BLESSING & THE HORRENDOUS

BLESSING & THE HORRENDOUS

The beauty & the beast of the spiritual realm

The conflict of blessing followed by blasting

What happened? Did I do something wrong?

13 June 20

1 Kings 19:1

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how 

he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

Elijah is fresh from routing the false prophets of Baal, virtually freeing the land from their defiling stain. Rejoicing at this magnificent demonstration of God's power & righteousness it would be reasonable to imagine that Elijah thought a great victory had been won for God's Kingdom through him and nothing could stand in his way now!

 However there was one small detail, Jezebel, who was the host of the strongman demon that governed the false prophets remained alive and well and was as evil and as poisonous as ever. She was “furious as could be” that the strongman’s kingdom had suffered such a dent. This raging devil was now hurling out death threats & insults against the source of this demise … and that source would be the Mighty Elijah.

How strange that Elijah, upon hearing these threats, seemed to entirely cave in and fled for his life? Why? What happened? Why didn’t he abide in the faith of the victory that he had just won and confront the witch and cast her hack her to pieces also? We read in later chapters just how easily she was in fact defeated when a couple of eunuchs at Jehu’s command threw her out of an upper floor window for the dogs below to eat her where she fell.

Likewise, not often, but usually in our own experience & Christian walk, no sooner have we enjoyed particular blessing and some aspect of a breakthrough when seemingly and suddenly out of nowhere the horrendous appears, crisis and or chaos erupts and consequently our soaring souls, so quickly elevated, are soon crashed down to earth with pain, confusion, discouragement & depression.

Although these occurrences … “Blessing & The Horrendous”, should not surprise us, they nevertheless do and will continue to do so until we learn this as a predictable format of the spiritual realm and take advantage of the heavenly armour provided us with which to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

 So what happened, why and how do we avoid it?

In essence, its quite simple “when” you understand the dynamics as to what exactly is going on, which is this … Deliverance of any kind means quite simply that … That you have been delivered FROM something, FROM somewhere dark and TO something or somewhere better. The entities of FROM do not like that they have lost any aspect of hold over you regardless as to how small that deliverance FROM them may be.

As people born again of the Spirit, and therefore spiritual people, TRUTH sets us free. Whenever we receive truth from the Holy Spirit, which comes in the form of light, light, which reveals the darkness that binds us, light that reveals what exactly the bondage that grips us is and the way out of it. FROM darkness TO marvellous light.

Colossians 1:12, 13

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 

Israel was bound under a spiritual curse, demons had free reign because of sin and defilement in and upon the land, God revealed this bondage to Elijah and showed him to arrange a showdown at sundown which would be the beginning of setting the nation of Israel free from demonic control and bring them back into relationship with God. All sounds good, right? Except for the fact that the battle is not flesh and blood, the bondage is spiritual but made manifest in the flesh. The entities initiating, evoking, and maintaining the curse were spiritual aka demons. Demons have an authority hierarchy. When you attack the minions, as in this case, the prophets of Baal, you invariably attack the hierarchy. When his minions are threatened then the Strongman ruler demon over them is both insulted and threatened.

When by prayer in Jesus name we initiate deliverance and breakthrough in some aspect of our lives or our loved ones' lives, we are actually attacking demonic minions. Minions whose agenda it is to stalk, harass, attack bring into and hold under bondage for as many generations down a family line as they possibly can. Usually, they do so without threat of exposure or inconvenience of eviction.

Luke 11:21

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

So, for example; here we have demonic minions that are holding a soul or family, community, or city bound for several generations. Demons have the thing locked down for a few uninterrupted centuries. When suddenly along comes a fervent God seeking, born again believer, praying their way into all sorts of unknown spiritual territories, often where angels themselves may fear to tread. Unknowingly, this praying saint haps across what they would consider a difficult and perhaps trying situation. Maybe it’s a personal habit that is troubling them, or a rough relationship that’s not going to smoothly; maybe the test is a conflicting neighbour or an irritating personality at their job. 

Unknown to the inexperienced saint is that the reason the situation/relationship is trying is because the spiritual entities behind the situation/relationship are actually demonic and utterly at odds with everything that the saints' spirit stands for. The saint may not straight away discern the source as demonic… but you can be sure, the demonic have already discerned the saint and seek every occasion to resist and block the saint from ever realising their presence, strategies, and agenda. Those demons know that if the saint ever realises that the obstruction is actually demonic AND that Christ has ALREADY given that saint victory over devils, then suddenly and awfully for the devils, that saint, regardless how young in Christ that believer maybe WILL evict those devils in Jesus name. 

Psalms 8:2

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklingshast thou ordained strength

because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

These demons know that they may have held their present territory for centuries and that they themselves are in fact millennia-old … NEVERTHELESS, they know well that since their defeat though Christ’s cross they have NO POWER over born again believers … OTHER THAN what the ignorance of the saint affords them. Which ignorance is sadly, woefully vast due to the large volume of false teachings that have infested the body of Christ. 

But what a bad day it is for local devils when the Holy Spirit brings the saint into revelation of spiritual atmospheres, environments, resistances, and hostilities as the outcome of devils in the midst. That understanding and knowledge of VICTORY through Christ is the beginning of the end for devils; they know that their violent eviction will soon follow. 

Therefore, to prevent humiliating eviction in the name of Jesus at the hands of a young saint, devils MUST AT ALL COSTS, resist the saint from being awoke from spiritual slumber and deception and becoming empowered by the sure knowledge of demonic influence. And their inevitable defeat at the hands of such a believer who has been taught of the Lord how to discern and cast out demons.

Well, here’s where it gets worse for devils because many spiritual victories come about incidentally, unknowingly, almost accidentally. Demons are often cast down and out and the praying saint that brought about demonic demise is not even aware, doesn’t know, how, why or what exactly happened except that after a period or periods of intense prayer progressively or suddenly a burden lifted and the load seemed lighter. This is what most deliverance’s feel like. The prayer may have taken just moments or perhaps even months but suddenly the burden for prayer of that particular matter lifts, and there is no more need to pray about that particular situation!

Why? Because the darkness was cast down in the spiritual realm, a sufficient tipping point of prayer had been offered for angels to be assigned to charge that particular enemy camp and destroy it. Effectual fervent prayer avails much … even when we do not realise it.

Now, for some reason, demons do not like being humiliated and evicted from a family and familiar stronghold, which stronghold, as mentioned, they may have held for hundreds of years passing down through the lives of one generation to the next.  Its not unusual during times of deliverance of a soul for the demon that is being cast out to mournfully wail that they cannot leave the body as they have been in the family line for four/five/six generations!?

It understandably upsets them getting thrown out of their home just as it may upset you. Actually it enrages them, so much so, that shortly after breakthrough of whatever sort (read that as deliverance from demonic oppression) those same demons, do not like being out of their regular abode for long. Christ told us this;

Luke 11:24

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

And so they attempt to return to their “regular haunting” ground. However, devils understand that if they have just been thrown out, that getting back in maybe not be so easy, they need a key before they can re-enter. That key is SIN, or TRAUMA, or DISTRESS, these are the typical events that demons will stage and invoke for the host to drop their guard and provide a legitimate re-entry of their familiar residence.

What does re-entry look like through natural eyes? It looks a bit like this… E.g.: A saint spends time seeking and waiting on God. God who sees and knows all honours His promise and meets with the spirit of the saint.

James 4:8

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.

As the saints separate themselves from sin what they are actually separating and disconnecting themselves from is “demonic influence and control”. They are usually, unknowingly cutting off and casting down ancestral long-term devils. This terrifies the devils, as they cannot abide the increasing presence of a Holy God and His Son Jesus Christ. The saint is meanwhile experiencing increasing levels of light, freedom from burdens, and joy in the presence of God.

Increasing glory causes devils to panic and attempt to stage a coup. One way or another they must recover lost ground and quickly plan a horrendousevent anticipating the saint to cave in and become angry. Not just angry, but sinfully furious. Devils will find a way offence, they will light that fire and fan its flames until you almost don’t even recognise yourself in the midst of whatever episode that it is that they have lured or seduced you into. Then, stage one accomplished, if they haven’t yet gained re-entry, Stage two: They harass you to become so discouraged and disappointed with God for allowing such a crisis to interrupt the flourishing love and fellowship that you had been enjoying with Him, even accusing God “God why are you allowing this to happen”. Actually, He didn’t and it is His prayer that your faith both survives and endures this test.

Luke 22:32,33

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: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

In pain and terror, we usually do not realise that the chaos surrounding us is little more than panicking devils, desperate to recover lost ground E.g. YOU! Which is in fact proof of progress for the saint. Father in Heaven, who could of course stop all this in a blink, chooses not to? Why? Because, an attack is not in itself a defeat, not unless we allow it to become that. Neither does it ever become a defeat UNLESS; we are so taken by surprise and false ideals that such an evil event couldn’t possibly follow such blessing.  Most kingdom victories are the outcome of several battles over the same thing. We have allowed a FALSE IDEAL if we believe everything should be ONCE only and NEVER again. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Spiritual victory is repetitive AND requires on going maintenance.

We miss that conflict with the foe is in fact ANOTHER opportunity to conquer and increase our faith and victory. Also, it educates us that BLESSING AND THE HORRENDOUS … will in this lifetime, always dwell side by side or a few hours apart at least. Neither is the horrendous a one off event, it may be a whole series of events coinciding one after the other. Designed to wear us down if not knock us clean out.

A demon panicking over his eviction is our occasion to celebrate the victory that we have earlier won. We must learn that true victory, the real victory is not only the moment of initial breakthrough, but also the abiding victory that comes following our steadfastness in the face of the inevitable counter-attack/s. 

There is hardly such a thing as a one-off victory. Almost every breakthrough will be followed by devils desperately trying to recover the ground they have lost. Hallelujah! This is NO CAUSE FOR FEAR. The good news is that it is much easier to repel a counter-attack over ground already won than to win that ground in the first place. All ground won is not just a victory for us but glory for Christ as every devil must bow to the name of Jesus. 

As experience and maturity gradually over time displace ignorance and immaturity we do not fear these events of ATTACK, WIN, AND COUNTER-ATTACK. In fact, the Spirit of God trains us that THIS IS THE WAY; this is why we require faith and endurance. Father God wants to teach us Kingdom composureand divine dignityso that our very countenance and demeanour glorify Him in the fights we find that HE HAS PLACED US IN. Faith laughs in the face of unbelief; faith doesn’t get ruffled or angry or whine and whimper. Faith has long since evicted Self Pity out of the camp along with his cousins disappointmentand discouragement.Faith doesn’t have to see the victory to act like the victory will soon manifest. 

Miriam danced with the timbrel AFTER the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the pursuing Egyptian army – TRUE FAITH will dance on both sides of the Red Sea … 

Both BEFORE the deliverance AND After it miracle

In closing, may we all learn the rules of spiritual warfare engagement and refuse the enemy of our souls a single foothold. GIVE NO PLACE TO THE DEVIL the only foot in the battle should be our heel on his head.
If you mess up – Quickly fess up! Humble yourself, Confess your sin and get the blood of Jesus just as quickly as you can over that what ever episode that it was that surprised you with a wrong reaction. Don’t be shocked, don’t be shaken, abide quietly under the shadow of His wing, and see how He brings your deliverance to pass.

Romans 16:20

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.