Shifting Atmospheres Read online

  Christ encourages us to keep our citizenship in heaven—for that is where our redeemed selves truly reside (see Eph. 2:6). We must realize that although we experience a period of time on earth, our physical lives possess eternal purpose.

  To see our families, communities, and cities brought back to the Lord, we need to recognize that the spiritual realm is very much at work. We have an enemy who recognizes this and does his best to take advantage of our lack of understanding. Denial is a prolific way for us to avoid truth. Yet at some point in our denial, reality intervenes and leaves us in a state of shock wondering, where did that come from?

  Many Christians (especially those in Western culture) place a greater emphasis on the physical—things that can be seen or proven. But as Scripture says, the invisible realm is just as real.

  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:22-24).

  Contemporary culture seems obsessed with all things related to the spiritual. Books and movies featuring ghosts, monsters, and other supernatural beings stock the shelves of libraries, stores, and other virtual markets worldwide. Entertainment’s vampires, werewolves, and masked killers are examples of how we humans long to explore realities we cannot fully explain. These mythical monsters and the evil they embody mimic a spiritual truth—we struggle not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual beings. Although we cannot see them, they exist and seek to influence our physical realm.

  I believe people are drawn to stories about monsters because we have an innate need for justice. Most audiences want to see the bad guy lose, the good guy win, and the monsters defeated. This need is a reflection of God’s nature in us because He is the ultimate representation of justice. We are designed to destroy the works of evil. Our weapons, however, are not hate, jealousy, or outrage. They are, instead, spiritual weapons revealed in Scripture that enable us to stand in the truth of who we are in Christ.

  God has called us to become beacons of light so we can draw people to Christ and release them from bondage. For too long, Christians have been asleep at the gates—unaware their own souls are oppressed by the demonic. It is time for us to partner with God and help shift the atmospheres of this world to what He originally intended. As we fulfill our calling to be the salt of the earth, we will stop the enemy’s broadcasts (lies spoken over a region) and present ourselves as partners of the earth’s transformation.

  The idea that Satan poses a threat to God is ill-educated at best. The Bible states, “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One” (Isa. 40:25). There is not and will never be an equal to the Almighty God. Any attempts to raise up Satan as an equal opponent are lies fabricated by the enemy.

  Although Satan possessed authority over the earth subsequent to Adam and Eve’s sin, Jesus’s resurrection reinstated His and man’s authority over the earth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). He then commissioned His followers to go and make disciples of all nations, saying, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).

  If Jesus has been given all authority and commissioned us with that same power, why then does it seem at times like the world is overtaking us rather than us overtaking the world?

  Although Jesus has been given all authority, Satan still desires to disrupt God’s purposes for mankind. Satan’s army of demons, principalities, powers, world rulers, and deceived humans works to carry out the devil’s ungodly schemes of separation and condemnation. Examples of the enemy’s schemes abound—divided societies, the poor being forgotten, the rich hated, marriages failing, and perversion being both championed and celebrated. Our role is to fight these corrupting influences—not by engaging in warfare with our neighbors, spouses, or coworkers, but through bringing God’s goodness, love, and truth to the situation.

  Although there are times when physical warfare is justified, our enemies are not the people themselves but the spiritual forces who advise and rule over them.

  Through the Holy Spirit in us, we can take back Satan’s occupied land and release God’s presence in its place. By exercising our God-given spiritual authority, we can confront the works of the enemy and follow the example of Christ who defeated evil through His love and sacrifice.

  It is time to take up our swords of the Spirit and drive back Satan’s armies. In these days when violence is promoted, the sex trade booms, and morality fades, the church must stand up, expose evil, and release truth. As we fulfill our assignment as co-laborers with Christ, we unleash more opportunities to secure God’s Kingdom on earth. This has been our calling since the beginning and is the worldwide mission of shifting atmospheres:

  OUR ENEMIES ARE NOT THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES BUT THE SPIRITUAL FORCES WHO ADVISE AND RULE OVER THEM.

  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:19-21).

  NOTE

  1. Jim Daly, “The Reality of Spiritual Warfare,” Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, January 24, 2005, https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/february-2005/the-reality-of%20spiritual-warfare/.

  SPIRITUAL STRATEGIES

  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

  —EPHESIANS 6:10-11

  Man is made up of body, soul, and spirit. It should not surprise us that the enemy attacks us in all three areas (see Eph. 6:16). Sometimes, his arrows hit us in our actual bodies and result in sickness or disease. Other times, his arrows target our minds and result in confusion or mental torment. Least understood is how hell’s fiery arrows affect our spirits. I have found that we need spiritual strategies to protect each of these areas.

  Psalm 103:3-4 tells us that God pardons “all your iniquity” (the sins of your soul), heals “all your diseases” (the effects on your body), and redeems “your life from the pit” (the effects on your spirit). Teresa Liebscher’s and my inner healing ministry, Sozo, is built on these truths. Coming from the Greek word sōzō, which is used one hundred times in the New Testament, the ministry provides God’s promise of being “saved, healed, and delivered.” It denotes a whole package—not just physical healing but also emotional and spiritual wholeness.

  When our bodies are targeted by the enemy’s fiery arrows, prayers of healing are employed to make them well:

  Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed (James 5:14-16 NASB).

  This verse, although referencing physical sickness, also contains insight into links between the body (sickness) and the soul (sin). I have found many times that physical healing follows inner healing. Once our sins are confessed, lies uprooted, and truth revealed, physical healing can naturally occur. More than any other aspect of our physical being, our mind dictates the realities by which we live. This is why Scripture tells us to “renew our minds” (see Rom. 12:2).

  The devil and his forces feed off immorality and spiritual darkness. This darkness grows as our minds partner with lies (deceptions). These are Satan’s fiery arrows, which are used to distract us from the Lord’s truth. This is at the forefront of all spiritual warfare and is covered by Joyce Meyer i
n her book The Battlefield of the Mind. In it, she identifies the mind as the part of a human being most assaulted.

  MORE THAN ANY OTHER ASPECT OF OUR PHYSICAL BEING, OUR MIND DICTATES THE REALITIES BY WHICH WE LIVE.

  Satan’s target [is] your mind. [His] weapons [are] lies. [His] purpose [is] to make you ignorant of God’s will. Your defense? The inspired Word of God.1

  Without the Word of God showing us His truth, our truths (or what we perceive to be true) will govern our minds. A great book that explores thought processes and how they transform into actions is Dr. Carolyn Leaf’s Who Switched off My Brain? In it, she coins the phrase “toxic thoughts.” This is a great metaphor for how Satan tries to get us to believe lies about ourselves and others.

  If we are to be powerful, influential believers, we need to have authority over our mind. This happens by identifying and rejecting those thoughts that are not from God and then replacing them with His truths. Our starting point for this is in Psalms, Ephesians, and Philippians:

  I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away, it shall not fasten its grip on me (Psalm 101:3 NASB).

  But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks (Ephesians 5:3-4 NASB).

  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8 NASB).

  You can easily recognize thoughts or lies from the enemy because they lead you away from the Person of Jesus. If a thought or impression comes from God, it will always bring you closer to Him and His virtues.

  One of our strongest techniques for warfare is to ground ourselves in Scripture. Jesus demonstrated this when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. This living and breathing Word not only provided Him with truth but ultimately protected Him from the devil’s schemes. Scripture works the same way for us. When we are assaulted by lies and deceptions, God’s Word is our first reliable source of rebuttal:

  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

  If we are to live empowered, influential lives, we need to reinforce our minds with Scripture. Paul calls the Word of God our sword of the Spirit (see Eph. 6:17). Interestingly, it is our only weapon listed in that famous passage. Sadly, many Christians (especially in the West) go into battle unequipped and without their swords.

  According to one survey conducted by the Barna Group for the American Bible Society, “Only 26 percent of Americans said they read their Bible on a regular basis (four or more times a week).” When applying this study to young people, a “majority (57 percent) of those ages 18-28 read their Bibles less than three times a year, if at all.”2

  This study reveals how the majority of Americans are unequipped to do any kind of spiritual battle. Without their swords, they are unable to rightly decide between truth and error. Given the percentages in this survey, it is no surprise to see the United States has drifted from a foundation of Christian values to one of secularism and humanism.

  Perhaps one of the biggest reasons we find ourselves under spiritual attack is because we fail to prepare ourselves for battle. As the saying goes, “By failing to prepare, you prepare to fail.” By failing to spend time in God’s Word, we ignore the most important blueprint He has laid out for our lives. Likewise, when we deny a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, we distance ourselves from the very Person who is able to guide us through all circumstances. The Bible states:

  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).

  To be effective in spiritual warfare requires partnership with God’s Spirit and His Word.

  Spiritual attacks are a direct assault from the demonic realm and gain influence as more and more people practice and tolerate sin. This sin creates open doors that allow the demonic more access into a person’s life. As more and more people steward evil, demons are drawn to their body, region, or territory. Francis Frangipane writes:

  If we tolerate darkness through tolerance of sin, we leave ourselves vulnerable to Satanic assault. For wherever there is willful disobedience to the Word of God, there is spiritual darkness and the potential for demonic activity.3

  Jesus warns of what happens when individuals practice sin:

  Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34).

  When people propagate partnerships with sin, ungodly atmospheres spread. Soon entire cities and regions become spiritual cesspools from which the devil’s armies can operate.

  Perhaps one of the best ways we can learn to excel in spiritual warfare is to study the life of Jesus. More than any other person in Scripture, Jesus demonstrated how to live in power and humility. It is important to examine His ministry so we can determine how to best go about succeeding in the spiritual realm and warfare.

  Jesus did not just come to grant salvation—though that would have been enough for us to be eternally grateful. He also came to demonstrate powerful living. During Jesus’s time on earth, He depicted God’s Kingdom on the earth. This resulted in the departure of sickness, disease, and torment. At the end of His ministry, He gave His life willingly so God’s Kingdom could be fully established. Tom Wright, the British theologian, described Christ’s death as the following:

  The early Christians believed that something happened on the cross itself, something of earth-shattering meaning and implication, something as a result of which the world was now a different place. A revolution had been launched.4

  The King had been enthroned, although not in the way anyone had expected. Jesus displayed through both His life and death that the Kingdom of God was not just about saving souls but also about bringing the goodness of God into every aspect of life.

  With spiritual warfare, much of our success comes from simply displaying the goodness of God. Love, heaven’s greatest weapon, covers a multitude of sins; when released, it can crush the enemy’s forces no matter how strong.

  The arrival of Jesus, love personified, changed everything. He replaced the temple and became the arena in which sin could be forgiven and humans could have direct communication with God (see Mark 2:5; John 14:9). He declared that the exiles were forgiven and could return to live under the Father’s blessing (see Luke 15). In His life, Jesus overthrew the impacts of sin and the effects of Satan’s kingdom.

  In His death, every sickness, disease, and torment became an illegal offense that we today have the authority to renounce. As we continue to bring our struggles before the Father, our mediator, Jesus, stands by our side and silences the accuser (see 1 John 2:1). Thanks to Jesus, a new world order has been established—one with Him at the center. We must continue to cultivate what He has started.

  I believe the primary reason for Jesus’s success in His ministry was His steadfast devotion to His Father. The Bible says the two were so connected there was nothing Jesus could do that was not a part of His Father’s will:

  So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise” (John 5:19).

  We even see this connection developing as a child. When Mary and Joseph left Jesus behind in Jerusalem, they found Him days later conversing with the temple’s teachers. When asked why He had disappeared, Jesus responded:

  Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? (Luke 2:49)

  Shortly after, Scripture says, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor wit
h God and man” (Luke 2:52). If Jesus had to increase in favor with God and man, how much do we need to grow?

  IN HIS DEATH, EVERY SICKNESS, DISEASE, AND TORMENT BECAME AN ILLEGAL OFFENSE THAT WE TODAY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO RENOUNCE.

  Protecting and cultivating such a strong connection to God is important and allowed Jesus to mature in His gifts and to grow in authority. His authority grew to become so palpable that demons would cry out for mercy whenever He approached:

  And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ (Luke 4:41).

  Jesus, the ultimate servant, surrendered Himself to God fully. This resulted in some of the most miraculous signs and wonders experienced in human history.

  As mentioned earlier, some of Jesus’s success was also attributed to His understanding of Scripture. During His time in the wilderness with Satan, Jesus used the Word of God to cut down the devil’s lofty arguments:

  And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time (Luke 4:9-13).

  Jesus knew His assignment from the Father had yet to be completed, so He must have known that hurling Himself from the temple would result in angels coming to His rescue. Rather than conform to the devil’s taunts, Jesus stayed the path God set for Him and parried Satan’s use of Scripture with His own.