Militant Evangelism! (7 page)

I walked headlong into Doubting Castle and right into the very arms of Giant Despair. What if they were right? What if the experience was of
satan
? I had led my friends into something demonic, thinking that it was of God! I had never known depression like it in my life.
Of course Giant Despair whispered suicide, which, like Christian and Hope, I would have considered, but for the fear of God.
I would go to sleep at night horrified that I would wake up in the morning in the same state. In the morning I was exactly the same. I would go to meetings and find that the singing would lift me somewhat out of my despair, so I recorded the singing and played it to myself at home. That didn't help. I was truly in a dark, nasty, stinking cell.

A number of weeks passed before I found that key of promise in my breast. I didn't doubt the reality of the experience I had been
through,
I just doubted the source of it. I thought that God had let me ask Him for something, and let
satan
enter me as some sort of twisted trick. The thought wasn't exactly a compliment to my Heavenly Father.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that I had grievously insulted God, and cried out to God for forgiveness. Then I turned to the father of lies, who had so deceived me and stolen my joy, and said, "Satan, it is written, '
These
signs shall follow those who believe ... they shall speak with new tongues.'" I thrust that two-edged bayonet right into his evil eye ... and he hasn't bothered me with that line of attack since!

Look at how Christian utilized his sword in that great classic publication,
Pilgrim's Progress:

"Then
Apollyon
, (a name for
satan
meaning "destroyer") espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful fall; and with that Christian's sword fell out of his hand. Then said
Apollyon
, I am sure of thee now. And with that he had almost pressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life. But, as God would have it, as
Apollyon
was setting his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly reached out his hand for his sword, and caught it, saying, Rejoice not against me O mine enemy! When I fall I shall arise!
and
with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian perceiving that, made at him again, saying,
Nay
, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
And with that,
Apollyon
spread forth his dragon wings, and sped him away, so that Christian saw him no more."

Soldier of Christ, throw away your
sheath,
it is not part of your
armor
. Strap the two-edged sword firmly in your hand. The book of Revelation describes the glorified Jesus by saying,"... and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword."

The way to keep the sword on hand is to have it in your mouth. In Jeremiah Chapter 1, God told the prophet not to speak words of fear. God then put His words in the mouth of Jeremiah, and in Chapter 5 we are given a development report of his transformation: " . . . thus says the Lord God of Hosts: 'Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.'" God wants us to speak His word. In Genesis Chapter 1, God did not
think
"Let there be light," He
spoke
the Word. When Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus, He did not
think,
"Lazarus, come forth," He spoke the word. He said, "My words are spirit, they are life." He said, "Marvel not at this; but the hour is coming when all that are in their graves shall hear His
voice."

There is power to create in the Word of God. When the light of the Word is spoken, the darkness of the enemy must vanish. An elderly Presbyterian minister told me that in the First World War soldiers would come to him in tears, gripped by fear before a battle. He would read Psalm 91 to them and watch the fear vanish. Look at the wording: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will
say
of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust."

The Psalmist didn't just think, he said! Hebrews 13:6 says the same thing: "So that we may boldly
say:
The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" If the enemy's strategy is to put a blockade in your path, speak to it: "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whosoever
says
to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he
says
will come to pass, he will have whatever he
says."
(Mark 11:22-23)

The enemy may have you in a place where there seems to be no hope. Like David, you feel that the enemy is about to "swallow you up." Then speak the Word boldly in the face of the enemy, grip the sword, flash it about like livid lightning, then thrust it at the enemy, you "mighty man of
valor
."—"And take ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

Last But Not Least

The last of the weapons which accompany the
armor
of God mentioned in Ephesians Chapter 6, is the power of prayer. This is referred to in the KJV as "all prayer." Prayer is the line of communication we have with Headquarters. It is by that line that we send for supplies for the troops—ammunition, food, medical aid, etc. This is why it is essential to keep the communication line open, free from interference, from satanic static. Sin interferes with earth to Heaven communication.

Prayer is our lifeline to God, and it is evident that He is calling His Church to prayer—the kind of prayer that will storm the very gates of Hell in the Spirit realm.
The kind of prayer that will stand firmly on the blood-bought promises of the New Covenant.
We need world-wide revival in the Church that will boil over into the world! We need to call the things that "are not, as though they were," to look at the things that are not seen; to follow in the footsteps of Abraham, who "staggered not at the promise of God, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform." Revival is God's will. He is not willing that any perish; He wants
all
to "come to
a knowledge
of the truth." Therefore we can with confidence pursue God for men, then in urgent zeal, pursue men for God.

Prayer is the key to every revival in history. Prayer is the key behind every preacher used by God in the past. For the soldier of Christ, true prayer should be a way of life, not just a call for help in the heat of battle. This message is made very clear in Scripture: Ephesians 6:18: "Praying always
... ,
"

Colossians 4:2: "Continue in prayer
... ,
" 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray without ceasing," Romans 12:2: "...
Continuing steadfast in prayer."

Hudson Taylor, the great missionary, said: "The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty works of Divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, 'Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'" It has been said that he who is a stranger to prayer, will also be a stranger to power. We need to seek God for the anointing which breaks the hard hearts of Hell-bound sinners. Hardly a day goes by when I don't beseech God for wisdom. Oh how I want the wisdom of God. The Scriptures say, "He that begets wisdom loves his own soul." If you have wisdom from above, you will save souls. If you have wisdom you will never say or do anything wrong. If you have wisdom, you will see all the traps set by the enemy, you will encourage other Christians with insights from the Word, and you will cut sinners to the heart with the wisdom of God.

We need such an anointing on our preaching that men will weep in a sense of their own sinfulness. When I speak of the "anointing," I am not meaning "power" ministries—those with much show but have little conviction of sin. I am speaking of that anointing that elevates the holiness of God, that is faithful to preach sin, Law, righteousness, holiness, judgment, and Christ crucified.

God loves His children coming to Him in the intimate communion of prayer. The Scriptures tell us, "The prayer of the upright is His delight." Let us never face a day in battle until we have faced the Father in prayer. John Bunyan said, "Prayer is a shield to the soul, a delight to God, and a scourge to
satan
." Satan trembles when he sees the feeblest Christian on his knees. How utterly convicting are the words of Martin Luther: "I have so much to do (today) that I should spend the first three hours in prayer." Of course, Martin was a monk, and therefore had the time to spend in prayer, but we can see the principle of what he was saying—"Seek first the Kingdom of God."

May each of us catch a glimpse of the power and the authority God's children have through prayer. We are privileged in having "whatsoever" we say. Obviously this doesn't include that which James says we want "to consume upon our own lusts" (James 4:3), but that which is in the will of God for us as His children. The reality of this authority was so clearly demonstrated in the following incident. I had just finished speaking at a Christian
camp,
and in closing, asked how many were not "filled with the Holy Spirit" and yet wanted to be. Eight put up their hands. I then said without any deep thought:
“I sanctify this area of the floor, in the name of Jesus,"
and pointed to a specific portion of the floor. In Leviticus 27:16-22, the Scriptures speak of certain individuals "sanctifying" areas of the ground. The word is "
qadash
," and means to "pronounce as clean"—to "hallow" something. The Bible uses the word a total of 70 times, and I am convinced that when a certain thing is sanctified in the name of Jesus, God listens.

I then said to the group, "We are going to have a mini-Pentecost, right here!" and pointed to that same area. The eight came forward. Six stood where I indicated, and two stood to the left. The minute we began to pray, the six who stood where I indicated were immediately filled with the Spirit, and the two that stood to the left were not. I saw what was happening and pulled one across to where it was all happening, but it was too late ... they had missed the boat. God means what he says. He says that we are ambassadors. That means that we will be backed up by God in what we say
,
if what we say is pleasing in His sight. Satan knows this and seeks to stop you and
I
seeing the authority we have in Christ. Don't be afraid to exercise that authority by sanctifying your children, home, land, or even your car. God told Israel to sanctifying themselves, their firstborn, and even the ground around Mount Sinai before He gave them the Law. After this incident at the camp, I have always sanctified planes I travel on. As the engines roar on the runway, I say, "I sanctify this plane as a vehicle to transport
Your
servant to do

Your will, in the name of Jesus."
Look at the context of this scripture:

"If
satan
has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man's house and spoil his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house" (Mark 3:26-27).

Jesus is talking about the enemy. He is speaking about the one who has taken sinners "captive, to do his will." One way to bind the
satan's
power over something, is to sanctify it, to set it apart as holy, then we may spoil his goods.

We are stronger than the enemy because our strength is not our own:
"The Lord
is my strength and my shield" ..."Be strong
in the Lord
and in the power of
His
might." When we submit to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us. The key is to live in that place of continual submission, sanctified to the Father and His will.

Within the very cartridge of prayer are the explosive forces of faith:

1.    The name of Jesus (which brings terror to the enemy).