July, 2019

Jude 1:6 says “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgement of the great day”. So the devil and one third of the angels in heaven made war and lost the battle against Michael (archangel) and his angels. So the devil and his angels (demons) were cast from heaven out into the earth Rev.12:7-9. The angels sinned in heaven (eternity) and was cast down to earth (in time) but will eventually be bound in chains and be cast into the lake of fire (eternity) 11Peter2:4.

Persons have often quoted the last line of James 4:7 which says” Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. Now this is true only if you have qualified as per the first line of verse seven which says” Submit yourselves therefore to God”. If we have submitted ourselves to God it means that we belong to Him, that we are born again Christians.

To get a good sense of the devil’s authority please come with me to St.Luke 4:5-7. This incident happened just after Jesus had completed His forty days fast in the wilderness and was full of the Holy Ghost. So the devil took Jesus on a high mountain, showed Him the kingdoms of the world and offered it to Him! And significantly all this was done in a moment of time. To prove that the devil has the power and authority, this is what he (devil) said in verse six” And the devil said unto Him(Jesus), All this power will I give thee and the glory of them:FOR THAT IS DELIVERED UNTO ME; AND TO WHOMSOEVER I WILL I GIVE IT.

The devil has been loosed on earth since he was cast down to earth by God and further evidence of his power was seen by John in Rev.13. The devil who is referred to as the dragon, gave the first beast his power, his seat and great authority to blaspheme against God, to make war with the saints and to overcome them. All persons shall worship this beast whose names are not written in the book of life. The second beast had similar power to the first beast but additionally he caused fire to come down from heaven, worked miracles and gave life to the image of the beast so it could speak.
If I should then say that I do not believe that demons exist or that obeah workers/astrologers pose serious threat to persons then I would be putting myself and others in real danger of injury or death.

The connections between the devil, his demon supporters and other persons or groupings who are working for the kingdom of darkness are not always easily seen or discerned. There are born again Christians who are host to familiar spirits. Some of these persons are aware that they are possessed by familiar spirits or divining demons while some are not aware. All of these persons however, would be working against the kingdom of God.

There is an over abundance of the names of false gods/idols that persons worship or of persons who are practitioners of witchcraft in whatever form. We cannot continue to justify the serving of evil by saying that it is part of our culture. Demons are used to accomplish various task on behalf of those serving satan. So whether it is a obeah man, a magician, an astrologer, a lodge man etc., they are all rowing in the same boat and taking others with them to hell. 1 Samuel 28 and Acts 16:14-18.

B.A.C. 17.7.19.

We fast for God, for Jesus Christ, for the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, for the Anointing, the Unction. We fast for Him to come and dwell in His temple, to dwell inside of us. John 15:26, John 16:7, John 14:16-17 and verse 26.

Our body is the temple of God. Romans 8:9, 1Cor 6:19-20. Consider us fasting for the Spirit of the Living God to come and just as He shows up we get distracted and go and do some work or something else. That would not be nice, in fact it would be out of order.

The Holy Spirit is He who enables us to carry out various functions on His behalf. Hence the phrase, ” the Unction to function ” 1 John 2:20.

How Do I Fast?
Generally speaking, fasting is a denial of the flesh of what it wants, so we have more of the Holy Spirit (Anointing).

A) things to exclude while fasting:- food, sugar, sex, watching movies, working if possible, and all other types of distractions where possible.

B) things to include:- water, reading the bible, praying, and worshiping. The variations will come depending on whether we are sick, on medication or we have to work. If persons are struggling during the fast they could have some coconut water or some cashew nuts.

Fasting without trying to set aside the time exclusively for God is quite similar to praying for healing or deliverance, but without the fervency in the prayer as per James 5:16, the last sentence. Another example would be what Paul says in 1 Cor.7:9 about it being better to marry than to burn. He went on to suggest that if we were unmarried and given over totally to God, it would be a higher place to serve Him as it would be without the distractions of husband or wife! 1 Cor 7:32-33.

Think also of Anna the prophetess who would have lost her husband while she was probably in her mid twenties, after which she committed herself to prayer and fasting until she was very old. Remember, if we are doing anything for God and it feels like a burden then we probably should not be doing it. Luke 2:36-39.

B.A.C. 8.7.19.