End of the Year

In this episode, Brother Jonathan closes out the year talking about an e-mail he received, changes to the Podcast format, the most listened to episodes of 2017, and episodes coming up in 2018.

 

Here are the show notes:

 

End of the Year

S1 EP47

Remnant Bible Fellowship

 

1. Introduction
   1. We’re just going over stuff for the end of the year. No lesson in this episode.
2. Email from Stuart
   1. A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Stuart. Here is what he asked:
      1. “I have listened to a couple of your podcasts and found them, as far as I can tell, biblical. My question is with all the comments around the heresy/cultish leanings of Gwen shambling. Are you affiliated with her? If so how do I know you are on the level? I grow weary of all the stuff with NAR, IHOP, Bethel, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and the hoard of others that a fellow has to sort through in order to not go down the broad path. Thanks for your time, Stuart.”
   2. I replied to Stuart and I thanked him for making me aware of something. Apparently there is a woman by the name of Gwen Shamblin who has a group by the name of “Remnant Fellowship Church”. They deal with weight loss and stuff like that, because she wrote a book that was popular…I guess. To make it clear: we have nothing to do with her or her church. It is just coincidence that our name and hers is so similar. They’re not identical though. The difference is that we have the Bible in the center of what we do.
   3. Stuart made a comment also about all stuff with NAR, IHOP, Bethel, Benny Hinn, and ole Kenny Copeland. I will be very emphatic in emphasizing that I have nothing to do with any of these groups or people. I will plainly state that they’re heretical. That may bother some people, but it is easy to prove by examining what they do and teach by the scriptures. Stuart is also right in his comment about how there are SO many false teachers today that you have to “sort through”. I’ve said that multiple times before. This is why it is so important to be consistently reading and studying the Bible yourself. It’s like the old illustration: how can a cashier spot counterfeit bills so easily? It’s because he knows the real thing so well.
   4. You don’t have to understand every doctrine in the Bible. You don’t have to be a Ph.D. theologian. If you know the Bible well then it will protect you from deception. When someone says, “The Bible says this.” Then you can immediately call to mind a scripture reference that plainly says that’s not true. The best protection you have against deception is knowing the text of the Bible.
   5. Also, on a side note, most of these ministries that a deceptive will not want to discuss these things. Any group that has a “follow the leader” mindset is generally wrong. Any group that has a “don’t question” or “don’t touch the Lord’s anointed” mindset is almost assuredly wrong. Christians, and pastors/preachers/teachers are supposed to be Christians, are commanded to be humble and to be ready to receive correction and examination about their doctrine and conduct. We are commanded to be likeminded and all speaking the same thing and teaching the same thing. We are supposed to come together and pray and reason from the scriptures about all things that there can be biblical unity. Biblical unity is just that…biblical. It is centered around the scriptures as the true objective authority that it is. Your pastor and teachers are subject to the scriptures. Even prophets in the Bible are said to be examined and proved. Don’t continue with any church or group that will not examine themselves or that will not discuss such things as doctrine. It’s very popular today to not care about those “divisive” things. The thing you have to remember is that Christianity at its very core is divisive. Christ Himself told us that: but it divides truth from error, light from darkness, sheep from goats.
   6. So, thank you Stuart for your email. If anyone ever has a question or comment, feel free to email me at Brotherjon@remnantbiblefellowship.com. You can also message me through the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/RBFellowship.

• The Baptism of the Spirit thing
  1. I had mentioned a couple of months ago that I was going to be doing an episode, or series of episodes, on the issue of the Baptism of the Spirit. Certain things came up and I believed that they were more important. I have not yet ruled out going over that totally, but there are several things that are really on my mind to take care of first. I will probably revisit that in the future. If it’s particularly on your mind you can always request that I focus on that. Really guys, asking and requesting certain topics does take priority. If you have a question I want to be able to help you to get a sound Biblical answer. If I don’t know, or don’t have the particular knowledge necessary to answer your question, I will say so and try to point out where you can get an answer.

1. Changes in the Podcast
   1. So, as we finish out 2017 there are some things changing with the podcast. We have some new equipment which may make it sound different. The recording process is changing slightly. If you were able to tell on the last episode, my wife’s testimony sounded a little thin. That’s because that was the first thing recorded using the new process. It’s not going to continue to sound that way. I am still working with my friend Jeff Holbrook, from the Weekly Catch Up podcast over on the Relatecasts network, to make sure the audio quality does not go down at all. I’m not used to recording through a mixer and using an XLR connection so I’m still figuring out how to EQ things well. So if you notice a difference in tone that’s what it is. Any questions or comments, email me or comment on the Facebook page.
   2. Another thing, we’re in the process of getting new artwork made up through 99designs.com. It’s an awesome company that sets up contests with tons of graphic designers and artists to compete for your purpose. They are currently working on a new logo and artwork for us. It should, according to the Lord’s will, be up for the first episode of 2018. These sorts of things do help make the appeal of the podcast go up I guess. I don’t particularly like focusing so much on appeal in a business type way because this is a ministry, but if it helps people to find the podcast more easily without compromising any scriptural mandate then I guess it can fall under the category of using the world but not abusing it like Paul said.
   3. Also, in iTunes, where the podcast is listed, Apple has requested that podcasters use certain tags in their information before publishing to iTunes. It’s not a big deal for us. For some other podcasts it’s creating a lot of headache. But you may notice if you listen to the podcast though there that the info on the episodes is slightly different. Whereas before I listed only the topical episodes as “episodes”, like on the webpage on the buttons to the right, now they will all be listed as episodes—at least in iTunes. They are also starting to be categorized by “season” too. So everything up to the end of 2017 will fall under season 1, and with the start of 2018 we’ll begin season 2. Again, at least that’s how it will be described in iTunes.
2. Format
   1. Now, in the past the format of the show has been quite simple. Sometimes I will answer a question and that’s the whole episode. It may only be 15 minutes long. A lot of people have liked that. Starting with 2018, season 2, the formatting will be different. We’re trying to make the formatting of the podcast be a little more consistent. So I’m probably going to start answering a question, if there is one, at the beginning of each episode. Then, after that, if there are any announcements or news I’ll go over it. Finally, after those things, we’ll do a lesson or play a sermon. That is where we’re headed formatting-wise.
3. Most Popular episodes
   1. So, as it is the end of the year, I thought it would be good to mention what were the most popular episodes this past year.
   2. In 2017, the most listened to episode was “Bible Versions Part 3: Textual Criticism and Manuscript Evidence.” The next most listened to episode was “Bible Versions: A look at James White’s book The King James Only Controversy.” If you plan to go listen to those episodes, just note that you should listen to the whole series if you want it to make sense. I especially like the Introduction episode myself. I think there are a lot of practical things in it that most people don’t think about. After those two, the most listened to episode is “On Bible Reading.” I’m a little surprised by that too. But just a week or two ago our podcast was made available through Spotify, and that really seems to be where a lot of people are now listening through. So, maybe it’s because the podcast is being found more easily now.

• Coming in 2018
  1. Okay, now coming up in 2018, we have a lot planned. There has really been a lot on my mind this past year about how there is very little effective teaching about the practical Christian life. People learn –isms and not how to overcome sin or how to seek God. There is this big gap between what is said in the Bible and the young believer today’s experience; and there are few that can give practical answers. I was just talking to a young man the other day that had become disillusioned with Christianity because he was not able to get any answers to his questions. He apostasized because of it. He thought that there were none because no one could give him any. It’s really evident when going over the stats for this past year what people are really wanting. Our most listened to episode number-wise might have been released back in January of 2017, but the one released on Bible reading is only 5 downloads behind it…even though it was released in mid-November. That shows you how much people are wanting practical instruction to fill the gap in what is being said and done in churches and what is needed in their lives. They want to know how to overcome sin. They want to know how to seek God. They might not care so much about their denomination’s form of baptism and why it’s so important. Baptism is important, of course. But knowing how to overcome sin moreso.
  2. It’s for reasons like that, which are exactly what I went through as a young Christian, that the Lord has impressed upon me, I believe, to focus on practical things for a while. So this coming year, according to the Lord’s will, we’ll be going over the following things:
     1. The Atonement
     2. Repentance and Faith

• Assurance of Salvation

1. Counting the Cost
2. The Will of God
3. Seeking God

• The Importance of the Word
• The Importance of Prayer

1. Abiding in Christ
2. Temptation and Overcoming Sin
3. What is it to be “Spiritual”?

• The Hope of the Resurrection
• The Coming Delusion
• Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

1. That’s the list of what we’ve got planned. The Lord could change something, but so far this is what’s coming up. I’ve been working on the stuff for the Atonement for two weeks now, and it should be the first episode of the New Year.
2. There will be a 30 second promo released first. That is kind of a “trailer” for the podcast in general. It’s going to be listed as episode 00 of season 2. If you share it on social media or something, when it comes out, it will help us out.

• Plug for Social Media and Ratings
  1. Speaking of that, some of you may not be aware that podcasts can be rated in most apps, and also on Youtube. Yes, we release through Youtube also—though it’s our least listened to destination. I’m not someone who likes self-promotion, especially when it comes to ministry, but it helps out our Podcast when you rate and share it. Commenting helps also. Places like iTunes allow you to rate us, and even Google allows you to rate the webpage, and you can even like the Facebook page. It really helps the Podcast to get more exposure so other people are likely to find us. For example, we’re making the podcast episodes be more consistent for the same reason. Certain apps make podcasts “featured” as it were if your artwork looks good, you have good consistent content, and good ratings from listeners. All this helps us to reach more people. So, if you listen regularly, please consider rating the podcast somewhere like iTunes, Google, or even Facebook.
  2. Any questions or comments can be sent to the email provided or the Facebook page. I try to make sure that I keep up with them daily as best as I can. Thanks for listening. I look forward to starting on the Atonement in about a week and a half.

 

Here's our new episode:

Are spirits bothering you? How to get rid of them...for good.

In this episode, Brother Jonathan tells how to stop spirits from harassing you or bothering you. There is only one answer to this problem.

________________________________________

Are spirits bothering you? How to get rid of them…for good.

Episode 26

Remnant Bible Fellowship

 

1. Introduction
   1. This is not going to be a bait and switch thing where I talk a lot about how wonderful something is and convince you to do it and then don’t give it to you. If you listen, and truly take it to heart, I guarantee that whatever spiritual oppression you are going through will end; and you can make certain it does not return. You don’t have to buy anything, and you don’t need any special equipment. Just listen.
2. How doors are opened
   1. When spirits, or whatever you want to call them, start causing trouble—sometimes in very frightening ways—it usually has one thing in common in everyone’s own testimony: you opened the door to them. You can’t look into spiritual things and not expect a spiritual response. It just doesn’t work that way.
   2. Now, it’s not every case that someone went looking for spiritual things that opened a door. Sometimes there is a generational influence. If you had someone in your family who was heavily involved in spiritual things (mother/father, grandmother/grandfather, etc.) then you may just by your relationship to them have been brought under certain influence. It’s usually perceived, especially when you’re young, as a “sensitivity”, or an ability sometimes, think Anne of Green Gables. These people see things as children and generally just come to the conclusion that they are “special”. I was talking to a young woman at work one time about these things and she just broke down crying and told me that she used to see this man in her home when she was a child. The man would get angry at her, even hitting and bruising her, and her parents would just think that it was her imagination. You know, and “imaginary friend”. Then they would ask where she got her bruises and scrapes from.
   3. Other times you can just come under the oppression and influence of these spirits by happenstance. You buy a new home, and it starts. Sometimes that’s the case.
   4. A lot of times though it begins after someone gets curious about something, a practice or craft, and they start looking into it—something like ghost-hunting or paranormal investigation. When they start practicing it or trying it themselves, maybe even skeptically, they find that there is something really to it. Supernatural things begin to happen, and it is curiosity and fascination that keep them into it. Eventually though, it can devolve into a bondage, and quite frightening.
   5. If you have ever been involved with any of the following, you have reason to be concerned:
      1. Astrology, Satanism-Black Mass, drinking blood, dowsing, fortune-telling, ANY kind of magic, ANY kind of witchcraft or sorcery, channeling/medium, tarot cards, Santeria, psychic readings, Hypnotism (whether by a magician or a psychologist), Ouija boards, Séances, parapsychology, psychic surgery, rosicrucianism, spiritism/necromancy, paganism (whether some ancient form or neo-paganism), ANYTHING involving sacrifices or offerings (blood or animal), Kabbalah, Eastern Mysticism, New Age Movement, UFOs, “alien” abduction, goddess worship, Wicca, Mormon baptism, meditation, yoga, ANY altered states of consciousness, Ghost hunting, paranormal investigation, charms, crystals, talismans, ankhs, idols/statues of a spiritual nature (e.g. fertility goddess, Isis/Horus, etc.), praying or communicating with spirits, the dead, or “the universe”, hallucinogenic drugs, ESP, telepathy, astral projection, reiki, or anything of the like. Even games like Dungeons and Dragons or Magic the Gathering are able to open doors to these things. While it may not always happen, the exception is not the rule.
      2. It is through these sorts of practices that people penetrate and get involved with powerful spiritual things from which they have no real protection. They become their playthings.

• Signs and Symptoms
  1. So let’s consider some signs of spiritual oppression.
     1. Any paranormal phenomena that includes, but is not limited to: strange lights in the room, taps or banging on walls, nightmares, strange voices or visible presence (a person or thing), cold spots and/or strange smells, even physical attacks on the body such as choking, waking up levitating over your bed, scratching, pushing, and hitting. I’ve heard testimonies of all these things.
     2. There is another issue to consider: possession. Many occultic activities encourage the person to ask or invite a spirit into them. Sometimes the fact that a person is willfully participating in these practices gives the spirit “permission” to enter them. When this is the case the person may see some of these manifestations: indwelling of the spirit in the person, unusual strength, personality changes, perceivable conflict within the person (wanting help but also recoiling in fear or anger from what may help them), clairvoyance (the person may show knowledge that is not possible for them to know), speaking with previously unknown foreign languages, multiple voices, or a distorted voice (a low and guttural voice for instance), transference (an unclean or evil spirit can move in and out of people who are unprotected), and intense opposition to traditional religion. Those are all normal signs of possession.

• There is one more thing that is a sign or symptom of this kind of spiritual opposition: they can be delivered almost instantaneously from it. These spiritual beings are very intelligent, they are very powerful, they are very frightening (they want you to fear them), and very, very deceitful; and that is provable too. I’ll tell you how later. They will come to you under a banner of peace, love, and light, and will offer you all sorts of things, but it is only to draw you under their influence.

1. Common advice that is wrong
   1. If you came under the power of these things by the New Age Movement, or Eastern Mysticism, then you were lied to about there being no real evil. There are truly evil and unclean spirits out there that want to hurt you. The NAM tells people to “send light and love to the person” because they are taught that these things are only a projection of their own fears and whatnot. That’s completely false, and if you’re listening to this you may have found that out already.
   2. If you came under the power of these things by Satanism, Wicca, or any form of craft and magick then you have been taught to just use charms, or spells, offerings, or circles and pentagrams on the floor. You know, “if you’re in the circle you’re fine.” These things will not protect you. They are usually told to you to draw you in and give you a sense of power and security over these powerful spiritual beings. Dwell long enough in these things and you may find out how helpless you really are.
   3. Do NOT call for a Catholic priest to come and bless your house. It may make you feel better, but it has no intrinsic power at all to have a man come to your house, sprinkle so-called holy water, wave around some incense, and leave. The ceremony might make you feel better, but it will not really help.
   4. There is only one way to be delivered completely and continually from these things.
2. What the real issue is
   1. Before I go over some testimonies from people who have proven what I’m going to tell you, I want you to consider the implications of what’s really going on. If you are being spiritually oppressed, how much do you want it to go away? Usually, people who live with these things live in fear. It really is frightening what some people go through. People wake up being choked by an unseen hand, people wake up levitating off their beds, they see people in their house that aren’t physically there, they hear footsteps up and down their stairs and running up and down the hall when they are home alone, some people truly know that there is some evil spirit that is indwelling them, influencing them, and sometimes controlling them, and others know what it is like to have something continuously push them towards self-mutilation, cutting, and suicide—and I know from experience what that is like. How much is it worth it to you for it all to stop for good?
   2. The real issue is that you have been deceived. You’ve been lied to about the whole paradigm of how the spiritual world really works. I’m not talking about an “it’s all in your head” thing. I mean that you truly have been lied to if you’ve been involved in any of those practices and followed them. Why is it that people think that they should just believe other people or spirits? Because they tell you some things that might be right sometimes about events or people? You have no objective reason to believe that they ARE telling you the truth. Especially if it benefits them.
   3. The real issue is that the Bible really is the Word of God, and you’ve been living on the wrong side of it. This is something that I challenge you to prove. Don’t take my word for it. If you’ve been dealing with any form of spiritual oppression or opposition like these things then you have the perfect opportunity to prove it. Let me give you some testimonies to this fact.
3. Testimonies
   1. Johanna Michaelsen was a young woman who had all her life seen manifestations of spirits and even communed with some of them. She saw nothing wrong with them, though at times she became quite frightened by what they did. She became a New Age follower and eventually came under the apprenticeship of a psychic surgeon in Mexico City. The psychic would channel a spirit and that would guide her in diagnosing and treating things. There were supernatural healings. Johanna herself would meditate and descend into her “laboratory” (altered state of consciousness) and commune with her spirit guides. One of them professed himself to be Jesus. Certain things came to pass that made her question what she was into, and after taking a leave of absence from her work there in Mexico City came to believe that she was being deceived about what she was into. She confronted her spirit guides thus:
      1. “You are not the Jesus in the Bible, are you,” I challenged the figure of “Jesus” which stood before me in the shadows. There was no reply. His eyes were closed. Mamacita [her other spirit guide] stood close by him. “Then I command you, in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, tell me: Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God uniquely incarnate in human flesh?” A violent flash—as though from a powerful bomb, brought the walls of my amethyst and gold laboratory down all around me. When I looked up, my counselors had vanished. (Johanna Michaelsen, The Beautiful Side of Evil (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1982), p. 154)
   2. A couple of years after Johanna Michaelsen published her book giving her testimony of these things, a man named Warren Smith found her book in a New Age bookstore. Warren had been involved with the NAM himself for many years, and his girlfriend Joy had been involved too. When an evil spirit began oppressing his girlfriend they exhausted everything that they knew and could find trying to rid themselves of its presence to no avail. Nothing would help them. Then Warren Smith found Johanna Michaelsen’s testimony and it struck him because they had the same background. He began taking notes out of the book on the floor of the bookstore. A random man came into the store and began angrily harassing him asking why he was looking at that book. The man didn’t even work at the store! Why did he care? Here’s Warren’s testimony:
      1. It took me a minute or two to pull myself together. It was as if the evil I had been reading about had suddenly walked into the store. And although it seemed weird, I had to ask myself if it was possible that “evil” was being exposed in the book. And was it possible that “evil” knew I was reading about it? Most frightening of all, was it possible that “evil” could pull a disturbed man off the street and into the bookstore to try to keep me from reading this book?
      2. When I finally finished the book, I put all my notes in my day pack and left the store with new resolve. We now had an entirely new approach to our problem. It was an approach I didn’t fully understand, but it had worked for Johanna. And though I didn’t know why, I believed her. As wild as her account was, I somehow knew it was true. I was anxious to try her suggestion.

• I didn’t say anything to Joy about my new findings. But the next morning when she became oppressed, I saw my opportunity to apply what I had learned. I asked Joy if we could go out to her mom’s backyard. I told her that I wanted to try dealing with the problem in a different way.

1. As we sat in the yard, I could see from Joy’s face that the presence was particularly strong. I spoke to her as gently and reassuringly as I could and told her not to be afraid. What I was going to try was new, and I thought it would help.
2. Reading from my notes the exact words that I had taken from Johanna’s book, I firmly addressed the presence. “Satan, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command you to be gone! I forbid your presence here. I claim the protection of the blood of Jesus upon us. Go where Jesus sends you!”
3. Woooosh! Joy’s face cleared immediately. The oppression was gone. Joy felt the man’s presence leave instantly—as if he had no choice. We were both amazed and deeply impressed.

• “What was that?” Joy asked in wonder.
• “I’m not sure,” was I could say. “But it has something to do with Jesus and a victory He won over evil on the cross of Calvary. Satan seems to represent the sum of all evil, and that evil was somehow mysteriously defeated when Christ died on the cross. I don’t pretend to understand, but it’s all written in the Bible, I guess.”

1. Whatever the case, we realized we had just come to a sudden and dramatic understanding that there is something incredibly powerful about calling on the name of Jesus. (Warren Smith, The Light that was Dark (Magalia, CA: Mountain Stream Press, 2nd ed. 3rd printing, August 2011), pp. 120-121)

1. Next, here is a testimony that my wife has from when she was in college that shows the difference of those without Jesus Christ and those with Jesus Christ.
   1. Audio clip

• Scriptures
  1. The solution to these problems is found in the authority and power of Jesus Christ. The Bible is filled with eyewitness testimony of Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry dealing with demons and exercising absolute authority over them. In the show notes is a list of references in the Gospels to this:
     1. Matt. 8:28-9:1; 9:32-34; 10:8; 12:22-30, 43-45; 17:14-21; Mark 7:24-30; 1:23-28, 32-34, 39; 3:13-19; 5:1-20; 6:12-13; Luke 9:49-50; 4:31-37, 40-41; 8:1-3, 26-39; 9:1-2, 37-45)
  2. There was a woman that my wife worked with who was dealing with these things in her home. She was not a Christian. A demonic spirit was oppressing her in her home. There were full bodied manifestations of people, and then one particularly grotesque one that was very frightening. She went to a church and got some counsel from a couple to pray in the name of Jesus. When one of the things appeared she commanded it to leave in the name of Jesus, and it did. She prayed for God to purge her house of those things, relying on God’s authority to do so, and the lights were going on and off, things were tapping or banging, and they left. There is authority over ALL these things in the name of Jesus Christ. You can prove it yourself.
• The Gospel
  1. You see, the name of Jesus has authority because of who He is, and what He accomplished on the cross. God is not some impersonal force. He is not “the Source” or the universal consciousness. He is a being. Man has sinned against Him in disobeying His commandments and is in rebellion against God. We want to live our own way, and we want to do our own thing. We want the authority over our own lives. That’s wickedness. God made you, and gave you life. He is the one with the authority. He has to punish all wickedness, evil, and sin in the universe because He is holy and righteous. But He wants mankind to be reconciled to Him. God sent His Son Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, to live a sinless life and die on the cross to make a sacrifice for sin. Then, on the third day after His burial He rose from the dead to testify that it was He who had power over death. The Bible says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) In the book of Hebrews we’re told, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb 2:14-15)
  2. Christ came the first time to destroy the works and darkness and to overcome the powers of darkness. They are subject to HIS authority. The early Christians knew this and applied it regularly, in Acts we read, “There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.” (Acts 5:16)
  3. In order to be reconciled to God, and to come under His protection, you repent (confess and turn from your sins), and believe on Jesus Christ as the Son of God. You look to Jesus, and what He accomplished in His death and resurrection, as your means of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to God.

1. How
   1. Now, some people who are dealing with very real manifestations in their homes, or even themselves, may need to make sure of some other things also.
      1. Every object of occult influence should be destroyed: idols, charms/jewelry, posters/pictures, books, statues, even clothing with occultic themes, movies, music (heavy metal and rock music), anything and everything like it in your house destroy it. If it can burn, burn it. This is an outward show that you are repenting and renouncing these things in the name of Jesus.
      2. Pray very specifically to God in the name of Jesus Christ. Ask forgiveness for these things and renounce them emphatically. “I renounce these things and turn from them to serve Jesus Christ.” You have to be sincere in your intentions to put these things away, and it’s because God has said that these things are wicked. You cannot mix serving God and rebelling against Him. The Bible tells us that there is no fellowship between light and darkness.

• If there are visible or physical manifestations in a person or in your home, such as in Warren Smith’s testimony, then you may need to command the demon to leave. You need to do it relying on the authority that Jesus Christ has. He is the Son of God, and all of these demonic spirits KNOW it, and they tremble before Him we’re told. In the Bible we’re told, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:” (1Jn. 4:1-3) You can challenge them just as Johanna Michaelsen did, and many others have. They fear Jesus Christ. Why would they unless He was exactly who He said He was, and is. He is the unique Son of God. He is God manifest in a human body. Test them, and they will fail. I don’t care if they seem very peaceful. If you have something like a spirit guide, a spirit that you talk to and get advice or counsel from, test them and you will see their countenance change.

1. If you need to, say something to the effect of this from the book of Acts: “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:.. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” (Acts 16:16, 18)
2. So, something to that effect if there is a visible manifestation in your home, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, to leave!”
3. If there are just some things happening in your home, like the one woman that my wife worked with, then you need to pray in your home. I would recommend purging your house of everything occultic first, and then submit yourself to the authority of God by believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then, just get on your knees somewhere in your house where these things are manifesting and pray (praying is simply speaking to God—just remember that you’re talking to God and not your buddy), and ask God in the name of Jesus Christ to send away every unclean spirit from your home. Claim the protection that comes from submitting to the name of Jesus Christ and His shed blood. Ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to protect you and your home.

• Remember, God is not some angry kid on an ant hill with a magnifying glass just waiting to smite someone. He is a loving heavenly Father, but our sinful works and wicked practices separate us from Him. We invite these things upon us when we rebel against Him. He is Holy, and He cannot (because of His holiness) dwell with wickedness. But if you submit to His rightful authority then He will quickly enter your life and protect and guide you by His Holy Spirit. And where the Spirit of God is there is no power of darkness strong enough to touch you.

1. Close-Warning
   1. I hope that those of you who truly need deliverance from these things will speedily accept His deliverance and salvation. There is nothing you have done that God has not already forgiven someone else of. He is ready and willing to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He can change your very desires and give you a new heart and a new spirit: but you must accept the Gospel and submit the rightful authority of Jesus Christ.
   2. The one woman whom my wife worked with that proved the authority of the name of Jesus herself, she didn’t submit to God. God showed His authority in Jesus Christ’s name to her and she refused the gospel. Do you know what happened? The things came back. She moved to a new house, and they came back even after that.
   3. Here is a final warning from scripture: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 2:3-4; 10:26-31)
   4. But the same God has invited us to come to Him, saying, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isa. 55:6-7)
   5. If anyone has any questions you can email me at Brotherjon@remnantbiblefellowship.com.

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Remember Robert Wilson

Professor Robert Wilson was a man who learned 45 languages and dialects in order to defend the Old Testament of the Bible as being truly reliable. It took 45 years of his life. When he was old, a younger man expressed amazement at the range of his linguistic explorations. Wilson replied, "As a man is interested in his roses, and doesn’t think of the thorns." By this he meant that if a man is truly seeking after that in which he has pleasure he doesn't regard the difficulties or hardships of it. It's after reading things like this that I find myself wondering about all those people who profess to be followers of Christ who have never read His Word. Remember Robert Wilson, who said it thus: "I used my spare time. When I went out for a walk I would take a grammar with me, and when I sat down to rest, I would take out the book, study it a little, and learn what I could...I would read a grammar through, look up the examples, making notes as I went along, and I wouldn’t pass by anything until I could explain it...So I learned Greek, Latin, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Biblical Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, and so on."

How much do you regard the difficulties in seeking and following Christ?

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