CHAPTER EIGHT

FOUR KEYS TO SPIRITUAL POWER

Time and again I have realized victory in my life through four key truths. The first One
mentioned breathes life and power into the other three and activates them.

KEY No.1. GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT: THE SPIRIT OF MIGHT

In both Old and New Testaments, the anointing of the Spirit of God is likened to fire. Apart
from the Spirit of God, the other keys to victory, wonderful though they are, would be like
sticks of dynamite without the fire to empower them. Jeremiah said of God’s prophetic
word: “His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jere.20:9).
Jeremiah felt God’s Word burn deep in his heart to the extent that keeping silent about it
was impossible.

In Matthew 3: 11 John the Baptist speaks of One Who would baptize the disciples with the
Holy Ghost and fire. Interestingly, the next verse also promises that the wicked would be
burnt up with fire unquenchable. Either we make friends with the Fire of God or it will, in
the end, become our enemy. In Acts Chapter 2, the Holy Spirit descends upon the praying
disciples, appearing as flames of fire. The Holy Spirit is able to take a naturally timid person
like me and impart holy boldness in proclaiming the Truth, however unpopular it might be in
today’s world. That alone testifies to the mighty power of God working in those who take
their eyes off their own inadequacy and focus instead on the power of Christ within them.

Trying to live the Christian life without the power of the Holy Ghost is like trying to start
your car without gasoline. Our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God (I Cor. 2:5). Just before His ascension back to heaven Jesus promised His
disciples in Acts 1:8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you. Inside the margin is a clarification of the translation from the Greek: The power of the
Holy Ghost coming upon you. “Power” in this verse is taken from the Greek word “Dunamis”,
the same word “dynamite” is taken from. Jesus did not qualify this promise by saying that
after the death of the original apostles, you might still get the Holy Ghost Baptism but
without the dynamite to do the good works! Lots of traditional churches reluctantly accept
that people might get baptized in the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues, but they get mighty
nervous when people want to see miracles from the Hand of God. That just doesn’t gel very
well with their sacrosanct manmade traditions!

One day I met somebody who was “on fire for Jesus” WITHOUT the fire. A man stopped at
the corner and got out of his car as I was walking home from the store. He claimed Jesus
had told him to turn his car around and talk to me. He offered me a tract, but I said I was
already a Christian. We got into a deep discussion and ended up disagreeing on some
fundamental points. He debunked the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a delusion. He said
tongues was “of the devil”, and let me know he had repented of being in the Charismatic
Movement.

I told him God promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh in the Last Days, and I had
received this Blessing more than thirty years before. He said the last days were in the days
of the Apostles. Well, if these aren’t the last of the last days of satan’s rule on earth, then
where else could we be on God’s time line? If anything, we’re much further into the last
days than the original Apostles were! We certainly aren’t in the Millennial Age of Christ’s
earthly Reign yet!

2 Timothy 3:1: This know also, that in the last days perilous (dangerous) times shall come.*
* *The worst criminals “get away with it” these days because there is a spirit of lawlessness
in the earth. Modern man lives under the threat of thermonuclear warfare.

Verse 2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (greedy), boasters, proud
(arrogant), blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.* * *Check out any
magazine newsstand and you’ll find out how self-obsessed and vain this modern culture is.
People might have all they need, but they are encouraged to “aim higher” and covet better
possessions than their neighbors have. Bullies disobey and detest their parents (and all
authority figures). They curse God. Bullies never thank God for providing the air they
breathe and the food they eat. Instead, they try to destroy other souls He has made.

Verse 3: Without natural affection, trucebreakers (treaty breakers), false accusers,

incontinent (promiscuous), fierce, despisers of those that are good,* * *Recently, a gang of
teenage thugs ganged up on a helpless father of three and beat him to death in front of his
daughter. The devil’s children are without human feeling. They lie about others to try to
get them in trouble. They use others for cheap sex. They despise and persecute people
who APPEAR to be good, whether they are Christians are not. Teenage tearaways promise to
“be good” when they’re let out on bail, but go on to break their agreement and commit even
worse crimes.

Verse 4: Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.* *
*Bullies usually hate their parents so much they’d betray their own mother for a nickel.
They live only for the gratification of their lusts. They think they’re cooler and better than
everybody else around them. They abuse the Lord’s Name in filthy conversation.

This passage proves that Paul was speaking of the Last Days as a future time from when he
himself lived. If we aren’t in the Last Days, then where are we on God’s timeline? That
confused guy thought we weren’t in the Last Days so God wasn’t able to give us His Spirit of
power anymore! He actually appealed to Scripture to try to persuade me to disown the
greatest Blessing I’d ever received since my conversion. He said that “when that which is
perfect is come”, then the spiritual gifts will pass away. He also cited this one: Now we see
through a glass darkly, but then face to face. When that which is perfect is come, then that
which is part shall be done away (I Corinthians 13:10). But his notion of “that which is
perfect” was foggy. All he did was mumble: “Get out there and witness.”

Get out there and witness. That’s all they told me in church when I was a teenager. I felt no
reality of God’s power or Presence, and God seemed to me to be only a far-away Being I
paid lip service to on Sundays and Wednesday nights. It wasn’t long before I lost all
interest. God seemed dead and far away before I received the fullness of the Spirit.
Despite the fact desperate prayer on my part saved my little brother from dying of a sudden
meningitis attack. My Sunday School teacher did her best to keep me enthusiastic about
church attendance, but my life was a bummer and will-power and promises to get on fire for
Jesus always fell through.

Why I Know God’s Offer STILL Hasn’t Expired!

Fellow believers, we need God’s spiritual power as never before. Only a person ignorant of
the awful shape Planet Earth is in could ever truly think that “that which is perfect” has
already come! Demons STILL infest the air all around us, inciting sinners to blaspheme and
commit abominable sins. Little children and women are STILL afraid to walk city streets.
People are STILL subject to sickness and premature death. Crime STILL goes unpunished.
Wars STILL rage. Wicked men STILL suck off the misery of the poor. Crooks STILL infiltrate
all society, even religious organizations. The devil STILL destroys innocent kids in bully-
infested schools. Satan STILL deceives millions with a convenient, politically correct
“gospel”, which is nothing more than a whimsical doctrine of “love” dispensing with
Scriptural standards of morality. Satan STILL calls the shots in societal trends. Two thousand
years of the Church Age has failed to stamp out sin and immorality in this world.

We do NOT YET see Christ face-to-face, but rather, see Him through a glass darkly ( I Cor.
13: 12). Our understanding of Him and our service for Him is STILL imperfect, because we
STILL dwell in perishable vessels of clay. We have NOT YET been perfected into the glorious
image of Christ, nor attained to perfection of wisdom and power. Though heirs of God and
joint-heirs with Christ, we have NOT YET received our ultimate reward. Christ does NOT YET
reign as King over this earth. He does NOT YET sit upon His father David’s Throne on Mount
Zion, enforcing His righteous decrees. Rather, most of mankind STILL holds His Word in the
basest contempt. This is a world at enmity with its Creator.

I beg to differ, but if this present rotten world is the perfection God’s children are promised,
and, as a result, God must divest me of weapons I badly need to fight the devil, then I’m in
BIG trouble!

Jesus said in Mark 16: 17-18, just before ascending up to heaven: And these signs shall
follow THEM THAT BELIEVE; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with
new tongues; They shall take up serpents and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not
hurt them; they shall lay hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.

Notice. These signs shall follow “THEM THAT BELIEVE”. If this offer was to expire after the
death of the last of the Twelve Apostles, surely Christ would have included that crucial
clause in His will before His Ascension. But it’s a good thing for me He didn’t!

Saints, it makes no sense for a general to strip his army of their most effective weapons just
when the enemy has brought out his deadliest nukes. This is an age of gross darkness, and
I need every spiritual weapon I can get from God to win the victory.

Don’t Throw the Baby Out With the Bath Water

How much wiser it is to receive God’s spiritual gifts and grow in the use of them, than to
reject them in the name of denominational doctrine and to hobble the Life of Christ in you,
and to be helpless in the face of enemy attack!

Many have screwy notion that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are rivals for the affections of the
saints, that if you seek the power of the Spirit and express love and gratitude to Him, you’re
neglecting the Son. But the goal of the Holy Spirit is ever to glorify the Son (John 16:13-
14). No one thinks you’re slighting the Son if you praise and adore the Father Who sent
Him, so why should you fear to love the Holy Spirit? God is a Trinity. The Father, the Son
and the Holy Ghost are all the same God.

Love without power is feeble and little more than sweet sticky sentiment that cannot free
satan’s captives. It’s like trying to row a boat with only one oar. You just spin round and
round in mad circles as you strive to sell an anemic, politically correct Gospel with
intellectual arguments alone. More often than not, your listener is one tough customer who
can present 10,000 reasons why he won’t buy Jesus and why all Christians are hypocrites.

Unquestioning acceptance of dead doctrine not only hobbles the saints but robs God of His
Glory before an unbelieving world. Many want to give God a makeover to fit in with their
respectable churchianity. They want to make Him a quiet mascot smiling down on nodding
pew-warmers who stare hypnotically at a sleepy preacher, passive spectators who can’t
wait till the boring sermon is over so they can go out to eat.

Flawed Church Tradition Serves Men, Not God

Did Jesus’ offer of Holy Ghost power expire with the demise of the original apostles? Not
one Scripture substantiates that false assumption. And nowhere does it say the offices of
apostle, prophet, and teacher would be discontinued and only powerless pastors and anemic
evangelists would remain to take up the slack! Anything which involves the supernatural
side of God tends to be disparaged by nominal churches and hid beneath a bushel basket in
hopes it will be forgotten about. It appears to me that a lot of church traditions serve the
interests of men, not God.

Limiters of God give lip service to a respectable Sunday god who has retired from the
miracle business; a god who sits with folded hands looking on helplessly as people pray
prayers they don’t expect ever to see answered. But that isn’t my God!

The Baptism of the Spirit: Christ’s Final Promise

Notice in Luke 22:31-32. Jesus and His original disciples were gathered in the Upper Room
for the Last Supper, just prior to His trial and crucifixion. Jesus was about to warn Peter
that he would deny Him three times. He says: “Simon, Simon, listen. Satan has desired to
have you. He wants to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith will
not fail: and WHEN YOU ARE CONVERTED (saved), strengthen your brethren.” The
disciples had walked with Jesus for at least three years, but they had not yet been born
again. Jesus had not yet offered up His life as an atonement for their sins.

For some 40 days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus continued to make
appearances to His followers in His immortal resurrected body. Immediately after Jesus’
execution, His eleven disciples (Judas had committed suicide), were hiding in a locked
room, petrified that those same Jewish leaders who’d just murdered Jesus were out gunning
for them. They were surprised when Jesus suddenly materialized before them without going
through the door. Now Christ could do this because His wonderful resurrected body was not
hindered by the laws of nature, or time and space. He showed the disciples the marks left
in His hands by the nails, and the deep scar left by the spear which had been thrust through
his side. Having satisfied His men that He was indeed the risen Savior Who possessed a
body of flesh and bone, and not a mere apparition, he gave them the commission to preach
the Gospel. Then He breathed upon His disciples and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (John
20: 21-22).

Which sparks a question: If Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into His disciples at the time of
their first encounter with Him after His Resurrection, then why this subsequent scenario:
Ten days before the Jewish Feast of Pentecost and immediately before He went back to
heaven, Christ gave parting instructions to His disciples: It is written that Christ must suffer
and rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be
preached in His Name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are all witnesses of these
things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but you must first wait in the
city of Jerusalem until you have received power from above (Luke 24:46-49). And again,
in Acts Chapter 1 Christ says:

Verse 4 And, being assembled together with them, (Christ) commanded them that they
should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye
have heard of me.

Verse 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not
many days hence.

Verse 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt
thou at this time restore again the kingdom again to Israel?

Verse 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which
the Father hath put in his own power.

Verse 8 But YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth.

Verse 9 And when he had spoken these things, while he beheld, he was taken up, and a
cloud received him out of their sight.

The very last words Christ uttered on this earth before being taken up to heaven was His
promise to send us the Holy Spirit. I should think the thelogians who debunk the Baptism of
the Spirit would agree that the final words of Christ on earth should carry at least as much
weight as everything else he said during His ministry. And Jesus didn’t restrict His promise
to those disciples standing with Him on the Mount of Olives either, anymore than He limited
salvation from sin to that particular group of disciples.

Salvation, Water Baptisms and Holy Spirit Baptism

If salvation and the Baptism of the Spirit were one and the same blessing, then it follows
that throughout the forty days the Resurrected Christ walked among the disciples, they
were still unconverted sinners, because they did not receive the Baptism of the Spirit until
the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. But this just can’t be. Jesus had breathed the Holy
Spirit into the hearts of the disciples immediately after His Resurrection, many days before
His departure date. The Holy Spirit simply does not dwell in the hearts of unconverted
individuals! His Presence in a heart sanctifies it.

I firmly believe Jesus had earlier breathed His Holy Spirit into the hearts of His disciples to
regenerate them spiritually to eternal life. When He did this, they were converted, for it was
then the Holy Spirit entered their hearts by faith and imparted eternal life to men once
spiritually dead ( see Ephesians 2:1). But Christ would not send his followers off to the
mission field until they had first received the Baptism (total immersion into) the Holy Spirit,
to empower them.

This can be likened to a soldier being inducted into the army. Once he is sworn in, he knows
his duty is to fight to defend his nation. When we enter the Kingdom of God by faith, we
receive the status of soldiers of the Great King (2 Tim. 2:3-4).

But a soldier’s zeal is never enough to defeat an enemy stronger than himself. He needs
weapons. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers you, as a believer, to keep the Faith in
an ungodly world and pray strong prayers in the Spirit which get the devil running when he
dares to cross the Christ in you. If you don’t receive the power and wisdom of the mighty
Holy Ghost, you’re a dead duck, waiting to be picked off on satan’s shooting range.

Acts 8: 14-17 also bolsters my belief that salvation and the Baptism of the Spirit are two
separate occurrences. It could hardly be plainer.

Verse 14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received
the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
Verse 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the
Holy Ghost:
Verse 16 (For as yet He (the Holy Ghost) was fallen upon NONE of them: only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Verse 17 THEN laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

By the time the apostles got to Samaria to check on the new believers who had received the
Word of God, they had ALREADY BEEN WATER BAPTIZED in the Name of Jesus. Now, if
salvation from sin and the Baptism in the Holy Ghost are synonymous terms and water
baptism is the only baptism needful for believers, then why would the apostles have prayed
for them to receive the Holy Ghost upon their arrival in Samaria? What’s more, if these
people had been unconverted before the apostles prayed for them, then why on earth were
they ALREADY water baptized in the Name of Jesus? It just isn’t scriptural for people to be
baptized to bear testimony to others that they are born again BEFORE the fact, is it?

In Acts 19 Paul visits a group of disciples in Ephesus. By clear inference, they must be
ALREADY saved to be Christian disciples! In verse 2 he asks them: have ye received the
Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as heard
whether there be any Holy Ghost (KJV).

Here we have the same paradox not common to powerless churches: The disciples, who
had earlier received John the Baptist’s baptism unto repentance, had heard of Jesus, but
not the Holy Ghost! Yet God in His mercy has already enabled them to believe in Christ’s
saving power. This is implied in verse 4 where Paul says: John verily baptized with the
baptism of repentance, saying unto the people; that they should believe on him that should
come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Verse 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; AND
THEY SPAKE WITH TONGUES AND PROPHESIED.

Notice, this particular group had ALREADY believed on Christ unto salvation. If any of them
had died before the arrival of Paul, they would have doubtless gone straight to heaven.
Though they had been baptized in water by John before Christ’s crucifixion, they received
another water baptism as an outward testimony to men of their conversion to the risen
Christ. Then Paul laid hands on them to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, which
enabled them to speak in tongues and prophesy.

Tongues: Bypassing the Natural Mind to Access the Mind of the Spirit

No other point of theology seems to pose more of a stumbling block to seekers of the
Baptism of the Spirit than speaking in tongues. Why? Because speaking in tongues is an
ability imparted by the Holy Spirit, Whose understanding is infinitely superior to human
intellect. The fallible human mind falls far short of the Glory of God. Speaking in tongues
bypasses the intellect altogether, and thus we do not know what we are praying when we
exercise this gift. Tongues is a supernatural Gift of the Spirit, exercised at the will of the
speaker as the Spirit provides the utterance (Acts 2:4). This heavenly speech is
unintelligible to the speaker, but understood by God (I Cor. 14:14).

People of great accomplishment or intellectual geniuses sometimes have a harder time

receiving tongues because there is no room for human pride in the exercise of this gift. It’s
one example of that which is lightly esteemed in men’s eyes confounding things highly
esteemed in the sight of men (I Cor. 1: 25-29). Ironically, it is the very simplicity of
moving in the Gift of Tongues which humbles human pride.

I’m one of those who didn’t find human pride an obstacle in receiving tongues. I had been
so badly treated in school there was no room to be proud of anything except the fact I had a
cup with lots of room for God to fill up with more of Himself. When I received the Baptism
at the tender age of 19, I was totally disgusted with the ways of the world. I loathed the
idea of living out my life to impress a world full of phony entities who didn’t care two cents
about me anyway. My sights were set strictly on the things of God’s Eternal Kingdom. The
day I received the Baptism of the Spirit was like heaven itself to me. After I prayed for the
fullness of the Spirit I sang in tongues to praise the Lord Who offered me true dignity as a
child of God, as one whom others had striven to rob of dignity. My soul was lifted up with
unutterable joy. And my only regret was the Lord didn’t also lift me up off my chair to be
with Him in heaven. Any believer who knows he is dead to a dead world wants all the life
God can pour into him or her.

Benefits of Speaking in Tongues

In Acts Chapter Two Spirit-baptized apostles spoke in foreign languages they’d never
learned before and Jewish proselytes from all over the known world heard the wonderful
works of God proclaimed in their own tongues. That is a miraculous phenomenon, rather
than being the product of years of laborious language study! Even in that case, the believer
does not understand what he is saying when speaking in tongues, because the content of
the message is not governed by his intellect. The Gift of Tongues does not make it
unnecessary for missionaries to study the native languages of the countries they’re being
sent to, as a common UNDERSTOOD language is still essential for personal interaction.

Tongues are of enormous benefit to the believer’s prayer life. In the natural realm, we are
limited by our own intellect, insofar as expressing ourselves is concerned. But there are
times our communion with God transcends the depth and range of our natural language and
vocabulary. The ways of the Spirit are a deep mystery. As you pray in tongues He could be
offering up a petition for some situation you know nothing about. Our natural minds are not
always aware of matters which need praying for, either in our own lives or those of others.
Except in the case of the Gift of Tongues with interpretation exercised in the Christian
assembly, tongues are directed exclusively toward God, not men (I Cor. 14:2; verses 14-
15).

Whenever you’re under attack, pray in the prayer language of the Spirit, out loud in the face
of danger. Your enemies aren’t ashamed to make noise for the devil, so why should you feel
self-conscious? Remind satan that he is defeated by Jesus’ blood and has no right to bother
you. If you feel the devil making you worry, you could say something like this:

Devil, in the name of Jesus I submit myself to God and His Word. I resist you in the power
of the Holy Spirit. I command you to flee! Jesus defeated you 2,000 years ago on the
Cross of Calvary. I take authority over you through the Blood of Jesus. Your destiny is the
Lake of Fire, God’s garbage incinerator. My destiny is to rule with Christ in the world to
come. You are a defeated foe. Jesus has already won the victory through His death, burial
and resurrection. Jesus spoiled your principalities of darkness and triumphed over them
openly in the sight of all the universe. You are a squatter, devil. You’ve got no right to touch
God’s property. Get out and don’t ever bother me, my loved ones or anything we have ever
again. If satan keeps coming back to hassle you, keep reasserting your right to be free
(John 8:32,36). Pray for God to give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your
ways, according to Psalms 91. God’s unseen army of angels are well able to fight for you to
deliver you (Psalms 91:11).

At times, I might feel a deep burden in my spirit and not even know what it’s about. It is
then I will direct my heart heavenward and pray as the Spirit gives me utterance. I don’t
worry that I don’t know exactly what I’m saying, because the Holy Spirit knows better than
I do what the Father needs to hear concerning a situation which may not even be at the
forefront of my consciousness. The Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which
cannot even be uttered (Romans 8:26-27). Our understanding often fails, but the mind of
the Spirit is always perfectly attune with the will of God. That’s part of the reason I
disagreed with that fellow I met on the road when he insisted that the Gifts of the Spirit are
“done away” because “that which is perfect” is already come and there was no further need
for them. How absurd, to think our own natural knowledge and power to present
accurately our petitions to the Father is as perfect as that of the Holy Spirit!

One benefit of praying in tongues is that the inner man feels refreshed afterward, as if it’s
just had a good spring cleaning. Often I have felt oppressed, discouraged or weary and a
few minutes of praying in tongues has driven those feelings away. Isaiah 28:11-12 speaks
of unknown tongues and the stubbornness of unbelievers who hear them: For with
stammering lips and another tongue will he (God) speak to this people. To whom he said,
this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet
they would not hear. That’s great news for those who hesitate to pray in tongues privately
or exercise the Gift of Tongues in church because it doesn’t sound fluent enough. The world
pokes fun at stammering or any kind of weakness whatever. But in God’s book, tongues can
even come with stammering! Not only that, God delights in using weak things to confound
things idolized by the world, so that there can be no room for pride or boasting (I Cor. 1:25-
29).

The devil trembles whenever God’s faithful people pray in the Spirit. It is then God’s power
is released to tear down the devil’s strongholds of darkness and release his captives.

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of Hosts (Zech 4:6).

KEY No. 2: THE SPIRIT OF GOD +THE WORD OF GOD

The prophet Jeremiah called the Word of God “a fire shut up in his bones” (Jere. 20:9). It’s
one thing to have a head knowledge of God’s truth, but it’s quite another to feel the burning
of God’s Spirit deep inside you. That holy anointing of Fire makes you to proclaim His
message of judgment even when you’d rather bury that unpopular message because the
only thing people want to hear from God is that “He loves everybody the same and would
never send anybody, good or bad, to hell”. But the God of the Bible is a consuming Fire
(Hebrews 12:29). He is to be served with godly fear. That same Holy Fire which empowers
Christians to testify to the power of Christ is also to be held in dread by the wicked and
unbelievers, and if they refuse to reverence Him in this world they will be driven to their
knees by fear of His terrible Majesty in the world to come. Every knee will eventually bow
to Christ and say He is Lord, whether it be as personal Savior in this life or as personal
judge in the next (Romans 14:11; Phil. 2:10).

Time and again the Holy Spirit reminds me of Scripture verses which fortify me with faith in
God’s faithfulness to provide something I need or to solve some problem. That is how He
breathes life into otherwise dead Scripture passages and uses them to speak to me in time
of need. Jesus promises His disciples in John 14:26: But the Comforter, Which is the Holy
Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. *****The Holy Spirit is SO
faithful to remind me of Scriptures I’ve studied in the past to help me evaluate some of the
“new” doctrines going around the church today. He reminds me of portions of Scripture
which have direct bearing upon any problem or situation I may be facing.

Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life (John 14:6). If you’re a Christian believer, only
what Jesus says about you is the real truth. Jesus is the Living Word of God (John 1:1).
What does the written expression of God’s Word have to say about you?

Scriptures to Fortify A Believer Against Insults

Lie no. 1: You’re UGLY!

THE TRUTH: The Lord shall beautify the meek with salvation (Psalms 149:4).
Let the Beauty of the Lord our God be upon us (Psalms 90:17).

Lie no. 2: You’re WORTHLESS!

THE TRUTH: And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up
My jewels (literally: special treasure) [Malachi 4:17).
Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things
such as silver and gold...but with the precious Blood of Christ (I Peter 1: 18-19)

Lie no. 3: You’re a NOBODY!

THE TRUTH: Beloved, now are we the sons of God (I John 3:2).
The Spirit Himself bears witness to our spirit, that we are the children of God; And
if children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8: 16-17).

Lie no. 4: NOBODY WANTS ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!

THE TRUTH: The righteous shall compass me about, for You shall deal bountifully with me
(Psalms 142:7).
Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of
witnesses…..(Heb.12:1).
Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 20).
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you (John 14:18).
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If anyone hears My voice and opens
the door, I will come inside and dine with him, and he with Me ( Revelation 3:20).
Christ is a friend Who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

Lie no. 5: I’M RICH, AND YOU’RE POOR! HA HA HA!

THE TRUTH: A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked
(Psalms 37: 16).
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them in the day of the Lord’s wrath
(Zephaniah 1:18).
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21).
The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace
( Psalms 37:11; Matthew 5:5: see footnote1)
...To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, which is
reserved in heaven for you (I Peter 1:4)..
He who overcomes (the enemy) will inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he will be
my son (Revelation 21:7).

Lie no. 6: I’M RICH ENOUGH TO SHOP THE BEST STORES, AND MY CLOTHES MAKE YOURS
LOOK LIKE RAGS! (A favorite with girl bullies)
THE TRUTH: Being puffed up with pride over a rich wardrobe isn’t new. In Isaiah 3:16-24
God rebukes the fashion queens of Zion, who go traipsing about in seductive apparel, on the
lookout for guys. Their seductive perfume attracts men like bees go for honey. Today the
most alluring scents are those endorsed by top celebrities, and do they pack a walloping
price!. Celebrity perfumes are so expensive you get just half an ounce in the smallest size
(one tablespoon of product), and all the rest is just empty bottle! But these vain girls in
Isaiah were splashing it on to show how desirable they were. Rich kids (and rich preachers)
love to show off their fancy jewelry and accessories. In this passage God rebukes the girls
for their mincing walk and wanton eyes. His judgment appears in verse 24: And it shall
come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle (sash) a
rent (tear); and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher (jeweled
bodice) a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

The fashion of this world will pass away (I Corinthians 7:31).

Woe unto you who are rich! For you have received your consolation (Luke 6:24).

Listen now, you rich people, weep and lament because of the miseries that shall come
upon you. Your riches have rotted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver
are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you, and will consume your flesh
like fire. You have heaped up riches for the last days (James 5:1-2). Your life on earth has
been one of pleasure and lust, and you have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter
(verse 5).

Lie no. 7: YOU’VE GOT A REPULSIVE BODY

THE TRUTH: I will praise You; for I am awesomely and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14).
Know you not that you are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you (I
Corinthians 3:16)?
...Who (Jesus) shall change our vile (humble) bodies, and make them like His own glorious
body, using the same power whereby He is able to bring all things under His rule
(Philippians 3:21).

Lie no. 8: YOUR REPUTATION WILL BE SHOT ALL TO HELL WHEN I’M DONE!
THE TRUTH: You will be protected from the scourge of the tongue, and need not fear when
destruction comes (Job 5:21).
You (God) will hide them in the Secret Place of Your Presence from the arrogance of men.
You will shelter them in Your dwelling from the strife of tongues (Psalms 20). No weapon
formed against you will prosper; and you will successfully condemn every accusing tongue.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness comes from Me,
saith the Lord (Isaiah 54:17).
Your enemies will be found to be liars (Deuteronomy 33:29b).
Lie no. 9: (FROM RACISTS) I’M PURE-BLOODED. YOU’RE A MONGREL!
THE TRUTH: (God) has made of ONE BLOOD all nations of mankind to dwell on the face of
the earth (Acts 17:26a)

Lie no. 10: YOU’RE STUPID!

THE TRUTH: But unto them who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God,
and the wisdom of God (I Corinthians I: 24).
…We (believers) have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16b).

Lie no. 11: YOU WON’T GET ANYWHERE IN LIFE! YOU’RE A LOSER!
THE TRUTH: …He who fears the Lord shall come forth of them all (Ecclesiastes 7:18b).
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be
thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest (Joshua 1:9).

Lie no. 12: YOU AREN’T NORMAL!

THE TRUTH: So what? Noah wasn’t considered “normal” by his peers either, but he alone
survived the Flood, along with his family. God remains true to His own Holy nature and
doesn’t “go with the flow” of majority opinion. He sided with only eight people (I Peter 3:19-
20). The rest of the world perished.

Lie no. 13: SO WHO’S GONNA STOP ME FROM TALKIN’?

THE TRUTH: God will. A false witness shall not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall
perish (Proverbs 19:9).
The lip of truth shall endure forever, but a lying tongue only lasts for a moment (Proverbs
12:19).

I’ve just cited a baker’s dozen of the most commonly heard bylines of bullies. Loud,
boastful, venemous, mean, agressive cowards who are a chip off the old block, their father
satan. Pray for the inner might to withstand their malicious lies and for the faith to believe
what the Word of God has to say about your position as one of His dear children. God’s
written Word is to be the final authority in all matters of truth and morality, and that should
settle it. God’s Word is forever settled in heaven (Psalms 119:89). That includes what God
has to say about you or anything else. A bully’s lying tongue will soon pass away and never
be heard again except in hell. But the Word of God will last throughout all the ages of
eternity (I Peter 1:25). Don’t just read and memorize the Word, ask the Holy Spirit to
breathe life into it both within your heart and outward in your circumstances, so that all
things might work together for your good (Romans 8:28).

Now is the time to allow God to begin a process of deep healing in your soul. The devil has
done his worst to tear you down socially, mentally, intellectually, emotionally, and perhaps
even physically. There is no better medicine for a wounded soul than the Word of God.
Jesus said, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). The
Word of God is activated by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:4-5). He Himself makes God’s
Word come alive in our hearts in a way no human instructor can. It is futile to struggle to
“snap out of” negative feelings toward yourself which bullies have drilled into you over a
long period of time. I’ve tried it, and believe me, it doesn’t work. You couldn’t, by mere
exercise of “positive thinking”, cancel out an injury to a broken arm. Your soul, which has
suffered innumerable injuries, is just as real. It is the part of you which lives forever. Only
the power of God can heal a broken soul. Even Scripture possesses no power to heal apart
from the ministry of the Spirit of God, Who is able to apply the balm of God’s truth to a
heart shattered by lies. I feel that the Lord would have you to meditate on this prayer
before we delve any further into this section:
Oh Father of All Mercy, grant a miracle to that dear one who is reading this book. Let a
holy anointing of Your Spirit be upon the Scriptures which I share, that the lies of the Evil
One may be counteracted. Let Your Holy Truth even be an effective antidote for the vicious
venom of that old serpent the devil, which was inflicted by many evil tongues. Heavenly
Father, let your Spirit of Truth heal that precious hurting soul. O Lord Jesus, please stand as
a barrier between the hurting person reading this and any traumatic memories satan tries to
dredge up to torment him or her. Put an impassable barrier of Your redeeming Blood
between that person and the destructive power of past injustices. Let the Spirit of the
Living Christ Himself be a Mighty Shield to come between those dark memories and the soul
which You are healing.

Please, dear Lord, bring these Holy Scriptures to life, that they may even impart life to that
one who has been denied the joy of living by adversaries. Let Your River of Life go forth to
refresh the parched soul and revive it. For You Yourself have said in John 6:63: My words
are spirit, and they are life. In Jesus’ Holy Name, amen.

KEY No. 3: THE SPIRIT OF GOD + THE BLOOD OF JESUS

Through some miraculous process understood only by God, the Holy Spirit applies the
precious Blood of Jesus to the heart of repentant sinners to regenerate them spiritually, or
bring about the new birth (Titus 3:5). As the Holy Spirit washes away sin with the Blood of
Christ, old things pass away and all things become new (2 Cor.5:17). Conflict arises when
the devil tries to rebuild old structures of fear, inadequacy and oppression torn down in a
believer set free by Christ. Standing firm on the scriptural truth of who we are in Christ is a
vital part of our spiritual warfare against satan. It is through the blood of Christ that we
have access to a Holy God and can petition Him for help in time of need.

Heb.10:19: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus,
Verse 20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that
is to say, his flesh;
Verse 21: And having an high priest over the house of God;
Verse 22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

It is the blessed Holy Spirit within us who witnesses to our spirit that we are sons (and
daughters) of the Great King and are counted worthy to enter His very Presence
(Rom.8:16). Thus the Holy Spirit awakens to our spiritual understanding the efficacy of the
sanctifying power of the Blood of the crucified Christ.

We have the right to claim this precious truth: Through Christ’s substitutionary suffering and
death on the Cross of Calvary, we are more than conquerors over the adversary of our soul
(Rom.8:37).

Jesus allowed Himself to be killed so that he might triumph over, and ultimately destroy, the
devil.

I John 3:8: He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the
devil.
Heb.2:14: 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;
Verse 15: And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage.

The bully is a terrorist who serves satan the devil. The bully is an archenemy of God and
His love. The bully is the carrier of a nasty spiritual disease, FEAR! He infects his poor
victims with the the FEAR OF DEATH as he terrorizes them with fear of emotional or bodily
harm. I nearly passed out from fear as Butch threatened to put my eyes out with a rubber
band. His knife terrified me, and that miserable bus driver did NOTHING about it! Butch
assaulted me with a club. Maybe I would have fought back if the whole bus hadn’t been
cheering him on. That bus driver was an old man when he allowed me to be DAILY
physically and verbally assaulted on HIS bus. I just know that by now that old guy has
passed on and had to answer to God for turning a blind eye to Butch.

The bully keeps his victim in BONDAGE to fear each and every day the victim is forced into
contact with him/her. I remember how much I hated school, which is tragic, because I have
a natural love of learning which only blossomed after I left high school. I hated school
because I saw it as being a PRISON OF FEAR!!! If it wasn’t tacks in my chair or emotional
bullying it was spitballs and shunning. Worst of all was the bus ride home. If I had been an
office worker being threatened with a knife or a club, the authorities would have taken it
seriously and it wouldn’t have gone on for very long. Even if I’d been spat on and verbally
assaulted in the workplace I could have filed a lawsuit against the company for violation of
my civil rights. I wish I could have sued somebody to get some small compensation for the
misery I was subjected to, day in and day out! There is NO place for forgiveness where
there is no repentance, especially when the System tolerated the crime.

Back in 1968, American school kids had NO BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS! They had NO RIGHT to
a secure learning environment. Chewing a wad of gum was a more serious offense than
destroying a helpless girl. Bullying was treated like a rite of passage, a light-hearted joke,
instead of the spiritually destructive evil it is. Maybe the System is cracking down a little bit
harder now, but you know the old saying about the barn door being shut after the horse
gets out. A HELL of a lot of damage has ALREADY been done, and evil fruits are being
reaped in a generation even more morally decayed than the one I grew up in.

Let all those who are entangled in an ongoing war with satan claim their RIGHT TO BE FREE
of his prison of fear! Pray in the power of the Holy Ghost, pleading your blood-bought rights
as a child of God! The Passover Lamb offered up by the Jews prefigured the Blood of Jesus
shed for the sins of mankind. In Exodus 12:13 God promised the Israelites that when He
saw the blood sprinkled on the lintels and doorposts of their homes, that the avenging angel
would pass over them and none of them would die. If you are redeemed, God sees the
precious Blood of Jesus sprinkled on the doorpost of your heart, beloved, and the avenging
angel MUST pass over you and cannot destroy you.

The whole world lies in wickedness because of sin (I John 5:19). Death first entered into this
world because of sin (Rom.5:12). In Deuteronomy Chapter 28, God promised blessings of
heath, peace and long life to those who would faithfully serve him. But in that same chapter,
He also detailed the CURSES which would fall upon those who disobeyed Him. Of interest to
this section are these selected verses, followed by my own comments:

Verse 25: The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out
one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the
kingdoms of the earth.* * * * *When you’re bullied and KNOW there’s no way to win, all
you want to do is flee to avoid an even worse bruising than you’re getting.

Verse 28: The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of
heart:* * * * *What a battle it is to keep your sanity as your entire existence is subsumed
in depression and fear! You’re so immersed in your personal cesspool of misery that you’re
blind to everything else.

Verse 29: And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt
not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no
man shall save thee.* * * * *In the choking thick blackness of my despair, I groped for
answers but found none. Nothing I did helped my situation. Nothing I struggled to achieve
soothed the hurt heaped upon me daily. NO ONE saved me from my persecutors. I had to
suffer all alone, misunderstood, scorned and very vulnerable to attack.

Verse 30: Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an
house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather
the grapes thereof.* * * * *Talk about being on the bottom of the heap! Oppressed people
work for the benefit of those who are mean and strong enough to take away the fruits of
their labor.

Verse 31: Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass
shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy
sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.* * * *
*The word “violently” conjures up the image of a street punk holding a knife to you and
demanding your last ten bucks. Bullies VIOLENTLY steal away the human dignity and peace
of another human being. The victim has no one to rescue him.

Verse 32: Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes
shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in
thine hand.* * * * *No might in thine hand. That describes my own feelings so long ago. I
had no power to escape school or the torments it brought me each and every day. No
power to escape the acid drips eating away into my poor oppressed soul.

Verse 33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat
up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:* * * * *Bullies are non-productive
leeches who prey on others. Hardly a day went by that I didn’t feel a crushing load of
depression on my soul.

Verse 34: So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.* * * *
*Just beholding all the cruelty everyday nearly drove me crazy. Only my anger kept me
going, and my determination that one day I would triumph over those evil beasts.

Verse 65: And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot
have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and
sorrow of mind:

Verse 66: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night,
and shalt have none assurance of thy life:* * * * *Every day I worried that Butch would get
even more aggressive and worried that I wouldn’t make it through the school year without
some severe injury.

Verse 67: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt
say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and
for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.* * * * *That happened to me every day. I
wished the miserable day would end and I could curl up in my warm, cozy bed. And I never
stopped wishing my eternal night of darkness would end.

I quoted just a small part of the terrible Curse of the Law God promised to Israelites who
rebelled against His Word. Not one of us has lived up to God’s standards of righteousness
perfectly. But Galatians 3:13 declares that Christ has redeemed us from the Curse of the
Law by becoming a curse for us. Through the atoning death of Christ on the Cross, God’s
justice was satisfied. We who believe no longer owe any penalty for our past sins and
failures. The doom of the Law was nailed upon the tree, and we have been set free from
this terrible curse for time and eternity.

Many elements of the Curse of the Law are suffered by victims of bullying. Victims are
“crushed and oppressed always” and have no rest for the sole of their foot. They’re always
running away, never feeling at ease or secure. Their enemies rob them, afflict them, and
make life hell for them.

Those redeemed by the blood of Jesus should NOT be suffering the Curse of the Law or
anything like it. Ephesians 2:6 teaches that God has seated us with Christ in heavenly
places. We don’t belong under the feet of the devil or his disgusting followers!
If you’re being bullied at school or work, remind God that He has promised all His blood-
bought children freedom from the Curse of the Law and all its oppressions. Satan has no
right to enforce any kind of curse upon you. Plead the precious blood of Jesus. If you feel
helpless and overwhelmed, even go so far as to ask your High Priest the Lord Jesus to
intercede on your behalf to the Father for supernatural deliverance from all your enemies.
Pray for God’s intervention, and as you stand in faith upon the promises of the Word of God,
expect it!

Meditate upon this prayer, and make it your own, or offer up a similar prayer as you feel
led:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You that your only Son Jesus died to set me free from the penalty of broken Law. I
confess that I have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and You behold me
clad in His righteousness. I thank you that I am NOT under the Curse of broken Law and
that Jesus has set Me free. On the basis of Your own Word I claim the right to be free from
any harassment and oppression the devil tries to put on me. Please intervene in my life
and chase away my enemies. Please keep my heart and my mind in your peace. In Jesus’
Holy Name, amen.

KEY No. 4: THE SPIRIT OF GOD + THE BLESSED NAME OF JESUS

Jesus promised in John 14:13-14: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do
it.

Believers are given the “power of attorney” to use the Name of Jesus in making requests to
God. That means we are given the legal right by God the Father to pray as if Jesus Himself
were doing the actual praying. If we offer up any request which is in keeping with the Word
of God and Spirit of Christ, we can rest assured that God the Father will put His stamp of
approval on it and see that it comes to pass. Jesus has delegated authority to Christians on
earth to act and speak in His Name (Mark 16:17). It’s a little like the Vice President signing
bills under the authority of the President, who is off in some foreign land and can’t
personally be there to handle the pen at the bill-signing ceremony himself. In Luke 10:19
Jesus says to His disciples: Behold, I give unto you power (Gk. exousia, authority) to tread
on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any
means hurt you.

Serpents and scorpions are poisonous, stinging creatures which have the power to kill, like
vicious bullies. Jesus gives His people authority over ALL the power of the enemy. Satan
has no legal right in the sight of God to hurt those who believe in Christ.

Believers are made one Spirit with Christ (I Cor.6:17). That is one reason we have legal
right in the sight of God to use His Name in prayer. If you have deep down assurance in
your spirit that your request is in keeping with the Word of God, you may present it to God
the Father in perfect confidence.

I John 5:14: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us.
Verse 15: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of him.

When you KNOW deep inside that God approves of your prayer, you may pray in the Name
of Jesus, knowing that your petition will come to pass. Jesus came to heal the broken-
hearted, to set the captives free, and to set at liberty those who are bruised (Luke 4:18).
Who is more broken-hearted than a victim of bullying? Who is more bound by satan than a
person who lives in daily fear of insult and violence? Who is more bruised than somebody
who suffers repeated injuries with no time to heal? Pray for Jesus to set you free from
satan’s power to bind and bruise you! Remind Jesus that part of His ministry is to destroy
the works of the devil and set His people free from satan’s destructive power. Remind Him
that on the basis of Luke 4:18 that your prayer for help is in accordance with His Word. Pray
for God to send angels to bind the bullies and the wicked spirits driving them! Pray in the
tongues of the Spirit for God to send His delivering power into your life. Pray as often as you
can, in your heart if not always audibly (I Thes.5:17).

In Acts 3:16 Peter tells wicked men that faith in the Name of Jesus has made a crippled
man well. Bullies cripple the emotions and often the health of their victims. Put your faith in
the blessed Name of Jesus to save and deliver you from the power of satan. Pray to your
Heavenly Father for help, uttering that Holy Name in faith, presenting your petitions as the
Holy Spirit leads you.

Trust in the Name of Jesus (Matt.12:21). Romans 10:13 promises that whoever calls upon
the Name of the Lord shall be saved. The word for “saved” as used here is derived from the
Greek sozo, which means to deliver, or protect. Remind the Lord Jesus that you are calling
upon His Name, and you believe He will deliver and protect you from dangers satan brings
against you.

Philippians 2:10 promises that EVERY created thing is destined to bow its knee to the Name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. If bullies don’t bend the knee to Jesus now in repentance and
faith, someday they will someday do it in fear of the judgment coming upon them.