It was a dark evening and I was alone. Suddenly, there was a loud and demeaning rap on the front door. It was the kind of rap that suggests an enemy, someone angry and ready for confrontation. I admit that I felt a cold chill go down my spine, but I bravely proceeded to the door. Even before I reached the door, there was a stench of brimstone and burning flesh in the air. As I opened the door and switched on the porch light, the presence of Satan stood before me with demeaning eyes.

“Does Joseph Chambers live here?” he asked. His voice was loud and belligerent and sent a dread all over me. It was very clear that he was here on business — evil business. IÂ’m a strong man and a good challenge suits my taste. While I quickly thought of my skills of quoting Scripture, I remembered that he was only a fallen angel, though he was the strongest of all the fallen angels. As I considered my challenge, I suddenly remembered the helplessness of flesh in spiritual warfare. My common sense was quickly reminding me of those I have known that had been defeated in spiritual warfare.

Suddenly, my life in Jesus Christ became my only focus. I looked straight at the devil and said with the deepest of confidence, “No, Joseph Chambers does not live here. Jesus Christ lives here and He is my Lord of all.” You should have seen the devil’s reaction.

Great beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. His color turned ashen and shallow. A sense of trembling fell on his appearance, and his great demeanor of belligerence vanished. He tried to argue, but his voice failed him. You would have thought I had detonated an atomic bomb. In a flash, he disappeared into the darkness.

This little story is borrowed from a great saint of the past and is used to remind us of the only victory in our spiritual struggles. Our simple hope is in Jesus Christ. The flesh wants so badly to be king and to manifest its great skills. In almost every challenge that we face, our first thoughts are usually about how strong and capable we think we are. The flesh is rooted in pride, self-confidence, and, yes, self-righteousness. The greatest difficulty of our day is with our unsanctified old man.

But Jesus Christ is calling us to a return to New Testament Christianity. Humanism has taken over the church exactly as it has taken over the secular world. We are giving great attention to sermons, books, and other teachings on self-esteem and self-worth. The problem is exactly the opposite.

The Biblical message says to deny the flesh and all of its strengths and to totally experience a New Birth. In the New Birth, the flesh is crucified and put to death so Jesus Christ can be “all and in all” (Colossians 3:11b). Apostle Paul testified of this beautiful, exciting, and happy place in Christ. “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:9-10).

God’s eternal Spirit is ready to fill the soul and body with this new life when the flesh is dead or “out of control.” “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11).

Say it with me, inserting your name, “No, Joseph Chambers does not live here. Jesus Christ lives here.” “I am crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).

The church world, which includes every saint of God, is presently engaged in terrific warfare. Dark powers of false religion are everywhere. The Catholic system teaches more false doctrines than any other church-related institution. They readily admit that they believe in extra Biblical doctrines, which their popes have dictated over the years. Just the presence of Pope Benedict in America will escalate warfare against the truth of Holy Scripture.

But, we are not alone in this battle. There would be no hope if we were fighting in the flesh. Apostle Paul warned us of strongholds in this struggle for spiritual success. This area of the believer’s walk is of great importance. Paul said, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)” (II Corinthians 10:3-4). This is exciting. How many battles have we lost because we forgot this basic truth of spiritual victory? A saint of God that cries out day and night, travailing only in the power of the Spirit, will gain the triumph over every foe.

Before we proceed further with this context, let’s view what Paul said by the Spirit to the Ephesus church, “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” (Ephesians 6:12). Evil spirits on different levels of authority are everywhere. Satan is the “god of this world” (II Corinthians 4:4). He is the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Our struggle is not with people but the power behind the people. Pope Benedict would have no power to destroy truth if there were not powers of darkness and deception behind his ecclesiastical position. The truth of God’s promise is to those that labor in the Spirit to defend the Word of God and to pull down the “strongholds of error.”

All men are equal in God’s sight and there are no powers that can destroy the Word of God or the saints of God who are always hid in God’s armor of protection. Never allow yourself to attack people. Do not judge or discern on the basis of flesh but look at all things through the wisdom by the Spirit. That wisdom will always be peaceable and gentle. We all must yearn for this beautiful place of God’s love. This “mighty through God” promise is only given to the Godly saints who have crucified their flesh and submitted to a Spirit-led life. Listen as he continues to describe this warfare of the kingdom. “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;” (II Corinthians 10:5).

“Strongholds” are ideas, doctrines of error, demon-powered representatives of Satan, and any destructive plans in Satan’s arsenal. It may be on a personal level against a church or a larger group of individuals. Satan can only succeed when those he fights fail to use God’s plan for victory.

The thought life of the human family is either a place of incredible victory or a place of utter defeat. The Scripture above plainly states that the imagination of man is the battleground. False doctrines always start in somebody’s head, proceed to take their heart, and then spread to others. We can fight with someone who thinks according to a stronghold in their mind until all is lost, or we can fall on our knees and cry out to God. The same spirit of error and evil with which we are struggling was the destruction of the world in Noah’s day. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Matthew 24:37).

This is the last struggle of the kingdom of His church. We can expect anything that the human mind can dream. Just today, I read scientific data that suggests we are on the verge of cloning human beings that are super humans. In Noah’s day, they were called Nepthilims. Jesus said there would be “wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke” (Acts 2:19b).

Every saint of God must learn warfare that is “mighty through God.” The battle for your spiritual life will become intense beyond description. The Bible must become your single roadmap and great intent praying must become your weapon. Quit fighting in the flesh, arguing, debating, and dreaming up new doctrines. Simple truth is powerful. Live in it, live by it, and learn to rest in the Lord. Do not think I have mastered this devotion. This is probably for me more than all of you.
 

From the very first member of GodÂ’s earthly family — AdamÂ’s family — the relationship of God and His creation has included a covenant. Never, not once, has our Creator and Father broke His covenant with man. No truth is greater or more established than this fact, “Our God is a covenant-keeping God.” The human family has consistently broken their covenant with Him and often figured out some cheap excuse to try to pardon their self.

Without fail, the saint of God that will walk straight into the Holy Covenant — called the Bible — and will discipline themselves to live the narrow life is going to become beautiful. Abraham left his ancestral home in Ur of the Chaldeans and became the “Father of Faith.” ThatÂ’s what faith is. It is “living by the covenant of God.” Abraham did not get to the top of his mountain overnight. He arrived after many failures.

Late in his walk with God, even the triumphant Apostle Paul said, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

The Godly life is a matter of subtraction and addition or repentance and renewal. We become Pharisaical when we only subtract or lay aside those contrary or questionable things. That is a part of our covenant, which consists of a constant obedience to each revelation of His holiness in Scripture. But, along with our subtraction, we must hunger and thirst after the greater righteousness which is of faith and is wrought by the blood of Jesus Christ. This level of our covenant walk is sheer divine and the real source of power and victory.

This greater level of righteousness is the missing element of the fundamental church world. The only righteousness that will turn this world upside down is the “righteousness of Jesus Christ in us.” No one can experience this righteousness that does not cleanse themselves and put the unclean lifestyle aside. Jesus prayed, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16).

Everywhere we turn, whether it is a shopping mall, an airport, or just down the street, there is a cesspool. Our Lord Jesus Christ must have a company of saints full of the Holy Ghost and full of the righteousness that reflects the very nature of Jesus Christ. We will start a Holy Ghost revival when His resurrection life saturates our very being with a righteousness that convicts sinners just by being in our presence. “Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:11b-13).

Every time we receive communion we celebrate our covenant of the Bible with Jesus Christ. That’s one of the primary reasons He instituted the Last Supper. Apostle Paul said, “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (I Corinthians 11:25). The New Covenant is in His blood or “sealed and manifest in His blood.” It cannot be broken. This covenant is between two parties, Him and any person that will live in this covenant by His unfailing grace.

His righteousness in me is my part in this covenant. Everything that Jesus Christ is in His divine life and redemption flows in His righteousness. Dwight L. Moody could simply sit down on a train, and those around him would begin to fall under conviction of sin. It was not Mr. Moody. It was the authority of ChristÂ’s righteousness that ruled his life. Every great revival has witnessed miracles of healing and totally transformed communities. It is His righteousness in Godly saints that guarantees a move of Sovereign visitation by the Holy Spirit.

Our God watches over His Word to fulfill every nuance. At this moment, there is a divine movement in the Heavenly realm that is searching for hearts of the righteous, where the sovereign work can begin. The entire Word of God is a picture of God and man living out the covenants of God together. Failures were never the fault of the Creator but of the creature. Our Father cannot change, cannot fail, and will never forsake His own. What an awesome God we serve!