Posts Tagged ‘spiritual warfare’
The Great Grace Escape: Exposing the False Security of the Unconsecrated Life
There is a terrifying theological virus actively infecting the modern American church, and it is leaving millions of believers entirely unprepared for eternity. We have entered an era where the grace of God has been tragically weaponized to excuse a lifestyle of relentless compromise, spiritual apathy, and casual commitment. We have constructed an unbiblical salvation equation that promises all the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven while demanding absolutely zero surrender to the King.
Let’s be aggressively, unapologetically direct: We have traded the cross for a comfortable couch, and we are loving an entire generation straight into eternal damnation.
We look at our crowded lobbies, our massive budgets, and our highly polished weekend programs, and we congratulate ourselves on our “ministry success”. We have told an entire generation that a quick, emotionally driven prayer at an altar twenty years ago serves as an unconditional guarantee of their eternal security, regardless of how they live the rest of their lives. This is a deadly, historic deception. True grace is not a license to tolerate sin; it is the divine, blood-bought empowerment to violently conquer it.
The Anatomy of an Intellectual Contract
To understand why our regions remain entirely locked under brass heavens—and why we continue to see zero out of the 19,000+ municipalities in America experiencing an enduring, city-wide move of God—we must look directly at our personal and corporate altars. We have fallen prey to a consumer-driven salvation equation. We have reduced salvation to a simple transactional event—an intellectual contract that guarantees an escape from Hell—rather than a lifelong, agonizing, and glorious process of dying to ourselves.
Jesus never offered a casual, convenient version of discipleship. He demanded everything. He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”.
Taking up a cross is not a metaphor for a bad day or a difficult relationship; it is an instrument of execution. It means your personal agendas, your fleshly desires, and your pursuit of worldly comfort are brought to a violent end so that the life of Christ can be manifested in you. When we preach a grace that requires no transformation, we are preaching a counterfeit gospel. True, biblical love is a burning, holy, jealous force that refuses to leave us in our brokenness. Anything less than a total surrender to His Lordship is a mockery of the price He paid.
In the book, Staying Saved, the severity of this ongoing journey is unmasked with absolute clarity:
“The modern church has largely adopted a false grace message that effectively removes the necessity of ongoing repentance, holiness, and the fear of the Lord. We have forgotten that we are interacting with a holy, consuming fire. Enduring to the end requires holiness. It requires hunger. It demands an uncompromising pursuit of the King of Kings. If we assume our past decisions grant us immunity while we live in open compromise, we are walking blindly into deep delusion.”
The Terror of the Wedding Garment
The Apostle Paul did not view his salvation as an excuse to relax. He operated with a holy urgency, declaring, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified”. He exhorted the church to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”.
Where is the fear and trembling in the church today? In Matthew 22, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast. When the king comes in to look at the guests, he spots a man who has no wedding garment. The king asks him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?”. The man was speechless, and the king ordered him to be bound and cast into outer darkness. Jesus concludes the parable with a chilling warning: “For many are called, but few are chosen”.
This is a sobering reality that should drive us straight to our knees in the prayer room. It is entirely possible to accept the invitation, walk into the banquet hall, and still be cast out because we refused to put on the required garment of righteousness and holy devotion. Like the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25, it is entirely possible to fall asleep, let your oil run dry, and find the door to the marriage feast shut in your face. Yesterday's encounters will not sustain you in the midnight cry. The oil of the Spirit must be forged daily through hours of hidden, agonizing, and glorious surrender in the secret place.
Awakening the Remnant to Warfare
What is the only appropriate response to the terrifying reality of eternity? It is the prayer room. When the terror of the Lord falls upon a city, the prayer rooms will reopen, and they will be flooded with fire-breathing intercessors. We must transition from a people who ask God for personal blessings to a holy military that weeps between the porch and the altar for the souls of our region.
We must stop praying our own good ideas and start aggressively enforcing the burning mandates of the Holy Spirit. If you are only praying when you feel emotionally inspired, you are playing a dangerous game. The enemy thrives in atmospheres of casual, convenient commitment.
Let the hidden games of compromise come to a violent, immediate end. It is time to abandon the false grace movement and reject the seeker-sensitive models that coddle the flesh. Raise a standard of absolute holiness in your home, your media intake, and your city. The harvest is waiting, but they will not be won by a compromised, casual church. Let the remnant arise, let the tears fall, and let the fire of true, unceasing intercession consume us once again.
Are you ready to endure to the end?
Go Deeper & Partner With Us:
Are you ready to break free from the trap of a compromised, powerless grace message and discover the raw intensity of biblical salvation? Equip your spirit for the front lines by downloading the complete digital versions of these critical resources completely free right now:
- Staying Saved: Discover the absolute necessity of enduring to the end through radical submission and holiness. Download free: www.revivalx.tv/saved
- The Terror of Hell: Understand the eternal stakes of the hour we live in. Download free: www.revivalx.tv/hell
If your heart burns for true, structural reformation and you want to lock shields with us on the front lines to preach the full counsel of God, please consider partnering with the ongoing mission of Revival X. You can support the ministry here: www.burton.tv/donate
Sources & Citations for this Article:
- Staying Saved (Book by John Burton): Sourced for the core theological framework surrounding the necessity of enduring to the end, working out salvation with fear and trembling, and the dangers of the wedding feast garment compromise.
- The Salvation Equation (Ebook by John Burton): Sourced for the prophetic confrontation of the unbiblical grace message and the danger of treating salvation as a casual, transactional event.
- The Terror of Hell (Book by John Burton): Sourced for the structural urgency regarding the absolute reality of eternal separation from God and the need to restore the fear of the Lord.
Content Transparency: The material presented in this article is 100% sourced from the proprietary writings, books, and hundreds of online articles by John Burton. AI technology was employed exclusively to assist in the compilation and drafting of this text based on those original teachings.
PASTORS GO THROUGH HELL
Burnout, suicidal thoughts, demonic attack and despair plague many in the ministry.
Few understand what pastors and church leaders go through. The pressure and warfare is so intense that many are leaving the ministry.
After considering all that I'm about to share, which is a small glimpse into an even greater problem, I want to encourage you to rally around your leaders like you never have.
ELEVEN REASONS PASTORS ARE IN CRISIS
- 18% have considered ending their lives in the past year.
The weight of ministry is so extreme that one in five pastors have contemplated ending it all within the past twelve months.
- Spiritual warfare is indescribable.
Especially for those who are advancing with passion and anointing, church leaders often find themselves in a spiritual vortex that can't be easily understood or stopped.
Due to their authority in the spirit, invisible entities target them and attack relentlessly. Nightmares are common, yet not anywhere near the most severe of their experiences.
Irrational, suffocating fear can strike at any moment. Despair, hopelessness and terror can grip them. Actual visitations of demonic spirits are not rare. Supernaturally-initiated anxiety can drive them near mad.
Satan's assault is crafty, continual and impossible to understand in the natural.
- Ministry often causes crisis in the family.
It's very common for spouses and children to resent and even resist the call of ministry due to the unfair burdens they often have to bear.
People often try to get to the pastor through the spouse. The manipulation, demands, accusations and even well-meaning discussions typically end up spinning wives out. They barely recover, if they do at all, by the following Sunday.
This tension is extremely difficult to navigate for many church leaders. The call to ministry is from God, very intense and not to be taken lightly. Of course, the call to minister to their family comes first, but this tug-of-war can wear leaders and their families down to the point of depression, or worse.
- Betrayal can be devastating.
Did you know that pastors are often ready to quit and that their wives (if not themselves as well) can erupt in tears for weeks or months when people leave the church or cause trouble? Of course not. They put on a smile and plow through. You never see it.
Of course, people rarely leave churches in a healthy way. The trail of destruction in their wake can destroy a church, and the pastor and his family live in constant concern that the ministry might suddenly collapse.
When people they have supported, prayed for, encouraged, given leadership positions to and trusted with ministry turn on them, it's like a serrated dagger that rips through their hearts.
- Gossip can hurt more than betrayal.
Betrayal usually ends with people leaving the church. Gossips remain in position in the church and keep talking. It's a wicked attempt to gain influence. It's a true Absalom situation that divides the church and invites dark, evil spirits to ministry through those who are causing distention.
Gossip is fueled by a demonic spirit of witchcraft and is extremely powerful. Pastors most often feel this evil spirit in the atmosphere well before they hear about what was spoken through the “witches,” those who are poisoning the people with their verbal vomit.
- Financial burdens threaten the church every day.
Pastors should be giving themselves to prayer and study of the Word. In most cases, they are not called to raise funds and deal with the financial pressures of the church.
The bills of the church are not the responsibility of the pastor. They are the responsibility of the people. If there's a mission that must be funded, an electric bill that must be paid, a paycheck that can't be skipped, the people should rally together and cover it. Every week. Every time.
Further, if at all possible, pastors should receive healthy salaries so their own bills don't consume their emotional energy. They must be free of every possible burden if they hope to avoid burnout. Tent making may be necessary at a time, but it must be as short-term as possible.
- Lack of buy-in of the vision can be demoralizing.
When people don't exhibit passion and don't have a laser focus on the vision of the house, it leaves the pastor spinning his wheels. Instead of advancing in the assignment, they become exhausted attempting to cast the vision over and over again.
They trade the mantle of prophet for salesman, trying to make the mission as exciting as possible.
Instead of a Gideon army who are fully locked-in and devoted, they are left with people who are scattered, complaining, apathetic or resistant.
- Fear of failure can be overwhelming.
The dream of fulfilling the call that God placed on their lives often leads to disillusionment, depression and permeating sadness.
Rejection by the very people hey expected to run the race with cuts deep, and the threat of falling well short of the goal is very real.
- Pastors are expected to do what they aren't wired to do.
Pastors should be in prayer and in the Word. Anything beyond that should be according to their specific gifting and calling, not the demands of culture or the people in the church.
We have pastors called on to counsel when they have no training or desire to do so.
They are expected to be available at any hour.
They risk losing people if they turn down invitations or don't meet their demands.
They are starting programs and ministries they have no desire to, but are demanded by the people.
Due to this, many wave the white flag, give up the focused call and do what everybody expects. They show up for work, but in their heart they quit long ago.
- They spend their energy herding cats.
They are the welcoming committee, the assimilation team, the retention department and the crisis managers.
It's common for them to worry when they don't have the chance to say hi or bye to someone on a Sunday morning. They carry that throughout the week, ruminating on whether they offended the individual or not.
The mission becomes all about keeping people happy, connected and served instead of what it's really supposed to be.
Instead of advancing in the mission, they are continually attempting to make sure the people stay connected, happy and affirmed.
- By design, God is adding to the pressure.
Leaders aren't only attacked by the enemy or troubled by people, they are crushed, challenged and called to go deeper by God.
This is a difficult, but appropriate and welcome pressure that absolutely should demand their full attention. This intensity is enough to push a leader to the brink. It results in breaking, humility and a greater anointing.
However, when the other ten issues are added in, the pastor can find himself broken for the long term.
And, yes, God will allow some of the ten issues as part of the pastor's personal ministry school. Training in the fire is necessary and God will allow what seems to be unfair in order to make them ready.
The attacks of the enemy and the body can result in refining and a greater dependance on God.
THERE'S SO MUCH MORE
Pastoring is considered to be the third most stressful and difficult job in the world.
There are burdens and struggles that go well beyond what I outlined here.
Of course, when a pastor is called, they must do what they can to press on and through. We could look at each of the above points and discuss a resolution for the pastor. God didn't call them to succumb. They have the victory.
There are strategies on dealing with an Absalom spirit in the camp. There are ways to help ensure health in the pastor's family. They can deal with their own limits and fears. They can learn how to war more effectively in the spirit realm.
But the truth remains, most nobody understands what ministry leaders go through on a minute-by-minute basis.
Yes, some leaders are more skilled and prepared to handle some of the above issues than others. Yet, most are not only struggling, they are devastated.
Many are seeking to end their lives.
Over half have fallen into pornography.
Some are on the cusp of divorce.
A significant percentage of them hate the ministry they once loved.
No, there isn't any excuse for falling into sin. But, there are helps, strategies to keep them from falling in the first place.
We must see a loving, responsive people who are holding up the arms of our pastors. When they grow weary, they need the people to step up and carry the weight.
Four Demon Accusations That Stop Spiritual Warriors
Four Demon Accusations That Stop Spiritual Warriors
Wow! This article by Jonas Clark is right on…and timely! You can see the original article here: http://www.jonasclark.com/spiritual-warfare-prayer/demon-accusations-hindrances-spiritual-warriors.html
Spiritual Warfare and Prayer
Demon powers know how to stop most Christians. You are not like most Christians. You can see what others don’t. How you see Jesus affects your life. Jesus was a spiritual warrior. After the anointing of the Holy Ghost came on Jesus He rebuked demons, faced Satan, healed the sick, and spoiled principalities and powers. He defeated death, hell and the grave. He is your redeemer and he is risen!
spiritual warfare is part of Christianity and the spiritual warfare is not over. Historically, the rise and fall of spiritual power within the Church of Christ has been related to the acknowledgement and opposition toward demonic principalities and powers. As leaders recognized the spiritual warfare caused by demon powers they equipped believers to use their delegated spiritual authority to fight back. When leaders ignored the dark rulers of this world believers and the Church suffered.
You are in a spiritual war whether you want to be or not. Jesus did not ignore demon powers and he didn’t teach his apostles to ignore them either (Matthew 10:1). The Apostle Paul taught the church in Ephesus how to battle saying,
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand (fight back) in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)
Warriors wear armor. Armor is for the fighting man. Paul likens spiritual opposition to warfare. He teaches five important truths.
- Christ’s followers should be strong in the Lord.
- Be full of spiritual power.
- Recognize devils have wiles or tactics.
- The battle is a spiritual battle not a natural one.
- Spiritual warriors wear God’s armor.
- The battle ready fight back.
The Apostle Paul knew much about the spiritual opposition against him. “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9). He continually uses warfare terms when teaching and training leaders:
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12)
A GOOD SOLDIER
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Timothy 2:3)
NO MAN THAT WARRETH
“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4)
WAR A GOOD WARFARE
“This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare.” (1 Timothy 1:18)
WAR NOT AFTER THE FLESH
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:” (2 Corinthians 10:3)
WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. “ (2 Corinthians 10:4)
ARMED CONFLICT
Paul uses terms such as soldier, fight, weapons and armor. Warfare means “armed conflict against an enemy.” As Christians we understand there are many spiritual enemies of Christ including demons, principalities and powers. Included in that list of spiritual enemies but seldom discussed are the systems, structures, kingdoms, and organizations that demon inspired people build. This is something worth thinking about. Christians should not yoke themselves with systems the demon influenced build like fiat money printing and exotic financial instrument schemes such as junk bonds, abortion clinics and drugs, or thief by political deception. These are the results of demonic influence. Satan’s cohorts come only to steal, kill and destroy. This is one way to identify them.
spiritual warfare is a spiritual fight against a spiritual enemy. Paul identifies those enemies as:
- Spirits
- Principalities
- Powers
- Rulers of the darkness of this world
- Spiritual wickedness in high places
Again, our battle is not against flesh and blood. Our warfare is a battle in the spirit that manifest in the natural. Win spiritually and things get better and better naturally. Lose spiritually and things get worse and worse naturally. This is where the Word of God and battling prayer become vital to the disciple of Christ. There are many different types of prayer. Not all prayer stops demon powers. Mature in the Word and learn how to pray.
INCREASING IN DISCERNMENT
Are you afraid to discern the presence of demon activities? Some are. Demons influence people and their activities must be discerned. You can’t stop them by ignoring then. Evil spirits, spirits of infirmity, seducing spirits, spirits of error, unclean spirits, anti-Christ spirits, Jezebel spirits and divination spirits have infiltrated the Church. They target the high places of authority and power. Sometimes these spirits work alone and at other times they network together.
Some have been victimized by evil spirits because they are afraid to judge demonic operations. Apostle John taught to try the spirits. He said, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). As already said spirits work through people. To “try the spirits” means to put them to the test. When you do this devils respond. Here are four things spirits use to stop your spiritual discernment:
- Don’t judge least you be judged.
- Let the one without sin throw the first stone.
- The measure you use to judge someone else will be measured back to you.
- Take the beam out of your own eye first.
The list goes on and on. Did you notice the devil will use the bible to stop bible believing people? Yes everyone should examine their own hearts “first” but spiritual discernment requires sound judgment. You must judge. To judge simply means to make a judgment. Making a judgment “is not” being judgmental. A judgmental person is a fault finder. That’s not what we are discussing.Christians should never be fault finders or false accusers. We are writing about spiritual discernment that affects lives. Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, that’s people, but against demonic spirits.
You make judgments every day. You believe what you hear or you don’t. No you are not judging any ones salvation, that’s between them and God, but you are judging what spirit they are flowing in and the fruit of their lives and ministries. Good trees bear good fruit. Bad trees bear bad fruit. This is where shared values and world views come.
SHARED VALUES
Listening to and being around people lets you know what they value. You make judgments during conversation and by watching people’s actions. What do they embrace? Value? Pursue? Talk about? Value based judgment happens every day. Scripture says, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Shared values draw people together. Those core values govern your life. Values determine your relationships with others. Shared values empower folks to walk together. People fellowship with each other based on shared values.
- What you value you will pursue.
- What you value you will protect.
- What you value you will enjoy.
- What you value you will fight for.
- What you value you will keep.
- Decisions are based on what you value.
Churches are built on shared values, political groups are built on shared values, organizations are built on shared values and relationships are built on shared values. Values differ. You spend time with people that value what you do. That’s human nature. Scripture says we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple” of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
How would you know if you are unequally yoked if you don’t’ make a judgment? In this scripture the Apostle Paul was not being judgmental against unbelievers. He was pointing this out for your protection. It is guidance for the sons and daughters of God. Christ authorized you to make judgments about people. Yes he did. Christ said, “You shall know them.” In other words, you shall accurately know them.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-18)
WEAPONS OF MASS DEFLECTION
It is unscriptural for someone to tell you not to judge because the spiritual man judges all things. Scripture makes this clear, “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man” (1 Corinthians 2:15). Did you get that? The spiritual man judges all things. Are you a spiritual man? To judge, Greek anakrinō,means:
- To investigate, examine, enquire into, scrutinize, sift and question.
- As a judge would hold an investigation.
- To interrogate and examine the accused or witnesses.
- To judge, estimate, determine (the excellence or defects of any person or thing.
Christ never taught his followers to ignore demonic spirits. Don’t let demon spirits use their weapons of mass deflection to stop your spiritual discernment. As already stressed, you are not to unfairly judge people, be judgmental, mean spirited and hurtful, condemn people or judge their salvation. This article is about demons stopping a Christian’s spiritual discernment. You must make judgments as you seek to weigh what you hear and what you see against the written Word of God. It takes spiritual maturity to see things as they really are. Demon powers know how to stop most Christians. You are not like most Christians.
Your partner,
Jonas Clark