all over the Bible this morning, Luke chapter 22 and verse number 31. And the Bible says this, he says to Simon, he said, And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. Father, I pray that you might help us, and Lord, I think that I understand the ground in which I tread today. I'd ask God that you might protect my church family and protect my family and protect us as a body. And God, I thank you for the prayers that have already gone up this morning and the seriousness at which we undertake what we're about to do. But we'd ask now, Lord, that you may lace this thing together, that we may clearly see some truths about the time in which we live as well as some truths about ourselves. And God help us not to be deceived by another spirit this morning. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 1 Timothy chapter number 4. Let me set the precedent for this. 1 Timothy chapter number 4. Turn there if you would please. I want you to see it. The Bible says clearly that in, and a lot of people don't take it for granted, I mean they take it for granted, the Bible says clearly You correct me if I'm wrong. In 1 Peter 5, verse number 8, he said, For the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking, what? Whom he may devour. He wants to tear you to pieces. He wants to destroy you. You say, why? He's a lion. He's never anything but a lion. He's not interested in how close you get to Jesus Christ. He's interested in doing everything he can to keep you from getting close to Jesus Christ. The Bible also teaches in Ephesians chapter number 6... Sophie, come here just a minute if you would please. Sophie, just stand right here. And Matthew, you come stand right here. And Joshua, you come stand right here. And T.K., you come stand right here. The Bible says the devil's a roaring lion, walketh about seeking he may devour, right? Alright, you're in 1 Timothy chapter number 4, is that right? The Bible said the Spirit, capital S, is that correct? Speaketh expressly that in the latter times many shall do what? Depart from the faith. Why do they depart? Giving heed. So they must be listening to another spirit. Giving heed to what kind of spirit? seducing spirits, and what do they do? Doctrines of devils. So the seducing spirit is teaching a doctrine or a teaching of the devil. With me? Alright? And then speaking to themselves lies, or speaking lies, I'm sorry, is that what it says? Lies in what? Alright, so you get a good idea that he's talking here to the saved people, do you understand? Not lost people. Lost people are caught up, they're being lied to anyway. Lost people can't depart from the faith. People say, but a saved person can't... Listen, I'm not here to argue with you today. I want you to listen to what I have to say. It's a serious thing. And some will get it and some will not get it. But some of you don't clearly understand the war in which you are engaged. And sometimes trouble comes on us for one reason, that is to help us understand the enemy that we're fighting better, because oftentimes we get to thinking it's the same thing all the time every day. As you grow spiritually, your opposition grows also. Do you understand? As you grow spiritually, what the Lord does is He allows you to have the spiritual opposition at whatever level you're on. But as you grow spiritually, the devils that you fight against, the spirits you fight against, they become more and more sophisticated and more and more powerful. I'll show you in just a second. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter number 6, you can turn if you like, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. You go up one. that one, against powers, against spiritual wickedness, rulers of darkness and high places. What I'm trying to illustrate to you is, is that when you first get saved, you're a baby Christian, you're young, and your opposition is just sort of getting you settled. I mean, it's to stop doing things you shouldn't be doing and learn to hang around with the right people and that kind of a thing, and it stays kind of on this level. Now, nobody would think anything, I'm trying to use Sophie so you understand, that this principality is not as strong as this power. In other words, what I have to be equipped to fight down here ain't going to work when I get up here. God gives me the power to be able to fight here, but I've got to grow in my relationship with the Lord to be able to fight up here. I can't fight the same battle here that I fought here. You can't fight the same battle that you fought in World War I in Vietnam. You'll get beat. In World War I, we fought what's called line warfare. Everybody's in trenches, and you come out, and then you mark with these troops and that kind of things, and you have battalions and squads and all that kind of stuff. But guess what? When we went into Vietnam and in Korea, they fought a different warfare. You say, what was it? It was like hop-and-pop theology. They would come shoot three or four and then disappear. You couldn't find them. We got lines going on like we fought over there in World War I and World War II, and guess what? They whipped us. You say what you want. They whipped us. You say why? Because we didn't understand that the enemy that we were fighting was not the same enemy we fought here and were successful against. We had graduated to a different kind of enemy. Do you understand the illustration so far? So when he says we wrestle not against flesh and blood, remember that. Your fight is not against flesh and blood. Your fight, I'll show you with God's help today, is not only against each other, but against yourself. The devil speaks lies to you about each other, but also you to yourself. The Holy Spirit says you're unworthy. We say amen. An unclean spirit says you're worthless. You see the difference? We are all unworthy, amen. But we're not all worthless, amen. We're unworthy because we got the blood of Jesus Christ, we got saved and all that kind of stuff. Now I'm no longer worthless. God can use something unworthy, but it doesn't mean that it is worthless. Okay, thank you, you can have a seat. So understand this. They can have one, you have to stay there just a second. So as I grow, I'm using a big man for an illustration. Do you remember reading the book of Daniel chapter 10? Turn there real quick. Daniel chapter number 10 so that you understand and you don't think I'm off my rocker because whenever preachers go into this area, everybody gets kind of nervous like it's, you know, hocus pocus or something like that. But you need to understand that the Holy Spirit is here and the devil is a counterfeiter, not only in signs, wonders and miracles where we like him to be, and not only in false teaching and preaching like we want him to be, but everything the Holy Spirit does, the devil tries to counterfeit. Are you with me? You need to be aware that sometimes you think it's the Holy Spirit and it's not, it's an unclean spirit. The Bible tells you in 1 John chapter number 4 to try the spirits. He doesn't get upset if you try Him. It's the unclean spirit that says, how dare you question me? The Holy Spirit never ever worries about you finding out if what He's telling you is true according to the Bible. Don't bother Him at all. He's not offended in the least. You say, why? He commands you to do that. He says, Beloved, believe not every spirit. That's what He says. Is that true? He says, but try the spirits to see what sort they are. There's more than one type of spirit. But the unclean spirit says to you, hey, don't you ever question me. But the Holy Spirit says, hey, make sure it's the right spirit. Sometimes we get so convinced it's the Holy Spirit because what we want is we want God to believe what we believe. Especially when it comes to believing about other people. So here's what you understand. As I began to have my fellowship with the Lord, which is the most important thing in a man's life after he's saved. I'm going to deviate just a second. It's not you winning somebody else to the Lord. It's able, learning to walk and worship with God before you walk with God, Enoch, before you go to work with God later on when Noah comes along. You understand? Worship develops the walk, the walk develops the work. It has to be done, I'll show you in a little while, decently and in order. God's not the author of Confucian. Listen, the mom and dad produce the child, the child don't produce the children. Are you with me? So here's what you need to understand. As your fellowship with the Lord increases, you begin to grow. You begin to let Him increase and you begin to decrease. But here's where we stop. We think that's all there is to it. No, no. You just graduated into a different warfare. You just graduated out of the sandbox and now you've gone from the field into the Coliseum and now all of a sudden There's certain things that you do that draw attention to you that whether you understand this or not Principalities and powers clearly see what you're doing and they know whether or not you have the power and the authority to do what you're claiming to be able to do and And unfortunately, we don't teach enough about this kind of stuff. We always talk about the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit. But ladies and gentlemen, you got saved. You got all the Holy Spirit you're going to have. So here's what I want you to understand as you begin to graduate. If you're still trying to fight, with Sophie being my illustration, the battle you fought there, you know what's going to happen? This is going to give you a defeated life spiritually all the time. You're going to be depressed. You're going to be discouraged. You're going to be dehydrated and all the other D's you want to put in there. Not because there's something wrong with you mentally. It is a spiritual oppression that is on you because you're still trying to fight the same battle you fought when you first got saved. And it's not the same thing. Any more than high school is the same as first grade. And when you get up to this level right here, you're fighting something big. You're playing above the professional league. Do you understand? Thank you, T.K. Alright, let's look and see what the Bible says about these things. Look at Luke chapter number 9. Now, in Luke chapter number 9, you'll find this. Look in verse number 54. Would you agree that apostles are spiritual? Do they walk with the Lord? They did, didn't they? Now watch this. Here they are walking right next to the Lord. Are you with me? Here comes the two fellows called the Sons of Thunder. I mean, they are real preachers. This is John, whom the Lord loved, and James, his brother. They're right there. I mean, buddy, if there was two real preachers in the bunch, it's those two guys. Are you listening to me? Nobody would ever think, now watch, look at the passage, let me show you how this is illustrated, Luke chapter number 9, I guess I better turn there. The Bible says this in verse number 54, this is not a shouter-outer, I understand that. But I want you to understand, just because it's not a shouter-outer doesn't mean there's not something we can learn. Watch this, this is a whole lot deeper than that. Verse number 54, And when James and John saw this, what did they see? Verse 51, It came to pass, when the time was come, that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. He set messengers before his face, and they went, and he entered into the village of Samaritans to make ready for him. Are you following with me? Verse 53, And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. In other words, it looked like he was ignoring them. And because they were being ignored, they got their blessed assurance on their shoulder because, hey, it's all about them. Are you with me? And he said, because the Lord looked like He had His face to go to Jerusalem, He don't care about us. He don't want to come by and see us. Now watch what it provokes. And when the disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them as Elias did? Lord, I got Scripture for it. Elias had 50 come up. Elijah had 50 come up. You burn them up. They had 50 more come up. You burn them up. And then he went in to see the king, Lord. We got a passage of Scripture, Lord, that sets the precedent that said, would you have us to call down fire on them, Lord? Because Elijah did it. What they didn't understand is that they didn't have the ministry of Elijah. They weren't an Old Testament prophet. Something had changed. And they couldn't go back there and think their job was just to destroy people. Watch what the next verse says. Are you there reading it? They're walking with the Lord, are they not? They can do signs, wonders, and miracles, can they not? They have the power to raise the dead and to heal the sick, right? And do all the signs of an apostle, is that right? Watch this. These are people that are spiritual, the Bible says, but he turned to the Lord and rebuked them and said, you know what manner of... Wow! You know not what manner of spirit you are. Peter, get behind me, Satan, because the devil wants to sift you as wheat. Lord, you want us to call down fire? It's biblical. It's in the Bible. Elijah did it. They don't like you, Lord. They're being snots, Lord. So, you know what the Lord said? I didn't come to kill them, I came to die for them. I didn't come to break out my sword and cut their head off. I came to get my towel and my wash basin and to take care of them. You say, what happened? They were influenced by another spirit. Skip over there and look in Luke chapter number 9, and if you will, in the same passage right there, let me show you something here. Luke chapter 9, verse number 1. Do you ever think about David? When David says in Psalms 51, he said, Lord created me a clean heart and renewing me a right, what? You think that it was the Holy Spirit that was influencing him to have the thoughts he was having about the woman that was washing herself up on the other roof? Do you think that the things that he thought about and pondered about along those things when it came to that woman's husband and when it came to all the tricks of the trade that he was trying to apply to use his office in order to get done what he needed to get done, do you think that was a right spirit? No, obviously not. It was another spirit. Is that not a man after God's own heart? Am I trying my best to show you that if these good guys can be misled by another spirit, should we not also be very, very, very careful? I mean, should we not be careful to try the spirits to make sure that everything that comes in our head, every thought that comes up, every problem, we better go, wait a minute, Lord, wait a minute, Lord, now let me find out, is that You or is that another spirit? Should we not be trying the things that come in? He says in 2 Corinthians chapter number 10 to bring into captivity every thought. So a thought comes in there. Where did it come from? Sometimes I know it didn't come from God. But sometimes it looks spiritual and sometimes it has a tendency to support what I want to believe anyway and I'll have a tendency to make it spiritual without even checking it out. Because I done made up my mind I was right, and then it's like, oh yeah, the Lord gave me confirmation on that. Yeah, but where did the thought originate? None of us generally does something wrong that we have not already said, oh well, I had that thought and it looked like God confirmed it, but we don't check the origination of that thought. Watch Luke chapter number 9, he says this, he says, He called the twelve disciples together, spiritual, right? Gave them power and authority over all devils to cure disease. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Now, take your Bible, if you will, please, and let's look at this for just a second. Mark, chapter number 9. Mark, chapter number 9. So what he says to them is, listen, I'm going to give you the power, I'm going to give you the authority, and I'm going to prepare you for the fight that you're headed for, that they didn't even understand. They had the power over unclean spirits, over devils, they had the power to heal the sick and to raise the dead, did they not? So it looks like they're very well equipped. Would you agree? I mean, it looks like, hey, we got it. We're good. But what we don't understand is, is that we go through phases, we go through times where we need to be more prepared than others. They're going out to preach. They don't even understand how much opposition's coming their way. You had camp, good camp. You had vacation Bible school, good vacation Bible school. You got prison meetings coming up, and I'm already starting to hear, you mean you go to the prisons with him? Yeah. Now my tendency is, is to want to get deflected and start talking to somebody that don't even go here to try to justify why we're doing what we're doing. But my ministry is here to this church right here, and so I've got to kind of go, yes, that's what we do. We've been doing it for 17 years now, and that's what we do. I don't have to explain things, but I do have to be careful to make sure that I don't get drawn all into another battle over here, because what? It keeps my focus off. Why are we here? What? We're going into prison to see people saved. Whether they like what we do or how we do, listen, they're not the one that told me to do it. He's the authority. He set it up. They say, well, preacher, I just don't believe you ought to be hanging with that, hanging with him, running that way and so and so. You're going to have revival and have him in? Yes. But do you know what I know? I'm not interested in what you know. I can't get pulled off. You see what that is? I've got to try that spirit. Why does it show up now? Why didn't it show up six months ago? It shows up now because you're out here, you guys are on the street. So you know what's going to happen? You start going out on the street, you're out there preaching, the next thing you know, these yahoos start showing up, and the next thing you know, somebody walks out of a place and goes, how long are you going to be here? I'm tired of hearing that hollering! And the temptation is to say, hey, we got a right! Instead of to say, you know what, we're almost done, we're going to go ahead and wrap it up. You say, what was that? It's another spirit if you've got the right spirit. If you're not out there looking to, yeah, I've got a right to be out here. You've got a wrong spirit and you're hiding behind God to try to show your rebellion. The policeman walks up and he says, hey, you guys are going to have to calm down. Yes, sir. But another spirit will say, hey, you ain't got no right to be telling me what to do. I want your ID. Hey, this ain't no close encounter of the fourth kind. He's authority, Romans 13. It's a spiritual thing and you have to subject yourself. You say, why? Because the power and authority always comes with a thorn or it will be misused for your own glory. The reason so few people have the power and authority is they will not pay the price and they do not want the thorn because if God gives us this kind of power and authority without a thorn, you know what we'll do? Glorify ourself. And if God gave it to you and you used it for your glorification, He'll take it away from you. Hallelujah! Amen! Preacher, what is all that going on? I've learned this. I've learned a few things and I've been around it long enough to know that it is spiritual opposition. If I make it something personal or fleshy, I get drawn off into a fight. Guess what? Now I'm out of the battle that matters. And everybody with me is hindered or hampered because I'm over here doing something and you ain't going to go fight that battle unless you turn everybody's attention to where you're fighting. How do you know that? Well, you ever get bitter with somebody? Everybody around you gets bitter also. Amen. I'm getting to this. Watch. Alright, Mark, are you with me and Mark? Mark 9, verse 17. So you're going too fast. Get the tape and you can listen to it. Or the round thing, whatever it is. Verse 28. And when he has come to the house, his disciples ask him... I'm sorry, that's not it. 17, first, before you get there. 17. One of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit. And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him, he foameth, he gnashes with his teeth, he pineth away, and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out. And they could not. Wait a minute, didn't the Lord give him power and authority? Power and authority over what? Not this kind. This kind must be on a different level. He must have given him power and authority over another level, but this kind right here apparently is going to require, you're going to throw up when I say this, Suffering, sacrifice, surrender, humility. Woo! Preacher, I want the power. I want the power. Give me the power. You've got to get past yourself, past your feelings, past having your feelings hurt. If you want this kind of power, you're going to have to be willing to do something in order to do that. Listen, God gives you a certain amount of power, but the rest of it comes at a great expense. The Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians chapter number 12, he said, the Lord gave me a thorn in the... Leave your finger right here, just let me show it to you, because some of you don't know. I made this mistake the other day. 2 Corinthians chapter 12, quickly. Say why, because I've got about 30 more to go. 2 Corinthians chapter 12. If you need to go, then that's okay, but I'm going to put all this together in one place. 2 Corinthians chapter number 12. This is an important thing for you to get a hold of. You need to understand that you're in a spiritual battle. Would you agree? Am I in the Bible? You're in a spiritual warfare. Would you agree? Would you agree that you're supposed to grow? You're not supposed to just have milk, but you're supposed to have meat, and then you're supposed to have strong meat. So you understand that as you grow up, you need more protein. Amen. You need more steak, not hamburger, and not vegetable. When you grow up, you've got to get something that has a little bit of staying power in it. It has to have something that's got a little bit of sticking power with it. You've got to have a little more protein. You say, why? It builds muscle. It helps your stamina. You understand? So if that happens, we're growing in the Lord, right? Well, if you're growing in the Lord, you're growing spiritually, but sometimes we think we're still spiritual babies. You say, how do you know? 1 Corinthians 3. I wanted to talk to you as unto spiritual, but I couldn't because you were carnal because there was envy and strife and divisions among you. That's the stuff that they're doing in the nursery right now if they're not sleeping. That's my toy. How come you got that toy? Why do you get a french fry? I want that cookie. I get the bed. You get the floor. I get, I want, I do. Get out of my way. Amen? Are you with me? They've got to grow up and mature, right? Alright, now watch this. 2 Corinthians chapter number 12. We'll come back to Mark in just a second. The Bible says this, for I would desire the glory, yet I shall not fool. Verse number 6. What's happening? He's been given infirmities. Why? He got caught up in third heaven. Would you agree that Apostle Paul had power? Would you believe he had preaching power? Would you think that the Apostle Paul had poetic power or power to be able to write? Alright, where did that power come from? It came with a cost. The Apostle Paul is given great revelation. For though I would desire the glory, I should not be a fool, for I will say the truth. For now I forbear, lest any man should think me above that which he seeth me to be. Any man. You see, you can understand this, but it's not so important what you see in me, it's what the Lord sees in me and what the principalities and powers and spiritual wicked know me to be. There's something you're doing now that makes you have a place up there. In Acts chapter number 19, when they come up there and they beat the tar out of these fellows, they come up there and said, I adjure thee by the name of the Lord to come out. And the guy comes out there, the devil comes out, and he says to them, he says, Jesus I know, and Paul I know. But who are you to be telling me what to do? By what power, by what authority are you... And then he whooped them and stripped their clothes off of them. You say, why did he do that? Because see there, they didn't grow spiritually and they weren't ready to take on that type. This kind. You're in a battle, but when we get here, you're not going to be willing to pay the price. The preacher, I want that power. Well, hear the rest of the sermon first. Okay, because if you want to see God do something in your life and in this church, there's going to come with a thorn and look who it is a messenger from. Look in your Bible, 2 Corinthians chapter number 12, lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there given to me, a thorn in the flesh. God keeping me humble. Look at it. a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. Oh, hold on just a minute, preacher. You said it was God. It is. You say, no, preacher, God didn't do that to me. It was the devil. Yeah, but God had to allow it. Job chapter number 1. I'll come back to Mark here in a second. Job chapter number 1. Job chapter number 1. Listen now, listen, listen, this is important for you to understand. You're saved now. He said, but preacher, my heart is desperately wicked. Hold on just a minute, I'm no longer a child of the devil. The heart of the old man is desperately wicked, deceitful above all things. But the heart of the new man is fashioned after Jesus Christ. Now, if I follow the old man, it's desperately wicked. If I follow the new man and I get whacked out, it's because I'm not following what God told me. Now, I've grieved the Holy Ghost, now I'm walking in the flesh. So make sure you understand if you're walking in the Spirit, your heart is going to be directed right because of the pilot that's on the inside. But if you let your flesh pilot you, like some of you are already doing now, you're going, well, I don't know about all that. I wish he'd slow down. Why has he got to be so loud? Why does he have to get so excited? Why does he have to do this? I'm telling you right now, you're going to miss the whole thing because you're listening to another Spirit. Stop it right there and tell the Holy Spirit, say, now wait a minute, Lord, is that you having me hung up on the fact that his hair is messed up? Or because he's sweating under one armpit more than the other? Or because he goes more to the right than he goes to the left? Or because he gets way up here and then he stays up here and he doesn't eloquently deliver? Hey, stop that for just a second and say, hey Lord, can I ask you a question? Is that you? If it is, follow Him. If it ain't, say, Lord, help me to get past that and get rid of that unclean thing talking to me. Giving heed, giving heed, giving heed. There's already a dislike. So now you're looking for information. How do you know this stuff, preacher? I've been there. You ever have ought to get somebody and then amazingly somebody comes up and says something to you and you're like, yeah, I knew it! I just knew that! Yeah, that's right! And then the Holy Spirit says, wow, is that me? Is that my attribute? See, it's hard when you apply it to your own personal life. Is that my attribute? Am I here to... Is that first peaceable? No, I've got a right! You don't understand! The Lord's like, tell me all about rights. Watch. Stay with me. Don't let the devil distract you. Job chapter 1, he said, what did you say? I said, the Lord puts a hedge about you. But sooner or later, you've got to learn some things about your enemy. Don't ever underestimate the power of your enemy. Don't ever underestimate the power of your enemy. Don't ever underestimate his ability to disguise himself as the Holy Spirit. Don't ever underestimate your own ability to be deceived. Don't ever think You cannot be deceived. Listen, I already showed you in the Bible where great men of God were influenced by another spirit. Saul is over here, and the Lord's spirit left him, and an evil spirit came and troubled him, and he started trying to nail innocent people to the wall, including his own son. How'd that happen? He was misled. Job chapter number 1, verse number... 8. The Lord said unto Satan, Hath thou considered my servant Job? And there is none like him in the earth, the perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and askeweth evil. 9. Satan answered and said, Doth Job feel God for naught? I guess He is your little poster child, Lord. Watch it. Mark it. Here's four H's for you if you're studying. Five H's. Hast thou not thou made an hedge about him, himself personally, and about his house, his family, and about all that he has, his businesses on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and the substance increase in the land. But put forth thy hand now and touch all he hath, and he will curse thee to thy faith. Face. You know what the Lord does? He tells Satan in the next verse, go ahead but you can't kill him. So did the trouble come from the devil or the Lord? You know, I had to teach Job some things about his enemy that he didn't already know. You study the book of Job, and Job even curses the day because he gets his health, and he gets his wealth, and he gets his household. And listen, just let me help you to understand something. It's not that God tries to get your attention by taking some loved one away from you. It is that when the Lord allows the heads to come down, anybody around you is open game. There's no particular season. It's any season, any time, anywhere, you cross the path, you're in the crosshairs. You need to understand that about your adversary, and it is generally done to make you say, Why God? Why'd you do this to me? Because I'm trying to teach you some things. You're involved in spiritual warfare. You think it's all about the physical, all about the flesh. You can't see what's going on around you. You can't see what I can see in eternity. There's some things about your enemy that you do not know on your level. And in order for me to bring you up another level, there's going to be a thorn. Suffering and sacrifice. Job says, I'm cursed. I want to die. Wish I'd have never been born. God says, don't worry about it, it's good for you. Good for me? I've got boils all over me. Good for me? I've lost everything I've got. I'm brought to nothing. All I have covering me now is just boils. What was the point of me ever being born? What was the point? I've had nothing but trouble. The Lord said, well, see, I brought you about just for this right here. I just let the heads down for a little while to let you learn some things about the enemy. You said you wanted power, but you didn't know when you were asking for that power the cost. You didn't understand clearly. Holy Ghost power! Oh boy. Oh boy. So then what the Lord does, He takes that hedge down and says, Lord, I really want to reach people and I really want to be a burning, shining light. I believe the temptations that we face today are spiritually connected because we don't take the power and authority over them because we would rather succumb to the temptation than to take the suffering and the sacrifice that goes with the victory. Now back to the book of Mark, I want to show you one way to impose that. Are you with me so far? You know what that Bible says? That Bible says this. He says in 2 Corinthians chapter number 4, Whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not. Spiritual opposition. They got an ability to get in there. I don't know how they do it. You ever get down to pray and some pornographic thought come across your mind? Excuse me for being real. And y'all can go ahead and act like it ain't. Okay? You're like, Not me, I don't, you know, okay, well, I'm trying to be real. You ever get down to pray and some bitterness come across, or some anger, or some indignation, wrath, or some kind of thing that's stuck up in your crawl, and you get ready to pray and all of a sudden, I can't believe she did that! I can't believe he did that! I had my way! I just, that ain't the Holy Spirit! Something's interrupting the connection, the communication. Every time you get down to pray, that stuff shows up. You say, Lord, is that you? No! Heavens no, that's not me. Well, Lord, how come it keeps coming in? Because you don't want to pay the price of the thorn in the flesh. You say you want victory, but when it comes down to it, you're a procrastinator. You're a cheater. You're a liar. That's just the... Truth of the matter. Lord, I really want to do this. The Lord's like, I hear what you said with your mouth, but when it comes to me putting the thorn in, it's like, well, now, wait a minute. You said you wanted it. You ain't a liar, are you? Well, Lord, I ain't a liar. Well, you sure acting like it. You're worried about your status in the community and your reputation. You're worried about what somebody's thinking about you instead of what God's trying to do in you. Worried about whether or not you got recognized? You ever realize that the reason you didn't was maybe God saying, hey, how about a little thorn? How about let's check out the motive? How about let's try the intention? How about let's see if you really are willing to endure some things so that you can have the power? Not no more, man. Most of us nowadays, boy, when it comes to this stuff, it's like backing off from a hot grill. It's like, whoo! No, man, I like it just like it is. You can always tell the carnal babies. It's always about them. Always. I don't care if they're 80 years old. It's always about them. You can tell the ones that are spiritual. You say, how? They have a tendency to have their head down and have their mouth shut. They have a tendency not to be getting involved in stuff. They got no business getting involved in it. It's kind of like, man, I've been down the road a little bit. I know the price to pay. I know what it costs. I'm not going to get myself in another fight when I'm fighting hard enough to keep the one going I've got going. Are you back to Mark? Did He give the apostles, Mark chapter number 9, again, if you're not already there. Did He give the apostles power? How come they couldn't cast this one out? Watch the principle. Because these devils are of this kind. You mean there's a different kind? Yes, exactly what I mean. These devils are of this kind. They're not just a devil. They're of this kind of devil. They have the ability to possess somebody and to make them do all kinds of things that manifest sickness and mental disease. And the apostles come up there and He gave them power and He gave them authority. And He said, listen, you go ahead and command the devil to come out. And they do. And the Bible says, I asked them to do it and they couldn't do it. How come? Chapter 9, verse 28. And He was come to the house. His disciples asked Him privately, why could not we cast Him out? And he said unto them, this kind can come forth by nothing, but. Thank you, are you reading? But by what? Two things we do the least. Don't raise your hands. When was the last time you fasted? Because you had a problem, because you had a trial, because you had a difficulty, because you had some issue you were trying to get over. When was the last time that you had, I'm not talking about juices, I'm talking about water, and prayer, and preaching, Bible reading. Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Saying, Lord, I'm pushing away from the table. I want water. Boy, I want power and authority, but Lord, you mean not eat? Really, Lord? I mean, you know, you've got to eat to survive. You know, fasting is a dangerous thing to do. How come God said to do it? How come it's all through your Bible, including the Apostle Paul and the Pauline epistles? In prayer, he says, and in nakedness, and in fastings often, and in hunger. That's sometimes when he's not fasting, he was hungry because he didn't want to fast, but he didn't have no choice but to fast. He says, there were some times I fasted often, because why? I wanted the power and the authority to overcome this kind. Most of you are at a level where you're fighting this kind and you keep having your face put in the mud and you keep losing the battle because you don't understand that in order to overcome this kind, it only comes out with prayer coupled with fasting. Not much amen there. Well, Ben, I thought you were going to like, you know, get on to us and we're all going to run to the altar and repent and we're going to get right and then you're going to go right back to the same devilment. You say, why? You don't really want the power and authority that bad. I mean, I'm talking about power over the things that are getting you. You ever had the besetting sin? Anybody, God help me, is there anybody here ever had a besetting sin after you saved? Anybody in here ever had that? You know what that Bible teaches? That Bible teaches you don't have power over that thing because you're not willing to go to the Lord and say, Lord, you know something? I need to back away from the table because this thing's really bothering me. You know why it's bothering me, Lord? It's not because I don't like to do it. It's because it bothers me because I know it bothers you. But it don't really bother you bad enough to quit it, does it? Because you don't realize it grieves the Holy Ghost, but you don't really want to quit it, do you? You say, what is it? It's of this kind. Shows up just at the right time at the right place to give you the right opportunity. This kind. And it's always a seducing spirit. What's a seducing spirit? It's something that you like. It's not something you're like, hey, here's a cross, and oh man, this is terrible, this is bad. I mean, it's going to be everything you hoped it would be. It'll be that other woman. It'll be that other man. Amen. I'm preaching good now. Amen. I'm not trying to be smart with you. I'm trying to help you to understand something. I'm trying to help you to see we don't have the power in our lives to blow the paper off of a peanut because we don't want to face this kind. We want to think we're spiritual giants and we're fighting the powers and the wickedness and the rulers of darkness that are in high places and we're still down here because We're not willing to pay the price to fight up there where the giants live. No power in our life. Why? We're not willing to pay the price. It's a choice you make. Can we go a little bit further? Take your Bible and come to 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. No, I don't want you to go there yet. Go to Mark, let's see, I'll get it in a second. There it is, John chapter 8. I wrote some of this stuff down on the fly. Jude 9, remember that in Jude chapter number 9? Remember what he says over in Jude 9? He says, and I mentioned this in Sunday school, remember he says over in Jude 9, he says, he said that Michael the archangel, that archangel, that means he's in charge of other angels, right? Durst not bring a railing accusation against Satan. But he said the Lord rebuketh thee. Now there's a lot of people, because in Daniel chapter number 10, when Michael fights, he fights the prince of Persia, and another prince comes to help him, and he don't say, the Lord rebuke thee. He fights that one and puts him down. He's got power over that one. Would you agree? Do we need to turn there? Do you understand what I'm saying? Daniel's praying. Remember, he's trying to get an interpretation of the prophecy. And he gets down there and Michael finally shows up. Gabriel was the first guy that shows up. And later on, Michael comes down there. He goes, man, I've been praying for 21 days. What happened? He said, hey, the prince of Persia was resisting me. What? You're an angel? Yeah. There's something going on out here, Daniel, that you can't see. And he's trying to hinder the interpretation of that prophecy. He's trying to keep you from preaching what the prophecy means. because it's going to help somebody, but there's a hindrance that's going on, and it's in the spiritual realm. Michael had power, but it took him 21 days to overcome that one, but this one had so much power, he said, hey, the Lord rebuked you, I ain't messing with you. In order for you to have power, you must first understand there is a hierarchy. And in order for you to do it, you don't get power over all of it. You can't run out here like a charismatic and say, He's in me, He's in the world. You better be careful you don't get slapped on your blessed assurance. I mean like right quick like. He'll go up to the Lord. You know what he does? I'll show you in a second. He accuses you all the time. You know what he said? Did you hear what he said? Or say yeah, I heard what he said. Let me smack him one time. Just let me smack him real good. Knock his teeth down his throat. See if he doesn't start taking this stuff more seriously. Some Christians need to have their teeth knocked down their throat to understand this ain't tiddlywinks. And when you start monkeying around and getting in the way and sowing discord and creating problems and troubles and stuff, you're messing around in a spiritual realm and somebody's going to get hurt. Because it ain't a game. And you don't apply it at Walmart or anywhere else. But you apply it when it comes to the church, because all of a sudden, another spirit, where do you find them? In religious gatherings. What did I just give you? John 8. Is this the one that says, are you the father of the devil? That's him. John 8. That's it. You have your father the devil, verse 44. And the lust of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own. For he is a what? And the father of what? Would you agree that he's talking about being a lie, that all lies come from the devil? Revelation chapter 12. Would you agree all lies come from the devil? He's the father of lies. Is that right? Alright, so you know what he's going to do? He'll lie. He'll accuse you with lies. He'll accuse you to each other. He'll accuse you to me, me to you, and us to ourselves. He's an accuser of the brethren, that's what he says. I'll show you in just a second. What he does is, he tries to get you to believe a false report, which is based upon a lie, and then the next thing you know, all you're doing is focusing on that false report, and you're fixing to run off into a ditch. You say, what's happening? He's done got you. You say, why? Preacher, how do I keep that stuff from constantly chewing me up and spitting me out? I can't even put my head on the pillow at night because I can't believe about this injustice and that wrong, and this was done and that was done. And this happened and that happened. Lord, how do I do that? You say, Lord, what spirit is that? It ain't peaceable. There's confusion. It can't be you. That's not an attribute of the Holy Spirit. Lord, something's going on here. There must be another author in there. If you don't think for a second that you do enough to get the attention of the devil, you made a mistake. The day you got saved, you got a big bullseye put on you. Revelation chapter number 12. He's a liar, would you agree? He's an accuser. Revelation 12, I'm sorry. Verse 9. The great dragon was cast out. The old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now has come salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren. is cast down, which accused them before God day and night. So what happens is, is one of the ways that he creates a problem, look in James chapter number 3, one of the ways he creates a problem is, is to try to stir you up against somebody. You understand? He tries to stir you up with a false report. And you know what? You get so convinced that what's happened is the Holy Spirit, you can't be convinced otherwise. You didn't stop in 1 John 4 it. You didn't try the Spirit, you just went, man! And you know what the devil does? I hate to tell you this. if he's standing here and he's a person. And right here is a spirit. See him right here? Well, just imagine him. Here's a spirit, okay? Is it easier for me to get upset with the spirit or the person in whom the spirit dwells? Person. Because it's something I can... Right? So we forget that we wrestle not against If I had a knife, I'd cut him, you know what, he'd bleed, right? We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and spiritual wickedness, rules of darkness and high places, is that right? So what happens is, is that spirit will use this as the target, and so you don't understand, you're fighting a spirit, but now you put a big tattoo on him. And now there's discord, thank you, among the brethren. But it's not among the two of you in the flesh. It's the spirit. You listen to another spirit and it hooked up with that spirit and goes, yeah, let's start a rumble. And now the whole thing gets tore up and then there's no peace. Watch in the book of James, chapter number 3. The Bible says this, verse number 14, James 3, 14. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and huh, where did the lie come from? Devil. Lie not against what? Truth. Okay, so if that's coming, then where did it come from? Devil. Bitter envying and strife. I'll show you in just a second here, we grieve the Holy Ghost more times than we think. Yes. You know why? Because we have the attribute of the devil, we lie. Right. And we believe a lie. Now let me ask you a question. Let's say that Brother O'Brien tells me a lie. Okay? He knows it's a lie and he tells me a lie. All right? You with me? What is he? A liar. All right? If I believe the lie, what am I? Deceived. I'm a liar. I've just gone along with his lie. I didn't try it. I didn't test it. So I'm complicit in his lie. I've now become a part of his lie. So I'm just as much a liar as he is. I'm just not the one putting it out. Oh, that's real good. That's not, well, you're just deceived. Uh-uh. You're a liar. Okay, now watch, let me boil it down just a little bit more. Let's say, I better, I'll use my wife, she won't be so easily offended. Let's say that Dreena's gossiping about somebody, okay? And she comes to me and she goes, did you hear that something, did you hear that something? And she hears that something, she don't shake her head when she does that. And now I listen to that and I don't say, Lord, what spirit? I go, yeah, you know what, I can't even believe that. Now, we confess he's a gossip, right? In this illustration. What am I? You say, why? The Bible says if I give ear to it, I'm guilty of it. The Bible don't say, oh, you didn't know any better. No, no, see, you have a power in you called the Holy Ghost that says, whoo, try that spirit right there. Let's see, does that create peace and harmony? Does that cause me to have complete lack of confusion? Does it all make things decently in order? Does it settle me down? Does it calm me down? Does it relax me? Does it soothe me? Or does it stir me up? Does it make me angry? Does it feed that jealousy and bitterness and envy and strife? And boy, the next thing I know, whoa, I could have stopped it! I don't have to know if what she's saying is true. I have to say, Lord, what spirit? And if he says, well, compare the attributes of the liar, envy, strife, and division with my attributes, love, joy, and peace, you ought to be able to tell. That's why you got to know the book. Wow. I don't know what her problem is. But I ain't getting on with that spirit. What do I have to do? Hey, I'll have you know I'm spiritual and I don't want you to know. You just hang up the phone and say, okay, next time she calls I'm just going to let that go to voicemail. Unless you're living with them and that makes it a little more difficult. That's right. I'm not so stupid as to believe that when you folks go home that a lot of you don't still talk about everybody in the church. The problem is that somehow you're outing yourself on the... Anyway, James chapter 3. Now watch. What should there not be? Verse 16. He says, This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish. Listen, I know what I'm saying because I've had the same problem. Somebody did me real wrong, and I wanted to Tommy Hawk them. Really. And I had the goods. And the Lord said, Vengeance is mine. You believe that, don't you? I'm like, yeah, Lord, but, you know, they can't see what you're doing. Well, just don't you worry about it. I'll take care of it. Lord, can I just get a... So an individual comes in and says, hey brother, did you hear about so-and-so? And the first thing that came up was another spirit that said, he got it. And the Lord said, whoa, you rejoicing over your enemy stumbling? Spiritual are you? You're glad that he fell? Spiritual are you? You're glad that they're out? and you're full of the Holy Ghost. Now I had to repent. I wish the fellow had never even told me. Because then I'm thinking to myself, what happened? That spiritual test came up my flunk. So don't think because I'm preaching this at you and I am preaching it at you this morning. You understand? I'm not us and we and them and that. Some of you, you are the problem. Some of you, the reason there is constant discord around you is because you are the common denominator. It ain't your wife. It ain't your kids. It ain't your husband. It ain't the boss. It ain't this environment. It ain't that environment. It's you, but you won't be spiritual enough to admit you're the one with the problem. I'll admit it if they'll admit it. I did it, but they did it worse and all that. You're a spiritual fool. God's trying to show you you're messed up as a soup sandwich. But you won't humble yourself, you won't take that thorn, you won't take the wrong, because it's all about you being right. You'll never be spiritual if you think you're going to always be right. You're going to have to take some wrong along the way. Verse 16, what's the comparison? For where envy and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Wow! Pretty good comparison with the Bible, would you agree? That other spirit comes in, if there is confusion in every evil work, then I know clearly that ain't the Holy Spirit. How do you know? Verse 17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. It's gentle, easy to be entreated. Here's a hard one, full of mercy. If what you're hearing and what you're feeling is not full of mercy, it ain't from above. Preacher, I want to be spiritual. We need to have revival, don't we? I mean, we need to start right now. I believe you ought to be preaching salvation this morning. You know what you need to do? You need to stop listening to that other spirit to hide behind something that looks so spiritual because you're so concerned about souls that you think you ought to be telling me what to be preaching instead of listening to what's being preached. If you're so concerned about them, where's your stringer? If you're so concerned about them, how come you ain't been on the street preaching? Why ain't you in the prisons? Oh, I forgot. You would go to the prisons if you were invited to the special meeting. so you could get recognition. But you won't go do it on your own at your own workplace. But you'll come to a church and sit there. Right now, it's like a stinking bee in your britches this morning right now. You are just jacked up. They should be preaching salvation. Listen, you may not know this, but the majority of people in here are saved. And if they ain't saved, you know what they're hearing right now? You need to get saved. You need to get saved. You need to get saved. You need to get saved. I trust the Holy Spirit. I'd rather trust Him than trust you. Well, preacher, I just think you're ducking, man. You're hiding behind something spiritual to make it look like, oh, I'm so worried about them. No, you're not. You're trying to duck the arrow that God's sticking in your heart right now. You don't want the thorn. I'm worn out with all that stuff. Every time they gather Sunday morning, well, it's got to be about salvation. Listen, 99% of the congregation that comes to a church like this comes there already saved. But you don't want the conviction of the Holy Ghost on you anymore. You don't want to have to grow. You don't want no thorn sticking you. That's why you go to these little churches. I get wore out. Thank you. I get wore out with that. Men telling me they're men and they're always upset with their feelings. I didn't feel too good. I had a guy that was a guy from Vietnam, been in all kind of stuff over there, came over here one time and he said, that hurt my feelings. I said, you've been to war? He said, yes sir. I said, what I said hurt? I said, did you go through boot camp? Does he have a woman for a DI or something? Your feelings are hurt? Are you serious? I had a couple guys doing some stuff out the other day, and we don't know them or anything like that, and they're doing some stuff like that, and I said, now that's how you do that, that a boy. And he turned around, he looked at me like that, and I'm like, I mean, that a man, or whatever. I said, how come it is I can say that a girl, and it don't bother the girl, but I say that a boy, and you get upset like I got some kind of stinking agenda. If you're working for me, I'll say that a boy if I want to. He said, no problem, call me whatever you want. What is that? That's another spirit. All that. He knows right where to get you, don't he? Don't he? I mean, man, he will have something slang said and you'll be like, oh! Did you hear? Lord, wait a minute. What spirit? What spirit? Oh. Oh. I see. I got it. I'm not done yet. If you need to go at 12 o'clock, you can go ahead and go, but I'm not done yet. Verse 17, this wisdom is from above. It's first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. That's pretty fresh. That's a breath of fresh air. That's clean. That's wholesome. That's good. That's like walking into one of those oxygen chambers, man. I mean, that's just walking in, man. There ain't nothing but just pure oxygen flowing. That's a pure drink of water, man. I mean, there ain't no bacteria in it. There's nothing. It's got the right balance of everything. That's what the Holy Spirit is. When you're listening to something else, it ain't holy. It is this kind. How do I get them? We're not there yet, but we're getting there. I know you want to. Verse 18, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace. The Holy Spirit will try to have you make peace, not war. He'll try to have you resolve conflicts among the brethren. See? I'd rather fast. I'm good with fasting. I want to fast. The Lord says, okay, here's your fasting. I ain't listening to nothing you got to say. I don't care if you don't do nothing, you don't eat no food and drink no water for 40 days. When your toes up and I see you up here, I'm going to say, hey, I told you to go make that thing right. Let it go, get over it. I told you. And some of you, you know what? You want to get this kind out, right? You're not going to fast from your own selfish beliefs about yourself. Especially in the South. We need to have a real old-fashioned revival. Ephesians chapter number 4. Let's look there. Ephesians 4. I'm not being funny when I say if you've got a roast in the oven, you go right ahead. I was prepared for conflict this morning, if you couldn't tell. I was not being rude when I was not speaking or running around shaking hands. I know when you preach something along these lines, somebody's going to come up and do or say something, and it's going to get you off track. And so what I try to do is, is I try to sequester myself. You say, you look all solemn and serious. This is pretty serious. See, what you don't understand, or maybe some of you do, what we're doing is, is we're saying to the principalities, the powers, the spiritual wicks, the rules of God, hey, we got your name. You know what we're saying to the Holy Spirit? We're saying, unmask us and show us what's really going on so we can deal with it. There ain't nothing that upsets the devil more than for you to say, Lord, I know I'm the problem. I know I'm the train wreck. I don't care what everybody else is doing. I want to get me some help. And when he snatches that thing off, buddy, the devil comes in and says, whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop that! Stop that! He's not believing the facade anymore. He's not believing the idol anymore. He's going to believe the real truth. He said, hey, he's going to quit believing the lie. Hey, you better go down there. You better do something quick. Get his attention away from that. What we're doing is serious. It comes with a great price. I'm not kidding you. Watch what happens, Ephesians chapter number 4. verse 30. You know this passage. That's it. Watch. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you're sealed to the day of redemption. Right? So let's look and see what grieves him. Let's see what the Bible says. You ready? Let's get back to verse 25. Put on the new man, verse 24, after which God created righteousness and true holiness. So when you put on the new man, you have to put away what? I'm sorry, did you throw up? Where do we know lies come from? So we either yield to the Holy Spirit and put away the lying. Are you with me? Thank you. Can I get a witness to something? You hate liars. But you know why you see them so much? Because you are one. Listen, you may be honest in all your business dealings and all this, but there's all kind of levels and all kind of ways to sort of fix it and do it and make it be what it really ain't and all that kind of stuff. Listen, I don't care if it's a little lie or a big lie, it is still a lie and you're still a liar. But the most dangerous lie is when you lie to the Holy Ghost. He says, put away all lies. Preacher, I want to get right. Stop your lying! You do not want to get right. You'd be better off to say, I don't want to get right, if it's going to mean I've got to stop my lying. I'd rather greed the Holy Ghost than to give Him the power to breed peaceable, pure things in my life. I'm willing to get right, but not if it costs me something. Proposal of the Lord says, you're willing to get right? Yeah, bring me Isaac. Bring me Isaac. You said you wanted to get right, right? Come on, bring me Isaac. Well now, preacher, you don't... See, that 1% hesitation is 100% rebellion. Preacher, you see, my situation, you see, that's it. I surrender some... All I'm telling you is, is that we don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit. You all amen that. He said put away all lying. All lying. All lying. Stop saying you're a Christian when you ain't. I'll have you know I'm saved. I didn't say you weren't saved. I said you're not a Christian. Because you ain't living like it. Too easily offended. Too easily upset. Get keyed in on one thing that gets said and miss the entire message. What spirit you think that is? The Lord will have the truth veiled in a strange package, just to see whether or not you want the truth. You can always find fault in the man. Ephesians chapter number 4, verse 25, put away all lies, speak to every man the truth with his neighbor, for we're members of one another. When you're lying to them, you're lying to yourself. Woo! That'll go. You just have a revival meeting, just preach on lying. Watch, be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath. Now preacher, what that means is, is when you and your wife have a hard time and you're not getting along, that means you don't go to sleep before you work it out. Okay, these girls down here ain't married. How's it fit for them? I got people in here that ain't married. How's it fit for them? I got people in here that have lost their spouse. How's it fit for them? What are you doing, ducking? He said, be angry and sin not. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath. You say, why? Because it gives place to the devil. So you know what that means, girls? That means you can get mad over what somebody posted. You can get angry over what somebody said. And if you don't take that thing to the Lord right then and get that thing fixed, you know what happens? That sun goes down and when it does, the demons out of hell come up and go, we got them now. We're stirring them up now. Boy, we got them fixed up now. Yes, sir, man. They're angry. They're mad. They're acting crazy. Yes, sir. Let's just stir it up and stir it up. I can't believe what you, I can't believe you, I can't believe this. And he says, listen, don't let the sun go down. You say, why? Neither give place to this kind. The devil, you get mad with one another. And he says, put it away! Stop it! You say, why? Because you open up to another spirit of this kind. Preacher, how do I overcome that? You don't understand what they did to me! This kind cometh out not but by prayer and it won't cost you something. The fact of the matter is you really don't want to get rid of it. So don't be a liar. Just go ahead and be like better than 70% of the Christians that I know or say people I know. and more churches than I care to mention, where I've been to, and there's this discord, this dissension in the monks and the people in there. We want to have revival! Not enough to put away this kind. We want to see God do something in this place! Not enough for you to say, hey, you know what? I've got to get rid of that anger. You don't know! I've got a right to be angry! Okay, well then, you know what he just said? He said, let not the sun go down on your wrath. Did he say it or not? So either you're right or the Bible's right. You say why? Because it gives place to the devil. Some of you are mad at what parents did to you 25 years ago. Some of you are upset because some woman cheated on you or done something she shouldn't have done or some man done something she shouldn't have done. You know what the Bible says? That's a breeding ground for this kind. You want to get the devil out of your life? I do. When you start praying and you start fasting, God starts pointing out things. He goes, what about that right there? It's like, oh man, I get me a legal pad with plenty of paper in it. I'm serious. When you start looking to God, you know the first thing He's like, you really want to get spiritual, huh? And I say, well, you're the problem. See, a lot of times I do what I do. I'm not trying to be spiritual. I'm trying to set an example. I'm trying to say, when I get ready to do that, it's kind of like, Lord, I need to fast for brother so-and-so. They're in real trouble right now. So I get ready to start fasting for somebody else, you know, to help them get a prayer through. And I start fasting. And about, I don't know, 12 hours in, it seems like 12 days, you know, and you're sitting there thinking, man, I've got another glass of water to look forward to, you know. And you're praying and you're looking at God. And the first thing it's all about you. It's like, God, help me not to be hungry. I'm starving for you, Lord. And the Lord's like, it's only been 15 minutes. You'll be alright. You're not going to die. You've got plenty to live off of. You've got enough laid up for the millennium. You'll be fine. And so, I get to praying, and the next thing you know, I'm like, okay, now, Lord, I want to bring this before your throne. And the Lord's like, well, before you do that, since you're on the spiritual level now, I want to talk to you. What you mad about, hotshot? Excuse me, Lord, I'm not mad about anything. You're a liar. You ain't got two things on there, boy. You just lied to me. You think I don't know you? I made you. What you mad about? Lord, I might better fast a little while longer. I don't know if I want to tell you. I'm just telling you how it is for me. Maybe you'd be like, yeah, Lord, I know I'm angry about that and all. I'm bitter about that. I'm upset about that. This kind. Always making God the problem. As soon as the conviction comes toward me, it's like, wait a minute, God. Hold on. Did you see what? Did you see them? Did you see? And as soon as trouble comes my way, Lord, how come trouble's on me and not on this kind? Accusations in the wrong place. You know what he says right there? Your anger grieves the Holy Ghost. You say, why? It's a breeding ground for the devil. It's a breeding ground for this kind. Preacher, I can't get over the anger. You don't know what somebody did to me. You're right, you can't. But the new man can. Say, I just don't believe that. This kind. Prayer and fasting. Stay with me just a little bit longer. Watch. The Bible says this in verse number 26. Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more. Say why? It breaks your trust. Once somebody steals from you, you know what? You always have a tendency not to trust them. And you can't change that. The only thing they can do is stop stealing so you learn to have confidence in them again. I'm not getting a lot of help today. He says, rather let him labor, working with his hands, the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth. In the Bible, right? Watch it. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying. It's what's coming out of your mouth that's edifying. Better check the Spirit. Before you say something about somebody else, is it edifying? Well, what spirit is it then? Well, it's the truth. I didn't ask you that. I said, what spirit is it that's causing you to use the truth to hurt somebody? Well, preachers, you know the Bible says, Reprove and rebuke and exhort. Yes, but you better understand that both reproof and rebuke are done for the benefit of the individual, and there may come a time when you do that, but you better balance that thing with love the same way God's done with you. Not your place to straighten everybody else out and make them spiritual. You're not the Holy Spirit. You don't dictate to what somebody else is, as far as spirituality is concerned. Too often, you know what we do? We get in a position where we think we're the Holy Spirit and we play in other people's lives. 1 John chapter 4. I've only got a couple more. Bear with me. 1 John chapter 4. Pride gets in the way, right? So a preacher, people got to get humble, you know? Yeah, but it's not your place to keep people humble. I'm wore out with this. I don't want to puff you up stuff. If I get puffed up or one of the brethren here get puffed up, it's their problem. It has nothing to do with God saying you should edify. You say, what is edification? That means you're encouraging them. If I say I appreciate the stuff getting done around here, appreciate the singing, appreciate the playing, you're going to puff them up. What's your problem? What is your problem? Are you serious? The last time your wife made you a meal and you said, honey, that was good, I appreciate it. Say, well, you don't know how my wife cooks. Well, then bless God, cook it yourself. Or go buy the chicken house or something. War out with that. They need to be edified, too. You get out there and cut the grass and you go out there and say, come here, baby, look at that thing, man. Everyone on one and a half inches, look at that thing. That thing just looks like a golf course out there, don't it, baby? He goes and slays over a hot stove and cleans all the stuff up out there. You don't say nothing about it. That's her job. When's the last time you edified her? When's the last time you exhorted her? I don't want her to get puffed up. No, she won't get puffed up. You know what'll happen? She'll get wore out. And then she will be out. How much longer you got? Couple more hours, we'll be done. 1 John chapter 4. Beloved, that's us, right? You're saved if you're beloved. You're messed up, you're whacked out. You're ducking again. God loves the sinner and he hates the sin. That sounds so nice. The Bible says that Jesus Christ died past tense. God so loved past tense the world. He already paid the price for it. I'm fixing to really get sideways with you right here. He loved you enough to die for you, and if you don't accept it, the wrath of God abides on you right now. You're here today, and you're saved. You're not in the beloved side. You're on the other side. The Bible says God don't want nothing to do with you. You say, why? You got no covering. You're running around in your own self-righteousness, and you think you're perfect, like a bunch of Pharisees I know. 1 John chapter number 4. Well, I wouldn't have somebody talk to me that way. Well, God bless you, dear saint. Beloved, believe not. Are you with me? Every spirit. You mean there's more than one? Yeah, there's more than just the Holy Spirit. But try the... Look at that. Plural. Whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. You say, a preacher's got to watch out for false preachers. That's true. But the false prophets are preaching under the influence of a false spirit. So it's a spiritual thing, but it's not just when it comes to preachers. Look in 2 Corinthians 10. 2 Corinthians 10. Almost done. Listen, I appreciate your endurance. I really do. I appreciate you staying here. But I'd rather, listen, I'd rather come to church and get something than to walk out going, what was that? You know, I'd rather you walk out of here going, my head's going to burst, you know, than for you to walk out here going, put on a tape, man. I don't know what that was. God wants to do something with us, but you know what happens? You've got a revival in prison meeting coming up. Guess what happens? You're stirring up the spirits. You know what He's going to do? He's going to attack you on whatever front you have. Your opposition is not going to be like my opposition. Your temptation is not going to be like my temptation, but it will be a war nonetheless. 2 Corinthians chapter number 10, the Bible says this in verse number 3, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not what? after what? That means the battle that we're in is true in Ephesians chapter number six. You can't fight it in the flesh. You're walking in the flesh, but that's not where you're fighting the war. Would you agree with that? For the weapons, we'll talk about them in a second, of our warfare, spiritual warfare, are not carnal. They're not in your flesh. but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Preacher, what are those strongholds? Somebody will come in and they'll start just a small foundation by telling you something untrue. And it may be seasoned with a little bit of truth. And because you already in your own heart have a feeling about something, it begins to sort of take root and then the next thing you know, you're getting the cement and the bricks and you're kind of helping them build that thing. And before long, that thing becomes such a fortress and you've already made up your mind that no matter what God tries to say, you've already built a fortress in your mind because you never went to say, wait a minute, wait a minute. Who's that trying to lay a stronghold in my mind? Because I know if He gets it started up here in my heart, it won't be long before it'll affect my mind, and then it'll affect my mouth, and it'll affect my actions. Who is it that's trying to build that thing? Who is that in there, right there, doing that? Who's that talking to me, telling me to look here, turn here, listen here? Who is that telling me to say that? Try the sphere S. S, capital, or small s on the end there, meaning that's poor, more than one. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God. What's the knowledge of God? It's easy, it's right here. He gave you it in writing. Okay, I've got to check that and see. Is that compared with what God says? Is it first pure, then peaceable, and what we read about in James? Or is it envy, strife, and division? Oh, wait a minute. The Bible laid that out in 1 Corinthians 3. He goes, oh, that's carnal. So spiritual is I walk in the flesh, I get the fruit of the Spirit, and then I get that peaceable fruit that's easy to be entreated, and that's merciful, and it's always giving people the benefit of the doubt. Exalted itself against the knowledge of God? You don't understand, I have a right. Is that what the Holy Spirit said? Listen, here's what you need to understand. If you want to use this to justify or to build your rights, you're using Him for the wrong reason. Because the closer you get to God, you know what you realize? You don't have no rights. You're not your... You are bought with a price, therefore serve God in... What is it? body, soul, and spirit, which are His. You're not your own. You're not even entitled to your own thoughts, but He lets you have them. God, where did that thought come from? It didn't come from me, I can tell you that. That sure ain't me thinking that. You say, why? Well, is that coming up against my knowledge? Well, yeah, Lord, as a matter of fact, it is. Okay, then what do you do with it? Lord, get it out. Get it out. Watch. 5. Every high thing is to exalt itself against the knowledge of God, 6. bringing into captivity every...what?...to the obedience of Christ, 7. and having in readiness to revenge all disobedience. I'm going to ask you a question and it is a little bit rhetorical and it also has a little bit of a hook in it, so I'm telling you right up front. Do you really want to worship God? Part of these people do. Do you really want to worship God? A few of these people do. You see, here's what you're thinking. Well, I really want to worship God, but you've got to tell me what the cost is. See, there's the problem. There's the snag. The snag is not that he doesn't deserve worship. Agreed? And we really want to do it, but now we're wanting to know, is there a cost? Yes, there is a cost. You know what it is? It's obedience. The first time worship shows up in your Bible shows up in Genesis chapter number 22, and it has to do with Abraham obeying the Lord when it comes to Isaac. That's the closest thing to worship you'll ever find. Don't you think that's strange? Now look at what he just read in verse number 6. Read it. And having readiness to revenge all... The Holy Spirit tagged you already in this message? Where's the obedience? Disobedience serves this kind. Obedience serves Him. Holy Spirit says to you during this message, come to Ephesians chapter number 6, Ephesians chapter number 6, in this message He says to you, hey, you know what, you do have a problem with that. And you know what, you are the problem. In spite of all that they're doing, you still have a problem. That's the hardest thing in the world. The hardest thing in the world is that when your problem is not as big as their problem, and God says it's still a problem. But you're not going to do it until they do it. If they will, you will. Well, first of all, you're a spiritual idiot. You ain't got any sense because you don't care what God thinks, you're more worried about them. I'll get right if they get right. You're a spiritual idiot. Listen, I got a lot of big friends. Don't threaten me. They'll take you out. There's people watching you right now. Ephesians chapter 6. And we realize here, verse 12, our wrestling matches with who? No? Okay, principalities and powers. All right, now come on down. Above all, take in the shield of faith, verse 16. We talked about weapons, right? Wherewith ye be able to quench all the fiery darts of the devil. So step number one is, I've got to be able to walk by faith, not by sight all the time. What does that mean? I've got to believe what the Bible says. That's hard, ain't it? When he says, let all wrath and malice and envy and bitterness go. And when he says to you, forgiving one another even is God for Christ's sake. Forgiving one another even. I believe the Bible. Oh, it requires some faith, don't it? You know what happens? This guy shows up and says, yeah, but see, I know he's just preaching right now. He don't know what happened to you. Okay, now grab that right there. Stop right where you are. put it on 1 John 1 4 and say, Lord, you ask Him, Lord, what just gave me that thought? You say, what it's doing? It's vaulting itself against the knowledge of God. God said, forgiving one another. Why? Because it grieves Him. Preacher, I can do the fasting thing, but the forgiving thing, forget that. Did He say it or not? Do you care about grieving Him or no? But for some of you, you know what it is? That's this kind. You know what happens? Every time that happens, this kind shows up and says, Paul I know, Jesus I know, but who are you? You think you got power and authority over me? You think you can get that wrath and that anger and that bitterness and that unforgiveness? Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but you better go back to your little corner, you little pipsqueak. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not going to that church anymore. I've had enough of you. I'm not coming to the revival. Because I know more than the guy preaching. And it ain't Santa Claus. You walk out of here, you get in, and there's something that says, turn on that station. I'm going to break it down for you. And you stop and say, Lord, what was that? Sure wasn't me. They're singing about sex, drugs, and rock and roll on there, man. You kidding me? You ought to know. I said psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. it vaulted itself against me, what are you going to do? Lord, I'm going to turn it off. By your authority. You've tried it before, it won't last. You might do it for 15 minutes, but give it a couple of days, it'll be back. This kind. Lord, I can't control it. Push away from the table. Pray. Fast. Ask me to help you through Bible reading and preaching. Ask me to help you. I'll help you to overcome that. Hey, you got no power and authority over me. Turn it on. Okay, you're right. Everybody should have a little fun. What's wrong with going to that movie? Everybody else does. Lord, what spirit is that? It ain't my spirit. What goes in your eye affects your heart, the Bible says. Lord, I want to do that. This kind shows up and says, Jesus I know and Paul I know. You think you're going to cast me out, you little pipsqueak? Now go on about your business and have your carnal lust and fun. Go ahead and look at the trash. Go ahead and listen to the tripe. Go ahead and run your mouth. This kind, I'm of this kind, you ain't got no power over me. Run along, sonny. Lord says, you want power over that? Lord, I'm tired of it bugging me. I want to obey you. I want to do what you said to do by faith. I want to, I want to do it. Lord said, okay. Are you serious? Yes, sir. I'm serious. Okay. Prayer, fasting. Well, Lord, that's what I thought. And this kind of shows back up. You know what he says? You can be as spiritual as they'll allow you to be down there. Don't you think for a second. You can get up here where the big boys are. Ephesians chapter 6, watch. That's the shield of faith. I've got to learn to walk by it. Watch what he says. Almost done. Take the helmet of salvation. Would you agree that's defensive? Covers your head, covers the way you think. You say, why? Because the problem is how we think. It really is how we think. That's what happens from my mouth to your ears. It gets spun by how you hear it. And that's affected by your own heart. There's people that can hear all the messes I make right there and say, that's a blessing, I got a blessing out of that. But some of you remember something I said 20 minutes ago, and you're still stuck back there. I got him now, did you hear that? I got him, I got, bless God I got him. This kind. Amen. That's right. 17, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, not only defensive but also offensive. Praying, verse 18, praying with all prayer and supplication in the what? Spirit. That would be the Holy Spirit, would it not? Sure. Amen. And watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for? All. Amen. So you know what he's trying to get across to you? He's trying to say that if you want this kind out, you're going to have to be willing to pay the price. So, well, Preacher, you should have broke that up into two messages. Now, wait. Now, hold on just a minute. Be quiet for just a second and listen to me. Who is it that planted in your thoughts that a service was supposed to be 45 minutes or one hour? Paul preached all night, he preached so long Eutychus got to sleep and went and fell out a window. Paul gets to the end of the passage there and he says, finally my brethren, and goes on for two more hours. I realize it's hard on your flesh, but let me ask you a question. Is it really your flesh it's hard on? Or is it this kind it's hard on? Is this kind rising up in you right now saying, why would you be so consumed with time? You know what's time about? This kind. This kind. You say, how do you know? Because when you start fasting, you know what happens to time? It slows down, man. It's like, oh, you're kidding. It's only been 15 minutes. It's like the minute you decide to fast, it's like, I should've ate more before I went on this fast. Right? It's like you want to go swallow the air hose and blow your stomach up just not to be hungry. You say, what is that? That's this kind. So listen to me, I'm going to put a bow on it. This kind. The kind that troubles all of us. But my kind ain't your kind. But this kind. The more powerful kind. Oh, we've had little victories here and there, would you agree? Everybody has. But now we're growing spiritually. And now, you know what we're going to need? We're going to need power, and we're going to need authority. Right? So in order for me to have power and authority, I've got to have the book. But I've got to have the power. How does it come? It comes with a thorn. Well, how can I get that, preacher? Prayer and fasting. Say, what are you telling me, preacher? Do you want me to give you the whole sermon again? Prayer and fasting. If you want to fight the spiritual giants. If you want to have real victory and you really want to have a worship service, it comes from being obedient. Here's what I've learned. I've learned more times than not, it is not the flesh that hinders a saved person. It is this kind. It is their influence over their life. and they will not allow the Holy Spirit to supersede. So the Holy Spirit comes up, and believe it or not, this is really pretty deep even though we make it small, because of it being, and for the sake of illustration, I'll not make the black dog your flesh, I'll make the black dog this kind, and I'll make the white dog the Holy Spirit. And you know what happens time and time again? Long after the flesh gets us, we get it under control, okay. You know what happens? That spiritual hierarchy comes and says, And the Holy Spirit says, I haven't been feeding. I haven't been eating. I haven't had any time away. I'm grieved. I'm vexed. I'm quenched. I have no power. I have no authority. Oh, I want so bad to help you, but you've got to do something. Let me take care of you. Fasting will increase your faith. The Lord tells you to do it. I'm going to preach on it before much longer. We should do it before the meeting. You say, why? You say, oh, the fasting weakens you. Where did that come from? It may weaken your flesh, but it don't weaken your spirit. So who is it that just told you fasting weakens you? This kind. You say, why? It's a secret that runs all through the Bible, but nobody wants to do it. Heads are bowed, and eyes are closed. Brother Greider, you do it today, if you would, please. Something real soft on the piano. I'm going to take just a minute. Just for a minute. I know many of you have already been to the altar today already, but if you would like to come to the altar, and God dealt with you about anything, whatever it may be, if you want to come, you come now. Come now. Whatever it is. Nobody looking around. Nobody, oh, I'm glad they're finally going and getting, see, this kind. See, this kind. This kind. that thing that's always making you beat yourself up, wear yourself out, and you know, you're the problem, and you're no good, and you're worthless, and that's this kind. So how do I get rid of that, preacher? Prayer and fasting. Maybe you need to come down here today and make a commitment to the Lord and say, Lord, you know what? I haven't really done much of that. I tell you what, 24 hours, Lord, I'll give you a day. Tuesday of next week, Lord. From 6 in the morning to 6 the next day, Just have water and prayer, Bible reading, preaching. Maybe just 12 hours. But Lord, I want to show you I'm in business. I want power and authority over the things that trouble me. I do want to live a better Christian life. I don't want to be so hateful and so arrogant and so obnoxious. I want that under control, Lord. I don't want to be so mean-spirited. I don't want to be so out of control, Lord. I'm telling you now, right now, I want help. If you're just preaching this message at me, come on. Come on. This kind. This kind. Persecution complex. This kind. This kind. That's not God. Check it and see. You're not the only one here. God's dealing with you. Thank God He's dealing with you. But don't ever think you're in a crosshairs. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'm telling you right now before God, you're not that important that He would make 200 other people do without. We all need this. We all have this kind in our life. The problem is, is that we're not willing to make changes. We don't want to be any different. We're justified. God spoke, you come. We'll be done here in just a second. You do happen to be here and you're not saved. We don't want to see you go to hell. Don't you get looking at other Christians. They'll mess you up from now to Sunday. You need to look to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of faith, who died for you and was buried, raised again the third day. What did he die for? Your sins. Buried and resurrected the third day to give you hope of eternal life. But you have to come to him as a sinner and admit that you're a sinner and believe on him and confess him as your savior. And he finishes this stand, and we'll close for today. I appreciate very much your attentiveness, and you stay in. Our Father, we do thank you, and we'd ask now, Lord, that you might bathe this message in the blood of Jesus Christ. And anything foolish and idiotic that might have been said, I pray God you'll erase it from our minds and even our hearts. Lord, You'll take the truth of what was said, in spite of who said it, and apply it to our hearts. Help us to apply it to our hearts. Help us to recognize, Lord, that we're not in a fight against each other, and we're not even in a fight against ourself. That's the accuser of the brethren that has convinced us so. God, help us to realize that this kind comes out only by prayer and fasting, and it's time that we step up and fight the spiritual battle You caused us to fight. Pray God that you'll give us the wherewithal to do what you've called upon us to do, not to be seen of men, but Lord, that we might be able to have power and authority over the next level up. I pray God that you might bless this message. Please bless these people for their endurance today. Thank you for the liberty that you gave me to preach. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. All right, God bless you.