End Time Battles

 Moses was a man with a high calling. He was to lead his enslaved people out of the land of their oppression and through the desert. Then he was to take them into a beautiful country and conquer the land for God.

God's plans are always good, but when we walk in God's ways, we always encounter adversaries and obstacles.

The first problem for Moses came when he was born. Pharaoh wanted to kill all the male babies of the Hebrews, but God saved his life. Pharaoh's daughter found Moses and took pity on him. She adopted Moses and gave him back to his mother. What a miracle of God!

In these end times, we Christians have a great calling. Do you want to be part of a mighty end-time revival? Then you have an adversary who wants to stop you. God's kingdom is coming, but the devil wants to nip the end-time revival in the bud.

One of the enemy's tactics is to spread the negative teaching that we should only expect decay before the return of the Lord Jesus, that God is supposedly not planning a great revival.

But in the Bible I find God's prophetic promise that we should expect both darkness and glory.

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Is 60:1–2 NRSV

Does this only apply to the Jews? No.

Jesus commanded the apostles to set in motion a mission that is to increase until his return.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ... Mt 28:19 NRSV

We have not yet reached all nations. The Great Commission still applies. Just as with Moses, God's great plan will face terrible opposition.

Moses needed amazing supernatural miracles to overcome Pharaoh's resistance. Likewise, we need amazing miracles to overcome the devil's opposition in our time.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  

they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mk 16:17–18 NRSV

The Way out of Nomansland

Are you in no man's land?

Do you need healing? You have prayed. You have believed. The symptoms are diminishing, but your recovery is obviously not complete.

Hold fast to God's promises!

Before the last world war, penicillin had not yet been invented. An English preacher had tuberculosis and prayed for healing.

He did not get an instant cure, but he sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God told him to pray two hours a day and he would recover.
 
He was obedient and he gradually became completely well.

Many sick Christians pray for healing, but they are disappointed. When Jesus healed before the cross, he never failed. He healed everyone who prayed for healing, without exception.

What can we learn from Jesus? He had different methods. For example, he often healed by laying his hand on someone.

Jesus also gave instructions to his disciples.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mk 16:17–18 NIV

It is curious that Jesus first emphasises deliverance from demons. When Jesus healed the sick before the cross, he often cast out demons, because sickness is often associated with demonic activity.

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 NLT

Jesus was the anointed one par excellence. He was always full of the Holy Spirit and ministered with unlimited power, but we need more help from the Holy Spirit.

An important and very powerful tool is the gift of tongues.

Some think that this gift was only for the first Christians, but in Mark 16:17-18 Jesus speaks of the signs that are to follow those who believe.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: …. they will speak in new tongues;

This statement is not limited in time.

To release God's miraculous power, we need to cultivate a deep relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Rom 8:26–27 NIV

How can we enter into this deep realm? Paul gives us an important indication of how he cultivated his close relationship with God.

I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 1 Cor 14:18 NIV

Paul explained that he did not want to speak in languages in meetings because he wanted to help people through prophecy or Bible teaching.

So when did Paul speak so much in languages? In his personal prayers.

When we cultivate our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit, we learn to perceive the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We can learn to receive God's specific instructions, like this English preacher who was told to pray two hours a day to receive God's healing.