1 SUSTAINING PRAYER RELIEF, RELEASE, REVIVE, RESTORE Dr. Kenneth W. Jones, Pastor, Practical Living Ministry
Review: Relief vs Release 2 1 Samuel 16:14 - Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 1 Samuel 16:23 - And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed (relieved), and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Relief vs Release 3 1 Samuel 16:14 - Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. (NLT version) Relief: to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc) Release: to be set free especially from the grip or control of something, someone or influence First, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul. This meant Saul lost his spiritual "protection" and covering. So, Satan was more than ready to send a distressing spirit to terrorize Saul. An evil spirit from the LORD: Perhaps this was to judge Saul's past wickedness and rebellion against the Holy Spirit's guidance. This may be an example of God giving Saul over to his sin.
What Was Saul Struggling With? 4 A distressing spirit - giving pain, unhappiness, misery And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you Spirits have a particular purpose in mind when they attack you as in the case of this spirit of depression and fear Usually the purpose of the spirit is to incapacitate or hinder you spiritually, emotionally or physically God allowed this spirit to torment Saul possibly because of his sin and rebellion and to create an opportunity for David s path to king The word, troubled him, relates to a demonic attack
Identifying the Spirit 5 Notice, the New Living Translation says it was a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. There are two things we need to know: Saul already had issues as a king He was disobedient, fearful, and did not respect authority. He also became envious of David and overtaken by jealous The spirit that oppressed him troubled him with depression and fear- So what we see that a person can have a troubling or oppressive spirit and with that spirit comes a type of torment that may impact you emotionally, physically, affecting you spiritually Spirit of infirmity Luke 13:11: And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. (One translation says that she was crippled by an evil spirit (NLT)
This Spirit Came From God 6 God did not send the evil spirit but allowed the spirit that was already looming to oppress Saul 1 Corinthians 5:5 - To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. This man, though a Christian, was given over to the sinful consequences of his flesh Just as God turns men over to their reprobate mind (Romans 1:28) to reap the consequences of their sins Just what are the consequences of sin, rebellion, and selfishness?
Wait a Minute! 7 What do you mean Saul had spiritual covering and protection? God s grace is His influence upon our lives to live for him and to accept His salvation Sin separates us from God and makes us more vulnerable to spiritual attack it provides legal authority for Satan to touch our lives in some instances We need God s covering in our lives "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Psalm 91:4 When I speak of covering and protection, I am not speaking about human authority although refusal to heed or rebel against the fivefold ministerial authority or God s chosen representative can impact you spiritually We see such an example in the Book of Job (Job 1:11)
8 A Strong Tower A Mighty Fortress is Our God Proverbs 18:10 - The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong. (Amplified) God is a strong tower A tower offers protection Usually it is the righteous (not self righteous) that run to it. The unrighteous avoids the tower Safe means safely protected Where do you run when in trouble?
Spiritual Covering 9 Prayer provides for a covering Prayer against spiritual attacks - Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Trusting in, Observance of, and Obedience to the Word of God provides a covering to those who follow Proverbs 4:6: Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Joshua 1:8 - "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Separation 10 Satan and his hordes attacks to divide and conquer Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Grace Forgiveness Peace Life Joy salvation Effective Ministry involves connecting us with God so that we can experience all God has to offer for us
Example 11 Let s say that you are concerned about your marriage You are already anxious and upset over some things like a lack of communication As you find yourself stressing over your situation, you begin to feel a heaviness come upon you, making you so depressed that you don t feel like doing anything or being around anyone, even not going to church (Incapacitation) This sense of hopelessness now compels you to view pornography as a form of gratification You are not snared by your lust as this becomes an addiction. You are bitter at your spouse blaming her for this.
Points on Deliverance 12 To take God's hand means sometimes you have to let go what is in yours Ministry involves telling someone that what God has to offer is better than the thing or oppression that they are experiencing Watch out for Stockholm Syndrome. There is an illness where a person may develop a compassion for the one who has taken him hostage Just as it is difficult to minister to an Offended person, it is also hard to minister to those who become willing captives One s infirmity may provide one attention, support, preference, and excuse until like addiction, you become the caretaker to the abuser
Spiritual Stockholm Syndrome 13 When a believer experiences Stockholm Syndrome, this person doesn't recognize one s captivity. In fact, the person has come to love its captor, to embrace its abuser. Many Christians embrace their depression through self-pity. They feed their bitterness, starve their spirit, and tie themselves up in traditions, lusts, and evil desires See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.-- Colossian 2:8 You as a minister exercise temperance and faith, to help people to recover themselves (2 nd Tim 2:24-26)
14 Saul Was Relieved but Not Released 1 Samuel 16:23 - So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. It is important for us as we minister to people to address the root of the spiritual attack Saul was dealing with rebellion, rejection, suspicion, envy, and jealousy at this time. Now he is troubled by a spirit We see in 1 st Samuel 18:10 that David played for Saul again due to the evil spirit and Saul even got so mad that he threw a spear at David Two points here: Saul was never released from that spirit that came from God Second, not everyone you minister to will respond favorably to you
Saul Rejects Ministry 15 1 st Samuel 18:12: And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. Was this due to the oppressive spirit or basic human emotion? As Saul held the spear the distressing spirit moved upon him, and instead of receiving ministry from David's music the distressing spirit prompted Saul to strike out at David. This same music ministry once soothed Saul, and made him refreshed and well, giving him relief from the distressing spirit now has no effect at all, and Saul even responds to David's music ministry with a murder attempt. David's music ministry or heart did not change - Saul did, and for the worse. Even though ministry was provided to Saul, it eventually provided no relief because Saul never dealt with the root of issues of his own fear, envy and jealousy, bitterness, and rejection and even violence (1 st Samuel 18:8, 11,12, 29;
David and Christ Faced Agony 16 Psalms 69:20: Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for comforters, but I found none. And I am full of heaviness - Or, I am sick; I am weak; I am ill at ease. My strength is gone. And I looked for some to take pity - Margin, to lament with me. The meaning of the Hebrew word is to pity; to commiserate; to show compassion. But there was none - There was no one whose heart seemed to be touched with compassion in the case; none who sympathized with me. And for comforters - For those who would show sympathy for me; who would evince a friendly feeling in my distress. But I found none - He felt that he was utterly forsaken by mankind. There is no feeling of desolation like that.
Go and Sin No More 17 John 5:14 - Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you." Jesus healed a man at the pool of Bethesda from being crippled John 5:5 - And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus healed him, he also forgave his sin Jesus told the man not to repeat the sin This implies that a spirit of infirmity held him crippled A worse thing - A more grievous disease, or the pains of hell. The doom of apostates is a worse thing than thirty-eight years lameness (Henry)
Sin and Affliction 18 The Scripture shows us that Jesus knew the secret of the man s past. He said, sin no more, meaning his former sins were the cause of his long affliction. He showed him that he knew the future - lest a worse thing come unto thee: if thy iniquity be repeated, thy punishment will be increased.
Consequences of Sin in America 19 We have created a society where we have become worsened by our own perversions The United States is the most medicated country in the world. The United States is the world's biggest users of psychotropic drugs, consuming 60 per cent of them. America s kids are the most medicated in the world too http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/16/a merican-kids-are-the-most-medicated-in-the-world.aspx The United States is about 4.5% of the world population, but consumes 80% of the worlds pain medication. The U.S. is 14 th in the world for life satisfaction We have so much, but we are not happier, at peace, healthier, comforter, yet we are increasing in hatred, bitterness, immorality, self-love while drifting away from biblical truths and principles
20 Does Every Sickness or Infirmity Has a Root? Everything is connected to something Saul gave way to this distressing spirit because of his rebellion Saul was also stressed and fearful as to being king He was also envious and jealous of David So while there was a distressing spirit that attack Saul, at the same time, Saul had several personality flaws and emotional issues which provided access to the spirit of depression and fear Some sickness may be present so that God may be glorified (John chapter 9)
Dealing with Spirits 21 Spirit of infirmity sickness Can be overcome through repentance Spirit of Bondage The spirit that binds you; or the spirit of a slave, that produces only fear. The slave is under constant fear and alarm. Overcome through a relationship with Jesus Christ Spirit of Heaviness (Isaiah 61:3) - It darkens our countenance: Our hearts are down cast. This spirit brings a "heaviness" over us.. Can be overcome through faith and praise Spirit of fear 2 nd Timothy 1:7
When Ministering to Others 22 Do you automatically address the sin? Sometimes, God will do a miracle or healing for His glory Do you address the root cause? If the sickness or oppression keeps re-occurring then this is something to consider We may pull the weeds, but if not the root, it will grow back What about sustained infirmities or sickness? Encourage through the Word Thy faith has made thee whole; You can t supply faith, but faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
Points of Emphasis 23 I believe that most spiritual oppression requires deliverance and that one must look definitely into the root cause In order for Satan to gain advantage over us or sift us and even enter our heart, he must have entrance. Deliverance should not only bring Release, but should also close the door That is why Jesus told the man Go and sin no more, less something worse happens to you. This means Close the Door For example, the anxiety attacks you are experiencing may be due to fear, worry, and even bitterness. To be free and remain free requires closing the door or preventing access by the enemy
24 Our Association Brings Us Into the Right Spirit Isaiah 11:1-5: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Inner Healing is Not Scriptural 25 Inner healing is based on psychological theory and have no biblical authorization. Focus on bringing up past hurts and repressed feelings assigned to it Inner healing fails to deal with real sin and real repentance You blame your sins on your pasts hurts Inner healing is mystical: Here we have the occult teaching of soul travel better known as astral travel in new age circles. There is not Bible justification for this.
Theophostic Counseling 26 God bringing to light the truth. Theophostic counseling was originally developed by Dr. Ed Smith. Christian Psychotherapy -The primary theory behind theophostic counseling is that many issues that require counseling, such as depression and anger, are based on falsehoods that a person believes based on comments made about them by others, errant teachings, and/or bad experiences in life.
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