Mathew 12:28-29 “ But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.”
Luke 11:1422 “And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.”
Some few days past, I began attempting some very important message with us, and I entitled the message the Mystery of the Strong Man. Last Thursday we undertook a further search into the mystery of the strongman. The reason the Holy Spirit is prompting me to bring this teaching is because of the times we’re in. when you look around the world sometimes, we get into certain seasons, but not everybody is aware that they’ve entered the season they continue with life just as life should be without putting into place the necessary preparations and adjustment befitting with the season. But it should not be so with the church. The apostles told us that when we’re getting closer and closer to the end time things will be tuff. If you know the panic this small war of words between American and North Korea, if you know the fear and the panic, it has brought especially to those who know a little bit of nuclear technology, you’ll know what am saying. It’s like the enemy wants to have the filled day. But the lord Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. So it doesn’t matter the quakes, the storms, the winds. If you’re the type who’s not consistence and continuous with messages, it’ll be very important for you to look for the CD’s from the media so that you get a good picture of what the message is all about.
When apostle kabute was with us, one of the things he said which I honestly forgot only to be reminded yesterday was a story he narrated.
THE MYSTERY OF A STRONG MAN
He was recounting the wickedness of man, and narrated a story that some pastor wanted to destroy another fellow pastor, but didn’t know how to go about it so he secured the services of a medicine man who came to the church premises and buried something in the premises of the church. Later on, while church was in session, this medicine man came as if he was also one of the celebrants of church service and in the course of proceedings challenged the pastor that he had buried something in the compound for which things are not going well that it was not the power of God at work. So the pastor challenged this medicine man and he replied that if he was saying the truth they should go to the spot where he buried the thing. And if things get to such a level the temperature is quiet high. They followed this man and he dug and brought out something to the public view of somebody. If you were a member of such church will you still have faith in the pastor?
You’ll find out that the enemy has a million ways of carrying out his agendas. And if we the children of the kingdom we’re not wiser than him the Holy Ghost, the devil will have an advantage over us. But I thank God we have a spirit, the spirit of God is with his house, and with his people. That’s the more reason why we must ask for grace that we’ll not just dwell into this spirit but we’ll get lost, or not just be church goers or those who just come to church. From the day I finally hesitantly said yes lord what you want to do am willing. From that day war broke out and it has been on till even this morning as am standing before you. And if the lord has not spoken to encourage me, I’ll have dodged. I remembered telling you there was a time I was running away, took a flight to Burkina Faso, my goal was that as soon as I finished with such mission, I’ll just find a flight and disappear. But who can carry a thing out when God is not behind it? God has to be behind it.
This lady from Lomé has been singing a very beautiful song, I wish church service is just a free time. The lady Abitor says the sufferings of the righteous are many but because of Jesus, he’ll always be delivered. You’ll be delivered, you’ll be ransomed on a very good note. Some time ago Pastor Joy were teaching us that we at Hall of Strength we don’t know who we are and don’t know how God has favoured us. If you really know your estate, you’ll cling very faster than you are. It looks like we don’t know the church we belong to or how highly God has favoured us. Please, believe the lord. God is more interested in you, than a chapel built in his name that is beautifully decorated. Jesus said if the lord can take enough time and care for flowers, then you who’s of a greater value than flowers, you must know you’re more valuable to God. The lord will beautify you and put you on the center stage. We need to understand who we are. Many of us don’t know and there are some who visits once in a while. May your heart be more connected this morning.
If you look at the facilities we’re worshiping in for now, we haven’t even done the introduction yet, not even in the preamble. Is God more interested in the physical structures than you who he made in his image? If you look at the way we were a laughing stock, we became the talk of the town when we were squeezed in over there and during our revivals the rainstorms will come and scatter everything, little did people believe that that was not going to be the full stock of our story. Suddenly, the lord decided to give us rest so that we could build. And so this work, has begun. If you ask me how we could mobilize money for this work, I didn’t have an idea where a cedi was going to come from. I was using a Peugeot then and maintaining that Peugeot was even a problem. I didn’t know where we were going to get money. Because if they should bring some evaluator to town to value this structure, they’ll ask who were the financiers. And when we were going to build they insisted that we should build according to, gave us the mixing of cements, quantity of iron rods, that should go in. and we were on, but they were sending people underground to come and supervise so that they should stop us, but we were on and finished. The beginning day, if you saw the heavy equipment that came on this ground. But they were busy over here. Don’t forget where God brought us from. Come and see the roofing, how were we going to get the truss from, and when I asked for the money I got frightened. And like joke the expert went to for the truss, he’s a very busy man, won’t take the contract and you’ll get him on the job readily. Within the matter of two (2) weeks he was ready for us. How were we going to lift the truss, we have to go for machines from Tema. They gave us the quotations and I bowed my head. We were just releasing ourselves for the Holy Spirit and he was carrying us out. Somebody just came and said there are some machines in town and were going to live in 3 days can we approach them. We went and did and they accepted. When the machine came, how to even enter the structure, then an idea came that we should dig this corner part for the machine to enter, and by the time people realized, our beams and everything were laid. Then the roofing sheets when they brought the bill, I turned my back. I decided to accompany Pastor Elorm to the factory. We were going for the blue, but they did green for us and I said if we were going to take the green by force, then it must be at a discount. We didn’t have finance from abroad or anywhere, it’s from this small donations, self-disciplines, and self-control has brought us to this place. Look at the ceiling, I don’t think there’s in any cathedral in Ho yet. And when we were finishing this, I want you to be grateful. Some of you don’t know how to count your blessing, when you murmur and complain you reinforce the strongman the more. While we were finishing the roofing, we kept talking about the glazing. We sent to the experts to give us the estimates and when we saw it, it was not in cedi, but in dollars. But today, to the glory of God, the glazing is done. The kind of glazing they did for us, is not the ordinary glazing, this is reinforced, so if you’re able to chill the room and put of your machine the heat from outside will not be able to penetrate. It’s very special and very expensive. The glass at the front alone, not the entire, the right wing of the door and the left wing is 22,000Ghc. Why won’t people be wondering? Why won’t people envy your estate, be jealous about you?
If God cares enough to provide for the buildings for the house for his habitation, me who is his habitation, will he care less about me? So with this conclusion I face life, I don’t care about anything, I am content that if it’s time for V8 to come it’ll come and will enjoy. I am content, but we don’t know that we have become the envy of town. And so what we need to do to put pepper in the eyes of those who are envious and jealous of us, we rather don’t know but give ourselves to those people. And I have come to understand that it’s happening because there’s a strongman behind the whole thing. Have come to understand that we are dealing with a strong man. Because if we should get to where we really need to get to, we don’t need to pray for the sick to be healed. The enemy doesn’t want to see that but what he fears, is what will definitely take place. The same way God broke in for Daniel and for that matter the people of Israel, the same way God will break in for us. God is more interested in you than structures. He’s on a job about beautifying you so that people will know that serving God pays. But your eyes must be opened so that you don’t cooperate with the devil. If you know the crying I cry and the lying on the ground before I come to preach, it’s not easy. We fight beasts and when we don’t prevail over them it shows in the service. It’s all the workings of the strong man. We read in Mathew and in Luke. There are some things you find in Luke and not in Mathew and vice versa so we must bring the two (2) to understand.
A strong man is a satanic entity whose aim is to bring control so that he’ll be the one in charge and decide destinies. He loves hiding, operates from behind the scenes you see things happening and you think it’s at the surface. When you look at the clock and you see the hour hand, minute hand and you think you’ve seen the clock, no. Many times in life that’s how the devil operate, he hides behind the scene and manifest and bring it outside. That’s where the strong man operates, underneath. Every man has some measure of a strong operation. The lord your God was not exempted how much more about you. How would you know when the devil was going to be baptized the devil was also interested in the baptism? Even in the life of Jesus, there were activities of strong men, how about you? But he overcame that we can also overcome.
Say by grace, I am more than a conqueror, because the one who conquered declared me so. In Luke 11, Jesus said how can you handle a strong man until you first bind him? That should tell you that every strong man is bindable. If he’s not bound today it must on look warmness, that’s why as a church we must rise up and bind the strong man. The one to marry you is out there in the world, the one who should employ you is out there, when those moneys would have raised your standards and you’re here say you’re praying in tongues. Just one man appearance in your life can change your story. We must with united efforts, deal with the strong man because he’s doing and doing us bad. If you say as for me am not in Hall of Strength, am only here to visit. The truth is once you step in here, there are angels who see you up for good. You don’t come here for fun, or on your decision, heaven’s hand is behind you. Once you come here angels are commanded to seal you or something. You’re covered, protected, the things that happen to people, you’ll hear and will not happen to you. That’s our covenant promise. When you live out, in the world, in the physical, a commando is a commando so anywhere they go they live with some wisdom. They brought some 2 prisoners from Guantanamo bay and Ghanaians cannot rest, why? So when God marks you for something great in life, anywhere you go, you become a treat. So if you think, if I relocate from Hall of Strength all this will be over, I’ll be safe, it’s a big lie. Once a commando, always a commando. David pleaded with the philistines that I’ll do you good, if you want time to kill these Israelites I’ll kill them, they say a Jew is always a Jew. The solution is not checking out of this church. Many of our church members who left here, they were not even leaders. It’s not in checking out, it’s rather in sabotaging the beautiful life. We must rise up and confront the strong man. Every church you go where they subscribe to the lordship of Jesus, they always face these things. Jesus said you bind the strong man, then he said the armour wherein he trusted, the strongman is already strong but to make his strength stronger, he still goes after his armour. Goliath’s physic alone was already speaking for him, who would want to go fight a man like that. Is that strength not enough but you’ll find out that upon that strength he still went for juju, and war gods, that’s what the strong man does. But there’s a stronger man. If you investigate the background of Abraham, you’ll find out that a strong man faced him, but a stronger man fought for him. May our days of shame and reproach be over quickly because the strong man has come to show up in our affairs. An armory is a place where weapons are kept. The weapons that he uses to gain advantage over you, you must be able to take that armour from him. If god says take it, it mean he’s put inside you what it takes to take it. All I need is for God to open my eyes and teach me a little and I’ll go and take it.
What is the armour that the strong man uses? The amour the strong man uses is called bewitchment. And what is bewitchment, what does it mean to bewitched. It simply means to be veiled. They obscure your ability to see with a veil. Something is cast over your eyes. So you have eyes alright but you can’t perceive, to see through what’s actually happening. The veil is the covering. That’s why Isaiah spoke over Jesus that on the mount he’ll remove the veil. We cannot be blind over our days. The covering thrown over you has the ability to affect your thinking capabilities. When a person is bewitched he does not see things the way he should. He does not think the way he should think. A wise man to begin to think foolishly is because he was bewitched. Ahab was bewitched and he couldn’t think straight. How can you find somebody’s garden and you’ll also seat and begin to weep? That’s what bewitchment does. The way you need to see things clearly and see constructive things clearly. That’s a satanic entity that we must not entertain at all. That’s the weapon he uses. But I want to expose you to this one. There’s a beautiful church which can meet your needs but you’ll be blinded to it. There’s a place you can sow and God will overwhelm you in abundance but you’ll be pushing your money in another place. Be rescued from sorcery. Have known people, not any significant money, they just brought into the kingdom and things begin to flow for them. May you never be blinded. We break that veil cast over people in the city. Some can be rescued but they’re dying when there’s a havoc for discretion. The people were bewitched, Jesus met this man who’s the center of what we’re talking about. The person was demon possessed, meaning satan has 100% total control, ownership. Jesus met him, he was blind, demon possessed, and he was dumb. Jesus didn’t say give me one week I’ll declare a fast and I’ll come and cast it. No, right there he cast out the demon and the person began to talk. And the people said this one cannot be from God, it’s a spirit behind. Jesus said whom are you looking for and he said I am Jesus, and they just felt. We shall be free, he throws the veil and the veil is his weapon that’s why you must pray. Because that veil can prevent you from entering into your kingdom. Have you read about the Galatian church?
Galatians 3, Paul cried out and said foolish galatians who has bewitched you? These are not ordinary church goers. Paul came into their midst and when he heard them talk, and saw them talk, he said aaah, and said who has bewitched you that you can’t see clearly? All you needed to do is to believe that he did it in your place and walk in it. And now you’ve made rules for yourself, and walking foolishly. This is not a baby church, it’s this church that the gifts of the spirit found residence, it’s in this church there was so much wisdom that you could look at the person and know if he’s walking in the flesh or in the spirit. And a brother approaches and say high 5 you’ll know that they were walking in the spirit or not. And after you’ve graduated in the gift you must climb up where you learn how to walk in the fruit of the spirit. This thing were loaded with the fruit but they were bewitched. Who are you that you cannot be bewitched? Somebody can just come and talk wrongly to your ears and you’ve been bewitched. May we be spared. There’s a veil destroyer. Somebody who has the power to destroy the veil. Has the power to bind the covering. You’ll see the way you have to see. Papa was sharing it, this was the most serviceable secretary that he’s ever found, when we talk of lightning speed, she knows which mic to fix for everybody and what to say. There are many like that when the enemy wants to do, he knows what to do. There was one like that who appeared to papa and said I was on assignment to bring you down and papa prayed for her and released here only to find here in another church.
A man and woman were living very fine in the house and one day the woman started parking her things and the man said we didn’t quarrel, what’s happening. She said please it’s my time to go, assignment finished. The day I cooked the abenkwai for you and the fufu and you eat, that day I hooked you that was why you married me, now am done and the woman left. The man had a veil, bewitchment took place. That’s why you go to some shops and want to buy things and along the line your bargaining you said pardon, excuse me what did u say? He’s already released the word to hook you. So it’s not every music you should listen to.
