Spiritual Warfare are those battles we are called to fight by faith against Satan and his cohorts. We are admonished to resist him steadfast in faith (1Pet 5:9) and that if we resist him, he will flee (Jam 4:7).

"That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." - Philemon 6

Introduction

Being a Christian is not about what you do -- it is all about who God is, and who He has made you to be in Him. The key to being effective and victorious in our walk of faith is to know and fully acknowledge all that Jesus Christ has secured for us by His victory at Calvary, continually declare it in faith and act upon it. James 1:23-24 tells us that hearing the word of God and not doing it is like looking at your natural face in the mirror, and then immediately forgetting afterwards what you look like. But remember we are brand new creations (2 Cor 5:17), and so it is easy to look at that mirror and forget what you see when you've been used to being someone different your whole life! That is why it is important for us to keep looking into the word of God, and declaring what it says about us until our minds are transformed to identify and behave as the brand new sons of God that we are. We should steadfastly confess the word of God without wavering (Hebrews 10:23), even when what we see and feel seems contrary.

Something very profound about depending on God is that the real you is Spirit and those that must worship God can only do it in Spirit (Jn 4:24).  Unless your mind is renewed with the Word of God (Rom 12:2), then it is subject to the devil and not God.  Therefore, pursuing or doing just what seems good to you is in conflict with God.  Rom 8:7 says the carnal mind is enmity against God.  Therefore, only those that are led by God are His (Rom 8:14).  We don’t merely depend on God when we lack resources or ability, our entire lifestyle has to be an embodiment of depending on Himself (Jn 5:19). That is the key to living a successful Christian life.  We should not live our lives as if it belongs to us, He is our Potter.  We are clay in His hands – Jer 18:6.

The scriptures say that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2). Often we think of this verse in terms of sin - that is, "train your mind to do good things and not bad things". That is a very shortsighted, defeatist way to look at it. The great battle is not learning to overcome sin, because Jesus already did that for you and gave you His divine nature. The great battle is learning how to think and behave like someone who carries that divine nature. And for many of us, that means unlearning many thought patterns and habits that we think are good and spiritual, but are actually obsolete and useless. God has already given us everything that we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3), so our mission is to condition our minds to think that way, and then we can truly begin to live by faith - faith in what Jesus has done for us and not what we can earn for ourselves.

Text: Heb 9:11-12 (NKJV)

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
[The KJV adds “for us” at the end.]

Introduction

In the Old Covenant, the priests who officiated daily entered the Tabernacle to perform their ritual duties according to the Law. They burned incense morning and evening on the golden altar of incense, and put oil in the golden candelabra. The showbread was changed weekly with fine flour baked bread. Only on one day of the year, the Day of Atonement, did the High Priest enter the Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies (Leviticus 16). However, when Jesus shed His blood, He obtained once and for all our redemption. Redemption is the release and liberation produced by the payment of a ransom. Therefore Eternal Redemption is the saving faith in the complete, once and for all and perfect work of Jesus Christ, confessing Him as Lord, accepting payment and forgiveness for our sins. This is not a momentary, or temporary redemption, but rather eternal redemption which can never be abolished. Galatians 3:13 says that Christ has (past tense) redeemed us once for all from the curse of the Law. He died for our sins once and for all (Rom 6:10). Christ has forever settled the issue of sin.

Text: He existed before anything else and He holds all creation together – Col 1:17

Introduction

God is the King of kings, Creator of earth and the universe. The dictionary definition of the Sovereignty of God is the following is 1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Excellent. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Having supreme rank or power. There is no one higher in authority or power, but that does not mean He exercises His power by controlling everything in our lives. God seeks to reveal the plan He has for us, urges us in that direction, but doesn’t make our choices for us. The misunderstanding that God controls everything that happens to us is one of devil’s inroads into our lives that, making some to say “what will be will be” thereby, leading to inaction on our part. God directs everything in conformity with the purpose of His will (Eph. 1:11).

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. - Gal 3:13-14

Introduction

Redemption is the release and liberation produced by the payment of a ransom. As creatures we are all under law. The formalities of the law may vary--but its essential principles are the same. The law commands us. It tells us what God requires of us. It demands that we be holy, just, and good.  It threatens disobedience. It condemns the sinner. Its condemnation is called a curse. The Law dooms us to punishment from God. However, redemption through the shed blood of Jesus releases us from the curse. God cursed Mankind and all of Creation when man ate from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:11-19). The curse continued through the ages until Jesus came (Gen 3:15, Gal 3:13).

I want us to approach this subject from the perspective of the question raised in Acts 26:8, “Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raised the dead?”  In short, it is saying that raising the dead should not be a big deal at all – if you believe that with God nothing shall be impossible (Lk 1:37) and that with God all things are possible (Mat 19:26). If He asks us to do, then no big deal.

Looking through scriptures, we see many dead raised.  Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zarephath by stretching himself on the boy’s corpse.  Elisha raised the son of the Shunamite woman by laying on him (2Kg 4).  Also the man whose corpse was abandoned in the tomb of Elisha came back to life on touching his bones (2Kg 13:20–21).  In Lk 7:11-17, Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain; also Jairus’s daughter in Lk 8:52-58.  We saw the dramatic raising of Lazarus by Jesus in Jn 11 and the opening of graves that resulted in many saints rising when Jesus gave up the ghost in Mat 22:50-53.  Peter raised Dorcas in Acts 9:36-43; Paul raised Eutychus in Act 20:7-12.

For many, when you mention cancer, they hear dead.  Equally so, when they hear death, they give up, that is, until you get to Mat 10:8, where God command us to heal the sick, cleanse the leper, raise the dead and to cast out demons.

How NOT to Raise the Dead

1. Don’t begin to beg God, thinking it’s your tears and pleading that will raise them.
2. Don’t stretch over the corpse, dramatizing
3. Don’t begin talking about how deserving the dead person is or his or her family is.
4. Don’t ever call on the God of any Elijah or a super pastor
5. Don’t even begin conjuring your super anointings.

Some examples of people that raised people from the dead:

Smith Wigglesworth, a man of uncommon ruthless faith.  A family member of a member his had died and out of courtesy, Smith had gone with him to encourage them.  The body was in the house.  When they arrived there, Smith walked straight into where the body was, pulled it out and pinned him to the wall, stepped back and screamed a command, “In the Name of Jesus, Walk.”  The body slid down.  He went back, picked it up again, pinned it up and screamed the command again, but the body slid down slowly to the ground.  Smith in fury pulled the body up, slammed it to the wall and screamed the command, “I say, Walk”, and the man rattled back into his body and together, he walked out with the man.

Benson Idahosa, another man of indomitable faith.  At the age of 24, he was only a young man in the church when his pastor preached that God says the church should raise the dead.  And so he took his bicycle riding through Benin City in search of where a crowd would gather, signifying that someone was dead.  He started out at about 11am but didn’t find such a crowd until about 4:30pm.  When he asked why they were gathered and they told him a girl was dead, he rejoiced and they wondered why and he said he was there to raise her.  He went in with the crowd, tried several times to raise her but failed.  Then he asked everyone out and at the call of that girl’s name, Inuaka in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, she came back.

I have had my own stint with this thing called raising the dead.  A man, who had borrowed me his car came banging my door in desperation.  I thought he wanted his car back and so I opened my door.  Lo and behold, he dumped the lifeless body of his daughter of just a few weeks into my hands.  What do I do?  I started speaking in tongues and praying desperately.  It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes but it certainly felt like ten hours, the girl sneezed and I tell you, joy filled the city of Sacramento and what was our then small church.

According to David Hogan, a man that has now seen over 600 people raised from the dead, his first dead-raising stands out clearly in his mind.  A man had come to ask him to come and pray for his sick son.  No problems, he said, but let’s finish church service first and we’ll go.  By the time they finally got to the man’s house, the atmosphere revealed it all.  The boy had died for a few hours.  And so he went in to pray to raise him from the dead and went on for 45 minutes or so, he kept commanding until the boy came back.  He has since seen several others come back to life as you can imagine.

If you will obey God and do as He has commanded by raising the dead, then these keys are critical:

1. You must be unequivocally sure that God’s Word is true and that He has authorized and empowered you to raise the dead. If you doubt this, then don’t even try.
2. You must have faith in God, His unfailing Word and in the authority of that Name, the Name of Jesus, which is higher than death. (Phil 2:9-11)
3. You will not do this by an anointing or a special mantle. You will do it based on the fact that you have the resurrection power in you (Eph 1:18-19; 1Jn 2:27; Heb 13:5) and because you can manifest the power of God at will, anytime, anywhere.  You don’t need a special atmosphere or to have the stage set right, because you will not get a notice to prepare for raising the dead.  You’ve got to always be ready..
4. You must have unshakable faith, without doubting, fear or unbelief. It’s one thing to have faith. But with fear, doubts, unbelief within, all your faith will be wiped out into a deficit, which translates into failure.  Did you notice that Benson Idohosa and Smith Wigglesworth didn’t care.  They had unwavering faith which is what moves mountains (Mat 17:20).
5. When confronted with the corpse, you will be as militant, bold and angry as you can be, because it’s war. You will not be begging God.  He will not do for you those things He has authorized and empowered you to do for yourself.  You are the one that will resist the devil, not God (Jam 4:7).  It is you that must issue the commands for death to leave and life to be restored – in the name of Jesus and when it happens, because it certainly will, all the glory goes to Him and of course a revival will break out to the glory of God.  You are the one that will ignite it.
6. Don’t follow no magical formula or code. Just know that we are spirit, soul and body (1The 5:23).  Death is when the spirit and soul departs from the flesh.  Command it to return into the body – in Jesus name.  How you feel inside while doing this matters.  You cannot do it doubting, fearing or unbelieving.  You do it with absolute confidence.
7. Sometimes the dead wouldn’t rise and it may take a while. I’ve heard of cases that lasted hours.  You must therefore be very resolute and unflinching.  You must be dogged and unyielding.  Your determination must be unparalleled.  You’ve got to stick with it till you get the answer, for with God - nothing shall be impossible (Lk 1:37).
8. If you will raise the dead, change your language now. Let your yes be yes and no be no.  Train your spirit to know that you always mean your words and don’t confuse it into believing you don’t mean your words.  That means if you give people an appointment for 1 pm or 7pm, don’t go there late.  Instead be ahead.  Otherwise your spirit will not be ready when you are commanding life to be released.  Your inconsistency will kill someone because you never mean what you say.
9. Have the heart of a child. They don’t keep records of wrongs.  You will need this because there will come a time when you just might not succeed.  You’ve got to keep moving on.  God never leaves you.  So don’t entertain wrong thoughts.  Forget yesterday.  Today is a new day.  Keep on raising the dead.
10. You must be born again, spirit filled with evidence of speaking in tongues. Trust me, if you’re not, please dare try to do this!

Having said all these, it is imperative that you be warned that it is God’s word that He is confirming – Mk 16:20; Psa 107:20; Mat 10:8.  If you’re born again, filled with His Spirit, and with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God on your lips, the burden is not yours to bear.  Just do the Word.

In closing, let me pray for you.  You will not lose your loved ones prematurely; through you, the destructive works of the devil will be reversed; you will bring many back to life; through you, there will be huge revivals – because when you raise the dead, the crowd will surge.  I pray that pride will be far from you.  Jesus said He will raise stones if you keep quiet (Lk 19:40).  You will not be replaced.

Go and raise the dead (Mat 10:8).

Demons or unclean spirits are body-less spirit beings, causing havoc in many lives.  Every believer is fully authorized to cast out these evil beings in Jesus Name – Mk 16:17.  Unless you are in Christ and fully know your authority, trying to cast them out will inflict severe troubles on you as we see with the sons of Sceva (Act 19:13-16).

As Christians, we must understand the importance of God’s Word to our lives. The real us is spirit (1The 5:23). Without the mirror, which is what the Word is, we cannot see our true self (Jam 1:25), because God’s Word is spirit and life (Jn 6:63). Essentially doing what the Word says is our key to walking with the Father. In this study, we will discover how to study the Word and meditate on it, and most importantly, how to do what the Word says, because it’s in doing it that we please God (Heb 11:6), and we prosper (Psa 1:1-3; Jam 1:22).