Strategies for Spiritual Warfare – Audio Sermon by Tony Evans

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]