Overcoming
the Malignant Team
... that Works to Disqualify Us for Gods Kingdom
When I was going through a dark timeand a light came on
in my soul because someone I didnt even know
about, prayed for me. That's how important intercession
is!
LET
ME TELL OF A PERSONAL AND BITER INCIDENT OUT of which I learned
something about the inner workings of my own soulsomething I think
will help others, especially in whatever dark days may be impending.
Its about an exposure of my dianoía, that operation of our minds
wounded in the Fall of our Parents in Eden. We learn from Paul that
the dianoía of everyone outside of Christ is darkened (Eph 4:18). But we also learn
that God has delivered us from the power of (the) darkness, and... translated us into
the Kingdom of His dear Son (Col 1:13).
When we know Redemptions fullness, we can know
that the authority of the darkness is broken and we need have no fear
about the days ahead.
In revealing what Im about to, Ive wondered
whether I should expose any more of my own humanity. But then, I realize
two of my heroes, David and
Paul, held back nothing of their own personal
weakness and trials as they revealed the grace and power of Gods
Kingdom into which their imperfect humanity was ever pressing them.
Many of the people to whom we writeeven after
years of serving the Lordstill have a cloud of darkness over their
minds. Their weakened humanity has to deal with this as theyre
being drawn into the Kingdom. It leaves many tired and worn. But, our
weakened humanityas well as the blows that come
against our strengthscan serve us well as they crowd us into the
love and provision, as well as the righteousness and protection of our
heavenly Father. In this we come to know His Kingdom.
I determined long ago that whenever the enemy strikes,
I will receive his blow as an opportunity to get mileage out of
it for the Kingdom of God. This is one reason I am free to relate
things that happen, even personal pain. I want you who face similar
pressures to have answers that are real and that can work in your lives
to relieve you of spiritual and emotional exhaustion. Its only
then we can be free to function well in the Kingdom
into which our heavenly Father has translated us.
Lets look again at Col 1:13. How full its statement is! It speaks to us of the
Father...Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.
Delivered is from the Greek rúomai meaning to
rescue someone; to drag them from danger. Power is from exousía which means authority, dominion, or jurisdiction.
Translated
is from methístemi which means to cause a change in someones
position; to transfer someone. Both delivered and translated are from Greek
Aorist forms which make them tell of a work already done. See it again:
The Father has delivered us from the jurisdiction of the darkness
and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. In this Kingdom
we learn to live out of the Work Christ has brought to completion for
us. We call this The Finished Work. We can live in it.
SOMETIMES I THINK IT WILL NEVER STOP HAPPENING
this opening of my soul to reveal the weakness that remains. Its
like David said, LORD,
how are they increased that trouble me! (Ps 3:1)
I could speak now of the recent death of my dear wife,
but I choose to wait on that. That pain is still too near and raw to
reveal the lessons Im yet learning. This about which I tell concerns
something that happened about ten years ago that revealed some of the
darkness holding me under its authority. Briefly, here is what took
place. Some close relations let Glenda and me know, in no uncertain
terms, what miserable failures we had been in their eyes. The most painful
thing was a slur against our religion.
It hurt. It was like a sharp stab. Glenda and I had
spent money we could not afford to go and see those dear onesonly
to receive that!
For days we fumed, thought about it, and tried to build
up our defense. I said, Why did this have to happen? I thought
our relationship with them was good. Will things like this never end?
I couldnt think straight or get answers.
Shortly after the incident, Glenda and I had to be
separated for a week. We prayed together and parted. Fear entered me.
The shock had brought disorder to my mind. It was as though some of
its wires got crossed. For a while I couldnt distinguish
between what had happened and what I thought might have happened. I
asked, Is this causing me to lose my mind? My inner man
was pierced and I was not prepared to withstand the attack.
What happened touched an easily offended spot in my
soul. The enemy is skilful at manipulating this with any of us. He waits
with watchful eye to throw some deadly dart toward us with his own venom
with the intention of maneuvering us back toward the power of darkness from which the
Father has rescued us. If we allow the darkness to maintain jurisdiction
over us, it encourages Satan in his attacks. He holds the idea he can
win us back over into his camp.
But then, as I was alone, considering what happened,
I began to be encouragedeven though there remained some pain.
I found that painful events and emotions do not have to be pushed down
in the subconscious mind in order for us to get on with life. Instead,
I found thatif we allow itblows can serve us well, just
like a hammer serves a nail well. It drives it into the place for which
it was designed. Ive said this before, maybe too many times. But
I was still learning this principle at that time.
THE RESTORING OF MY MIND AND EMOTIONS STARTED
gently, with a brief vision, so small I didnt perceive it as coming
from the Holy Spirit. But soon I knew. He was letting me see my soul.
I saw it ripped open. Inside was a dark curtain draped over part of
my inner man. Then I knew, if I allowed the darkness to remain, that
part of me hidden would invite more trouble. He showed me this was my
dianoía, still ruled by some forces
I didnt like to admit were there.
The dark area had been in me all along. The hurtful
incident only revealed it. Now the Holy Spirit wanted to do His work
in its place. Slowlyoh so
slowlylight began coming. Ive found we cant rush
the work of God any more than we can rush the light of dawn. The pain
had been so biting, I didnt think the Holy Spirit could bring
any good out of it. But, I knew better than to argue. He is thorough
and powerful, yet gentle, as He does His work in us.
When I stopped resisting Him, He shot a thought into
my mind like a spark of light. He said simply, The
one who attacked you is hurting too.
This thought pierced my darkness even though I couldnt
entertain it very long. I was hurting also. AndI was busy building
my defense, composing the letter I would write to let these people know
what they had done to us. But at least the slight thought did come,
and it registered. I began to see what they said and did was out of
their own inner hurt, most of it not related to us.
That was the beginning of the healing of a relationship
that has since become a blessed one. Long ago we had learned, and even
taught others, that expressions of anger and resentment from one person
to another frequently come from old hurts brought on by old relationships,
some of them from early life, long forgotten by the conscious mind,
but recorded in the human spirit under a shroud of darkness.
We have said before that the human spirit becomes a
dumping ground for the emotions. Hurts, traumas, resentments, bitterness,
etc., that our emotions cant continue bearing because they wear
us out, find their way into our spirits. They lie dormant but with their
diseased life ready to burst forth in the conscious part of us when
some slight, some word, some sight, some intrusion into our peacefulness
takes place.
As I was holding my wound before the Lord, He whispered
to me, Do you care enough about
them to pray for them? Gradually I began hearing more. It was coming
from the heart of my heavenly Father. Ive
loved you enough to allow this to happen. Now give up your case. Stop
building your defense. Let My Spirit bring healing in you and bring
to life in you My Word that you already know.
The Holy Spirit was prompting me to take a small step
out of the circle of my hurt into the circle of the others pain.
Doing this made room in my spirit for Him to do His work in me. Then
I could pray for them. Recently during the severe illness of my dear
Glenda that claimed her life, these very people became instruments of
mercy and healing for us both.
As I was thinking about what was taking place inside
me, the Lord spoke more to me as He showed me the trouble was in my
dianoía. I allowed it to be split open so you could see the sickness there and
receive healing. Andso you could become a better instrument of
healing for others.
NOW, LET ME TELL YOU OF THE MALIGNANT TEAM that
works to keep our inner man in its sick estate, all with the intention
of making us ineffective for the Kingdom into which the Father has translated us.
There are two passages in Ephesians where Paul mentioned
the dianoía in its sick and weakened
conditionEph 2:1-3 and 4:17-19. From these two Scriptures
we learn how a darkened understanding, or dianoía (a,
will hinder our inner man. Our mind is one of the battle grounds where
the enemy expects to defeat us. So, we may well consider it is a place
we can expect some of our greatest victories in battle.
Praying like Paul prayed in Eph 1:15-19 is like
using a switch to turn on a light. He prayed something like this: Dear
Lord, bring Your healing light to their understandingtheir dianoía.
That was so simple! But it works.
When that blow came to Glenda and me and the darkness
came over my mind, we found that someone had been praying for us. News
of this came in a letter from someone not close enough to know what
was happening with us. We didnt even know at the time that they
prayed. I just know that all of a sudden a light came on in me. Unexpectedly,
I could think, and understandand pray. It was later we found out
about the other one praying.
I saw anew the importance of the discipline of intercession.
We must not give up on it!
We believe the Holy Spirit will touch the dianoía of any soul for whom some
intercessor cares enough to pray. He can even reach into an unbeliever.
But what about us who are believers? Some may ask,
Doesnt healing come to our inner man when were born
again? Yes. The new birth makes knowing the life of the Kingdom
a possibility and opens us to new realms of healing. But, the veil keeping
much of the inner man in darkness remains in many people after they
are born again. We know this by studying Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
and practically every other Book in the New Testament. AndIve
had to learn it by my own personal experience. The very positive and
wonderful thing we are learning now is that the inner disease does not
have to remain. There is a light shining that will break the jurisdiction
of all the darkness.
IN EPH 2:1-3, ONE OF THE PASSAGES SPEAKING of
the darkened dianoía, we find it is part of
a malignant team that works at controlling every person outside
of Christ. Paul presented this insight after telling in the previous
chapter what marvelous things he had been praying for the believers
for whom he held concern. Even though he saw them as in Christ, it still was necessary that
the authority of this ill-disposed team be dealt with lest the believers
be drawn back into the strongholds of the old life from which they had
been redeemed. It is apparent: setting the lamp of Gods light
in place is necessary before the corruption of the darkness can be discovered
and completely dispelled.
From this passage we learn that the team of which the
darkened dianoía is
a part has seven stations-like outposts of the darknesssome inside
the person, some outside. Each part of the team works at maintaining
a sick inner government in unbelievers, and will try to maintain its
hold in believers as well.
The evil team can be knocked out of the lives of believers
who learn to do their own warfare , andI believeheld back
from others for whom intercession is made. The Lord Jesus has triumphed
at every point. As we learn the stations where the battles rage in and
around us, we gain direction for prayingand for receiving mental
and emotional health. This will come as our human spirit teams with
the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We will learn, eventually, that
the only One Who can handle the dark forces that withstand us, both
from within us and without, is the Holy Spirit. And, oh! He does this
when we acknowledge Him and allow Him to do His work.
Ive numbered the seven statements that direct
us to the malignant team. Even with my background as a Baptist in what
we called eternal security, I point to them and describe
their threat. I also am a realist. I know that as these areas remain,
they work toward wearing us down with the intention of drawing us back
onto the side of the enemy. His evil intention is fierce. It is no longer
a matter of church doctrine to which we hold. It is a matter of knocking
out these stations so we can be made ready to stand in the
evil day (Eph 6:13) in Christ
Jesus (Rom 8:1).
SEE NOW THESE SEVEN POINTS as we find them in
this passage from Pauls Epistle to the Ephesians, a Letter of
most exalted Truth. Let me state again: he presented this insight after
he had presented the high statement of Chapter 1 about a believers
position in Christand after he told what was his prayer for these
believers. This next passage lets us know the team of evil we must overcome
if our condition will measure up to our position. This is necessary
if we will inherit the Kingdom with Christ. Take note that before he
lists the malignant team, he
stands us firm on the statement you hath He quickened. This means,
He has made you alivein Christ. It is no longer necessary that
you live under the authority of this darkness.
Eph 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were 1dead
in trespasses and sins: wherein in time past ye 2walked
according to the course of this world 3according to
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the 4children of disobedience: among whom
also we all had our conversation in times past in 5the
lusts of our flesh, 6fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind (the dianoía; and 7were by nature
the children of wrath even as others.
See the team: 1trespasses and sin; 2the course
of this world; 3the prince of the power of the air; 4disobedience;
5the lusts of the flesh; 6the desires of the dianoía
and 7the wrath of nature. We will go on to consider these points
in coming articles as they name our dianoía as
part of the evil team that
will work to defeat us. If our mind, as it works to pierce the darkness
and understand the ways of the Kingdom, maintains a conjunction with
any of the rest of the team, we may well find ourselves subject to
defeat in the evil day (Eph 6:13). This
day is at hand already for many; for the rest of us it is impending.
In the first chapter of Ephesians Paul presented what
we call positional truth. He told of where we are in Christ. But then, as
we move on through the Epistle he calls us to deal with our actual condition
as he names in the above three verses the aggregation of evil with which
we all must contend and overcome if we will qualify to reign with Christ.
Thus, we are being made ready to move with Christ in His Kingdom. We
need no longer be weak believers who have only some vague hope about
an age to come in which we will be overcomers.
As we proceed in later articles to lay out the points,
we will note that they are marks branded on a person outside of Christ.
By this we mean the way a person is by human nature. The tendency to
revert to the natural way of living remains strong with many believers.
Our purpose in this series of articles is that you may find the reality
of your transference from the authority of the darkness into the Kingdom
of Gods dear Son. In other words, we pray you will come to know
your inheritance in His Kingdom.
EVEN AT THE
RISK of ending on a negative note, let us take regard for these
three statements from Paul, all written as warnings to believers:
·1 Cor
6:9,10 Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God.
·Gal
5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh
are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have
also told you in time past, that they which do (practice)
such things shall not inherit
the Kingdom of God.
·Eph
5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
This is not
the end. We are getting ready to meet the grace of God which is
ready to overpower every work of darkness listed above. Stay with us!
© Berean Ministries
Now, Go to the Prayer Starter:
Transforming the Troubled
Mind into a Peaceful Mind
Continue to PART 3:The
Satanic Overstepping that Moves us to Grace