The only power that Satan and his demons have is the power we give them. In this message, Tony Evans explains how to start saying “no” to the devil and making it stick.
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
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the story is told of a famous chess
champion who was on vacation in Europe
and he loved the art so he decided while
on vacation he would visit a number of
art galleries in Europe he came to one
particular art gallery and began to
peruse it and ran across a painting that
both mesmerized and stupefied him it was
a painting of a chess game in progress
on one side of the chessboard was a
painting of the devil and the devil was
laughing and full of joy and gaiety and
hilarity rocking back in his chair just
just in great joy on the other side of
the chessboard was a young man terrified
tears were running down his face sweat
pouring down his forehead he was biting
his nails in fear it became clear what
the painting was all about when the
Chess Champion read above the painting
the title that was simply called
checkmate the devil was about to make
the final move to win this young man’s
soul he was hilarious and the young man
was terrified well the Chess Champion
thought this was an intriguing picture
but then he got really interested in it
and he stared at it for a long time
actually hours he stared at it after a
number of hours staring at the painting
the Chess Champion began to smile he
found the proprietor of the gallery and
said sir would you happen to have a
chessboard here they looked around they
found a chessboard and he laid the
chessboard out at the base of the
painting precisely as they were in the
painting itself he looked down at his
own chess board then he looked up at the
painting he looked down at his own chess
board and he looked up at the painting
he looked down as though his own chess
board he looked back up at the painting
and then he began to laugh he turned to
the picture of the young man and
mr. I sure wish you could hear me now
cuz I got good news it only looks like
the devil’s winning cuz there’s still
one move left on the board and you get
to make it your enemy has miscalculated
something I’m a chess champion and I
know this game I got some good news you
can wipe that sweat off your forehead
dry your weeping eyes and take your
fingers out of your mouth cuz you not he
gets to make the final move a lot of us
have been duped in the thinkin that the
devil is women we’ve been duped in the
thinking that he and not us get to make
the final move we’ve been duped into
thinking he’s running the show calling
the shots and we are puppets on his
string we’ve been duped into thinking
that he is the final decision-maker
about our joy our happiness our
well-being our spirituality and all the
other elements that make life work
because he seems to be running the show
well I came to you with some good news
today wipe the sweat off your forehead
dry your weeping eyes and take those
jittering fingers out of your clashing
teeth because you not he gets to make
the final move now to understand that
you have to understand the history of
the conflict that we call spiritual
warfare
you see God made the first move when he
created angels Lucifer reacted
negatively to that move and rebelled
against God took one third of the Angels
with him
God countered that move by creating man
in his own image a little lower than the
Angels Satan rebelled against that move
by getting Adam and Eve to turn the
earth over to his control but God
countered that move by
the redemptive covering for Adam and Eve
so that they could return back to
fellowship with God
of course Satan tried to counter that
move by getting Cain to kill Abel in
order to cut off the godly line well
that’s when God counted that move
through the birth of Seth so that men
began to call on the name of the Lord
again of course that’s when Satan tried
to counter that move through the birth
of Nimrod who built the civilizations of
Babylon in Assyria
they gathered at the Tower of Babel to
build a religion in defiance of God
because that’s when God counted that
move by going to the heir of the
counties finding a man named Abraham and
saying I’m going to create my own nation
that will obey because that’s when Satan
countered that move by getting them
trapped in the Egypt so that Pharaoh
would not let them go but then God
countered that move by going to Moses
and Midian and telling him to go tell
Pharaoh I said let my people go and the
whole Old Testament has moved counter
move move move move countable Wolfe
County mobile we’re not sure who win in
this game you come to the end of the Old
Testament there 400 silent years between
the end of the Old Testament at the
beginning of the New Testament both
sides are just staring at the board but
when the New Testament opens up so and
so begat so and so begat so and so begat
so and so begat so and so they get the
matthew chapter 1 verse 16 who begot
Joseph who was married to Mary by whom
was born Jesus Christ up until this time
God would find a man and use a man who
the New Testament opens up God says I’m
tired of dismissal let me come on down
here take care this mother myself so God
became a man and the person of Jesus
Christ Satan tried to counter that move
by tempting him in the wilderness Jesus
overcame that through the use of the
word of God then he made his final move
by getting Jesus Christ nailed to a
cross to forever get rid of this agent
of God but that’s when God made the
final move because early on Easter
Sunday morning a little while before a
day the grave was open Jesus Christ
arose and the final move was made
the move he didn’t Bank on and that move
is your move no matter what’s going on
in your world that move that move the
accomplishment of the cross and the
resurrection was God’s final move that
is your move for victory now I don’t
know what’s going on in your world your
life your struggles your mind no matter
what it is I’m going to share with you
today and throughout this series how you
use the final move in the passage that
we are introducing this with today
finally brethren chapter 6 verse 10 be
strong in the Lord and the strength of
his might put on the here’s our series
the full armor of God so that you may be
will stand firm against the schemes of
the devil here it is
for our struggle it’s not against flesh
and blood but against principalities and
powers and world Force’s of this
darkness against spiritual forces of
wickedness in heavenly places people are
not your problem now I know you think
they’re your problem cuz they’re what
you see feel touch taste in here but
according to verse 12 whatever is going
wrong in your world people are merely
the conduit for the root there the fruit
he says we wrestle not against flesh and
blood the battles we have in life what
air they may be are not fundamentally
physical in nature flesh and blood he
says our battle is against
principalities and powers and world
Force’s of this darkness located in
heavenly places the word heavenly places
means the spiritual realm whatever is
going on in your world
your life has gone on it’s going on or
will go on is rooted first in the
spiritual realm heavenly places if you
don’t know how to navigate that realm
you can’t fix this realm spiritual
warfare can simply be defined as the
conflict in the invisible realm that
affects what you’re going through in the
visible realm it is the battle in the
unseen that is responsible for the
battles in the scene whatever is
happening in the world of your five
senses flesh and blood it has been
created in a world you can’t see but if
you can’t navigate that world you can’t
fix this world most of our attempts to
fix this world is through using this
world but this world flesh and blood is
not where the battle emanates from our
battle is in an unseen realm called
heavenly places he uses this phrase
uniquely in Ephesians to describe all of
the Christians activities in Ephesians
chapter 1 verse 3 he says your blessings
are located in heavenly places
everything God is ever going to do for
you is located in the unseen realm
everything God is ever going to promised
fulfill everything that you will ever
need that will ever come your way has
already been deposited in your account
in the unseen realm the heavenly places
he goes on later in Chapter 1 and he
goes on and he says about Jesus Christ
he says in chapter 1 verse 20 when she
brought about in Christ when he raised
him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in heavenly places he says
your blessings are in heavenly places
and the one who’s in charge
Jesus is seated having risen from the
dead in heavenly places so if you want
to get to Jesus you got to get the way
he is
and where he is isn’t the spiritual
realm heavenly places chapter 2 verse 6
he says and we were raised with him and
seated with him in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus he says your blessings are
in heavenly places
Jesus is seated in heavenly places we
are seated with him in heavenly places
so where you’re physically seated is not
the only place you’re located you are
equally located in another realm he says
that is how many places or the spiritual
realm chapter 3 verse 10 he says so that
the manifold wisdom of God might be made
known through the church to the rulers
and the authority in heavenly places he
says that the angels are in heavenly
places now you need to understand you
need your angels every Christian in here
has at least one angel that has been
assigned to you if you’re a believer in
Jesus Christ the Bible says in Hebrews
1:14 that angels are assigned to
believers as ministering spirits you
have at least one angel who’s assigned
to you to operate on your behalf in the
spiritual realm in the spiritual realm
you have somebody who knows that realm
better than you whose job it is to
operate in that realm on behalf of you
so your blessings are in heavenly places
Jesus is seated in heavenly places you
are seated with him in heavenly places
your angelic assistance is located in
heavenly places and then in chapter 6
verse 12 the principalities and the
powers of darkness are located in
heavenly places so every Christian in
here has a demon assigned to you the
demon is assigned to you and his job is
to make hell break loose in your life
his job is to make sure that Satan has
his way with you there is a demon
assigned to you by the devil whose job
it is to watch your tape see in football
what they do is they watch tape to find
the weaknesses in the other team they
constantly look at tape because they
want to
exploit the weaknesses so the demonic
realm knows your weak spots he knows
what happened when you were a child that
messed up your thinking that lowered
your self-esteem he knows about the sin
patterns that have developed over your
life which invite demonic presence in
them they know about the issues the
abuses to you are from you that are
operating within your world and they
have a job one job and that is to
exploit your game film they look at your
game film identify the weaknesses and
they are principalities and powers that
are located in the spiritual realm okay
let’s review your blessings are there
Christ is there you are there the angels
are there the demons are there it seems
like to me what’s happening is that
what’s happening is that the problem is
it gets manifested here all the physical
world does is manifest what’s happening
in the spiritual world if you are
unaware of that world and you are
unaware of how that world works then all
you are left is with the physical but
the problem is the physical can’t fix
the physical if the problem is started
from is in the spiritual so we spent all
of our time money effort strength
mindsets relationships to help us do
better in the physical when that’s that
where the problem emanated from it
emanated from a location called heavenly
places so if you want to fix what
started in the spiritual that’s messing
you up in the physical you got to go
back to the spiritual which is the
location of its origin now what the
demonic world doesn’t want you to know
is they don’t want you to know that they
want you to live in the world of the
five senses the Bible calls that the
natural man he wants you to live in the
world of the seeing and the touching and
the tasting and the hearing and the
smelling he wants you to function by
five senses he wants you to fix you
using the five senses or talk to other
people with five senses like you who can
help fix you only to discover are we
doing is picking fruit and not adjusting
root we’re not getting to the origin of
the problem and because we’re not
getting see if all you
she is what you see then you do not see
all there is to be seen if all you see
is what you see then you do not see all
there is to be seen it is the invisible
that affects the visible so if you want
to fix the visible and physical you must
address the invisible and spiritual
failure to address the invisible
spiritual cause has led to most much and
in many cases all of the inability to
have physical visible cure because we
haven’t gotten to the cause we can’t
come up with the cure he says that we’re
in a wrestle we’re in a battle this
battle is not against flesh and blood
but it’s against principalities and
powers that want to rob us of all that
God has thought up for us in the
spiritual realm he says he wants you to
stand firm against the schemes of the
devil
watch as men watch this the strategy of
the devil let me tell you what devils
and demons don’t want you to know they
don’t want you to know their methodology
schemes because if you ever figure him
out you got him so they don’t want you
to figure them out the devil wants you
to think of him with horns of pitchfork
and a red jumpsuit cuz if he got you
thinking that way about him and you
never see any horns pitchfork and a red
jumpsuit he does not want you to figure
him out the word schemes means deceptive
strategies deceptive strategies Satan’s
won over RT he doesn’t many ways but is
one overarching principle is to deceive
trick bamboozled
he operates but he is the ultimate
magician he operates by sleight of hand
the Bible says that when Adam and Eve
were in the garden he came into a
serpent a snake why did he come into a
snake it says because the snake was the
most crafty of animals in this case
reptile that God had created so guess
what he found the appropriate vehicle in
order to slither into the garden in
order to deceive Adam and Eve now let me
tell you why he did that I don’t want
you to miss this in order for the devil
to be a good devil and in order for
demons to be good demons they need a
body through which to work see your
problem is not the invisible spiritual
realm your problem is the vehicle it
uses to get to you
including you it needs a vehicle Satan
had to have a vehicle you know a
physical vehicle the serpent in order to
get to Adam and Eve the Bible talks
about the angel working through people
as angels of light looking like the real
deal
but trickery and deception and let me
explain this this is the principle that
I don’t want you to miss his scheme is
to trick you he doesn’t want you to see
him for what he really is so he comes
looking like something else in order to
get you to move away watch this from the
protective covering of God now I’m gonna
get to that in a moment
he knows as long as you are undercover
as long as you’re under the protective
covering of God he can’t get you so he’s
got to get you to relocate so what he
does is he tricks you into a relocation
if he can get you to relocate he’s got
you cuz you’re no longer under
protective covering okay so he tricks
you to remove you like he removed Adam
and Eve from the protective covering of
God so
he could get them to move and to turn
over their world to him so he is the
ultimate trap he is the ultimate
deceiver his schemes are designed to
trick you and trap you into seeing
things from his perspective I remember a
TV show that I used to like to look at
it comes on occasionally now and you’ve
all probably seen episodes from it the
Outer Limits sci-fi and on this one
particular occasion this particular
fleet one of the ships crashed and it
was captured in this alien environment
and this alien the scaled creature took
this human and put him in a room and
kept asking the human where is the rest
of your fleet and the human wouldn’t
give up the information and the alien
couldn’t get it out of it one day a
beautiful young lady comes in and is
incarcerated with him and this beautiful
young lady is said to have been part of
another fleet that was against this
alien nation and so she was there they
began talking to one another and
engaging one another and she began
asking him questions about his fleet and
he began asking her questions about
their fleet and then the alien creature
would come in and ask them both about
where their fleets were but they weren’t
giving up any information every day they
would take the lady outside and bring
her back the next day over a period of
time scales began coming out on the
woman and the man said what are they
doing to you what are they doing to you
the woman said well they are they’re
injecting me and they’re making me like
them and so they began continuing
talking about their fleet but every day
she would get more and more scales on
her until one day she was totally scaled
and looked just like the creatures that
were picking her up every day finally
they came together and said we’re taking
you out permanently the man looked at
her having exchanged all of his
information and said you
have completely changed she said no I’ve
completely changed back
I was always this I was just made to
look like you to get the information now
that I got the information I can go back
to being who I really am
see the devil is an angel of light he
wants the information he wants to pull
from you what God has for you then he
can go back to what it really is
he says the angel has schemes the
schemes of the devil and they’re
designed to draw us away from God but
here’s the secret that he doesn’t want
you to know but I’m gonna tell you
because God wants you to know it and I’m
validated in just a second but let me
give you a heads up the only power that
Satan and demons have is the power you
give them you’re gonna discover in just
a second they have already been defeated
they’ve already lost so they are losers
they have already been defeated that’s
not just a song nor is it just a saying
it is what God declares but the problem
is what if they’re defeated how come I’m
not women
anything they can do they do because you
told them it was okay
you see you have that’s why they need a
body they need something to load
themselves to them that they can work to
and through to express themselves
through them the only power that they
have is power that people grant them the
only reason Satan could take over planet
Earth is because Adam and Eve gave him
permission to do it they need permission
from us to bring hell to us so if hell
is going on in your life you gave him
okay you told him through sin and
circumstance through yielding damn it’s
okay for you to rule my mind it’s okay
for you to rule my world it’s okay for
you to rule my emotions it’s okay for
you to
I will I give you permission to tell me
I’m not really a man although I was born
a male I give you permission to tell me
I’m not really a woman although I was
born a female I give you permission to
tell me I need drugs one drugs can’t get
rid of drugs can’t shake drugs because
drugs are what keeps me going I give you
permission to tell me I need that drink
gotta have that drink can’t live without
that drink I give you permission to tell
me I should wake up the press stated
press go to bed the press
wake up the next day to press a ting
demons I give you permission to tell me
for the next 10 years of my life I gotta
live in misery and depression in fact
I’m gonna go so far as the same much of
what we call mental illness is really
demons being given permission to drive
me crazy I have given demons permission
some things we call bipolar these quick
moves now sometimes that can be chemical
reaction so I’m not saying the physical
is not real but I am saying a lot of
what we call physical chemical reaction
is really the result of demonic
performance that the demons have been
allowed to roam free so the chemicals
have gone crazy all right
exceptions to that and that’s another
subject my only point here is until
you’ve addressed the spiritual you
really don’t know whether it’s just
physical see we assume it’s just
physical cuz its physical but if it
started in the spiritual and you’re only
addressing the physical you’ll never get
rid of the problem because you’re giving
demons permission to stay at home and
once they’re given permission like
roaches they are not going anywhere
because we have decided to let them live
there through that world view through
the schemes the deceptive programs of
the devil the devil operates by consent
and by cooperation some people say well
well some people are just too demon
conscious the problem is most of us are
too demon unconscious he says we wrestle
against an unseen world of evil that
Satan and demons and you have been
assigned one some of us got a whole
platoon and their job is to keep you
from experiencing the will of God for
your life that’s their job that’s their
full-time occupation and they are good
at it you’re not their first assignment
and neither am i so we can’t really go
further unless you buy that everything
else I say coming up is gonna be wasted
information if you don’t buy that that
we wrestle not against flesh and blood
if you don’t say if you think people are
your problem versus the fruit of your
problem then all you are addressed are
people if we gave the spirit world as
much a piece of our mind that we give
people because you know we’ll give
people a piece of our mind in a minute
but if we gave the spiritual world a
piece of our mind as much as we give the
physical role a piece of our mind we
still have our minds but we didn’t lost
our minds because we’re given the wrong
thing a piece of it and when you give so
many pieces of it around you don’t have
mind left to give the people are real
the flesh and blood is real it’s just
not the root and so he wants our consent
he needs our consent because his power
is based on our consent that’s why he
says in verse 10 be strong in the Lord
and the strength of his might
translation not your strength or your
might not your strength why can’t I get
him off my back because you’ve been
using your strength and your human
strength doesn’t work in that realm that
that realm your strength can’t work in
that realm can’t use your strength you
aren’t strong enough for that realm now
watch this please notice what he says
over and over in verse 11
and firm the end of verse 13 stand firm
the beginning of verse 14 stand firm
okay somebody say stand firm stand firm
me don’t go nowhere hold what you got
stay where you are
stand firm means stay in the area that
has already brought victory stand firm
don’t don’t go over here over here lean
into your own understanding okay don’t
go don’t go over there stay in this spot
where victory has already been achieved
don’t go to your own victory cuz you’re
gonna leave the spot if you are then
umbrella and it’s raining it’s raining
all around you but you’re not getting
wet to get a good sized umbrella you’re
not getting wet not because rain isn’t
happening around you you just undercover
because you’re undercover you stay under
the umbrella because you don’t want to
get wet you stand firm under the
umbrella which doesn’t stop it from
raining it just stops it from raining on
you all right you’re standing firm
doesn’t change the fact that evil is all
around you
it just keeps evil from raining on you
because you are undercover but the
scheme of the devil is to get you to
step right step left with the umbrella
over here so you’re no longer on the
cover and once you are no longer
undercover they can rain on you because
you’re not undercover in western days a
father was out trying to outrun a
prairie fire with his son in a wagon and
they’re going real fast but the prairie
fire was going too fast and they were
gonna be consumed in a moment the father
to the confusion of the Sun turned the
horse around and went to a spot that had
already been burned
he said jump out quickly they jumped out
and he said now you stay
and don’t move he said but Dad the fire
is coming all around us it’s coming in
all directions he said boy stay here
don’t you budge he said but Dad I don’t
understand
that’s far all around us he said son I
said stay here but then why are we gonna
stay here
he says coz this spot has already been
burned and since this father has already
been burnt there is nothing left to burn
so if you just stay here the fire may
get in the vicinity but it can’t touch
us
coz it’s nothing for it to grab hold of
you see what Saint wants you to do if he
wants you to step away from where the
fire has already been burned Jesus has
already been burned Jesus has already
been crucified the resurrection has
already occurred he says stay in that
spot stand firm in that location
don’t leave the cross because that has
already been set on fire and if you
don’t leave there that place can’t be
burned twice that’s called double
jeopardy what Jesus has accomplished has
already happened so that raises the
question doesn’t it what has he done
that I need to stand firm in stand firm
in the Lord or he says be strong in the
Lord and the strength of his might not
your determination power of positive
thinking promises a gritting your teeth
saying I’ll never do it again
all that’s you that’s just you trying to
be a better you and for a while you can
be a good of you than you were but you
discover that your strength keeps
getting overcome because the evil world
can feed off of that cuz they know your
strength is given them strength so your
strength is only helping them to become
stronger so we actually helping out the
demon world when they say when you say I
ain’t gonna do it no more they say I
heard that that’s your strength and I
get the feed off for you
I get the feed off of you so we’re
actually helping the demonic world using
our strength be strong in the Lord and
the strength of his might
so what happened what happened when
Jesus Christ died listening the Bible
says in Colossians chapter 2 verse 10
you are complete in him no additives
needed when you accepted Jesus Christ
Colossians 1:13 and 15 says you are
transferred out of the kingdom of
darkness into the kingdom of light you
were relocated Hebrews chapter 2 verses
14 and 15 says that Jesus Christ by his
death rendered Satan powerless he took
the bullets out the gun all he’s gotten
out of caps caps make noise they just
don’t do anything so guess what you and
I are being ruled by a cat pistol
because it says Jesus has rendered him
powerless so he can that’s why he can’t
beat you with power he can only beat you
with deception that looks like power if
you hold a gun on me I would be
terrified if I only down on you you
gonna be terrified until I discover that
no bullets in it that will change how I
view you now my view of you will greatly
change when I discover you have been
rendered powerless and you’re only
looking like you got fire power it says
that he is no longer in control
in fact Colossians chapter 2 verse 15
says that when Jesus Christ died on the
cross and rose from the dead he
conducted a victory parade in heavenly
places he he went public with it in the
spiritual realm that was a Macy’s parade
and the spiritual realm the Bible says
paraded the triumph of Jesus Christ
declaring Satan and his demons a
defeated foe in the spiritual realm that
was a parade a parade many of us most of
us and maybe all of us have never gone
to we don’t know about the parade Jesus
Christ the class he has been victory
over them so that Ephesians 1:22 first
Corinthians 15 27 says that everything
is now under his feet that Jesus Christ
and only Jesus Christ has
defeated him once and for all therefore
he cannot whip you with power he must
whip you with permission that’s been
handed to him by us by our own strength
be strong in the Lord and the strength
of his mate what his power gives not
what your power can conjure up see Satan
doesn’t want you to know that he does
not want you to know that he’s already
been whipped because you won’t treat him
different you gonna look at him
different you gonna talk to him
different see you’re not gonna go around
saying like Flip Wilson the devil made
me do it because as long as you grant
him that power he gonna use it
see Flip was wrong that became make you
do anything but he can take your
permission for him to do it
and use it a gangster see so he doesn’t
want you to know that he doesn’t want
you to know that you know I have I have
on TV as many of you do the NFL Network
because I love football and the NFL
Network will show you
last year’s games they’ll show you games
from last year but when they show you
last year’s game they’ll tell you to
score at the beginning of the game don’t
say let’s look at last year when the
Dallas Cowboys beat the Houston Texans
or let’s let’s review the game when when
the Carolina Panthers defeated the New
York Jets they will they will tell you
they will put the score up never game
hadn’t played yet but they’re letting
you know how this is gonna wind up in
other words you start with victory you
know where the victory is so you’re not
gonna get all shook up when you see a
fumble or an interception or a block or
a tackle you get okay you know where
this thing is going you’ve already
discovered in advance where victory lies
was change your approach to how you view
the game because you are viewing it from
victory not to determine victory stand
firm in the Lord be strong in the Lord
and the strength of his might
you are not trying to win he
as already one you are to view your life
through the eyes of the victory of
Christ not through the eyes of something
you’re trying to win your you’ll see God
has already played this thing in advance
and he’s already put it on tape that
victory has already been declared
victory has already been won so when you
talk to yourself
or when you talk to somebody else you’re
not told about if you’re a Christian
you’re not supposed to be talking as one
trying to locate victory you’re supposed
to be talking as one who has already
declared victory because you are using
the Lord’s strength not your strength
victory is your but we don’t talk like
that we talk like I’m trying to make it
I hope they do better one day this will
pass I think God doesn’t want me here
I hope niche is better than last year
we’re talking as people not knowing we
have victory so we talking uncertainties
we talk in hopefulness we talk in desire
we did not talk in victory that has been
achieved we quote the verses but we
don’t believe the verses we quote we
talk about greater than she didn’t send
us Anita’s in the world we’re more than
conquerors in Christ who loved us and
gave himself for us that’s religious
speech that’s not victory parade you
supposed to be parading as a victor
because then Satan knows he can’t
piggyback off of what you’re loaning him
because if you loaned him a stick he’ll
beat you over the head with it he says I
want you to be strong in the Lord and
the strength of his might he does not
want you to come out from underneath the
umbrella of God’s perspective on a
matter though your TV cannot pick up an
analogue signal anymore
you either have cable or you got a
satellite dish if you’re watching
television because you’re not getting
local channels with an analogue signal
that’s gone there will be no picture
manifested from the invisible signals
through an analogue cuz they don’t do
that anymore the only way you get a
picture is through cable or a satellite
what a lot of us want to do
is go to analog man’s point of view and
get our information not understand then
that don’t show up on the screen you
cannot get from the human point of view
a divine picture no wonder things stay
blank no wonder I’m not getting clear
direction no wonder I’m not seeing
victory in my life because I’m going
through a signal God doesn’t news God
will not use a signal devoid of his
satellite of His divine perspective and
that’s why Satan wants to mess with our
minds we’re gonna talk about that when
we talk on truth because guess what your
problem is between here’s everything you
need to deal with right now is between
years if you learn how to deal with
between you ears it changes everything
because he’s after the mind he wants you
to think like he wants you to think cuz
then you’ll do what he wants you to do
because it all starts there we’ll talk
about that later but what God wants you
to know you know there was this a movie
The Exorcism of Emily Rose if you
haven’t seen it next time it comes on
you need to watch that The Exorcism of
Emily Rose Emily Rose have a demon and
Emily Rose can’t get rid of this demon
she calls the priest over to get rid of
the demon the priest tries to get rid of
the demon but the demon won’t go
anywhere a child is held against the
priest is trying to do the exorcism they
call in an expert on demons and exorcism
to testify at the trial the lady sits on
the stand and says there most certainly
is a demon in Emily Rose there is a
demon that won’t go away and the priest
did what he was supposed to do to get
rid of the demon that’s terrifying
Emily Rose but the reason why the demon
won’t come out of Emily Rose is that
Emily Rose has been medicated with gamma
troll and gamma troll does the thinking
and the mind
that she’s not thinking right so that
the demon doesn’t have to react to her
thoughts because her thoughts have been
confused by the addition of the
medication the medication is really
locking the demon in what she has gone
to on the human level has kept the demon
functioning in her cuz it’s dulled her
ability to react to the spiritual
impulses that would remove the demon and
since the spirit can’t be gotten to
because of this intrusion of the medical
it’s caused the demon to be trapped
inside of her what many of us have done
is gone to man’s way of thinking
introduced that way of thinking to us
and wonder why the divine power is not
working because the human has trapped
the demon in so that the divine can’t
free the person out we have introduced
alien elements to the spiritual realm so
that we’re no longer strong in the Lord
we’re strong in the Lord mixture we want
to mix the human and the divine and hope
that it all works out in the end he says
be strong in the Lord and I want you to
stand firm at communion Jesus said in
first Corinthians 11 he says do this in
remembrance of me and then he says there
interesting phrase says when you take
communion and proclaim my death till I
come now the question is proclaim your
death to who well okay I’m taking you to
come eating the bread I’m drinking the
cup and now you’re saying proclaim
proclaim proclaim is to speak again to
testify proclaim my deaths how you come
so I’m taking communion and I’m supposed
to be proclaiming you die – who – the
spiritual realm that’s who
cuz the spiritual realm don’t want to
hear that cuz now you’re standing firm
see when you bring up Jesus Christ to
the spiritual realm when you bring up
what he accomplished Satan you’ve been
you’ve been defeated and what you’re
doing to me has already been defeated
you’re telling me I gotta be on drugs
that’s been defeated you telling me I
have to be gay that’s been defeated you
telling me I have to be you’re more
that’s been defeated you telling me I
have to be a liar that’s been defeated
you telling me I have to be a drug
addict that’s been defeated you telling
me I have to live with anger that’s been
defeated you told me I have to be
depressed they and they out here in
their hero that’s been defeated and so
what you’re telling me is a lot so let
me proclaim to you what happened to you
on the cross of Jesus Christ in case you
forgot we don’t proclaim his death cuz
we have relegated it to history
something that happened 2,000 years ago
so we stopped standing firm on it we
come up with new tricks of the trade new
gadgets and gimmicks we try to find
something new we want to be entertained
out of our problems we want to be
fancified out of our problems we want to
we want to hocus-pocus we want to visit
our card readers and focal read your
hand and we want to look at signs in the
sky we want to find out what the
horoscope is and all the time while
we’re singing Jesus is enough
introducing gamut role introducing that
which traps the demonic inside and keeps
us from being free so if you’re tired if
you are tired of being trapped in that
realm you got to stop using this realm
to fix it coz this realm can fix that
realm your point of reference has to be
what God has provided the Bible says in
Romans Satan is now under your feet he
supposed to be your hostage you not
supposed to be is he’s not supposed to
be running your life running your
emotions running your passions running
you he’s not supposed to be doing that
if he’s doing that I’m not hating if
he’s doing that you stop standing firm
I’ve stopped standing firm we have
relocated our position and we’re now out
in the rain you say ok well what do i do
what do I do
he tells you look at what he says he
says verse 11 put on the full armor of
God he says in verse 13 take up the full
armor of God this is sweet
the armor of God our spiritual resources
in other words Dress for Success okay
it’s all about what you wear
so all about what you wear it he says
put on the full armor of God okay so
let’s get this straight it’s not your
own it’s not your clothes it’s God’s
clothes why cuz God lives in that realm
so he know what you supposed the way so
he wants to tell you how to dress for
success he says I want you to put on the
full armor of God and when you get
dressed for success what will happen
when you get dressed for success you
will be able to handle anything Satan
throws at you you’ll be able to handle
your temper you’ll be able to handle
your addictions and that’s nothing you
won’t be tempted I’m not saying you
won’t have problems I’m not saying you
want at fears let’s say you want to
frustrate I’m saying they won’t have the
last word they were no longer be the
dictator they were no longer be the
ruler they were no longer be the
controller they were no longer be the
the Emperor of your life they may show
up but they will no longer have final
say-so no longer have final say-so
but you got a dress for success now
we’re gonna go over six things there’s
six things they’re six items of apparel
that you’ve gotta weigh out in that
realm if you want that realm to submit
to you he says there’s six items he
divides them into three categories two
categories of three rather there’s six
items the first three and the last three
notice the difference between the first
set and the last set the first set all
begin with the word having stand firm
verse 14 having girded your loins having
put on the breastplate of righteousness
verse 15
having shod your feet with the
preparation of the gospel they all begin
with half but the next three don’t begin
with half they begin with another verb
notice it says take up the shield of
faith verse 17 take the helmet of
salvation take the sword of the Spirit
he moves from have to take six items to
different categories of three the first
group says has what does have me that’s
from the verb to be it means the state
of being means the first three you wear
all the time you don’t take off then
what you’re twenty bucks like your
wedding ring
or anywhere that you never take all he
says those you never take off the last
three you pick up as needed you take
them you have to go get those three okay
so whenever you need it need the last
three you go get the last three but you
don’t take off the first three so we’re
gonna understand how all six of those
work as we go through this but here’s
the point I want to make to you now God
gives the armor he doesn’t put them on
you okay
watch this now he tells you to put on
the full armor he don’t say God dress me
he will not dress you he will give you
the attire to be dressed in okay how
does this work in grace God has supplied
everything you need grace is all that
God has already done God can do nothing
new for you he can do nothing more for
you cause everything he’s ever gonna do
ten years from now he’s already done so
to even ask God to bless you it’s kind
of a misnomer cuz Ephesians 1:3 you have
already been blessed with all spiritual
blessings but where they located it
happily places so let’s get this
straight everything God is ever going to
give you he’s already provided it it’s
called grace what God has already
provided that’s God’s responsibility
what’s your responsibility and my
responsibility is faith faith is
reaching back to Grace and grabbing what
Grace has provided faith is reaching
back to the spiritual so that it’s made
manifest in the physical God won’t do
that for you
that’s your response to what God has
already done so he says I will in grace
supply the armor you must in faith put
it on if faith doesn’t put on grace
grace won’t be beneficial to you not
because it’s not available it’s because
you did
where it I could buy you something pay
for it but if you don’t put it on it’s
of no use to you even though it has been
completely supplied so we’re asking God
for stuff he’s already given we’re
asking God to do stuff he’s already done
we’ve asking God to accomplish victories
he’s already provided but because faith
hasn’t grabbed it
we haven’t gotten it yet he says you are
gonna have to put on the full armor and
when you get through these six pieces
not only will you understand what the
armor is you gonna understand how to
strap it up and boot it up put it on so
that you can now walk out Dress for
Success and he’s permanently dressed in
three pieces but have three other pieces
nearby in case you need to pick it up
and use it at a given moment he says you
must put on the full armor of God so
what I’m trying to tell you maybe it’s
something you’ve not known before or not
known deeper before your problems aren’t
in this realm they just show up here the
root of your problems are all in the
spiritual realm so if you want to fix
what’s visible and physical you gotta
address what’s invisible and spiritual
but here’s what the good news is when it
gets addressed you will know it’s
nothing but God you remember that woman
last week she was she was sick for 18
years but the reason she was sick was a
demon the doctors couldn’t figure that
one out cuz they were dealing with a
physical spinal problem but she had a
spiritual demon that was causing her
spine to be bent over for 18 years but
when she stood firm on what Jesus says
it says immediately she was healed
immediately that thing left her let me
know when you know is God when you’ve
been struggling with it for years and
immediately that thing changes
immediately those taste buds changes
immediately you can turn off that
computer immediately you can deal with
that sin or that struggle or whatever it
is when you know that cuz you know you
not an immediate kind of person that’s
why it’s been there for 25 years cuz
you’re not an immediate kind of solver
but when God shows up and you find out
that you only needed two of the 12-step
program
but step two you are delivered you know
that that was a supernatural invasion of
God you remember his name don’t you
Thomas Anderson Thomas Anderson is a
computer programmer part-time computer
hacker but one day Thomas Anderson was
introduced to a new realm a realm called
the matrix Thomas Anderson was told that
behind the physical realm he lived in
was another realm and he says he found
out that this other realm ran his realm
with computers that there were computers
and machines in this invisible realm
that was dictating the world that he was
used to living in he got transported to
this other realm called the matrix when
he got to this other realm he discovered
some things he discovered in this other
realm he had powers that he didn’t have
in his normal realm he discovered in
this other realm his mind could think
things that they couldn’t think in the
round he came from he discovered in this
new realm called the matrix that there
were capacities he never knew he
possessed in the realm he had lived in
all of his life he discovered in this
new realm he had a new name his name was
Neil because in this new realm he
couldn’t use the name from his own realm
because the whole realm name really
didn’t define who he really was in his
new realm he discovered in his new realm
a new love called Trinity he discovered
in the new realm that there was this
lady named Trinity that he fell in love
with and had a passionate relationship
with in this new realm of love he had
never experienced in his own realm he
discovered in his new realm he was the
one he discovered in this new realm he
had a purpose he had a purpose he was
called to something bigger than just
punching computers all day and hacking
computers but there was a second
again calling upon his life to have a
substantial impact from the invisible
realm that would define the visible
realm
now while neo was over in the new realm
he had a whole new set of clothes he had
this black outfit because the clothes he
was wearing in the whole realm wasn’t
gonna work for his new assignment in the
he had to in this new I’m trying to
explain something to you when you
accepted Jesus Christ
he crossed you over to another you got a
new his name is Trinity God the Father
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
[Applause]
because God has a purpose and a reason
and a design for you so that no longer
have to control you as long as you
operate in the new realm it’s time to
cross over morphers came and said there
two pills one for said now if you eat
this pill will send you back to your old
life to your ordinary existence and you
can just be a common computer programmer
but he says if you take this pill then
you can now live in this new realm
and experience all that this realm has
to offer God is saying to you today I
got a couple pills which one you want
you want to go back to your old dull
ordinary purposeless life or you want to
take something that will introduce you
to a new king and a new Kingdom new
power new identity new purpose and new
glory new victory and destiny which pill
do you want some of you gonna take the
first pill and you’re gonna go out to
your ordinary house and get a bunch of
ordinary bed and go to your ordinary
breakfast table and go to your ordinary
car drive to your ordinary job work with
the ordinary people for the ordinary
pain come back to the ordinary house
look at the ordinary television shows go
back to the ordinary bed wake up
tomorrow the ordinary way but some
people gonna leave in say I don’t want
that life anymore
I won’t decide a pill I want to go out
extraordinary supernatural heavenly
heavenly places because greater is He
that’s in me than he that’s in the world
I want to go to heavenly places
[Applause]
amen <3