting my own destiny with my “god” within?

No.

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” (Philippians 3:7-21)

Amen.

September 21, 2012

GROUND TO EVIL SPIRITS THROUGH MISCONCEPTIONS

“Wrong conceptions of spiritual things give ground to evil spirits, and these conceptions the adversary skillfully cultivates ready for use on later occasions. Imaginations as to how God works in Revival power, and in “Pentecostal” measure, is specially a fruitful ground for evil spirits, i.e., a conception that God moves a meeting, and sways it as the wind sways the corn; and that God moves on the physical man, rather than from the centre of man’s spirit only. These imaginations prepare the believer for Satan’s deceptions in these very forms.

This entry of “thoughts” from any quarter comes from the deeper cause of a passivity of the mind which, as we have pointed out in Chapter 4, is the main object of the adversary to produce, ere he can succeed in his effort to obtain control of the believer’s will. The Lord’s words in Matthew 13: 23, that the good ground hearer is “he that hears the word and understands it,” show that the mind is the vehicle through which the truth of God reaches men to win their affections, and bring back the will into intelligent and loyal co-operation with God. In like manner the mind is the hindrance to Satan’s carrying out his schemes to win back control of the believer. For the success of his plans, the enemy knows that the mind must be lulled into inaction and disuse by some means or other, either by stratagem or attack. The arch-deceiver is well aware that any “teaching” of deceiving spirits accompanied by supernatural signs, may be received by the believer if his mind is lulled into passivity so that he does not question, or intelligently reason, what the teachings are, or what they involve in their ultimate issue.” (Jessie Penn-Lewis; War On The Saints, Chapter 7)

We have for the most part sought out and indulged in “showy” Christian experience…which is what Jessie Penn-Lewis’ book seeks to expose! Most people who are oppressed by the works of Satan, who have unwittingly opened the door to his interference are those who are unlearned and out of touch with the truth of where God really manifests His Spirit – in our spirit. Instead, most Christians have turned to a hedonistic experience because it feels good. And feeling good has become more important than the truth. Only when that reverses…can the works of Satan be truly exposed and ultimately resisted.

September 20, 2012

“It is not “thinking” when a thing grips the mind, but when the mind grips the thing. Their “thinking” goes beyond the line of pure mental
action.

Herein lies the real cause of depression as experienced by many believers, apart from purely physical conditions. The victim of depression and melancholia has admitted thoughts suggested by the deceiving spirits, until the mind is unable to shake them off, or else the enemy has obtained such a footing, that he holds the mental faculties in a grip of passivity, so that they cannot act. The victim feels as though his mental faculties were in a vice, or weighted with some heavy pressure which obscures all light, and prevents him grasping the facts around him, or using his reason at all. The malignant powers of darkness ofttimes succeed in keeping those who have given them opportunity to get them into their grip under the most harassing clouds and shadows. They rejoice over their own wicked deeds, and love to bind their victims, and keep them in bondage.

This is truly the “oppression” of the enemy (Ps. 42: 9), and is the outcome of the earlier stages of the attacks of deceiving spirits upon the mind, which could have been quenched had they been dealt with at the beginning.

That the enemy takes advantage of any mental feebleness, or overstrain, or disease, is, of course, to be recognized; but in persons of normal health, with no disease of the mind, inherited or induced, much of the “depression” may be attributed to the inroads of the enemy, through ground given unconsciously at some previous time. The cause of “brain-fog” too, needs to be examined in this light, lest many attribute to natural causes what may have been supernaturally brought about.” (Jessie Penn-Lewis; War On The Saints, Chapter 7)

Dear God, please help us to be willing to co-operate in our liberation rather than unconsciously working to resist it. Help us not to be defensive and not to brush aside all of the things you are bringing to light that has given Satan grounds to work in our lives. Thank you for blessing us with faith and humility and a teachable attitude. Help us to examine ourselves and everything in our life in your light. Amen.

Thank you for supporting this and for sharing your heart with me!!!

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

THE AUTHORITY OVER EVIL SPIRITS BY THE APOSTLES AFTER PENTECOST

That the Apostles after Pentecost recognized and dealt with the denizens of the invisible world, is evident from the records of the Acts of the Apostles, and other references in the Epistles. The disciples were prepared for Pentecost, and the opening of the supernatural world through the coming of the Holy Spirit, by their three years’ training by the Lord. They had watched Him deal with the wicked spirits of Satan, and had themselves learned to deal with them, too, so that the power of the Holy Spirit could safely be given at Pentecost to men who already knew the workings of the foe. We see how quickly Peter recognized Satan’s work in Ananias (Acts 5: 3), and how “unclean spirits” came out at his presence, as they did with his Lord (Acts 5: 16). Philip, too, found the evil hosts subservient (Acts 8: 7) to the word of his testimony, as he proclaimed Christ to the people, and Paul knew, also, the power of the Name of the Risen Lord (Acts 19: 11) in dealing with the powers of evil.

It is therefore clear in Bible history that the manifestation of the power of God invariably meant aggressive dealing with the Satanic hosts; that the manifestation of the power of God at Pentecost, and through the Apostles, meant again an aggressive attitude to the powers of darkness; and, ergo, that the growth and maturity of the Church of Christ at the end of the dispensation, will mean the same recognition, and the same attitude toward the Satanic hosts of the prince of the power of the air; with the same co-witness of the Holy Spirit to the authority of the Name of Jesus, as in the early Church. In brief, that the Church of Christ will reach its high water mark, when it is able to recognize and deal with demon-possession; when it knows how to “bind the strong man” by prayer; “command” the spirits of evil in the Name of Christ, and deliver men and women from their power. (Jessie Penn-Lewis; War On The Saints, chapter 2)

Dear God, I pray that by humbling ourselves rather than by humiliation and defeat may our eyes be opened to be able to deal with the reality of demon possession. Amen

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

I had no idea how I was created. I had no idea where I would go when I died. I had no idea why it is or how I was on a planet filled with life surrounded by vast endless space and yet I was so close minded to anything that seemed “far fetched”. Being alive and conscious and on this planet is actually far fetched if you really think about it!.

I snickered and rolled my eyes at people who wanted me to believe something about a man who lived 2 thousand years ago – and yet I accepted theories from other men about things that apparently happened 65 million years ago.

And I was indoctrinated by them to believe it wasn’t “theory”, it was fact!

They too had no idea where they came from and where they are going – we all just continued to walk in darkness, focusing on the little we did know and avoiding how much we didn’t know! We catalogued the creation and called it science or added a twist of the spiritual to it and called it “my own understanding of God”. Some flaky but all powerful force that was more of a philosophical machination than anything close to the truth of who God is.

But I put aside my own understanding and began to seek this man who said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life…even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.” (John 8: 12-14)