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Category Archives: Spiritual Warfare

The Counter-Culture and the Counter-Anointing

10 Dec

Different Anointing

Did you know that the present culture of America has an anointing on it?  I have been posting about Christianity as a counter-culture.  Today I want to talk about the modern cultural anointing.

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
1 John 2:18-19

The word antichrist is very interesting.  When some people think antichrist, it brings images of The Beast or a world dictator.  Actually, antichrists have been around as long as the church has been in existence.

This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
1 John 4:3

What we need to understand is that there is a spirit of antichrist that is constantly at work in secular society.  Let’s stop and think about it.  Here is a spirit that is anti – opposite – Christ.

In my last post I made the point that Christ means the Anointed One.  That means we’re talking about an anti-anointing that’s operating in the world.  Whether you know it or not, there are two different anointings at work in our society.  There’s the Spirit of Christ and the spirit of antichrist.

The first verse above tells us that there are people in churches who have bought into the anti-anointing that’s in the world.  Eventually these people get offended at the Gospel of Christ – the true anointing – and they leave.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.  I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.  Who is the liar?  It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a man is the antichrist — he denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:20-22

It is all about Jesus Christ – that’s the bottom line.  We live in such an accepting and tolerant world.  It’s okay, no matter what you want to talk about…that is until you mention Jesus Christ.  Suddenly the conversation gets shut down.

The reason is clear.  There are two competing spirits at work.  The spirit of antichrist wants no mention of the true anointing.  Christ, the Anointed One and His anointing can break the bondage of sin, sickness, depression, and a whole host of other symptoms of this age.

We need to walk in the boldness of the Holy Spirit.  Even if it means that we are ridiculed, shut down or rejected.  We must be a light for the true anointing of Christ in our generation.

Question: Have you ever noticed intolerance for the name of Jesus Christ?

© Nick Zaccardi 2012

 
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Posted by on December 10, 2012 in Revival, Spiritual Warfare, The Church

 

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Give Your Life a Solid Foundation

31 Oct

In my last post, I talked about true Biblical faith.  We learned that you can’t just “set it and forget it”.  Instead, it’s a process that must be walked out on a daily basis.  Here is an illustration that Paul used to describe it.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16

Think about faith like a huge wooden shield, big enough for you to hide behind in the raging battle.  What is it protecting you from?  Paul says that it’s the flaming arrows of the enemy.

What does flame do to wood?  We all know that wood is a fuel.  As the weapons of the enemy hit it, the shield begins to wear away.  If you just stand still in your Christian walk, you begin to lose ground.  What you believed last year, you may not believe this year.  Your faith begins to fade.

Scripture tells us that we must continually maintain our faith.  That’s why prayer, reading the word, and fellowship with other believers are so vital to our walk with the Lord.

We need to continue in all of those things just to stand still.  If that’s the case, then I really need to build my faith for moving forward in God.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

The words being sure in this verse literally mean setting under.  The scriptural definition for hope is our expectation of what God is going to work out in our lives.  So, in actuality, what this verse says is that faith is our support or foundation.

Faith is a support for our expectations.  How can I continue to expect God’s best in the middle of the struggles of life?  My expectations must be supported.  It’s only through faith in what God has said that I can have this kind of foundation.

We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Hebrews 3:14

This is really what we want from God.  We want to share in what Christ has provided for us.  The only way this will take place is if we hold firmly to our support.  That’s why we need the shield.

If faith is not held firmly, it can be knocked out of our hands.  Make sure that you are maintaining your faith.  It’s what you need to support you through the rough times.

Question: How has your faith in God supported you in the past?

© Nick Zaccardi 2012

 
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Posted by on October 31, 2012 in Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Warfare

 

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Follow Me – Book Review

18 Sep

“My neighborhood is in total spiritual darkness and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Have you ever felt like that?  Do you see the enemy’s kingdom taking over your town, your schools or your local businesses?  Do you feel helpless?  There is an answer.

I was having breakfast with a friend of mine by the name of Dr. Randy Sprinkle.  During the course of our conversation, he told me about a book he had written.  The title was Follow Me – Becoming a Lifestyle Prayerwalker.

I knew about prayerwalking.  My church had been involved in it for a couple of years.  We talked about it for a little while.  Later on, he gave me a copy of his book.  I thanked him, knowing that part of his ministry was going to churches and teaching on prayerwalking.

I must admit that the book lay on my shelf a while before I began to read it.  Now that I’ve read it, I wish I had done so sooner.  The book is absolutely life-changing.

It’s one of those “must read” books.  Every believer needs to grab hold of the principles taught in these pages.  That is especially true if we want to see the power of God manifest in our cities.

The book is just over 120 pages.  But don’t expect to get through it in one sitting.  It wasn’t designed for that.  It’s written in the form of six weeks of 5 daily devotions.  That’s why it can change your life.

Each day it starts with prayer.  Then it’s followed by reading the Scripture, meditating on it, and getting some teaching.  Next, it helps you to plan how you are going to implement what you just learned as you go throughout your day.  The last part of each daily segment is an evening reflection that asks you think about what you did during the day.  It’s a very powerful plan.

This book is well written and keeps you interested.  Dr. Sprinkle gives teaching, examples, testimonies, and encouragement.  I looked forward to my time in this book each day.

The fact is that we need to be a people of prayer.  Not the “hands off” kind that keeps a safe distance from the ones in need.  We need to be out praying on our streets.  That’s how we win the spiritual battle for the souls around us.

We need to stop looking for someone else to do the work.  Wherever you live, you are called to intercede.  This book will equip you with everything you need to bring spiritual change to your area.

In Dr. Sprinkle’s words, prayerwalking is a “strategic, world-transforming activity that calls believers out of church buildings to intercede for the work of the kingdom while quietly walking through local neighborhoods and mission fields around the world.”

The book is available on Amazon.  Click here to order Follow Me: Becoming a Lifestyle Prayerwalker.

Question: Have read this book?  How has it helped you?  Have you seen any results?

© Nick Zaccardi 2012

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”.  This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will help my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 
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Posted by on September 18, 2012 in Book Reviews, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, The Church

 

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