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  FAITH
IN GOD WORKS MIRACLES
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
"If
you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
(Mark 9:23) "Without faith it is impossible to please
God." (Hebrews 1:6), but if we can believe, all things are
possible!
"Is
any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and
let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and
the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they
shall be forgiven him." (James 5:14-15)
This
world is divided into two groups: those who make it happen and
those who ask, "What happened?" The one group has
faith, and the other group does not!
The
battle lines are drawn between believers and unbelievers, between
the faithful and those without faith, between the optimists and
pessimists and between people of action and those who do nothing
but sit on their hands!
FAITH
IS ACTION - FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
Faith
is NOT JUST WORDS - Faith is action. And faith in God
works miracles! Faith sets the wheels in motion and gets the
job done!
Although
our believing will get results, we must have patience, faith and
perseverance. This is why King David said, "Submit thy
way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to
pass." (Psalms 37:5)
EVEN
IF WE ARE DISCOURAGED, WE MUST HAVE FAITH
Sometimes
we hit dry holes or times of discouragement, we can slip a step or
two backwards or even take a fall. When this happens, we must have
faith. We pick ourselves up, square our shoulders and march
forward with renewed, stronger faith.
We
must keep on keeping on, never giving up the faith, regardless of
tough times, the handicap under which we labour. These
trials we live through are what make us stronger and our continued
faith in God and ourselves pushes us to succeed.
CHRISTIANS
LEAD THE WAY WITH FAITH
A
perfect example of faith is Magnus Patricus who returned to pagan
Ireland in the fifth century as a missionary and preached the
Gospel of Christ to the same Druids who had kidnapped him! This
man certainly had faith.
That
man - known today as St. Patrick - was such a revolutionary and
had such faith in God, that during a 30-year-period, he won
100,000 pagans to Christ and changed the course of Ireland!
ONLY
FAITH COULD HAVE PUSHED FRANCIS XAVIER TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT HE
DID - WITHOUT FAITH WE WILL
FAIL
Only
a Spirit-filled Evangelical crusader could have done what Francis
Xavier accomplished for the Lord in the 16th Century.
Francis
Xavier wanted to become an engineer, so that he would be
remembered. Someone encouraged him to enter the ministry.
I'm
sure he must have been influenced by the writings of Martin
Luther, because he became a flaming Missionary Evangelist! A great
revival broke loose in India and 30,000 Hindus were converted to
Christ and baptized. His heart yearned to reach the pagan land of
China with the Gospel, but all doors were closed.
Francis
Xavier died in 1552 at 46 years of age still trying to negotiate
entry into China. Just before his death he cried out: "O'
Thou Great Wall, when wilt thou open so that the Rock (Jesus
Christ) can come inside"?
BILLY
GRAHAM HAD FAITH
Evangelical
preacher, Billy Graham continued to have strong faith and to be a
conscience to the world until the Lord took him home He,
preached the Gospel and reminded everyone that the 'Blood of
Jesus Christ' shed by God's eternal Son on Golgotha - so many
years ago - was to atone for our sins!
A
study of Billy Graham's life is indeed a study in faith!
CHECK
OUT THE POLITICIANS WHO HAVE FAITH
Who
can not help but admire former USA President Ronald Reagan.
President Reagan, a man who fought so long to get the top job in
that country?
RONALD
REAGAN WAS A MAN OF GREAT FAITH
Ronald
Reagan was a man of great faith. His presidency surged with
energy and optimism even after an assassin's attempt on his life.
He still continued to have faith in the world, faith in his
beliefs and faith that he could defeat communism. His legacy
will always be the defeat of world communism and the dissolution
of the "Evil (USSR) Empire"!
CANADA
HAD LOST THE FAITH
HOW
SAD, HOWEVER, THAT EARLY THIS YEAR MOST CANADIANS WERE UNHAPPY,
DEPRESSED AND FELLING HOPELESS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE. They
had certainly lost their faith. According to a new UN
report, Canada has the highest rate of suicides anywhere in the
industrial world.
Without
doubt, our nation has drifted away from our moral moorings by
listening to the secularist, immoral and perverted pleadings of
the out-of-step segment of politicians and media, who seek to
justify their own unrighteous life-styles by brainwashing others
to do the same!
And
what of the man who is seeking his job, Preston Manning, the
leader of the feisty group of Reform Party MP's? Although they
have been derided and dismissed as a viable alternative to the
tired old political parties, the son of Alberta's former
irreproachable Premier Ernest C. Manning, is sounding more Prime
Ministerial all the time!
At
least Preston Manning has a sensible and realistic approach to the
possibility of our nation's break-up, the necessity of changing
our open-ended immigration policy and getting Canada's financial
house in order!
When
you consider his roots, dedication and his clear-headed common
sensible thinking, it would certainly not surprise me, if one day
he rises to the very top! With the recent passing of Ernest C.
Manning - the man called 'the Father of Modern Alberta' -
many are longing for that kind of leadership from his son!
WHEN
YOU HAVE FAITH, EVERYTHING WILL FALL INTO PLACE
TWO
GROUPS OF PEOPLE: BUILDERS & WRECKING CREWS
While
many would shirk from their post and shrink away in fear, others
stand up and are counted as men of faith. They have faith in God
and that is the most important. When you have faith, everything
else will fall into place.
OPTIMISTS
HAVE FAITH
I
am an optimist with trust and faith in God for today and hope for
the future! The pessimist is a prophet of doom while the
optimist is a bearer of glad tidings. Pessimism is born of
unbelief and is a negative force while optimism is the product of
faith and is a positive power!
PESSIMISTS
DO NOT HAVE FAITH
Pessimism
kills, negativism destroys, but optimism gives opportunity the
chance to knock on your door. There is nothing as dull and
lifeless as pessimism and nothing as refreshing as optimism! A
pessimist breeds discouragement in the livers of others, while an
optimist multiplies the glow in his heart to those around him!
PEOPLE
WITH FAITH SOLVE PROBLEMS - PEOPLE WITHOUT FAITH CREATE PROBLEMS
There
have always been two groups in every society: the ones who create
problems and those who solve them! Some are part of the 'builders'
and others make up the 'wrecking crew'. A certain element
likes to create chaos and are labeled 'trouble makers',
while others seek to negotiate as 'peace makers'.
Jesus
rebuked His disciples after His resurrection for "their
unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not that He
was risen from the dead"!
Herein
lies the tragedy. Far too many are guilty of these two sins - unbelief
and hardness of heart - today!
UNBELIEF
IS SIN AND IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAITH
Unbelief
is sin and the very opposite of faith, and a hard heart can be
cruel, condemning, judgmental and critical! I would far sooner be "an
easy mark" for those seeking to 'con' me, than to be
guilty of being hard-hearted!
Only
a real encounter with Jesus Christ can change the heart of man.
The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please
God". (Heb. 1:6), but if we can believe, all things are
possible!
And
that is the very best news. Continue to have faith and you
will see the results.
SATAN
DIVIDES BUT
GOD UNITES
by: Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
Satan
is the Father of the 'Divide and Conquer' doctrine
which has been used effectively by totalitarian nations like the
Nazis, Communists and Muslims and others in the centuries past.
Of course, He has used it in democratic countries, as well as
others for centuries.
Therefore,
it should not be a surprise that he has employed that disastrous
tactic in almost all forms of government, academia, business,
society, the home and even in the church!
It
was LUCIFER who initiated the 'divide and conquer' strategy. He alone is responsible for the divisiveness that
is so prevalent in the world today, pitting nation against nation,
race against race, gender against gender, brother against brother
and man against God! It was he was rose up in rebellion
against his Creator. It was Lucifer, the trusted archangel,
who influenced one third of the holy angels of God to follow him
in an unholy insurrection against the Almighty!
The
Bible states: "And there was a was in Heaven: Michael and
his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and
his angels, and prevailed not, Neither was their place found any
more in Heaven. And the great Dragon was cast out, that old
serpent called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole
world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him."
"And
I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven; Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ;
for the accuser of the Brethren is cast down which accused them
before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the
BLOOD of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they
loved not their lives unto the end."
"Therefore
rejoice, ye Heavens and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhibiters
of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is
come down unto you, having great wrath because he knoweth that he
hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:7-12)
SATAN
TURNED MAN AGAINST GOD!
Satan
is a cleaver manipulator, divider, destroyer and destabilizer!
He destroys individuals, marriages, homes, churches, communities,
nations and civilization itself. In the beginning he
destroyed the beautiful relationship that our Heavenly Father had
with ADAM and EVE, which has had a catastrophic effect on the
human race ever since!
As
a consequence, man was banished from the Garden of Eden, lost the
beautiful Father/son intimacy with their Creator and God, Man's
innocence and right to eternal life was snatched away as sin, fear
and death loomed large before them, causing fear, guilt and a
terror filled leap into an unknown future!
Almost
immediately, the 'divide and conquer spirit' brought
discord between the sons of Adam and Eve. Satan injected
jealousy into the heart of Cain again Abel, causing
the first murder on planet earth. It is not a natural
impulse for a man to murder his brother, but Cain fell for Satan's
lies and took his brother's life. Murder has been duplicated
millions of times over the centuries!
SATAN
ENTICED JUDAS WITH GREED!
It
is almost unbelievable that our Lord would choose twelve disciples
and spend three years training and teaching them all about the
Kingdom of God, righteousness, holiness, mercy, truth, Heaven and
Hell, and one of them betrayed Him. Jesus had nurtured the
twelve Apostles, shared the deep mysteries of His incarnation,
role as God's Paschal Lamb, His death, resurrection and coming
Glory and yet His secretary Treasurer, JUDAS, stole from the Bag
and eventually sold Him for 30 pieces of silver.
The
Bible says: "And the chief priests and scribes sought how
they might kill Him, for they feared Him. Then ENTERED SATAN
into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being one of the twelve. And he went
his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he
might betray Him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to
give him money. And he promised and sought opportunity to betray
Him unto them in the absence of the multitude." (Luke 22:
3-6)
JUDAS'
betrayal of Jesus for money is a stark lesson to us of the
sinister and evil mind set of Satan in his war against the Gospel
and Christ's Body, His Church!
Ever since
then, the Devil has on numberless occasions found dishonest,
jealous and greedy workers in God's Kingdom who take advantage
of gullible, unsuspecting believers to support them economically
and psychologically, often to their own hurt and that of the
Church. Anyone who hurts the Church to gain his own ends is
Satan's tool!
Remember,
that Satan DIVIDES but Jesus UNITES. Satan divided man from God,
but Jesus brought man back to God through His sacrificial death on
the Cross!
MUSLIM
NATIONS HATE ONE ANOTHER!
Fast
forward to our time and see the rage, hate, dishonesty, pillage,
mayhem and murder, happening now between Muslim nations, as they
reach for the golden ring of power over their brethren. Although
they hate each other, they hate Jews and Christians more and
according to their teaching will one day rule the world through a
Muslim Caliphate, led by the Grand Mahdi or the 12th Imam!
We
believe that horrific 'Murderer in Chief' could
very well be the Antichrist who will be cast into the Lake of Fire
together with the False Prophet and Satan himself. Here are
Jesus' Words on the subject: "And the Devil that
deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the Beast (antichrist) and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation
20: 10)
Their
Sharia Law gives them the right to kill every Jew and Christian to
set up a world Caliphate of Sharia Law. How Satan must exult in
his evilness as he sees the raping, beheadings, torture and
murders happening now in the Middle East, Africa and other nations
by al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, Taliban and the Muslim Brotherhood!
AN
ENEMY HATH DONE THIS
"Another
parable put He forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is
likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while
men slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went
his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth
fruit, then appeared the tares."
(Matthew 13:24-26)
SATAN
has been busy sowing tares among the wheat. He has infiltrated
many churches with the promotion of his soft sell Gospel, greasy
grace, easy believism, same-sex marriage, abortion, Chrislam and
other damning doctrines!
The
Bible warns: "These six things both the Lord Hate: yea, seven
are an abomination unto Him...he that soweth DISCORD among
brethren." (Proverbs 6:16-19)
"Now,
I beseech you, brethren, Mark them which cause DIVISIONS and
offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned: and avoid
them." (Romans 16:17)
St.
Paul says: "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give
account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for
that is unprofitable for you.
"Now
the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great Shepherd of the sheep, make you perfect, through the
Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, make you perfect in every good
work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in
His sight, through Jesus Christ: to Whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:17, 20, 21) PRAISE
THE LORD!
DEAR
FRIEND: Please write with your prayer requests. We
will pray for you and I will write you back! When you write,
please ask for a free prayer cloth over which we have prayed with
faith in Jesus' Name, for your deliverance and salvation.
- Pastor Max Solbrekken
PREPARE
FOR BATTLE
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
1
Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour."
THE
DEVIL IS REAL, HE IS YOUR ENEMY. THE DEVIL
WANTS TO DESTROY
YOU
"....that
through DEATH He might DESTROY him that had the power of death,
that is the DEVIL: And DELIVER them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)
For
the past
40 years, I have had the privilege of counseling people
who have written, telephoned or approached me privately
regarding family and personal problems or other crisis, in
which they were deeply involved.
People
often call, muttering on the other end of line, "Why
did I do it? What makes me drink? I've got to pull myself
together. I'm losing my mind."
They
often end up by saying, "I hadn't planned to do it,
Pastor. What went wrong"? Or they might
say, "The devil made me do it, the devil made me do
it".
A
few years ago a Hollywood comedian got a lot of laughs out
of his supposedly funny quip, "The Devil Made Me Do
It." That doesn't seem funny anymore, after the
movies that have stirred millions, like Rosemary's Baby,
The Exorcist and The Omen.
The
Son of Sam, the Hillside Strangler, Charles Manson and the
Sharon Tate killings, together with ritualistic killings
by the occultists and devil worshippers have proved that.
Homosexual murdered like John W. Gacey, who sexually
violated little boys and then murdered them, have
left a solemn imprint on us all, regarding the devil's
ability to make people do his bidding.
The
Bible states that some people are led by the devil, to do
evil things. Those, however, who are taken captive
by him - at his will - are able to extricate themselves
from his evil grasp by calling upon Jesus Christ and
trusting in His shed blood for the redemption of their
souls! "And that they may recover themselves
out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by
him at his will." (2 Timothy 2:26)
Some
time ago a Protestant denomination spent in excess of one
million dollars to investigate and research the topic of
demons and other related matters. After a year of
studies they came up with the conclusion that there is no
devil.
Here
is their reasoning: "If they would preach that there
is a personal devil, people might become disturbed
emotionally, so it's better to do away with the doctrine
that there is a personal devil." HOW
ARROGANT, UNCONSCIONABLE, DISHONEST &
UNBIBLICAL.
Beloved,
you can rely on God's Word and the truth is that there is
indeed a very alive, real, personal devil that is the
enemy of God and the enemy of man. This however,
does not disturb the children of God, because the Bible
says:
Greater
is He that is in you, that he that is in the world.
(1
John 4:4)
This
Scripture offers great comfort to multiplied millions of
Christians. Our faith in Jesus puts the devil on
notice, that we are off limit to his insidious attacks and
that we have the authority to disrupt his plans and
purposes.
The
devil has absolutely no power over us when our faith is in
Christ, for Jesus said: "Behold
I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by
any means hurt you."
(Luke 10:19)
This
Scripture offers great comfort to multiplied millions of
Christians! Our faith in Jesus puts the devil on notice,
that we are off-limit to his insidious attacks and that we
have the authority to disrupt his plans and purposes.
The Bible says "Submit
yourselves therefore unto God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you."
As
the demons were afraid of Jesus and fled when He commanded
them to go, they must also obey us when we speak with
faith and authority in the name of Jesus.
The
demons screamed out, "Let us
alone, what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of
Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee
who thou art the Holy One of God. Art thou come
hither to torment us before our time"?
(Mark 1:24)
You
may say: "But that was Jesus"! True!
How about a Spirit-filled deacon by the name of Philip who
went down to Samaria and preached Christ to them?
Philip
had such a great revival that the entire city came to hear
him preach and multitudes received the Lord Jesus: "For
unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many
that were possessed with them: and many taken with
palsies, and that were lame, were healed."
(Acts 8:7)
The
Holy Record reports that the devil's power was broken and
evil spirits had to surrender to the commands of a
Spirit-filled servant of God. No wonder Philip had
such power of the devil. Jesus had promised: "And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name
shall they cast out devils." (Mark 16:17)
PAUL
CAST OUT THE SPIRIT OF DIVINATION
A
fortune-teller troubled Paul and Silas in the city of
Philippi for several days. After the spirit of
divination was discerned and cast out of her by St. Paul,
she was unable to continue 'telling fortunes'. Paul
and Silas were jailed and bound in a dungeon, but God sent
an earthquake to set them free. And the jailer was
converted through this great miracle.
And
it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel
possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which
brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same
followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the
servants of the most High God, which shows unto us the way
of salvation. And this did she many days. But
Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I
command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of
her. And he came out the same hour." (Acts
16:16-18)
The
Scripture says: "And God
wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. So
that from this body were brought unto the sick,
handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from
them, and the evil spirits went out of them."
(Acts 19:11-12)
When
the exorcists heard of St. Paul's success in casting of
demons in Jesus' name, seven sons of a certain religious
man tried unsuccessfully to duplicate that miracle.
Then
certain of the vagabond Jews, Exorcists, took upon them to
call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord
Jesus saying, We adjure you by Jesus Whom Paul preacheth.
And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief
of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit
answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know: but who
are ye?"
And
the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and
overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they
fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this
was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at
Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name
of the
Lord Jesus was magnified." (Acts 19:13-17)
The
evil spirit within this possessed man cried out to the
seven sons of Sceva. "Jesus I know, and Paul I
know; but who are ye"? The original Greek
actually reads: "Jesus I know, and Paul I am
beginning to know". Words had sprung through
the devil's kingdom, and demons everywhere were talking
about Paul's revivals. They knew Jesus and they were
beginning to know Paul, but who were these seven sons of
Sceva? They had no faith in God; they had no
standing of righteousness, and the devil would not obey
them.
The
Bible records: "And when He (Jesus) had called unto
Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against
unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner
of sickness and all manner of diseases." (Matthew
10:1) The Scripture declares that no only do we have
power against unclean spirits, but we also have power over
them. "And he called
unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two
and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;"
(Mark 6:7)
Our
Lord Jesus gave the apostles power to cast out devils: "As
ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast
out devils: freely ye have received, freely
give." (Matthew 10:7-8) The Holy
Record states: "And they
cast out devils, and anointed with oil many that were
sick, and healed them."
(Mark 6:13)
JESUS
GAVE THE 70 HIS POWER TO CAST OUT DEVILS
"After
these things the Lord appointed another seventy also, and
sent them two and two before His face into every city and
place, whither He Himself would come."
(Luke 10:1) The Bible says that they returned with
great joy, and said: "Lord,
even the devils are subject unto us through Thy
name." (Luke 10:17) To this Jesus
answered: "I beheld Satan as
lightning fall from heaven." (Luke 10:18)
Jesus was saying - I was there when the devil was
defeated; I saw him cast out of heaven - I saw him fall as
lightning to the earth. I saw his power broken and
his works destroyed.
WE
ALSO HAVE POWER OVER THE DEVIL, DEMONS & EVIL SPIRITS
Yes,
we also have power over the devil. We have POWER
OVER THE DEVIL and POWER AGAINST THE DEVIL. The
Bible says, "Behold,
I give unto you power to: tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by
any means hurt you."
(Luke 10:19)
Satan
had to obey when Jesus spoke to him! Demons screamed
out in terror when Jesus came near. The devils
trembled and feared and obeyed the command of the Master.
The devil, demons and evil spirits must also obey us, when
we use the name of Jesus in faith.
JESUS
CAME TO DESTROY SATAN'S WORK
The
Bible says: "As
He is, so are we in this world."
(1 John 4:17) NOW - TODAY. We have His power
today! "Now are
we the sons of God."
(1 John 3:2) We are children of God, heirs of God
and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. "And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may
be also glorified together."
(Romans 8:17)
JESUS
SAID: "HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, THE WORKS
THAT I DO
SHALL HE DO ALSO"
No
wonder Jesus said: "He
that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do
also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I
go unto My Father."
(John 14:12) Yes, my beloved friend, you and I as
Christians have power over the devil, we have power
against the devil to bind him, to cast him out and to
destroy the works of the devil.
The
Bible says: "How
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and
with power; who went about doing good, and healing all
that were oppressed of the devil; for God was
with Him."
(Acts 10:38) Jesus said: "The
thief (the devil) cometh not, but for to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly."
(John 10:10) No wonder St. John said: "For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil."
(1 John 3:8)
Not
only did Jesus come to this earth to destroy the works of
the devil, but to destroy Satan himself. The write
to the Hebrews (probably St. Paul) states unequivocally: "Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He
also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through
DEATH He might DESTROY him that had the power of death,
that is the DEVIL; And to DELIVER them who through fear of
death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
(Hebrews 2:14, 15)
SATAN
- THE DEVIL IS THE HATED ENEMY OF GOD & MAN
Satan
is the hated enemy of God and man, but our Lord has given
His children power over him.
"There
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come
nigh unto thy dwelling".
Jesus declared: "Nothing shall be any means hurt
you". "That wicked one cometh and
hath nothing in Me."
St. Paul said, "Sin
shall not have dominion over you."
THE
DEVIL - SATAN HAS NO POWER OVER US
And
our Lord stated, "I give unto you power over all the
power of the enemy." Jesus has given us power
against all unclean spirits, to cast them out. SATAN
IS POWERLESS OVER US.
The
Bible does not say that Satan has power over us; to put
disease upon us, to make us fearful, to hurt us or to
injure us. A THOUSAND TIMES NO.
The
Bible says: "Submit
yourself therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you." (James
4:7) "The
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the
faith." (1
Peter 5:8, 9)
IT
IS TRUE - YOU AND I AS CHRISTIANS HAVE POWER OVER THE
DEVIL
Jesus
said: "I
have overcome the world."
(John 16:33) St. Paul declared: "Nay,
in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that
loved us."
(Romans 8:37) The
Apostle to the Gentiles cried out: "I
can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me."
(Philippians 4:13)
The
Word of God says: "Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved
us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 8:35-39)
The
Bible speaks of Satan's total defeat: "At
the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2:10-11) Praise God.
Jesus
called the devil Satan, which means the ADVERSARY, and
Satan is the adversary of God and the devil Satan is the
adversary of man. HE IS OUR GREATEST ENEMY!
The devil is responsible for sin, sickness, disease, fear,
depression, torment and death. Satan (the devil)
conspired against God. The devil led a revolt
against the Almighty. Satan (the devil) is indeed
the adversary. St. Peter said: "Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour."
(1 Peter 5:8)
The
Scripture tells us about a man who planted good seed in a
field and in the morning, tares had sprung up among the
wheat. The husbandman said: "An
enemy hath done this."
(Matthew 13:28)
YES
- THE DEVIL IS YOUR WORST ENEMY
Yes,
my beloved friend, the devil is your enemy! The
devil works through the flesh, through the world through
his evil emissaries, the demons. Satan (the devil)
is highly organized; the devil is out to defeat the
purposes of God even though he knows he has NO chance of
succeeding, for he has been defeated.
On
Calvary's cross Jesus cried, "It is finished."
(John 19:30) The Greek word that Jesus used here is
tetelastai. Tetelestai means that the work of Christ
to redeem lost mankind has been completed.
Jesus
cried out "Tetelestai", bowed His head
and gave up the ghost. At that moment the veil in
the temple in Jerusalem was torn from its top to the
bottom, opening the way to God through His Son's vicarious
death on the cross. The word 'tetelstai' comes from
a Greek verb teleo, which has three essential
meanings:
to
finish something
to fulfill something
to pay what is owed
Jesus
Christ had just completed the plan of the ages, the
salvation of the human race. He had fulfilled every
Old Testament Scriptures that the prophets had written
about the coming Messiah, and He had paid our sin debt in
full so that we could be saved.
Three
days and three nights later, God raised Jesus Christ from
the dead for our justification, and forever sealed the
doom of the devil in the lake of fire. (Acts 2:31-34;
Acts 3:14-15; Acts 4:1, 10; Romans 1:4)
SPIRITUAL
WARFARE - THE BATTLE WE ARE FIGHTING IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE
The
Bible reveals that the battle we are fighting is NOT
CARNAL. It is not a natural, ordinary battle, but is
of a spiritual nature. We have God's weapons and we
have power with God over the devil. "For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2
Corinthians 10:4)
We
have power over the devil (Luke 10:19) for we are
ambassadors of the kingdom of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
We are servants of the living God; (Romans 6:22) sons and
daughters of God; (2 Corinthians 6:18) heirs and
joint-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17)
We
are bone of Jesus' bone and flesh of His flesh; (Ephesians
5:30) our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, (1
Corinthians 6:19) and we are members of the body of
Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
Sin
does not have dominion over us. (Romans 6:14) Satan
(the devil) does not have power over us. We have
power over the flesh, the world and the devil, because we
are God's people. We are God's children. (Galatians
3:26) As He is, so are we in this world! (1 John
4:17) The Bible states that the 'Old Man' is dead
and that we are "hid with Christ in God"!
(Colossians 3:3)
The
Scriptures reveal that there are demons who work against
God's children and against God's will:
"Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the
first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand,
and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were
heard, and I am come for thy words."
But
the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and
twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes
came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of
Persia."
(Daniel 10:12-13)
I
believe that Satan is highly organized and has some
powerful generals, captains, lieutenants and others in his
diabolical army, whose duty is to harass, tempt, condemn,
seduce, deceive, destroy, steal, kill and murder God's
children and try to thwart the purposes of God and do harm
to His kingdom.
The
Bible says:
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ
Jesus." (Philippians
2:5) We can have the mind of Christ. "Let
the word of God dwell in you richly." (Colossians
3:16) Jesus is the Living Word and the Bible is the
written word. When we read the Bible and allow God's
Word free course, Christ dwells within us. Upon
receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, Christ is
formed within us and we are born again. The Bible
says: "If
any man have not met the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
His." (Romans
8:9)
When
we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, however, the
Holy Spirit fills us and takes up permanent residence
within us. Jesus said:
"He is with you and He shall be in you."
The Bible says: "And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost..."
(Acts 2:4)
Even
though the devil is highly organized and seeks to destroy
us, and even though he is constantly try to afflict,
depress and torment, we can drive him out: "Draw
nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you."
When you draw nigh to God and God draws nigh to you, you
receive power over the devil. The Bible says: "If
our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward
God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of
Him..." (1
John 3:21-22)
The
Scripture says: "There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit." (Romans
8:1) Sin is what destroys the confidence we have in
God. Sin is a faith destroyer. Sin destroys
our confidence in God and in ourselves and allows the
devil to slip in with his evil, devious, wicked and
sinister devices to harass us, stop us, or destroy us.
We
have power over him, however, for the Bible says: "They
overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony."
(Revelation 12:11) We can stop the devil, for the
Bible says: "When
the enemy, (the devil) shall come in like a flood, the
Spirit of God shall lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah
59:19) The standard that the Holy Spirit lifts up
stops the devil and he can proceed only so far; he can go
no further.
The
devil complained to God: "You
have put a hedge around Job. You are protecting
him." And
that's true, God has placed a hedge around His people, and
I believe that when the devil comes in like a flood to
destroy, kill and murder, the Spirit of God raises up a
standard to stop him. We are surrounded by the power of
the Lord.
We
are covered with His blood and filled with His Spirit.
The Word of God is within our hearts. We have the
name of Jesus on our lips, the angels protect us and we
have brothers and sisters in Christ who pray for us and
stand with us. These are some of the agencies God
used for our benefit.
Yes
indeed, when the enemy - the devil - shall come in like a
flood to devastate and destroy, the Spirit of God will
lift up a standard against him and stop him! The devil is
like a dog on a leash, with only limited capabilities.
SATAN
CAN ONLY GO SO FAR
If
God hadn't allowed the devil to attack Job, Satan couldn't
have touched him. God
gave the devil permission to touch Job's cattle, and his
body, but not his life. (Job 2:6) Satan had to leave
the presence of God to smite Job with sore boils.
The Bible instructs us to remember the patience of Job and
the end of the Lord.
Job was sick for approximately six months to a
year, and then God healed him. He lived for another 140
years and never had another boil, as far as the Scriptures
record.
God
gave Job twice as much as he had before the devil
afflicted him. Many people laughingly speak about
Job's boils and say that Christians have to suffer
similarly, but the Bible records the "patience of
Job" and it also speaks about "the end of the
Lord". (James 5:11) The end of the Lord was
blessing, prosperity, healing, health, joy, peace and
power over the devil.
St.
Paul wrote to Timothy: "God
hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind."
(2 Timothy 1:7) Evidently, Timothy was afraid and
St. Paul writing to his son in the faith saying: "You
don't have to be afraid, Timothy. God hasn't given
us a spirit of fear." Fear is a spirit and fear
hath torment. The Scripture says: "Perfect love casts
out fear." (1 John
4:18)
Fear
is an evil spirit. God
has not given us any evil spirits; He has given us power
over evil spirits.
God
has not given us a spirit of fear, but God has given us a
spirit of power: Power over fear: power of
sin: power over the devil: power over
sickness: power over disease and even power over
death, which is the last enemy.
It
seems that Timothy had gotten cold in his soul, because
St. Paul wrote: "...that
thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the
putting on of my hands...Be not thou therefore ashamed of
the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner:
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel
according to the power of God."
(2 Timothy 1:6,8)
Apparently,
Timothy had become ashamed of St. Paul and he was afraid
of persecution; afraid that he would also be persecuted.
Paul said: "You don't
need to be afraid; God didn't give you that; the devil put
that on you. God has given you power, love and a
sound mind." Hallelujah.
BE
PREPARED FOR BATTLE - PUT ON THE
WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD
Writing
to the Ephesians, St. Paul stated. "Finally,
my brethren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places."
"Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about
with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace;"
"Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is he word of God; Praying always with
al prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints." (Ephesians
6:10-11)
Satan
is organized and has power, but God has all power.
God is omnipotent. The devil has wisdom, but God has
all wisdom. He is omniscient. The Wicked One,
Satan is strong, but God has all strength. The
Adversary (Satan) has many demons working for him, but God
has more angels than Satan has evil spirits. Satan
has many lost souls in his camp, but God has hundreds of
millions of believers across the world, that are equipped
with His mighty power. And one man with God's power
is a majority.
JESUS
GAVE US POWER OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY
(THE DEVIL,
SATAN, DEMONS, EVIL SPIRITS)
Jesus
Christ said, "Behold,
I give unto you power over all the power of the enemy, and
nothing shall by any means hurt you."
The Scripture says that 'one day' an angel will come from
heaven and bind Satan, casting him into the bottomless pit
for a thousand years. It won't take ten thousand
angels; it won't take a hundred angels' it will take one
angel to bind the devil and cast him into the pits of hell
forever. (Revelation 20:1-3) Hallelujah!
Amen.
WHAT MUST
I DO TO BE SAVED?
Jesus
said, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Yes,
my dear friend, God is still in the business of setting men and
women free from their sins, sorrows, heartbreaks, fears and
troubles. In this age of frustrations, nervous tensions and
mental collapses, Jesus Christ is still granting peace to the
troubled, joy to the discouraged, strength to the weary and
healing to the sick!
 1
- YOU MUST ADMIT THAT YOU ARE A SINNER
The
Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God." (Rom. 3:23) "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)
2
- YOU MUST BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD
You
MUST believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Jesus died
on the cross, was buried and rose again from the dead.
"That
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already." (John 3:15,18) "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on
Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
3
- YOU
MUST REPENT OF YOUR SINS
The
Bible says, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish." (Lu.13:3) "Let the wicked forsake his way and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,
and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7)
4
- YOU MUST RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOUR
The
Bible says: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
"Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with Me." (Rev. 3:20) "He that hath the Son hath life: and he
that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:12)
5
- YOU MUST CONFESS JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD
The
Bible says: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)
"Whosoever
shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man confess
before the angels of God: But he that denieth Me before men shall
be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8, 9)
THE
BIBLE HAS THE ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION & EVERY PROBLEM
Always
remember that God's word is the final authority and the Bible has
the answers to every question and problem. God will lead you
and direct you. You will now have the peace and assurance
that not only do you have a new life, but you will go on to live
forever with Jesus Christ when you die. You can know for
sure, in your heart, that your future is sealed, and you will live
in Paradise with the Lord for all eternity.
HOW
DO I INVITE
JESUS CHRIST INTO MY LIFE?
Pray
to God, a prayer - from your heart.
Tell Him that you
are a sinner and that you need forgiveness. Tell him that
you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins. Tell him that
you are willing to change, to turn away from sin. Ask Jesus
Christ to come into your heart and life and be your personal
Saviour.
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)
"Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2
Corinthians 5:17)
If
you prayed and ask Jesus Christ into your heart - YOU HAVE NOW
RECEIVED THE GIFT OF SALVATION - YOU HAVE BECOME A CHILD OF GOD.
God Bless You.
-
Powerful AUDIO Bible sermons/messages
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken
- click on
message to listen -
BIBLE
SCRIPTURES ON:
Bible
verses on faith & hope (King
James Version)  Mark
9:23 -
"If
you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.
Roman
10:17 -
So then faith
[cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Matthew
21:22 - And
all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive. Hebrews
11:6 - But
without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him. Mark
11:22 - And
Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
James
2:19 - Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also
believe, and tremble.
Hebrews
11:1 - Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen.
Luke
1:37 - For
with God nothing shall be impossible.
Ephesians
2:8-9 - For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
[it is] the gift of God:
Hebrews
11:1 - Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen.
1
Corinthians 2:5 - That
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God.
1
Corinthians 5:7 - (For
we walk by faith, not by sight:)
James
2:14 - What
[doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and
have not works? can faith save him?
James
2:24 - Ye
see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only.
Ephesians
6:10-11
- (kjv) - "Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might. Put
on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil. For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
"Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and
having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"
"Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is he word
of God; Praying always with al prayer and supplication in
the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints."
2
Timothy 1:7
- (kjv) - "God
hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind."
CONTACT
INFORMATION
For further spiritual counsel, prayer or gospel literature, please
contact us!
www.mswm.org www.maxsolbrekken.com
max@maxsolbrekken.com
Max
Solbrekken World Mission, P.O. Box 44220, RPO Garside, Edmonton,
AB T5V 1N6 (780) 460-8444
The
House of Prayer, New Sarepta, Alberta (780) 941-2372
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Articles
on the Faith and hope 
