“The Theology of Spiritual Warfare” Chapter 18 of an ebook by Dave Bessey

davidbessey2021
Apr 7
19 min read

Chapter 18: Bibliography/References/Appendix

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4. ADVANCED APOSTOLIC STUDIES © by Jonas Clark Ministries 27 West Hallandale Bch Blvd., Hallandale Beach, Fl. 33330 www.jonasclark.com (954) 456-4420

6. Edman Locsin, June 30, 2013 Word International Bacolod City, Philippines, Sermon Title: “Small is Big When it is in God's Hand”.

7. John & Brandi Belt, Overflow Global Ministries Email: office@overflowglobal.com, Website: overflowglobal.com

Thirty-fourth printing January 2006

GOLIATH HAD A BROTHER�Here's the scene: You are in a battle against sickness, oppression or some similar struggle. You seek God, and in some way the grace of God touches your life. Your victory may have come through a word or prayer or some other encouragement, but you absolutely know the Lord has delivered you. Using the five smooth stones of divine grace, you defeated your Goliath.��But then, a few weeks or months or perhaps years later, all the old symptoms suddenly return with a vengeance. If you were struggling with an illness, it manifests worse than ever; if your battle was regarding a relationship or a particular sin, it seems as though all progress has been lost. You are back to square one.��Have you ever been there? These negative experiences can drain the faith from your heart. You lose the anticipation and power of faith, and a spiritual paralysis immobilizes your soul. You may still attend church, but your faith is unresponsive. When others testify of deliverance, you worry secretly that they, too, will "lose their healing."��For many, the result is one of faith-shaking disillusionment. Scripture says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12). ��This "heartsickness" is a spiritual disease that can cripple your walk with God. Remember, faith is the substance of the things you hope for; if you lose hope, your faith becomes hollow. How can you trust God when it seems as though He let you down? You wonder: Did I lose my breakthrough, or was I only deceiving myself and never really had it?��Dear one, it is very possible that what you are experiencing is not a loss of God's blessing but an entirely new spiritual battle. This new tactic is a very clever and effective deception that Satan uses to try and worm his way back into the lives of those delivered by God.��I had been praying about this very thing, this recurring battle, when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart: "Goliath had a brother." I was immediately reminded of David's war against the Philistine giant. We all know that David became a great hero by trusting God and defeating Goliath. However, things changed as we see in 2 Samuel 21:��"Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant . . . intended to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him" (2 Samuel 21:15-17).��Years after David conquered Goliath as a lad, after he became king he had to face other giants. In fact, 1 Chronicles 20:5 reveals that at least one of those warring against David was "the brother of Goliath," and four were his children (2 Sam. 21:22). We can imagine that these giants, being Goliath's kin, looked like Goliath, boasted like him, dressed like him and probably even smelled like him. The Scripture says that while fighting one of the descendants of Goliath, "David became weary" (2 Sam. 21:15). The Bible is silent as to what might have been going through the king's mind as he battled these giants. Perhaps he wondered, I thought I killed Goliath. What is he doing back? But Goliath had not come back; he was dead! David was actually fighting the giant's kin. It just looked like the same battle!��Likewise, you also have had many successful victories. Just because the current giant you are facing looks like one you defeated in the past, do not accept the lie that you never really won the first battle! By the strength of God's grace, you trusted the Almighty and conquered your Goliath. The first giant is dead. Satan is masquerading as your former enemy so he can slip past your shield of faith and thus regain entrance into your life. Resist him. Do not accept the lie that you were never delivered. Stand in faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).��The living God who helped you conquer Goliath will empower you to overcome his brother as well.��Prayer: Father, I come to You as Your servant. Like David, I have become weary with fighting an enemy I thought I had defeated. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, however, I expose the lie that this is the same foe I previously conquered. In Jesus' name, I rebuke the enemy. I ask You, Lord, to send angels to strengthen me supernaturally, just as angels often strengthened Jesus. In the name of the Lord, Amen. ��Adapted from a chapter in Francis Frangipane's newest book Spiritual Discernment and the Mind of Christ.

Appendix – True freedom is only in salvation through Jesus Christ

If you are an atheist then we may have either very little, or a whole lot to talk about. I say this because, you may practice a form of atheism that is actually another religion. You spend more energy trying to prove there is no God than Christians and Jews do in trying to prove there is. You may be a radical atheist. Spend every breath in debate. There are those atheists who realize that if there is no God than why spend so much time talking about it. Another observation before you burn this book or use it as scratch paper. In the history of the world since the resurrection of Jesus, many atheists have come and died. The record is clear. The ones who spent most of their life trying to disprove God's existence, had a change of heart near their death. They had gone through enough in life to open up to the possibility they were wrong.

If we use only 10 percent of our brain capacity, and the amount of real knowledge available is much greater than the human mind can store or understand, is it possible that these areas of faith are in an area that is part of the brain that the atheist is not using or has received the information in a way it can understand at the time of investigation? For an example. logic says that if I haven't eaten all day and there infront of me is a juicy steak, I may not hear or even understand what people share with me until after I have that steak in my mouth. Once I am satisfied, and energy restored, I can hear again, “What was that you said Honey”?. Well our will is the same way. If we continue to resist the information eventually that data will find a way to get in at the right time. It seems it is at the time of suffering or near death that the mind finally will listen long enough to hear and register with the soul and spirit of a person. When we are so busy with life or defending ourselves we are not really listening completely anyway. We are hearing only the part that we need to quickly respond back. We react! Sometimes with anger, which further closes our heart and mind to hearing a potential truth. Now if the truth could save our life, we might want to check it out, but we may close ourselves to it for many different reasons. We appear as stubborn or close minded.

What if the message was a simple change in diet could drastically decrease our chance of a heart attack? We would probably eventually heed the warning. Some people listen only after they barely survive an attack. The ones that don't survive are a statistic of those who don't heed a body's warning signs and the advice of their doctor, friends and family. If they had a second chance and came back, they would probably follow the suggested steps. If the dead could come back and have a second chance would they change their tune about whether to listen to God or not?

In the last few years, a lot of research has been done on those who have died and come back from a near death experience. Most come back and have a total shift from atheism or reckless living and become very loving focused on helping others and serving God. An atheist will probably not pick up this book, but if you are one or you are having your faith shaken by some severe suffering, please read on.

The bible contains all the truth you need to know about God. It is God's word. I will refer to some verses from the Bible, but I could never answer all your questions you may have here in this short work. If you have questions ask God. He will answer. Read His word and get to know Him. This sounds simple, but think of it like this. When you look at the natural or physical worlds there are laws that govern how things function. They don't change from day to day. Gravity is still gravity, and boy am I glad about that. I'm not that good with flying without wings. If you want to learn about physics check out a book or go online and search it out. In the spiritual world there are laws too. Not laws like you encounter in a court, but the structure that governs it. If you jump out of a plane without a parachute, you would hit the ground at the acceleration of gravity. It could hurt for a spit second. But very few survive. The laws of the spiritual world work like this also. These laws are found in the bible. We should go to the correct source for our truth. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, many years ago simplified these laws in a small booklet. I received Jesus through this booklet. I will share some the basics of the spiritual laws as written in the Bible, but I will also bring an emphasis in two other areas. The areas of covenant relationship, and who the Holy Spirit is. These two very important points should help you gain victory even in your pain. I will emphasize them through the discussion. Dear Heavenly Father I ask you in the name of Jesus to help open our hearts and minds so we can see you and receive the message of truth from the Holy Spirit, thank for the answer of prayer by faith. Amen.

LAW ONE

God loves us and created us to have a relationship of fellowship with Him.

LAW TWO

We all have sinned, have fallen and are separated from God and His Love.

LAW THREE

God came to Earth in Jesus to save us, and restore this love relationship.

LAW FOUR

We must confess (change our mind about sin) our sin, repent (turn towards God and away from the sin) and receive Jesus as Lord and Master.

LAW FIVE

We must obey and worship Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit

Law One

God loves us and created us to have a relationship of fellowship with Him.

In order to receive Good News, we sometimes have to hear the bad news first. In the case of this LAW we get the Good News first. God loves us so much and this fact will never change, whether we are suffering or not. We will never truly understand this idea of God loving each and every one of us. We can know only in part. As a parent I love my children and would die to protect them. They are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. My blood courses through their veins. Our creator loves us, with a love that is much more than this, it is unconditional. He wants to have fellowship with us, but we run from Him. We spend most of our time on self-interest. Why is this? Self-centered, self- seeking, just plain selfish.

Psalms 36:5-7 Your love , O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,your justice like the great deep.O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. 7 How priceless is your unfailing love !Both high and low among menfind refuge in the shadow of your wings. NIV

Psalms 107:1-3 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say this —

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

3 those he gathered from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south. NIV

John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.

1 John 4:7-10 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love . 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love —not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. NLT

LAW TWO

We all have sinned, have fallen and are separated from God and His Love.

Romans 3:21-28

God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. NLT

When you see you are a sinner or fallen, this is guilt from your conscience This is an act of the will and can only happen as the Holy Spirit draws you and your eyes are opened. We then truly realize that we are totally separated from God. We feel alone and helpless. Darkness creeps in all around us. The enemy, the devil, would be happy to keep you right here. Your soul is most vulnersable now. You may even feel like dying-that is probably the enemy giving you his advice. He wants you to fall the rest of the way. So if you hear voices listen to the gentle voice that brings love, peace and joy and hope. The enemy brings voices screaming, hate, despair, frustration, worry, fear, and chaos.

LAW THREE

God came to Earth in Jesus to save us, and restore this love relationship.

Romans 5:6-11

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners . 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners . 9 And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. NLT

Let me emphasize again that I am not talking about man made rules here. These are laws that God placed and not man. They are not relating to man's judicial system. These are laws relating to a relationship in which God dictates the rules. We call this a covenant relationship. So let me say this as clear as possible-since we are not God we don't make a bargain with Him, or try to please Him on our terms. We fulfill this relationship through obedience. He is God and we are not. Some clear night look into expanse of what you can see of the universe. He made that. Look into your body, it is not incredible? He made all of it. Even pain comes from our creator to protect our life. Suffering is not God made, this entered the world due to sin. That is the bad news. I talked about in law one. Sin brought death, prolonged suffering and all many other things. Jesus came to begin to restore this relationship. He said though we would suffer, the plan will be finished when He returns again. Until then we will have trials. These will come to perfect us. Just like the tree in a storm or diamond under heat and pressure. Pure gold is refined by fire so is the human heart. The problem here is you may have this knowledge of who Jesus is and may even have followed Him at one time. This is not enough to be saved. The devil and demons have this kind of knowledge and have followed him around through the years. They even tremble in fear around Jesus or at the sound of His name. So here you are you know you are a sinner and have turned away from your sin now what. The next steps or laws will be the difference of where you spend eternity.

LAW FOUR

We must confess our sin, repent (turn away from sin) and receive Jesus as Lord and Master.

1 John 1:6-10 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. NLT

Mark 1:14-15

Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God's Good News. 15 "The time promised by God has come at last!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!" NLT

Luke 24:46-49

"Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent .' 48 You are witnesses of all these things. 49 "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven." NLT

John 1:10-13 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. NLT.

Now we are there. We must agree with God we have sinned, then turn away from it and face our God, and ask for forgiveness. Then ask Him to come into your heart. The Apostle Paul said it like this: Rom 10:5-13 For Moses writes that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. 6 But faith's way of getting right with God says, "Don't say in your heart, 'Who will go up to heaven' (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don't say, 'Who will go down to the place of the dead' (to bring Christ back to life again)." 8 In fact, it says,

"The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart."

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." NLT

We believe then receive Jesus through prayer. We talk to God in Jesus name. We ask for forgiveness for our sin. Be specific. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal all your sin. Then confess it and turn away from it. Thank God for the forgiveness, by faith and then ask the Holy Spirit to help you, teach you, convict you of any new sin. Ask Him to comfort you and heal you also. Now by faith wait for an answer. God will at a minimum bring peace about your request. Trust Him He knows best, even the timing of your healing or deliverance.

LAW FIVE

We must obey and worship Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Begin to worship Him with your voice, in thankfulness and praise. Ask Him to reveal the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Listen for His voice. Then obey what He says to do. His word, the Bible, is the primary place to hear Him speak to you. Spend time there daily. Get to know Him. He has been waiting for you to come home, like that prodigal son story Jesus told. He loves you, but He is a Holy God. If you sin, confess it right away ask for strength not to sin again in that area. Ask for deliverance, and begin to pray for your family and friends. The Holy Spirit was sent here to infill you and dwell within. He teaches you and empowers you to eventually teach also. Find a good church family. One that teaches the whole gospel message, including practice and teaching in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and about the Kingdom and the 5 grace ascension gifts given by Christ.

References:

Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭16‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

“[There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all. Yet grace (God's unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ's [rich and bounteous] gift. Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. [Ps. 68:18.] [But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth? He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest). And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers. His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church), [That it might develop] until we all REACH oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might REACH] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him. So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead. Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.”

John 14:25-26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit — He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. NLT

Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." NLT

“Believing in Christ by Apostle Eddie Maestas

Why we need to believe in Christ by establishing a relationship with Him. He will bring us into a spiritual kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. * Christ is the one who restores our sonship identity. He brings us back into harmony with our creator. He shows us and reveals to us our heavenly Father. He gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us and empowered us in this life. He brings us into right standing with God not by works or religion, but by faith through grace. Most of all He loves us unconditionally giving us mercy and forgiveness by what He did on the cross. All you have to do is believe and ask Him to forgive you of all your sins and He will. Than build a continued relationship with Him. Find a Christ centered church that teaches about God's kingdom.

Eph 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Eph 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus R8 for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

With Love Apostle Eddie”

* “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God. And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory. [But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us! For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].”

“The Theology of Spiritual Warfare” Chapter 18 of an ebook by Dave Bessey

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