Recently I received a text message from someone attending a Youth Service where the worship leader was leading the group in a song stating that “Satan was vanquished and powerless”.

My immediate thought was as to how dangerous a mindset that was.

For years in traditional church I can remember the songs about Satan being “under my feet” and watching people stomp & jump up and down as if they were crushing a bug.  Not only was it a silly sight to behold it was an endangering error being perpetrated on the masses.

Yes, Satan and the other fallen angels were defeated on Calvary.  A bloodied wooden Cross was their undoing.  However, even though they are defeated they have not submitted.  Until the Lord Returns for the final showdown they are roaring lions roaming about looking to devour someone.

⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8, New King James Version)

The words “roaring” and “devour” clearly indicate action and threat.

The warning to be sober and vigilant clearly indicates that this threat is prevalent and ongoing.  And, this was written AFTER the Crucifixion and Resurrection from someone with experiential knowledge.

Oh, I can hear it already from the naysayers and critics – “I’ve not been given a spirit of fear….blah blah blah….”  Yeah, I get that and I believe that.  But you haven’t been given a spirit of carelessness and recklessness either!  If you are carelessly reckless it’s by your own doing or by the bad teaching you’ve heard over the years.

It’s my belief that the reason “teachers” take the position that Satan, his angels and their demons are no threat to you is because they do not want to be responsible for the warfare that comes from taking a stand against them.  They are hirelings who run away or ignore the threat at the sign of the wolves and not shepherds who run toward the wolves to protect the flock.  (Just my opinion from 22-years of watching people play church)

Satan, his angels, the other fallen Watchers and their demonic offspring are supernatural beings looking to destroy anything made in the image of the One who created them and defeated them.

They are the ultimate terrorists although formally defeated still inflicting casualties and destruction as long as they exist.

Do not foolishly put your head in the lion’s mouth in a spiritual arrogance that sets you and your loved ones up for disaster.  If you attend a church where they teach and embrace this philosophy you may want to stop eating their regurgitated Word and start feeding on it for yourself.

The key to victory isn’t arrogance and it’s definitely not ignorance.

It’s vigilance.

Understand that you are in a 24/7 war with the adversaries of Heaven.

 ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— (Ephesians 6:12-18, New King James Version)

And that Victory starts at the Cross, takes you to an Empty Tomb and empowers you from and Upper Room.

It then comes from personally knowing the One you serve and what is expected of you in His service.

 ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

      “ God resists the proud,
      But gives grace to the humble.”

⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:4-10, New King James Version)

Humility, submission and commitment to Him and Him alone is what empowers you in this fallen world.  The enemy knows that someone who does that is hidden under His wings and under His covering.

Remember this and the next time you hear someone leading you in a song about stomping the devil listen closely.  You will hear the rumble from this throat as he waits patiently in the bushes for the weakest or the oldest of the flock to get separated from the rest in their dangerous carelessness to “devour” them.

By the way, the word devour means to literally tear to pieces.

Do you think Peter was trying to tell us something?

Or, you can keep doing what you are doing.

Let me know how that works our for you!

I remember doing this day as a child and for many years in “traditional” church services.  Churches will drag the cross out of storage, dust it off, prop it up on stage and get ready for the day.  Special events and music produtions are planned and performed.  There will be baskets of candy for the children, chocolate bunny rabbits, and colored eggs to look for and so many activities to do that have little to nothing to do with the Resurrection from the dead of Jesus of Nazareth that day in Jerusalem 32-33 A.D.

There are plenty of other teachers, scholars, web sites and You Tube videos to explain the pagan origins of Easter for me to go into that here.  Search them out.  Research the topic and then you decided what to do as the Spirit leads.

No, I have another bone to pick today with this day.

The early Book of Acts church and the church for almost 300 years never celebrated an “Easter Sunday”.  It was another anti-Semetic result of the Council of Nicea to absorb the pagan Sun worship into Christianity as a way to attract more pagans.  This “seek friendly” approach to religion was mean to absorb nonbelievers into the church.  And, it was a way to further distance the church from any connection to the Jewish feast of Passover and water down the Gospel.  In my opinion, NOTHING good came from the Council of Nicea and Constantine’s inteference with the church.  I know that there are some, especially Roman Catholic believers, who disagree with me.  From someone steeped in Roman Catholicism (elementary, high school and university) for 32 years of my life its an argument you cannot win.  As the old Carman song would say…”I’ve Been Delivered”!

No, I will leave that for another day, another rant.

What bothers me about this commercialized, trivialized day the world calls Ishtar…I mean Easter is that we were never called to, inspired to or taught to in The Word of God to celebrate this day….JUST ONCE A YEAR.  It’s supposed to be a part of our everyday walk, worship and inspiration.  We were called to take communion every time we got together with other Believers and acknowledged His death and resurrection from the dead.

¹⁹ And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
(Luke 22:19, New King James Version)
⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47, New King James Version)

If He’s not raised from the dead then we have faith in just another religion.  By acknowledging it every day we partake of His death and resurrection and all that goes with it.   The intimacy and emotional investment that it will give you will change your walk and therefore change your life.  And, the daily affirmation of the Resurrected Life gives us hope at a time when hope is in little supply.

If you want to keep chasing bunny rabbits and making colored eggs in honor of the pagan fertility rites that inspired them, that’s up to you.

However, if you want a real, personal relationship with Yeshua/Jesus as Lord and Savior then try the daily approach.  Get some unleavened bread (Matzoh) from your local grocery store, some grape juice and everytime you get together with other Believers (even just family) take communion and remember what He did for you.

As with everything else the Lord God did for us – its your choice.

It would seem that the head in the sand mentality is in full effect in the church today.

It reminds me of a dog we once had. My mother in law, who passed away in 1984 had a poodle that we adopted. His name was Beau. Beau lived a long life but at the end of his life he went blind. it didn’t slow him down a beat. Of course, he would riccochet off of the walls as he hustled down the hallway to follow the other dogs outsidbe but he was unaffected by it. It was amusing to watch and I would somtimes add the sound effect of a bullet richochet as he did it.

Beau had a bad habit of stealing the cat food from the cat dish. Yes, we had dogs (3) and cats (2) in the same house. Everyone got along fine. But, Beau was addicted to the cat food and no matter how many times we moved it he would find it and eat it all.

One evening, as we ate dinner, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. I slowly and quitely entered the kitchen to find Beau doing his best attempt to quietly creep toward the cat dish. He would walk a few steps, tilt his head and listen to discern if anyone was coming. A few steps. Stop and listen. This went on for a few minutes. He was working hard to get to the cat food. I quietly stood over the top of him as he crept toward his cat food fix. Just as he put his face into the dish I leaned over the top of him and screamed “BEAU!”

To say that he jumped would be an understatement. He went airborne and his feet were pawing the air to run away as he tried to escape even before he hit the ground from what was sure punishment for his efforts. I was laughing to hard to consider punishing him and he curtailed his cat food habit for a while. He was a great dog who lived a long full life…and ate a lot of stolen cat food. 

It appeared that Beau believed that if he couldn’t see us then we must not be able to see him. His blindness had fooled him into a false sense of security that had a shockingly abrupt ending.

The church at large is the same way. Their spiritual blindness will have a shocking abrupt ending. The foolish idea that if they ignore the enemy’s efforts and do not talk about or listen to reports of the increase in demonic & supernatural activity that it won’t effect them.

In Matthew 15:14 the Lord spoke about “blind leaders of the blind” leading both into a ditch. The thing about falling into a ditch is that it leaves you as a sitting duck to any predator who might be pursuing you. The blind church is setting itself up for a shocking and aburpt ending when the roaring lion seeking to devour them pounces upon them.

Remember this saying when you accuse me or my other brothers like me of being “fear mongerers” for warning of what is coming – it’s better to be prepared for something that doesn’t happen then to be unprepared for something that does. It’s always better to err on the side of caution.

Or, you can just continue with business as usual and keep those spiritual eyes closed.

Richard J Grund

As told from an alien’s perspective

By Richard J Grund

It’s been a long wait.

Dawn of time and all.

He raged.  He plotted.  He failed.

And, we all fell.

The plan went into play.

The edge in his silky voice gave his doubts away.

A kingdom here.  A country there.  Too many souls to count.

Then, the Sign.

The Fig Tree was blossoming.

Operation Deception initiated.

For  a deception to work we must mimic the Real.

Then we saw what He was doing.

So, we did it too.

Seeds planted, watered, groomed and prepared for harvest.

A boom of babies they called it.

We called it a buffet, a smorgasbord, a feast.

Some were His.  Some were ours.  All were claimed.

Move.  Counter move.

Feint, block, strike.

Final Phase came with the cries of Jubilee.

In the shadows we whispered “not for you but for me!”

The flares of our last move pierced the heaven’s gates.

Our fathers heard that announcement and stirred in their graves.

Wait, what is that?

Eye witnesses found, our actions exposed, our plans revealed?!

No, that cannot be.

We were told they would not see

Our deception demanded a deception.

Double feint for one big blow.

If they believe what they see they will say what they know.

Our scheme will be revealed and all will be lost.

They are proof of our existence but not for long.

They must not know nor believe the truth.

A serpent’s hiss in a friendly voice.

A whisper in a willing ear.

“It’s all a lie, a deception, an illusion” don’t you see.

Don’t listen to them.  Listen only to me.

There is nothing to tell because nothing happened.

They are so desperate for relief they will believe the lie with eyes wide open.

Never knowing who or what has spoken.

No one notices that the salesman is not like them.

No one knows what he knows or where he’s been.

He is not a victim, not a witness but has the loudest voice.

Just a weak, willing vessel who desires what he does not earn.

So desperate for relief he will smear the honey to soothe their pain.

Spread and smear again again!

We will lick that honey away and consume them before they awaken.

In gross denial they will be taken.

We did it before we will do it again.

Move on.

There is nothing to see here.

No victims, no testimony, no truth but what we say.

Sleight of hand and mirrors in the dark keep the curious away.

In 1000s of year these creations of His want what they can’t afford.

They buy what is not real because they won’t pay full price.

If only they knew that they get what they pay for.

And, all because they rejected the price He paid.

Would not listen to what He said.

They cry for Eden and so do we.

A return to Noah’s day you’ll see.

What did He expect from dust and clay?

It’s almost time and nothing left to say.

Ignore the warnings.

Just step this way.

Just step this way.

On My Supernatural Soapbox ©

By Richard J Grund

Save Them All; Let God Sort Them Out!

There is a military quote and motto used by the Marines and Special Forces “Kill Them All, Let God Sort Them Out”.  It came from a Cistercian Monk name Arnaud Amalrci.  When the Crusaders of The Roman Catholic Church invaded Béziers in 1209, when asked by a Crusader how to distinguish the Cathars from the Catholics, Arnaul Amalric answered:  Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius (Kill them all. For the Lord knoweth them that are His.).

This is the origin of the modern phrase, “Kill them all and let God sort them out.”

And, that is just what they did.  20,000 people were slaughtered that day because they were deemed heretics.

As the “discussions” regarding the possibility of Nephilim hybrids being present in the World today reaches a crescendo another controversy has been added to it.  Among those who adhere to a belief that this is indeed possible in this current day & age there is the disagreement as to whether these individuals are capable of salvation.   Some believe since they are soulless beings they are beyond redemption.  Others believe that since they are many generations away from the progenitors they may have become more human and therefore capable of salvation.  While I see the argument on both sides I don’t see enough evidence either way to take a side so I say, “Save Them All, And Let God Sort Them Out!”.  Our mandate from the Lord is to: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned”. (Mark 16:15)  What does that say?  Preach the Gospel to every creature/creation.  There are no parameters or specifics.  If they believe with their heart and confess with their mouth they will be saved.

Romans 10:9-13(NKJV) ⁹that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

That pretty much covers it don’t you think?  We were never told to pick and choose.  Even if the tares get in with the wheat He will separate it all at the Harvest.  It’s not our job!

Putting the CON in controversy

The word controversy means a disagreement in which a lot of people have strong feelings about a policy or an issue.  Other words that could be used are disagreement, debate, storm or hullabaloo.

Well, we have all of the above regarding the existence of fallen angels in this day as well as the possibility they might be trying to recreate things they way they were Pre-Great Flood.   There are two sides to this argument and for some bizarre reason those on the side of disagreement that this is impossible and is not happening have taken an unbending, “we are right you are wrong” position.  Not only that, they have taken a position that anyone who disagrees with them are heretics.  A heretic is a holder or adherent of an opinion or belief that contradicts established religious teaching.  While that may be the dictionary definition of the word who gets to establish what is the proper religious teaching.  When the books of the Bible were established as canon at the Council of Laodecia in 364 AD one book in particular that covered this topic, The Book of Enoch, was banned.  It didn’t matter to these men that the book and its teachings had been a part of the church for the previous 300-years nor did it matter to them that Enoch was referred to or directly quoted close to 100 times in the writings of the Old Testament, Gospels, and the letters of the Apostles.  It did not matter that Daniel, Jude, Peter and even the Lord Himself made direct references to Enoch.  What mattered to them is what they wanted no matter the cost.  Again, men took an unbending position reeking of their way or the highway.  Many of the early church fathers and teachers were branded as heretics because they fought to keep it as a part of church teachings if not a part of canon.  And, I have to believe that Origen was right when he stated that this was to keep believers from knowing anything about the fallen angels and what they did.  I will take that position one step further – I believe this belief is inspired by the fallen angels themselves as they are the only ones who benefit from such a belief.

So, the first “con” comes from the first con artist himself, satan.

The second “con” comes from a new breed of con artist in the body.  These con artist are more than wolves in sheep’s clothing they are sheep who because of their selfish desires and divisive natures have become predators of the flock.  They prey on weaker Christians who are new believers and sweet talk them into believing that their position is the only right and Godly position.  They prey on baby believers who are kept on scriptural milk so that they are dependent upon these “teachers” and never grow mature in the faith.  A dependency is created so that these “teachers” have a following that support them and stand up for their misguided beliefs.  They then push these baby believers to become teachers and preachers of their words so that it appears they are profitable in the faith.  However, they put these baby sheep at risk and will be held responsible by the Great Shepherd if any harm comes to these lambs of His.

These “teachers” are the new snake oil sellers and con artists of the faith.   Absalom, one of King David’s sons, was such a person.  He sat at the gates of the city and slowly, through guile and deception, misled the people of Israel away from his father’s leadership.  His desire for his own seat of power and leadership outweighed what was right and moral.  In the end, his vanity led to his destruction.  People like this build on the efforts of others and have no success or fruit of their own.  The Lord told us in Matthew 7:15 that we would know them by their fruit and we do.  If their fruit is dissension, arguments and deceit it’s pretty clear the tree they feed you from.  Their fruit will always be bitter and lacking in any spiritual nutrients.  They will always speak from two sides of their mouth and behind your back because they cannot withstand being pulled out into the open.  In your free will you can choose to eat whatever fruit you want just as Adam & Eve did.  Remember how their exercise of free will worked out and who was behind the deception that led to their fall and The Fall.

Watering Down the Antidote Kills the Patient

Another bone of contention that has arisen is the character assassination of anyone who gives a warning to the Body of Christ.  Those of us, like me, that point to and expose what the powers of darkness are doing in the world are being labeled as fear mongers.  The critics claim we offer no hope and only fear that makes us the enemy of the Kingdom.  Although this attack has been toward many others I can only speak for me.

I got saved in 1988 out of a lifelong bondage to the occult.  When I was set free from the darkness and translated into the Kingdom of His Son I swore to live out Luke 4:18 in helping others like myself.  To do that means, at times, I must expose in detail the works of the enemy so that they can be destroyed.  Even the Lord Himself and the Apostles gave us, in detail, the works of the enemy so that we would not be deceived or victimized.  People that live in the jungle are ever conscious of the predators and indigenous threats.  The first thing they teach their children is what is dangerous and what will harm them.  As we raise a child we teach them not to touch fire or play with matches and in doing so tell them what the outcome would be.  Is that fear mongering or good parenting?  Any believer that adheres to the Beatles Gospel of “All You Need Is Love” has never read The Bible.  If they have, they have picked and chosen what they wish to tell others.  I say teach it all or not at all.  Yes, I will tell what the Lord shows me in and by the Spirit of the enemy’s activities in the world.  I will line it up with scripture and then when I’ve exposed you to the threat I will ALWAYS tell you what the antidote, protection or solution is.  I will never lie to you, water it down or leave anything out.  For too long the Gospel has been watered down to make it more acceptable and easier to live at the expense of the flock.  More of the church today is bondage, going through divorces, committing fornication and adultery, living in sin, and committing outright rebellion against a Living, Loving and Holy God.  This feel good, everyone goes to Heaven false gospel is another “con” from the fallen ones.

On November 18, 1978 a man named Jim Jones got 907 people to drink a deadly poison by mixing it with Kool-Aid.  Out of this horrendous event came the expression of “drinking the Kool-Aid” when someone is being deceived by another individual.  What these feel good teachers, con artists and snake oil salesmen are doing is getting you to drink the devil’s Kool-Aid when they water down the Gospel into a powerless empty gospel with no power and no freedom.  Instead they poison you so that you are weak and easy prey to the demonic wolves they serve.

I am all for “hope” as it was the hope I saw in the Lord that lead me to that altar the day I got saved.  What propelled my legs was the knowledge that I needed a savior and without Him I was destined for hell.  Jesus of Nazareth was the antidote to the poison in my soul but first had to recognize and admit I was poisoned.  Denial only leads to destruction.  And, even today over 22-years later, I live with the knowledge that I am a sinner saved by Grace that if left to my own desires and to my flesh will fail and fall in my everyday walk.  There is no fear in me because His Perfect Love has cast out that fear but there is also the underlying knowledge that my flesh and my spirit are always at war with one another.  Without recognizing that as a warning we are doomed to live a rollercoaster walk where we are up one day and down the next.  If your walk has been filled with the rollercoaster ride I just mentioned you are out of balance somewhere.  Find what it is and correct it.

When In Doubt Deny, Deny, Deny

The final soap box topic for today is this current trend of denial in the church.  The self-proclaimed heresy hunters and critics have an answer for every point raised and evidence presented regarding the supernatural events in question.  Their answer is to deny that it is even happening.

“Fallen angels?  What fallen angels?”

“UFOs are not real.  It’s all a delusional deception”

“Cattle mutilations are being done by wild animals or subjects of military testing”

“There were no Nephilim AFTER the Flood.  Goliath and his brothers had a hormonal disease.”

“There was no gunman on the grassy knoll” (Threw that one in to see if you were paying attention)

The cries of “myth” have been going on for a very long time by those who have little to no knowledge (experiential or otherwise) on the topic of the supernatural.  They excuse away what they cannot understand and deny what forces them into accepting the possibility that they are wrong.  Whether it is demonic possession, UFOs or paranormal events these head-in-the-sand believers don’t want anything to upset their belief structures.  Fear of the unknown outweighs confidence in a Living God and Savior to help them overcome ANY threat natural or supernatural.

Denial is a self-defense mechanism for those who have no answers and are too afraid to seek them out.  It’s also a protective mechanism for those who are still wounded and have not seen complete healing.  It’s easier for them to deny what happened to them then to face it.  However, sooner or later the scars and internal pain will rear its ugly head and the healing process of facing the event must occur.

Lately, the newest effort for those who have experienced being abducted by some alien life force is to deny that it ever happened, that the event was an illusion and reject all efforts to face it head on.  The tangible evidence of wounds, scars, implants of unknown origin or element and the vivid memories are discounted completely.  I have a theory as to why this position is being propagated and accepted – it makes things easier for all involved.

If you’ve been a victim of a possible alien abduction by, what we believe to be, fallen angels or high ranking demonic powers it is much easier to accept it as imaginary then to face the possibility that what was done was real.  This type of denial is common in anyone who suffers a traumatic event.

For someone who tries to help or minister to such victims it’s easier to get them to believe it’s all an illusion or in their mind then to have to deal with the layers of psychic and spiritual trauma such an event causes.  Dealing with that kind of pain, bondage and possible demonic pain takes a special person who moves in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and is appointed & anointed for such a task.  It takes a tremendous amount of compassion and commitment to that individual for as long as it takes to see them through their healing and deliverance.  Someone who claims that “unless they admit it’s all a delusion I cannot help them” is telling the truth.  THEY cannot help them because they are neither called to or are equipped to help them.

So, for both parties the position of “denial” is a self-serving one and one that will not end well.  Both will find themselves in a position of claiming peace, peace and sudden destruction will come upon them because they were not willing to submit to the fullness of the Word, both Living and Written.  Take it from someone with experiential knowledge over the last 22-years do not bury it or deny it or it will come back to haunt you later on.  And, it will be a button the enemy will push at just the right moment in an attempt to steal your peace and joy.

It’s also much easier to deny any of this is happening because to accept it means that the threat is ever present and active.  However, we are told in 1 Peter 5:8 that there is a “roaring lion” out there looking to devour (tear apart) believers.  The threat is always there and we must recognize it and resist it.  We cannot deny it.  That will only lead us directly into the gaping jaws of the enemy.

So, for me, if I admit the possibility of these UFOs, abductions, mutilations or other supernatural events it doesn’t make me weaker or fill me with fear.  I know Whom I serve and that greater is He who is with me then he who is against me.  I know that greater is He who is in me then he who is in the world.  Bring on the UFOs, Fallen Angels posing as Aliens, et al for the same Spirit that raised Yeshua/Jesus from the dead is in me and that same Spirit created ALL things.  So, I have the Power of the Creator over the creation inside of me.  Like young David I will have the strength and courage to run toward that enemy in full confidence of victory because HE is with ME.  No fear because I have nothing to fear.

___________________________________________________________________________

Okay, time to get off of the supernatural soap box.

Too much work to do for and in the Kingdom.

Thanks for listening.

Shalom & Blessings,

Richard J Grund

The Porch & SRT the Supernatural Response Team.

All Rights Reserved.

No duplication, copying or sharing without expressed permission!

By Richard J Grund

Every year we make a New Year’s Resolution (decree, decision, declaration or promise ) to do something and it never happens.

A new fitness regime, diet, hobby, behavior modification, etc. make January a busy month.

Health Clubs and fitness centers count on three things.  1 – They count on you over indulging for the holidays.  2- They count on you making getting into shape a New Year’s Resolution.  3 – They count on you plunking down your money, committing to a contract and then never coming.  The attrition rate for health club memberships is 80%.  If everyone who had a membership showed up at any given time every health, safety and fire code would be violated.

The fact is many people will make a declaration but never follow through.

Your Christian walk is the same.  And, the enemy is just like the health club owners, he hopes you don’t follow through.

2 Corinthians 5:17(NKJV) ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

It wasn’t so long ago that I asked the Lord if I was a new creation why was there still much of the “old me” around. I made the declaration, said the prayer but still seemed a lot like the “old me” in many ways.  Oh, don’t get me wrong.  There was a dramatic change.  You couldn’t be as demonically bound, even possessed, and not show a change once Yeshua/Jesus became Lord of my life.  Many who were present that day at church mentioned the immediate change in my appearance and even the increase in light around me.  What no one explained, and I learned the hard way, was that salvation was instantaneous and sanctification was a process.

Maybe I needed a different interpretation of the scripture from 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 5:17(NLT) ¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

There it is – a new LIFE had begun.  And, with any new life we must learn how to walk and do the things necessary to survive.  I needed, and received, guidance from a mentor who showed me by example and direction into The Word how to live this new life of mine.  Luckily for me both he and my passion for the Lord made me hunger the meat of the Word.  Yeshua/Jesus is the Bread of Life and I was partaking of that bread.  I hungered and thirsted for Him.

John 6:32-35(NKJV) ³²Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
³³For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
³⁴Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
³⁵And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

The process of sanctification – consecrating and dedicating our life to the Lord – is just that…a process.  It takes time to develop and has to be allowed to grow.  It must be nurtured and cultivated.  It doesn’t just happen.  You must “go” to Him (v. 35) and receive from Him what you need.

Jeremiah 29:11-13(NKJV) ¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
¹²Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
¹³And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Hebrews 11:6(NKJV) ⁶But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

When you seek Him with all of your heart; holding nothing back, you will find Him.  That is a promise written in Blood.

What is the reward for those who diligently seek Him?

Revelation 3:20-21(NKJV) ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
²¹To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

That permanent intimacy you seek can only come when YOU seek HIM.  You cannot and will not be changed until you find Him.

The first step in the process of living this new life is to seek Him with all of your heart.  I do not care how long you’ve been saved or how long you think you’ve been saved.  If the old zombie you is still hanging around I suggest you seek Him with all of your heart and jump-start that sanctification process.

Psalms 42:1-2(NRSVA) ¹ As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When shall I come and behold  the face of God?

There may be some who haven’t even begun the salvation process let alone the sanctification process.

May I suggest a New Year’s Resolution from The Bible for you?

Isaiah 55:6(NKJV) ⁶ Seek the Lord while He may be found,      Call upon Him while He is near.

Twice in Revelation 22 ( verses 7 & 12) He says, “Behold, I am coming quickly!”

Soon and very soon He will return and if you haven’t sought Him and found Him it will be too late.

Richard J Grund

We also have weekly Sunday night show, Reflections In The Dark, 7 pm Eastern where go deeper into the supernatural shadows.

What I have found from both shows and those who attend them is that “Spiritual Warfare” is a lost concept on the church of today.  Even those churches that should be predisposed to this teaching (i.e. Charismatic, Pentecostal, Spirit Filled) are lack in the warning and preparing the flock for the prophesied End Times.

When I got saved in October of 1988 at the old Christian Heritage Church in Tallahassee, Florida under its former Pastor, Robert A. Shelley, we were spoiled by the knowledge and scriptural feedings given to us.  The spiritual food that Pastor Shelley fed us was a banquet that fed everyone from the newest to the oldest Believer.  How much food you had was up to you. Understanding the authority given to us in the Lord and how to use the weapons of our warfare was a regular part of that diet.  And, many fed willingly at the table.

This period of time was at the height of the spiritual warfare movement in the church.  Unfortunately, the enemy played off of our enthusiasm and intensity by inspiring error and excess.  By 1995, when I moved away from Tallahassee, the spiritual warfare movement had imploded on itself and lay in ruins.  Were mistakes made? Yes.  In the zeal to serve the Lord many misguided souls ran to a front line they had no business being on.  The had ignored the admonition of the scriptures of James 4:1-6 preceded the promise that the devil would flee from you indicating that the success of your resistance was equal to the success of your walking correctly with the Lord. That’s why to this day I do not recommend or encourage anyone to do what I do or what SRT does without considering the cost and knowing the personal requirements.

Lives were destroyed, churches were destroyed and this allowed those who had no heart or stomach for the warfare in the first place to gloat and write books that held an even greater error then the mistakes made by misguided spiritual emphasis and ignorance of the enemy we faced.

That error?  That there was no warfare, that we could stop warring at all and that the enemy had no power.

1 Peter 5:8-10 ( NKJV )⁸Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  ⁹Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.  ¹⁰But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Roaring lion?

Devour (gulp entire (literally or figuratively):—devour, drown, swallow up)?

Resist (to stand against, that is, oppose:—resist, withstand)?

The same sufferings are experienced by others and you will suffer for a while?

Sounds like warfare to me.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (Amplified Bible) ¹⁰In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].  ¹¹Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.  ¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

The “wrestling” of the Apostles Paul’s day was Greek style of Olympics wrestling from his era.  It was up close, physical and rough.  There were no pads or coverings.  There was nothing pretty or comfortable about it.

Who are we wrestling with?  The four levels of power pertaining to the fallen angels (Genesis Chapter 6) and the demonic spirits of their hybrid offspring wiped out in the Flood.

No warfare?!

Ephesians 6:13-18 (Amplified Bible) ¹³Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].  ¹⁴Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, ¹⁵And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. ¹⁶Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].  ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.  ¹⁸Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Does any of that scriptural exposition indicate peaceful inactivity?

NO!

We were warned by the Lord Himself of the turbulent times we are in and the fact that they would replicate the Days of Noah (Matthew 24:37) and although there are many who diminish the meaning of this warning it indicates a time of violent demonic activity.  If you watch the news, spend time on the Internet or just pay attention to what is going on around you the signs of the times are all around us.

Finally, I will leave you with the warnings of the Prophet Isaiah ( a real one not just someone with a name tag and a 501c3 business):

We are in those dark times and the “deep darkness” is really the same Hebrew word twice (H6205 עֲרָפֶל  ʽărâphel ar-aw-fel’ ; gloom (as of a lowering sky):—gross, thick dark cloud).  That’s a darkness that is twice as bad, twice as powerful and worse then what had been experienced before.  If that is not a description of 2010 and the years ahead I do not know what is.

But then again, if you are one of those people who believe everything is all right, there is no enemy out there and that roaring lion Peter warned you about has no teeth, keep doing what you are doing – nothing.  You can continue to follow the writings and opinions of men & women who have not seen the outside of a sanctuary or conference room in years; who have no clue of the current war or the current enemy we are being threatened by.  Let me know how that works out for you.

If you are awakening from your slumber and tired of watching the destruction of loved ones, friends, families, children and all things good come to the upcoming online Bible Studies at The Porch.  We are going to examine spiritual warfare as the Book of Acts church taught it, experienced it and lived it.

Either way, the Word of the Lord is clear.  The teachings of His Apostles on point.  And, the orders given by the Captain of the Hosts without question.

It’s your choice.

Matthew 7:15-20(NKJV)
15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Normally, I would piece the entire section of scripture together but we need to see this 6-line warning (6 is the number of man and this is a warning about men/false teachers) in its entirety.

Yes, it does say beware of false prophets not false teachers. However, in this day and age everyone is suddenly a prophet/prophetess or moved themselves into some other office of their own accord.

The Greek word used for “prophets” here means a spurious prophet, that is, pretended foreteller or religious impostor. The people who have inspired this blog definitely fit into that category and therefore fit into this section of scripture.
What’s so amazing about Matthew Chapter 7 is that it flows from one warning to another with clarity and harmony.

We are first warned (verses 1-5) about those who attempt to sit in the Judgment Seat of God only find to find out that the Light of Judgment shines on them as well. There is only One who can sit in that Seat without being burned by the Holy Fire it produces.

Verse 6 warns that if you attempt to share what is holy with “dogs” (a symbol of the demonic) or share the pearls of the Lord’s Wisdom with pigs in a pen (possibly a foreshadowing of the seeker friendly unbiblical church of today) be forewarned that they will attack the wisdom. They will also attack and disrespect you in the process.

Verses 7-12 give us the guidelines of our Heavenly Father’s behavior to show us how He will treat us and that we are to treat others as we want to be treated which conversely is the same manner in which He treats us.

Verses 13 and 14 show us that to walk in the manner pleasing to the Lord and the Father will take effort and at time be uncomfortable. Because of that very few will find it or walk in it.

Verses 15 through 20 are the spiritual parameters we must use to evaluate the purpose and spirituality of those who set themselves up to be teachers/prophets.

Verses 21 through 23 should be the most frightening part of scripture, especially for those of us in the Charismatic/Pentecostal world because the people whom He rejects and refutes claim to move in the Gifts of the Spirit. He never says that they are lying or that the Gifts are not of Him but their eternal rejection comes from their disobedient, sinful fleshly natures based on the internal “heart” of the matter and not their external actions.

Verses 24 and 25 show us the strength and soundness that comes from following these guidelines/warnings.

Verse 26 and 27 conversely show is the end result of disregarding these warnings.

Now that I have set the stage it’s time to open the “curtain”.

Matthew 7:15-20 is our warning regarding those who are causing dissension and agitation among the flock. Wolves will try to scare and scatter the sheep from a distance hoping that the less experienced or younger ones will run. That way they can separate them from the flock and get them away from the watchful eyes of the Shepherd or His sheepdogs. A Good Shepherd and well trained, loyal sheepdogs will not allow this to happen and, more often than not, will go after the wolves in a preemptive strike to drive them off or destroy them.

Wolves are predators and their nature is to find the weakest or slowest of the flock that wanders away from the protection or covering. Wolves in sheep’s clothing, as verse 15, refers to are “ravenous” in that they are looking to pluck or steal away the sheep by force if they have to. They appear outwardly as to being like the other sheep but it’s inwardly that their true nature is found. We cannot assume anyone is what they are simply because of appearance. Their actions produce a result that lets us know if they are sheep or wolf. Hence, it’s by their “fruit” that we know them.

An Apple Tree is not an Apple Tree because we call it an Apple Tree. It’s an Apple Tree because it produces apples. When we see an Apple Tree we expect to find apples. If we see someone who claims to be a Christian we should expect to see “Christ-like” behavior or choices. If we see things like back stabbing criticism, haughtiness, arrogance, promotion of dissension and, at worse, attempting to defame or destroy others we should realize that this is not of the Lord and therefore “wolf” in nature.

Wolves are easy to spot if you know the signs. They tend to inspire petty arguments over meaningless things or theories that have no bearing on someone’s eternity. They take stands against others that have no scriptural merit and when confronted offer no Biblical defense. They are the “clouds” that Jude refer to in verse 12 and clearly indicate their inspiration is demonic and from the fallen angels. It makes perfect sense to me that the origins of this effort began in Genesis Chapter 3 and 6 because many of the wolves I see are trying to scatter the flock to cover up the actions of the angelic participants of Chapters 3 & 6. The winds of dissension and criticism they create attempts cause the flock to scatter or separate.

Some of these “wolves” come as Matthew 7 indicates in the form of religious or spiritual leaders. When exposed they will point the finger and claim you have a “religious spirit”. The fact is the religious spirit is theirs and it has a name. I call it the Spirit of Caiaphas. The Spirit of the Great Shepherd inspires us to leave the many to save the one. The Spirit of Caiaphas claims to destroy the one person/sheep for the sake of the others but really has a self-serving interest in the outcome.

As a sheepdog for the Great Shepherd I have an intense dislike for wolves and what they do to the flock; especially the baby lambs who know no better and are easily fooled. They do not know enough scripture or have enough experience in the church to know how to confront or call out these wolves and, worse, don’t have enough sense to run away from them the minute the sheep mouth opens and instead of a “bah” they get a “growl”.

How do you know who these wolves are that I am warning you about? You will have to seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal them to you. Or, examine the fruit of their efforts and actions to see for yourself who they are.

I fully intended to name names and call them out in this blog. However, as I said, I am a sheepdog not The Shepherd. I must heed His commands and wait for the eventual command that releases me to pounce on these wolves. His love is so great that He wants to save the foolish sheep that are following these wolves before destruction comes. Stop following so blindly and take a good “look” at their fruit. Are their teachings, choices or leadership bringing you sweet fruit or thorns & bristles? Remember, where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. In His Presence is the fullness of joy. If there is no liberty or joy the Lord is not in it.

He will allow me to say this – I know who these wolves are, I know who the foolish sheep are and I know who the lead wolf is that stays hidden in the bushes. I know of the false sheep whose job it was to distract the sheepdog with false friendship and “treats”. I know your intentions and know whom you are targeting to attack and destroy. And, I know why. Your failed efforts have brought you out into the open and the specificity of the attack has given away the demonic inspiration behind it. Truly by your “fruit” you have been exposed.

If I know who you are the Great Shepherd knows too.

And, for that I say, woe unto you!
Richard J Grund

Sheepdog for the Great Shepherd

Bad boys bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
when they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
when they come for you

And, while it’s not meant to be a “spiritual” song it has inspired this blog.

At first, I thought the song was about the recent UFO sightings and current view that some sort of alien deception is upon us. I was going to write this from the perspective of trying to get you to wonder what you would do if “they” came for you. Would you go with them? Would you run? Would you stand and fight back in the Name of the Lord? (As a point of reference I fall into the last category)

However, as I sat here this morning I realize that it’s not a song being sung to the Body of Christ but a song being sung to Satan, the fallen angels and their demonic offspring. While some people would be too religious to believe the Spirit can sing Reggae I believe He can use anything and everything in the Universe to make His point. And, making a point He is!

So, I guess this blog becomes an “open letter” to the fallen:

John 1:1-3 ( NKJV ) 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Psalms 33:6 ( NKJV ) 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

Nehemiah 9:5-6 ( NKJV )
“Stand up and bless the LORD your God
Forever and ever!
“Blessed be Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 You alone are the LORD;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.

You worshiped the One who spoke you into existence on the 6th day at the beginning of time. He called you by name. The first thing you saw in creation was Him, your Creator. The first voice you heard was His. And, yet you forgot what He had done for you and instead of worshiping Him you desired to be Him.

You lied to and deceived His children in your desire to strike back at Him. You tricked them into worshiping you and giving you His children as a blood sacrifice (Zephaniah 1:5). He alone is worthy of worship and adoration.

You lie, steal and destroy what is His and think you will get away with it.

You blaspheme His Holy Name and shake your immortal fists toward the Throne Room as if you have the power to back up the threats.

Play your tricks in the sky with the blinking lights and tales of another gospel. Make foolish men believe you are something more then you are. Portray yourselves as angels of light and your demonic offspring as ministers of righteousness but your words and deeds give you away. There is no life in you or what you offer. The dead cannot give life and darkness cannot overcome the Light of the Holy One.

You left your Holy Habitation, fooled yourselves into thinking you were “gods”, chose a lesser, darker existence and the Lord of Hosts says “So be it”. All of the wooden idols, icons and foolishness men have offered to you shall sink into the Lake of Fire with you (Matt. 24:41).

Do you hear the rattling of the chains of judgment that shall enwrap around you (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 1:6)? Do you hear snorting of the Heavenly stallions and the rustle of the armies of Heaven awaiting the Father’s command (Rev. 12:7-9) notify you that your time is short? The Word of the Lord is clear.

Zephaniah 1:7 ( NKJV )
7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD;
For the day of the LORD is at hand,
For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
He has invited (consecrated; set apart) His guests.

And, His guests have been given a Great Gift. A Promise has been fulfilled and the same Spirit that pulled your particles together is inside of them. The same Word that spoke you into existence has been given to them for their use against you. Truly, in both Heaven & Earth, the Word of the Lord is against you this day and the days to come.

Whether it is your Heavenly brethren or the newly empowered children of Mine that have ALL of My Authority at their disposal, the only question remains…

Bad boys bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
when they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
when they come for you

And, from the North, South, East, West and Heaven itself…
THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU!

Richard J Grund, in service to The King

By Richard J Grund

The cost of the Upper Room Experience is….$77.77 but if you act now we will throw in monogrammed handkerchiefs from the Apostle Paul and the Lord’s recipe for Sea of Galilee grilled fish at no cost. 

Sorry, couldn’t resist a “commentary” on the shameless shilling and selling that goes on in the Christian church today.  It doesn’t matter that the Lord overturned the tables of the money changers and sellers in the Temple TWICE, we continue the practice of turning the House of the Lord into a marketplace.

The Upper Room Experience; what is it?

We’ve been studying the Book of Acts and the Upper Room Experience now at The Porch since March 2010.  The story starts out with the Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and the explosive signs and wonders that led to equally explosive evangelism.  And, if you listened to many of the teachers of today, that is where the story seems to end.  They hesitate to tell you about AFTER the Upper Room.  However, as you get into Acts Chapter 5 the Upper Room Experience takes a more serious turn.

In Acts Chapter 5 we are told about Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, lying to Peter about the amount of money they received for selling their land.  Apparently, Ananias and Sapphira made a commitment to put the entire proceeds from the sale of their land in the communal treasury just as the Levite Barnabas from Cyrus did at the end of Acts 4.  However, somewhere along the way they decided to secretly hold back part of the profits for themselves but lied about how much the land sold for.  Whether it was greed or a desire to appear more philanthropic than it really was, it was a direct affront to the Holy Spirit.  When Peter, who was given revelation knowledge of this by the Holy Spirit, confronts Ananias and Sapphira about their deceit they both dropped dead at the Apostle’s feet.  It’s not without reason that the scripture says, Acts 5:11 ( NKJV ) So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

So, the first cost of the Upper Room Experience is personal integrity, humility and honesty.

The second cost of the Upper Room Experience is as dangerous and prevalent.  The second cost of wielding the world-changing dunamis power of the Holy Spirit is that it may cost you your life.

“What?!” you say.  “Cost me my life?”

Yes, that’s exactly what I said.  I may cost you your life.  I didn’t say will cost you because only God can determine that but the Biblical example we have in the Book of Acts shows that the same world we are shaking and changing is under the control of the devil and his angels.  For some odd reason they don’t take kindly to our shaking and changing their world and feel even less friendly when we plunder their “goods”  (Matthew 12:29) by using the Promise of the Father to destroy their works.  In fact, it infuriates them to the point of taking retaliatory action against the church.  They will try to persuade us to stop what we are doing and to go back to the dead religious activities we practiced before.  If that doesn’t work they will use the world system to threaten us with incarceration or bodily harm.  If we are too sold out to the Lord to be persuaded or threatened they will up the stakes by inspiring the world to kill us – something the world is all too willing to oblige.

How do I know that? This I know for The Bible tells me so…

In Acts Chapter 5 Peter and John are thrown into jail for healing the man lame from birth at the Gate Beautiful entrance to the Temple.  Then in Chapter 6 all of the disciples are arrested for their public evangelism and teachings, thrown into common prison and scourged with whips.  Chapter 7 offers us the account of the first martyr for the Lord, Stephen, who takes advantage of the Lord’s promise from
Mark 13:11 ( NKJV ) ¹¹But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Stephen takes the Lord at His Word and allows the Holy Spirit to speak through him.  His inspired reasoning so enrages the Jewish council that they stone him to death for his crime.  What was crime?

Acts 6:8-10 ( NKJV ) ⁸And Stephen, full of ^£faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

Acts 7:51-58 ( NKJV ) ⁵¹“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. ⁵²Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ⁵³who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
⁵⁴When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” ⁵⁷Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; ⁵⁸and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.

Signs and wonders, Spirit lead reasoning and telling the truth about the Lord (the Spirit’s and the church’s primary responsibility) cost Stephen his life.  It’s right there in the black and white of The Word and the red of Stephen’s blood.  (for those who attend the Online Bible Studies you just got a peek at part of tomorrow’s lesson)

After this the persecution of the church INCREASES, as do the signs, wonders and evangelism of the church, and we pretty much know the rest of the story.  If you don’t, you need to join us on Wednesday Night’s at 7:30 pm on The Porch at www.blogtalkradio.com/the-porch as we continue studying the Book of Acts to see where it goes.

Suffice it to say that the Upper Room Experience is so dramatic and explosive that the enemy of our souls, Satan and his angels, make it their priority to stop us AT ANY COST.

So, why am I telling you this?  Am I trying to discourage you from seeking the Upper Room Experience?  Absolutely not!  If you know anything about me or what I teach I believe it’s the only thing that will help us to fulfill the Great Commission in the End Times.  It’s also the only thing that will allow us to persevere and be productive for the Lord.  But, I want you to understand that there is a price for it.  A well-worn line from the movie Spiderman is spoken by the character of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben, played by Cliff Robertson – “with great power comes great responsibility”.  This line could have easily come from the Book of Acts and the lips of one of the Apostles.

With the world shaking, life changing dunamis power of the Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father that comes from the Throne Room itself, we must understand the responsibility of personal integrity and holiness it demands.  We must also recognize and accept the Biblical documented fact that when we push the enemy they WILL push back.  I’ve read commentary by well-meaning teachers that “the devil fears a praying believer on their knees” and wondered what Book they read.  The devil, his fallen angels and their demonic offspring are too deranged and enraged to fear anything.  Their “minds” are warped beyond reason and they fear nothing.  If they had any sense of fear would they, in the midst of a world war against one another, turn their weapons on the Lord, His angels and the saints of God when they split the sky as related in Revelation 19?  If they will make war with the King of kings, His armies and the hosts of Heaven at that point what do you think they will do to a flesh and blood Believer now?

When they see you clad in the Armor of God, as listed in Ephesians 6, do they see it as a fashion statement or declaration from you that you are prepared for a fight they are all too willing to give you?  It’s not your intention that motivates them but their intention – to destroy you and anything that reminds them of the One who cast them out of Heaven and defeated them.  Our intention must always be to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

I sincerely hope that this will not dissuade you from seeking the Upper Room Experience but if you do I want you to make a quality decision.  The life of a world-changing, signs & wonders Believer in Yeshua/Jesus is not always easy but it is always rewarding.  For most, that reward is not of this world but of the next.  As long as you understand and accept that…

John 20:21-22 ( NKJV ) ²¹So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ²²And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit”.