1. The Ephesian Church
A stronghold of cold love - Rev. 2:4,7 ("To him who overcomes....) 2. THE PERGAMUM CHURCH • A stronghold of demonic teachings. - Rev. 2:13-17 ("To him who overcomes....) 1 Tim. 4:1 Nicolaitans = "destruction of people" a sect mentioned in Rev. 2:6,15, who were charged with holding the error of Balaam, casting a stumbling block before the church of God by upholding the liberty of eating things sacrificed to idols as well as committing fornication. 3. THE THYATIRA CHURCH • A stronghold of Jezebel - Rev. 2:20-26 ("To him who overcomes...) "The Spirit of Jezebel" - Who was Jezebel? Daughter of Ethbaal, king of Phoenicia. He was a Canaanite High Priest who ascended to the throne through intrigue and violence and who then made his daughter High priestess.
The Scriptures give the following insights through the life of queen Jezebel.
1 Kings 16:31 - Caused her husband and king, Ahab, to serve Baal i.e. The Spirit of Jezebel seduces church leaders and husbands and attempts to cause them to turn away from God. She uses sex and violence to achieve her ends. • 1 Kings 18:4 - She killed the Lords prophets i.e. She attacks the Scriptures and the prophetic word. • 1 Kings 18:19 - She installed her own prophets i.e. She introduces false doctrines and religious systems. • 1 Kings 21:1-16 - She usurped the role of head of family and nation i.e. She seeks to bring about role reversal in church and home. Note that homosexuality is an extreme role reversal and that the feminist movement also seeks to up-end the Biblical headship model. • 2 Kings 9:30 - She practices sexual seduction i.e. She tries to seduce church leaders and husbands. Note the fall of the T.V Evangelists and the high rate of divorce and adultery in the nations. Refer to Rev 2:20 for further insights. THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT: • It is a dominant spirit. This spirit uses another person to dominate leaders and therefore churches and nations. It makes "Ahabs" out of the leaders. • It is a violent spirit. This spirit will destroy anyone to have its way. • It is a spirit of sexual immorality. This spirit uses homosexuality, lesbianism, prostitution, pornography and any other sexual disorder to reverse the Biblical headship model. • It is a spirit of idolatry. This spirit will introduce false doctrines and religious systems to keep her victims away from experiencing God in His fullness. • It is a spirit of seduction. This spirit is out to reverse God's divine order. She controls the feminist movement and also undermines the divine leadership role of the husband. • It is a witchcraft spirit. She will use counterfeit gifts to infiltrate the church. i.e. Prophecy (fortune-telling); always submit personal prophesies to your oversight. 4. THE SARDIS CHURCH • A stronghold of spiritual death. - Rev. 3:1-5 ("He who overcomes...) 5. THE LAODICEAN CHURCH • A stronghold of lukewarmness. - Rev. 3:14-21 ("To him who overcomes...) Although these strongholds were over the church, they were resident in individuals.
6.2 DEALING WITH STRONGHOLDS IN RELATIONSHIPS It is good to constantly observe relational problems in the church. Many churches split because of relationship problems. That is why Paul says to the Ephesians, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:2-3 (NIV)
HOW TO BREAK STRONGHOLDS INTRODUCTION The question most often asked is, "Can I break my own strongholds?" The answer is yes and no. With prayer and fasting you can break the yoke but it is difficult to take authority over something that has authority over you. You will need someone to help you. Beware of pride!
WILLINGNESS TO REPENT • The person must have a willingness to repent and see that his/her stronghold contains sin. • The person must have a willingness to surrender to Christ. • At this point you may loose some and not be able to help them. • Forgiveness is essential. IDENTIFYING THE STRONGHOLDS. • Through identifying the obvious signs, actions, sins and history of the person. • Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. • The discerning of spirits - I Cor. 12: 10 Example: Acts 16:16-18 • The word of knowledge - 1 Cor. 12:8 Example: Acts 5: 111 BINDING AND LOOSING • Jesus said, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house". Matthew 12:28-29 • And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18-19 • Bind the spirit verbally. • Sometimes you need to spend time in prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:14-21 'And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a [certain] man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexe& for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17Then Jesus answered and said, 0 faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 2oAnd Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelieffor verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. COMMANDING • Demons understand authority and also know when you don't have it. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Matthew 28:18
BUT Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come Out. " 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 [One day] the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you? " 16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. Acts 19:13-16 • You have to have faith in the name and power of Jesus. • You must be secure in the authority Jesus gave you. • Don't be intimidated by their stubbornness. They have to go. • Remind them what Jesus did on the cross. INNER HEALING • Often people would need healing of their memories (images of the past) in cases like child molestation. • The inner healing process • Agape therapy I learnt the following illustration from Mark Virkler:
NO. STEP BIBLICAL EXAMPLE (Peter: Matt 26:69-75; Jn 21:2-17) 1. Using Vision, go back and re-enter the hurt.
Fire, Twilight, Three-fold confession
2. Using Vision bring Jesus into the scene.
"Jesus stood on the beach…" (John. 21:4-5) 3. Using Vision, let Jesus move freely healing the hurt with his loving presence.
Jesus' statements of affirming love. "Feed My Lambs" "Take care of my Sheep" "Feed my Sheep"
THIS MUST BE A LIVING EXPERIENCE
NOT AN ACADEMIC EXERCISE
POINTS TO REMEMBER • The Bible is not a handbook on deliverance. • Much is learnt through trial and error. • What works for me may not work for you. • Some precautions. PRECAUTIONS • Do not be alone with the opposite sex unless it is in a professional setting. • Do not rush through the session. • Do not get frustrated or panic when nothing seems to happen. • Do not scream and shake the person. • Do not apply force. • Do not break confidences. • Do not be afraid to seek for help.
HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF FREE FROM STRONGHOLDS If you have been set free from strongholds (2 Cor 10:3-5), it is not the end of your war but the beginning. It is common sense that Satan would try his best to regain the ground he has lost. Our war is not only to become free, but also to stay free. The Satanic world is not disorganized. There are already worked-out schemes to recapture lost ground.
2 Corinthians 2:11 "...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." I would like to share a few principles with you that will help you to stay free. Just remember, you have an enormous advantage in that "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) Put on the armour of God (Eph 6:II-18) This armour was given to you for your defence and offence against the devil. Most people only fight the devil when he attacks. I don't think that to be good strategy. No one can just defend and expect to win. It is not Satan who has declared war against us. It is our Kingdom that has declared war against him. 1 John 3:8 "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." Submit to God James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." When I submit to God, I place myself under His umbrella of protection. I am then open to His voice and commands. My obedience to Him guarantees my freedom from strongholds. Resist the devil "… Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." You cannot effectively resist the devil if you do not submit to God. But when you submit to God you can effectively resist the devil. We will all be subject to temptation for the rest of our lives but never above what we are able to handle. (1 Cor. 10: 13) Your resistance to the temptation will help you break the bad habits you have formed. Confess sin quickly If you sin do not leave it unattended so that the enemy could use it to build a stronghold. Be honest and prepared to repent. Your confession to God and those you offend will help you to stay free. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Do it quickly though, for the longer you wait the more difficult it becomes. Guard your heart and your mind Unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment are the major strongholds in people's lives. Such people don't have peace of heart and mind due to the conflict they are carrying. (Mark 11:25-26) Learn to forgive just as Jesus forgave us. When you do that, the peace of God will guard you. (Phil 4:6-8)
Strengthen yourself Firstly, it is vitally important to spend time with God in reading and prayer. Read the following verses: 2 Tim 2:15; Acts 17:11; Matt 4:4; 1 Pet 2:2; Eph 4:12; Jam 1:22-25; Ps 119:105; 1 Cor 14:14-15; Jude 20; 1 Thes 5:17; Jam 5:16. CONCLUSION The church must become militant against the strongholds instead of one another. We are not fighting flesh and blood.
The Church Planting
Process
7. Preparing for Harvest