Saintfabank Forum

Most all Christians go through some sort of spiritual war fare in life. The intensity of an attack can temp us to run and hide in fear. Jesus faced several incidents of spiritual warfare during His earthly ministry, such as His encounter with the devil in the wilderness.

Before His ascension into heaven, He descended into hell, took the keys out from Satan's hand, and set captivity free. Sowhy are some of us running in fear from a devil that doesn't even have the keys to his house any more?

The kind of spiritual battles that often attack us can be compared to a mouse that creeps into the tiny openings of our homes, sniffing and sneaking around the house while it is dark and we are sleeping. The slightest crack or crevice can invite an occasional mouse family into the house. You can feel their horrifying uncomfortable presence that leaves you feeling uneasy and insecure.

Spiritual warfare is like fighting a nasty breed of mice that have invaded the peace of your home. All it takes is just one little mouse to infiltrate your safe haven and set up camp. Their filthy droppings provide a sickening stench that signals its partners who can smell the scent. They ravage your food pantry and release nasty droppings as evidence they've been there.

The mouse is the devil and the droppings are the stench of his contaminating foul presence. It's the odor of sin. The house could be your literal house, your family environment, your work environment, or ven your own human vessel. Whatever way to apply the message, you decide.

In other words, you have to be careful not to give any place for the devil to creep into your house. Any tiny opening, one slight act of sin, a night spent in adultery, a quick hit of crack, or a gossiping tongue, can tear a hole in your soul that leads to contamination and hinders your relationship with God. In somecases, you may not be the guilty party leaving the doors open, but what about the other people you let into your life?

Are they opening up doors of negativity, bad influences, disobedience, and ungodly behaviors? If you can catch someone's contagious cold, you cancatch the stench of their droppings. Their sin can rub off on you simply by association.

The interesting point is hat a mouse doesn't go into a house that doesn't have any food. That means if you are under spiritual warfare, the devil knows your value. He has no need to attack his own. Don't back down in fear, and don't backslide, but recognize that your value is what's taking you to the next level of your destiny. God doesn't consult your past to decide your future. He want only the best to come out of you.

You have to sweep your house clean to get the mouse out. Serious warfare warrants a tough repellant to eradicate the enemy. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you!" So pull out the big guns and shoot from the Word of God, "for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV)

Jesus Christ gave us power over ALL the power of the enemy. Spiritual warfare may not always be caused by a source within your physical or spiritual house, but if it is, slam shut every door of sin that enters through the eye gate, the ear gate, the mouth and the mind. Seal up every crack of iniquity to stop the infestation.

Jesus gives us an illustration pertaining to an unclean spirit that was cast out of the house. The demon stated, "I will return to my house from which I come," The devil will try you, and test you, even after you do some house cleaning.

The truth is, once your house is swept clean and completely taken over by the Holy Spirit, you will never have a mouse in your house again.

The founder and pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, located in Apopka, Fl, Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr.is the author of "It's Never Too Late," through Charisma HousePublications.

Both Bible and history have shown that one man can make a difference either in the positive sense of beneficial impact or in a negative sense of destructive impact.  The severe persecution meted out on Christians in the former United Soviet Socialist Republic and other socialist regimes across the world had its root in the philosophy of Karl Max who himself was a product of a father’s hypocritical Christian lifestyle.  He had been raised with a church denominational bias but was disappointed by his father’s identification with another church enomination on the ground of seeking job opportunity.  This led to his rebellion against God and his evolution of atheist ideology  while studying in England.

The profiles of two New England families (Jukes and Edwards) as outlined by Susan and John Yates in their book “What really matters at home”  speaks volumes.  Both Jukes and Edwards lived over 200 years ago:

Max Jukes:

-        A contemporary of Edwards

-        Not a Christian and did not expose to or allow his children to attend church

-        Spent good deal of his life in New England prison

-        Had at least 1,026 descendants (at the time research was conducted)

-        300 spent an average of 13 years in prisons

-        190 were public prostitutes

-        680 were admitted alcoholics

-        His family cost New York thousands of US dollars

-        Does not appear to have made much contribution to the society

Jonathan Edwards

-        A pastor

-        Had at least 929 descendants (as at the time of research)

-        430 were ministers of the gospel

-        86 became University professors

-        13 became University Presidents

-        75 wrote wholesome books

-        5 were elected to the US Congress and 2 to the Senate

-        1 was Vice President of America

-        His descendants did not cost the State one-cent, but rather, contributed immensely to the society.

The above profile is a testimony to the fact that one man can make a difference.   Joseph made a difference in Egypt; Daniel made a difference in Babylon; Esther made a difference in Shushan; Paul made adifference in Asia Minor.   Like in the days of Prophet Ezekiel, God is still seeking for a man who will make the difference. 

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: …” Ezek. 22:30

PRINCIPLES OF HARVEST ? Become Seed Conscious.

Harvest is not natural to nature. It is described as the process of gathering a crop; something brought about by a cause: synonyms used for harvest include- aftermath, consequence, corollary, effect, end product, event, fruit, issue, outcome, precipitate, ramification, result, resultant.

Zechariah 8:12- 'For the seed shall be prosperous, the vineshall give its fruit, the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew--I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these.

Mark 4:11-13- And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.' " And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

The most important mystery in the kingdom is the mystery of the seed. It is always the seed that prospers. Jesus made a very dynamic statement here that until you understand the mystery of the seed you couldnt understand other mysteries of God. If you have not yet discovered the power of the seed you cannot discover the power of the kingdom. The principle of sowing and reaping is what makes us tap into Gods greater good.

AMPLIFIED-To you it has been entrusted the mystery of the kingdom, that is the secret counsel of God which are hidden from the ungodly.

Jesus made another powerful point here; you and I have been entrusted with God?s secret counsel. If you can understand this truth you will understand every other principle in the kingdom of God. It is quite amazing that this principle works in the life of those who don't know God but apply it anyway. Everything we do in life is a seed; it has potential to bring into our lives good or evil, in fact tomorrow started yesterday.

Power of a good seed: Within every seed is the ability to reproduce itself. Every seed sown into the kingdom of God has ability to reproduce when it is honorable. When it is not honorable it is a dead seed.

Genesis 1:12- And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, who seseed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Malachi: 1:12-14-"But you profane it, in that you say,'The table of the LORD is defiled; and its fruit, its food, is contemptible.'You also say, 'Oh, what a weariness!' And you sneer at it," Says the LORD of hosts. "And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?" Says theLORD.  "But cursed be the deceiver who has in his flock a male, And makes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished-- For I am a great King," Says the LORD of hosts, "And My name is to be feared among the nations.

Proverbs 3:9- Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase;

That which we do not honor is not honorable to God and that which has no power to reproduce itself has no future.

2 Corinthians 9:10- Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness?

Inside every good and honorable seed are results you need at a later date. Many believers are not in tune with the power and understanding of the seed so they eat their seed with their bread and kill the power of harvest in their future. Inside every harvest that God brings into your life there is seed and bread.

Become Seed Conscious: Too many people are need conscious instead of being seed conscious. Those who sow seeds are never moved by needs.Until your seed supersedes your need, you never have a supernatural harvest.You must never look at the greatness of your need but of your seed. The power of the seed is not based on its size but on its ability to reproduce. There is no power within the seed until it is sown. It is only when a seed is sown that it grows and becomes. When your seed becomes greater than your need, you will provoke God?s supernatural harvest.

Mark 4:30-32- Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustardseed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under itsshade."

If your seed is not sown it will die.

MANY DONT KNOW THAT WERE IN THE CHANGING TIMES: From Agrian age to industrial age, and from industrial age to information age, many has no idea that the world has moved, they are still doing green revolution. We have no value for time.

- The richest man today is not a farmer, neither a lecturer, but what does he do? information.

- Farm the firmest you can, it can't put you near Bill Gate (worth $US90 DOLLAR X 130)

(Except by Gods judgement he can never be poor).

(2)THINKING THAT IF WE GET M.SC, B.A, C.M.S, LIFE WILL BE COLOURFUL

(Bill Gate has no certificate when he started, he dropped out from school)

- With all the troubles after graduation, you will be put on 40,000 Naira per month, dont we need a revolution.

- In those days, certificate guarantees a good lifting, but were in the shifting times, and we have to be awake to reality.

- Things have changed, but people have not realized it.

- When the world was at industrial age, we didn't catch up, now they have shift to information age, we are still struggling with agricultural age  this is the problem.

- Someone said computer, you asked what are they computing. You hear Internet, you wonder whether is interment.

Those who do not watch the trend, may be on their way to the end.

If you dont do exploit, you'll be exploited, if you dont aspire, you will expire.

Web 2.0 Industry is booming!

It's amazing how some people can go through life trying to earn their income through 100% of their efforts. When you stop and think about it, virtually everything else in your life exists through a team effort. You didn't build your home, design your car or even create the computer. You leveraged other people's talents and efforts to design your life. Now you can stop trying to do everything yourself by working so hard and start working smarter. A wise man said this is a time to work smart, and not to work hard

I want you to put that same leverage concept to work for you when it comes to your income potential. Whether you want the opportunity to earn a little extra income to help pay off your bills or build a career through a solid home-based business, you can be your own boss. Join me in this Gold rush of the internet.

"Network marketing- It's an asset, not a job" Roberts Kiyosaki

www.web20millions/id/BANKOLE4U

The debate over online church has been going on for years now. But as more and more churches launch Internet campuses, the debate continues to grow. God made us with bodies. He made us to give holy kisses to one another embraces, hand shakes, eyeball-to-eyeball conversation. He made husband and wife not to have imaginary video sex through Skype. He made them to go to bed together in the same bed. He made them to raise children in the same house, with hands-on hugs and spanks on the bottom and love. And he made churches to get together to hear each other sing, and to look at each other and talk to teach other, and minister to each other and help each other die well.

In other words, church is to online church as sex is to online sex.

Real sex is intimate, physical, relational, interactive, and much more.  On the other hand, online sex is essentially an attempt to find fulfillment in isolation through a superficial show.  In some ways on theoutside online sex may look like sex, but it has none of the attributes of genuine sexual intimacy.

Likewise church is intimate, physical, relational, and interactive.  On the other hand, online church is essentially an attempt to find spiritual fulfillment in isolation by watching a service.  In some ways on the outside online church may look like church, but it has none of the attributes of genuine Christian community.

Equal opportunity offender

If youre the pastor of a church with an online campus or an advocate of online church and your offended by what I've said so far, let me be fair and offend everyone else for a moment.

The biggest problem with online church also the biggest problem with offline church.  That problem is that is that the primary focus is on the worship service.  This may shock some of you, but Church is not a worship service

Somehow many people have come to equate church with the Sunday worship service.  But the truth is the Sunday service is only a small part of a church.

Church is a community of believers

Scripture tells us that among other things a church, aka community of believers

Develops genuine friendships Shares their money and possession with each other Eats together Shares communion together Prays together Serves one another Serves those outside the church If your only involvement in your church is showing up for a worship service once a week, I dont care if its online or offline, you are not being the church as God intended it.

Some of the things listed above that God intended for people to do together as a part of a church can be done by online, however many cannot.  And those that can are often, like online sex, a hollow imitation of the real thing.

Virtual relationships

Thousands of American military men and women have been serving for extended periods of time in Iraq over the last several years.  For many of them their only contact with their spouse for a year or more has been through phone calls.  Occasionally, I've seen TV shows where they have facilitated a videolink between a husband and wife.  You can see from the emotion in their faces that it means a great deal for them to talk to each other and to see each other.

Do you think given the choice between a video call and an in person visitany of them would opt for the video call? Of course not.

Do you think if they continued to be physically separated year after year with only occasional voice and video chats their relationship would continue to develop into everything their hearts long for?

Of course not.

Its obvious to everyone a video call is a hollow imitation of a physical visit.

So, isnt online church also a hollow imitation of a physical gathering of believers?

Thats not to say that there isnt any redeeming value in online church. It may be effective for outreach or a temporary connection for those unable to do church in person.  But thats for a future article. Share your thoughts on this issue.