Not by Might not by power Special VICTORY Series #2 Copyright c 2003 by Gabriel F. E.

Tajudeen Published on the Internet by Gafet Publications info@gafetpublications.com All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. ISBN Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright c 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society. Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version of the Bible. DEDICATION This book is dedicated to the memory of those true Christians who died without fulfilling their destinies or callings and those who have suffered serious losses due to the ignorance and misconceptions which this book is meant to correct. PREFACE TO THE SERIES There are two schools of thought concerning demonic activities in the life of a true Christian. One school of thought believes that Satan and his agents can exercise spiritual authority over a true Christian by hindering his progress and making his life miserable. But the second school of thought believes that, through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, a true Christian has been given total victory and dominion over the kingdom of Satan. So this series shows why the devil and his agents apparently exercise spiritual authority over the lives of those Christians who belong to the first school of thought.

Apart from sin - which is the basis for demonic attack, oppression, manipulation and possession - unbelief, wrong belief and physical combat with demons are the factors which give demons undue advantage over a true Christian. The choice of which school of thought to believe is yours. That is why the Bible says: 'Accept him whose FAITH is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.' Rom. 14:1, 22. However, be warned that your belief on this matter will determine your personal experiences (Rom. 3:3-4). Gabriel F. E. Tajudeen INTRODUCTION Man has always wanted to be self-reliant and independent of God. That is why he fell from grace and his position of dominion. For Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation to eat the forbidden fruit primarily because they wanted to "be like God." 'Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 'The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " ' "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will BE LIKE GOD, knowing good and evil." 'When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and (above all) also desirable for gaining wisdom (like God), she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.' Genesis 3:1-6 (Emphasis mine). The devil deceived them into believing that they could be like God by eating the forbidden fruit. So there would be no need for them to depend on God, for wisdom, anymore. He even lied to them that they would never die. But time has proved him wrong. Yet the desire to be self-reliant and to be like the Most High or the Almighty is what the devil uses to ensnare some ignorant children of God (Hos. 4:6).

Apart from Adam and Eve, there are many examples, in the Scriptures, of people who nearly or completely went astray because they wanted to bypass God and help themselves to achieve certain things, especially those things which only God could do. That is why God quickly warned Zerubbabel before he missed it. For there was a tendency for him to presume, like King Nebuchadnezzar did concerning his success (Dan. 4:30), that the Temple was rebuilt by his own ability or "mighty power." 'So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by (your own) might nor by (your own) power, but by my (own) Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." ' Zech. 4:6 (Emphasis mine). Chapter One "...THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES" One adage says: "Heaven helps those who help themselves." This notion gives one the wrong impression that man always has a part to play or a price to pay in order to get something from God. And this has indeed been the attitude of man. But God has always chosen to deal with man on the basis of His own mercy or grace, rather than on man's ability or effort (Rom. 9:6-18; Eph. 2:1-10). Besides, experience has shown that man cannot help himself. Some of those who tried to bypass God and help themselves ended up messing up their destinies or making a fool of themselves. A classic example is the case of Abraham and Sarah. They had not got any children when God told Abraham to leave his country and migrate to Canaan. Yet He promised to make Abraham into a great nation (Gen. 11:27-12:5). God reaffirmed His promise to Abraham shorty after they arrived at Canaan when he began to lose hope (Gen. 15:1-6; Prov. 13:12). But because God did not fulfil His promise ten years after they had been living in Canaan, Sarah suggested a way of helping God to fulfil the promise; and Abraham consented. 'Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." 'Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived...

'So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.' Genesis 16:1-4, 15-16. The reason Abraham and Sarah decided to help themselves build a family through Sarah's maidservant Hagar - contrary to the will of God - was that they believed it was too hard for God to make Sarah give birth to children now that she was old and had already reached menopause (Gen.17:15-17; 18:10-14). God did not try to stop them from helping themselves, but He fulfilled His own promise about fifteen years later. The decision taken by Abraham and Sarah to help themselves build a family through Hagar proved to be a very unwise one. For they had to face the consequences of the rash decision. The first person to suffer for it was Sarah. She was despised by Hagar, and so she ill-treated her (Gen. 16:4-6). And Abraham had to suffer the agony of parting with Ishmael, his first son (Gen. 21:814). But the people worst hit by the mistake of Abraham and Sarah are their descendants - who are still being persecuted by the children of Hagar (Gal. 4:2229; Surah 9:29). Jacob, on his own part, became overwise by thinking that he could help God bring His promise to fulfilment in his own life. For God had promised to bless him greatly (Gen. 28:10-15). So when Jacob had the opportunity to have his own flocks after serving Laban, his father-in-law, for about fourteen years, he devised a means of helping himself - whether God wanted it so or not. 'After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can go back to my own homeland. Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I've done for you." 'But Laban said to him, "If I have found favour in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you." He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." 'Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household." ' "What shall I give you?" He asked. ' "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-coloured lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages.

And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-coloured, will be considered stolen." ' "Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said." That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-coloured lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban's flocks. 'Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark coloured animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so that they would mate near the branches, but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.' Gen. 30:25-43. Jacob had thought that it was his device that worked in his favour and made him to grow exceedingly prosperous until God proved him wrong by showing him, in a vision, how He Himself helped him. ' "In the breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.' " ' Gen. 31:10-13. Moses was another remarkable man who tried to bypass God. He singlehandedly wanted to rescue his people from their Egyptian slave drivers by turning himself into a one-man army. He probably wanted to help God to bring His promise to fulfilment. For God had promised Abraham that He would rescue his descendants after being enslaved and ill-treated in a foreign land, and after having stayed for a total of four hundred years in that land (Gen. 15:12-16). And by this time they had spent about three hundred and ninety years in Egypt - the latter part of which was spent in bondage.

'One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labour. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no-one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrew fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" 'The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." 'When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, ...' Exo. 2:11-15. God eventually came to the rescue of the Israelites, using Moses as their deliverer, about forty years after Moses made his first attempt. Some Bible scholars believe that the thirty additional years the Israelites spent in bondage at Egypt was as a result of the way Moses tried to help God. For it took God about forty years to break his spirit and to teach Moses how to depend on Him for help. Another classic example of someone who tried to help God in the Bible was Simon Peter. Unknown to him that the primary reason Jesus Christ came to this world was to die for the sin of mankind (Isaiah 53:4-12), Apostle Peter - because of his zeal for God - wanted to prevent Jesus from being crucified on two occasions. The first time was before Jesus was arrested while the second time was at Gethsemane on the night Jesus was arrested. 'From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 'Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never Lord!" He said. "This shall never happen to you!" 'Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumblingblock to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." ' Matt. 16:21-23. 'Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." 'Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached out for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest cutting off his ear.

' "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" ' Matt. 26:50-54. See John 18:2-11. Just like everyone else who tries to help God, Peter thought Jesus was helpless in that situation and needed his help. The desire of man to help God or to bypass Him is not in physical matters alone, but also in spiritual matters - especially in the so-called "spiritual warfare." So it is pathetic that some true Christians still go to the battlefield to engage in purported spiritual warfare, long after the battle has been fought and won. (See the book entitled "The Battle Is Over" for detail discussion.) Yet they leave God out of these battles of theirs. And regrettably, they suffer unnecessary defeat and casualties. Chapter Two HUMAN EGO Unlike David, or Jehoshaphat, who acknowledged that even his physical battle was not his own but God's (1 Sam. 17:47; 2 Chron. 20:15), some true believers do bypass God in their own spiritual warfare due to human ego. Their argument is that whatever Jesus Christ did, they too can do it, and even much more (John 14:12), forgetting that such things can only be done through Jesus Christ (John 15:4-5; Phil. 4:13). These people think that the way to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:11-14) is by challenging demons to another "spiritual" warfare long after Jesus Christ defeated them (Col. 2:14-15; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8). Perhaps this is to give them an opportunity to boost their ego by flexing their muscles, jumping up and down, and binding demons at the top of their voices as if our weapons of warfare are carnal (2 Cor. 10:3-5) and as though God were like Baal - whose worshippers had to shout and subject themselves to harsh treatment so that he might hear (1 Kings 18:25-29). However, experience has shown that most of the "prayer warriors" who behave this way, do so out of fear of Satan and his demons. They are NOT demonstrating faith or exercising authority - as they try to convince themselves. Jesus never behaved that way, nor did the apostles, in the name of demonstrating faith or exercising authority. For instance, a minister, who has written a series of books on spiritual warfare, urges his readers and fellow prayer warriors to be physically aggressive against the devil, saying: "Do not kneel down. Stand up, charge yourself like a warrior."

This category of believers are the most susceptible to demonic attack and oppression. For it is natural for demons to fight back, since it is a PERSONAL battle between them and demons. That is why that man of God is sincere enough to admit, from experience, that one is most susceptible to demonic attacks after battling with demons in a manner that is physically aggressive. 'You may have a spiritual attack after praying these prayers (aggressively). Let not your heart be troubled, because your prayers are bulldozing the spiritual mountains, so there may be little reaction.' However, be warned that such "little reaction" may be so fatal that one may never recover - except by the special grace of God. So be prudent (Prov. 22:3; 27:12). That is why Cameron V. Thompson believes that, though this teaching is embraced by some Christians worldwide, it is the greatest trick of the devil. "His (Satan's) greatest TRICK is to get us into a DIRECT FIGHT with himself, thus, BY-PASSING CHRIST. He (the devil) is the AUTHOR of all books which unintentionally MAGNIFY his power and forget his DEFEAT, though they are supposedly designed to instruct us on how to resist him." 1 (Emphasis mine). A classic example of someone who gave in to human ego and suffered for it was Moses. Before then, Moses had the reputation of being the meekest man on earth (Num. 12:3). But when the Israelites over-stretched his patience, he reacted in a way that boosted his ego. 'Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!" 'Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and fell face down, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so that they and their livestock can drink." 'So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

'But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." ' Num. 20:2-12. Because they wanted to boost their ego, Moses and Aaron put up a show that earned them the respect of the people as well as the wrath of God. For Moses must have spoken to them at the top of his voice with an aura and gesture that commanded respect and fear. And he must have raised the staff in the full view of the people to strike the rock - instead of speaking softly to the rock as commanded by God. Yet water gushed out of the rock as desired by God. So likewise, the desire of man to sometimes be independent of God in order to boost his ego cannot prevent the will of God from being done, although this people may earn the wrath of God like Moses and Aaron did (Matt. 7:21-23). Some people think that "prayer" is just talking to God in the name of Jesus - not minding the state of one's heart, the way one talks, what one says and one's gesture before God. For it is not every time one thinks he is praying to God that he is actually praying to God. He may, in actual fact, be praying to himself as in the case of a Pharisee. 'To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a task collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed ABOUT himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this task collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' ' "But the task collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' ' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." ' Luke 18:9-14. A footnote in NIV states that the eleventh verse in the passage quoted above can alternatively be rendered as: "The Pharisee stood up and prayed TO himself..." (See also the CEV.) Even though the Pharisee began by calling "God," his prayer was not actually addressed to God. He prayed "to himself about himself," thinking he was praying to God. Due to his ego and pride, he exalted himself to the position of "God." In the same vein, some believers "pray" ('speak' is more appropriate) as though they were God or His equal - if not His superior. So, whenever they go with this same attitude or state of mind to wage selfdeclared physical (but which is presumed to be spiritual) war against the devil, God is forced to stand aloof and to be indifferent. What actually happens in such situations can be illustrated with the relationship between a vine and a withered

branch as well as the relationship between an independent or a self-reliant sheep and a shepherd.

1. Thompson, Cameron V. Master Secrets of Prayer: A Study of the Doctrine of Prayer. Source of Light Ministries International Inc. Madison, Georgia. 306509399. p.25 The pamphlet can be obtained from: Evangelist Huey Diffey, Gospel Nuggets, 6241, Jonesboro Road, West Monroe, LA 71292-0369, USA. Chapter Three WITHERED BRANCHES Jesus told a parable in which he figuratively described himself as "the vine," God as "the gardener" and his disciples as "the branches." He made it clear, in that parable, that the fruitfulness of the branches depends on their continual attachment to and dependence on the vine. ' "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ' "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." ' John 15:1-8. The illustration Jesus gave is simple and logical. No branch can truly bear fruit by itself; it can't even survive, let alone bear fruit. If a branch is detached from the vine - either by accident or by choice - it will wither. Worse still, the gardener will cut off such a branch and throw it into the fire to burn. So likewise, any true believer who chooses not to benefit by the victory already won by Jesus Christ at Calvary, but decides to fight the devil personally will fail woefully - just as Samson became an easy prey to his enemies after the LORD had left him (Judges 16:20-21). And if such a wounded believer should backslide as a result of his defeat, frustration or oppression he will go to hell if he dies

without repenting (Matt. 7:21-23; Heb. 6:4-6) - just like Judas Iscariot did. (See the book entitled "The Battle Is Over" for detail discussion.) Chapter Four INDEPENDENT OR SELF-RELIANT SHEEP David - who was a shepherd - outlined some of the responsibilities of a true shepherd in the twenty-third psalm. These include fending for the sheep and protecting them against evil - among other things (Psalm 23:1-6). God agrees with the view of David concerning the responsibilities of a true shepherd towards his sheep. That is why God was angry with the shepherds of Israel who were not only negligent in their duties, but who also abused and maltreated the sheep. 'The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth and no-one searched or looked for them. ' " 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flocks from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.' " ' Ezek. 34:1-10. Some of the sheep which were scattered and which wandered away because of the brutality of the shepherds fell prey to the wild animals. So did any one that chose to be independent of the shepherds and fend for itself. However, those sheep which endured the harshness and the brutality of these wicked shepherds of Israel must have lived in safety. For none of them is reported to have fallen prey to the wild animals - only those which wandered away or got lost did.

But unlike the wicked shepherds of Israel, Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14). He figuratively did refer to himself as a shepherd and his disciples as his sheep (John 21:15-17). He loved and cared for his sheep so much that he willingly laid down his life for them (Rom. 5:6-8; 1 John 3:16). ' "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep." ' John 10:11-13. David in his own days as a true shepherd also exhibited the same virtue. He cared for his sheep so much that - even though he was just a teenager - he was willing to risk his own life for the least of his flock. He literally fought a lion and a bear just to preserve the lives of his sheep. He must have done so because he truly loved his sheep and cared for them; and not because of the monetary loss he was most likely to suffer if any of the sheep should be killed by a wild animal. For who would value the life of a sheep more than his own? (Matt. 16:26). 'But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine (Goliath) will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." ' 1 Sam. 17:34-37. While comparing the nature of a man to that of God, Jesus said: ' "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" ' (Matt. 7:9-11). So likewise, if David - who was a human being and who was naturally prone to doing evil like everyone else (2 Sam. 11:1-27) - could fight a lion and a bear just to rescue his, how much more God? If David could not bear to see his helpless and defenceless sheep being killed by a lion or a bear, God cannot care less for His own sheep (John 3:16-18; Rom. 8:31-39). That is why the Bible says: "...When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him and put him to flight." Isa. 59:19 (Amp.). And Jesus personally assures us that nothing (including Satan and his demons) will be able to harm us (Luke 10:19). However, these promises and assurances are only for the sheep which refuse to wander away or to be independent of God. For God can only shepherd those believers who submit to Him and "resist" the devil by refusing to yield to his

temptations (James 4:4-8; 1 Pet. 5:8-9), rather than PHYSICALLY waging war against him (in what is erroneously termed "spiritual warfare"). This is because God knows that we cannot overcome him by our own might or power, and so He has done all that is necessary to liberate us (John 8:36; Col. 1:13). ' "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no-one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." ' John 10:27-29. See John 10:10; 1 John 3:8. This is the fulfilment of the prophecy given by Prophet Ezekiel of what God would do to liberate and restore His sheep as well as make them live in victory and safety under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. ' "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and make them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD... ' " '...I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken. ' " 'I will make a covenant of PEACE with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in SAFETY. I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in seasons; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslave them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no-one will make them afraid (John 8:36). I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are PEOPLE, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.' " ' Eze. 34:11-15, 23-31.

But it should be noted that Jesus Christ is the one referred to as "David" in that prophecy (Mark 10:47-48). This couldn't have literally referred to King David. For he had died before this prophecy was given. But before he died, David had the true concept of what it meant to have God as his shepherd. He knew that its implication was that all his physical and spiritual needs would be met by God including upholding his cause against his demonic and human enemies (Psalm 27:1-6). 'The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.' Psalm 23:1-6. David knew that with the Almighty God as his shepherd there was no need of fighting his own battles (Psalm 35:1-3), let alone fighting God's battles (Psalm 68:1-2). For he knew that only God could give him total victory over his enemies. ' "All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all." ' Isa. 41:11-12. Chapter Five PHYSICAL AGGRESSION The term "prayer warrior" was coined or born out of the fact that some Christians sincerely believe that we are literally at war with demons. For instance, a renowned man of God says, "... we are on a battlefield. There is a war going on... Prayer is not the preparation for the battle, prayer is the battle." But some of those who advocate physical aggression against demons in the name of prayer do so due to the misconception of a statement made by Jesus Christ. For he said: ' "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." ' Matt. 11:12 (NKJV). See also Luke 16:16. The word "violence" and the clause "... the violent take it by force" in KJV and NKJV are often taken to literally mean that believers have to be violent or physically aggressive against the devil. But what Jesus Christ actually meant was

that believers should endure persecutions (Matt. 10:17-39) so as not to become lukewarm (Matt. 24:9-13) or backslide (Luke 9:62; James 1:12). The note of "The NIV Study Bible" on the phrase "suffers violence" (NKJV) which is rendered as "forcefully advancing" in NIV (while the phrase "the violent" is rendered as "forceful men" in NIV) - in Matt. 11:12 is: 'The Greek here can be taken in either an active (NIV) or a passive sense. In this context its passive meaning would be, "suffering violent attacks." The term "forceful men," would be understood in a negative sense, "violent people." The verse would then emphasize the ongoing PERSECUTION of the people of the kingdom.' This shows that Matthew 11:12 is a verbatim translation of a Hebrew figure of speech into Greek and English. That is why the passage cannot be taken literally. For example, the phrase translated as "flesh and blood" in Gen. 29:14 (NIV) which means "relative" is actually rendered as "bone and flesh" in Hebrew (see KJV and "The NIV Study Bible"). That phrase would also have had a different meaning if it had been taken literally. This is because it is translated verbatim into English in KJV. An English equivalent of the Hebrew expression Jesus used in Matt. 11:12 is: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." This means that difficult situations require perseverance (Matt. 24:9-13; Rev. 2:10). That is why Paul and Barnabas encouraged their converts to be determined to enter the kingdom of God in spite of the hardship they were facing - just as Jesus prepared the minds of the apostles for the hardship and persecution they faced (Matt. 5:11-12; John 16:1-4). 'Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered round him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 'They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many HARDSHIPS to enter the kingdom of God," they said.' Acts 14:19-22. See also 2 Tim. 3:10-12; Rev. 2:9-10, 13. Just as he did to their converts in the above passage, Apostle Paul raised the awareness of the Ephesian Christians to the fact that they had to endure hardships and persecutions. He did this by reminding them that we "wrestle" (KJV) or "struggle" (NIV) against the devils - who are the brains behind most of the persecutions against true believers. (See the book entitled "The Battle Is Over" for detail discussion.) However, some believers take the word "wrestle" or "struggle" literally and use it as a basis for being violent or physically aggressive against evil spirits.

'Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of EVIL comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.' Eph. 6:10-18. The reason Apostle Paul encouraged the Ephesian Christians to "be strong in the Lord" and to "put on the full armour of God" was NOT to be able to physically fight or wrestle with demons. Instead, it was to be able to stand their ground (or remain in the faith) "when the day of evil comes" - that is, 'when persecution, hardship or trouble comes' (Rom. 8:35-39; Prov. 24:10). That is why Jesus Christ taught the apostles to always pray that God should deliver them from "evil" (Matt. 6:13 KJV and NIV) and NOT from "the evil one" as presumed by some scholars and translators of the Bible (see also Matt. 6:34 KJV and 26:41). Besides, the only component of "the armour of God" needed to "extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (if any) is "the shield of FAITH" not physical aggression or aggressive prayer. Dr. Rebecca Brown testified to this fact in chapter five of her book entitled "Becoming a Vessel of Honor". Towards the end of the chapter, she recounted the experience of a young man on the reality and effectiveness of "the armour of God," particularly "The Shield of Faith," in overcoming the devil and his demons. ' "T. G. was sleeping in the back of a van. In the middle of the night he was awakened with a jack when the back doors of the van blew open with tremendous force and he was sucked out of the van and landed on the ground about fifteen feet away. As he struggled to his feet, he was confronted with one of the demons who had been one of his spirit guides. The demon was in a physical manifestation and told T. G. that he was going to kill him. T. G. said that somehow he had hung unto his pillow when he was blown out of the van. He was so frightened that he could hardly think of what to say. He REBUKED the demon in the name of Jesus, but it just kept on coming at him. He said that then he remembered about the armour of God." ' "T. G. told me that he didn't have the faith to just stand there without anything in front of him, so he held up the pillow saying, 'See this, this is the shield of the

Lord. You cannot touch me because I am protected by Jesus.' " (See 1 John 5:18). ' "The demon just laughed and said, 'You think that little pillow is going to protect you from me? I'll show you!' " ' "Then the demon proceeded to reach out and claw at the pillow viciously. The pillow was torn to shreds, but the demon could not reach beyond it. Although T. G. could not see it, clearly there was a shield in front of him! Try as the demon might, he could not get through that invisible shield! After a few moments, he gave up and disappeared..." ' (Pages 89 and 90). God did not promise us that our enemies (demons) would not form weapons against us or try to harm us (Rev. 12:12, 17), but He did say that their weapons will not hurt us (Isa. 54:17; Luke 10:19). This is because we shall always be shielded by our faith in God or by God through our faith. (See the books entitled "The Battle Is Over" and "Divine Victory: Only for Those Who Believe" for detail discussion.) But the undaunted desire of man to be independent of God (which is from the devil) makes him to believe that he can overcome the devil by his own power or aggression through physically aggressive prayer (1 Sam. 2:9b). NB: The way Matt. 11:12 is rendered shows that it has been misunderstood by those Christians and ministers of God who use it as the basis for being physically aggressive against the devil and his demons these days. 'And from the days of John the Baptist until NOW the kingdom of heaven suffereth voilence, and the violent take it by force.' Matt. 11:12 (KJV). Because Jesus added "until now", he made it clear that what he was talking about took place between the time John the Baptist started his ministry and the time he (Jesus) made that statement. Some believers, however, presume that what Jesus said would always be applicable until his second coming. That is why Jesus went on to say how John the Baptist and himself were persecuted by the Jews of that generation (Matt. 11:16-19). It was that same generation that engineered the death of Jesus and that of many of his disciples (John 16:1-4; Acts 7:57-60; 12:1-3). But Christians of nowadays are no longer persecuted that way by the Jews in Israel. This shows that the persecution Jesus was talking about was the one that happened in their own time. Chapter Six EFFECTUAL, FERVENT PRAYER

The attitude of most prayer warriors during prayer (especially during what is called "warfare prayer") is generally violent and aggressive. This is born out of the misconception of what Apostle James said concerning the prayer life of Elijah as well as the wrong impression they have of the way Jesus Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane on the night he was arrested. 'Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 'Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 'And the PRAYER OF FAITH will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 'Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much. 'Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 'And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.' James 5:13-18 (NKJV). The inference many Christians draw from this passage is that it was the way Elijah prayed that made his prayers to be answered. And the general belief is that his prayer must have been "hot or violent or aggressive". In fact, the Yorubas (in south-western part of Nigeria) often translate "The effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous..." (KJV) as "... the (HOT) prayer of the righteous...", even though the word "hot" is not found in the Yoruba Bible. But NIV renders it as: "The prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man is POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE." The truth of the matter, therefore, is that the prayers of Elijah were not answered because he prayed aggressively (as many people presume), but because he was a righteous man with a great faith in God (Prov. 28:9; Heb. 11:6). For there was no trace of physical aggression in the way Elijah did pray. Unlike the prophets of Baal whose custom was to shout and slash themselves with sword and spears, hoping that by so doing Baal would answer them, Elijah was rather calm and articulate as he prayed to God (1 Kings 18:27-38). And when something was said concerning the way he prayed, it was not physically aggressive. 'And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ' "Go and look towards the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked.

' "There is nothing there," he said. 'Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." 'The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." 'So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' " 'Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.' 1 Kings 18:41-46. His posture might be slightly uncomfortable in the passage above, but it was definitely NOT violent or aggressive; nor did he shout at the top of his voice so that God might hear him. Instead, his posture was more or less a sign of submission and humility before God like that tax collector whom Jesus mentioned in a parable. He was too humble to look up to heaven (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee cited in the same parable was condemned before God not because of the sin he committed before coming into the presence of God, but because of the one he committed as a result of his attitude in prayer. The words "effectual" and "fervent" in KJV which are literally taken to mean "aggressive" or "hot" are alternatively rendered as "heartfelt" in The Amplified Bible. That explains why the prayer of Hannah was promptly answered by God. For she prayed "In bitterness of soul ... in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard." So Eli, who must have been an apostle of noisy, aggressive prayer, rebuked her, thinking she was drunk (1 Sam. 1:9-20). Apostle James made it clear that it is the PRAYER OF FAITH that will produce the desired results and not the prayer of aggression or violence (James 1:5-8; 5:15). This means that if one's prayer is not offered in faith, no matter how much physical aggression one puts into it, it will amount to a mere physical exercise (James 1:5-8; Heb. 11:6). And the only reason James made reference to the prayer life of Elijah was to encourage believers to demonstrate faith like Elijah did, since Elijah was a human being like us, and not an angel or a supernatural being from another world. Elijah was indeed a man of faith. For, by faith, he could hear the sound of a heavy rain, even before he began to pray. This shows that he believed, beyond reasonable doubt, that God would answer as soon as he prayed - whether the devil liked it or not. That is why he confidently told Ahab to go and celebrate by eating and drinking. And when he began to pray, he sent his servant to go and

see if clouds had started to form. And when a tiny cloud began to rise from the sea, Elijah stopped praying and started running so as not to be beaten by the rain that was going to fall. That was indeed a way of demonstrating a great faith. Also, the prayer of Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane was not a physically aggressive one, even though the Bible says the sweat that was coming out of his body was like drops of blood. 'Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.' Luke 22:39-44. The word "earnestly" in this passage cannot be taken to literally mean physical aggression just as in the case of Elijah. His prayer must have also been "heartfelt." For it is reported that he was in "anguish" or "agony" (NKJV). So the thickness of his sweat was not due to physical assertion (as many prayer warriors presume), but rather it must have been due to his mental agony or stress which resulted to profuse sweating. That is why the Bible says: 'he suffered (mental stress) when he was tempted.' Heb. 2:18 (Emphasis mine). See also Mark 14:34; John 12:27. The note of "The Dake Annotated Reference Bible" on the thickness of the sweat of Jesus in Luke 22:44 says: 'It is a recognized fact that under extreme mental pressure, the pores may be so dilated that the blood may issue from them, so that there may be bloody sweat. A number of cases are on record of such agony...' And the note of "The NIV Study Bible" on the same passage says:'Probably perspiration in large drops like blood, or possibly hematidrosis, the actual mingling of blood and sweat as in cases of extreme anguish, strain or sensitivity.' One other reason some prayer warriors feel that the more aggressive a prayer is (especially during a vigil) the quicker God will answer is that Jacob had to "wrestle" with God all-night before He answered his prayer and blessed him. 'That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."

'But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 'The man asked him, "What is your name?" ' "Jacob," he answered. 'Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 'Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." 'But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. 'So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." ' Gen. 32:22-30. The misconception here, however, is that it was not because Jacob wrestled with God all-night that made God bless him and save him from being attacked by Esau. Instead, it was because he prayed a prayer of supplication earlier that day - Gen. 32:9-12. [See the book entitled "Who Fights Your Battles? (If There Are Any)" for detail discussion on the efficacy of prayer of supplication.] God came in the form of a man at night to see whether Jacob truly was counting on His help or was depending on his own craftiness and devices (Gen. 32:6-8) - just as he tried to help himself before (Gen. 30:37-43; 31:10-12). But his refusal to let God go shows that he desperately needed the help of God. It is true that Jacob was desperate - he desperately needed the help of God so that his brother Esau would not kill him as he had threatened to do (Gen. 27:4). But it is wrong to conclude that because God appeared to Jacob as a man and physically wrestled with him all-night, we too must be physically aggressive towards God for our prayers to be answered (Isa. 45:9-10; Matt. 6:5-8). Instead, God wants us to always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1-8). After all, Jesus has assured all true Christians that whatever we ask in his name will be given to us (John 14:13-14; Luke 11:5-13; Rom. 8:31-32). The only condition is that one MUST ask in the name of Jesus Christ. The matter of being physically aggressive is a principle being "taught by men" (Matt. 15:7-9), and by which they take themselves captive (Hos. 4:6; John 8:32). 'See to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and basic principles of this world rather than on Christ... These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their HARSH treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (nor making any meaningful spiritual impact).' Col. 2:8, 22-23 (Emphasis mine).

So, always remember that it is written: ' "...'(It is) not by (your own) might nor by (your own) power, but by MY (own) Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." ' (Zech. 4:6), and 'So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.' (Rom. 9:16 NKJV). Chapter Seven THE PRINCIPLE OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE If the believer knows and understands the principle of spiritual warfare he will never feel threatened by the devil. Nor will he try to ward off spiritual attacks through physical aggression. Instead, he will trust God to always uphold his cause against the enemy. A spiritual warfare between two individuals is the warfare between their "spirit guides." A person's spirit guide is the spirit that is responsible for his guidance as well as his protection and safety. The outcome of a spiritual warfare is determined by the power of the spirits involved. Needless to say, the stronger spirit will always overcome the weaker one. That explains why spiritists and occultists seek for power by allowing powerful demons to possess them and thereby be their spirit guides. That is also why Jesus told his disciples that they would receive "power" after the Holy Spirit must have filled them (Acts 1:8: Luke 24:49). For the believers, the Holy Spirit is one and He is the Almighty Spirit. So there is no need for the believer to seek for more power by seeking for a more powerful spirit than the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:4). Unlike the believers who cannot fight themselves by sending the Holy Spirit to attack one another, the agents of the devil fight themselves by sending their spirit guides to attack one another. The person whose spirit guide is more powerful will win the battle. This fact is attested to by Elaine, who was formerly a highly placed witch in USA, and Iyke Nathan Uzorma, who was an Occult Grand Master in Nigeria. Elaine recounted her own experience on pages 47 and 48 of the book entitled "He Came to Set the Captives Free" by Rebecca Brown: 'I then began to have many battles with many witches. Battling is done in several ways. The most common is for the stronger witch to call the demons out of the weaker witch into herself, thus making her even stronger and often resulting in the destruction of the weaker because she no longer has the power to defend herself. Demons have no loyalties. They will always go to the stronger person. Satan's entire kingdom runs on the principle of competition; just the opposite of God's kingdom where everyone serves each other.

'Battling is rarely if ever done on a physical plane, although witches do often use demons to destroy the physical body of a weaker witch. There was one witch in particular who attacked me. Her name is Sarah. I tried to explain to her that if she did not leave me alone I would have to destroy her. She did not believe me and finally we entered into full battle. What I saw was absolutely horrifying. I saw her grow weaker and weaker as I called demon after demon out of her and into myself. At first her demons fought back and I felt my own body being lifted up, thrown against walls, my throat being strangled without the sight of a physical hand. But what she saw was Mann-Chan and Ri-Chan (the spirit guides of Elaine) and many other demons coming against her. They were tearing her body apart. She finally realized that I was truly the chosen one, that I was to be the high priestess and that she had lost the battle. 'She withdrew in time to live and I thank God for that. She ended up in the hospital for quite some time as a result of the injuries she sustained in the battle...' Iyke Nathan Uzorma narrated his own experience on pages 123 to 126 in his book entitled "Occult Grand Master Now in Christ." 'For instance, there was a certain lady highly advanced in the art of BLACK WITCHCRAFT, who had both male and female private parts in the realm of witchcrafts. This lady came and lived with me for nine months, but throughout this period I did not have sex with her. Her plan was to lure me into marriage with her; whilst my spirit wife did not like her. This lady was initiated into Black Witchcraft by her mother when she was two months old. 'Consequently, this lady and my spirit wife fought greatly in the realm of demons. Because of this I was not happy with the girl, so I advanced higher esoteric manipulations against her beyond all the levels of Black Witchcraft. I projected ten astral spirits against the lady and within five days they manipulated her to fight her senior brother. During this fight, her senior brother mysteriously cut-off the totality of her right ear, in fulfillment of my wickedness and manipulations. This poor witch has one ear now... 'Any kingdom divided against itself can not stand, and because the kingdom of Satan is divided against itself it becomes evident that Satan and his kingdom has an end. Thus, from time to time spirits and human agents of the Occult Kingdoms engage themselves in spiritual battle against one another. For instance, after I had used higher manipulations to cut off the ear of that lady, she reported this to the highest Black Witchcraft Council in Benin City, Nigeria. 'The day that this council met against me in Benin City, Sat Gopinatha (his spirit guide) also visited me and fully materialized in my sanctum as a person and we talked together. This was around 2 a.m. After we had talked, we finally decided to use the opportunity to directly observe the operations of this witchcraft council against me.

'I came out with Sat Gopinatha and we projected and stood in the space between the land and the sky above my mystical sanctum, from there we observed the executives of the witches. Because they were not happy that we illegally observed them, they all gathered to fight us. Of course they were not aware that we considered them as little forces. 'As soon as the witches gathered, I pretended to be running away, while Sat Gopinatha vanished from sight. This made the Black Witches to advance against me thinking that I would be captured. Finally, I stopped in the Oba Market and this was where we fought at last. Their leader came to me, then I transformed myself and manifested greater occult powers. 'At this point Sat Gopinatha appeared again with millions of astral spirits and they joined me to totally subdue the Black Witches. This led to the physical death of many witches in Benin City as at that time. 'Few months later the Black Witchcraft Executive Council of West Africa requested that I should appear before them and defend my "acts of wickedness against fellow brothers and sisters." To this end, I met them during their council meeting held at the meeting point of Upper Igun Street and 3rd East Circular Road, Benin City. 'The witches who attended this meeting came in different forms of beasts, birds, serpents, etc. This meeting was chaired by their leader who was a strong female witch from Uromi, Edo State of Nigeria. In this meeting their leader spoke to me in anger and said: "Don't you know we can kill you now?" 'This question greatly provoked me to the extent that I transformed into a wild beast (Lion) with greater powers unknown to the witches. When they saw me thus transformed; they started pleading: "Master, please don't kill us." I did not kill the rest but I killed their leader, whilst she died physically after 21 days.' The only way a person with a weaker spirit guide can be "delivered" from the oppression of someone with a stronger spirit guide is by appeasing his oppressor or seeking for the help of someone with a more powerful spirit guide than that of his oppressor. That is why when someone who is under the attack of a witch (a sorcerer, a familiar spirit - ogbanje, a marine spirit or an occultist) goes to a witch doctor for help, the witch doctor will find out, through the oracle or divination, who is behind the attack and how powerful the person's spirit guide is. If the witch doctor is more powerful than the witch, he will tell her to stop oppressing his client. But if the witch refuses to comply, he will engage her in a spiritual battle and subdue her. If the battle does not result in her death, she will stop oppressing his client because of her defeat. If the witch, however, is stronger than the witch doctor, he will appeal to her to release his client. If she

accepts his pleas, she will tell him what she wants (if she wants anything). That is why, more often than not, the witch doctor performs one form of sacrifice or the other to appease the witch. Even then, the witch may decide to attack the person again after some time or another witch may decide to afflict that person with the same problem. That is why the relief one gets from this kind of arrangement is usually temporary. This principle is recorded in the Bible when Balak hired Balaam to place a curse on the Israelites. The implication of this is that Balak wanted Balaam to invoke a powerful spirit that would weaken or paralyse the Israelites so that Balak would then be able to defeat them. 'Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites. 'The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." 'So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the river, in his native land. Balak said: ' "A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed." 'The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for DIVINATION. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said. ' "Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring back the answer the LORD gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him. 'God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" 'Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.' " 'But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."

'The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you." 'So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us." 'Then Balak sent another princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. They came to Balaam and said: ' "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything to keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me." 'But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the LORD will tell me." 'That night God came to speak with Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I will tell you." ' Num. 22:220. See also Gen. 20:1-18; 31:22-29, 42; Dan. 10:12-14, 20; Zech. 3:1-2; Matt. 2:1-12; 27:19, 24; Jude 1:9. Because God came to speak with Balaam and because Balaam called Him his God, some Bible scholars presume that Balaam was a true prophet of God. But the truth is that Balaam was a sorcerer and a polytheist (Num. 24:1 NIV; Joshua 13:22). That is why when he received the message of Balak, he tried to find out, through divination, whether he would be able to place a curse on Israel or not. Or if their spirit guide, Jehovah, could be bribed or persuaded, through sacrifices, to work against Israel. God, however, chose to speak with Balaam not because of his divination, but because He wanted him to know that He, the Almighty God, was the "Spirit Guide" of Israel and that He would not allow Balaam to curse them. And having realized that he could not overcome their "Spirit Guide" with his own spirits and that God was not willing to betray Israel, he refused to go and do what Balak wanted. When Balak sent another set of princes with a tempting offer, Balaam decided to see if God would change His mind. And because God knew that Balaam wanted to go because of the offer, He decided to let him go. But God warned him to do only what He told him. Balaam, however, had the intention of placing a curse on the Israelites in order to get the reward Balak had promised him (2 Pet. 2:15). Balaam did not know that God tried to stop him from going so that He would not have to contend with him and kill him for trying to put a curse on His servants

(Isa. 59:19). So, while on his way to Moab, God did what He would naturally have done to anyone who tried to send evil spirits to attack Israel - He wanted to kill Balaam. But his donkey saved his life three times by avoiding the angel of the LORD sent to kill him. And when Balaam eventually saw the angel and realized how his donkey had saved his life, he repented and wanted to turn back. God, however, permitted him to go, but He warned him to speak only what He told him (Num. 22:21-35). And on getting to Moab, Balaam offered several sacrifices which normally would have been a means of invoking powerful demons (Deut. 32:17; 1 Cor. 10:20). But on each of those occasions, no demon dared to appear, let alone contend with God and oppress the Israelites (James 2:19). Instead, it was God who came to speak with Balaam. And in place of curses, He put blessings in the mouth of Balaam (Deut. 23:3-5; Neh. 13:2). This shows that God is faithful. He can always be counted on to protect His servants from every demonic plot against them (Luke 10:19b; 2 Thess. 3:3 NIV; 1 John 5:18 NIV). That explains why, instead of living in fear and spending sleepless nights fretting or engaging the devil in a manner that is physically aggressive, David put his trust in God for his protection and safety (Psalm 4:8). And that was because his prayer had always been: 'To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.' Psalm 25:1-2. David knew and believed, beyond every reasonable doubt, that if God, his "Spirit Guide," did not allow his enemies to triumph over him and if He did not hand him over to the desire of his foes, then he had no cause to fear or fret: 'The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident... Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes...' Psalm 27:1-3, 12a. So, instead of personally fighting demons physically, a true Christian should always depend on God for his protection and safety. And he should always pray like David did: 'Lord Jesus, please do not let my enemies triumph over me and do not hand me over to the desire of my foes.' (John 14:14; Zech. 3:1-5). More so, see the book entitled Who Fights Your Battles? (If There Any) for how to pray in order to easily overcome God-ordained or self-induced attacks from the devil and his agents. Chapter Eight FAITH TONIC

In order to help your faith to grow and to ensure that you do not fight your own battles by using your own might and power, you could appropriate the protection of God over yourself by using one or both of the following scriptural methods: 1. Submissive Sheep This method is based on the relationship between a sheep and the shepherd. A sheep can be self-reliant and independent of the shepherd or submissive to the shepherd. Only a sheep that is submissive to the leadership of the shepherd can fully enjoy the favour and protection of the shepherd (John 10:27-29, 10-14). So, you should always visualize yourself as a real helpless lamb and Jesus Christ as your Almighty Shepherd, knowing fully well that He is much greater and more caring than David - who risked his own life to rescue his sheep from a lion and a bear (1 Sam. 17:34-35). That is when God can fulfill His promise to shepherd you as outlined in Ezekiel 34. His responsibilities include the following. 1. He will look after you (34:11; Psalm 23:1-6). 2. He will rescue you if, as a result of your self-reliance or ignorance in the past, you have been taken captive (34:12). 3. He will restore you to your rightful place and/or possession in Christ Jesus (34:13; Psalm 23:3a). 4. He will supply all your needs (34:16b). 5. If you have backslid, He will bring you back to faith (34:16a; Psalm 23:3b). 6. He will heal and strengthen you (34:16b). 7. He will uphold your cause against other believers who persecute you (34:16b17, 20-22). A note of warning here is that you should examine yourself or consider your ways and repent of the sin of persecuting fellow believers - if you are guilty of this sin. God is just. He will never let you go unpunished, except you repent sincerely (Prov. 28:13; 1 John 1:9) - see the book entitled "How to Make God Fight Your Physical Battles" for detail discussion. 8. He will make sure that you are always at peace by driving away all the wild animals (which symbolize the devil and his demons) and keep them far away from you (34:25, 27b-28; Psalm 23:5).

At this juncture, you should always visualize the Lord Jesus Christ standing guard and fighting on your behalf like He did for David. See Him contending with those who try to contend with you; fighting against those who try to fight against you; taking up shield and buckler; arising and coming to your aid with brandish spear and javelin against those who try to pursue you (Psalm 35:1-8). Also, see Him triumphing over them and making a public spectacle of them, as usual, while you stand and watch - far from their reach and oppression or attack (Col. 2:1415). 9. He will bless every area of your life (34:26-27a; Psalm 23:6a), and 10. He will make sure that you no longer suffer or experience hardship and oppression as you used to (34:29; Psalm 23:4). This means that you should entrust Him with your life (Prov. 3:5-6) and sincerely believe that He is always working for your good in all circumstances (Rom. 8:28). Hence, you should always thank Him and glorify Him for everything He allows to come your way like Job did (Isa. 45:7; 1 Thess. 5:18; Job 1:20-22; 2:9-10). However, see the book entitled "Who Fights Your Battles? (If There Are Any)" for how to pray and easily overcome God-ordained trials. 2. Armour of God 'Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground,...' Eph. 6:13. You should always visualize that you are fully kitted from head to toe with the armour of God. Even though you may not see the armour, as in the case of T. G. (the young man whose experience was recounted by Rebecca Brown), always believe and confess that you are shielded. And so, no demon can hurt you, provided you do not try to wage war against him by your own might or power or by using physically aggressive prayer like T.G. tried to. That is why the Bible says: 'A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.' Prov. 22:3. See also Prov. 27:12.