tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73165949407060108042024-03-24T00:10:12.056-07:00Mentoring ProphetsThis blog is written by Marko Joensuu.Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-66462028181290432382023-04-27T07:04:00.000-07:002023-04-27T07:04:13.938-07:00Jeremiah 15 and the restoration of prophetic responsibility <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Studying Jeremiah 15 well and applying its lessons in practice is key to the restoration of the prophetic movement. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The last few years have seen many failures in the prophetic movement, but as response, there has been more effort in attempting to move the goalposts rather than admitting failure and seek restoration. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah 15 is a key text in the Bible regarding the prophetic process and responsibility, and although there is a difference between the function and authority of the Old Testament and contemporary prophets, the dynamics of the Holy Spirit’s work in us and through us haven’t changed, and God never lies. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAiRPPnO0KQ9nsott4Vyewd7yQFGIa4LqYkCeHM-FaQSRa1eJ7J8kvBfRsOeYAiTYKkhjlnCQo5_1R4vAafakQCkxQh1WsWS9E06aRTONEd-cdGqv_8JoT4CktsHChnbgMoJVYVzqegY4dIOMwssXkuAbF0lPCkBvmgZgVXXsn2e5HJkOgZjUWk4JEQ/s1920/moses-2715485_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAiRPPnO0KQ9nsott4Vyewd7yQFGIa4LqYkCeHM-FaQSRa1eJ7J8kvBfRsOeYAiTYKkhjlnCQo5_1R4vAafakQCkxQh1WsWS9E06aRTONEd-cdGqv_8JoT4CktsHChnbgMoJVYVzqegY4dIOMwssXkuAbF0lPCkBvmgZgVXXsn2e5HJkOgZjUWk4JEQ/s320/moses-2715485_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Verse 1 says, </span><p></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Then the Lord said to me: Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn towards this people.” </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here, Moses and Samuel represent the Law and the prophets. The implications are clear – both the Law and the prophets demand the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple as judgment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The prophetic word about the impending destruction continues, and it is a hard word to share, not simply because of the negative response from the people, but also as Jeremiah is prophesying the destruction of his own nation, and he himself came from a priestly family. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In verse 10 Jeremiah says, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.” </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah has become an object for cursing, and many regular people would have thought that he was a false prophet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In verses 11-12 the Lord says, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Surely I have intervened in your life for good, surely I have imposed enemies on you in a time of trouble and in a time of distress. Can iron and bronze break iron from the north?" </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah was born in the village of Anathoth, northeast from the Old City of Jerusalem, so it is possible that “iron from the north” has a double meaning as a reference to unmixed iron coming from near the Black Sea and Jeremiah’s personal history. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah’s words will break the mixed words by other prophets who had mixed bronze with iron and not relied only on the Lord. It seems that God has no time for Jeremiah’s protestations, as He immediately adds to the words of destruction. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Verses 13-14 say, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn for ever.” </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Verses 15-18 which account Jeremiah’s response are critical, as they document the stumbling block for most prophetic ministries. </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.” </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When we begin to receive prophetic words from the Holy Spirit, it is a time of excitement. But sharing them faithfully will always have consequences, as there will be opposition from demonic forces and people. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At this point, Jeremiah was no more willing to share God-given words faithfully. Perhaps he also wanted to begin to mix bronze with iron. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Oftentimes, prophetic ministry leads to loneliness and lack of popularity, and this is a price that not everyone in the prophetic ministry wants to pay. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the prophetic responsibility is not always joyful. The excitement that comes from receiving the words of the Lord can be addictive, but there are times God is asking us not to operate out of excitement but out of obedience. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Lord answers in verses 19-21, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The only way the prophetic ministry will maintain its integrity is in the place of willingness to pay the price of loneliness. Are we compromising the prophetic word because of the need for popularity and its benefits? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What is noteworthy is that in God’s eyes Jeremiah is already walking away from Him, and He is asking Jeremiah to repent and turn back. And herein is our hope: <b>if Jeremiah was able to turn back, we are also able to turn back. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For our benefit, Jeremiah has documented for us the desperate moment he had before God. There is not even a hint that this would have been a public moment. Jeremiah had not yet uttered a false prophecy. But God showed him the moment when he was about to begin to share worthless words that were the product of his own imagination rather than an outcome of a deep encounter with God. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What Jeremiah 15 says is that we need to stop mixing bronze with iron. It might be that, initially, no one else will see the difference, but we know the difference. We need to stop mixing our words with God’s words and know the difference between them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-53133842550958551542022-06-08T12:56:00.001-07:002022-06-08T12:56:46.825-07:00Why did God take Elijah to heaven on the chariot of fire? <p><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">In 2 Kings 2:11, the prophet Elijah is taken up to heaven on the chariot of fire. This miracle is often portrayed as a highlight of Elijah’s ministry, but it seems evident that God took Elijah away before time to protect Elijah from the consequences of his disobedience.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Common explanations for the chariots of fire include God rewarding Elijah for his obedience. But that seems unlikely, as before that, Elijah had refused to obey God’s command to anoint three leaders.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-IFELX5PHiHK8hHD5FLYWaEDMgpzY4CGYlKfHXckAjPxRx5JfL-psETVs2z_THCy74bJxQXka2uq02-D71m6utOOMw2Xqyd2Qn-jMyxI03WXttJ__3hCT8NMa2XhgVfEyhx4uzcBll1ZzmRZPahKXpT2IChd9sDlWdmJ7bw8ILS57DDByGpiV_z5gg/s1280/apocalypse-g4f7e171b9_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-IFELX5PHiHK8hHD5FLYWaEDMgpzY4CGYlKfHXckAjPxRx5JfL-psETVs2z_THCy74bJxQXka2uq02-D71m6utOOMw2Xqyd2Qn-jMyxI03WXttJ__3hCT8NMa2XhgVfEyhx4uzcBll1ZzmRZPahKXpT2IChd9sDlWdmJ7bw8ILS57DDByGpiV_z5gg/w640-h360/apocalypse-g4f7e171b9_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><br /></span></p></span><h2><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;">Elijah’s disobedience</span></h2><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We all know the story about the prophet Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal and Asherah on the Mount Carmel and fire coming down from heaven to burn his sacrifice. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 1 Kings 18:1 it says, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.’</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Because of drought the famine was severe in Samaria. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Elijah doesn't tell Ahab about the coming rain, but challenges the prophets of Baal to a confrontation. The fire falls from heaven on Elijah’s altar, and Elijah slaughters 450 prophets of Baal. But after a threat by Queen Jezebel, Elijah flees to Mount Horeb, fearful and depressed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 1 Kings 19:11-18 God speaks to Elijah, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’ </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is after Elijah had had killed 450 Baal’s prophets with a sword. But as he is full of fear, Elijah is saying that all God’s prophets have been killed with a sword! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The first thing Elijah is asked to do is to go to the wilderness of Damascus and anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Then he is asked to anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, over Israel, and then to anoint Elisha to be a prophet in his place. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Hebrew <a href="https://biblehub.com/hebrew/tachteicha_8478.htm" target="_blank">word</a> translated here as “in your place” is also translated in the Old Testament as “under”, so it is not conclusive whether God was terminating Elijah’s prophetic office, or if he was asking Elijah to begin to prepare for succession but with Elisha under Elijah’s leadership. But there is a strong sense that God is dissatisfied with Elijah's response to his encounter with God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But rather than going to Damascus to anoint Hazael, Elijah goes to find Elisha. And rather than anointing Elisha, he only throws his mantle over him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are several acts of disobedience. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">First, he doesn’t go to anoint Hazael. In human terms, this could have been understandable, as Hazael was an enemy of Israel, and Elijah would have anointed Hazael to attack Israel. But God doesn’t give us the freedom to disobey commands that we dislike. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Second, Elijah doesn’t anoint Jehu.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Third, he goes straight to Elisha, but he doesn’t anoint Elisha either. Instead, he throws his mantle over Elisha.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In fact, Elijah doesn’t anoint anyone. And he gives Elisha his mantle without anointing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A mantle without anointing. It seems that Elijah might have wanted Elisha to fail. Because he would have known the significance of anointing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But God had already anointed Elisha. He only wanted Elijah to recognise that anointing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We often talk in the charismatic church about receiving someone’s mantle in a celebratory manner, but in fact what we celebrate is an act of disobedience, or at best, an act of partial obedience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Perhaps Elijah became angry at the thought of Elisha replacing him. We don’t know. But Elijah never anointed Elisha. Instead, Elisha became his disciple and servant. Perhaps Elisha was supposed to be anointed to serve “under” Elijah to become a prophet “in his place”; perhaps both translations of the Hebrew word are correct.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is not dissimilar to what often happens in our churches. So often, leaders are happy to serve as long as they remain the main protagonist of the narrative. But if God asks them to step aside and give someone else space to operate on the same level, that they won’t accept.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But it is clear that Elijah is taken to heaven prematurely, without completing the assignment God had given to him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After a long time Ahab repents, fasts, and puts on sackcloth, and 1 Kings 21:28-29 says, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This story begins with God sending the prophet Elijah to Ahab after he promises rain for Israel. But rather than telling Ahab that, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a confrontation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We can see that all this time it was in God’s heart to bring Ahab to repentance.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There have been situations in my life when God has asked me to give a good news prophecy to someone who has maltreated me. I wonder if God was testing Elijah to see if he was willing to bring positive news to his persecutor. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Would Ahab have repented earlier had Elijah given him the good news? But now I am reading between the lines as someone who has a prophetic ministry.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After Elijah has been taken up to heaven, 2 Kings 8:7-15 says,</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Elisha went to Damascus while King Ben-hadad of Aram was ill. When it was told him, ‘The man of God has come here’, the king said to Hazael, ‘Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, whether I shall recover from this illness.’ So Hazael went to meet him, taking a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he entered and stood before him, he said, ‘Your son King Ben-hadad of Aram has sent me to you, saying, “Shall I recover from this illness?”’ Elisha said to him, ‘Go, say to him, “You shall certainly recover”; but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.’ 11 He fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was ashamed. Then the man of God wept. Hazael asked, ‘Why does my lord weep?’ He answered, ‘Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel; you will set their fortresses on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their pregnant women.’ Hazael said, ‘What is your servant, who is a mere dog, that he should do this great thing?’ Elisha answered, ‘The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Aram.’ Then he left Elisha, and went to his master Ben-hadad,[a] who said to him, ‘What did Elisha say to you?’ And he answered, ‘He told me that you would certainly recover.’ But the next day he took the bed-cover and dipped it in water and spread it over the king’s face, until he died. And Hazael succeeded him.</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Elisha doesn’t want to anoint Hazael to attack Israel. Instead, he weeps. We don’t know how much he knew about the assignment God had given to Elijah. But perhaps God didn’t ask Elisha to anoint Hazael, but only to prophesy to him, so he probably didn't disobey God. But even Elisha found it hard to prophesy to Hazael.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 2 Kings 9:1-3 it says</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophets and said to him, ‘Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, “Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.” Then open the door and flee; do not linger.’</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is Elisha who completes Elijah’s tasks because Elijah refuses to anoint three people. But even now Elijah delegates the task to one of the prophets who are in his company. Perhaps God didn't ask Elijah to perform the anointing personally. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But how many leaders have lost their anointing because they have refused to leave the centre stage and honour someone else that God wants to lift?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many people are willing to die with public glory, to get their names etched on the tablets of history, but how many people are willing to die the way of John the Baptist, by decreasing? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What happens to us when we refuse to do God’s will? It seems to me that because Elijah disobeyed God, his ministry was on its way to destruction, and that God took Elijah to heaven before he would encounter the consequences of his disobedience. After all, God has no use for a prophet who refuses to do God’s will. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some time ago I visited a large church in an event where there were many great speakers. I must admit that I felt a pang of jealousy when I listened to these speakers. But each time I felt jealousy, I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Marko. If you were doing what they are doing, I would have already taken you from earth.” I didn’t get the message immediately, as each one of these speakers was doing great things in their real life, and they weren't just conference speakers. But I got the sense that my days on earth would already have been over had I even tried to do what they were doing. I have survived accidents where I could easily have died, so I don’t think God was talking about being taken up in the chariots of fire. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As I reflected on this, it became clear to me how much God values obedience. I heard the same response of the Holy Spirit again and again. But I think it was the voice of God’s love.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No matter, how successful we might be on the outside, God has no use for prophets who don’t do his will. And it was God’s love that took Elijah up in the chariot of fire, because he wanted Elijah to finish well.</span></p><p><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><div><br /></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-84695977341572393312022-05-02T08:56:00.000-07:002022-05-02T08:56:22.290-07:00Devil's three main weapons: fear<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The devil’s three main weapons are fear, sin and deception.
In John 8:44, Jesus says that the devil is a murderer and a liar. As a
murderer, he releases violence against us, and this brings fear. As a liar, he
releases deception against us. And he has always tempted us to sin.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All these three weapons get their energy from a demonic
presence that accompanies them. God has an unlimited Presence; the angels and
demons have a limited spiritual presence, and their presence is qualitatively
different from God’s. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The presence of God bears fruit, and so does the presence of
the enemy, but of a rotten kind, if we allow it to operate in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Galatians 5:22-23 says that the fruit of God’s presence in
our lives is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The fruit of demonic presence in our lives, if we allow it
to affect us, are the works of fear, sin and deception. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Ephesians 2:2, Paul writes about the pervasive presence
of the demonic forces around us, and how it brings sin into our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses
and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in
the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves
in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This demonic atmosphere around us makes it harder to believe
in the Word of God, makes us forget His promises, and seeks to disconnect us
from the flow of the Holy Spirit within us through making it difficult for us
to experience God’s presence.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziHHD4E9xlOX9AqSYQU7CR50RLzDUNaU0tE5yk7vwAnKg74eDloXosZGfdchiTVPR4cRpU3kUHCEfL82hfWmOCV6TbXnsSR7mM0jjPD6tHqpkvojNfwzaxx2y1qrH0zyEv5pz89driJyCKYTj_at1oTLIKYsPTV05OkGKFV8gTU9Nbq13s3XFiNamCA/s4861/jon-tyson-No_myp7sMTg-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4861" data-original-width="3241" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziHHD4E9xlOX9AqSYQU7CR50RLzDUNaU0tE5yk7vwAnKg74eDloXosZGfdchiTVPR4cRpU3kUHCEfL82hfWmOCV6TbXnsSR7mM0jjPD6tHqpkvojNfwzaxx2y1qrH0zyEv5pz89driJyCKYTj_at1oTLIKYsPTV05OkGKFV8gTU9Nbq13s3XFiNamCA/w426-h640/jon-tyson-No_myp7sMTg-unsplash.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Enemy is the master of attacking us through manipulating our
emotions. This is because our emotions are more intertwined with our beliefs
than we realise. Through affecting our emotions, the devil can affect what we
believe and influence our behaviour. Robert C. Solomon, Professor of
Philosophy, writes on the philosophy of emotions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Beliefs and emotions are related in many important ways:
belief as precondition or presupposition of emotion, and belief as brought
about by emotion (say, by way of wishful thinking or rationalisation).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is quite an illuminating point of view. I don’t know if
it happens to you, but when I feel low, facts look different from when I feel
optimistic. When I feel low, nothing seems possible; when I feel hopeful, even
impossible seems possible. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I reason in an entirely different way when I feel hopeful
than when I feel depressed. That is because our emotions affect our beliefs.
They affect our thought processes deeply, and they manifest in our thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paul writes in Romans 12:2,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Ephesians 4:20-24, Paul says that “the spirit of your
mind” needs continual renewing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you
have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that
you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Spirit-filled state of your mind is continually
bombarded with deceitful lusts, fear and arguments. These attacks come from the
inside—what Paul calls flesh—but also from demonic beings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to
the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the main weapons the devil uses against you is
releasing fear-filled arguments. These are some of the fiery arrows Paul asks
us to use the shield of faith against in Ephesians 6:13-18. Their goal is to
disconnect your mind from the continual indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If they
achieve to do that, the devil knows he will be able to defeat you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These fiery arrows are not just facts; they are burning with
demonic poison. We accept them because they sound factual, but they are at best
only partial facts and immersed in fear, and in other emotions such as anger
and a sense of guilt.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The main goal of releasing fear and guilt is not necessarily
to make you submit to them, but to make you vulnerable to sin and deception.
Here, the enemy is using our psychological defence mechanisms against us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The only way to combat demonic fear and guilt are the
presence and promises of God; all attempts of self-defence without the Holy
Spirit can lead to destructive or addictive behaviour.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you breathe in the demonic fear produced by the prince of
the air and his vassals, the fearful emotion itself will become a factory for
fear-filled thoughts, and your fear-filled mind will end up doing the devil’s
job for him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have the gift of discerning spirits, and I can often
discern how a demonic disturbance seeks to encapsulate my mind like a bubble or
a sphere that begins to interfere with my thought processes and produces a
diversity of fears or other negative emotions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When under this demonic disturbance, for example, on the way
to work, I can fear a multitude of things from a relationship breakdown to
financial ruin, and whatever else, depending on what news headlines I read in
the paper. It is as if the atmosphere of fear was able to seep deep in my
thought processes and dig up even my deepest subconscious fear, and articulate
it clearly. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The enemy might not necessarily feed me these individual
fear-filled thoughts, but instead, he surrounds me with a spiritual environment
that begins to feed my imagination and reasoning processes. He doesn’t need to
read my mind, but simply surround it with his presence, and my imagination will
do the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our reasoning and emotions aren’t that separate from each
other. Contrary to common understanding, emotions and thoughts don’t displace
each other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, the enemy often attacks our faith through manipulating
our emotions that begin to warp our beliefs, which will in turn begin to affect
our behaviour. But because emotions and beliefs are so interwoven, the enemy
can also attack our emotions through arguments—the process also works in
reverse.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The apostle Paul saw many arguments as spiritually loaded.
He writes in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and
every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready
to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. <o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Emotions also appear to behave like arguments. Robert C.
Solomon writes,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Emotions are in fact assessments that are perceived as
particularly important for the agent . . . For this reason, emotions play a
crucial role in the process of decision-making.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If the enemy can affect your emotions, he can influence your
decision-making. Robert C. Solomon concludes, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">An emotion is a system of concepts, beliefs and attitudes,
and desires, virtually all of which are context-bound, historically developed
and culture specific.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our six basic emotions are: fear, disgust, surprise,
sadness, happiness and anger. The devil can manipulate each one of these
emotions to weaken our faith. I focus on fear here, because it is one of the
main weapons of the enemy. But the devil can use all these emotions to
disconnect us from the presence of God. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I often find that the enemy seeks to use my memories against
me. By bringing certain types of memories to my awareness, the enemy will also
bring the mood associated with the memory.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our emotions affect the way we see the future. Fear makes
the future seem hopeless. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jean Paul Sartre, an atheist existential philosopher,
writes,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The meaning of realism, of naturalism, and of materialism
lies in the past: these three philosophies are descriptions of the past as if
it were present.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Often, when the enemy fights against God’s promises in your
life, he leads you to focus on the material and financial limitations of your
life. If he can make you think about your life mainly on materialistic terms,
he can easily kill any God-given dream in your life through bringing a sense of
determinism, so that you become a prisoner of the past. He will whisper to your
ear: “Look at your life. Things might change, but they will change so slowly
that you will never make it to the future God has promised to you.” But God is
the Master of multiplication. He doesn’t multiply seeds from 1 to 2, but from 1
to 30 or 100. Matthew 13:8 says, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.</span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the devil will tell you that you will only add from 1 to
2, and even that, only with the greatest of your effort.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and it is indispensable in our
battle against the enemy. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the
greatest of these is love.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hope, faith and love are all attributes of God Himself, and
that is why, when we are full of His Spirit, we are also full of hope. And hope
is the greatest weapon against depression and despair. But the fear of future
is the opposite of hope for future.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Can you see why the devil loves prophecies spreading fear?
Can you see why our media can’t get enough of doom and gloom? The devil likes
to feed our thought factories of fear, so that we would live our lives in an
atmosphere of fear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The enemy attacks the emotions to colour the narratives and
the metaphors through which we perceive our lives, and through connecting your
emotions to false memories that are only partially based on reality. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The reality is that no matter what happened in the past, God
is still with us, and God was in control even in the past. And He will also be
in control in future.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Satan is an expert in fear, because he has lived in fear for
thousands of years. He and his demonic army know every nuance of fear. They
have been in the presence of God, they know who God really is, and they know
that, one day, they will be judged.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The apostle James writes,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the
demons believe—and tremble! (James 2:19)<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The demons fear God, and this fear goes to their very core.
Hence they can’t help but to radiate fear. And a demonic spirit that spreads
fear will also spread rebellion, unbelief and deception. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All Christian leaders are under heavy spiritual attack, at
all times, but many of them are not even theologically open to an idea about a
negative, supernatural force influencing them. Hence they respond to a
supernatural attack in the natural, self-medicating against the symptoms but
never really dealing with the real cause. This can lead to all sorts of
addictive and destructive behaviour, including alcoholism, addiction to sex and
pornography, and drug use.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1 John 4:18 says,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in
love.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This isn’t a word of judgment for those who feel fear, but a
word of encouragement. But isn’t it interesting that the apostle John positions
fear as the enemy of God that must be overcome by the power of God?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I used to be of the opinion that a little bit of fear in my
life didn’t really matter. But I have come to realise that fear can easily
bring disobedience into our lives. Abraham sinned because of fear. King Saul
sinned and lost his anointing because of fear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Also, fear opens up all kinds of other emotions and wrestles
our mind out of submission to the Holy Spirit. It weakens our resistance
against the demonic powers and the power of sin. Sometimes, the devil just
hates to see you blessed and wants to rob you of joy, so he attacks you with
fear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are many negative emotions, but fear is perhaps the
most destructive one, as it is very deceitful, and we don’t always realise that
it opens the door to demonic influences in our lives.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This article has been extracted from my book <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/supernatural-love" target="_blank">Supernatural Love: Releasing the Compassion of Jesus Through the Gifts of the Spirit.</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-30023999678754055912022-04-08T09:52:00.004-07:002022-04-08T09:55:53.492-07:00What is the biblical standard for prophetic accuracy?<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After the wholesale failure of the prophetic movement in the political
arena and the consequent escape from reality by many prophetic leaders into the
alternative reality created by QAnon and conspiracy theories, it seems worth
revisiting the biblical standards for prophecy.</span></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Old Testament standard for prophecy</span></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Old Testament standard for prophetic accuracy is clear. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+18&version=NRSV" target="_blank">Deuteronomy18:21-22</a> says,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You may say to yourself,
“How can we recognize a word that the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>
has not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is
a word that the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> has not
spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1 Samuel 3:19 says,<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As Samuel grew up, the Lord </span></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.</span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The prophetic standard of the Old Testament was that a true prophet spoke only the words given by the Lord and they came to pass. Anything else was presumptuous and caused the prophet to lose their authority. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Contrast this with the
standard of the modern-day <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic-Prophetic_Movement" target="_blank">Apostolic-Prophetic Movement</a> that seems to accept
quite a high level of errors. In 1988, Bob Jones, who has now passed, and Mike
Bickle, considered by many to be leaders in the movement, recorded around five
hours of informal dialogue titled <a href="http://www.ihopnetwork.com/ihop/BobIHOP/FullText.pdf" target="_blank">Visions and Revelations</a>. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the recordings, Mike
Bickle asks Bob Jones about his prophecies: “So there has been errors. There
has been a number of errors.” Bob Jones says, “Oh, hundreds of them.” Mike
Bickle asks: “The Lord will correct them?” to which Bob Jones responds,
“Absolutely.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I deal with this in more
detail in my book <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/supernatural-love" target="_blank">Supernatural Love</a>, but it is enough to say here that the practice
in the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is that it is not a big deal if a prophet has
a few failing prophecies. This is because in their model, prophets don’t
receive their authority from fulfilled prophetic words but from alignment with
the movement itself, as the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is in essence a
governmental rather than missional model. Its main purpose is to exert
authority over the believers.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">Hence the
Apostolic-Prophetic Movement holds annual prophetic roundtables where the
prophetic word for the year is produced from the consensus between the
prophetic leaders recognised by the movement. And it is being in alignment with
the apostles and prophets in this movement that will bring a blessing to
individual believers under their authority, not the fulfilled prophetic words.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Looking at what
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says, this appears to be quite a different standard to that
set for the Old Testament prophets. But are these Old Testament standards
applicable today? Or are they out of date?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48WqEZL8kfcUprXTzN8CiL9Vsd_lLJeVa-bjY82xDjraaFsTO4-PZSN49RfF7XrNf44OWOqaw5uwqM1jZBOnUhteqOufQrW66J_cO8QB59ZehOiOZNUbf5X8CT_VYANa1zq7YVsGthimy8pcjsBSt227Avf6FkCLHZfoEU2WWb0wBu3HS2_E1_FLl6g/s1920/dart-g4039259c6_1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48WqEZL8kfcUprXTzN8CiL9Vsd_lLJeVa-bjY82xDjraaFsTO4-PZSN49RfF7XrNf44OWOqaw5uwqM1jZBOnUhteqOufQrW66J_cO8QB59ZehOiOZNUbf5X8CT_VYANa1zq7YVsGthimy8pcjsBSt227Avf6FkCLHZfoEU2WWb0wBu3HS2_E1_FLl6g/w640-h360/dart-g4039259c6_1920.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">New Testament
standard for prophecy</span></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some teachers take 1
Corinthians 14:3 to be the sole guideline for prophecy in the New Testament:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their
upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If this was the only
guideline, prophecy in the New Testament church would have lost nearly all its
predictive nature and the responsibility for accuracy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But presenting this verse
as the only guideline is contradictory to the evidence of the New Testament as
a whole. Nowhere does it say in the New Testament that the demand for accuracy has
now been forfeited. For example, in Acts 11:28 Agabus prophesies that there
would be a great famine over the whole world, and this came to pass under
Claudius. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We don’t know for certain
how widespread this famine was, but it affected at least the people of <a href="http://www.josephus.org/ntparallels2.htm" target="_blank">Israel and Syria</a> where the early church was concentrated at the time. So, Agabus made
a clear prediction about a world event, and it was fulfilled. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the most visible
failures of the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement was their nearly unanimous
prediction that Trump would be elected for second term in 2020. This collective
prophecy turned out to be a catastrophic failure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In one sense, if the role
of the prophet in the New Testament is merely to encourage, encouraging voters
to vote for Trump would have been enough for the prophets to fulfil their
function, even when Trump was not elected. But that was not how these
prophecies were presented, as they were presented as predictive prophecies
rather than election campaigning, so making the retrospective argument about
the merely encouraging function of prophecy that some have done to defend the
movement is dishonest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Deuteronomy 18 in
more detail</span></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Looking at </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Deuteronomy
18:21-22</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, different Bible
translations translate the Hebrew text slightly differently: if a prophecy
turns out to be presumptuous, we should not be afraid of either the prophet <i>or</i>
the prophecy. So, it could be argued that it is either the prophet or the prophecy
that have lost their authority due to a failed prophecy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">An understanding that it
is a prophecy rather than the prophet that loses the authority when a word is
not fulfilled seems to be shared by Kris Valloton, who <a href="https://eu.redding.com/story/news/local/2021/01/11/bethel-california-church-leader-reposts-trump-biden-election-apology-video/6624635002/" target="_blank">apologised</a> for prophesying
about Trump being elected for second term in 2020. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Effectively, Kris Valloton
admitted that he had spoken this word presumptuously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“I take full
responsibility for being wrong. There’s no excuse for it. I think it doesn’t
make me a false prophet, but it does … create a credibility gap. A lot of
people trust me, trust my ministry and I want to say I’m very sorry for
everyone who put their trust in me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to this view,
apologising for the word spoken presumptuously might be enough to restore
prophetic authority if the prophetic leader only takes full responsibility for the
failure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But looking at Deuteronomy
18, this would not be enough to restore prophetic authority, as verse 20 says, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the prophet who
presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak,
or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This speaks for heavy
prophetic responsibility. Getting only one prediction wrong will lead to the
death of the prophet. Because the Torah spoke for death penalty in various
occasions, many have interpreted this as a death sentence actioned by the
Jewish community. But in fact, the text only says that the prophet shall die,
implying that it is God himself that will take their life. So, it wasn’t just
the prophetic word but also the prophet who lost their authority.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some modern interpreters
maintain that this punishment of death was only for those prophets who deceived
the Israelites to follow false gods, but the text makes it clear that the same punishment
was reserved for those who spoke in the name of Yahweh presumptuously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The word translated in
Deuteronomy 18 as presumption is also translated in the Old Testament as arrogance
or pride. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This gives us an
important insight into the nature of presumption. Prophetic words spoken
presumptuously are spoken arrogantly. An arrogant person feels entitled to his
or her view. He or she takes for granted that they are right. They don’t have
to consult the Lord to check their view, but instead, they speak it out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Were there any
mitigating circumstances?</span></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The most extreme example of
what happened to false prophets is the confrontation between Elijah and the
prophets of Baal which led to the slaughtering of four hundred prophets of Baal
by Elijah. Perhaps the following depression was posttraumatic stress disorder!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But mostly, the
consequences of false prophecy weren’t administered by the hands of the
prophets. In case of Jeremiah 28:15-17, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen,
Hananiah, the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> has not sent
you, and you made this people trust in a lie. Therefore
thus says the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>: I am going to
send you off the face of the earth. Within this year you will be dead, because
you have spoken rebellion against the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>.”
In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah prophesied the death of Hananiah, and the prophet Hananiah died
what might probably have looked like a natural death had you not heard the prophecy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are incidents in the Old Testament where a prophet spoke
presumptuously but where the consequences weren’t that significant. 2 Samuel
7:1-4 says, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Now when the king was settled in his house, and the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> had given him rest from all his
enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living
in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the
king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> is with you.” But that same night the word of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> came to Nathan: Go and tell my
servant David: Thus says the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>:
Are you the one to build me a house to live in?<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here, we can see that Nathan spoke presumptuously although it doesn’t
seem that he prophesied. It seems more like a blessing. He didn’t inquire of the Lord but assumed that because
God had anointed David, his plan would also be of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Looking at the contemporary church, this is an area where presumption
often happens. This is also the weak point of the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement,
which emphasises the authority of the office rather than the accuracy of the
word. There is an assumption that the plans of the apostolic and prophetic
leaders will automatically be blessed, even when they don’t inquire of the
Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">A good example of presumption based on office is when </span><span style="color: #030303; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Bill
Johnson, Che Ahn, John Arnott, and Rich Joyner</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-themecolor: text1;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkrtac7IgXs" target="_blank">prophesied over</a> Todd Bentley just before his public fall from ministry. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Delayed prophecy</span></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are two mitigating factors, and one of them is time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah 25:1-3 says,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in
the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah (that was the first
year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon), which the prophet Jeremiah spoke to
all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: For twenty-three
years, from the thirteenth year of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah, to this
day, the word of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> has come
to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. </span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah had prophesied about the impending destruction of Jerusalem for
twenty-three years, but it had not yet taken place. Many Jews would have
probably classified Jeremiah as a false prophet through all that time. This
shows that we must be careful with prophesies that don’t have a clear time
limit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">But this doesn’t justify the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/18/how-christian-prophets-give-credence-to-trumps-election-fantasies-469598">prophecies</a> that clearly said that Trump
would win a second term in 2020. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unlike Kris Valloton, so many charismatic prophets have resorted to lies
and conspiracy theories to cover up the fact that their prophecies were false.
They would rather change their description of reality than admit they were
wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another mitigating factor is the symbolic nature of many prophetic
dreams and visions. I have looked at this in detail in my book <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/understanding-revelation" target="_blank">Understanding Revelation</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">In this case, a symbolic prophetic vision is interpreted literally.
Again, this doesn’t justify the QAnon theories of Trump still being the
president <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-qanon-president-white-house-executions-b1798452.html">secretly</a>, as none of the prophecies predicted any sort of secret
presidency. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sometimes genuine prophecies are misinterpreted. That is another issue.
But when you inspect the original prophecy retrospectively, it should be clear that
misinterpretation has taken place. Most Old Testament prophecies about Jesus
were misinterpreted by Jesus’s contemporaries, but that didn’t make them false.
Often it becomes clear that a prophecy has been misinterpreted only after it
has been fulfilled. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">False prophets in the New Testament church</span></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Let us now turn our attention to the New Testament. When the New
Testament books and epistles were written, the main reference point would have
been the Old Testament, which was the only written Word of God. Consequently,
the writers of the New Testament sought to apply the Old Testament teachings in
the new context and through the lens of the crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jesus had some sharp words regarding false prophets. Matthew 7:15-20
says,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but
inwardly are ravenous wolves.<b><sup> </sup></b>You will know them by their
fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same
way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good
tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will
know them by their fruits.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Jesus’s words, the false prophets could be recognised by their fruit.
This passage doesn’t refer to the predictive element of prophecy, but you could
say that a false prophecy is also a bad fruit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Verses 21-23 say, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day
many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast
out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare
to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It seems that there has been a change of emphasis. It is possible to do
mighty works in Jesus’s name including prophesying, and yet to be an evildoer
not known by God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is remarkable. But what is noteworthy is that it doesn’t justify
false or presumptuous prophecy. In fact, it seems to say that even the false
prophets can get their prophecies right, but it doesn’t mean that they knew
Jesus. So, Jesus is not reducing the biblical standard but upholding it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Much like in the Old Testament, there is a blurred line between false
prophets and false teachers in the New Testament. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">False prophets according to John</span></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1 John 4:1-3 says,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the
world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not
confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of
which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In my book <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/understanding-revelation">Understanding Revelation</a>, I look more deeply into John’s
definition of antichrists as false teachers. But for John, the main feature of
false prophets is that they don’t confess Jesus Christ as come in the flesh
from God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Again, this doesn’t reduce the biblical standard; it only places false
prophets leading the believers astray in the 1<sup>st</sup> century context of
emerging heresies within the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Revelation 2:18-23 says,<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of
the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like
burnished bronze: “I know your works—your love, faith, service, and patient
endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. But I have
this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet
and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice fornication and to eat
food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent
of her fornication. Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit
adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her
doings; and I will strike her children dead.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like Jezebel in the Old Testament, this Jezebel of Thyatira led believes
astray to a syncretistic religion. I write about this historical development in
more detail in Understanding Revelation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Revelation 22:18-19 says,<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if
anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this
book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city,
which are described in this book.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We can see how John upholds a very high standard of prophecy. In his
case, his words must be preserved word for word.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Peter </span></span></b></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2 Peter 2:1-3 says,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be
false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They
will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on
themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of
these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will
exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them
long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Peter equates the Old Testament false prophets here with New Testament
false teachers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paul says in Acts 20:29-30,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not
sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth
in order to entice the disciples to follow them.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Much like Jesus, Paul referred to the false prophets as wolves. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What is behind this emphasis on false teachers rather than false
prophets in the New Testament? From the perspective of the apostles, the Old
Testament prophecies about the coming of Jesus had been fulfilled. Their focus
was on defending the revelation about Jesus rather than predictive prophecy. The
principles of prophetic ministry had already been well outlined by the Old
Testament prophets. In fact, the Book of Jeremiah is the best manual for
prophetic ministry that you can find, and it details the prophetic processes
much better than most contemporary manuals written by anyone claiming to be a
prophet. There was simply no reason to duplicate this work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ambiguous visions</span></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Much of the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement has escaped the demands for accuracy
to the spiritual realm, as the events happening in the invisible world are by
nature directly unverifiable and they can be verified only indirectly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is a reality to the spiritual battle in the heavenlies, but Paul
says in Colossians 2:18-19,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Do not let anyone disqualify you,
insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed
up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head,
from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and
sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is no way of knowing whether a
prophet who says he or she has met an angel has in fact met one, although the false
doctrines that many of these people boasting about meeting an angel demonstrate
that if they did in fact encounter an angel, it wasn’t an angel of the Lord. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Much of the so-called prophetic in
the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is in fact empty boasting about spiritual
experiences, which are unverifiable by nature. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 Paul seems to
refer to his spiritual experiences in third person:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">It is necessary to boast;
nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of
the Lord. </span></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span id="en-NRSV-29009" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I know a person in Christ who fourteen years
ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I
do not know; God knows.<b><sup> </sup></b>And I know that such a
person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows—was
caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no
mortal is permitted to repeat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span class="text"><span style="background: white; color: black;">Paul implies that sharing
some of our spiritual experiences even if genuine can be damaging to the
hearers, and he has more important things, such as preaching the gospel, to do. </span>In
the charismatic world many new and dangerous doctrines have been generated out
of false spiritual experiences. And some dangerous doctrines have even been
generated out of genuine spiritual experiences.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Revelation 19:10, an angel says to John.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The greatest prophecy in the Bible has always been about Jesus, and the
apostles were totally consumed by this revelation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We can see that New Testament has in no way reduced the standards for
accuracy. But what has changed is that the whole church has now become a
prophetic community. When Peter explains the first outpouring of the Spirit in
the First Pentecost (Acts 2), he chooses the word of the prophet Joel, which
say that everyone who will receive the Holy Spirit will prophesy. The New
Testament church is supposed to be a prophetic community where prophetic gift
will proliferate. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:29, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What can be said is that the because of Jesus’s work, the consequences
of false prophecy are less severe, and that false teaching is perceived to be
more dangerous than false prophecy in the New Testament. Yet, there is still a
seriousness about sharing prophetic words, but there is more security because
the prophetic Spirit has been released on the whole community. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But if the consequences of false prophecy in the New Testament are less
severe, neither can the prophets in our era claim the authority of the Old
Testament prophets. Yet some contemporary prophets claim Old Testament
authority even when their words have been proven wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">1 John 2:27 says, </span><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></sup></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;">As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and
so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about
all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide
in him.</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></sup></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the end, the spirit of the prophets should be the Holy Spirit. And
the Holy Spirit never lies. And if a prophet doesn’t speak in the anointing of
the Holy Spirit, he will either speak presumptuously – that is without the Holy
Spirit, or under an influence of another spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is my view that the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is in a need of much
repentance for speaking presumptuously rather than in the anointing of the Holy
Spirit. We dishonour God when we speak presumptuously in his name.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">May God help us find our way back to biblical understanding of prophetic
ministry.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></p>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-17453051173424317612022-01-08T03:12:00.000-08:002022-01-08T03:12:42.016-08:00What are the 7 angels in Revelation 1:20?<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Revelation 1:20 says:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">seven churches.</span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Son of Man holds the seven stars in His hand. This indicates that </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the angelic forces represented by the stars are commanded by the Son </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">of Man. They are not independent agents, but they will do only what </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the Son of Man will command them to do. They are not our servants </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">but God’s servants, fully obedient to Him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paul writes in Colossians 2:18-19:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">God.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Colossae was located only ten miles from Laodicea, and this problem </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">with angel worship in churches was not unique to this city. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Horsley and Luxford present a fascinating study of the epigraphic </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">evidence of pagan angels in Roman Asia Minor. Angels have widely </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">been assumed to come to pagan thinking from Judaism at later date, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">but their research shows that pagans might have believed in angels a </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">lot longer than thought. For example, there are inscriptions in Roman </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Asia Minor where angels are subject to Zeus. Also, there are angels </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">that appear as Apollo’s agents in dispensing justice. (Horsley and </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Luxford 2016, 153, 157) These inscriptions were carved around the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">time of John and Paul.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaYVC4zZLF64jdc_U8NCnLPBx1gUc46s-HpyuDabmzhc3halkSiEwIMupLHAZDAjKiycyKI4txDArUHxaRqnaMmM3ZUt_my8gffVBOlACmFkMo6E88I0781MCoHBjmXR-jA6A3OCGw-0ZKwB4VPgQiKInezrk37kriubQzB3updwGaWrYxvQENBxFyLw=s3610" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3610" data-original-width="2400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaYVC4zZLF64jdc_U8NCnLPBx1gUc46s-HpyuDabmzhc3halkSiEwIMupLHAZDAjKiycyKI4txDArUHxaRqnaMmM3ZUt_my8gffVBOlACmFkMo6E88I0781MCoHBjmXR-jA6A3OCGw-0ZKwB4VPgQiKInezrk37kriubQzB3updwGaWrYxvQENBxFyLw=w425-h640" width="425" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Lykia, there is an inscription from the third century that can be </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">translated as “This is God, and we angeloi [angels] are a small portion </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">of God.” (ibid., 159)</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to Horsey and Luxford (ibid., 177-178), the dichotomy </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">between good and bad angels that developed in Judaism is lacking in </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the pagan descriptions of angels, perhaps because the pagan system </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">was not monotheistic. There have been suggestions that the angels </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">in Roman Asia Minor had a Persian origin. But perhaps they had </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">multiple origins, and there was no consistent belief system around </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">them.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But we can now understand how it would have been easy for </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the Greeks coming from a polytheistic religious system to attribute </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">divinity to angels after they converted to Christianity. After all, in the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">pagan system, the angels were a portion of God, and not that dissimilar </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">from the Greek gods. For them, angels provided a bridge between </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Christianity and paganism, and talking about angels to pagans would </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">have been a lot less offensive than talking about the crucified Christ.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, when Paul writes about wrestling against evil principalities and </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">powers in the heavenly realms in Ephesians 6:12, he is perhaps also </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">seeking to debunk an idea that somehow these forces represented </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Greek and Roman gods could have been in the service of God.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Instead, Paul says that they represent a separate spiritual system that </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">is hostile to God.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here John presents in a visual way the supremacy of Christ over </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the unfallen angels that serve Him. Jesus is almighty, and the mighty </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">angels are mere tools in his hand. They are directed by Jesus’s hand. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They are God’s messengers.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is also a vision about Jesus as the King of Kings, as it </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">resembles a popular Roman coin. An aureus—a Roman gold coin </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">valued at 25 silver denarii—of the empress Domitia, the wife of </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Emperor Domitian, depicts the deified infant son of the emperor </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">seated on the globe and stretching his hands to seven stars (Hemer </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2001, 4).</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Whereas the Roman coin depicted the son of the emperor reaching </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">out to the Roman gods and being lower than the stars, Revelation </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">portrays Jesus as the Lord over the seven stars, which in this description </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">are angels. This reference to angels as stars will reappear in Revelation </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">12:4, where one third of the stars follow the dragon. Through this </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">imagery John depicts the gods that the son of the emperor worships </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">as nothing more than fallen stars—demons.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We can begin to see the assault on the Roman belief system and </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">gods, including the deified emperor, which permeates large parts of </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Revelation, including John’s description of the beast. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the most important reference point is not a Roman coin but </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Habakkuk 3:3-5:</span></p><blockquote><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">of his praise. The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">from his hand, where his power lay hidden. Before him went </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">pestilence, and plague followed close behind.</span></blockquote><p></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like the bright stars, rays were flashing from His hand. Both </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Habakkuk and Revelation present Jesus as God, the Holy One, who </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">will also bring pestilence. Ultimately, all the pestilences that will </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">follow in Revelation are His judgment. We can see how skilfully </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Revelation weaves together the biblical imagery with the situation </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">that the Christians found themselves in the Roman Empire. But </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Habakkuk’s text itself is a reference to Moses’ final blessing of Israel </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">in Deuteronomy 33:1-2:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the Israelites before his death. He said: “The Lord came from </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sinai, and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mount Paran. With him were myriads of holy ones; at his </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">right, a host of his own.”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This blessing comes straight after the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy; </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">the Song of Moses is referred to later in Revelation. We begin to see </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">how Revelation is making continual references to the Law and the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Prophets: the two witnesses. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">By using symbolic language that refers to the Old Testament </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">texts, Revelation claims that both the Law and the Prophets testify </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">that Jesus is God. Later in Revelation, we will reencounter these two </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">witnesses. Then, they will testify against Jerusalem.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;">Sources</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;">Hemer, Colin J. <i>The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><i>Setting</i>. W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2001.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Horsley, G. H. R., and J. M. Luxford. ‘Pagan Angels in Roman </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Asia Minor: Revisiting the Epigraphic Evidence.’ <i>Anatolian </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Studies 66</i> (2016): 141–83.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14px;">For more on the Book of Revelation, you can read my book </span><a href="https://markojoensuu.com/understanding-revelation" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Understanding Revelation</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14px;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-15168546682485208602021-09-25T03:57:00.001-07:002021-09-25T03:57:13.467-07:00Opi erottamaan Jumalan ääni<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan äänen erottamisen oppiminen ei ole aina helppoa. Samuel oli yksi Vanhan Testamentin suurista profeetoista, mutta kun Jumala puhui hänelle ensi kerran, hän ei edes ymmärtänyt, että kyseessä oli Jumala.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kun saat joltain sähköpostia, ei ole koskaan 100% varmuutta siitä, että lähettäjä on se, kuka hän sanoo olevansa. Mutta kun lepäät Jeesuksen rinnalla, voit olla aivan varma, että hän on Jeesus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan läsnäolo on kuin ainutlaatuinen parfyymi, jota kukaan muu ei voi käyttää ja ainoastaan Jumala voi valmistaa. Se täyttää kaiken, mitä hän tekee ja sanoo.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On mahdotonta erottaa Jumala hänen läsnäolostaan. Tämän takia suuret herätykset ovat aina täynnä hänen läsnäoloaan.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKb3Ke6HekwXToMbrCz7Jd-8b0BhpzAX_DhLFaQ5VW2KtBuuuHHvrol1BwUS5Zs2XWbYHh-CNLTvGEjAJunorCDm4RC0Nu7fJAZQeFgkJtzQBwWOmP-D1nERrNs_tI2Jg1mPLtk5UqSRp/s2048/frank-mckenna-QROrwAt_WY8-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKb3Ke6HekwXToMbrCz7Jd-8b0BhpzAX_DhLFaQ5VW2KtBuuuHHvrol1BwUS5Zs2XWbYHh-CNLTvGEjAJunorCDm4RC0Nu7fJAZQeFgkJtzQBwWOmP-D1nERrNs_tI2Jg1mPLtk5UqSRp/w640-h426/frank-mckenna-QROrwAt_WY8-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kun seurustelin tulevan vaimoni kanssa, hän lähetti minulle kirjeitä, joiden päälle hän suihkutti tiettyä parfyymia. Kerran hän lähetti minulle teddy-karhun, joka oli varmaan kastettu siinä parfyymissa. Ja upotuskasteella! Tästä parfyymista tuli minulle rakkauden tuoksu.Vielä tänään, yli kaksikymmentäviisi vuotta sen jälkeen, kun hän lakkasi käyttämästä sitä, sieraimiini tarttuu silloin tällöin tämä tuoksu jollain Lontoon kadulla. Ympärilläni on tuhansia tuoksuja, mutta kun haistan tämän tuoksun, katson ympärilleni ja odotan näkeväni hänet. Jumalan läsnäolo on kuin tällainen parfyymi. Kun opit tunnistamaan sen, et voi enää erehtyä siitä.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Jumalan, sielun ja vihollisen ääni</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan puhe on täynnä hänen läsnäoloansa. Älä kiinnitä huomiota ajatuksiin, jotka tulevat ilmestyksenomaisesti, mutta joilla ei ole hänen läsnäolonsa tuntua. Näin pysyt turvassa, sillä sielunvihollinen yrittää aina kaapata lisääntyvän hengellisen avoimuutesi. Ihmisen henki on hänen kykynsä olla yhteydessä hengelliseen maailmaan, ja kun hengellinen herkkyytemme kehittyy, altistumme myös niiden demonisten olentojen vaikutuksille, jotka elävät hengellisessä ulottuvuudessa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Meidän ei pidä keskittyä demoneihin, mutta on hyvä tietää, että niiden tuoma hämmennys voi tappaa profetian armolahjan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sielun, sielunvihollisen ja Jumalan tuomilla ajatuksilla on kaikilla energiaa, mutta niillä on kaikilla selvästi erilainen läsnäolo. Kun opit erottamaan energialähteiden erilaisen laadun, opit myös erottamaan ajatusten alkuperän.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Päivittäin kuulen Jumalan äänen ainakin kerran, mutta kuulen myös sielunvihollisen äänen, kun hän yrittää jäljitellä Jumalan ääntä.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sisimpämme kaipuu ja pelot puhuvat myös meille. Mutta tarpeittemme äänessä ei ole Jumalan läsnäoloa ja rauhaa, vaan ne ovat täynnä sielumme levotonta energiaa.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumala tuo selvyyden</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kun Jumala puhuu meille, hän tuo selvyyttä. Meillä kaikilla on hetkiä, jolloin me yhtäkkiä näemme elämän osasia tarkasti. Usein tämä selvyys tulee meille verbaalisessa muodossa. Joskus kyse on siitä, että alitajuntamme on työstämässä ratkaisuja ongelmiimme, mutta jos tämä selvyys on täynnä Jumalan läsnäoloa, niin todennäköisesti se on Jumalan puhetta.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan läsnäolo sykkii positiivista energiaa ja energistä rauhaa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan läsnäolo ei koskaan väsytä meitä, vaan lataa meidät uudelleen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paavali kirjoittaa:</span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Eihän Jumala ole antanut meille pelkuruuden henkeä, vaan voiman, rakkauden ja terveen harkinnan hengen. (2. Tim. 1:7)'</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos hengelliset kokemuksesi väsyttävät sinua, ne eivät luultavasti ole Jumalalta. Emme aina koe Jumalan läsnäolon energiaa voimakkaana, mutta rukouselämämme ei pitäisi uuvuttaa tai hämmentää meitä.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalalta tullut sana on kuin kaksiteräinen miekka, tuoden selvyyttä hämmennyksen keskelle, positiivisia ratkaisuja negatiiviseen maailmaan ja rakkautta välinpitämättömyyden keskelle. Jumala ei koskaan hämmennä tai syytä. Syyttävät ajatukset, jotka tulevat sielunviholliselta, sammuttavat hengellisen energian, mutta kehottavat sanat Jumalalta ovat täynnä positiivista voimaa, joka tuo mukanaan energian tehdä oikein.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumala ei halua meidän toimivan profetioiden, unien tai näkyjen perusteella, jos emme ole varmoja niiden alkuperästä.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tämä on yksi tärkeimmistä oppitunneista profeetallisessa palvelutyössä. Sinulla saattaa olla kiire tehdä jotain silloinkin, kun olet hämmentynyt. Jumalalla ei ole kiire. Hän haluaa sinun toimivan vain Pyhän Hengen antamalla rohkeudella ja selkeällä mielellä.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos en tiedä, mistä ajatukseni ovat peräisin, rukoilen. Jos tuon sielunvihollisen antamat ajatukset Jumalan eteen, hän yleensä vastustaa niitä selvästi. Mikäli ajatukseni ovat vain sielun tuotetta, Jumala usein tyytyy ohjaamaan ajatukseni hellästi hänen tahtoonsa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos tuot jotakin Jumalalle rukouksessa uudestaan ja uudestaan, eikä hän kommentoi siihen ollenkaan, ajatus ei todennäköisesti ole Jumalasta, ellet ole varma siitä, että se oli alun perin Jumalalta. Silloin et voi tehdä muuta kuin odottaa kärsivällisesti, kunnes hän puhuu asiasta uudestaan. Joskus siihen voi kulua vuosia, mutta odotellessa Jumala puhuu sinulle muista asioista.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sielunvihollisen palavat nuolet</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Omat ajatuksemme ovat täynnä inhimillistä energiaa. Sielunvihollisen antamat ajatukset ovat täynnä demonista myrkkyä. Ne ovat aktiivisia, keskeyttäen ajatuskulkumme, ja usein ne pyrkivät jäljittelemään Jumalan ääntä. Mutta niissä ei ole Jumalan voimaa. Joskus niitä ympäröi voitonriemu, kun sielunvihollinen yrittää viehättää meissä olevaa ylpeyttä. Mutta sielunvihollinen ei pysty koskaan jäljittelemään Jumalan läsnäoloa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Usein koen Jumalan läsnäoloa, mutta sen ympärillä on jonkinlainen hengellinen häiriötila. Silloin tutkin kaikki ajatukset ja sanat, jotka kuulen sisimmässäni, hyvin tarkkaan. Säteilevätkö ne rauhaa, vai tunnenko Jumalan läsnäolon vain sen tähden, että hän suojelee minua viholliselta ja hänen demonista myrkyltään?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ehkä sielunvihollinen voi lukea ajatuksemme; ehkä ei. Mutta Saatana ja hänen demoninsa ovat opiskelleet ihmisen käyttäytymistä tuhansien vuosien ajan, ja ne voivat lähes aina päätellä mitä me ajattelemme.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kun oli yhdeksäntoista, olin töissä psykiatrisessa sairaalassa. Olin alkanut ymmärtää, että Jumala oli kehittämässä minun kykyäni kuulla hänen ääntään. Yhtenä päivänä astuin ulos hissistä ja näin potilaan, joka sairasti Alzheimer-tautia.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Rukoile hänen puolestaan, ja hän paranee!” Kuulin tämän lujan äänen mielessäni. Ensivaikutelmani oli, että Jumala oli haastamassa uskoani, erityisesti sen tähden, että olin juuri lukenut evankeliumien kertomuksista, miten Jeesus paransi sairaita. Mutta jokin tuntui väärältä. Minulla ei ollut parantamisen armolahjaa, mutta kun epäröin, tunsin voimakkaan syyllisyyden ja pakkomielteen toimia vyöryvän päälleni. Se sai minut tuntemaan, että potilaan paraneminen olisi minun vastuullani, ja jos en toimisi, ryöstäisin häneltä hänen parantumisensa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ymmärsin silloin, että sielunvihollisella oli kyky kommunikoida henkeni kanssa. Tämä johti minua etsimään Jumalan läheisyyttä yksinäisyydessä.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hengessä rukoileminen</span></h4><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeesus sanoi:</span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tulee aika – ja se on jo nyt – jolloin kaikki oikeat rukoilijat rukoilevat Isää hengessä ja totuudessa. Sellaisia rukoilijoita Isä tahtoo. Jumala on henki, ja siksi niiden, jotka häntä rukoilevat, tulee rukoilla hengessä ja totuudessa. (Joh. 4:23-24)</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ei ole selvää yksimielisyyttä siitä, viittaako sana pneuma, joka voidaan kääntää joko “henkenä” tai “Henkenä”, Pyhään Henkeen, kun Jeesus puhuu rukoilemisesta “hengessä ja totuudessa”, mutta en usko, että meidän tarvitsee jättää rukouselämämme syvyys raamatunkääntäjien vastuulle. Pyhä Henki asuu sinussa – rukoiletko mieluummin ilman häntä vai hänen kanssaan?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On selvä ero Hengellä täytetyn rukouksen ja ylistyksen ja pelkästään uskonnollisen rukouksen ja ylistyksen välillä.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yksi tapa oppia profetoimaan on rukoileminen ja ylistäminen Hengessä. Tämä tarkoittaa sitä, että annat Pyhän Hengen ohjata ylistystä ja esirukousta Jumalan läsnäolon virran avulla. Usein esirukous, joka virtaa Hengessä, alkaa kehittää profeetallisen ulottuvuuden.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Usein vain pieni askel erottaa profetian Hengen innoittamasta esirukouksesta, joka ilmentää Jumalan rakkautta.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Esimerkiksi olen rukoillut Lontoon ja San Franciscon kaupunkien puolesta, ja Hengen innoittama esirukous on muuttunut profetiaksi.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Usein löydän Jumalan tahdon profeetallisen esirukouksen kautta, kun Pyhä Henki ohjaa rukoukseni tiettyyn suuntaan. Tunnen Pyhän Hengen energian, kun rukoilen tiettyjen asioiden puolesta, mutta tämä energia katoaa, kun rukoilen toisten asioiden puolesta, ja minulle on selvää, mistä asioista Jumala välittää.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Tämä artikkeli on otettu <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/viisi-askelta" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4d9fda;"><span style="border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: initial; outline-color: initial; outline-width: initial;">V</span></span>iisi askelta</a> -kirjasta.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Marko Joensuu on kirjailija ja toimittaja, joka on työskennellyt yli 21 vuotta Kensington Temple -seurakunnassa Lontoossa media- ja missiotyössä. Hänen kirjojaan on painettu viidellä eri kielellä.</span></div><div><br /></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-29946891564552435142021-09-23T23:29:00.000-07:002021-09-23T23:29:09.048-07:00Henkien erottamisen armolahjan käyttö rukouspalvelussa<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen armolahja on elintärkeä tehokkaassa profeetallisessa palvelutyössä ja erityisesti tilanteissa, joissa sinulla ei ole aikaa etsiä Jumalan johdatusta Hänen läsnäolossaan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Esim. jos palvelet käyttäen profetian armolahjaa, eteen tulee aina suuri joukko ihmisiä rukoiltavaksi. Et ole ehkä tavannut ketään näistä ihmisistä aikaisemmin. Käytän armolahjaa näiden ihmisten hengellisen tilan erottamiseen. Joskus saan heille profetian, mutta erotan, että he eivät ole hengellisesti valmiita vastaanottamaan sitä, sillä heidän sitoutumisensa Jeesukseen ei ole riittävän vahva. Jumalalla on suunnitelma Heidän elämälleen, mutta he eivät ole vielä valmiita vastaanottamaan sitä. Toisinaan uskovat pyytävät minua vahvistamaan profetian he kertovat jonkun muun antaneen heille, mutta erotan, että he vain naamioivat sydämensä halun uskonnollisella kielenkäytöllä. On huolestuttavaa, miten monet ihmiset ajattelevat, että profeetan siunaus voi muuttaa kaiken silloinkin, kun Jumala on eri mieltä heidän kanssaan. Joskus erotan, että ihmiset valehtelevat; toisinaan erotan synnin heidän elämässään.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kerron heille vain harvoin mitä näen. Sen sijaan käytän mitä erotan materiaalina diagnostisille, suorille mutta armollisille kysymyksille, mistä tahansa asiasta onkaan kysymys. Loppujen lopuksi nämä ihmiset ovat etsimässä Jumalaa ainakin jollakin tasolla, vaikka he eivät olekaan valmis paljastamaan sydämensä salaisuuksia. Ensimmäinen Pietarin kirje 4:8 sanoo:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ennen kaikkea olkoon teidän rakkautenne toisianne kohtaan harras, sillä "rakkaus peittää syntien paljouden".</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen armolahja ei ole ihmisten paljastamisen armolahja vaan lahja, jonka avulla ihmiset vapautetaan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSghHbcKtOA1eIDaMr3NdetQJWxJX-uUTqOnYvKxa1qwShChlrIH2UNrWZN9gK_kY5pHIgBBILK1H4suDrwZ6ShoYbfuGaA44f6poHlbB4kM_M9KsNFkgu3SJ0584f_xcsrkYaflYkABy/s2048/jon-tyson-YtYNavix3pw-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSghHbcKtOA1eIDaMr3NdetQJWxJX-uUTqOnYvKxa1qwShChlrIH2UNrWZN9gK_kY5pHIgBBILK1H4suDrwZ6ShoYbfuGaA44f6poHlbB4kM_M9KsNFkgu3SJ0584f_xcsrkYaflYkABy/w426-h640/jon-tyson-YtYNavix3pw-unsplash.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos koet, että jonkun elämässä on demonisia vaikutuksia, toimi seuraavalla tavalla:</span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Etene varovasti kunnes olet varma</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On sallittua ja viisasta edetä hitaasti. Henkien erottamisen armolahjan käyttäminen tuntuu joskus kuin valoisasta pimeään huoneeseen astumiselta. Vie hieman aikaa ennen kuin silmät sopeutuvat, mutta pian alamme erottamaan huoneen kalusteet.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Kysy kysymyksiä äläkä profetoi</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yksi kaikista tuhoisimmista työtavoista on sen "profetoiminen", mitä näet henkien erottamisen tai tiedon sanojen armolahjojen avulla. Tämä tuo ihmiset tuomion alle. Tämän tähden sinun ei pidä lähes koskaan kertoa rukoiltavalle yksityiskohtaisen tarkasti mitä näet. Sen sijaan käytä mitä näet raaka-aineena kysymyksille.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Älä anna pimeyden sanella palvelutyösi luonnetta</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paholainen on valehtelija, ja usein hän yrittää sanella palvelutyösi tavan ympäröimällä sinut petoksella, pelolla tai epämukavilla tunteilla. Jos annat hänen pettää sinut, reagoit mihin tahansa hän projisoi sinuun tai siihen, jonka puolesta rukoilet. Tämän sijasta </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">tarkkaile rukoiltavaa, hengellistä levottomuutta ympärilläsi ja Pyhän Hengen virtaa sisimmästäsi. Sinun pitää tiedostaa kaikki kolme. Älä reagoi sielunvihollisen työskentelyyn vaan alistu Pyhän Hengen työhön sisimmässäsi.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Odota Pyhän Hengen virtaa sisimmästäsi</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan läsnäolo suojelee sinua ja ohjaa kaikkeen totuuteen. Jeesus sanoo Evankeliumissa Johanneksen mukaan 14:26:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mutta Puolustaja, Pyhä Henki, jonka Isä on lähettävä minun nimessäni, hän opettaa teille kaikki ja muistuttaa teitä kaikesta, minkä minä olen teille sanonut.</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sinun pitää odottaa Auttajan saapumista. Odota Pyhän Hengen läsnäolon virtaa ennen kuin yrität mennä asioiden ytimeen.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rukoile Hengen virrassa</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jokainen demonisen läsnäolon tai vaikutuksen kohtaaminen on hengellinen taistelu. Tämän takia sinun pitää rukoilla ja palvella vain Pyhän Hengen virrassa.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">6.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rukoile jälkeenpäin</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jokainen vihollisen kohtaaminen on rasittava. Jos menet töihin Lontoon viemäriverkostoon ja sen jälkeen kotiin, peset varmasti itsesi tarkkaan ennen kuin annat suukon vaimollesi! Samoin henkien erottamisen armolahjan käyttäminen vaatii rukousta jälkeenpäin. Muuten demonisten vaikutusten kohtaamisella muiden elämässä on negatiivinen vaikutus omassa elämässäsi.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos et ole varovainen, alat kantamaan sitä masennusta, ahdistusta, pelkoa tai niitä negatiivisia ajatuksia niiden ihmisten elämässä, joiden puolesta olet rukoillut. Me palvelemme usein ihmisiä, jotka ovat kuoleman varjon laaksossa. Palvelemisen jälkeen meidän ei tule jäädä laaksoon vaan kiivetä takaisin Jumalan läsnäolon vuorelle.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Tämä artikkeli on otettu <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/yliluonnollinen-rakkaus" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Yliluonnollinen rakkaus</a> -kirjasta.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Marko Joensuu on kirjailija ja toimittaja, joka on työskennellyt yli 21 vuotta Kensington Temple -seurakunnassa Lontoossa media- ja missiotyössä. Hänen kirjojaan on painettu viidellä eri kielellä.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-92219403410007732172021-09-23T05:57:00.000-07:002021-09-23T05:57:56.582-07:00Henkien erottamisen lahja ja sen kehittäminen<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen lahja on kyky erottaa hengellisiä vaikutuksia ja läsnäoloja elämässämme ja ympäristössämme.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4itjXamBgs7EoEKepivRJpjtWYqaUF__vyn0rRRi8NcSJRqc65eZTTaqANuYo_1wirg4NYyLIjGbTvIpLUI_uzEvfPYBTd5jm1UG1R3CtVfNB54XbeF6h4fg7TAwmyJ8bhlPrD3_a_Ye/s1920/ghostbusters-1515155_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1920" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4itjXamBgs7EoEKepivRJpjtWYqaUF__vyn0rRRi8NcSJRqc65eZTTaqANuYo_1wirg4NYyLIjGbTvIpLUI_uzEvfPYBTd5jm1UG1R3CtVfNB54XbeF6h4fg7TAwmyJ8bhlPrD3_a_Ye/w640-h410/ghostbusters-1515155_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kirje heprealaisille 4:12 sanoo:</span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sillä Jumalan sana on elävä ja voimallinen ja terävämpi kuin mikään kaksiteräinen miekka ja tunkee lävitse, kunnes se erottaa sielun ja hengen, nivelet sekä ytimet, ja on sydämen ajatusten ja aivoitusten tuomitsija.</span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan Sanan opiskelu antaa meille erottamiskykyä, ja ensimmäiseksi se alkaa tuoda sitä omiin motivaatioihimme, näyttäen, mikä on sielusta ja mikä Pyhästä Hengestä.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tämä ei ole se varsinainen henkien erottamisen lahja, mutta perustavanlaatuinen erottamiskyky, jonka jokainen uskova tarvitsee elämässään. Tietääkseesi mikä elämässäsi on Jumalasta, sinun pitää myös tietää mikä on omasta sielustasi. Ja Jumalan Sana yhdessä Pyhän Hengen kanssa alkaa tuomaan tätä erottelua, jotta kykenet ymmärtämään omat motivaatiosi selvemmin. Mutta vaikka Sanan tunteminen on välttämätöntä henkien erottamisen armolahjan toimimiselle, itse lahja on Jumalan läsnäolossa vietettyjen pitkien aikajaksojen sivutuote.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen armolahja syntyy Jumalan läsnäolossa. Se on profeetallinen armolahja ja hyödyllinen vain silloin, kun se toimii profetian armolahjan ja Jumalan äänen kuulemiskyvyn kanssa. Jos et kykene kuulemaan Jumalan ääntä, et voi laittaa henkien erottamisen armolahjaa hyödylliseen käyttöön, ja se voi jopa johtaa sinua harhaan, sillä voit helposti tulkita väärin syyt hengelliseen häiriötilaan. Kun herkistyt Jumalan läsnäolon tuntemisessa, tulet myös herkemmäksi ympärillämme vaikuttavien demonisten läsnäolojen tuntemisessa.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Voit olla tietoinen demonisista läsnäoloista, mutta tämä ei ole välttämättä henkien erottamisen armolahja. Esim. monet taiteilijat ovat hengellisesti herkkiä. Meediot voivat joskus aistia demonien läsnäolon. Mutta ainoastaan Pyhän Hengen voiman ja läsnäolon kautta voimme alkaa erottamaan, mitä nämä voimat todella ovat. Tietoisuus demonisista olennosta, mikä ei ole tullut Jumalalta, on vaarallista, sillä sinulla ei ole hengellistä voimaa vastustaa ja erottaa demonisia petoksia ilman Pyhää Henkeä.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen armolahja Raamatussa</span></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Voimme nähdä henkien erottamisen armolahjan toimimisen monissa Raamatussa kerrotuissa tilanteissa.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Apostolien teoissa 5:1-11 Pietari haastaa Ananiaan ja Safiiran, jotka valehtelivat antaneensa pois koko talon myyntihinnan. Tämän takia he molemmat kuolivat. Pietari sanoo jakeessa 3:</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ananias, miksi on saatana täyttänyt sinun sydämesi, niin että koetit pettää Pyhää Henkeä?</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Epäilemättä Pietari käytti henkien erottamisen armolahjaa, vaikka hän ei ehkä kutsunutkaan sitä nimeltä.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Apostolien teoissa 16:16-19 Paavalin ollessa Filippissä, orjatyttö, jossa oli tietäjähenki, seurasi Paavalia ja hänen kumppaneitaan huutaen, että he olivat korkeimman Jumalan palvelijoita ja että he julistaisivat filippiläisille pelastuksen tien.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paavali kuunteli häntä kolme päivää, mutta lopulta hän suuttuneena käski henkeä jättämään tytön. Tämän jälkeen orjatytön isännät, jotka tienasivat runsaasti hänen ennustamisestaan, valittivat kaupungin hallitusmiehille, jotka heittivät Paavalin vankilaan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tämä on yksi Pyhän Hengen työn mielenkiintoisimmista esimerkeistä Raamatussa. Miksi Paavali ei ajanut demonia ulos heti? Miksi hän odotti kolme päivää?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Uskon, että henkien erottamisen armolahjan avulla Paavali oli epäluuloinen siitä syystä, minkä tähden demoninen henki laittoi orjatytön julistamaan jotain, mikä näytti pinnallisesti tukevan Paavalin asiaa.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lopulta Paavali luultavasti ajoi demonin ulos, sillä hän ei halunnut hyväksyä demonin todistusta. Mutta näyttää siltä, että demoninen henki yritti saada Paavalin reagoimaan, ja se onnistui. Tämän takia Paavali ja hänen kumppaninsa heitettiin vankilaan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Onneksi Jumala voitti vihollisen ja käytti Paavalia tuomaan filippiläisen vanginvartijan uskoon. Mutta me voimme nähdä vihollisen monimutkaisen juonen toiminnassa, sillä mikään ei ole miltä se näyttää.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ymmärrätkö, miten tärkeä henkien erottamisen armolahja on? Lopulta Paavali reagoi suuttuneena uskoen ehkä Jumalan kykenevän pelastamaan hänet mistä tahansa vaikeudesta.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paholaisen kolme pääasetta ovat pelko,synti ja petos.Evankeliumissa Johanneksen mukaan 8:44 Jeesus sanoo,että paholainen on murhaaja ja valehtelija. Murhaajana hän hyökkää meitä kohti väkivaltaisesti, ja tämä tuo mukanaan pelkoa. Valehtelijana hän ympäröi meidät </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">petoksella. Ja Eedenin puutarhan kiusauksista lähtien hän on aina houkutellut meitä tekemään syntiä.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kaikki nämä kolme asetta saavat energiansa niihin liittyvästä demonisesta läsnäolosta. Jumalan läsnäolo on rajaton, mutta enkelien ja demonien hengellinen läsnäolo on rajallinen, ja niiden läsnäolo on laadullisesti erilainen kuin Jumalan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan läsnäolo tuottaa hedelmää, ja niin tekee myös vihollisen läsnäolo, mutta tämä läsnäolo tuottaa pilaantunutta hedelmää, jos annamme sen vaikuttaa elämäämme.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kirje galatalaisille 5:22-23 ilmoittaa, että Jumalan läsnäolon hedelmä elämässämme on rakkaus, ilo, rauha, pitkämielisyys, ystävällisyys, hyvyys, uskollisuus, sävyisyys ja itsensähillitseminen.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos annamme demonisen läsnäolon vaikuttaa elämäämme, sen hedelmä on pelko, synti ja petos. Uskon jokaisen demonin omaavan kaikki nämä kolme demonisen läsnäolon asetta – pelon, synnin ja petoksen – mutta me koemme tämän demonisen läsnäolon demonien kullakin hetkellä vallitsevan toimintatavan kautta.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kirjeessä efesolaisille 2:1-3 Paavali kirjoittaa demonisten voimien kokonaisvaltaisesta läsnäolosta ympärillämme ja siitä kuinka se tuo synnin elämäämme:</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ja Jumala on eläviksi tehnyt teidät, jotka olitte kuolleet rikoksiinne ja synteihinne, joissa te ennen vaelsitte tämän maailman menon mukaan, ilmavallan hallitsijan, sen hengen hallitsijan, mukaan, joka nyt tekee työtään tottelemattomuuden lapsissa, joiden joukossa mekin kaikki ennen vaelsimme lihamme himoissa, noudattaen lihan ja ajatusten mielitekoja, ja olimme luonnostamme vihan lapsia niinkuin muutkin.</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tämä ei tarkoita sitä, että me voimme syyttää paholaista kaikesta synnistä elämässämme, mutta meidän tulee ymmärtää, että paholainen toimii houkuttelemalla lihaa – sitä kaikkea, mikä ei ole elämässämme Jumalan vallan alla. Järkemme ja tunteemme kuuluvat usein lihan alueelle, sillä ne eivät ole automaattisesti Jumalan vallan alla. Mutta Paavali sanoo myös, että vihollisen läsnäolo on yhtä läpitunkeva kuin ilma, jota hengitämme. Se ympäröi meitä aina. Kiitos Jumalalle, että Hän on antanut meille Pyhän Hengen asumaan pysyvästi sisimmässämme!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ympäröivä demoninen ilmapiiri tekee vaikeammaksi uskoa Jumalan Sanaan, saa meidät unohtamaan Hänen lupauksensa ja yrittää irrottaa meidät Pyhän Hengen virrasta sisimmässämme tekemällä vaikeaksi kokea Jumalan läsnäoloa.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Seurakunta tarvitsee henkien erottamisen armolahjaa tänään kipeästi, mutta lahjaan liittyvät monet haasteet. Lahja tekee sinut tietoiseksi sielunvihollisen toiminnasta ympärilläsi mutta myös toisten ihmisten elämässä. Tämä voi olla emotionaalisesti kuluttavaa, ja henkien erottamisen armolahjassa toimiminen voi tuntua joskus kuin kaupungin viemäriverkoston läpi kävelemiseltä ruumis osittain jäteveden peittämänä.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos halajat yliluonnollista, paholainen tulee antamaan sinulle yliluonnollista, mutta yliluonnollinen tulee vain pettämään sinut.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Minusta on kauhistuttavaa, ettö monet karismaatikot näyttävät halukkaalta hyväksymään jopa demonien todistuksen, jos se on riittävän innostava! Mutta sielunvihollisen tuoman yliluonnollisen hyväksyminen avaa petoksen ovet elämäämme, ja pitkällä aikavälillä tämä tuo tuhon.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen armolahjan kehittäminen</span></h3><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Olen löytänyt yhdeksän askelta täysin toimivan henkien erottamisen armolahjan kehittymisessä.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Raamatun opiskeleminen päivittäin</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jos haluat kehittää henkien erottamisen armolahjan, sinun tulee opiskella Raamattua säännöllisesti. Jumala on antanut meille ilmestyksensä Kirjoituksissa. Raamatun säännöllinen lukeminen alkaa tuomaan elämäämme hengellistä erottelukykyä. Joosuan kirjassa 1:8 Jumala puhuu Joosualle, joka valmistautuu luvattuun maahan saapumiseen ja vihollisten kohtaamiseen:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Älköön tämä lain kirja sinun suustasi poistuko, vaan tutkiskele sitä päivät ja yöt, että tarkoin noudattaisit kaikkea, mitä siihen on kirjoitettu, sillä silloin sinä onnistut teilläsi ja silloin sinä menestyt.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ainoastaan silloin, kun opiskelemme Kirjoituksia ahkerasti, voimme menestyä vihollistemme kukistamisessa.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jumalan läsnäolon elämäntyylin vaaliminen</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Raamatun lukeminen on välttämätöntä, mutta se ei riitä. Meidän pitää viettää aikaa Jumalan todellisessa läsnäolossa ja oppia avaamaan elävän veden lähteet – Pyhän Hengen läsnäolo ja voima </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">–</span> <span style="font-family: helvetica;">sisimmässämme.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen armolahja vaatii sisäisen ja alituisen Pyhän Hengen läsnäolon virran toimiakseen. Se kuluttaa ehkä enemmän energiaa kuin mikään muu armolahja. Voi joskus tuntua siltä kuin kävelisit kaupungilla kantaen aktiivista, hengellistä ydinvoimalaa sisimmässäsi!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tunteiden erottaminen</span></h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sen avulla, mitä Raamattu opettaa tunteistamme ja Jumalan armon ja Pyhän Hengen voiman avulla, voit erottaa ja analysoida tunteitasi. Monet uskovat laiminlyövät tunteidensa ja motivaatioidensa ymmärtämisen yrittäen taistella negatiivisia tunteita vastaan uskon avulla. Mutta meidän pitää ymmärtää tunne-elämäämme ja sen dynamiikkaa. Jos koet olosi masentuneeksi, älä jätä tätä huomiotta vaan tunnusta se ja yritä ymmärtää masennuksen syy. Mikä on tuonut masennuksen? Onko sillä jokin erityinen syy? Tai jos olet vihainen, minkä tähden olet vihainen? Kaiva syvemmälle kuin pinnallisten motivaatioiden tasolle. Monien sielullisten ja lihallisten reaktioiden taustalla ovat useimmiten unohdetut kokemukset – muistot, jotka ohjaavat käyttäytymismallejamme ja vaikuttavat</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">niihin huomaamatta.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Negatiivisten tunteiden ja elämysten vastustaminen uskon ja Jumalan läsnäolon avulla</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mutta omien tunteidemme ja motivaatioidemme analysointi ei riitä. Meidän pitää oppia käyttämään uskon kilpeä ja kätkeytyä Jumalan läsnäoloon. Psalmi 27:5 sanoo:</span></div><div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sillä hän kätkee minut majaansa pahana päivänä, hän suojaa minua telttansa suojassa, korottaa minut kalliolle.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jumalan läsnäolo on kilpemme ja suojamme Saatanan juonia vastaan.</span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Erota tunteet niitä voimistavasta demonisesta voimasta</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kun etsit Jumalan läsnäolon kilven suojaa, huomaat ajan kuluessa kuinka tunteet ja ladatut osatotuudet, joita sielunvihollinen käyttää hyökkäyksissään, alkavat irtautua niiden taustalla vaikuttavasta demonisesta voimasta. Kun ne irtautuvat voimanlähteestään, ne alkavat menettää otettaan sinusta.</span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">6.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Demonisten voimien kokeminen negatiivisina voimakenttinä tai sfääreinä</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kun koet tämän irtaantumisen tunteen, voit alkaa kokemaan demoniset hengelliset olennot jonkinlaisina negatiivisina voimakenttinä. Alat kokemaan kuinka niiden paine lisääntyy ja vähentyy mielessäsi. Ne saapuvat kuin rantaa lyövät aallot myrskyn alkaessa, mutta hitaasti, kunhan vastustat niitä lujasti, ne alkavat vetäytyä.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jotkut näistä demonisista emootioista murtautuvat vielä väkisin puolustuksen läpi erityisesti silloin kun hyökkäykset ovat voimakkaita.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mutta tässä vaiheessa sinun ei tarvitse eikä pidä olla minkäänlaisessa vuorovaikutuksessa näiden emootioiden ja demonisesti varattujen ajatusten kanssa. Sen sijaan sinun tulee odottaa uskon kilven alla ja Jumalan läsnäolossa, kunnes hyökkäyksen voimakkain vaihe on ohi, ja sen jälkeen voit rukoilla ja alkaa vastahyökkäyksen.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Odottaessasi sinun tulee keskittyä löytämään uudelleen ja ylläpitämään Pyhän Hengen voiman ja läsnäolon virta elämässäsi. Et enää taistele vihollisen voimia vastaan aktiivisesti vaan keskityt Herraan, ja Hänen läsnäolonsa taistelee puolestasi.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Psalmi 46:11 kehottaa:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Heretkää ja tietäkää, että minä olen Jumala...</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tässä vaiheessa ymmärrät, että paholaisen päämääränä on irrottaa sinut Pyhän Hengen läsnäolon virrasta elämässäsi. Mutta olet Pyhän Hengen temppeli, ja sinun ei tarvitse ikinä jättää Hänen temppeliään. Sen sijaan voit piiloutua Hänen läsnäoloonsa.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tässä paikassa elämän myrskyt eivät järkytä mieltäsi enää samalla tavalla kuin aikaisemmin. Ne saattavat vielä moukaroida sinua, mutta Herra ja Hänen läsnäolonsa ovat turvasi.</span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">7.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Armolahjan käytön oppiminen</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henkien erottamisen armolahja on sekä arkielämää että palvelutyötä varten.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rukoillessani<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>odotan<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>demonisten<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>henkien<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tuoman myrskyn etääntymistä ennen kuin harjoitan aktiivista profeetallista kuulemista. Arkielämässäni vastustan sitä tapaa, jolla demoninen häiriötila yrittää pakottaa minut reagoimaan. Palvelutyössäni tarkkailen hengellistä ympäristöäni ja toimin ottaen sen huomioon.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Arkielämässä on tilanteita, joilla on täysin erilainen lopputulos riippuen hengellisestä ilmapiiristä.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Voit usein erottaa demonisen vaikutuksen läsnäolon ja toiminnan kokoustilassa, sillä sinua pommitetaan epäpuhtailla ja negatiivisilla ajatuksilla tai pelolla ja lannistavalla mielialalla. Koen usein demonisten voimien läsnäolon kuin kouriintuntuvana, raskaana seinänä, joka yrittää huutaa ja kertoa minulle, että sitä ei voi murtaa.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yksi suurimpia yliluonnollisuuteen liittyvistä haasteista on se, että myös sielunvihollinen toimii tässä ulottuvuudessa. Tämä tuo vaikeuksia erityisesti profetian armolahjan käytön alueella.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Usein, kun palvelen seurakunnassa, koen vahvaa hengellistä vastustusta. Tässä tilanteessa en hyväksy tai jaa mitään uutta </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ilmestystä vaan toimin luottaen Sanan ilmoitukseen ja erityisiin profeetallisiin ilmestyksiin, jotka Jumala on antanut ennen tilaisuutta. Tunnustelen ilmapiiriä henkien erottamisen armolahjan avulla. Astun profeetalliseen virtaan vasta kun tunnen, että hengellinen vastarinta poistuu.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Profeetallinen palvelutyö on palvelutyötä Jumalan läsnäolossa, ja jos en koe Hänen läsnäoloaan, en voi vastaanottaa profeetallista ilmoitusta.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tähän on kaksi syytä. Ensin, voit tulla petetyksi. Toiseksi, vaikka et itse tulisikaan petetyksi, kuuntelijasi voivat tulla petetyksi.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Evankeliumi Matteuksen mukaan 13:19 sanoo:</span></div><div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kun joku kuulee valtakunnan sanan eikä ymmärrä, niin tulee paha ja tempaa pois sen, mikä hänen sydämeensä kylvettiin. Tämä on se, mikä kylvettiin tien oheen.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Olen huomannut, että monesti ihmiset eivät ole vastaanottavaisia sanalle, ja paha tulee ja tempaa sanan pois ennen kuin sillä on aikaa minkäänlaiseen vaikutukseen.</span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">8.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jatkuvan hengellisen häiriötilan sietäminen</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Yksi vaikeimmista tähän armolahjaan liittyvistä asioista on se, että tunnet ja koet näitä hengellisiä häiriötiloja usein, mikä voi olla rasittavaa tunne-elämälle ja jopa fyysisesti. Usein meitä kutsutaan elämään ja palvelemaan ympäristöissä, joissa synti on rakentanut linnakkeita ihmisten elämään, joten tästä ei voi aina paeta helposti. Meidän pitää vain oppia sietämään emotionaalista epämukavuutta.</span></div><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">9.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Opi lepäämään jälleen Jumalan läsnäolossa</span></h4><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tarvitsemme säännöllisiä lepoaikoja Jumalan läsnäolossa. Muista, että palvelutyösi ei ole vain sotaa vaan sen ytimessä on lepo Jumalan läsnäolossa ja yhteys Hänen kanssaan. Psalmi 23:5 kertoo:</span></div><div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sinä valmistat minulle pöydän minun vihollisteni silmien eteen.</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Maailmassa ja ympärillämme on paljon hengellistä levottomuutta. Joskus meidän tulee vastustaa näitä ympärillämme toimivia demonisia voimia voimakkaasti, toisinaan jättää ne rauhaan.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tämä artikkeli on otettu <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/yliluonnollinen-rakkaus" target="_blank">Yliluonnollinen rakkaus</a> -kirjasta.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Marko Joensuu on kirjailija ja toimittaja, joka on työskennellyt yli 21 vuotta Kensington Temple -seurakunnassa Lontoossa media- ja missiotyössä. Hänen kirjojaan on painettu viidellä eri kielellä.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-63488431819929449932021-08-06T03:21:00.003-07:002022-01-07T10:11:13.811-08:00What is the meaning of Satan's throne in Revelation 2:13?<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Revelation 2, when we come to Pergamum, we encounter the One who has “the sharp two-edged sword” acknowledging that the Christians there live where “Satan’s throne is”, and where Satan “lives”. Between these two remarks about Satan’s residence is a reminder that Antipas was martyred there.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The reference to where Satan’s throne is and where he lives has been interpreted primarily in four ways. It has been suggested that it refers to:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">• the Altar of Zeus and Athena in Pergamum</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">• the Asklepieion at the outskirts</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">• Pergamum as a centre of Roman rule in the province of Asia</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">• the imperial cult temple for Rome and Augustus somewhere in the city. (Friesen 2005, 357)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUetl6RU8RtWLtAAWF2deLrIXHxzDc4kgUrBrfstYOvgJQ4-zJ9shEjHb5MrNaTSxqRk4BvxRvxLoKt38Gob5mDhfM-dHCov1PDhdmx4JG0wK8l-vsQQRTfx-o2CC65vTun0NAVJOFGK5/s1920/throne-4607550_1920.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUetl6RU8RtWLtAAWF2deLrIXHxzDc4kgUrBrfstYOvgJQ4-zJ9shEjHb5MrNaTSxqRk4BvxRvxLoKt38Gob5mDhfM-dHCov1PDhdmx4JG0wK8l-vsQQRTfx-o2CC65vTun0NAVJOFGK5/w640-h640/throne-4607550_1920.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">But all these four suggestions are somewhat unconvincing.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Altar of Zeus and Athena was built as thanks for a victory over the Gauls in 190 BC. The reason why it has been a popular guess is that in the late nineteenth century the altar was one of the only monuments from Pergamum known to scholars, and the friezes were hauled off and displayed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. (ibid., 357, 359) For some conspiracy theorists, the fact that this altar is now located in a city associated with the Nazi Germany has proved tempting, and recently, it was referred to by some Christian Leave campaigners as part of the Brexit referendum.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But there is no obvious reason why this specific temple would have been singled out in Revelation.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The second candidate for the throne of Satan is the Pergamene Asklepieion—the healing complex related to the cult of Asklepios. (ibid., 359-360) Again, there is no obvious reason why this healing complex would have been referred to as Satan’s throne in Revelation.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pergamum was not the Roman capital of Asia Minor, as Ephesus was the governmental centre, (ibid., 361) so the theory that this was the reason why it is referred to as Satan’s throne has no historical support.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The cult of Roma and Augustus was set up in Pergamum in 29 BC. (Friedrich 2002, 191) But the theory that Pergamum was called Satan’s throne because of it being a centre for emperor worship faces some difficulties.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the time of the writing of Revelation, there were at least thirty-five cities in Asia Minor with temples dedicated to imperial divinities, (ibid., 192) so that would not have been a differentiating factor.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pergamum was not Asia’s only cult for the emperor, and by the time of Emperor Domitian, there were three cults for the emperor in Asia Minor; there probably was not one central imperial temple </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">in Asia Minor. Friesen suggests that it is the hostility leading to the martyrdom of Antipas that Satan’s throne is referring to. (Friesen 2005, 363, 365) This seems to be supported by the sandwich structure of the text with the martyrdom placed between two references to Satan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What is clear is that in John’s mind Pergamum had some sort of concentration of demonic power, and this power was able to release serious persecution of Christians.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to church tradition, Antipas, who had been discipled by John, was roasted to death in a brazen or copper bull in the temple of Artemis. There are many legends around this story, but the kernel of the story is probably true. We can safely assume that John would have been interceding for </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">people he had been discipling, and this might have been the reason he received the revelation about Pergamum.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, is the throne of Satan the throne of Artemis? Are we back with the same issue of idolatry that we were dealing with Ephesus but now with persecution?</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I would suggest that these options exclude the only building in Pergamum that fits the bill simply because most scholars do not perceive the religious nature of the blood games in the amphitheatre.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But as today with the cutting off the throat of Christians by Islamic extremists, the slaughter of Christians was not just for bloody entertainment but a profoundly religious act.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tertullian writes in <i>The Apology of Tertullian</i>, Chapter 15:</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But may be I am to think you more religious in the amphitheatre, where the gods are brought in dancing upon human blood, and upon the dead bodies of criminals; the gods, I say, which supply the fable, unless it be when the poor actors are forced to suffer to the life, and be the very gods themselves. For we have seen an actor truly suffer castration in personating the god Atys of Pessinus; and another playing Hercules in real flames; and among the ludicrous barbarities which are exhibited at noonday, for the entertainment of those who are more greedy of them than dinner. I could not forbear smiling to see Mercury going about with a rod of iron red hot, probing the bodies to fetch out the souls, and Jove’s brother Pluto, in like manner, with his mallet in his hand to finish those that were not quite dead, and make them ready for the ferry-boat.</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the arena, the guards dressed like the evil spirits of the dead. Mercury or Pluto watched over the dying and removed the corpses from the arena. (Thompson 2002, 47) The cult of Nemesis in the Roman period was associated with the blood games and the imperial cult. (Tataki 2009, 641)</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, perhaps the double-edged sword of Jesus in reference to Pergamus is there to remind Christians that they were between two swords: one can kill only temporarily, but the other will bring an eternal separation from God.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There was only another amphitheatre in Asia Minor, apart from the one in Pergamum. It was in Cyzicus. But we know nothing about Christianity in the first century Cyzicus. So, if the amphitheatre was Satan’s house, there were not that many Christians living near the second Satan’s house in Asia Minor—in Cyzicus. And if there were, John probably did not have personal connections to the Christians living there.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As we saw earlier, Tertullian very much saw the amphitheatre and the prison that prepared for it as the devil’s house. It was the blood games that made the Roman Empire more horrendous than any earlier empire. And because of the thoroughly religious aspect of these gladiator games, they amounted to a horrendous human sacrifice. It was in the amphitheatre rather than in temples that the Romans sacrificed humans to their gods. And it was in the amphitheatres where many Christians would die in the next centuries.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">For more on the Book of Revelation, you can read my book <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/understanding-revelation" target="_blank">Understanding Revelation</a>.</span></span></p><h4 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sources</span></h4><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Friedrich, Nestor Paulo. ‘Adapt or Resist? A Socio-Political Reading </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">of Revelation 2.18-29’. <i>Journal for the Study of the New </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Testament </i>25, no. 2 (1 December 2002): 185–21.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Friesen, Steven J. ‘Satan’s Throne, Imperial Cults and the Social </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Settings of Revelation’. <i>Journal for the Study of the New </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Testament </i>27, no. 3 (2005): 351–73.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tataki, Argyro B. ‘Nemesis, Nemeseis, and the Gladiatorial Games </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">at Smyrna’.<i> Mnemosyne </i>62, no. 4 (2009): 639–48.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tertullian, <i>Apologeticus </i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> (</span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">The Apology of Tertullian)</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thompson, Leonard L. ‘The Martyrdom of Polycarp: Death in the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Roman Games’. <i>The Journal of Religion</i> 82, no. 1 (1 January </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2002): 27–52.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><div><br /></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-45576852778875220732021-08-05T04:26:00.000-07:002021-08-05T04:26:46.974-07:00What is the meaning of the white stone in Revelation 2:17?<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Revelation 2:17, For the overcomers in Pergamum, God promised hidden manna, and “a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.” The meaning of hidden manna is clear. God will give the Christians hidden strength to get through the spiritual wilderness they are in. He is not asking them to leave Pergamum but to endure a lengthy time of difficulties.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84YtT6nfYLTpED2pCxO75w-DNnQND0To0hupVRNBpo4_Uo-xJZjcdegWOF3PafsKghrGkEUQD994GggOLCJTHLvu9iTqsqnjVOIqJGomWX_IbH-Fn1qcYUj88MmDhIlOsfW7NeZ8HRSlj/s1280/stone-316225_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1280" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84YtT6nfYLTpED2pCxO75w-DNnQND0To0hupVRNBpo4_Uo-xJZjcdegWOF3PafsKghrGkEUQD994GggOLCJTHLvu9iTqsqnjVOIqJGomWX_IbH-Fn1qcYUj88MmDhIlOsfW7NeZ8HRSlj/w640-h424/stone-316225_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But there have been many questions about the meaning of the white stone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Isaiah 56:3-5 prophesies:</span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the context of the list that speaks about everlasting rewards, it seems clear that the name the overcomers will receive is everlasting, as prophesied by Isaiah. But what is the meaning of the white stone?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If we follow the hermeneutical principle of seeking the explanation first in the Bible, we must go to Acts, as apart from Revelation, the Greek word for stone or pebble is only mentioned in Acts, and only once.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Acts 26:9-11, when giving a speech in his defence in front of King Agrippa, Paul uses the Greek word pséphos (stone, pebble), in the casting of a vote against Christians:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Casting a white stone meant “Yes”, but casting a black stone meant “No”. Paul, who was being judged by King Agrippa, says that he himself also once judged the followers of Jesus by casting a black stone against them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Following the theme of overcoming to gain an eternal life, John seems to say that the judgment of God is to give the overcomers an everlasting life with an eternal name, and the giving of the white stone means that they are declared not guilty.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There are alternative explanations to the meaning of the white stone, but they all seem to point to the theme of God giving us an eternal glory through giving us an eternal name. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tessarae gladiatoris were four-sided prisms of ivory or bone that were bestowed as an honour on gladiators. On the four faces of this white token were inscribed the name referring to the gladiator, a name referring to the patron, a Roman date, and the year in the form of consul’s names. (<a href="https://www.academia.edu/18883542/A_tessera_lusoria_from_Gabii_and_the_afterlife_of_Roman_gaming" target="_blank">Banducci 2015, 203</a>)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If the house of Satan, using <a href="https://www.tertullian.org/articles/lof/martyrs.htm" target="_blank">Tertullian’s</a> expression, was the amphitheatre, then it would be fitting that the victorious Christian gladiator would receive a white stone, but with a new name. So, the white stone could symbolise either the triumph of the Christian martyr at his death, or as we have seen earlier, that he was declared not guilty. Perhaps it symbolised both.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And in the Old Testament, God often renames His people. Their new name will reveal their eternal identity. No matter what people have called us, this is what God will know us as—through eternity. This might be one of the reasons why there will be no jealousy over rewards in heaven; if part of our reward is visible only to God and ourselves privately, it will form part of our eternal identity, but it will be a secret between God and us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I love the idea that I will have a secret in heaven that will only be known to God and me! Our new name will be the eternal bond that will make my relationship and your relationship with God utterly unique.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the white stone is given to the overcomers in the end of their life, which means that it will reveal the fullness of their identity in God for all eternity. God calls us, but who we are will be made fully manifest only when we enter eternity. That is why it is unwise to define yourself fully by your current roles or gifts. God might be doing something new in your life in the last day of your life! That was the fate of the martyrs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For more on the Book of Revelation, you can read my book <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/understanding-revelation" target="_blank">Understanding Revelation</a>.</span></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sources:</span></h4><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Banducci, Laura M. ‘A Tessera Lusoria from Gabii and the Afterlife of Roman Gaming’. Herom 4, no. 2 (November 2015): 199–221.<br />Tertullian, Ad Martyras</span><p></p><div><br /></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-76944989796276626622021-07-29T07:58:00.001-07:002021-07-29T07:58:27.069-07:00Leadership lessons: Moses and the algorithms of rage <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why can a leader be nice and polite when you meet him in the church, but behave like an idiot when you meet him or her online? At least a partial answer might be algorithms. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is a lot of rage online. What escapes the awareness of many is that this rage is partially fed by algorithms. Social media algorithms are built to increase engagement by utilising the behavioural stimulus-response loop. They don’t recognise the concept of sinful nature, and this can have devastating consequences. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Today, many Christians are trapped in the stimulus-response loop designed to increase rage. The algorithm itself is blind, but each time you express rage online, the algorithm will lead you to content that will enrage you even more. If you like to watch dancing kittens, it will give you dancing kittens, if you care about abortion, it will give you more content that will enrage you about abortion. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is important that the stimulus-response loop is always psychological, and it has nothing to do with the life of the Spirit. But this stimulus-response loop, when it begins to reinforce anger, can have costly consequences in your life. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeauhrJIj-skboEMgH6QwY3UKM-OCeJQVSmW50e7u30-zQi5ixieCZ7_lDGdsb2zCC8atueUukhPdl6uWlHDVPJ_BuTzbdslwLjj-8iKPV8YcIRPd-GDGwlimKZH_KU7D92we5EPqGNuO/s1920/algorithm-3859537_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeauhrJIj-skboEMgH6QwY3UKM-OCeJQVSmW50e7u30-zQi5ixieCZ7_lDGdsb2zCC8atueUukhPdl6uWlHDVPJ_BuTzbdslwLjj-8iKPV8YcIRPd-GDGwlimKZH_KU7D92we5EPqGNuO/w640-h426/algorithm-3859537_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">James 1:19-20 says: “You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">James 3:6 says, “And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The way we speak online can stain the “whole body”. Anger cost Moses, one of the greatest leaders of all time, everything – twice. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Moses’s kills the Egyptian </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why did Moses kill the Egyptian who was beating a Jew in Exodus 2? The killing must have been triggered by anger. The consequences of his outburst were not liberating for the Jews but devastating for Moses, as he had to flee and spend forty years in exile. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Moses had been raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter. The Pharaoh must have had many daughters, as he would have had many wives, so we can’t know Moses’s exact rank. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But whatever his rank in the Pharaoh’s court, Moses would have been raised in an environment where most of his needs and desires were responded to immediately. His Egyptian education would not have been designed to curtail all his sinful desires. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Romans 13:14 says, “Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Like the Egyptian court, the algorithms don’t know the concept of flesh </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> –</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> our sinful nature </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> –</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">and if you give your flesh an inch online, the algorithms begin to feed the flesh, and soon you will give flesh a mile. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unlike pornography, the sinful nature of online rage is not always obvious, and if it is connected to a just cause, it can take a righteous appearance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Anger is very deceptive, as at the moment of feeling anger, it can feel fully justified. When Moses killed the Egyptian, he probably felt that he was fighting for a righteous cause. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the social media ecosystem, media often creates the morsels of rage which are then pushed to your social media feed by the algorithms that detect you responding to their stimuli. If you respond, algorithms begin to feed you with content that makes you even angrier. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Moses’s strikes a rock </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Moses’s second outburst of anger comes in Numbers 20:7-13, </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them. </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Just before, in verse 6, the glory of the Lord has appeared to Moses and Aaron, as they approach the Tabernacle after the Israelites have complained about their plight. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Exodus 17, Moses struck a rock as instructed by God. It seems that in his anger Moses resorted to the method that he used in the past rather than following God’s new instructions. We can see how anger is regressive and connects with our past experiences. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The cost of this seemingly small mistake was that Moses never made it to the Promised Land himself; he was only allowed to look at it from a distance. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why did God judge Moses so harshly? </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Numbers says that the reason for the punishment was that Moses did not believe in God. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Instead, Moses reacted angrily and used the last method that had worked. This shows that godly leadership is never regressive; it does not react in anger. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A God-given vision does not give us the right to react angrily against church members even when they don’t abide with that vision. We need to respond prayerfully in difficult situations and not assume that we already know everything. Only God knows fully how the vision He has given to us will be fulfilled. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even if God Himself is angry, that doesn’t automatically mean that we have the right to react in anger. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Leading a church is not running a perfect system and forcing people to comply with the order demanded by the system. Instead, it is travelling together, and although there is repetition and similar days, the situations, circumstances and the people we lead can all be different. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is the most deceptive moment when the water flows from the rock after we have reacted in anger. It might look like God is endorsing our leadership – when He only responded because He wanted to meet the needs of His people. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have met many leaders who for a long time seemed to achieve godly outcomes through anger. But in the end, they have always paid a heavy price. </span></p><p><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p> </p>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-89039002479408429932021-07-02T12:44:00.001-07:002021-07-02T12:47:37.833-07:00The corrupting of the prophetic gift and the loss of prophetic authority <p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Has someone ever given you an accurate personal prophecy once, but then later given you an inaccurate or clearly false one? Are you confused about the failure of many considered to be prophets in predicting the outcome of the last US presidential election? Were they false prophets from the beginning? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bible makes a clear distinction between false and genuine prophets but says very little about losing or corrupting a genuine prophetic gift. Can it be lost? And if so, why? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many years ago, a well-known prophetic leader gave us a remarkably accurate prophetic exhortation, which helped our church to make an important decision that had lasting positive outcomes. But today, most of the prophecies this person gives are clearly nonsense and some demonstrably false. It seems clear that the prophetic authority over that ministry has been lost. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many false prophets were con artists from the beginning. They never had the prophetic gift. But others appear to have had a prophetic gift once. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some believe that God will never remove any gifts, basing this on Romans 11:29, which says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”. But the context makes it clear that this applies first and foremost to Israel that will one day return to God. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNC_ya1LhxlQv8janoc5LXdR-AtMaIdpQWTNE00oAZzshgX_GHZYBq2fKVRMFQ_unUu1I1nLrJx9KtbVujEWDrpGinExsHaDVpf_OFotTgfuTFJN6djj4huNn21Argo93ZmONPjVVAJcY/s1920/cube-2031512_1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1920" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNC_ya1LhxlQv8janoc5LXdR-AtMaIdpQWTNE00oAZzshgX_GHZYBq2fKVRMFQ_unUu1I1nLrJx9KtbVujEWDrpGinExsHaDVpf_OFotTgfuTFJN6djj4huNn21Argo93ZmONPjVVAJcY/w640-h218/cube-2031512_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But Hebrews 6:4-6 says, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, since on their own they are crucifying again the Son of God and are holding him up to contempt. </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to Hebrews, it is possible to fall away from a genuine experience and life in the Holy Spirit. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And the prophetic gift is not haphazard, giving inconsistent results. In the Bible, any word from God will be fulfilled even when its fulfilment seems to be delayed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ezekiel 12:25 says, “But I the Lord will speak the word that I speak, and it will be fulfilled.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Habakkuk 2:3 says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, It will not tarry.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have given prophecies which have taken over twenty years to even begin to be fulfilled. But when they have begun their fulfilment, they have been proven 100% precise. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We know Jeremiah as a genuine prophet. But for most of his life many would have perceived him as a false prophet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah 25:3 says, “For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah prophesied for 23 years, and nothing that he said was taking place. But then destruction came suddenly on Jerusalem. We must be humble and patient regarding prophecies that don’t have a clear expiration date. But on the other hand, if a prophecy has a clear date for fulfilment, such as a prophecy about Trump winning the second term in 2020, we should not seek to “re-date” it afterwards to take place in 2024, as the precise date was an integral part of the prophecy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some say that according to the Old Testament, false prophets were stoned. But that was not the case. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Deuteronomy 18:22 says, “If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But Deuteronomy 13:1-4 says, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise you omens or portents, and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, “Let us follow other gods” (whom you have not known) “and let us serve them,” you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God—who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery—to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">An unfulfilled prediction led to a loss of prophetic authority whereas deceiving to worship idols even when a prophecy was fulfilled, was punishable by death. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the main reason why from the year 2015 onwards I have consistently said that the prophecies declaring Trump’s victory are false prophecies, even when some of them seem to have been fulfilled in 2016. The reason is simple: from the beginning, the Trump prophecies have encouraged idolatry. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It doesn’t matter if someone gets their prediction right if the prediction encourages idolatry, “for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Some seek to reduce the New Testament standards for prophetic accuracy, basing it on 1 Corinthians 13:9, which says that we prophesy in part. But partial does not mean imprecise, only that we rarely receive all parts of the prophetic jigsaw puzzle in one go. But a part will still be precise. </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">How can we lose prophetic authority? </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As Deuteronomy implies, there are main two sources for false prophecy: demonic and our imagination. We must defend ourselves against demonic influences through developing the gift of discerning spirits. I have taught about that a lot elsewhere. But it has struck me recently that I have taught very little about presumption. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jeremiah 23:16-18 says, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Thus says the Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They keep saying to those who despise the word of the Lord, “It shall be well with you”; and to all who stubbornly follow their own stubborn hearts, they say, “No calamity shall come upon you.” For who has stood in the council of the Lord so as to see and to hear his word? Who has given heed to his word so as to proclaim it? </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At the heart of presumption is a misunderstanding about the essence of prophecy. Often, this misunderstanding is born through observing charismatic culture. The misunderstanding is to perceive prophecy primarily as the art of proclaiming rather than the art of abiding in the presence of God. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Often, people ask me for a prophecy on the spot. Their expectation is that because I have the prophetic gift, I should be able to use that gift to proclaim a prophecy spontaneously at any given moment. But in fact, I might have not had the time to use the prophetic gift of abiding in the presence of God at all. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Sometimes, we must abide in the presence of the Lord for someone before we can give them a prophecy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1 Samuel 9-10 accounts how Saul was anointed to be the king. God had already revealed to Samuel how Saul would approach him when looking for lost donkeys, and that Saul would be the first king of Israel. When Saul comes to Samuel, he receives an answer to his question about the lost donkeys even before he has the time to ask it. But Samuel asks Saul to stay overnight, and he anoints Saul to be king only in the morning. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Why did he ask Saul to wait? I believe that Samuel abided in the presence of God for Saul through the night. He wanted to be dead certain that he would only say the right words. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Samuel never rushed; he did not speed-prophesy; he did not respond to pressure. Because of that 1 Samuel 3:19 says that God never let any of Samuel’s words fail. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In today’s church the prophetic people are often pressurised to hand out words on the spot, but unless we have abided in the presence of God, the correct application of the prophetic gift might be to remain silent. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have reflected on this issue of presumptive utterances for a while, and I believe that there are at least twelve factors that can make us vulnerable for speaking presumptuously. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1. Fear </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No one is immune to fear. In Galatians 2:11-13 the apostle Paul confronts his friend Barnabas and the apostle Peter, because they have stopped eating with the Gentile Christians. Why? Because they feared the friends of James who had come from Jerusalem. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The charismatic world is full of strong leaders who don’t always take kindly to disagreement. It is easy to be economical with your words when dealing with them. There is always a temptation to agree with them. Unfortunately, even silence can be perceived as agreement. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">2. Politeness to host ministry </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is good to be polite with your host ministry. But prophetically gifted are read differently, and even general politeness can be perceived as prophecy. And any greetings by prophetically gifted are often repurposed to function as endorsements by a hosting ministry. Some of this might be unavoidable, but we must be careful not to let us be exploited by this dynamic. And more importantly, we should not seek to exploit it ourselves. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Unfortunately, even a hello by prophetically gifted can be interpreted as prophetic. </span></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">3. Greed </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Greed and the fear for a loss of income can cause prophetic people to lose their prophetic authority. Leaders control access to platforms, and platforms have the potential to generate income. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is easier to forget any uncomfortable words that God might have given to us and instead proclaim blessings and prosperity wherever we go. Many justify this tactic by referring to 1 Corinthians 14:3 which says that we prophesy for “upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.” According to these teachers, we should never proclaim anything negative or directional. But that is building a theory based on one verse and ignoring the vast biblical evidence about prophecy being often very confrontational. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">4. Not wanting to sound defeatist </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Imagine being invited to the opening of a new church building where you are expected to bless it, and just before you get on the platform, the Lord will tell you that the building will soon be destroyed in a fire and that no prayer could stop it. Would you declare that? Or would you instead prayer a prayer of prosperity and protection regardless? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I was once asked to give a prophetic endorsement to a church programme publicly in a meeting. I could not say anything because I had no inner witness for it. That made me sound a defeatist, which led to immediate loss of popularity. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It can be embarrassing to be the one in the room who is the least excited about a new venture. But just because we are Christians, it doesn’t automatically mean that everything we do will prosper. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bible says that David and Joseph prospered in everything they did – but Joseph was in slavery and in prison, and David’s success led to persecution by King Saul and exile. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">5. Dominating mental framework </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A dominating mental framework, such as a strong church vision, can make us perceive every prophecy through that framework. For example, if you give a prophecy to someone about leadership, there would be a tendency to automatically apply it in the context of that church vision. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But often, when I give a prophecy about leadership, it will trigger the recipient to go serve somewhere else. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We should not automatically assume that a prophecy will be fulfilled within our current mental framework. This is an area where the evangelical church has failed massively in recent years, as many prophetically gifted have automatically applied a politically conservative mental framework. But God is above our party politics. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">6. Relying on other people’s anointing </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1 Chronicles 17:1-4 says, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Now when David settled in his house, David said to the prophet Nathan, “I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” Nathan said to David, “Do all that you have in mind, for God is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: You shall not build me a house to live in. </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the first instance, Nathan relied on the anointing that David had over his life and assumed that David had consulted the Lord before saying that he wanted to build the temple for the Lord. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Scenarios like these are very common in the charismatic movement not least because we have the cults of success and charismatic leadership. We tend to believe that God will automatically prosper everything that His servants want to do. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But a prophetically gifted can’t automatically embrace other people’s visions or prophecies. Every prophetic word and vision must be inspected before we accept it. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">7. Not valuing words and the Word </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We tend to think that we are Bible-believing Christians, but our actions can reveal that we put very little weight on the Word. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The evangelical church’s relationship with Trump reveals that we have become a post-truth Church where the Word and the words don’t matter. The nonchalant attitude to clearly false prophecies reveals that we don’t really put much weight on prophecy either. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We live as if Jesus’s word in Matthew 12:36-37 didn’t really matter: “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But a prophetic movement not anchored in the Word will always go astray. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">8. Neglecting personal Bible study and devotional life </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We need to let the Word confront ourselves before we minister it to others. We need to seek the Lord and His presence for ourselves before we begin to minister to others. It is easy to forget this in a culture that worships stage performance. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">9. Shifting from anointing to positional authority </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When you are a newcomer to ministry, it might seem that every invitation to minister will come only through prayer and fasting! But at some point your call will begin to bear fruit, and people might begin to respect you as a leader. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When people respect you, they will begin to respond to your position. But the great temptation is to begin to confuse spiritual authority with positional authority. If you are a leader, people will serve you, and the effects of your words can sometimes seem like a fulfilment of prophecy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In 2 Samuel 23:15 David longs for the water from Bethlehem, but the town is occupied by the Philistines. His men get the water for him by putting themselves at great personal danger. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At this point, David understands that he has misused his authority and pours the water on the ground without drinking it. He realises that in the cup is the blood of his own men. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many churches in the West have been built by projecting a vision from stage, but the cost of the fulfilled vision has been the lives and the families of church members. But it all seems to work, as long as the church members are responding to your positional authority because they perceive it as anointed. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">10. Confusing speech acts with reality </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In Finnish language there is a word “taivaanrannanmaalari” which is often translated as a daydreamer, but the literary translation would be “someone who paints the horizon”. A horizon painter can paint a mighty vision with his words on stage and can even confuse his own speech act with the actual work. Many a mission has already been accomplished on stage with words when nothing has been done yet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A taivaanrannanmaalari is well able to suffer martyrdom with their words and to bind every invisible principality on stage. Confusing speech acts with reality is endemic in the Church. But each prophetic word has a cost of fulfilment which is often paid with a lifetime of toiling and labour. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">11. Confusing imagination with prophecy and visions </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The prophetic process itself begins to transform how we perceive and process sounds and images. Whereas an untrained brain often discounts inner voices and mental images as irrational, the prophetically trained person begins to focus on the inner voices and images. This leads to a partial rewiring of our mental processes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is not dissimilar to people who have taken a lot of mind-altering drugs or have experienced altered mental states in other religions or via the occult. Their neural wiring has often been permanently altered, and many who have come to faith from the drug culture continue to see images and hear voices, often confusing that with the prophetic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What happens if this rewired brain becomes disconnected from the work of the Holy Spirit? The tendency to look for images and hear voices remains. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have seen a handful of significant dreams which have directed my life over decades. Because of that I tend to reflect on every dream that I can remember when I wake up. But I don’t accept any dream automatically as a dream from God. I am open to that possibility. But the truth is that if I didn’t believe in prophetic dreams, I would not even try to remember most of my dreams. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Most people discount many mental images that they see when they are awake. But prophetically attuned people begin to pay attention to them after they have seen one prophetic vision. But what happens if you have a vivid imagination? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The same applies to hearing any inner voices. Listening prophetically to the Holy Spirit will also make our own inner voice sound louder. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We can see how important it is to bring this our imagination back under the authority of the Word of God and its products to be processed in the presence of God. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If we train and attune our inner faculties, they will also begin to map our own mental processes or even worse, begin to receive messages from demonic sources. There are many ministers today that are confusing their own inner voice with the voice of God. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">12. Living in rebellion </span></h3><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pastors and ministers are well able to live in rebellion against God whilst preaching Christian principles from the pulpit. Our words might be in agreement with the Word of God whilst our lives are in rebellion against it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I have seen leaders who live in wilful disobedience lose their discernment and begin to perceive their own inner being as the source of divine inspiration. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The streams of the living water – the Holy Spirit – flow from our inner being. When we learn that we begin to be attentive to our inner being. But what happens when the flow of the Holy Spirit is obstructed, but we continue to be attentive to our inner being? </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Can we recover from the loss of prophetic authority? </span></h2><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Most Christians know King Ahab as the evil husband of Queen Jezebel who was the prophet Elijah’s archenemy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But 1 Kings 21:25-29 says, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. He acted most abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.) When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth over his bare flesh; he fasted, lay in the sackcloth, and went about dejectedly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster on his house.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">King Ahab repented. But he was still mortally wounded in a battle according to a prophecy by Elijah. Spiritual restoration is possible, but we will often still suffer some of the consequences of our actions. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you have lost your prophetic authority, regaining it will take time, but it might be possible through the process of repentance. </span></p><p><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: justify;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p> </p>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-13960068244413841962021-05-02T04:09:00.001-07:002021-05-02T04:11:16.096-07:00Revelation and the problem of the missing one end-time Antichrist<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Many Christians associate Revelation with the figure of the Antichrist, but in fact, the Antichrist is not mentioned in Revelation at all. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For example, a prominent Bible study site interprets the “beast rising out of the sea” in Revelation 13:1 to be the Antichrist. But is this interpretation consistent with what Revelation itself reveals about the beast? Is it consistent with the way the Bible defines a beast? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We will proceed from part—one verse—to the whole: from Revelation to the totality of the Bible. And we will soon discover that in the Bible, beasts tend to be empires rather than individuals. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Revelation is continuation of the Book of Daniel, and to Daniel, beasts are empires. This means that a theory about the beast in Revelation 13:1 being the Antichrist is probably wrong, because a beast is an empire and not a person.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxmvDBLZ0XsOcPl_DWLQv1mDUc1ojX0fEcTK36ygwp_OWecH46ufmzw-wY9aqgRA3ioEqwAgDkURPpphdHO2re6pOLJGVxj3EhKd9ve5cDvCSe2UYcr6Wao9nB_8LA9z1tTWgOiVOCx_1/s1920/gothic-3740388_1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxmvDBLZ0XsOcPl_DWLQv1mDUc1ojX0fEcTK36ygwp_OWecH46ufmzw-wY9aqgRA3ioEqwAgDkURPpphdHO2re6pOLJGVxj3EhKd9ve5cDvCSe2UYcr6Wao9nB_8LA9z1tTWgOiVOCx_1/w480-h640/gothic-3740388_1920.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Others link the person behind 666, the number of the beast, mentioned in Revelation 13:18, to the Antichrist, making him some sort of final and evil end-time world ruler.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But I do not think that this interpretation can be easily justified. The reason is that the only books in the Bible that use the word “antichrist” are 1 and 2 John. If you accept that the author of Revelation is the same apostle John who also wrote John’s letters in the New Testament, you will be faced with a major dilemma, as John seems to refute the teaching about one Antichrist as an end-time world ruler in his letters.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He writes in 1 John 2:18-19:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us.</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In his letters, John gives us a very different definition of an antichrist than most Christians who are searching for the Antichrist today. For John, an antichrist is a false teacher who used to be part of a Christian community.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">How could John define an antichrist as a false teacher in his letters and then proceed to present one Antichrist as an end-time world leader in Revelation—but without ever using that term? As an explanation, many liberal scholars would argue that the book, the letters, and the Gospel all have different authors, but I do not think we need to make that conclusion.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And there is no reason to make an effort to save the idea of one Antichrist, as historical context makes it quite clear that John was responding in his letters to a present threat in the minds of many Christians. What he was refuting was a teaching about the Roman emperor as the Antichrist.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Josephus, a Jewish historian, who led the Jewish forces against the Romans in Galilee in the beginning of the First Jewish-Roman War (AD 66-73), which led to the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, writes in <i>The Jewish War</i> (6.5.4.312) about messianic prophecies that stirred the rebellion:</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At about that time, one from their country would become ruler of the habitable world.</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At this point, Josephus had already switched on to the Roman side, and he was explaining the Roman victory some years after the destruction of the Second Temple. It appears that he had become disillusioned about the messianic prophecies and was actively repurposing them for the Roman use. So, Josephus, a Jew, loses his faith in the Jewish messianic project after he had been captured by the Romans in Judea.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">He then makes the claim that this messiah that the Jews were still expecting was in fact the general Vespasian who would be proclaimed the emperor whilst in Judea. It was Vespasian’s son Titus who would destroy Jerusalem and the Second Temple, whilst Vespasian would return to Rome to become the emperor, “fulfilling” the prophecy about the world ruler coming out of Judea.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">According to Eusebius (<i>Church History</i>, Book III, Chapter 12), Vespasian then ordered all descendants of the royal line of David to be hunted down to ensure that no one else could claim this prophecy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the beginning of the antichrist myth; it seems that Vespasian harnessed Josephus’s lucky prediction about him becoming the emperor to be used as propaganda.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This has also been documented by the Roman historians. Suetonius writes in <i>The Life of Twelve Caesars: Life of Vespasian</i> 5.6 about Vespasian in Judea:</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When he consulted the oracle of the god of Carmel in Judaea, the lots were highly encouraging, promising that whatever he planned or wished however great it might be, would come to pass; and one of his high-born prisoners, Josephus by name, as he was being put in chains, declared most confidently that he would soon be released by the same man, who would then, however, be emperor.</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Over the next few years, the myth about one ruler that would rise in Judea would spread over the whole Roman Empire. What John is saying in 1 John 2:18-19 is that the Christians have heard that an Antichrist—the Roman emperor—has come. But John is refuting the whole idea that the emperor would be the Antichrist. Instead, what he is saying is that the many antichrists in the world are in fact false teachers who have once been part of the Christian community.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1 John 2:22 says:</span></p><p></p><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. </span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The recipients of the letter were waiting for one political Antichrist; instead, there would be many theological antichrists. It seems that the apostle John perceived false teachers to be much more detrimental to the Church than persecution by the whole Roman Empire.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Is it not rather odd that John does not mention an antichrist at all in Revelation—the most prophetic book of the New Testament—but he mentions him in a letter written to his contemporaries where he seems to argue against one Antichrist? This should inspire us to study the Scriptures more seriously.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For more on the topic, please read my new book <a href="https://markojoensuu.com/understanding-revelation" target="_blank">Understanding Revelation.</a> </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-21977851728744995192021-02-03T11:18:00.001-08:002021-02-03T11:42:00.939-08:00Did Agabus prophesy inaccurately in Acts 21:10-11?<p> </p><p>When contemporary prophets get a prophecy wrong, as happened recently with the prophecies regarding Trump winning the second term, a common defence is that neither did Agabus get his prophecy to Paul entirely right in Acts 21:10-11. This is because Agabus prophesied that the Jews would bind Paul, and release him to the Gentiles, when it seems that, in fact, it was the Gentiles who put him in chains, rather than the Jews.</p><p>According to this defence, this proves that the requirements for the accuracy of prophetic words in the Church today are lower than in the Old Testament, hence getting a prophecy wrong doesn’t automatically mean that someone giving a false prophecy should be called a false prophet, and that we should continue to submit to the words by those who have given us a false prophecy. </p><p>But it seems to me that Agabus’s word to Paul was 100% accurate, although it is often misunderstood today.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/t3IYuQZRDNE?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1387" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLl4nmXv8m8XxJsyIHWQreQNIdZYBR85ighgptQpV6PbHoRmONd3SaU1rXVYY6ZDfC_u_rpaLBtSAxNFNMyYjfJyq6fVIryPgWIIlgoIernuEc0UmsaWJPUW5i29QWG8Z7QsiybECNZ-an/w434-h640/target.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Repentance from false words</h3><p>The Old Testament standard for prophecy can be found in Deuteronomy 18:20-22, which says, </p><blockquote><p>But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.” You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the Lord has not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.</p></blockquote><p>When a contemporary prophet gets a word wrong, the defence, based on the account of Agabus, is that Agabus was still recognised as a true prophet even when his word was inaccurate. According to this argument, a contemporary prophets should still be able to retain their office as a prophet, even if their prophesies turned out to be false. </p><p>But is that what the Bible teaches? Does God give inaccurate words to us? I don’t think that is the case even in the case of Agabus.</p><p>Our reading in Deuteronomy acknowledges that a prophet can speak “presumptuously”. This means that they have not truly received a word from the Lord. This gives us some clarity. God never gives us inaccurate prophetic words. His words will always come to pass. But in the case of being “presumptuous”, someone we think is a prophet has spoken their own ideas.</p><p>So, the Old Testament standard is that anyone who gives a false prophecy should not be taken seriously as a prophet.</p><p>There is a way out of a prophetic failure, thankfully. It is called repentance. To certain extent, even the Old Testament prophets could repent.</p><p>In Jeremiah 15, the prophet has grown weary of the words that God had asked him to deliver. He complains in self-pity. God responds to him in verse 19: </p><blockquote><p>If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth.</p></blockquote><p> But because of the excuse based on Agabus, the contemporary prophets never really feel the need to repent. For example, after the very public failure of hundreds of prophets with their Trump prophecies, only a handful of them have repented publicly of their very public false prophecies. In fact, some have even said that they should never apologise. </p><p>But what if Agabus’s words were 100% accurate? Then this excuse based on Agabus’s failure would not be valid. And it seems to me that Agabus’s prophecy was 100% accurate, but many have misunderstood the purpose of his prophecy, as they don't place Agabus's prophecy in the proper context of the story in Acts. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Paul knew that he would be imprisoned in Jerusalem even before Agabus’s prophecy.</h3><p>When Paul was in Miletus, he invited the leaders of the Ephesian church there. He said to them in Acts 20:22-24: </p><blockquote><p>And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.</p></blockquote><p>In every city, Paul received a prophetic word regarding him being imprisoned. What we don't know is if Paul received these words only personally from the Holy Spirit, or if other prophets had already confirmed this internal witness of the Holy Spirit before Agabus.</p><p>The main purpose of Agabus’s prophetic word was not to describe the exact physical way Paul would be treated by the Jews, but that Paul would survive the maltreatment by the Jews he already anticipated. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Paul’s reaction to Agabus’s prophecy was very different from his friends.</h3><p>What we often forget is that even when Agabus’s prophecy was given publicly, it was still a personal prophecy given to Paul, and it was Paul who was supposed to interpret it.</p><p>In Acts 21:12-14, we see two very different reactions to Agabus’s prophecy: </p><blockquote><p>When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Since he would not be persuaded, we remained silent except to say, “The Lord’s will be done.”</p></blockquote><p>Why was Paul’s reaction be so different from the others? </p><p>The reason is simple. He was probably the only one in the group who had the Roman citizenship. And he knew that he was entitled to a fair trial with the Romans. He knew that he would be a lot safer in the hands of the Romans than in the hands of the Jews!</p><p>Agabus told Paul not to worry. Paul would survive the anticipated maltreatment in the hands of the Jews, and he would be handed to the Romans, who would be obliged to give him a fair trial.</p><p>We can see that Paul was very aware of that in Acts 22:25 when he was about to be flogged by the Roman soldiers: </p><blockquote><p>Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?”</p></blockquote><p>So, what Paul’s friends perceived to be a discouraging word was in fact a word of encouragement.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Those who conclude that Agabus prophesied inaccurately are looking at the wrong thing.</h3><p>Acts 21:10-11 gives us the account of Agabus’s prophecy. </p><blockquote><p>While we were staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us and took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”</p></blockquote><p>Traveling from Judea to Caesarea where Paul was at the time would have been quite a lengthy journey. It might have taken Agabus two or three days to walk this distance. So, Agabus did put quite an effort in to release these words. He had plenty of time to ensure that he could get his words right.</p><p>The main reason why many perceive Agabus’s prophecy as inaccurate is the account of Paul’s arrest in Acts 21:27-36.</p><blockquote><p>When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd. They seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. While they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. When they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; he inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. When Paul came to the steps, the violence of the mob was so great that he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Away with him!”</p></blockquote><p>The argument for Agabus’s prophecy being inaccurate is based on that there is no indication that the Jews would have bound Paul. They were trying to kill him. But it was the Romans who put Paul in chains. So, presumably, Agabus got his prophecy partially wrong.</p><p>But that is not the case, as Agabus was following the exact ministry model of the Old Testament prophets, and this was a highly symbolic act.</p><p>Let me ask one question: why did Agabus take Paul’s belt? Why didn’t he take just any belt and say that Paul would be bound this way? Was there no other way to identify Paul?</p><p>No. It had to be Paul’s belt.</p><p>As an outcome of this whole scenario, Paul would eventually appeal to the emperor, and he would be taken to Rome where he would write the letter to the Ephesians.</p><p>In Ephesians 6:14 he writes about standing firm with the “belt of truth” buckled firmly around the waist. By the time of writing about the belt to the Ephesians, he has had plenty of time to reflect on the meaning of the word “belt”. </p><p>Put simply, what Agabus’s prophecy meant is that it was Paul’s own words, his preaching of the truth to the Jews that would cause him to be handed over to the Gentiles. Rather than discouraging Paul, Agabus’s words gave him the confidence to enter Jerusalem and attend the temple, with the prophetic foreknowledge that he would not be killed, but that the Romans would save him.</p><p>So, what would have been a discouraging word for every non-citizen was an encouraging to a Roman citizen. Paul knew that at some point, he would be able to exercise his rights as a Roman citizen and find a way out from the very dangerous situation that he would be in.</p><p>So, Agabus's prophecy was 100% fulfilled. And Paul's letter to the Ephesians shows that at some point Paul understood the whole message.</p><p>So, it appears to me that there is no reason to lower the standard for prophetic accuracy in the church today because of Agabus. </p><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-68384327695791105252021-02-01T12:23:00.008-08:002021-02-04T01:41:12.599-08:00Understanding the Book of Revelation<p>The Book of Revelation itself provides a consistent interpretive framework for itself, which, with some help of knowing history and trust in the validity of biblical prophecy, manages to explain itself rather well.</p><p>Following hermeneutical principles, I would suggest following these interpretive guidelines when you study Revelation.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1. Revelation gives plenty of guidance on how to interpret itself. </span></h3><p>It is the first place to look when explaining it. For example, in Revelation 10:2, a mighty angel comes down from heaven and holds a little scroll in his hand. It should be clear to a careful reader that a little scroll begins a new prophecy.</p><p>Revelation 1:8 says that God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. This implies that Revelation majors in beginnings and endings.</p><p>Revelation 1:1 says that the book is about what “must soon take place.” Then in Revelation 4:1, a voice says to John: “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”</p><p>So, Revelation is not just about beginning and endings, but also about things that will happen soon after John has seen the visions.</p><p>But in Revelation 1:19 Jesus says to John: “Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.”</p><p>Putting this all together, it seems clear that part of Revelation concerns of things which had already happened at the time John saw the visions. These belong to the things which are.</p><p>So, Revelation interprets the past and how we got where John was at the time of seeing the visions.</p><p>Revelation tells about events that were happening at the time John saw the visions. These also belong to the things which are.</p><p>Revelation predicts what is about to happen. And then it predicts what will happen after what is about to happen. These belong to things that will take place after the time of seeing the vision. And then it predicts events which will happen in the end-times.</p><p>Based on this, much of Revelation would already have taken place within John’s lifetime, and some of it quite soon after that. This might challenge your understanding of Revelation, but that is what Jesus says Himself in Revelation.</p><p>For some, a thought that a book of prophecy might explain the past might seem contradictory. But it is not. Revelation gives us God’s perspective on the purpose of all time. God is the Great Storyteller, and He knows that for us to understand what will happen, we need to understand what has already taken place, and how we got where we are.</p><p>But we should not lose sight of Revelation 1:1, which says that the book concerns of what must soon take place. This means that the main emphasis of the book is prophetic and not simply reinterpreting the past or the present, and that many developments shown should begin shortly after John seeing the visions.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9EF-d81ntRLtI-G4iERGtGbUVyoyomq46UhhKhCWz8PNtZkwZHkkuwcUlIrOddjYpt0uCT2BUoG-m3DtSBSqsj0rs05j3XSjMkTQKfYkUno0JluiDWoDbiUBzUXohHcpd6EJuZpHtqtU/s2048/9781916481152.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1359" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9EF-d81ntRLtI-G4iERGtGbUVyoyomq46UhhKhCWz8PNtZkwZHkkuwcUlIrOddjYpt0uCT2BUoG-m3DtSBSqsj0rs05j3XSjMkTQKfYkUno0JluiDWoDbiUBzUXohHcpd6EJuZpHtqtU/w265-h400/9781916481152.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Revelation-Marko-Joensuu-ebook/dp/B08VHFYC8L/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=marko+joensuu&qid=1612210465&sr=8-1">e-book </a>is out now. <br />The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1916481159/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6">paperback</a> will be released in April 2021.</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br />2. The first reference point outside Revelation is the Old Testament. </h3><p>Scholars have counted over two hundred references in Revelation to the Old Testament texts (Lo 1999, 2-3). Most of these are references to the Old Testament’s prophetic books. Altogether, there might be over five hundred allusions to the Old Testament.</p><p>This means that it would be foolish to study Revelation without also studying the Old Testament. With so many references to the Old Testament, Revelation clearly invites us to study the Jewish Bible. It is the Old Testament, rather than the New Testament, which functions as the main reference point. The reason for this is clear: the New Testament canon had not been compiled at the time of writing. Although most books and letters ending up as part of the New Testament would already have been written, they would not have been widely available.</p><p>But Revelation goes a lot further than that. It is evident that John sees Revelation as a continuation of the work of the Old Testament prophets, even the summary and the explainer of it. Revelation contains new predictive prophecies, but it also explains the Old Testament prophecies.</p><p>Revelation makes references to nearly all prophetic books in the Old Testament, and each reference is an invitation to read not just the exact reference but also the surrounding verses. These references function much like hyperlinks, so that we should read Revelation by going back and forth from Revelation to the Old Testament books if we need more clarity.</p><p>By and large, Revelation is a book that expands, explains, and continues the Old Testament prophecy. For example, when it comes to the beast, Revelation continues from where Daniel ends.</p><p>As Revelation relies so heavily on the Old Testament prophetic books, a sensible approach would be to assess whether it also follows their structure. For example, Jeremiah is structured cyclically as a series of gradually developing wailings about Jerusalem’s impending destruction, so its prophecies are not sequenced chronologically but hermeneutically, as Jeremiah seeks to understand the first shocking revelation and his own call, which leads him to a deeper understanding. So, it would be a mistake to read Jeremiah as a singular chronologically structured prophecy. The same applies to Revelation.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">3. Symbolism in Revelation follows the conventions developed by the Old Testament prophetic books.</h3><p>Revelation is a profoundly symbolic book, but there are no randomly chosen symbols. There is very little in the book that is literal, and at the same time, it does refer to real historical events.</p><p>Revelation is not one chronological account of world events. In fact, it contains multiple visions of the past, present, and future, looked at from different perspectives. To understand Revelation, you must seek to understand prophetic language, principles, and visionary symbolism. Here my approach is not entirely scholarly, as my ministry and gifting in this area have somewhat directed my interpretation. But unless you understand the language of dreams and visions, it is very hard to understand a book full of visions. But this does not entitle us to haphazard interpretations.</p><p>These interpretations must still be supported by the Scriptures, reasonability, and history.</p><p>According to Bailey, prophetic literature can use forms such as step parallelism, inverted parallelism, and ring composition (2011, 40-42) in short passages of Scripture. We do not need to get too technical here; the main point is that prophetic writing is not always written chronologically, but the following verses can reinforce the message of the previous verses rather than account events in linear or chronological fashion.</p><p>As a journalist, I am used to writing articles that do not outline the narrative in chronological order but move back and forth temporally to reinforce an argument, with the headline often working both as a premise and a conclusion. So, non-chronological ordering of texts should not be unfamiliar to anyone who reads the news.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">4. Interpretation of symbols should be consistent and not haphazard. </h3><p>The symbolic system of Revelation is not haphazard but precise. Yet many scholars and Bible teachers interpret the symbols haphazardly.</p><p>For example, when Revelation 7:3 refers to the seal of God on the forehead of His servants, most readers would interpret this to be an invisible seal. Yet, when Revelation 13:16-18 speaks about the mark of the beast, many expect this mark to be a physical mark. That is not consistent but haphazard interpretation of symbols. It does not conform with the symbolic system of Revelation. In fact, from the beginning to the end of the book, Revelation is painstakingly building a complex but consistent symbolic system, and this system is meant to guide a reader’s interpretation of the book.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">5. The next reference point after the Old Testament prophets should be the rest of the Old Testament and the New Testament. </h3><p>For example, when in Revelation 15:3 the saints sing the Song of Moses, it refers to the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32. To establish the meaning of the Song of Moses in Revelation, the most sensible thing to do is to read Deuteronomy 32 first.</p><p>But John is also writing to congregations that would have been at least reasonably familiar with Paul’s teaching, as Paul established the church of Ephesus. Hence Paul’s letters to Asia Minor can often give us useful contextual information and clues. This referencing to the Old Testament is deeply ingrained in Revelation. As early as in the third century, Dionysius of Alexandria complained about John’s poor use of Greek, saying that he employed barbarous idioms. But many irregularities occur because Revelation carries over the exact grammatical form of the Old Testament wording, with this intended dissonance being used as a literary technique to get the reader to see the Old Testament connection more clearly. (Beale 1999, 318-321)</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">6. You cannot understand Revelation without some knowledge of history. </h3><p>If Revelation is the book of the Alpha and the Omega, the beginnings and the endings, and what happens between, you will not be able to understand it without at least some understanding of history. How do you separate what has already happened from what is yet to happen, unless you know what has already happened?</p><p>As the Old Testament prophecies about the destruction of Israel and Judah demonstrate, God cares deeply about every generation, and not just about ours. Not every Bible prophecy is a prophecy about the end-times, with many Bible prophecies already being fulfilled in the time of Jesus.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">7. You cannot understand Revelation unless you acknowledge that at least some of its content is prophecy. </h3><p>Revelation is a profoundly prophetic book. Much of the historical study of it assumes that there is no actual prophecy in it with scholars perceiving it merely as symbolic commentary of John’s own time. But although our understanding of the first century history is extremely useful, it fails to explain the whole of Revelation.</p><p>References:</p><p>Bailey, Kenneth E. Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians. S.l.: SPCK Publishing, 2011.</p><p>Lo, Wei, and Wei Luo. Ezekiel in Revelation: Literary and Hermeneutic Aspects. University of Edinburgh, 1999.</p><p><i>Understanding Revelation</i> is out as <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Revelation-Marko-Joensuu-ebook/dp/B08VHFYC8L/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=marko+joensuu&qid=1612210465&sr=8-1">Kindle ebook</a> and available as paperback from April 2021.</p><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</a></span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com">markojoensuu.com</a></b></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">.</b><span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-12327404862615210312020-06-06T10:56:00.002-07:002020-06-06T14:22:09.757-07:00The power of a prophetic secret<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is hardly anything more destructive that can happen to prophetic ministry than applying marketing methods to it, especially during this time of instant messaging via social media, coupled with a delusive idea that every prophetic word and spiritual experience should be shared with everyone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is common to see prophetic ministers to share dreams they have seen only the night before. That doesn't give much time to process them in prayer. Recently, a prophetic minister <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=918126958693089&id=100014873790327" target="_blank">repeated</a> word for word what, according to him, a demon had told him about the devil’s strategies just a few hours earlier – when further reflection should have revealed that you should never believe what you hear from an ambassador of the father of lies! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In our marketing-driven world there are clear financial incentives for sharing any spiritual experiences. You might not be able to sell the prophecy or spiritual experience itself, but it is possible to make money out of the ancillary products – books, teaching series, training courses etc. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this process of merchandising many seem to make a doctrine out of a singular spiritual experience. This is the origin of many Charismatic heresies – making a general principle out of one experience, so that it becomes an ironclad doctrine, leading millions astray. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps there was once a singular Jezebel spirit, but if the first prophetic minister who encountered it did his or her job, that singular spirit should have been cast out to hell long time ago, and there would be no need for a whole industry of books and videos about this one demonic spirit! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is another issue altogether if there might be billions of demonic spirits operating in a similar way than the alleged Jezebel spirit as part of their arsenal against us, but that wouldn’t make as good a book title. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the marketing principle of differentiation goes on with Absalom spirits, squid spirits and all sorts of other spirits taking over the mind of a Charismatic prophet and releasing a wave of new heresies. The trouble is that even if some of these ideas would be based on a valid spiritual experience, teaching about them could be harmful simply because the recipients of that teaching might not have the spiritual maturity to combat these spirits. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jude 8-10 teaches that those who talk about demonic spirits without the necessary spiritual maturity will end up destroying themselves: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Likewise, also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I learnt early on that talking about my spiritual journey is not necessarily beneficial to everyone. God gave me so many prophetic words and visions regarding the way I would </span><a href="https://www.mentoringprophets.com/2014/06/40-lessons-in-prophetic.html" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">meet my wife</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. We have now been married for over twenty-four years. But even with all these visions and prophetic words, I still prayed for three months intensively before I asked her out to ensure that it was God’s will. Someone else heard the story, and she got excited. She got married and they divorced in three months! It took her the same time to get to the point of divorce than it took me to pray in preparation for asking my wife out! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thus, we can see that mere excitement about these matters isn’t enough. There are many spiritual secrets that can only be shared with those who are spiritually mature. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And some spiritual experiences you might not be allowed to share with anyone. Ever. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my experience, prophetic secrets can be extremely powerful in life and ministry. They retain their power only because you don’t share them. Of course, there are many prophetic words and visions that we must share after proper scrutiny with that scrutiny often taking a lot of time. At other times, you must be able to share them immediately. The only way to know what to do is to retain an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit and to keep studying the Word. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By and large, Jesus’s command to shout what we have heard from Him in secret from the rooftops isn’t applicable to the prophetic ministry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to take you to a short journey through the Bible regarding different situations where it might be necessary to stay silent about what we have experienced. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Daniel and the devil’s dark secrets </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Daniel 1:17 says, “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As this is Babylon, this wisdom would have included all sorts of books on the occult and witchcraft. Yet, we don’t hear anything about their content. But it is likely that having to read through all that stuff would have helped Daniel to develop a very sharp gift of discerning spirits, so that he would have been able to separate what was useful in governing Babylon from the destructive demonic doctrines, because in the Babylonian culture it would all have been mixed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Only God knows how much Daniel’s mind would have been attacked by demonic beings in this process; but because he had the Holy Spirit as his helper, it helped him to discern between God-given, soulish and demonic dreams and visions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the Book of Daniel, we learn very little about his internal struggles in an environment that was deeply infected with witchcraft. Daniel would have encountered it daily, but it didn’t seem useful to him to share the knowledge they had accumulated regarding the demonic culture. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the same applies to Moses and Joseph who were both deeply aware of the witchcraft of Egypt. They all seemed focused on telling us about God’s work instead. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are many spiritual experiences with the demonic realm I will never share with anyone. There are others that I will only share with people who desperately need advice on something they are already encountering. For other people, hearing about them could be destructive, as perhaps, they might try to apply methodically what can only be applied by with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jeremiah’s reluctant judgements </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jeremiah 20:9 says, </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nor speak anymore in His name.” </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But His word was in my heart like a burning fire </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shut up in my bones; </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was weary of holding it back, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I could not. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The prophet Jeremiah was reluctant to utter the judgements over Jerusalem. He hoped that they could somehow be averted. But in the end, the presence of God over him became so heavy that the only way to be released from the pressure was to release the words. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And that’s the way it should be with most words of judgement. The words should never leave our lips too easily. There have been many situations where the Holy Spirit has given me words that could have been interpreted as judgement. In nearly all cases, I have taken them as something to intercede against, much as when Moses interceded against God’s anger against Israel. I tend to take these kinds of words mostly as God testing my heart, much as He tested the heart of Moses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paul’s trip to third heaven </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems clear that Paul was writing about himself. Why didn’t he tell us more about his experiences in the third heaven and Paradise? That book would surely have been a bestseller in the experiences-hungry Corinth! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He must have known that no matter how valid his experiences in the third heaven, they would have become the source material for perhaps the greatest heresy of them all – started by Paul himself! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The truth is that his spiritual experiences would have benefited us very little. It happened to Paul himself only once, after all. Why write extensively about something like that? So that the experiences-driven Christians of Corinth would try to replicate that experience! But that would have been useful to no one. But that’s what many prophetic leaders do. They market as a method a singular, perhaps amazing spiritual experience that has been granted to them only by the grace of God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is not useful to sell as a method what is a unique miracle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Peter’s all-concealing love </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 Peter 4:8 says, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There can’t be mature prophetic ministry unless you are willing to conceal many things that God has revealed to you about other people. Part of the prophetic ministry is to keep covering other Christians with prayers because God will reveal to us their hidden weaknesses. God doesn’t reveal them to us so that we would tell them to everybody; instead He reveals them to us so that we would cover these people with intercession, so that those weaknesses won’t destroy them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John’s additional instructions</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Revelation 10:4 says, </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.” </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We can’t know exactly what this additional revelation God gave John might have been. But, often, the Holy Spirit can give us additional instructions that are not meant to be shared but help us interpret what God is telling us. They help us to deliver the prophetic words that we are meant to deliver in the right way and with precision and care. They can give us the confidence to share the prophetic words. They can give us detail which is not useful to be shared. Often, that detail might sound more impressive than the prophecy that we are allowed to share! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amos 3:7 says, </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This might be the case, but it doesn’t mean that the prophets should always reveal all these secrets to everyone else. Sometimes, it is enough that only one member of humanity knows. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Often, the revelation God has given me will help me to navigate a difficult situation in real life. It was never meant to be shared to others, but it was meant to be for my guidance. </span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Concealing a God-given strategy </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 Samuel 5:22-25 says, </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If God gives you a strategy, it doesn’t mean that you should reveal it to everybody. I have found that concealing the God-given strategies is of vital importance in mission work. There are many countries we work where revealing your strategies, no matter how exciting and effective they might be, could get your friends killed. Often, you share these kinds of God-given strategies with trusted friends only. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A prophetic secret can protect us from the enemy, save our friends and even help us reach nations for Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jesus says in John 16:12, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW253002633 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW253002633 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">them</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW253002633 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> now."</span></span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">There are things we can bear that perhaps others are unable to bear. And these kinds of things were given to the disciples later on by the Holy Spirit.</span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="EOP SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">That doesn't make Christianity a mystery religion. In fact it keeps the Charismatic movement from becoming a mystery religion, as mystery religions always developed methods for receiving greater knowledge.</span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Revelation 2:17 says, </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="EOP SCXW253002633 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="woj">He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden</span> <span class="woj">manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone</span> <span class="woj">a new name written which no one knows except him who receives <i>it.</i></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There is part of our identity that might be hidden from others even in Heaven! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The gospel is meant to be shared to all. But not every prophetic word is meant to be shared to all but only to those it has been meant to. May God give you wisdom on to whom you should share your prophetic words, dreams and visions. </span><br />
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Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-78263378232872404112020-05-01T00:39:00.005-07:002020-05-03T02:25:16.292-07:00The False Prophet's Playbook: What to do when it all goes terribly wrong?<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{7f3517c6-7ac7-400c-96b3-3fa54f9779c7}{51}" paraid="1736499440" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This year hasn’t been kind to many prophets in the Charismatic movement, especially not in America, where many </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">prophets predicted 2020 to be</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> year of <a href="https://www.charismamag.com/blogs/prophetic-insight/44013-cindy-jacobs-shares-breaking-prophecy-for-2020" target="_blank">j</a></span><a href="https://www.charismamag.com/blogs/prophetic-insight/44013-cindy-jacobs-shares-breaking-prophecy-for-2020" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">oyful increas</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">e</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> but didn’t foresee 'minor' issues such as the co</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ronavirus crisis. But all is not lost. Even when it all seems over, there are many ways to survive a professional mishap. </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{18c3c5e2-b2c3-4737-b110-14359b8d4b30}{250}" paraid="2115715716" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
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<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">I can predict (not prophesy) that these following practical and rhetorical strategies wi</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ll come into play in 2020. This is simply because they are well-tested and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">part of the false prophet’s playbook for when it all goes wrong.</span></div>
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
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<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf0pYIsDlw4qpe1xZHrE66vZnmzEe0mgxW-I4TTOd_8tfKawPkHPpzuXV_4oOeXU1cH0bnlFhrYlC1_W01acKo5wOy0HJCwGwm6W-04I_hOasrRD08rUio1ZewYCUGsenAfOXUAcZsx9A/s1600/bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpf0pYIsDlw4qpe1xZHrE66vZnmzEe0mgxW-I4TTOd_8tfKawPkHPpzuXV_4oOeXU1cH0bnlFhrYlC1_W01acKo5wOy0HJCwGwm6W-04I_hOasrRD08rUio1ZewYCUGsenAfOXUAcZsx9A/s640/bird.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">
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<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">1. Delete </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">your prophecy</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{ad7623af-6227-40ae-a874-204dcf114089}{9}" paraid="1701172302" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This is where the misfortune that your prophecy didn’t initially get any traction becomes a benefit. If a prophet prophesies in the wilderness and there is no one to hear the sound, did it really happen? This philosophical question remains unanswered, so you are really in the company of great minds when you apply this strategy. A<i> prophet philosopher</i>. Has anyone written a book on that?</span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{ad7623af-6227-40ae-a874-204dcf114089}{9}" paraid="1701172302" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{ad7623af-6227-40ae-a874-204dcf114089}{9}" paraid="1701172302" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If you are lucky enough, you can give your prophecy a mafia funeral and bury it in an unmarked grave. What prophecy? I see no prophecy about that. Remember, the delete button is your friend!</span></div>
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">2. Misquote </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">your prophecy</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{83aaaf68-be66-427f-9951-1d48a84e251e}{136}" paraid="369343305" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This technique is based on the fact that most Charismatic Christians never paid much attention to your actual prophecy. So, sometimes it is enough to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">adjust the wording of your prophecy slightly, and make it look like you in fact got your words right – after all, many Charismatics seem to believe that fact-checking is from the Devil!</span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">3. Release a wave of new prophesies</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{5de0c17d-d0ea-4bad-860a-de9590dd910b}{96}" paraid="1476061513" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Release a mighty wave of new prophecies that will make everyone forget the old ones.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Again, most Charismatic believers pay little attention to what you are actually saying. Don't care about the content. Just speak fast. Overwhelm them with new stuff so they will forget the old.</span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">4. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">“</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Remember</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> another prophecy</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{7f4c11b7-ead3-4ff2-8cce-0532f2677028}{144}" paraid="1098625178" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">“R</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">emember</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> another old prophecy </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">that y</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ou gave earlier, which will now suddenly give a new explanation to the other prophecy </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW74523236 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">that now only looks</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> like it had missed its target. If you add another piece, the jigsaw puzzle suddenly loo</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ks different!</span></div>
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<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">5. Re-purpose an old prophecy</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{966ef466-f78c-43e2-8619-0bcfdcd6c759}{198}" paraid="1593449821" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">There might be an actual old prophecy that you might be able to re-purpose. It doesn’t matter that at the time it was all supposed to happen in 2007 and not in 2020 – the Charismatics aren’t known for their atten</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">tion to detail.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">6</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Make the concrete spiritual</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{4a59b176-6e00-47a0-830f-0d4efc74b821}{241}" paraid="193989672" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If you prophesied that the year 2020 will be the year of financial prosperity, now make that prosperity spiritual and tell that true riches are stored in heaven and not in your bank account.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">7</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Make the spiritual concrete</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{86203d8a-adba-4114-b7df-c7b75866fc03}{190}" paraid="1182161918" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If your prophesied spiritual warfare for 2020, now make that spiritual concrete – what it really meant was financial difficulties.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">8</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Create your own facts</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{7e24217e-10aa-4b3b-95e9-75f6e07c56c9}{202}" paraid="296692241" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Blame the news media for bias and create your own facts. It doesn’t really matter if you have any reliable sources or not – facts are there to be bent by your faith</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">9</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Create your own reality where other people’s facts don’t matter</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{69f3de79-f60c-4555-9212-5b1bc95d3859}{237}" paraid="619022800" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<div style="font-family: "segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Even better - don't just create your own facts but a whole reality. Release a new conspiracy theory where the lack of any evidence for it is the very evidence that the conspiracy is real.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Now your prophecy is wearing a bulletproof vest! </span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">10. Release a new doctrine</span></span></h4>
</div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div style="background-color: transparent; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">There is nothing more exciting for the Charismatics than a new doctrine. Let them get excited studying that.</span></div>
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">11</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Blame the Devil</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{b1effd55-e52b-4b7c-8cac-34b0329efbb5}{243}" paraid="592977594" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">You were right all the time but the Devil stopped it from happening because the Church didn’t pray enough.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Or if it wasn't the Devil, it must have been Jezebel. Or Moloch. There are many legions of demons, so the opportunities for naming them are endless. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">12. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Start a moral campaign</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{81e54180-5d97-4ebe-8e29-fea48da002bb}{37}" paraid="149701658" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">You were right all the time but now God is judging the society for their sins. Start a moral campaign against something. Now you aren't just a prophet but also a societal reformer!</span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">13</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Ask</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> everyone else to repent</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{2294eb0f-92f8-4534-ac80-07b95e8b6341}{36}" paraid="360545356" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">You were right but the prophetic fulfilment would have demanded full repentance from the Church.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Your failure is not your failure but the very evidence that the Church hasn't repented yet. Become the prophet of repentance.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">14</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Discover</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">an esoteric Bible verse</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{0c5c5e08-0493-455b-af92-dcce73755230}{65}" paraid="1997383787" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">There must be a Bible verse that explains it all! The benefit of this strategy is that now you aren’t known only as a prophet but also as a Bible scholar. </span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">15</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Redefine the function of prophecy (but not the office)</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{5b49c6f9-6645-4a50-a70b-02b342e64887}{149}" paraid="925359486" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Remind people that the New Testament prophecy is not 100% infallible, but at the same time they must reminded about the infallible authority of your pr</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ophetic office.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">16. Teach about false prophets</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{cf675fb7-1dd5-4199-a3cc-9ce2c4be0af4}{211}" paraid="1003657682" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">No false prophet would ever teach about false prophecy. Or would they? Launch a new series that teaches the intricacies of how to recognise false prophets.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">17</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Lie, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">and lie more for the sake of ministry (and forget who the father of lies is)</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{fbc1bfe2-73d2-4825-a2f2-8fd5640836e9}{37}" paraid="309558059" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If you repeat lies often enough someone will believe them.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Even you might. And you can always suffocate your subconscious scream with a shot of vodka. And now, few more shots. </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">18</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Never say sorry</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{537b0984-74a4-4ec0-91aa-c2ec5d3e24f0}{86}" paraid="847103374" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Saying sorry is so unprofessional. Never get caught saying sorry. Jesus never said sorry. And He never advised us to say sorry. Or did He? If He did, He would reveal that to you personally in a dream or vision. There is no point in opening that Book to find out. He will always talk to you directly. You never need to read the Book for yourself, only to teach others.</span><br />
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span>
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">You can doubt God and His omnipotence. But never doubt yourself!</span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">19. Do something good publicly</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{22b7403a-cda0-4e8f-bfc3-f0201a046a50}{218}" paraid="947089108" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Now it is time to do something good publicly. Help the homeless, whatever, the important thing is that everyone sees how good you are.</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> A prophet is known by their fruit, isn't he?</span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">20. Sacrifice a friend</span></h4>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{abfd2dc9-c0d8-4346-89d6-bac5132573b4}{199}" paraid="1919908985" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If all else fails, now is the time for the ultimate sacrifice. Go through your Filofax and see who is the most expendable. Launch a personal attack against someone because of their false prophecies. Sometimes the herd must sacrifice the weakest member. (If you don't know what Filofax is, you are already vulnerable yourself, as you haven't been in business long enough. And your name <i>will be</i> in someone else's Filofax.)</span></div>
<h4 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">21. Hope for the best when you get to Heaven</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h4>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW74523236" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW74523236 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{60645888-1fdd-4273-bbcd-e50761c68b0b}{110}" paraid="980863690" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Jesus was known for His pragmatism when it came to the business side of things. He always put His livelihood</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> first, didn’t He? On arrival, make sure that Jes</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">us will understand that the motivation of your heart was always to further the best interest of the Church.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> It was never money or fame. </span></div>
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<i><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #303336; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW74523236 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Exitus</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #303336; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> acta </span><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #303336; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW74523236 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">probat</span></span></i><span class="TextRun SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #303336; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> – <b>the outcome justifies the deed</b> – wasn't it Jesus who said that?</span><span class="EOP SCXW74523236 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-6398381080033011242020-04-17T08:10:00.000-07:002020-04-17T08:10:01.895-07:00Why does God often talk to us seemingly unclearly with prophetic riddles and parables? <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify;">In the last two months, I have seen the fulfilment of two life-defining dreams and visions. The first one was for me personally, and it was given to me twenty-five years ago through a vision, and it was confirmed by another vision twenty-four years ago </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify;">–</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: justify;"> although it is not until now that I have come to realise that these two visions foretold the same event that has just passed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I was shocked about was that in the moment of perhaps one of the most important encounters in my life God didn't give me anything new, but He only activated the memory of one of the prophetic visions I had seen decades earlier </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">–</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> a</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nd not even the one that was clearer. Then He waited to see what I would do with it. Would I obey? Would I disregard it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another one was a prophetic dream that was given to me to pass on to someone else. After some time, this dream was fulfilled precisely, but there was an element in the dream that I hadn’t paid much notice of that turned out to be the most decisive element of it all. And unfortunately, the person I gave the dream to also missed that element, and that led to a poor choice. The consequences of that poor choice were clearly displayed in the dream, but they could only be fully understood retrospectively. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the first scenario – which I have described in an earlier <a href="https://www.mentoringprophets.com/2020/03/prophecy-as-future-memory.html?fbclid=IwAR3GpnBn2YNVnTZU12S6C_QtXuDequAjxfRwBx5LZKU46qOfwdNhE0sXc30" target="_blank">post</a>, the fulfilment was entirely based on me recognising an opportunity to love and deciding to respond with love. The prophetic riddle became explainable only through obedient action, and it was only loving action that was able to fulfil the prophetic vision. Had I not chosen loving action, I wouldn't have even know that I had just missed one of the most significant developments in my life!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7i3fkAIpvOhkBCdIrR_35S8UquGMrPIsFPPDEUR0YvYPOq9Kr46kxWi5fI0Ddk2z0QQcynLMpX6889mKKM3yEq13O8MHh1mrrKPJI7Rfd5zIhwuMlrEIDdD1zvUcC_bA6TLchiwHHeSu/s1600/riddle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1600" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7i3fkAIpvOhkBCdIrR_35S8UquGMrPIsFPPDEUR0YvYPOq9Kr46kxWi5fI0Ddk2z0QQcynLMpX6889mKKM3yEq13O8MHh1mrrKPJI7Rfd5zIhwuMlrEIDdD1zvUcC_bA6TLchiwHHeSu/s640/riddle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the second case, the instructions on how to act were there but it would have taken prayer and reflection to dig them up. The dream was 100% true, but it would have taken some patience to begin to understand its true meaning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why does God do that? How can He take the risk of us missing something genuinely important that has significant consequences to our lives? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have reflected on this a lot and come to the conclusion that when God wants us to get deeper in Him, He often speaks to us through riddles because of His mercy, as otherwise we would come under judgement if we disobeyed a clear command. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Matthew 13:10-15 says, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And seeing you will see and not perceive; </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the hearts of this people have grown dull. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Their ears are hard of hearing, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And their eyes they have closed, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So that I should heal them.’ </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Those who truly desire to understand the mysteries of heaven are the followers of Jesus. They will be willing to give up everything to find the treasures of heaven. They will labour to find the meaning of the prophetic parables. They will pray until they will understand them, because they understand that they need to be obeyed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whereas this generation largely wants the prophetic because they want to have something to talk about. They want to make an impression on others. They are much more interested in the glory than in obedience. And hence they often share the prophetic riddles even before they have taken time to understand them, often making fools of themselves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In Luke 10:10-16 Jesus says, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, we can see that when the message of God is clear, the judgement for disobedience is always harsher. But when the message is a riddle, it takes us some effort to discover the meaning, and if we don’t look for it, we are only guilty of spiritual laziness rather than wilful disobedience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God hides many treasures of His kingdom in His mercy, so that when we get to Heaven we would get at least some sort of reward. </span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: start;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: start;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="s2" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b>markojoensuu.com</b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; text-align: start;">.</b><span style="border: none; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-91891123261470560022020-03-27T03:05:00.000-07:002020-03-27T04:41:48.302-07:00Prophecy as future memory<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Recently, I was in a situation where God began to minister to a person from a vision that I had seen decades ago. It was a moment of recognition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Or, perhaps it would be more rightful to say that God began to minister to me, as this led to my heart being fully broken! It also led to a series of actions that I felt were nearly pre-programmed those decades ago, as I was compelled to obey the presence of God and direction I had received decades earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I was shocked about was that in the moment of perhaps one of the most important encounters in my life God didn't give me anything new, but He only activated the memory of the prophetic vision I had seen decades earlier. Then He waited to see what I would do with it. Would I obey? Would I disregard it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I could have missed it all so easily!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATO8EoJb3wzrmBFcxtSMJk8-gXLHAqUBoEWxhA3Jv8RyeZ0nyJFsVZSG-eSLYHCcyLzTjY0i7d7WDJR_1yFFq_-pn_RSiOYdXfZD77hihxqPX67ITIfPl_zJCCx_kZS_R13mT_nzO87AL/s1600/time.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATO8EoJb3wzrmBFcxtSMJk8-gXLHAqUBoEWxhA3Jv8RyeZ0nyJFsVZSG-eSLYHCcyLzTjY0i7d7WDJR_1yFFq_-pn_RSiOYdXfZD77hihxqPX67ITIfPl_zJCCx_kZS_R13mT_nzO87AL/s640/time.jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A similar situation led to King Saul's failure. In <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+13&version=NKJV" target="_blank">1 Samuel 13</a> King Saul makes a sacrifice rather than waiting for the prophet Samuel to arrive. But many years earlier God has asked through Samuel for King Saul to wait when this particular moment would arrive. This leads to the kingship to be taken away from Saul. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just because God's instruction has arrived years or decades earlier, it doesn't mean it has expired. In fact, God often gives the instruction early, so that we will have the confidence to act, because we know that we had no way to orchestrate or manipulate this situation into happening. We know that we aren't driven by the situation or by our current emotion. Often those emotions were exhausted years earlier. This gives us confidence because we know that we are in the perfect will of God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In my free time I am doing doctoral research which is very much focused on time and temporality in media, and I have come across a concept called future memory which means in essence that today we live our present in expectation that the moments we live today will be our memories in future. So, for example, we take digital pictures of everything in expectation that in future these pictures will help us remember those special moments. Sometimes we take so many pictures that we actually forget to live that moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But God has a completely different concept of future memory. He does all that in the opposite direction! He lets us experience a moment today prophetically that will only happen decades later in reality! And I have come to realise that in many ways I have been directed by God's future memories all my life since I became the follower of Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In essence, when we receive a prophecy or a vision, we often have a very strong emotional experience at the time of revelation. We might experience deep joy or sorrow. What happens is that we are living the joy or the sorrow of the future moment well in advance - before it even happens. But when the prophetic moment actually comes to pass, we sort of recognise the moment instinctively because we have already lived the moment prophetically in the past. This strong emotion is often linked to practical guidance that is just enough and adequate for us to make the right decision at the moment of recognition that this is what God was talking to us about earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We can see these strong prophetic emotions in the life of Jesus:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="passage-display-bcv" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-right: 6px;">In Luke 19:41-44</span> <span class="text Luke-19-41" id="en-NKJV-25773" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Jesus weeps over Jerusalem: </span></span><span class="text Luke-19-41" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>"</b></span>Now as He drew near, He saw the city and <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25773A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25773A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>wept over it, </span><span class="text Luke-19-42" id="en-NKJV-25774" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">saying, '<span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">If you had known, even you, especially in this</span> <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25774B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25774B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">your day, the things <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">that</i></span> <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25774C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25774C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">make</i> for your</span> <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25774D" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25774D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.</span> </span><span class="text Luke-19-43" id="en-NKJV-25775" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">For days will come upon you when your enemies will</span> <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25775E" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25775E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,</span> </span><span class="text Luke-19-44" id="en-NKJV-25776" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25776F" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25776F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and</span> <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25776G" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25776G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">they will not leave in you one stone upon another,</span> <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NKJV-25776H" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NKJV-25776H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">because you did not know the time of your visitation.'”</span></span></div>
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<span class="text Luke-19-44" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Much of the ministry of the Old Testament prophets consisted of weeping over the future destruction of Jerusalem and Israel. </span></span></div>
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<span class="text Luke-19-44" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Psalm 139:17-18 says, "</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How great is the sum of them! </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I awake, I am still with You."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many of God's thoughts concern us personally, and many of them concern our future. Some of them concern people around us and others concern people that we are yet to meet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ephesians 1:4 says, "J</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ust as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You see, God has been thinking about us before the foundation of the world, and He still keeps on thinking about us. In His imagination many things that will happen to you in future have already happened. And His imagination is really strong, unlike our imagination, which can amount to mere fantasies. So, in God's Kingdom the future memories are really God's will in future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As God keeps on talking to us, He will inevitably talk to us about future. And His thoughts about our future - and the future of others - have an immense power that will affect our emotions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In the last few days I have been heartbroken about things that God has shown will happen in future. To me, these things are already etched to my mind as if they had already taken place. It might be a strange thing to cry and weep for what will happen in future. It might be a strange thing to rejoice for what will happen in distant future. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But that's what the Old Testament prophets did. That's what Jesus did. And that's what the disciples do. After all, we rejoice for an eternal Kingdom that is yet to come. We rejoice because one day we expect to see Jesus face to face. And we can already live that joy now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don't ignore your future memories, as they often reveal God's plan for you. But this demands a great sensitivity and life in the continual presence of God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Often, a prophecy is a true future memory imagined by God.</span></div>
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<br />Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-73999990349156215662019-12-18T03:16:00.000-08:002019-12-18T03:18:36.707-08:0010 reasons why you haven’t seen your personal prophecy fulfilled <br />
Many Christians struggle with unfulfilled prophecies in their lives. Personally, I have gone through seasons when I have also been confused with what I consider to be a genuine prophetic word. Here are ten reasons for unfulfilled personal prophecy I have come across either in my personal life of ministry.<br />
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1. It was a false prophecy </h4>
Many prophecies will never be fulfilled for the simple reason that they were false prophecies. Not all prophecy spoken over your life is from God, and God is not responsible to deliver something He has not promised.<br />
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Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, "Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good." You need to test the prophetic words in prayer before you put the full weight of your life on them.<br />
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I get regular personal, prophetic words sent to me from people from all around the world, but when I look at them, many of them seem to use use flattery to try to manipulate me into having a level of control over my life. So many people use "prophetic" blessings to get into your life.<br />
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These “good wishes” use prophetic language to make it look as if these people had prayed for me intensively, when in reality, they haven’t. But many Christians accept flattery as prophecy, as it often promises them a great future.<br />
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2. Prophecy was not for you </h4>
Many prophecies are delivered in public meetings, and many Christians claim ownership for a prophetic word that doesn’t really belong to them. This is why I prefer, if possible, to give any prophetic words to individuals personally, so that everyone is clear about the address.<br />
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3. Prophecy was teaching in camouflage </h4>
Many people we call prophets repackage biblical teaching and principles as prophecy, and they travel the earth by sharing the same words about revivals, etc. These words have a limited effectiveness simply because if you apply these teachings, they will always deliver something because God’s Word never returns to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). But they might not be the special prophetic word for you at this precise time.<br />
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This makes these people look like prophets when they really are teachers in the camouflage of a prophet. But biblical principles and dynamics have a slightly different function than personal prophecy, and it can be misleading to receive teaching as personal prophecy.<br />
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4. Prophecy was really a word of knowledge </h4>
Many people confuse the word of knowledge with prophecy, and they project the word of knowledge into future. But what is true about God’s will for you today might not be true about His will for your life tomorrow. Holding on to a word of knowledge from yesterday today as prophecy will limit you tomorrow.<br />
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5. Prophecy was really a word of faith </h4>
There are situations where people respond to a specific need with faith. For example, someone is sick, and we feel that we have faith for their healing, and we can easily “prophesy” their healing. But the word of faith is not always that precise, and we can easily promise something specific to someone when all we have is faith that all will be well. In words of Julian of Norwich, we have faith that “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”<br />
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We need some faith to prophesy and to receive a prophecy, but we prophesy revelation that releases faith rather than try to stretch our faith and make the end result of that stretched into a revelation.<br />
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6. You are off season </h4>
Some prophetic words only get activated when you enter the right season. With Joseph and David, there were great promises over their lives, but Joseph would remain a slave and a prisoner until the appointed time, and David would remain a vagabond rebel and "traitor" in the eyes of many in Israel until the appointed time of his kingship.<br />
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7. You have tried to make it happen </h4>
Many Christians try to make a prophetic word come to pass through their “faith” action when the right response should be to submit to God’s will and His guidance through extensive times of prayer.<br />
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"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14)<br />
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Personal prophecy belongs to “the things of the Spirit of God”, and it must be received with the help of the Holy Spirit – not through trying to make it happen.<br />
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8. You have done nothing about it </h4>
Some people think that God should do it all, and they never do anything at all about it. I know people who complain about the fact that the many prophecies spoken over their lives have never come to pass, but when I ask if they have ever prayed for those prophecies to come to pass, for clarity or for any practical steps, they say that they have never done anything.<br />
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Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:18, This “charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare”.<br />
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There comes a time when you will have to fight for and with the prophecies God has given to you, if you really believe in them. Otherwise, you will never be ready for the works God has prepared for you.<br />
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9. You are not focused on following Him</h4>
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."<br />
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Often, we are consumed by the external outcomes, but God is focused in making us ready for these external outcomes. God releases the outcomes when you will be ready for them, and you will only become ready by following Him.<br />
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10. It has been fulfilled but you don’t know it </h4>
There are times when I haves asked God why He hasn’t fulfilled His promise to me for Him to respond that He already has. This happens usually when you have a rigid understanding regarding how the fulfillment of the prophecy would look like when it would come to pass. But in reality you had no idea how the fulfillment of the prophecy might look like in distant future; only you are still stuck in the frozen interpretative framework you built in the past.<br />
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I don't think that Joseph had any idea that his prophetic dreams would be applicable in Egypt but not in Israel.<br />
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<br />Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-38180029825430275322019-10-07T04:16:00.004-07:002019-10-07T04:18:46.987-07:00Prophecy and our problem with God's timing<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
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<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">M</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">any Christians</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> misunderstand prophecy because they misunderstand how God sees time.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Our culture is dominated by narratives</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h3>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{1cd1c21d-526b-488d-a00f-21f89a23093d}{169}" paraid="1151596170" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Perhaps, more than ever, our culture is dominated by narratives with narrative/story being the dominant way of structuri</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ng communication in media. And as we consume media more than any generation before us, the dominan</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">t narratives are structuring our perception of how the world operates. The Bible is also full of narrativ</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">es, so this is nothing new.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">A narrative/story typically has a protagonist</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, a central person who drives the story forward through his action. The ac</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">tion moves forward along the path of contingent (s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ubject to chance) </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">causation</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> (but obeying the laws of cause and effect). In effect, it </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="AdvancedProofingIssue SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">has to</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> be surprising </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">but believable (to obey the laws of this physical universe).</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNUT51qIhKjW6aOdc4BLESYSI7SeqHG2lX2DY7hIaJ2K8sCUerSdmGV8WB3KyTBrF5vmICKN2BUJchgmsco4FFHIIneb4mBXb0cLbQwiPDv328bQqG_9TjKuX76CyPdIpWmS-V_F1Hx5D/s1600/bryce-barker-cIcX_aO9LPo-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNUT51qIhKjW6aOdc4BLESYSI7SeqHG2lX2DY7hIaJ2K8sCUerSdmGV8WB3KyTBrF5vmICKN2BUJchgmsco4FFHIIneb4mBXb0cLbQwiPDv328bQqG_9TjKuX76CyPdIpWmS-V_F1Hx5D/s640/bryce-barker-cIcX_aO9LPo-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{1cd1c21d-526b-488d-a00f-21f89a23093d}{169}" paraid="1151596170" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">God is also a storyteller. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But the first problem we have with prophecy is that God not us is the central character. It is His motivations and actions</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: 16px;">—</span>even when it is a prophecy about us<span style="font-size: 16px;">—</span>that structure the narrative.</span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Aristotle</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">: </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">time</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">linked</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">movement</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h3>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{1cd1c21d-526b-488d-a00f-21f89a23093d}{228}" paraid="2055471344" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Aristotle’s idea about physical time being linked to movement has been v</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">erified by relativity theory: time is a dimension of the physical world & relative dependent on mass and speed</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This concept of time is based on materialism and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">sees</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">time as </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">linear, leading often to an understanding that the things that happen fir</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">st are the ones that cause the events that come after.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This materialistic understanding of time affects us in a deep way because of our sensory experiences. </span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{1cd1c21d-526b-488d-a00f-21f89a23093d}{228}" paraid="2055471344" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{1cd1c21d-526b-488d-a00f-21f89a23093d}{246}" paraid="578351788" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Aristotelian understanding of time </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">= </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">the succession of past, present & future</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This understanding of time is firmly linked to materialism and brings causal projections in your mind. If you are dominated by the Aristotelian sense of t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ime, your projections of future are often limited by your understanding of materialistic principles. </span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{5}" paraid="495875911" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{5}" paraid="495875911" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">For example, in this mindset, going from 1 to 2 to 3 or 4 might seem plausible, but going from 1 to 100 might seem implausible.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">So, for example when Jesus talks about 100-fold growth, we might expect this growth to go up from 1 to 2 to 4 to 8 and 16 at maximum over </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="AdvancedProofingIssue SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">a period of time</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> & obeying restrains of physical causality</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Augustine: we perceive our past and future from the perspective of the present</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h3>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{bb905a5b-e6af-4d24-b0ec-075a1497ce05}{47}" paraid="718890070" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">St. Augustine, one of the church fathers, had a very different view on time, which was based on eternity. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">wa</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">s a psychological understanding of time</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> in which both the past and the future only exist in the presence of our mind.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{bb905a5b-e6af-4d24-b0ec-075a1497ce05}{47}" paraid="718890070" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{33}" paraid="547887534" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We can see the impact of this dynamic in our lives: when you are hope-filled, your future expectation is different than when </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">you feel depressed.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{41}" paraid="1717850883" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{41}" paraid="1717850883" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Also, your past </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">achievements</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> failures will affect you differently</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> based on how you feel right now.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Ultimately, Augustine’s understanding of time is firmly rooted in eternity: God is the only one to who</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">m the past, the present and the future are fully present all the time.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{61}" paraid="2090709799" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{61}" paraid="2090709799" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">That is because He is the originator of the physical universe to which our understanding of physical time is bound to.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{67}" paraid="107713868" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{67}" paraid="107713868" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">That is why He </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="AdvancedProofingIssue SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">is able to</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> shape the beginning from the end. That is why to God prophecy is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">current knowledge </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">whe</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">reas to us is a prediction about future.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{83}" paraid="1408453423" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{83}" paraid="1408453423" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But this fundamental difference in perspective also brings a fundamental difference to the way we and God see things</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> and especially to the way we perceive what is effective and what is meaningful</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{83}" paraid="1408453423" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{93}" paraid="1046486096" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">For example, we know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, but when it comes to the time He spent on earth, most of His time on earth He spent carrying wood. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">He was a carpenter’s son, and a Jewish boy was considered an adult when he was 12. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">So</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> from 12 to 30 He probably spent most of His time carrying and working with wood. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">And that was His last </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">physical </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">act</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, as He carried part of the cross to Calvary</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{f2c89b94-c1b8-4c89-a2e2-c7a27387d6a1}{113}" paraid="1635059214" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{f2c89b94-c1b8-4c89-a2e2-c7a27387d6a1}{113}" paraid="1635059214" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">One thing narrative does often is to summarise any long gaps of inaction</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">which don’t move the central story forward</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: 16px;">—</span>and the Bible also does that. That’s why the Gospel stories ignore long patches of Jesus’s life before His public ministry, as they don’t </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">advance the salvation story.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pgA-RToSfE0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pgA-RToSfE0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{f2c89b94-c1b8-4c89-a2e2-c7a27387d6a1}{113}" paraid="1635059214" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Time and your perception of prophecy</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h3>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{119}" paraid="1579957318" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Most of the time, a genuine personal prophecy often seems to fail before it is fulfilled.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{119}" paraid="1579957318" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{125}" paraid="1920820443" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Prophecy is knowing God’s will. But prophecy does not yet mean that you will know God’s way.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{131}" paraid="1739688310" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{131}" paraid="1739688310" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We make huge mistakes when we apply prophetic words through reasoning and not through prayer. When we do that, our starting premise might be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">correct</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> but </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">our conclusions flawed because of our human reasoning.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{143}" paraid="97660502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{143}" paraid="97660502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Of</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">en, t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">o be able to see you must close your natural eyes and open your spiritual eyes.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{151}" paraid="2093762251" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{151}" paraid="2093762251" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Fulfilling a spiritual vision is like being in an escape room where the only way to get out is to close your eyes, ears and other sensory experiences </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">in order to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">to</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> find the way out only by listening to the Word and the Spirit.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{159}" paraid="400286116" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{159}" paraid="400286116" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We are often confused because we measure success by what we are getting when God measures success by what we </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">can</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">give away</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">!</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{159}" paraid="400286116" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{169}" paraid="1100557577" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Matthew 13:</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">31</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">-32</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">says</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></blockquote>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{183}" paraid="881171776" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">With most fruit trees the leaves and the flowers come first and only then the fruit.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> But we wait for the fruit even before the leaves have appeared.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{189}" paraid="1172537254" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{189}" paraid="1172537254" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Jesus says in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">John 12:24: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></blockquote>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" paraeid="{a09ba502-321b-4398-8bb0-1708ff359e3d}{197}" paraid="1428513029" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Why are we so shocked when Jesus does exactly what He said He will do </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> exactly the way He said He would do it?</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> We wait for the fulfilment of the prophecy even before the seed has died.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The narrow gate/the eye of the needle</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h3>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{095a6efa-ecb1-4fd6-8999-f358500021ea}{131}" paraid="102191979" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Paul </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">writes</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">2 </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Corinthians</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> 4:8-12</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></blockquote>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{095a6efa-ecb1-4fd6-8999-f358500021ea}{245}" paraid="5039613" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Here Paul describes the narrow road which seems to compress everything out of his life. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The eye of the needle/the narrow road is the place where nothing else but the power of God will work, where the life of Jesus i</span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">s revealed.</span><span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{095a6efa-ecb1-4fd6-8999-f358500021ea}{245}" paraid="5039613" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="EOP SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW19323731" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{15067471-2ad1-4818-b3b9-f218c87139a1}{58}" paraid="1463086275" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">For a prophecy to be fulfilled, it often needs you to walk along the narrow road and through the eye of the needle, so that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">God becomes the protagonist<span style="font-size: 16px;">—</span>the main actor<span style="font-size: 16px;">—</span>in us. That’s why the road to the fulfilment of prophecy is always so radically different than we expect, as it involves the replacement </span><span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB">of the main actor. </span></div>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW19323731 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{15067471-2ad1-4818-b3b9-f218c87139a1}{58}" paraid="1463086275" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW19323731 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "calibri" , "calibri_msfontservice" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.8px;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.8px;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="s2" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b>markojoensuu.com</b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 23.8px;">.</b><span style="border: none; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-70656945832915258342019-10-04T08:03:00.001-07:002019-10-04T08:03:04.961-07:008 dangers of ministering in the gift of discerning spirits and how to overcome them <div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{160}" paraid="514749895" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The Pentecostal movement began with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but it didn’t take long before its leaders had to begin to fight against demonic influences.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{160}" paraid="514749895" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{168}" paraid="248950729" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">In his sermons William Seymour, the African American preacher who initiated the Azusa Street revival</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> in 1906</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, referred to counterfeits and deceiving spirits. It is evident that he came across </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">both </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">in Azusa Street.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{176}" paraid="1664690047" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Seymour was aware that many people came to Azusa Street imitating the work of the Holy Spirit. His solution was studying the Bible more carefully.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">He said,</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 57px; margin-right: 57px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We must rightly divide the Scriptures and compare scripture with scripture so that there be no confusion and no deceptive teaching or wrong teaching may creep in.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559685":864,"335559737":864,"335559738":200,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></i></blockquote>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{188}" paraid="582249568" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Unfortunately, serious Bible study is something that is missing from the Charismatic movement, and many Christians rely on their leaders to do the Bible study on their behalf and often elevate the word of their leaders above the authority of the Scripture.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0F8UofyfnFYzJMa_sbWOE6lBmhOawFsuY3NVIn4VAwUdeoGFr-upXFfbdhYhlgAVXeCZFSavkzCJxRnZWznRqwp5Xf2Fj91tYB_SG4h0Dre-mrddO8hw72b-ni_ZuP_L0I6xFeqmOisB/s1600/stormtrooper-1343877_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0F8UofyfnFYzJMa_sbWOE6lBmhOawFsuY3NVIn4VAwUdeoGFr-upXFfbdhYhlgAVXeCZFSavkzCJxRnZWznRqwp5Xf2Fj91tYB_SG4h0Dre-mrddO8hw72b-ni_ZuP_L0I6xFeqmOisB/s640/stormtrooper-1343877_1920.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{194}" paraid="1597279301" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">One of the greatest threats against Azusa Street came from the spiritualists who were attracted to the mission. Seymour singled them out and labelled them as counterfeits. Because of their presence in Pentecostalism, the movement was quickly identified with “free </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">loveism</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">”, which was a ‘liberation movement’ for women. Free </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">loveism</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> gave women the freedom to choose their sexual partners.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{200}" paraid="1732797897" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Not all spiritualists were free lovers, but nearly all free lovers were spiritualists. So, there was a presence of known spiritualists at the Azusa Street Mission.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{200}" paraid="1732797897" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{200}" paraid="1732797897" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Studying the history of the Azusa Street Revival, we can see that a move of God doesn’t automatically protect us from demonic influences. That is why it is vital for anyone exercising the gifts to study the whole Bible carefully.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<h2 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">What is the gift of discerning spirits?</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h2>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{214}" paraid="1292072739" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The gift of discerning spirits is the ability to discern spiritual influences or presences in our life and environment. It is mentioned by name only once in the Bible, in</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12%3A8-10&version=NKJV" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 12:8-10</a>, but we can see the Old Testament prophets, the apostles and Jesus operating in what could clearly be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">identified as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> the gift of discerning spirits. </span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{214}" paraid="1292072739" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{222}" paraid="104809582" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">For example, in Acts 5:1-11 Peter confronts Ananias and Sapphira who lied about giving everything they had got from selling a house. As a result, they both end up dead.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">In verse 3, Peter says,</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></i></blockquote>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{234}" paraid="189718473" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Undoubtedly, Peter was operating in the gift of discerning spirits, although he might not have called it as such.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Hebrews</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> 4:12 </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">says</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">,</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{238}" paraid="365397165" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{250}" paraid="1317526762" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: #404040; font-style: italic; margin-left: 57px; margin-right: 57px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="none" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559685":864,"335559737":864,"335559738":200,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{6ec1b522-767b-443e-9acd-7c64be6fdc5e}{250}" paraid="1317526762" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: #404040; font-style: italic; margin-left: 57px; margin-right: 57px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559685":864,"335559737":864,"335559738":200,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{1}" paraid="1428808522" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Studying the Word of God brings us discernment, and first it begins to bring discernment regarding our own motivations—what is of soul and what </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">is</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> of the Holy Spirit.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{1}" paraid="1428808522" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{11}" paraid="1760118548" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This isn’t the gift of discerning spirits as such, but fundamental discernment every Christian must have in their lives. For you to know what is of God in your life, you must also know what is of your own soul. And it is the Word of God, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, which begins to bring that separation, so that you will be able to discern your motivations more clearly.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{11}" paraid="1760118548" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{17}" paraid="2051898474" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But although knowing the Word is necessary for the gift of discerning spirits to function, the actual gift is a side product of spending lengthy times in the presence of God.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{23}" paraid="1032571343" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{23}" paraid="1032571343" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The gift of discerning spirits is a gift birthed in God’s presence. It is a prophetic gift, and only useful when accompanied with the gift of prophecy and an ability to hear from God. Without the ability to hear from God, you can’t really put the gift of discerning spirits into any productive use, and it can even lead you astray, as you will easily misinterpret the reasons behind a spiritual disturbance.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{29}" paraid="2014047178" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{29}" paraid="2014047178" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">When we become sensitive to God’s presence, we also become more sensitive to the presence of demonic influences around us.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{35}" paraid="1234529390" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{35}" paraid="1234529390" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">You can be aware of the demonic, but that is not necessarily the gift of discerning spirits. For example, some artistic people are spiritually sensitive. The mediums can </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">often </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">sense the presence of demons. But it is only through the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit that we can begin to discern what these powers really are. Becoming aware of demonic beings without the Holy Spirit giving you that awareness is dangerous, because you don’t have the spiritual power to resist and discern their deception without the Holy Spirit.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{41}" paraid="552114780" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{41}" paraid="552114780" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Over the years, I have become familiar with many dangers linked to using this gift. The devil’s three main weapons are fear, sin and deception. In John 8:44, Jesus says that the devil is a murderer and a liar. As a murderer, he releases violence against us, and this brings fear. As a liar, he releases deception against us. And since the temptation in the Garden of Eden, he has always tempted us to sin.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{41}" paraid="552114780" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{47}" paraid="1770265455" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">All these three weapons get their energy from a demonic presence that accompanies them. The presence of God bears fruit, and so does the presence of the enemy, but of a rotten kind, if we allow it to operate in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 says that the fruit of God’s presence in our lives is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{53}" paraid="1024741661" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The fruit of demonic presence in our lives, if we allow it to affect us, are the works of fear, sin and deception. </span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{57}" paraid="87812704" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{57}" paraid="87812704" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">I believe that each demonic being possesses all these three weapons of demonic presence—fear, sin and deception—but we experience that demonic presence through whatever their predominant activity is at the time.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="1" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">1. Depression</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{8e6ceeaf-98c1-40c1-aefe-f2f07d76e316}{239}" paraid="964854571" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">One of the challenges with the gift if discerning spirits is that it brings a lot of negative emotions into our life. Discerning demonic spirits doesn’t feel pleasant.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{8e6ceeaf-98c1-40c1-aefe-f2f07d76e316}{239}" paraid="964854571" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{68}" paraid="1068454999" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The first danger is falling into depression merely as an overall impact of being sensitive to a demonic presence. In fact, many Christians become depressed because of it even before they are aware that they might have the gift of discerning spirits.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{74}" paraid="1810072822" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{74}" paraid="1810072822" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">When Elijah fled the Queen Jezebel, he became depressed, partially at least because he had just slaughtered hundreds of false prophets, which would not have been psychologically a particularly pleasant experience.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But this encounter had also exposed him to the fullness of the enemy's </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">dark</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">presence</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. </span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{86}" paraid="1937548066" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{86}" paraid="1937548066" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If you minister with</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> the gift of discerning spirits, you will become very aware of the spiritual environment</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> of the people you are ministering to. If you carry that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">awareness </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">home and don’t spend time with the Lord afterwards, this exposure can easily lead to depression.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{92}" paraid="929379709" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{92}" paraid="929379709" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The antidote to this kind of depression caused by increased spiritual sensitivity is spending extensive times in the presence of God and studying His Word. This is especially important after any ministry time when you have engaged with the gift of discerning spirits. Many Christians prepare for ministry but don’t take any time to recover after. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But that is like cleaning up a sewage system and not having a shower after!</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{f2de236e-7ea9-465d-b691-aaf45b3f9ba5}{181}" paraid="830403091" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{f2de236e-7ea9-465d-b691-aaf45b3f9ba5}{181}" paraid="830403091" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">That’s why the most dangerous place of any travelling minister tends to be the hotel room after a long day at a Christian conference.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> You think the job is done but you haven't finished yet. You must let Jesus wash your feet after you have trampled demons.</span></div>
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<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="2" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">2. Fear and anxiety</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{105}" paraid="2130647035" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">In the Bible, we can see how fear caused King Saul to lose his anointing, Peter to deny Christ and the rest of the disciples apart from John to flee when Jesus was arrested. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But w</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">e should not judge them too harshly. </span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{105}" paraid="2130647035" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{111}" paraid="1662391035" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, He said to those who came to arrest Him:</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><i>When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.</i> (Luke 22:53)</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></blockquote>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{123}" paraid="1275562176" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Up to this point, the ministry and presence of Jesus had protected Peter from the full power of darkness, but now he was attacked by demonic fear, which he was unable to overcome naturally.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> It was only after he had been filled with the Holy Spirit that he became able to overcome demonic fear.</span></div>
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<div class="ListContainerWrapper SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">3. False prophecy</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
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</ol>
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<div class="SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{136}" paraid="1812273023" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The development of the gift of discerning spirits can lead to false prophecy, especially if you are used to operating with the prophetic gift only. This might sound paradoxical, but it is especially those who are open to using the gift of prophecy that are the most vulnerable</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, as they are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">particularly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> open to the spiritual dimension</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">. Unless they are aware that they are now operating in the gift of discerning spirits, they can begin to accept what they perceive through the gift of discerning spirits as prophecy. </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{136}" paraid="1812273023" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{136}" paraid="1812273023" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">It can sometimes take time to sift and penetrate the darkness and deception of the enemy with this gift, and in the process you can receive many false signals from the enemy</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none;">—who is a master liar</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none;">—until you finally see things clearly. Understanding the false signals as prophecy will lead to false prophecy.</span></div>
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<div class="ListContainerWrapper SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="4" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">4. Misattributing the reason behind a spiritual influence</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
</li>
</ol>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{149}" paraid="588302340" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This must have been rampant even in the Early Church, as Paul had to remind the Christians that they were not wrestling against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.</span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{149}" paraid="588302340" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{149}" paraid="588302340" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">For example, many Christians misattribute to culture and politics what should be attributed to the principalities and powers. </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{149}" paraid="588302340" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{155}" paraid="13679910" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">I can often sense a spiritual disturbance around a person, but it might take a time of prayer before I begin to discern the actual cause. The enemy is a master of distraction, and he can easily lead us down the false alleyway when we discern his presence – unless we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{161}" paraid="1148072245" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{161}" paraid="1148072245" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">This might be one of the main reasons why some ministers seek to cast out demons from people who are born again—they have a dormant gift of discerning </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">spirits,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> but they are misattributing the reason for what they perceive. This way, rather than setting people free from an invisible demonic influence that is operating in their environment, they end up putting people in deeper bondage than they were before they were prayed for!</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{161}" paraid="1148072245" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{171}" paraid="411543915" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">A born-again Christian cannot be demon possessed, but even Jesus was attacked and tempted by the devil. </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{171}" paraid="411543915" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{171}" paraid="411543915" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We must always submit our spiritual experiences to the Word of God, as they can be misleading.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="ListContainerWrapper SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="5" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="5" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">5. Falling to sin</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{184}" paraid="1601642058" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">The presence of the enemy can wear you out and weaken you, which can make you vulnerable to temptation. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If the Holy Spirit gives us the power the resist sin, discerning demonic spirits can weaken us and expose us to the power of sin</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, which these beings can also release to our life as part of their "defense through attack" strategy.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> We must remember that demons are highly intelligent and sentient beings. </span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{184}" paraid="1601642058" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{22e08676-f51b-4a45-84b7-4ea635f5ac88}{97}" paraid="1751786174" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Zechariah 4:6 says, “</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit”, and we must seek to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit and not rely on our own understanding.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="ListContainerWrapper SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="6" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="6" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">6. Misunderstanding your dreams</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{197}" paraid="229204942" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">If you have the gift of discerning spirits, you will become </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">subconsciously </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">aware of the presence of the enemy even when you are asleep. This awareness will affect your subconscious and begin to produce many dreams. </span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{197}" paraid="229204942" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{d26ddd8f-4619-47f7-b10a-6dcafec2fb92}{177}" paraid="937189660" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Some take these kinds of dreams as an attack</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">;</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> others a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ccept their deception as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">prophetic guidance. Many problems in the prophetic movement are linked to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">the fact that prophetic people receive the product of the influence of the gift of discerning spirits on the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">ir subconscious as prophecy.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
</div>
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<div class="SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{203}" paraid="710669211" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{c9343197-da6d-4f99-b8ad-affc3c6dfcca}{203}" paraid="710669211" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">mostly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, they are neither</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> an attack nor </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">prophetic revelation</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, but simply a way of alerting you that you are being affected by an invisible, negative influence. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">So, a dream like that is merely a symptom and not the actual attack.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="7" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="7" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">7. False reasoning</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
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<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="7" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
Isaiah 1:18 says, </div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">“</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Come now, and let us reason together,”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">says the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Lord</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">“Though your sins are like scarlet,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">They shall be as white as snow;</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Though they are red like crimson,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">They shall be as wool."</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":330}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">A demonic influence is like a distortion field when it comes to our reasoning, and the gift of discerning spirits can make us vulnerable in our reasoning in news ways.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":330}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Our emotions are intertwined with our reasoning, and the negative emotions that we can feel when we are operating in the gift of discerning spirits can begin to affect our reasoning. For example, when we feel hopeless, our view on the future will be negative and distorted.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We should not reason when we are operating in the gift of discerning spirits, as that reasoning will easily become warped and twisted but seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we will be able to reason with God. </span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></blockquote>
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<div class="ListContainerWrapper SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW251141428 BCX0" role="list" start="8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; cursor: text; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">
<li aria-setsize="-1" class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="8" data-font="Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" data-leveltext="%1." data-listid="1" role="listitem" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">8. It can give the enemy an entry point into your life</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></h3>
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<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{31475699-99ee-4375-94af-260d2c65f454}{10}" paraid="1217717756" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">In one sense, this covers all the points above: the spiritual interface that the gift of discerning spirits opens </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">h</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">as two-way traffic, and the enemy </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">can</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> manipulate you through this gift.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{8260bcb8-14fd-44b9-998b-d49dbd9090e1}{216}" paraid="711599868" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Ephesians 2:6 says that God has “</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">raised </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">us</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> up </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">together, and</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> made </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">us</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> sit together in the heavenly </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">places</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> in Christ Jesus”, and most Christians have only a positive reading of that.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{750e8217-cbb0-488c-8cd0-03648a1e249a}{46}" paraid="764960070" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">But Ephesians 6:12 says, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Arial, Arial_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">hosts</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> of wickedness in the heavenly </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">places.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></i></blockquote>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{750e8217-cbb0-488c-8cd0-03648a1e249a}{46}" paraid="764960070" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">We are firmly seated in heavenly places with Christ, but in our life on earth, these heavenly places are also </span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="ContextualSpellingAndGrammarError SCXW251141428 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: left bottom; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">places</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> of contestation</span><span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">: they are not only places of peace but also places of war. And it is in this instance where Paul asks us to put on the whole armour of God, so that we will be able to stand in the full onslaught of the enemy.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{750e8217-cbb0-488c-8cd0-03648a1e249a}{46}" paraid="764960070" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{17cb3616-9f05-4c8a-870e-e89e8f1c53ad}{58}" paraid="34650701" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">And it is the gift of discerning spirits that helps us to see what is going on in the heavenly spaces, but it also makes us a special target of the enemy.</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> According to Paul, we are operating in the same spiritual space</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none;">—the heavenly places</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none;">—than principalities and powers, and this will always lead to a fight.</span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" lang="FI-FI" paraeid="{17cb3616-9f05-4c8a-870e-e89e8f1c53ad}{58}" paraid="34650701" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;" xml:lang="FI-FI">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW251141428" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;">
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{31475699-99ee-4375-94af-260d2c65f454}{16}" paraid="997208850" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="TextRun SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-kerning: none; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">There are five major defenses against these dangers: 1) Sharpen your discernment by studying the Word daily 2) Spend extensive times in prayer and in God’s presence 3) Seek to follow the inner flow of the Holy Spirit from your inner being to outside rather than being a slave to your emotions or following ideas that seem to you from outside, especially if there is a sense of spiritual disturbance. 4) Be quick to obey the guidance of the Word and the Holy Spirit in your life. 5)</span><span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> Be quick to forgive and to love.</span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{31475699-99ee-4375-94af-260d2c65f454}{16}" paraid="997208850" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{31475699-99ee-4375-94af-260d2c65f454}{16}" paraid="997208850" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">For more on the gift of discerning spirits, read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Love-Releasing-Compassion-Through/dp/0957535465/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=supernatural+love+joensuu&qid=1570199583&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Supernatural Love: Releasing the Compassion of Jesus Through the Gifts of the Spirit</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Paragraph SCXW251141428 BCX0" paraeid="{31475699-99ee-4375-94af-260d2c65f454}{16}" paraid="997208850" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; margin-left: 24px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="EOP SCXW251141428 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559685":360,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20.5042px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at </b><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;"><span style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/</span></span><span style="border: none; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> or by visiting </span></span></b><a href="http://markojoensuu.com/" style="border: none; color: #4d9fda; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="s2" style="border: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b>markojoensuu.com</b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23.8px;">.</b><span style="border: none; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-53997153754252936652018-11-26T06:01:00.000-08:002018-11-26T06:01:56.903-08:0070 years & the spiritual significance of the refugee crisis in Germany<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This blog post got started when a friend asked me why Germany has accepted over one million refugees in a very short period of time. I responded that there are many economic reasons for that, but that from the spiritual perspective, God is atoning the land that was soiled by the Holocaust.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That the refugee crisis is something God is using might seem initially counter-intuitive. And indeed, </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">many Christians and many in the wider population see the European refugee crisis as a camouflaged Islamic invasion - for example, 31% of </span><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-voters-immigration-muslims-islam-leave-remain-yougov-survey-trump-a8648586.html" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">Brits</a><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> voting for Brexit believed that in a recent </span><a href="http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/5j57dtwlc0/YGC%20Conspiracy%20Theories%20(GB).pdf" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">study</a><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ten years ago, God gave me a prophecy about</span><a href="http://www.mentoringprophets.com/2013/02/30-years-of-reformation-in-europe.html" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank"> the coming reformation</a><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> in Europe, which would last 30 years. The main message is that there would be a revival in the mainland Europe, and after Brexit I have feared that the hardening attitudes toward the Continent in parts of the British Church would obstruct the revival from coming over to Britain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">The truth is that often many things aren't what they seem. Did you know that London has in the last 20 years become the most Christian and religious part of Britain - because of<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/13/uk-losing-faith-religion-young-reject-parents-beliefs" target="_blank"> immigration</a>? And that it is the white heartland of Britain that is turning increasingly agnostic, even when that is often pictured with the idyllic country churches. That is the difference between the visual evidence and the actual statistics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">There are many reasons why the Brits, Americans and Europeans should not think that the migration crisis has nothing do with us, as the main reason behind it is that we helped to destabilize Iraq and Libya, which has led to migration flow and the increased risk of terrorism.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">First, we destabilized Iraq by toppling the country's government and removing Saddam Hussein in 2003. This was followed by the removal of much of the Iraqi civil government, which led to sectarianism and tribalism in Iraq, as the state machinery of Iraq was removed. The state machinery brought a level of oppression, but it also kept the country together. The resulting power vacuum led, among many other things, to the rise of the Islamic State and terrorism. In essence, by removing the power of the Iraqi state, there was no one to offer protection apart from different religious and tribal groups, which began to fight against each other, as they looked to take control of various territories and resources.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">See <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/90514/" target="_blank">Iraq Synthesis Paper: Understanding the drivers of conflict in Iraq</a> published by the LSE for more details.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">These conflicts spilled over to Syria, causing the Syrian civil war, which further worsened the Middle Eastern refugee crisis and pushed it towards Europe. Had Saddam not been removed forcibly by the Western governments, which was 'justified' by the search for the weapons of mass destruction, it is unlikely that any of this would have happened.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Secondly, by removing Qaddafi in 2011, the Western governments destroyed the Libyan state, and the resulting fragmentation of Libya removed the barrier that had separated Africa from Europe - very soon Libya became a route to Europe and the operating space for human trafficking and even slave trade. Had Qaddafi not been removed, this route would not have opened, as the functioning state of Libya obstructed this migration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, we can see that it has been the destruction of these two states - Iraq and Libya - by Western forces, that created the refugee crisis and removed the barriers for large-scale human migration. For these reasons alone, we bear much larger responsibility for these refugees than most people realize.</span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Waiting for 70 years for a generation to pass</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the Jews went to exile in Babylon, they had to wait for 70 years until they returned, for the sin of the past generations had been very grave in God's sight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Jeremiah 29:10 says: "For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Daniel 9:2 says: "In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2 Chronicles 36:20-21 says: "And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, God let the land of Israel rest for 70 years after He had judged the sins of the nation, and then He let the nation return home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But when it comes to the Jews, it was after the Holocaust that the opportunity for the independent state of Israel opened up - and Israel became their new homeland as fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The Jews have had no need to return to Germany, as Germany has, from biblical perspective, been part of the exile phase of the Jewish story. (Obviously, we are not expecting every Jew in the world to return to Israel for the end time prophecies to be fulfilled.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">It can't be a coincidence that it is 70 years from the end of World of War 2 in 1945 to 2015 when the EU and especially Germany were the recipients of masses of refugees. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The war in Europe concluded with an invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the capture of Berlin by Soviet troops, the suicide of Adolf Hitler and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. The end of war also triggered a huge refugee crisis with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/refugees_01.shtml" target="_blank">largest population movements</a> in European history. But apart from destroying much of Europe and killing millions in Europe, the German nation sinned gravely against God's people. Can there be a greater sin that killing at least 6 million of God's chosen people?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rather interestingly, 70 years and three days later after the surrender of Germany, in 11 May 2015, the European Commission proposed that EU member states should take in refugees under a quota scheme. Countries which had received large numbers of migrants and asylum applications – such as Italy, Malta and Germany – supported the proposal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, I am not trying to fit the dates forcibly, but to show that that it was roughly 70 years after the end of the Holocaust and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_escaping_from_German-occupied_Europe_to_the_United_Kingdom" target="_blank">Jewish refugee crisis</a> that preceded, accompanied and followed it when Germany opened the doors to the refugees in mass scale. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">So, what does this all mean? The Lord let 70 years pass in Israel before He let the Jews back home. He let the land rest for 70 years because of the evil they had committed. Now God seems to have waited for 70 years for Germany to be given an opportunity to receive this mass influx of refugees with no previous connection to the land. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">To me it seems that God in His mercy is removing a curse from the land. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Matthew 25:31-46 says:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Once the Germans were guilty of killing Jesus by killing the Jews; now many of them will be received into the Kingdom because they opened their doors to the strangers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Deuteronomy 19:21 says: "Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Over four million Germans died because of World War 2; but the destruction they caused was much greater. So, to 'balance the books', God is applying New Testament principles and 'rewriting' Deuteronomy 19:21 as </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">"Show pity, save a life for each lost life, save a hand for each broken hand, foot for each foot." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">This is fully in line with the redemptive principles of how God operates, although God won't be counting this mathematically but by judging the human hearts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many Christian despise and vilify Angela Merkel for allowing this influx of refugees, but I do believe that she very much has been used by God in this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How will Germany be able to leave the history of the Holocaust fully behind if not by showing compassion to another Middle Eastern people group in need?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">2 Chronicles 7:14 says: "</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">What was the sin of the Germans? Killing millions of strangers - who were also God's chosen people. How will Germany as a nation demonstrate that they have repented from their sin? By receiving a stranger. Not just one but millions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Germany has been a spiritual dry land since the rise of the Nazi Germany when hundreds of thousands of Christians who objected to the Nazi Government were purged from the nation. I believe that through the Germans receiving the refugees with all the difficulties they can bring is a sign of God healing the land, so that He can pour out one more great revival upon the nation of Germany. </span><br />
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<br />Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-19368581342137020632018-08-06T08:08:00.001-07:002018-08-06T14:00:51.170-07:00Weaponising your gift of discerning spiritsThere is an area of ministry related to the gift of discerning spirits that I have been extremely reluctant to write about, mainly as writing about it can so easily lead to heresy and misunderstandings. Also, many try to offer this kind of teaching as a method when it can only be used when authorised and guided by the Holy Spirit. So, generally I teach it on the need to know basis to Christians who are absolutely in the need of a breakthrough in this area. But in recent days I have been challenged to write about how the gift of discerning spirits can be used as a weapon.<br />
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It is because of the weaponising of the gift of discerning spirits that I have survived the last ten years of ministry, as we have expanded the work we are doing in the Middle East. So, what comes next is a mixture of Bible teachings and my battle notes, and my battle notes should always be subject to the authority of the Scripture and not the other way around. Our experiences are always subjective and in this area they can be often misleading, but the eternal truth of the Word stands forever.<br />
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My first experience of weaponising the gift of discerning spirits came in the late 1990s after I had moved to London from Finland. I had a friend in Finland with whom I hadn't spoken with for around two years. One evening I was in prayer when I felt led by the Holy Spirit to cast out demons of suicide and depression from his environment into the pits of hell. It didn't quite fit in with my theology at the time, but as the anointing of the Holy Spirit was so strong, I obliged.<br />
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I spoke with him around six months later and asked him what had been going on in his life at the time. Indeed, he had been contemplating suicide at the time but found the strength to pull through. Also, God had turned his life around, as he had met his future wife and they were about to get married.<br />
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This episode left me with a theological dilemma: I couldn't find a singular verse in the Bible about casting demons into hell, although when Jesus encountered the man who had been possessed by a legion of demons, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A28-34%2CLuke+8%3A26-37&version=NASB" target="_blank">the demons tell Him</a>: "<span style="font-family: inherit;">W<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">hat business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">the time</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">?</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">" The </span></span>implication of the story was that Jesus indeed had the power to cast demons to hell, but in other versions they only ask not to be thrown out of their country (which could well have been a deceptive tactic by the demons not to be thrown into hell but only out of the country – even when the devil tells a truth, he usually spins in a lie).<br />
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But if you study the Bible carefully you see that there are
clear references to demons that have been cast into the abyss. (This section comes from my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Five-Movements-Winning-Battle-Prophetic-ebook/dp/B00H3O5V5K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533551595&sr=8-1&keywords=five+movements+joensuu" target="_blank">Five Movements: Winning the Battle for Your Prophetic Gift</a>).</div>
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Satan and his
angels were cast to earth in a heavenly battle between God’s angels and the
fallen angels who became Satan’s demonic army. Revelation 9:1-3 says, "And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was
given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and
smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and
the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke
locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of
the earth have power."</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the end times, a demonic army will be released by Satan,
the fallen star. He will be given the key to the bottomless bit. But right now,
Satan doesn’t even have the keys to hell in his possession.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bible says that when God’s angels defeated Lucifer and
his rebelling angels they were only thrown to earth and not to hell. How did
these demons end up in the pit?<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Revelation 9:15 an angel of God releases four demonic
angels that have been bound by the River Euphrates. They go on to kill one
third of mankind. They must be some powerful dark angels. Who bound them? And how have they been bound?<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Revelation 11:7 two sack-clothed witnesses are killed by
“the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit.” This beast must be yet
another powerful demonic spirit. Who cast that spirit into hell?<br />
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I believe these demons were thrown to the bottomless pit
first by Jesus and then by His disciples, and then by us. Satan himself has an exception clause from this early judgment given to him by God Himself. It is noteworthy that according to the Bible he never was the most powerful of angels; he only got the rebellion up and running through deception. If he was a cherub, then he would have been lower in rank than the archangels. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nowhere does it say that you can’t cast the demons into the
pit, unless they possess a human being. Paul said, "Do you not know that we shall judge angels?" (1 Corinthians
6:3) We have been called to judge fallen angels with Jesus, and
torment them ‘before the time’.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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On surface, 2 Peter 2:4 seems to contradict this: "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast
them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved
for judgment."</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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It seems that in Peter’s mind all the fallen angels had
already been shut down to hell. But the Bible never contradicts itself, and the
key to the interpretation of this verse is found in Peter’s choice of the word
‘hell’. He uses the Greek word <a href="https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/tartaroo.html" target="_blank">tartaroo</a> which means ‘throw to
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartarus" target="_blank">Tartarus</a>’. This is the only occurrence of this expression or reference to
Tartarus in the Bible.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Greek mythology, Tartarus was both a deity and a place in
the underworld. But while Hades was the place for the dead, Tartarus was the
place where the enemies of Greek gods were sent. Later on, it became a place
for punishment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tartarus was used as a prison for the worst of villains but
not all villains ended up there. This fits the biblical image of some fallen
angels roaming the earth and some being bound in chains.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, I want you to consider this. How would God who is just
bring punishment to the spiritual forces that caused man to fall? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Through <b>man</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First He did it through Jesus and then through the disciples
and now through us. Jesus had the power to throw demons into the abyss through
the Holy Spirit. So have we. Jesus said to Peter,</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I
will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed
in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Read in context, it seems clear that Jesus has delegated to
the Church His authority to bind the powers of Satan on earth and to set people
free from the bondage to him. This is spiritual authority that can be used
against demonic principalities.<br />
<br />
God doesn’t only want to defeat His enemies; He wants to
defeat His enemies through us. We can see this principle clearly in Paul's theology.</div>
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Ephesians 4:7-11 says, "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers..."</div>
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The Book of Ephesians is all about the authority that Jesus has given to His Church, and these verses give theological justification for the work of the Body of Christ on earth. Because Jesus has descended before He has ascended, He fills all, and He is able to give gifts to all men. The fivefold ministry is one of the gifts that He has given to the Church, as it releases spiritual authority into the Body of Christ.</div>
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As a side note, we must say that this doesn't lead to any level of submission to the fivefold ministry at all, as the task of the fivefold ministry is to teach the Body of Christ to operate in this spiritual authority, which effectively means releasing Christians rather than asking them to submit to anyone else but Jesus. So, the Body of Christ doesn't need the spiritual authority of the fivefold ministry: what they need is the spiritual authority of Christ.</div>
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In Ephesians 6:12 Paul says: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."</div>
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What is this wrestling but a close combat against demonic forces: a battle where one party will end up on top and the other defeated? And this is a real and not imaginary battle in which the gift of discerning spirits plays a vital part. For how will you even know where the enemy is if you can't discern it? </div>
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The only way to overcome in the wrestling match against an invisible enemy is to use the gift that makes the invisible enemy visible. And this gift is the gift of discerning spirits. I have written a lot more about this gift in my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Love-Releasing-Compassion-Through/dp/0957535465/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Supernatural Love: Releasing the Compassion of Jesus Through the Gifts of the Spirit.</a> </div>
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I had only occasional experiences about this until I began to write <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Red-Scorpion-Russian-Mafia-Story-ebook/dp/B00E5J2AEQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533563107&sr=8-1&keywords=joensuu+scorpion" target="_blank">The Red Scorpion: A True Russian Mafia Story</a> with Rami Kivisalo. He is a former gangster who used to work with the Russian mafia before he found Christ. He also became demon-possessed during his criminal career. Writing the book with him took me to two years of experiencing the power of hell, as to write for two hours I had to pray for two hours - every day for two years. It was two years of extreme intimidation and Poltergeist phenomena. During that time I saw many strange things manifested in the physical world, things which are impossible to explain through science.<br />
<br />
It was during this time that I began to weaponise the gift of discerning spirits in a more serious manner, simply because that was the only way to survive spiritually and mentally.<br />
<h4>
How does weaponising the gift work?</h4>
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When Jesus casts out demons He names the spirit by their specific manifestation. When he casts out a mute or deaf spirit, these spirits haven't caused physical deafness or muteness as sickness, it is only that muteness and deafness were the manifestations or side products of demon possession.<br />
<br />
It is important to understand that these sicknesses aren't physical states and not to confuse demon possession with sickness. Most times Jesus simply seemed to know what kind of spirit He was dealing with, but in the case of the man possessed by a legion of demons He asks for their name. This is probably because the demonic horde created a cacophony of spiritual 'noise', and there was no clear impression of what He was dealing with. In this instance only Jesus asks for the demons' name, but in all cases He seems to know what kinds of spirits He is dealing with.<br />
<br />
When I operate in the gift of discerning spirits, I am able to 'scan' the spiritual environment of situations, relations, people, projects and so on. It gives you accurate information about what kind of spiritual oppression or disturbance you are dealing with.<br />
<br />
If I am full of the Holy Spirit I will probably sense the spiritual forces more as force fields that I can simply push away. If I am feeling spiritually weak, I will probably feel the depression or fear that a demonic spirit carries; if my spiritual discernment level is even lower, I will probably be bombarded by the negative thoughts and ideas that these demonic beings emanate.<br />
<br />
Genesis 2:19-20 says: "Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast
of the field and every bird of the air, and brought <i>them</i> to Adam to see what he would call them. And
whatever Adam called each living creature, that <i>was </i>its name.<b><sup> </sup></b>So
Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of
the field."<br />
<br />
This shouldn't be taken the wrong way, but the task of naming gave man the responsibility or authority over the animals. We can see this principle still at work in our life: it is through the way we define things that we perceive them and order them. Through naming things we take control over them.<br />
<br />
Part of the gift of discerning spirits is the ability to name the spirits that you are dealing with. The devil is hiding behind deception, and the gift of discerning spirits attacks that deception revealing what demonic forces are operating behind deception. That discerning consumes an enormous amount of power. In one sense, the battle is over the revelation, for the moment we can see we can be freed from oppression. We can see this in the Book of Daniel 9 where Daniel had to wage spiritual warfare for 21 days before he could see.<br />
<br />
Often, the moment of revelation is also the moment of liberation, as God's revelation carries enormous power.<br />
<br />
Put simply, weaponising the gift of discerning spirits consists of naming what you perceive and asking that demonic power to leave: whether they leave to another country or hell might make us very little difference: the important thing is that these forces are cast out. But this can't be done methodically but in the power of the Holy Spirit. But over the last ten years I have done this a lot, but never without the prompting of the Holy Spirit. And it has helped me out of impossible-looking situations and demonic traps.<br />
<br />
If you want to know how this can operate in a longer period rather than an instant, please read this true story about a <a href="http://www.mentoringprophets.com/2014/06/magician-in-mirror.html" target="_blank">magician in the mirror</a>.<br />
<br />
It is noteworthy that we see very little of casting out demons in the Old Testament, but the New Testament stories are full of them. This is because of the finished work of Jesus.<br />
<br />
1 John 3:8 says: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He
might destroy the works of the devil."<br />
<br />
We are part of this work to destroy the works of the devil. And sometimes we need to weaponise the gift of discerning spirits to achieve that.<br />
<br />
In Matthew 10:8 Jesus tells the twelve apostles: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."<br />
<br />
It is debatable how much of this an individual believer is meant to do today. But the Body of Christ as a whole has definitely been called to do this.<br />
<br />
But it is noteworthy that what we know about wrestling with principalities and demons comes mostly from the prophets in the Old Testament and apostles in the New Testament.<br />
<br />
I wish I could write about this in greater detail, but it is not useful. For unless the Holy Spirit Himself guides you in this war, trying to wage it will only lead to destruction. For this is not a method that you can apply but a life filled with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
It is good to conclude with the words from Jude 1:5-10: "But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.<b>Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!' But these speak evil of whatever they do not know</b>; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah."<br />
<br />
So, in this post I have tried to share only as much as is necessary, in order not to encourage any false doctrine but to help those who find themselves in the midst of the fierce battle.<br />
<br />
It is good to remember that this can also apply to our spiritual weapons: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be
glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 4:20-21)<br />
<br />
To go any further, you must go in the strength of the Word and the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mentoringprophets.com/2018/07/9-steps-in-developing-gift-of.html" target="_blank">Developing the gift of discerning spirits</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mentoringprophets.com/2018/07/ministering-to-people-with-gift-of.html" target="_blank">Ministering in the gift of discerning spirits</a><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7316594940706010804.post-29955173241130376142018-07-27T06:06:00.001-07:002018-07-27T11:30:20.833-07:00Ministering to people with the gift of discerning spiritsThe gift of discerning spirits is vital for effective
prophetic ministry, especially in situations where you don’t have time to seek
God’s guidance in His presence.<br />
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For example, if you are ministering prophetically, there
will always be a large number of people who come forward to be prayed for. You
will not have met any of these people before. I use the gift to discern their
spiritual state. There are times when I receive a prophecy for them, but I can
discern that they aren’t ready to receive it, because their commitment to Jesus
is not steadfast enough.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmapC18CrW0lBXxCNlTvgIhxxX6pixVTbkSeleS1CYNQra0N6E6XmsXDdKb3KAJEg9MlyhyoruDhZaNsJpkmkTZ7331IFIkhoyn3g9W37ruIcVTSAxcrLhYXP7prNuF1rzFqeJX8_cNcP_/s1600/praying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmapC18CrW0lBXxCNlTvgIhxxX6pixVTbkSeleS1CYNQra0N6E6XmsXDdKb3KAJEg9MlyhyoruDhZaNsJpkmkTZ7331IFIkhoyn3g9W37ruIcVTSAxcrLhYXP7prNuF1rzFqeJX8_cNcP_/s640/praying.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There is a call over their life, but they are not ready to
receive it yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At other times, people come to ask you to confirm a prophecy
they say someone else has given to them, but you discern that all they are
doing is to camouflage their heart’s desire with religious language. It is
amazing how many people seem to think that a prophet’s blessing could somehow
make a difference if God has already disagreed with you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sometimes, I can discern that people are lying to me; at
other times I can discern a sin in their lives. I rarely tell them what I am seeing. Instead, I use what I
discern as a material for diagnostic, direct, but non-condemning questions, no
matter what the issue. After all, these people are seeking God at some level,
even if they aren’t ready to spill the secrets of their heart to me. 1 Peter
4:8 says, "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The gift of discerning spirits is not a gift of exposing
people, but a gift for helping them to be set free.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you sense that there is a demonic influence in someone’s
life, you should take the following steps.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h4>
1. Proceed cautiously until certain</h4>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is fine and advisable to take your time. Ministering in
the gift of discerning spirits can sometimes feel like stepping from a room full
of light into a dark room. It takes a bit of time for your eyes to adjust, but
soon you will begin to see the contents of the room.</div>
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<h4>
2. Ask questions – don’t prophesy</h4>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the most destructive things you can do to people is
to ‘prophesy’ what you see through the gift of discerning spirits, or proclaim
it as a word of knowledge. This will only bring people under condemnation. So,
you should almost never proclaim to the person you are ministering to exactly
what you see. Instead, you can use what you see as material for questions.</div>
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3. Don’t let the darkness dictate your ministry</h4>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The devil is a liar, and often the enemy will seek to
dictate the way you will minister by releasing deception, fear or uncomfortable
emotions. Don’t let him deceive you, so that you will react to whatever he will
project unto you, or the person you are praying for.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Instead, observe the person, the disturbance, and the flow
of the Holy Spirit within you. You need to be aware of all three. It is not your
job to react to whatever the enemy is doing, but to submit to the work of the
Holy Spirit in you.</div>
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<h4>
4. Connect with the flow of the Spirit within you</h4>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The presence of God is there within you to protect you and
to guide you to all truth. Jesus says in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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You must wait for the Helper within you to come. Wait for
God’s presence to begin to flow within you before attempting to minister in any
deeper way.<br />
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5. Minister in the flow of the Spirit</h4>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Every encounter with a demonic presence or influence is a
spiritual battle. Hence you should only minister in the flow of the Holy
Spirit.</div>
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<h4>
6. Pray afterwards</h4>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Every encounter with the enemy takes its toll on you. If you
worked in the London sewage system and went home, you would probably want to
have a thorough wash before attempting to kiss your wife or husband! In a
similar way, ministering with the gift of discerning spirits demands a time of
prayer afterwards. Otherwise, these encounters with demonic influences in other
people’s lives can have a negative influence in your life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unless you are careful, you will end up carrying the
depression, anxieties, fears, negative thoughts and so on of the people you
have ministered to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Often, we minister to people who are walking through the
valley of the shadow of death. But after ministering to them, we must not stay
in the valley, but climb back on the mountain of God’s presence.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #231f20; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: none; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">This list has been taken from my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Love-Releasing-Compassion-Through/dp/0957535465/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1532627264&sr=8-2&keywords=marko+joensuu" style="border: none; color: #999999; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Supernatural Love: Releasing the Compassion of Jesus Through the Gifts of the Spirit</a>.</span></span><br />
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<br />Marko Joensuuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715195024495173834noreply@blogger.com0