Answer

Answer 1 ) HEALING PROMISE TO CLAIM:HEALING PROMISE TO CLAIM: And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. (Exodus 23:25) HEALING PROMISE TO CLAIM: My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:20-23) 2 ) In First Corinthians 15:40, Paul speaks of this division of natural and spiritual. He says there is a natural (terrestrial) body and there is a spiritual (celestial) body. All men have a natural body which lives in the natural world, but man is also a spiritual being with an eternal soul and spirit. Man is body, soul, and spirit. Your spiritual being (soul and spirit) is part of a spiritual world just as your natural body is part of the natural world. 3 ) IrWithin the natural and spiritual realms of which we are speaking there exists separate kingdoms which are ruled by natural and spiritual leaders. NATURAL KINGDOMS: All men live in a natural kingdom of this world. They live in a city or village which is part of a nation. That nation is a kingdom of the world. A natural kingdom is a territory or people over which an actual king or political leader is the sovereign ruler. The Bible speaks of these natural kingdoms as "kingdoms of the world." The kingdoms of the world have come under the power and influence of Satan: Again, the Devil taketh Him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:8-9) John 5:19 sadly reminds us that "the whole world is under the control of the evil one." SPIRITUAL KINGDOMS: In addition to the natural kingdoms of this world there are two spiritual kingdoms: The Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom Of God. Every person alive is a resident of one of these two kingdoms. The Kingdom of Satan consists of Satan, spiritual beings called demons, and all men who live in sin and rebellion to God's Word. These, plus the world and the flesh, are the spiritual forces of evil at work in the world today. The Kingdom of God consists of God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, spiritual beings called angels, and all men who live in righteous obedience to God's Word. These are the spiritual forces of good.chapter 3) where Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin. This resulted in all men inheriting the basic sin nature and committing individual acts of sin due to this nature: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Romans 5:12) It also resulted in the invisible war between man and the forces of evil: And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman (mankind), and between thy seed (the forces of evil) and her seed (the forces of good represented by the Lord Jesus Christ)... (Genesis 3:15) Because of sin, man was separated from God and condemned to death. This death was the spiritual death of separation from God. It was also physical death, for when man sinned Satan entered the genetic system with the curses of sickness and disease. But God loved man so much that He made a special plan to save him from sin: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17) Through belief in Jesus, confession and repentance from sin, men and women can be released from the power of the enemy. The death and resurrection of Jesus not only resulted in salvation from sin, it also defeated the enemy, Satan: ... For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8) But if Satan is defeated, why does the war still rage? Why do we still see evil in the world around us? Why are we tempted by sin and attacked by sickness? In the natural world, following any war there are always pockets of enemy resistance. These are rebellious troops that will not give up until forced to do so. Although Jesus defeated Satan, we are living in territory which is still occupied by enemy resistance forces. Understanding spiritual warfare strategies gives us the ability to deal with these evil powers. Satan is trying to keep men captive in sin. Through deceptive methods he is enticing men and women to sinful living. He aims for the affections of the soul and spirit which rightfully belong to God. He also targets the body to destroy it with sickness and disease:The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Satan still wants to be the supreme ruler. He is waging an intense battle for the body, soul, and spirit of man. His strategies are directed at God, His plan, and His people 4 ) It also resulted in the invisible war between man and the forces of evil: And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman (mankind), and between thy seed (the forces of evil) and her seed (the forces of good represented by the Lord Jesus Christ)... (Genesis 3:15) Because of sin, man was separated from God and condemned to death. This death was the spiritual death of separation from God. It was also physical death, for when man sinned Satan entered the genetic system with the curses of sickness and disease. But God loved man so much that He made a special plan to save him from sin: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17) Through belief in Jesus, confession and repentance from sin, men and women can be released from the power of the enemy. The death and resurrection of Jesus not only resulted in salvation from sin, it also defeated the enemy, Satan: ... For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8) But if Satan is defeated, why does the war still rage? Why do we still see evil in the world around us? Why are we tempted by sin and attacked by sickness? In the natural world, following any war there are always pockets of enemy resistance. These are rebellious troops that will not give up until forced to do so. Although Jesus defeated Satan, we are living in territory which is still occupied by enemy resistance forces. Understanding spiritual warfare strategies gives us the ability to deal with these evil powers. Satan is trying to keep men captive in sin. Through deceptive methods he is enticing men and women to sinful living. He aims for the affections of the soul and spirit which rightfully belong to God. He also targets the body to destroy it with sickness and disease:The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Satan still wants to be the supreme ruler. He is waging an intense battle for the body, soul, and spirit of man. His strategies are directed at God, His plan, and His people.The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Satan still wants to be the supreme ruler. He is waging an intense battle for the body, soul, and spirit of man. His strategies are directed at God, His plan, and His people. 5 ) Spiritual warfare is the analysis of and an active participation in the invisible spiritual war. It includes study of the opposing forces of good and evil, the strategies of Satan, and spiritual strategies for overcoming the enemy. Spiritual warfare is more than a mere analysis of spiritual principles. It includes active participation in warfare by application of these strategies in life and ministry. One of the most effective strategies of Satan is to keep believers ignorant of his devices. Paul said it is important to know Satan's strategies... Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (II Corinthians 2:11) We should learn all we can about Satan's strategies of attack. We must also understand the Scriptural basis of victory over Satan and the forces of evil. We are called to intelligent combat. Basic to the understanding of spiritual warfare is this key principle: You must recognize that all battles of life, whether physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, financial or with human personalities are only outward manifestations of a spiritual cause. Although in the natural world problems may seem to occur through the circumstances of life, the basis of these natural battles is in the spirit world. Read the story of Job which confirms this principle (Job chapters 1-2). We have tried to correct the evils of this world through medicine, education, legislation, and improved environment. It has not worked because the visible evils of the world are the results of an underlying spiritual cause. They cannot be corrected by natural means. TO WHICH KINGDOM DO YOU BELONG? In the natural world a king is the sovereign ruler of a kingdom. All the territory and people in the kingdom belong to him. He has the power of life and death over his subjects. The same is true in the spiritual world. You are either part of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Satan. Either God or Satan has power over your life. 6 ) 7 ) 8 ) spiritual warfare is just that--spiritual--it must be understood with a spiritual mind. In our natural, sinful state we cannot understand spiritual things: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (I Corinthians 2:14) It is necessary to use spiritual discernment to understand spiritual things. Perhaps one of the best examples of natural and spiritual discernment is recorded in II Kings chapter 6. It is the story of a natural battle in which troops of the enemy nation of Syria had surrounded a small town called Dothan where the prophet Elisha was staying. When Elisha's servant, Gehazi, saw the great host of the enemy he became fearful. Elisha prayed that God would open Gehazi's spiritual eyes so he could see the angelic hosts surrounding and protecting them. On this occasion, God actually opened Gehazi's natural eyes and allowed him to visibly see the superior forces of God aligned for battle. The story of this battle at Dothan is similar to present spiritual conditions in the Church. There are some, like Elisha, who see clearly into the realm of the spirit. They know there is a conflict occurring, have identified the enemy, and recognize the greater forces of God that assure victory. There are others like Gehazi who, with a little encouragement, will be able to open their spiritual eyes and no longer be fearful of and defeated by the enemy. But sadly, there are many people who, like those in the city of Dothan, are spiritually sleeping. They do not even know that the enemy has surrounded them and is poised for attack hi s subjects. The same is true in the spiritual world. You are either part of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Satan. Either4God or Satan has power over your life.INTRODUCTIONAnd ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. (Exodus 23:25) INTRODUCTION