February 2020 – Secrets of Spiritual Warfare

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the LORD, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)  

I welcome you to the second month of the new decade. Thank God for January, the first month in the year of the Great Turnaround. Your victory shall be permanent, your joy shall know no bounds, and your progress shall be unstoppable. Your blessings shall overflow to every dimension of your life and to the lives of those close and related to you. God will lift up and bless all your real friends as well as helpers of your destiny, in Jesus’ Name.

Daddy Adeboye said, “This year is going to be a year of ‘series of joys.” His reason being that when the LORD gives you the Great Turnaround, you will have “series of victories.” By implication, it means that it will be a year of “series of battles,” however, the sure Word from heaven is that, “you will win.” No wonder, the LORD told Joshua there were more lands and territories yet to be conquered. Similarly, there are more grounds to cover, more souls to be won for the kingdom, and more Christians yet to be formed in the image of Christ. Therefore, this month, the LORD wants to teach strategies and secrets to spiritual warfare so that we don’t become ex-champions.

We have established that we need to battle as believers. After all, David fought 66 battles and he won them all. Abraham fought battles and won them all. The Apostle Paul and all the saints in the New Testament fought battles as well. In fact, Ephesians 6:13-17 talks about putting on the whole armor of God. Besides, putting on the armor of God, there are some other secrets to warfare that we must learn from the generals of faith. That is the crux of this month’s message. Our engagement in battle must be done with a different perspective of fighting in victory rather than for victory. Our LORD Jesus Christ said, “It is finished” in John 19:30. So, it is done, signed, and sealed. Jesus already won the war and we are in Him, as believers. We fight to claim territories for the LORD and for God’s people. 

Here are the four principal forces we are contending with:

1. Invisible spiritual realm: Places where the invisible forces of darkness congregate in the spiritual to make decisions about people’s fates.
   • An individual example is Job, as described in Job 1:11-12 which says, “…touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face…all that he hath is in thy power.”
2. The physical (visible) spiritual realm: Places where a joint assembly of humans and evil spirits perform their diabolical operations. For example, in the dark or at a grave site and so on. They call these places covens, and the human members project themselves out of the body to determine what happens to other people who are not members of their covens. The operations of witches and wizard takes place in the visible spiritual realm.
3. Visible physical realm: This is illustrated by one person saying to another, “I am the one behind your problem, and as long as I remain in this office, you will not be promoted.” These types of people have become physical human hinderances to the fulfillment of others’ destinies. For as many as are faced with circumstances like these, we will pray that God will break their backbone.
   • An example from the life of the Apostle Paul is found in 1 Corinthians 16:9 which says, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.”
4. Invisible physical realm: This is defined by an enemy that pretends to be a friend in order to bring about one’s downfall. This person will be so close to you, discussing your progress with you. Yet, as soon as your back is turned, the ‘frenemy’ is busy planning and conniving how to put a stop to your progress. You have them in your families, your community, and even in the church.
   • Joseph’s brothers, in Genesis 37:20, said, “Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

What are the secrets of winning and maintaining these victories? 

1. Victory is not based on our performance, but on our union with Christ: We are not strong in and of ourselves. Rather, our strength lies in our union with the Holy Spirit. “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, etc.” It is in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). For Christ in you is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:23). We therefore need to be strong in the LORD (Ephesians 6:10).
2. Maintain the victory that Jesus has already obtained at Calvary: Warfare is all about maintaining the victories Jesus has obtained for us at Calvary. “What victories?”, you might ask. To mention a few, He obtained your healing (Exodus 15:25-26), deliverance (Genesis 14:20), and prosperity (2 Corinthians 8:9). You cannot obtain anew what Jesus has already obtained at Calvary.
   Illustration: When you go to a convenient store to purchase an item, it is already on the shelf. It is not being manufactured when you get into the store; it is already there waiting for a transaction. Once the transaction has been made, you can walk out of that store with right of ownership of what was previously sitting there on the shelf (Genesis 22:13-14).
   • In like manner, what Grace has made available for us is simply waiting for a transaction. That can be as simple as saying, “Thank You Jesus, I got my salvation by faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. Now, I receive salvation, healing, etc., in Jesus’ Name.”
3. Submit to God: 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” You really cannot afford not to belief what the blood of Jesus has done for you because the spiritual forces we are fighting will eat you for lunch otherwise!
4. A heart for God: When you’re sold out to God, you can dare anything like the three Hebrew men in Daniel 3:16 which says, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.”
   • With a heart for God, you are too connected to be afraid or to run. 
5. The voice of God: Those who know the voice of God can dare anything when they’ve heard God.
   • In 1 King 19:11-13, God chose not to speak to Elijah through the wind, storm, earthquake and fire but only through the still small voice. Also, in Isaiah 30:15, He said, “…In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…” For instance, more scientists have given reference to Newton’s laws and discoveries than to any other individual scientist. And yet, Newton would prefer to hide himself in his room, and would not always talk. What a strange man! Learn to listen. Sometimes opportunity disguises itself this way and knocks very softly. Remember, silence is a friend who will never betray you
   • For example, once Pastor E. A. Adeboye heard “Go build the 3 x 3 km auditorium,” he said to himself that he would rather sink with God than shine without him. He then proceeded to build it. That prophet has spoken again saying the LORD wants him to build an auditorium the size of Ibadan. In Numbers 14:28, God’s commitment is, “as you say in My ears so will I do.”
6. Delight in the Word of God:
   • Peter toiled all night and caught nothing. Luke 5:4-5 says, “Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the net.”
   • The light of the Word is the fire of faith. When light comes from the Word, it fires your faith.
7. The wine of the Spirit:
   • Genesis 49:12 says concerning Judah that “his eyes shall be red with wine and his teeth white with milk.”
   • When the wine of the Spirit is upon you, it will ignite you like an engine.
   • Jude 1:20 says, “…building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
8. Time with the Master: Time of waiting, time of communion, time of relationship.
   • Acts 4:13 says, “…When they beheld the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” 
   • Association brings you assimilation. There is something that fills you.
9. Prayers and fasting: The potency of praying is to divinely empower a man to pursue his pursuers, overtake them and recover all that had been stolen or taken away from his life. James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” 
10. Following the faith of those who have it: 
    • ​Hebrews 6:12 says, “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” 
11. Righteous living:
    • ​“The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1, NKJV). 
12. Thanksgiving and praise is important in this warfare: Thanksgiving for what he has already done. Examples are Joshua at the wall of Jericho (Joshua 6:16), and Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25-26).  

SUMMARY: The secret to spiritual warfare is to first understand what it is God has done for you and then stand firm on it (Ephesians 6:13-14). You must never forget that the true enemy of your soul is the devil and you cannot fight him in your flesh. This is why the Scriptures admonish us to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). One of the most important characteristics of God is His faithfulness to us; it is a trait He longs to see develop to maturity in us (1 John 3:2). All along the way praise, worship and thanksgiving are befitting acts of gratitude for the privilege to be in Christ. Finally, I desire for you a release of aggressive faith, a violent faith, the same faith of our fathers; I declare the release of such over you now, in Jesus’ mighty Name. 

PRAYER POINTS:

• Father, I praise You for the grace and glory You give to the undeserved. I thank You for keeping me alive till today, for many have died and ended up in hell, with no chance to repent. Thank You Jesus for this great opportunity.
• I humble myself before You O LORD, have mercy on me and forgive me all my sins, personal, ancestral and generational, in Jesus’ Name. Help me O LORD to walk worthy of You throughout this year and beyond, in Jesus’ Name.
• My legs hear the word of the LORD, from January to December, you shall carry me into breakthroughs, and I shall live in abundance, in Jesus’ Name.
• I decree that the ground where I stand, the ground where I live, the ground where I walk, the ground where I work and the ground where I worship are consecrated unto the LORD, in Jesus’ Name.
• Father order my steps and those of my family members from terrorists, kidnappers, assassins, cultists and other wicked people, in Jesus’ Name.
• Father make my feet like that of the deer and set me high upon the rock, in Jesus’ Name.
• Father, every siege that has come from the negative spiritual realm of the invisible against my life and destiny, break its power over my life today, in Jesus’ Name.
• Father, silence every critical tongue and every scheme of Sanballat and Tobias over my life. Please destroy every embargo over my destiny, family, and ministry, in Jesus’ Name.
• Every enemy appearing as a friend yet planning my downfall and failure, Father, please expose them, break their hold over my life and silence them, in Jesus’ Name.
• I hereby dip my feet in oil after the order of Asher and I shall flourish like the palm tree, in Jesus’ Name (Deuteronomy 33:24, Psalms 92:12).
• I reject and renounce the spirit of wrong location and wrong vocation, in Jesus’ Name.
• Iron gate leading to the city of my breakthroughs, victories, celebrations, jubilations and joy, come open of your own accord, in Jesus’ Name. You will not stop me, and you will not hinder me, in Jesus’ Name (Acts 12:5-10).
• Father this year, my ears will hear good news, my eyes will see good news and my feet will walk me into good news, in Jesus’ Name. 
• Thank you, my Father, for leading me in the right way that I should go this new decade, in Jesus’ Name.