1 00:00:10,690 --> 00:00:13,650 There's part of our series on doing the stuff. 2 00:00:14,050 --> 00:00:16,170 I've got the joy this morning of talking to you about 3 00:00:16,170 --> 00:00:19,810 Deliverance. It's not that funny yet. 4 00:00:20,370 --> 00:00:24,610 It might get funny, you know, a word that already, no doubt, is 5 00:00:24,610 --> 00:00:28,170 conjuring up all sorts of emotions, images for you, 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,759 Exorcism of demons from people, Deliverance, talking about the 7 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:35,840 devil, Satan. It makes you think of images 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:44,080 like this or maybe like this. Maybe start thinking of films. 9 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,840 Maybe you've seen films like Paranormal Activity. 10 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,160 And as we talk about demons, this sort of image is created in 11 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:53,800 your mind. And to some extent, you'd be 12 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:59,720 right to be thinking like this. However, the sad reason that 13 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,280 we're thinking like this is thanks to Mediaeval art, 14 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,840 Hollywood, and some very elaborate creatives. 15 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,600 Now Mediaeval Art didn't aim to capture the devil's physical 16 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,800 reality, but more his moral bankruptcy. 17 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:18,200 Now he borrowed He borrowed features from Pagan gods like 18 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,200 Pan that you'll see here with horns and hooves and blending 19 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,960 them with levery back wings and grotesque extra faces in some, 20 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,120 and that the church created a visual deterrent for what was 21 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:32,960 then largely an illiterate population. 22 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:38,200 That his ugliness was designed to signal that the devil is the 23 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:42,960 ultimate symbol of disorder with the absence of divine beauty. 24 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,120 However, this artistic over marketing it often backfired by 25 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,840 distracting us with this scary monster. 26 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,240 And I'd like to argue that this is perhaps how so many of us 27 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,360 still think of the devil and demons today. 28 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:04,200 But demons were not created as the grotesque monster seen in 29 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,440 art. The Book of Job tells us They 30 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,120 were originally created as angels, celestial beings of 31 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,320 light who are present at the foundation of the world. 32 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:19,160 However, the Bible reveals A rebellion led by one we so often 33 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,600 call the devil, who the book of Isaiah tells us he boasted. 34 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,440 I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God. 35 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,560 Now in this rebellion, a significant portion of angels 36 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:35,240 symbolised in the Bible as a third of the stars of heaven and 37 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:40,040 cast them to earth, choosing to abandon their own position of 38 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,560 authority, and they left their proper dwelling place. 39 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:53,980 Now they transitioned from servants of God to spiritual 40 00:02:53,980 --> 00:02:57,220 rebels. Though these fallen angels now 41 00:02:57,220 --> 00:02:59,340 identified, as we call them, demons. 42 00:02:59,660 --> 00:03:03,180 Now Paul in the Bible tells us we do not wrestle against flesh 43 00:03:03,180 --> 00:03:07,260 and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the 44 00:03:07,260 --> 00:03:11,140 heavenly places to obstruct God's purposes. 45 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,800 I mean, imagine them so often, don't we, as the images I showed 46 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,480 you earlier, that we run scared as Christians. 47 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:24,960 We become terrified of witchcraft, witches, demons, the 48 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:30,040 occult. We even live in fear or we 49 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:32,440 ignore exist it's existence completely. 50 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:38,520 We see say things like there's darkness over there and that 51 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:45,000 maybe there is, but none of this comes up against the blood of 52 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,360 Jesus. And this is what we're going to 53 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,000 be pushing into this morning. Now there's a Bible verse that 54 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,280 says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. 55 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,400 Hosea 4. And so this morning, before we 56 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,560 talk about Deliverance, I want to put this whole subject of the 57 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,080 devil and demons into some biblical context for us, rather 58 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,840 than Hollywood's influence, which adds so often to our fear 59 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,040 to resist the devil that we first need to see him as he 60 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,399 truly is. And that begins with stripping 61 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:20,680 away the names we've given him, names that, quite frankly, he 62 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,920 just does not deserve. Now, perhaps the greatest thing 63 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,280 marketing win for the enemy is the name Lucifer. 64 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,280 Now many of us maybe grew up believing that this was his 65 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,440 heavenly name before he was kicked out of heaven. 66 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,960 However, if you look at the original Hebrew of Isaiah 14, 67 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,400 the word used is Hello Ben Shahar, which translates to Day 68 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:48,480 Star, Son of the Dawn. So how do we get to Lucifer? 69 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,920 Well it came from something called the Latin Vulgate 70 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,080 translation, a 4th century translation of the Bible. 71 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:01,040 And the word Lucifer is simply the Latin word for light bearer. 72 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:06,120 It wasn't a proper name, it was an adjective, a describing word. 73 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,120 Now in fact, in the Latin Bible, the word Lucifer is used to 74 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,680 describe several things, including the morning star, the 75 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,880 king of Babylon, and in some contexts even the glory of 76 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,440 Christ. So then, when the King James 77 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,200 translators kept the Latin word for Lucifer, instead of 78 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,920 translating into English, they inadvertently created a 79 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,360 character name where there was none. 80 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:34,520 By calling the enemy Lucifer, we're using a title of beauty 81 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,600 and light to describe the Prince of Darkness. 82 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,800 We're giving him this cool identity that scripture just 83 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:44,520 does not afford him. He's not a light bearer, he's a 84 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:48,080 light stealer. When we stop using this false 85 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,680 name, we stop giving him a dignity forfeited long ago. 86 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:58,120 So if Lucifer isn't his name, what about Satan or the Devil, 87 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:00,880 as I've already referred to him as this morning? 88 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,720 Even here that we find that the Bible is remarkably reluctant to 89 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,320 give this entity a personal identity. 90 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:14,600 In the Old Testament, the word Satan is always perceived by the 91 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:20,640 OR in Hebrew, ha ha, Satan translating to the Satan. 92 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,520 Now in Hebrew, this literally means the adversary or the 93 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,440 accuser. It's a job description. 94 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,120 It's not a name. It's a legal title. 95 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,600 Think of it like, I'm going to go and see the doctor. 96 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:38,680 We don't say I'm off to see Doctor. 97 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,920 And as we keep moving through the Old New Testament, we read 98 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,760 in Job a scene that often confuses us. 99 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,440 It says, now there was a day when the sons of God came to 100 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,600 present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among 101 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,120 them. When we look at this scene in 102 00:06:56,120 --> 00:07:00,920 Job, we see that the Accuser isn't some rogue independent 103 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:03,320 dark deity ruling of rival Kingdom. 104 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,400 He's actually a functional member of the heavenly 105 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,440 courtroom, a celestial almost like an internal affairs agent 106 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,120 who's become utterly obsessed with finding fault. 107 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:17,000 He isn't there because he's God's equal. 108 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,720 He's there because he's a cynical bureaucrat looking for 109 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,160 his legal loophole to trip us up with. 110 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:27,560 And then as we move into the New Testament, the Greek word 111 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:30,920 changes it to the devil, to diabolos, but it follows the 112 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:34,040 same pattern. It means slanderer. 113 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,400 Now, when we combine the meaning of these words, we get accuser 114 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,640 adversary. Now this shift in language is 115 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,440 really, really vital for us to understand accuser adversary. 116 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:51,160 Now, if we think of Satan as a powerful personal name, we tend 117 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:55,880 to fear him as a dark God. But if we see him as the accuser 118 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:01,560 adversary, we see his tactics. Now he's a legalistic nuisance 119 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,000 who prowls around looking for bureaucratic loopholes in our 120 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,760 souls to exploit. He doesn't have a name because 121 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,040 in the Kingdom of God, he's a nobody. 122 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:15,000 He's a creature who's lost his personhood because he was 123 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:20,040 totally rejected by God. He's a creature, not the creator 124 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:22,800 now. We've spent centuries looking 125 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,480 for a monster with a pitchfork now, which makes us completely 126 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:31,600 vulnerable to a slanderer or a persecutor who whispers you're 127 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,200 not good enough at 2:00 AM in the morning. 128 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,440 Now the mediaeval imagery makes the devil look powerful and 129 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:43,240 scary. The biblical image makes him 130 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:48,480 look pathetic and desperate. So how do we find a balanced 131 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:51,720 view? And we must first avoid 2 132 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,440 extremes. The first is to pretend that he 133 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:59,200 doesn't exist now so that we would not be outwitted by Satan. 134 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:02,400 But we are not ignorant of his designs, it tells us in Two 135 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,280 Corinthians. And the second is to become so 136 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,720 obsessed with him, giving him prime time in our thoughts, that 137 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:14,280 it should belong to God. The balanced view is proportion 138 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:18,040 and perspective. Now we must remember that the 139 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,720 accuser adversary is a created being. 140 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:25,560 He's not the opposite of God. God is infinite. 141 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,240 The devil is finite. God is omnipresent. 142 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,480 The devil can only be in one place at a time. 143 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,960 God is the creator. The devil can only twist what 144 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:43,120 has already been made. If you hold a penny against your 145 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:47,360 eye, it'll be large enough to block out the sun. 146 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:52,400 The penny hasn't become bigger than the sun, it just becomes 147 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:58,040 the centre of our focus. And many of us live with a Satan 148 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:03,240 centred theology, see his hand in every misfortune and his 149 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:07,720 power in every shadow. We hold that penny in front of 150 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:12,280 our eye, so close for the accuser that we can no longer 151 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,960 see Jesus. The resistance, then, is not 152 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:20,560 about shouting at the shadows. Resistance is the relentless 153 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,320 application of truth to the accuser's lies. 154 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:30,120 Now, when the slanderer tells us that we are beyond grace, he's 155 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:33,280 acting as official capacity. That Greek word diabolos the 156 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,120 slanderer. We don't resist him by arguing 157 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:40,080 with him. We resist him by refocusing on 158 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:45,040 the Advocate that we have with the fathers. 1 John 2 tells us. 159 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:50,680 The apostle Peter tells us resist him firm in your faith. 160 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:54,760 Notice he doesn't say resist him firm in your fear. 161 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:59,120 He doesn't say resist him by studying his history. 162 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:04,880 He says be firm in your faith, which is your trust in the 163 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,960 authority of Jesus. That across the span of 164 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:12,040 Scripture, the enemy's appearances are surprisingly 165 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,800 rare. They're revealing him not as a 166 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:19,200 ruler of a rival Kingdom, but as a legalistic obstructionist, 167 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:20,520 which is really hard for me to say. 168 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:25,280 Crucially, you know, we must distinguish between this CEO of 169 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:29,960 rebellion who handles high level deception and the foot soldiers 170 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,880 or the unclean spirits who cause localised chaos. 171 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,280 Now, when we understand this hierarchy, we stop giving the 172 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,280 accuser too much credit for every minor distraction, 173 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,240 recognising instead that while he leads to this broad 174 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:49,640 insurgency, he's ultimately A defeated squatter who's been 175 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:51,840 given far too much of our airtime. 176 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,680 But the threat is real, even though, as we have looked at, we 177 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:00,560 so often give the accuser too much airtime. 178 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:03,320 I've seen so many stories I could share with you this 179 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:05,720 morning, but this morning isn't long enough. 180 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,200 But I do want to share about 7 1/2 to our family. 181 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,600 When we moved to Myanmar, many of you know our daughter Elsie, 182 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,440 and we'd only been out there for 2-3, four months. 183 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,600 And we'd had somebody come in to sort our air conditioning out. 184 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:25,840 And he had a, a 3rd Reich logo in his air conditioning badge. 185 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,760 And it was an interesting character. 186 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:30,560 Didn't speak any English. Our Burmese was limited to say 187 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:33,320 the least. But there was just something not 188 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:38,480 right and left that that evening we felt that there was just 189 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,720 something in our our apartment that wasn't right. 190 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:46,160 And we put Elsie to bed and and she fell asleep and we were sat 191 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:47,560 doing whatever we were doing that evening. 192 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:52,320 And all of a sudden, Elsie appeared at the door of her 193 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:55,200 bedroom. And the only word I can use to 194 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,920 describe you else is that you stuttled in this sort of motion 195 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,680 across the floor at what, three years old, the fingertips barely 196 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:08,000 gracing the floor. And then under the the kitchen 197 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,200 table, the dining room table looking out at us didn't quite 198 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:12,960 hiss, but it wouldn't surprise if she hissed. 199 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:14,760 We couldn't get anything out of her. 200 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,400 She wouldn't respond to us. She wouldn't do anything. 201 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:21,920 And all I can think about was this is some sort of something 202 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:24,560 demonic going on. And it was the most bizarre 203 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:26,360 thing. Fortunately, you're doing it 204 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:33,240 right now, aren't you? Since Lisa and I applied this 205 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,240 church 7 years ago, you know many things have happened. 206 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:41,160 You know, some we can explain in the natural and some we can't. 207 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,960 But over the last few weeks that we really felt a pressure come 208 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,760 against us as leaders. And as we started to listen to 209 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:53,720 our team, it became apparent that something was happening 210 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:55,480 amongst our team that wasn't normal. 211 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:58,680 Listen to these first hand accounts for my team, all from 212 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:02,760 the last six weeks. It started off as doubts and 213 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,560 feeling insecure. It lead to arguments in our 214 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:09,360 marriage with complete confusion about it was even about. 215 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,360 It just snowballed over several weeks into me fully believing 216 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,120 that no one liked me or wanted me around. 217 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,520 That God was disappointed and angry at me. 218 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,320 That I was rubbish at my job and both God and my employers wanted 219 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:23,600 me fired. That the church would be better 220 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:25,480 off if I left because everyone hated me. 221 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,960 I honestly had no idea that it was something demonic until the 222 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:30,640 night before some training recently. 223 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,680 I felt so so sick and I'll it felt like I'd come down with a 224 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,360 horrific bug so I prayed for healing and it moved. 225 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,280 I was immediately feeling completely fine illness wise but 226 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,320 my sciatica, something I've not had issues with for over a year, 227 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:47,320 flared up and I was in awful pain. 228 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,560 Then it moved to my head then back to my leg again. 229 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:55,040 That was the moment I realised that sorry that I realised what 230 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,080 it was. Remembering a training from VLG 231 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,000 on Deliverance. I pray for healing and she 232 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:01,720 moves. It's so often demonic. 233 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:05,640 Second one on my way home from the gym. 234 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:07,880 Someone have driven into the side of my car while in the 235 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:11,040 roundabout by the Vue cinema. Despite having run through what 236 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,600 I've done, I knew I wasn't in the wrong as I've done the same 237 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,360 room countless of times before. But there are lots of things 238 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,280 going at work and in church, all for the progression of my life 239 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,120 as a leader, that it instantly felt like something designed to 240 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,040 hold us back with all that we've been planning for church, work 241 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,760 and home life. The weeks after I've taken lots 242 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,200 of time off from work. However, the attacks weren't 243 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:31,360 done. I felt. 244 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,840 I felt it all from my team members through different issues 245 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,200 and difficulties they were facing and it cascaded the 246 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,560 countless technical difficulties on Sunday mornings during 247 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,760 worship. The final blow was when I 248 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,080 received an update from my dad who was then diagnosed with 249 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,480 stage 4 stomach cancer out of the blue without any symptoms. 250 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,320 It made me realise the enemy will really try and get you in 251 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:54,880 every aspect of your life. The next one them in mind is all 252 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,240 running concurrent. It felt like something was 253 00:15:57,240 --> 00:15:58,880 trying to pull me away from the church. 254 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:01,840 The thoughts and feelings were subtle at 1st and the more I 255 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:04,920 listened to the thoughts the more they escalated the thoughts 256 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:06,440 that the thoughts that started were. 257 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,480 I don't fit in at the church. Phil and Lisa don't want me here 258 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,040 with overall feelings of anxiety, depression, deep 259 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:15,880 sadness. Feel like I couldn't tell 260 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:17,760 anyone. The thoughts were very loud and 261 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:19,920 chaotic which my mind usually isn't. 262 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,400 It's actually quite boring in my mind most of the time. 263 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,160 The more I listened to these thoughts, they turned into the 264 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:27,840 idea that I shouldn't be here anymore. 265 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,080 These thoughts lasted for five days. 266 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,200 During this time of struggle, praying and worshipping, I even 267 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,840 prayed Help me Lord. In those moments I felt a peace 268 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:39,240 with a sense of encouragement that everything was going to be 269 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,600 OK and it was going to end soon. Johnny was amazing during this 270 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:44,320 time. When I couldn't see feel where 271 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,720 God was, I could. When Johnny spoke, God was 272 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,320 definitely using him during this time. 273 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,320 On day five I was hoping that Johnny was arranging to get me 274 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,160 sectioned. Johnny, I were talking. 275 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,040 It felt like I blanked out as I do not know what Ed said. 276 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:02,320 I remember Johnny kept saying stop talking, we've got intense 277 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:05,280 headaches and stomach pains. I just started praying. 278 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:08,079 The initial thought of praying brought a lot of fear which 279 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:09,560 obviously made me want to pray more. 280 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,960 I asked God for forgiveness for the words I'd spoken, also 281 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:14,960 forgiving everyone and asking God to bless them. 282 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,240 I had a memory of someone close to me randomly coming to mind in 283 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,280 which I forgave that person and it felt like a weight lifted off 284 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,560 me. The racing chaotic thoughts 285 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,359 instantly stopped as well as all the emotions that came with. 286 00:17:27,319 --> 00:17:30,400 About a week or two later, every lie that been spoken to me are 287 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,920 replaced with truth. Praying was still a little 288 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,320 difficult so I prayed into this asking direction. 289 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:39,160 God put it on my heart to just list what I was thankful for and 290 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:40,640 to pray for people at the church. 291 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,560 As awful as this experience was amazing, when I look back on it 292 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,040 all, I could see that God threw out the next one. 293 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:52,440 Over the last few weeks I've had a lot of complex stuff going on 294 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,040 in my relationships, both at work and in my personal life. 295 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:57,880 In the midst of all the huge challenges and struggle it has 296 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,720 raised for me in itself, the enemy has been using this to 297 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,000 make me experience a lot of anxiety, imposter syndrome, and 298 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,240 self doubt as I try and navigate what feels like every facet of 299 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:09,320 my life coming under tension in one way or another. 300 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:11,840 When you're feeling like this, it's so easy for the enemy to 301 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,320 make you feel lonely and isolated and like you're not 302 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:17,400 doing anything right despite being surrounded by people who 303 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,360 love you. There's four members of our 304 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:23,400 pastoral team all at the same time, all concurrent and 305 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,120 alongside this, me and Lisa. Lisa picked up some sort of 306 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:29,680 nerve pain that's gone all the way down her arm for the last 307 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:31,160 three months. Bear in mind, we're normally 308 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,000 very fit and healthy. 2 weeks later I got a pain in my 309 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,000 shoulder. When we went on holiday six 310 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,480 weeks ago. I couldn't even swim with Elsie, 311 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,320 the pain was so much. And then we were doing something 312 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,280 in here and somebody came alongside Lisa and said 313 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:45,200 something really nasty to Lisa about us. 314 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,560 And literally before weekend, and that same day, 3:00 in one 315 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,160 of those testimonies there, one of those people phoned us and 316 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,400 accused us of some really awful stuff. 317 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:56,960 And so we went into the weekend with these accusations. 318 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,400 We were carrying this pain. We were carrying like, what are 319 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:00,600 we doing? What have we done? 320 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:03,720 And then that Saturday evening, Elsie came down for dinner and 321 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,320 she said, I've got a pain in my stomach. 322 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:08,640 And obviously I said eat your food up, you'll be fine in the 323 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,400 morning. And then by seven, 8:00 in the 324 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,000 evening, she's like, no, no, it really hurts to the point at 325 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,200 ten, 11:00, she was in the foetal position in bed, curled 326 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,760 up, unable to move. Like she couldn't even sit up in 327 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:21,120 the car. As I took her to hospital that 328 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:23,000 night, she was lying in the foetal position in the back of 329 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:24,760 the car. And we got there and they 330 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,360 thought it might be appendicitis. 331 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,840 And she eventually got diagnosed with something which wasn't 332 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,840 appendicitis but gives completely the same symptoms. 333 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:35,640 And then 7:00 Sunday morning, she was discharged. 334 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,400 Because of this, Lisa ended up missing church that morning and 335 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:41,440 pretty much else. She was back to normal by the 336 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:43,120 time we got home. She was very tired from the 337 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:48,240 night in hospital and then 10:20 I realised I'd forgotten all the 338 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:49,720 Mother's Day presents for church that day. 339 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:52,680 They were all at home and Kit bailed me out by driving home 340 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:54,880 and then everything. I don't know if you remember 341 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,000 this Sunday 3 or 4 weeks ago. If it could go wrong tech wise 342 00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,800 in here. If it could go wrong in a Sunday 343 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,840 morning, it went apart in here. And one of the amazing things 344 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,720 was Rebecca wandered over to me in the front and she says, Phil, 345 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,000 she said, you know, people who've been worshipping in here 346 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,760 for 200 years, you know, don't worry about what's going on. 347 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:13,680 We're worshipping. And words to that effect is 348 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:15,920 something pathetic. And it just kind of settled me 349 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,240 in that, that moment. But that weekend we had all of 350 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:21,840 this stuff hanging over. And then Monday night, my phone 351 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,480 went and the person who'd accused us stuff, she said, I 352 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:27,120 don't know what I was thinking on Friday. 353 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:30,040 I don't know what came over me, but I'm really, really sorry. 354 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,000 And I didn't mean any of the things that I said to you on 355 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,040 Monday. And so you can see this stuff is 356 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,680 real. But we're not to be scared of 357 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,320 it. No, we're to be really, really 358 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:44,280 aware of it and to see it for what it is aware. 359 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,800 But we're never afraid. And some of you know me, I'll 360 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:51,520 have a good military metaphor. And so today, no, we need to be 361 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:56,480 thinking about moving away from a wartime footing and into an 362 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,880 aftermath footing. Now, at the cross, the enemy 363 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:02,560 wasn't just challenged, he was dismantled. 364 00:21:03,120 --> 00:21:06,760 This is the ultimate courtroom victory, where Jesus removed the 365 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:10,760 accuser's only weapon, his legal right to condemn us. 366 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:14,480 When Christ cried, it is finished. 367 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:17,360 He closed the case against humanity. 368 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,760 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open 369 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:27,760 shame by triumphing over them. In him the slander in chief was 370 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:31,160 disbarred. When Jesus quoted Isaiah in Luke 371 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,800 4, He issued a final eviction notice to the powers of 372 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,320 darkness. When Jesus sent, he sent me to 373 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,600 proclaim liberty to the captors and recovery of sight to the 374 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:44,360 blind, to set at liberty those who are pressed to proclaim the 375 00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:48,240 year of the Lord's favour. He announced a spiritual jubilee 376 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,200 where the prison doors are off the hinges and the King's 377 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:55,080 authority is established. Now, now, this is our absolute 378 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:58,640 reality. The enemy's power to hold you is 379 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,920 legally over. While we may still hear the 380 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:06,920 whispers, our team may get set. Of course, we're no longer 381 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:10,800 fighting for a victory. We are standing in a victory in 382 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:12,640 the one that Jesus has already won. 383 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,040 And in the vineyard we love a good tension. 384 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,480 And this tension is the now and the not yet of the Kingdom of 385 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:22,640 God, the now. The victory is won, the head of 386 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,520 the snake is crushed, the queues has been disarmed and put to 387 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,080 shame. And we live in the not yet. 388 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:30,600 The final arrest. And the casting of the enemy 389 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,640 into the lake of fire, as we read in Revelation, is a future 390 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,520 event. And so we currently live in the 391 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,840 overlap of the ages. If we go back to our military 392 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,360 metaphors, imagine a war where the peace treaty has been 393 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:47,920 signed, the cross, but the news hasn't reached every remote 394 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,880 outpost yet. The enemy is like a retreating 395 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,400 army on a short leash. He knows his time is short, so 396 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,840 he engages scorched earth tactics using his last remaining 397 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:02,080 weapon, deception and lies. He cannot pull us back into the 398 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:06,440 cell, but now, so he tries to convince you that the door is 399 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:09,800 still locked in the not yet. This means that in deliverance 400 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:14,720 and daily spiritual life, we don't fight for a win from a 401 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,120 win. If we focus too much on the not 402 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:22,720 yet, we become fearful, as if the enemy still has a say in our 403 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,840 destiny. If we focus on the now and 404 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:30,480 ignore the ongoing skirmishes, we become complacent because we 405 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,640 are in the not yet. The adversary still ploughs, but 406 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,680 because we're in the now. He can only be set as an 407 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:39,840 accuser. He can shout across the 408 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,920 courtroom, but he cannot change the judge's verdict. 409 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:45,960 Jesus has already declared us free. 410 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,240 The resistance is simple, the act of walking out the open door 411 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,080 while the gaoler shouts empty threats from the hallway. 412 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,840 And so, as we move from understanding the accuser 413 00:23:56,840 --> 00:24:01,920 adversary to actually resisting him, we must adopt the posture 414 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:06,120 of the Kingdom in the vineyard. We often say we want to do what 415 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,640 Jesus did. This is why we're doing a Doing 416 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:12,160 the Stuff series. But we want to do it the way 417 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,960 Jesus did it. Low hype, high authority. 418 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,360 You know, if we believe the premise that the enemy is a 419 00:24:19,360 --> 00:24:23,440 defeated legalistic nuisance, then our ministry of Deliverance 420 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,120 shouldn't look like a Hollywood horror movie. 421 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,760 It should look like a calm, authoritative application of the 422 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,800 truth. Alexander Venter, a South 423 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,760 African vineyard theologian, reminds us that Deliverance is 424 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,480 really about a power encounter with a monster. 425 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:44,280 It's about integrated healing. He uses the analogy of the hook 426 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,280 and the hands, the accuser adversary. 427 00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:53,000 The hands can only get a grip on our lives if there is a hook, a 428 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:58,360 lie we believed, an unhealed wound, fear, a legalistic claim 429 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:02,280 we've allowed him to make. In our ministry today, we don't 430 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:06,880 start by shouting at the hand. We start by asking the Holy 431 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:11,080 Spirit to reveal the hook. When we identify the lie of the 432 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:17,040 accuser, perhaps a lie that you're unlovable, you're 433 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:21,280 disqualified, we replace it with the truth of Jesus. 434 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:25,680 That hook is removed. Once the hook is gone, the 435 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:27,760 adversary has nothing to hold onto. 436 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,040 He's a squatter who's lost his legal right to the property. 437 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,520 It's Jay Paffitt, leader of the Vineyard in the USA, often says 438 00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:39,000 this is ordinary people doing extraordinary things, just 439 00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:41,880 neighbours helping neighbours walk in the light. 440 00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:46,160 When we pray for one another, we aren't performing deliverance, 441 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:49,600 we're facilitating it. Now, generally speaking, 442 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:53,880 deliverance prayer is handled as a last resort with a small team 443 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:57,320 led by Lisa and I. Now before this, we looked at 444 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,000 inner prayer, healing ministry, you know, which we're currently 445 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,680 training up with in the church. You know, just last weekend we 446 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,840 had a team of 15 or so in York for some training which we'll be 447 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:08,160 rolling out in the coming months, which everybody in 448 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:13,000 church will be able to access. Most problems around unclean 449 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:18,200 spirits impacting people nearly always come through people's 450 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,920 fear or unforgiveness and this is so often sorted through inner 451 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,720 prayer healing ministry guided by the Holy Spirit which removes 452 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:29,360 the hooks quietly and effectively. 453 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,960 There's a good analogy of rubbish and how do rats get 454 00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:37,920 attracted all round the rubbish and as we remove that rubbish 455 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:41,000 the rats disappear and it's the same in our lives. 456 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:45,000 There's sometimes in a prayer ministry just isn't enough 457 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,920 though and we need to push deeper into deliverance ministry 458 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,000 to free people. And as I said, least, and I take 459 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,840 the lead on this, however, sometimes unclean spirits rid of 460 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,200 ugly heads when we least expect it and we all need to be 461 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:01,400 equipped to deal with it. Such as ministry time in here, 462 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,960 maybe in small group or when your daughter scuttles across 463 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:09,720 the floor. But what does it look like when 464 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:11,880 we actually sit down to pray with someone? 465 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,760 How do we move from the now and a not yet theory into now and a 466 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:20,000 not yet freedom Now here in Darlington now we're going to 467 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,360 follow a very specific path. It's not about being 468 00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:28,440 professional exorcists, it's about being family members, 469 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,040 helping family members walk out of an open prison door. 470 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:37,920 Though firstly, before we even open our mouths in prayer, we 471 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,920 check our internal posture. Deliverance is 10% technique, 472 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:46,320 90% atmosphere. It's peace versus panic. 473 00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:50,280 Now when fear hits, and it might especially when things get a bit 474 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:56,360 weird, we don't panic. If you think to yourself, don't 475 00:27:56,360 --> 00:27:59,440 know what to do, we change our thinking. 476 00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:03,680 We aren't operating on our own. Know how we are operating on 477 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,280 Jesus authority. We declare I our identity. 478 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:11,000 I'm a child of God, I belong here and the accuser does not. 479 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:16,800 We love and we honour and this is the most important aspect of 480 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,320 deliverance. The person in front of us is a 481 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:24,080 child of God. They're not a project that we 482 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:29,280 don't look for demons, we look for the person that Jesus loves. 483 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:32,600 And with this we use the power of two. 484 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:36,680 We always work in pairs. Jesus sent people out two by 485 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:38,240 two. It was good enough for him. 486 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:39,720 It's definitely good enough for us. 487 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,840 Now. Sometimes the adversary tries to 488 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:46,760 throw a tantrum to distract us. We call it a manifestation. 489 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:49,760 It might look like somebody's body started to convulse. 490 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:52,880 Sometimes their eyes might roll all the way back. 491 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:54,800 Sometimes they might start shouting. 492 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:57,600 No set rules here guys. All sorts of crack might go 493 00:28:57,600 --> 00:28:59,680 down. You know, if it happens, you 494 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:05,200 know we stay calm and we silence the unclean spirit. 495 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,760 If it starts screaming or talking, we don't interview it. 496 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:14,080 We're not ask it's name and we don't give it any air time, OK? 497 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:15,800 We don't care what it's got to say. 498 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:19,880 It's a slanderer, it's a liar. And we simply can, in the name 499 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:25,160 of Jesus, to be quiet. Our eyes are on the person we 500 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:27,800 talk to the individual, not the entity. 501 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,160 We keep them engaged. Stay with me. 502 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,360 You're doing well. Dil Jesus is right here. 503 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:40,120 Now to know which tool to use, we look to Isaiah 61. 504 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:44,760 We ask, is this person a captive or are they a prisoner? 505 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,720 If they're captive, they're held by lies and deception. 506 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:52,160 They've been told they're worthless. 507 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:56,840 You're marked in need, truth. And this is often when we see 508 00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:58,760 people traditionally called possession. 509 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,280 But a a better biblical word is demonisation. 510 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:07,200 You see, possession implies ownership, but if you're a child 511 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:11,240 of God, the the accuser doesn't own a square inch of you. 512 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:15,000 You can't be possessed. You've been bought with a price 513 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,320 instead. A captive is someone who is 514 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:22,040 being demonised, harassed or occupied in an air of their life 515 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:24,800 because the enemy has convinced them of a lie. 516 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,720 They're like a hostage who doesn't realise that a gun is 517 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,480 empty. Now the tool here is renouncing 518 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,880 those lies and declaring the truth of who they are in Christ. 519 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,680 Or are they a prisoner? They're held by sin. 520 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:41,320 They've walked into a cell by their own choice. 521 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,480 They need repentance now. In this case, demonisation 522 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:47,560 happens because a door was opened for maybe. 523 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,400 It's not like sexual sin, witchcraft, the occult, 524 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,240 Freemasonry. There's a long list here that 525 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,560 there aren't just a victim. They've made an agreement with 526 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:00,720 the adversary and he has taken up residence in that area of 527 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,840 their life. The tool here is confession, 528 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:05,680 it's forgiveness. Now. 529 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,680 We don't just shout at the enemy, we help the person shut 530 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:13,560 the door that they open so the accuser has no legal right to 531 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:15,440 stay there. Whether they're being held 532 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,360 captive, being bullied, or a prisoner who's been tricked into 533 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:20,240 a cell. The goal is the same and the 534 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:24,480 goal is freedom. And then when we actually begin 535 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:28,120 the ministry, we follow the simple model that Julius taught 536 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,760 us last week. We follow the five step healing 537 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:32,640 model. We interview. 538 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,360 We look for the entry points. Is it in the body? 539 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,840 Is it habits, illness, Is it in the soul? 540 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,200 Is it trauma, rejection or the number one spirit? 541 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,200 Is it fear or is it within your own spirit? 542 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:50,320 Is it a cult witchcraft involving an old vowels word 543 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:52,560 curses? Step 2. 544 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,360 This is the game changer. Forgiveness. 545 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,520 This is the big, big one. Unforgiveness is the primary 546 00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:03,040 block to freedom. We ask, is there anyone you need 547 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:04,760 to forgive? No. 548 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:07,760 The Kingdom is binary. We either forgive and we walk in 549 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,160 light, or we hold on and we stay in the dark. 550 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:12,840 We flee sin and we forgive others. 551 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:16,960 Period. Step three, we renounce and we 552 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,080 break. Now we have the person who 553 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,160 already say the words. I renounce the spirit of fear. 554 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:24,440 I break the power of the soul tie. 555 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:26,960 There is power in the spoken word. 556 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,480 We are breaking the legal contract the accuser thinks he 557 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:34,120 has with us. Step four, we cast out. 558 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:38,240 Once the legal right is gone, we tell the squatter to leave up 559 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:42,240 and out in the name of Jesus, and we send it to the place that 560 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,760 Jesus has appointed for you. Really important. 561 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:48,680 Up and out in the name of Jesus and go where Jesus has appointed 562 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:50,960 for you. Sometimes there's a cough, 563 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:53,640 sometimes a deep exhale, sometimes there's an extra 564 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,960 manifestation. Now maybe use a litmus test. 565 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,320 Ask them to say thank you Jesus. If they can't say it or they 566 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:03,280 choke on it. Now we know that the unclean 567 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,960 spirit is trying to hold on, and we go again until the air is 568 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:09,040 clear. Similar to how Julius taught us 569 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,440 last week on repeating prayers for healing. 570 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:17,040 And Step 5, we fill and we seal. We never leave the house empty. 571 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:20,400 We pray for the infilly of the Holy Spirit and we ask the 572 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:24,840 golden question. Close your eyes, Jesus. 573 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,720 How do you see this person's heart now? 574 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:31,760 Whatever Jesus says or shows them, that's their identity, 575 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:34,160 that's the gift that they take away with them. 576 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:38,400 And following this, then we really have to focus on 577 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:40,640 aftercare, keeping the door closed. 578 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:45,200 Now, deliverance isn't just an event, it's a lifestyle that we 579 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,000 work with everyone on. A freedom plan if you want to 580 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,200 give it a title to ensure that the accuser doesn't try to move 581 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,520 back in. So once you've walked out of 582 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:56,720 that prison cell, how do you stay out Now? 583 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:59,160 It starts with the stories you tell yourself every single 584 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:01,920 morning. No, take those truths, those 585 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,160 specific beautiful things that Jesus told you about who you 586 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,280 are, and put them where you can't ignore them. 587 00:34:08,639 --> 00:34:10,840 Write them on your bathroom mirror, put them on your phone's 588 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:14,239 lock screen, and actually speak them aloud. 589 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:19,600 No, the Accuser loves to work in a quiet, isolated corners of our 590 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:21,840 mind. Which is why you cannot be a 591 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:25,560 Lone Ranger in this. No, the Adversary no doesn't 592 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:29,239 hunt in a crowd. He looks for the one who's 593 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:32,960 drifted away from the pack. You need a community walking 594 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,239 with you. People who know your story can 595 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:37,679 remind you of the truth when their whispers start getting 596 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:40,800 loud again. But it's not just about who 597 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,520 you're with. It's about becoming a student of 598 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:45,520 the enemy's tactics in your own life. 599 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:49,760 Start spotting the patterns. Maybe you notice that every time 600 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:51,960 you see your boss, or every time you walk into a certain 601 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:55,320 environment, that old spirit of fear starts to creep back in. 602 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:59,400 It's a trigger when you spot it. Don't just sit there. 603 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:02,960 Flip the script. Interrupt the accuser with an 604 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:06,520 immediate act of gratitude or a declaration of God's goodness. 605 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:10,840 And finally, be practical. If there was a habit or a 606 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:13,960 lifestyle choice that left the door wide open for the enemy to 607 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,480 walk in, it's time to shut the door and lock it now. 608 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:21,320 Walking and now of the Kingdom means living in a way that says 609 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:25,360 the old lease is up, that we've moved into a new house and the 610 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:26,840 accuser doesn't have a key anymore. 611 00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:30,880 Now, this isn't scary stuff. It's the most beautiful thing in 612 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:33,320 the world to watch somebody walk free. 613 00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:37,680 Now we have the authority, we have the tools, and we have King 614 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:40,200 Jesus. Let's do what Jesus did. 615 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:44,520 They're in Darlington Vineyard. We'll never pray for somebody 616 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:48,320 for deliverance who's not linked into the church properly and 617 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:52,840 ideally in a small group because the aftercare is so important. 618 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:56,600 And another great reason is if we don't need one to find a 619 00:35:56,600 --> 00:36:00,280 church that we don't hop from church to church week to week. 620 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:04,120 It's not biblical. We settle, we serve, we join a 621 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:06,520 small group, we have to be in community. 622 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:11,680 And finally, we must remember that the goal of deliverance is 623 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:15,320 not just about the absence of the adversary, but about the 624 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:19,720 presence of the King. Deliverance is the now of the 625 00:36:19,720 --> 00:36:22,000 Kingdom breaking into your not yet struggle. 626 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:25,920 It's the moment when the accuser is silenced by the Advocate 627 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,520 Jesus. Now, as we move forward this 628 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,680 week, that we need to stop looking for the Lucifer of 629 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:35,720 legend or the Devil of the Middle Ages. 630 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:41,600 Instead, be alert to the accuser adversary now, when you hear 631 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:45,120 that voice of condemnation, when you feel the obstruction to your 632 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:49,480 spiritual growth, recognise it for what it is, the desperate 633 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:56,080 gasps of a defeated prosecutor. He has no name, he has no 634 00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:59,000 authority. That isn't permitted by God, and 635 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:04,360 his time is short. We do not fight for victory, we 636 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:09,360 fight from the victory already won at the cross stun. 637 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,160 It's still shining. Sometimes we just need to move 638 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:13,640 the penny.