The Battle Against the Powers of Darkness — Joshua Daniel

Welcome to the Lord's Challenge, our weekly quarter-hour broadcast bringing the reality of God's Word to all people everywhere. Stay tuned as Joshua Daniel challenges us to a walk with God and the corresponding impact that it'll have on our lives, families and society today.

Jesus’ Authority Over Unclean Spirits

Would you please turn to Mark 1st chapter and here the Lord Jesus Christ was in the synagogue. He was teaching them. He entered into the 21st verse. They went into Capernaum and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught.

And they were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one that had authority and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying, Let us alone, what have we to do with you, thou Jesus of Nazareth?

Art thou come to destroy us? I know you who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him and cried with a loved voice, he came out of him.

And they were all amazed in so much that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority commanded he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

Speaking Truth Against Hostile Powers

So my dear friends, the battle for the truth and the battle against the powers of darkness, how strongly it is being pressed to the enemy's gates, I do not know. But let me tell you this, silence is consent, and they told me in the height of communism, when I was preaching in East Germany, supposed to be a showpiece of what communism can do, they said to me, even when a person is dying, we are not allowed to mention the name of Jesus.

And that was the condition of this country. It is taboo, it's not permitted for a medical person to speak about the Lord Jesus. Listen, that's something that needs to be broken, and it can't stay. So why?

You say your job is jeopardized? Fine, tell them I have got my resignation letter in my pocket. Here it is. Truth cannot be abandoned like an orphan. I told ministers that, you know, pastors, keep the resignation letter in your pocket.

And if they don't want the truth, well, today there is quite a fight against the truth. And that's the world is putting it up. And for you and me, it's quite a fight to fight for Jesus. Here, it was the synagogue, and a person with an evil spirit had gotten there.

Confronting Compromise in the Church

You know, the devil doesn't worship the Lord. The devils believe and tremble. Yes, sometimes I've seen these evil spirits when they were being cast out. They will tell of how Jesus is going to come again.

And they almost describe hell and tremble and say, I'm burning when they are cast out. Well, you know, there is a kind of preaching that doesn't disturb the devil anymore. What's that? It's devilish preaching.

And the devil says, oh, I don't have to bother about this church. They won't annoy me at all. So, some of our churches are even debating today about homosexuality. What the Bible describes as something that is reprobated, that's those that have rejected God and have been turned away.

God has given them up. I've seen thousands of people who went into homosexuality delivered. You see, it's quite an untruth to say it is an affliction which afflicts some people, and therefore they never will get out of it.

Rubbish. I've seen hundreds, thousands delivered. And do you think that's a matter of which should be a debatable point in the church of the living God? Do you think? You know, one pastor told me in Germany that after he had preached a sermon in the big church, you know, the parish church, and he had mentioned homosexuality and so on, and when he came out of the church, the senior pastor said to him, I am a homosexual, and made things so difficult for that young man.

Destroying the Works of the Devil

We have the works of the devil everywhere. And the Lord was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3, 8. He was manifested to destroy. Now, do you think the Christian church is designed to be a little pocket, desperately fighting, losing ground, retreating, throwing up the white flag?

Do you think that's the image? All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Therefore, go into all the world and preach this good news to every creature. Isn't it a shame that in these days of instant communication, you and I sit pretty while evil proliferates, and you and I sit twiddling our thumbs.

Isn't it shocking? Is it, would you say it is characteristic of children of God? No, it's okay for a bunch of cowards. Friends, when the Lord Jesus Christ ministered, there was this stamp of authority.

Exercising Spiritual Authority

And I want to tell you, to as many as received him, to them gave he power to be the sons of God. There's a power there. And if you don't exercise that power, what some of these banks, they have a requirement, minimum balance.

Otherwise, they're going to charge you heavily. I discovered one day that my account was going down. I said, how's that? So I went and checked. Oh, you don't have the minimum balance. So we are quarterly deducting so much from your account.

That was very simple. Oh, is that right? Well, but you have to operate an account to keep it current. That's very simple. Do you operate your account? Have you an account in heaven, which you operate?

As I had a notice, if you don't operate this account, it's going into cold storage, kind of cold storage. And you can't access it immediately or easily. Well, you know, folks, I'm too busy working for the Lord to be bothering about these accounts.

Only the bills must be paid, you know. And we believe in scrupulously paying our bills so that everybody who has anything to do at all dealing with us know that the bills will be paid. And they don't need to send us a reminder.

Faith Cannot Coexist With Sin

However, to come back to operating our account with the Lord, some of us have become so low in faith. Faith and sin never coexist. Where there is sin, there is no faith. And today we have become very poor in our faith.

And what did Jesus say? He that believeth in me, the works that I do, shall he do also. And greater works that these shall ye do, because I go unto the Father. Let's pray. Loving Father, this is a sad hour in the history of the world.

While in heathen communities, the challenge of the Word of God is ringing out. Oh, my Father, we humbly ask you that you will send the light, send the light. Save us, we pray. We ask in Jesus' holy name.

Amen.

The speaker on this program was Joshua Daniel. He would like to know what your response has been to the Lord's challenge and would be delighted to hear from you. Please write, and if you have burdens you want to share and want prayer, do let us know.

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