DESTROYING SATANIC STRONGHOLDS OF RACISM, WITCHCRAFT AND RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

IN THE DAYS OF HIS POWER SERIES.

TOPIC: DESTROYING 3 MOST POWERFUL SATANIC STRONGHOLDS OF RACISM, WITCHCRAFT AND RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

SERMON BY-:
Rev. Innocent Chukwudi Peace-Udochukwu President Living Fountain Ministries Int’l LIFOM.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
2Corrinthians 10:4

We overcome Satan’s schemes when we understand how he oppresses us and how we must defeat him. Here are some clear ways to recognize demonic oppression in your life and find victory!

The Evil One and his demons seize opportunities to cunningly influence our thinking in many different ways and to varying degrees. If his schemes remain hidden from our conscience thought, they can form a foothold or establish a stronghold in our souls from which evil spirits can operate unimpeded.

Footholds:
We overcome Satan’s schemes when we understand how he oppresses us and how we must defeat him. Here are some clear ways to recognize demonic oppression in your life and find victory!

The Evil One and his demons seize opportunities to cunningly influence our thinking in many different ways and to varying degrees. If his schemes remain hidden from our conscience thought.

They can form a foothold or establish a stronghold in our souls from which evil spirits can operate unimpeded.

Author Mark Bubeck defines stronghold, saying: “a stronghold is an idea, belief, fear, feeling, desire, or anything else (arguments, pretensions against the knowledge of God)

That has a strong hold, or a firm grip on, our mind, spirit, body, or heart—enslaving us—motivating us to act out against God’s will through repeated sinful behavior.

A stronghold is a believed lie we have allowed to become reality to us and hold us in bondage to sin. It’s a lie that has darkened our minds to the truth of Christ.”

We need to understand, first of all, why there is spiritual warfare, who is fighting who, which side are we on?

So I want to turn, first of all, to Matthew 12, a passage about the ministry of Jesus which brings out the basic fact that there are two invisible spiritual kingdoms that are at war with one another.

One is the kingdom of Satan and the other is the kingdom of God.

So if the kingdom of God is at war with the kingdom of Satan and we are in the kingdom of God, then we have no options.
We are automatically at war with the kingdom of Satan.

The Three most Powerful Satanic evil Strongholds:

1. RACISM
   Racism is discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity.

Racism can be present in social actions, practices, or political systems (e.g. apartheid) that support the expression of prejudice or aversion in discriminatory practices.

The ideology underlying racist practices often assumes that humans can be subdivided into distinct groups that are different in their social behavior and innate capacities and that can be ranked as inferior or superior.
Racist ideology can become manifest in many aspects of social life.

Associated social actions may include nativism, xenophobia, otherness, segregation, hierarchical ranking, supremacism, and related social phenomena.

Overcoming Racism and Prejudice
God’s eternal plan and down-to-earth solution to overcoming the problem of racial, tribal, and national divisions

SCRIPTURE:Revelation 5:9-10
This is a problem that must be confronted, repented of, and addressed. And I want to say that the church of Jesus Christ should be leading the way in addressing this personal, systemic, and egregious problem.

The roots of racism and prejudice run deeper than deranged shooters, certain corrupt cops, lack of education on the issue, or bad upbringing. The roots run as deep as the human heart itself.

The biblical teaching on this issue is that because of the fall of mankind, outlined for us in Genesis 3, all of us are born with a nature that’s bent.

By “bent” I mean, we are all born with an inner deformity and disability that the Bible calls sin.

What sin does is it distorts the way we view and treat people who are different than us and it causes us to build up walls of division around us. It causes distortions that lead to divisions.

The solution to overcoming racism and prejudice that the Bible presents to us is twofold: 1) It’s recovering the truth that every person is created in the image of God and worthy of our deepest respect.

This is why in Ephesians 2, Paul says that the cross of Christ has broken down the walls of hostility between Jews and Gentiles and all the other racial and ethnic barriers in the world.

What Paul is alluding to is that some of the strongest walls to tear down are not walls made of bricks, concrete, or wire, they’re the walls created in our heads and in our hearts.

Walls of prejudice, suspicion, mistrust, pride. These are the walls that must be torn down and the only power strong enough to tear these walls down is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

The death of racism is found in the death of Christ. The blood of Jesus transcends the bloodlines of men.

This is why, as we see here, heaven has no room for racism and no place for prejudice.

Because only at the cross are we all brought to the same low because of our sin, but also lifted up to the same heights because of God’s grace.

2. WITCHCRAFT

Witchcraft is the practice of magical skills and abilities in order to commune with spirits, deities, ancestors and also cast spells, hexes, jinxes. It means practicing divination in order to manipulate, control, derail, exchange, and divert people’s destiny, blessing and favour.

Witchcraft can also be described as an act of diversion by manipulation in order to control a person’s willpower.

Witchcraft operates in the realm of darkness and the word of God includes it in the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). When a man is manipulated to do what he doesn’t want to do, it is called witchcraft. Witchcraft has its roots from the ancient days.

We can see in the old testament book of Exodus 22:18, God Almighty was commanding the people of Israel not to allow witches to exist among them and also in Leviticus 20:26-27, God commands that
witches should be stoned to death.

This simply means that witchcraft is part of ancient history and the judgment for such individuals or persons is death. God does not establish witchcraft or rebellion and so we must not allow it in any area of our life.

Scriptures on Witchcraft
Exodus 22:18, 2Chronicles 33:6, 1Samuel 15:23, Acts 8:9,11; 2Kings 9:22, Micah 5:11-12, Nahum 3:4-5, Galatians 3:1, Daniel 2:2,10, Deuteronomy 18:10, Numbers 23:23, Ephesians 6:10-18, Leviticus 20:26-27.

UNDERSTANDING THE CATEGORIES OF WITCHCRAFT

There are two categories of witchcraft

1.Occultic Witchcraft

2. FLESHLY OR CARNAL WITCHCRAFT

Fleshly or carnal witchcraft practice in so many ways which are:

Stubbornly pursuing someone to cause destruction or damage (Exodus 14:22-27)

Attempting to read the mind of another person, thereby misinterpreting his intents (1Samuel 7:28-29)

Attempting to prove your worth through the manipulation of others.

Attempting to influence someone in a negative way to do something against his will (Genesis 39:7-12).

Taking what belongs to someone forcefully or unlawfully. (1Kings 21:1)

Wishing other people’s blessing are yours and your failure theirs.(1Samuel 18:6-9).

Rebellion against God and his appointed authority. (1Samuel 15:15-24.).

OCCULT WITCHCRAFT
Occultic Witchcraft is a practice through the aid of satanic power, these are some of their ways of operations.

To Monitor a person’s destiny with the aid of satanic power.

Attack or oppress their subject with failure and setback.

They gather against the light through spiritual aid. 2Corinthians 4:3-4.

They renew their covenant with satan through bloodshed.

They place their mark and signature on their subject.

They can forcefully initiate people through blood relations for example through sex, food.

They can place false blessings on people as a way of enticing them to join them.

DEFEATING AND DESTROYING THE POWER OF WITCHCRAFT

In our quest to defeat every powers of darkness arrayed against us by the satanic kingdom we must follow the faith and examples of David who despite all the negative demonic currents flowing in his direction, he publicly declared the LORD, JEHOVAH, YAHWEH THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, ELOHIM Himself as his Light, Stronghold and Fortress.

David knew three conspicuous negative forces that were constantly fighting him.

He calls them THE WICKED ENEMIES and FOES;
These enemies were coming regularly to eat up his flesh – to carry out acts of witchcraft against him.

“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
Exodus 14:14

In this world of wickedness, witchcraft and evil, you will always overcome through the Power of God’s Words and His Presence, the Power of His Holy Name, the Power of the Blood of the Lamb and through God’s strategic instructions.

WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
Each warfare has weapons and tools of warfare so also in spiritual warfare. To engage witchcraft powers, overcome and destroy their root we should engage these powerful weapons, which are as follows.

The Word of God:
Jeremiah 23:29
“Is not my WORD as a fire? saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaks the Rock into pieces”

Exodus 22:18
”Thou shall not suffer a witch to live”

Micah 5:12
″The Lord says he will cut off witchcraft“

Leviticus 20:27 says that a witch shall be stoned to death.

The blood of Jesus:
Revelation 12:11
″And we overcome him by the blood of the lamb and word of our testimony”

Zechariah 9:11
″Because of the covenant of the blood I Will set your prisoners free”.

The name of Jesus:

Philippians 2:9-11
″Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that 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”.
See also Proverbs 18:10, Romans10:13, Joel 2:32.

The high praises of God and worship:
Psalm 149:6-9
″Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand: to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people;
To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron;To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord”.
See also 2chronicles 20:21-22, Acts 16:25.

NUMBERS 23:23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’ (NKJV).

PRAYERS TO DESTROY AND UPROOT THE POWER OF WITCHCRAFT

I deprogram and cancel witchcraft prophecies by the power in the blood of Jesus.

I program judgment on witchcraft and attach it to the heaven.

Oh God arise and let my enemies scatter in Jesus name.
Let the tables of witchcraft become their snare in Jesus name.

Let the eyes of witches assigned to watch my life be darkened in Jesus name amen.

Let the covens of witches and wizards become desolate in the name of Jesus amen.

Let every witchraft power, charging against me crash by fire in Jesus name amen.

No witch or wizard shall prosper in my environment as I take charge of my environment in Jesus name amen.
Water spirit that is networking with witchcraft spirit against my life be utterly consumed by fire in Jesus name.

Witchcraft power assigned to release affliction into my life, my destiny, my family, my career be roasted by the fire of the Holy Ghost.

3.RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

A Religious spirit is a type of demonic spirit that influences a person, or group of people, to replace a genuine relationship with God with works and traditions.

When people operate out of a religious spirit they attempt to earn salvation. This evil spirit has established nonbiblical beliefs and customs for generations.

Yet, as Believers, we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the work of the religious spirit.

It is lurking around attempting to cause judgment and destruction among Believers and in the Body of Christ.

We know the enemy is an angel of light, attempting to counterfeit any of God’s good and perfect gifts, in efforts to cause chaos, confusion, shame, and guilt. He does this with the work of the religious spirit.

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an Angel of light”
2Corinthians 11:13-14

Religious spirit is a demon that wages war against the grace of God in our lives and acceptance of Jesus’ work as true fulfillment of God’s covenant between God and man.

The Pharisees were obvious examples of people who have religious spirits, but many times those of us with religious spirits do not come close to their behavior.

I must say that they are very destructive to our intimate relationships with God. If you want a true intimate relationship with your heavenly Father, then you definitely don’t want religious spirits!

There are a number of trademarks of the religious spirit. But the Holy Spirit has equipped us with God’s full armor. You can identify this spirit and overcome it!

One of the most powerful spirits that we have to stand against is the spirit of religion. In fact, it is so powerful that Paul connects religion with witchcraft.

“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Galatians 3:1-3

Religion is the brainchild of the devil. It is aimed at confusing mankind concerning God’s original plan and purpose to save, through our Lord Jesus Christ, from eternal peridition.
Therefore shun this terrible spirit to doom today.

Moving out of a religious spirit involves engaging our hearts, to where we move to passionate love connection based on grace and get out of drone living that goes through the motions.

Heart connected life takes time, investment and a different pace of life.

It involves facing our pain, recognizing our weakness and allowing vulnerability in our relationships. A religious spirit bucks against all of that.

One of the ways we overcome the religious spirit is to make our flesh our slaves (1 Cor. 9:27) and that includes our minds.

It has been said that the mind is a great servant, but a terrible master. If we allow our minds to rule us, a religious spirit will influence us.

One of the greatest truths I have learned is that there is always more freedom in Christ than I could ever imagine.

Just when I think I am free, there is more available. I never want to think I have arrived and I never want to posture my heart as being more free than others.

Religious spirits create an uptight posture in people because they don’t have a revelation of the love of God. They overcompensate for their brokenness with hyper religious rigidity and rules.

TIMOTHY 3:1-5
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

PRAYER
HOLY SPIRIT, you are my teacher. Jesus you are THE WORD and TRUTH.

Father, I submit myself to Your truth. Open my eyes and my ears to this teaching that I may see and hear.

I bind the spirit of religion that would try to make me offended or to hinder me from seeing the truth in this teaching and taking necessary actions for my freedom from this dangerous religious spirit.
You will not fog my mind or distract me in Jesus name,
Amen.

PRAYER AGAINST RELIGIOUS SPIRIT
We must pluck a religious spirit out by the root! Pray this aloud:

Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus and I take my authority back from the devil.

I speak to the spirit of religion – from this day forward, you will bear no fruit ever again in me. These are the words of Jesus!

I take my authority and I command the spirit of religion and witchcraft to loose me now. I bind you and strip you of your power.

I invite the host of heaven, the warrior angels to torment you and punish you for your assault against my life and my family. Angels – carry these spirits out now!

You will go to the place the Lord Jesus sends you and never return – in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit – I give you liberty to rewire my brain.

Change my thinking and my emotional attachments to anything involving a religious spirit or attitude.

Your word says I have the mind of Christ therefore I shall have it! Thank you for your goodness and your faithfulness.

I apply the blood of Jesus over my mind and my emotions from this day forward.
AMEN AND AMEN!

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