The Other Side

Open your Bibles, Ephesians chapter 6, and meet me at verse 12.

Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12, the Apostle Paul tells us, For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places I want you to notice that we are in a fight and our fight is not against people our fight is against evil influences evil spirits demonic activity We literally have an invisible foe, an invisible opponent and enemy,

and that's where our fight lies. Earlier this week, one of my children approached Stacy and I, and they said that they have been being bullied in school. Some activities such as name calling and occasional push here or there. And so immediately as a loving father, I wanted to go talk to the other child's parents. I wanted to head up to the school. I wanted to do some things to protect my children. And we did. We did reach out to the school and let them know what's going on

here or there. But we also took another approach. We ended up telling this particular child that you have every right to say, stop. You have every right to say, I don't like this. You have every right to say no. You can even go to the teacher and tell the teacher this type of activity and abuse is occurring. You can do that. And if this child puts his or her hands on you, you have my permission to defend yourself. Somebody say amen. And so I begin to talk to my children about this.

You have every opportunity and my permission to defend yourself if this is the case. We don't start fights but we will engage if we have to hey you said finish somebody said finish it okay yeah you finish it and so my children heard this and this particular child said they understood we went about our evening first thing the next morning they're in school we get a call from the principal.

One of our children has pushed the other child down to the ground, and they are now in the principal's office. And so what I think this particular child heard was, go to school, as soon as you see them, on sight, put your hands on them. That's what I think they heard. On sight, put your hands on them and let them know that you are here.

That's not what I said and so while and I think they woke up premeditated I really do premeditated and said I'm gonna go up and I'm gonna take care of I'm gonna handle my business okay dad gave me permission while I wasn't too upset at him to be quite honest I wasn't at too upset at her at them I wanted I I wanted them to understand that you can defend yourself, but don't start it, right? Now you're the bully. You just walked up to them and just shoved them straight to the ground.

This is not what I want. But as the child was talking to me about what was going on, the Spirit of God spoke to me. And the Spirit of God said, this particular child is not a bad child, but they're under under the influence of an evil influence, an evil spirit that is trying to use them, in order to affect the peace of my child. And so the Spirit of the Lord said, remember, because I wanted to talk to the child's dad, you know, I was ready, you know, let's find out,

let's meet, whatever we need to do, I want to make sure my child feels safe, right? Right. And the spirit of the Lord told me, remember, your battle is it's not with people. Your battle is with an invisible foe. And while I believe the other child has, you know, a good child, I don't believe it's a bad child. I believe that they are being influenced by an evil spirit.

And the Spirit of the Lord in my prayer time told me start talking to the evil influence and the evil spirit behind the other child and then start praying that that particular child's heart softens to my children and so when we begin to, operate and begin to pray and Stace and I begin to speak to the invisible foe that was behind it, we're starting to see that there are some results that are taking place. And what Paul was telling us here is we don't fight against people.

Family is not your fight. fight somebody of a different political spectrum is not what you fight or who you fight your co-worker your boss that that is not who you fight we must remember that we have a fight and that fight is in the invisible realm the bible is filled with words like fight and wrestle and contention and warfare the bible is filled with words like victor and champion the bible is filled with fighting from a place of victory and conquering.

This is a book of war and we must realize who our fight is against. We find out in Matthew chapter 28 and verse 18, Jesus tells us in Matthew 28 and 18. He says, Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Understand what Jesus is saying to us is all authority has been given to Jesus. Every power and authority given to Jesus in heaven in the invisible realm and on earth in the visible realm.

Jesus has authority over both heaven, invisible, earth, visible the authority the power lies with him and we find in Luke chapter 10 and verse 19 Luke chapter 10 and verse 19 Jesus says behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the the enemy, and nothing, somebody shout nothing, shall by any means hurt you. And so now realize this, Jesus is in authority, but he's delegated that authority

to you and I over all of the power of the enemy. The enemy is an invisible foe. Over all of the power of the enemy, you have the authority. And when you begin to use your authority, Jesus promises us that nothing shall by any means hurt you. Some people are scared of the devil. They're scared of evil influences.

They're scared of these invisible opponents, but you have authority over these things and nothing can hurt you when you realize you are the one operating in power and authority because Jesus delegated the power to you.

And we find out as well when we take a look at this delegated power and authority, the illustration I gave last week, I'll tell you again, is assuming your bill is paid, the power company, maybe it's Duke Energy for you, Union Power, depending on where you live, somewhere else if you're out of the state, they will provide power and electricity to you assuming your bill is paid. You have it at your domain, at your location, at your residence, the power's there.

You cannot call the power company and say, I do not have power in my bedroom. If you do call them and say, I don't have power in my bedroom, they would look and say, it looks like your bill is paid. It looks like we have delegated the power to your home and your domain. Why is your bedroom light not on? And you're like, I don't know. Oh, I don't know what's going on. And then they're going to tell you, why don't you walk over to the light switch and flip the switch?

And once you flip the switch, you activate the power that is already given to you. You have the power over every demon that exists. Now, I don't want you to get scared. There are demons out here. They're not in here, but they're out there when you leave the door, threshold of this door, they are out there and you have power and authority over every demonic activity necessary. You don't even have to let it come near you. Somebody say amen today.

I'm starting to realize, and I'll talk more about this on Wednesday night, but I'm starting to realize some activity doesn't even have to occur in my presence because I operate with authority and power. Somebody say amen. You can literally release your authority, not to the person. You don't have authority over people, but to the demonic activity on that person. You can release your authority and say, now that demon's not welcome in my house. And it could be on one of your family members.

Now you welcome Auntie Jane, come on over here. And you tell that, but demon that's on Auntie, you're not welcome.

You stay in her car when she come over. Somebody say amen to that. I'm being serious about this thing. You can't bring that demon in here. You can come, but the demon can't. Some of y'all look at me like, can you do that? Yes, you can. You have power over all. All. Somebody shout all. All. Demons and demonic activity. Say demon, unless you want to get cast out of Auntie so-and-so, you better not walk in the door with them. Somebody say amen.

And so we find out here, I want to show you how Jesus releases his authority and how he wants us to follow in his footsteps. You know, one of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to show us how to operate as men and women on the earth that have the Holy Spirit full of authority and power. The only thing Jesus did on the earth that he did as the son of God was get on the cross for you and I and shed his blood for you and I. Nobody else could do that. Only God could do that.

And that's the only thing Jesus did as God on the earth was to get on that cross and then was raised, resurrected, so on and so forth. We know how our salvation entails, but on the earth, when he walked on the earth, he only walked as a man that had the Holy Spirit recognizing his authority and his power on the earth. I want you to see this because he is our example. A lot of time when we read passages of scripture, we always look at someone getting healed as the example.

Well, and we relate, well, I'm the person getting healed. Well, I'm the person there that's getting fed, or I'm the person in this illustration or in this parable that's getting this or that. But I want you to start reading the scriptures and seeing what Jesus is doing. it. Look at what Jesus is saying and start relating to Jesus. I'm the one that's laying hands on the sick and they're getting recovered. Somebody say amen to that.

I'm the one that's feeding the 5,000 because they're hungry, because you operate with the same Holy Spirit and you have the same power and you have delegated authority. I'm the one that's praying for them and everything is turning out all right. We have to start seeing Jesus as our example in scripture and looking at him and saying he has the Holy Spirit. I have the Holy Spirit. He spoke. I can speak. He has authority and power. I have authority and power.

And when you get fed up with the devil messing with you, you're going to have to fight. I don't know if many people are fed up. I think people like getting beat up by the devil. I think people like being sad. I think people like being depressed and being broke, busted, and disgusted. But somebody's going to have to get frustrated. Somebody's going to have to say, I'm tired of letting the devil beat me up. Somebody's going to have to stand up and say, I'm the victor and not the victim.

Somebody's going to have to stand up and say, if you want to fight devil, you come fight me. Somebody's going to have to get fed up and say, I'm not going to be broke anymore. Somebody's going to have to stand up and say, I'm not going to be in pain anymore. Somebody's going to have to stand up and say, that situation must change now. Or if we don't do it, the devil will win. And he understands that we have limited ourselves into visible realms.

But he's an invisible opponent. And we're going to have to start addressing him in his realm because we also have authority in the invisible realm. Somebody shout amen. I didn't preach myself happy, but I'm telling you, I'm fed up with the devil. I'm fed up being at the same place, doing the same thing, operating the same way. Somebody's gonna have to get fed up with it and say I've got to release my authority in the name of Jesus hallelujah somebody shout hallelujah.

In Mark chapter 4 meet me at verse 35 Mark chapter 4 verse 35 watch this on the same day when evening had come he said to them let us cross over to the other side now when they had left the multitude, they took him along in the boat as he was, and other little boats were also with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already feeling.

But he was in the stern, asleep on the pillow, and they awoke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? Look at verse 39. Then he arose and rebuked the wind. Somebody shout, rebuke. And said to the sea, peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And he said to them, why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?

And verse 41 says, and they feared exceedingly and said to one another, who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey him? Now notice in this passage of scripture, Jesus had been preaching all day long and we are getting into the evening.

So it's about to get dark. and Jesus says let's hop into this boat and we are going over to the other side now the other side meant the other side of the lake but what does the other side in your life mean what could the other side be maybe you're always in pain and you're just ready I'm ready to get to the other side maybe you're always in financial trauma and you're like I'm tired of being a financial trauma I'm ready to get to the other side

maybe you feel stuck in your job or in your career and you're You're like, I'm tired of feeling stuck. I'm ready to get to the other side. Maybe your children have been a frustration in your life. And you're like, I'm tired of this frustration. I'm ready to get to the other side of this relationship. And Jesus says, let's go to the other side. Now, how many of you know when Jesus declares, let's go to the other side, that is a promise. That is a word from God.

That is an announcement that something is about to happen. We are going to the other side. Somebody shout amen. And so as they were going to the other side, they hopped into this boat. It's dark outside. Jesus goes downstairs of the boat. He lays down, goes to sleep. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a great windstorm arises. Now, how many of you know these are fishermen and they probably, I know they looked at the weather to test out.

We ain't going to go over there if we know there's a hurricane about to happen. We're going to go ahead and stay here. But there were no signs that there would be a hurricane. So they hopped in the boat and said, we're going to the other side because that's what Jesus said. And I'm with Jesus. I believe Jesus. He made an announcement. He made a promise. I'm going to the other side. So they got in the boat and then this hurricane comes out of nowhere.

The wind is blowing. the waves are raging how many you know this is a hindrance to what jesus has declared on wednesday night i'm gonna talk a little more about hindrances that occur in our life this is a hindrance that to what jesus has said we're going to the other side and the wind is welling and water is raging and it's dark outside. And there's rain getting in the boat. How many of you know that is evidence? When you get rain in the boat, that's evidence that the boat is going under,

okay? Are you listening to me today? And I can't swim. I mean, I can do a little something, but I can't do a lot, okay? And so if I saw rain getting in the boat to the point that it looked like we was going under, I'm screaming, okay? I'm just telling you the truth. I'm catching a high-pitched scream. I'm yelling. I'm terrified. I'm scared. I have forgot all about Jesus saying, we're going to the other side.

All of these circumstances, all of these challenges, everything I'm seeing, everything I'm feeling, everything I'm experiencing is telling me we are not going to get to the other side.

How many of you know the greatest fear in the world is the fear that what God has promised you is not going to happen that's the devil's number one tactic if I can get you to believe me more than believe what God's word has said then you will be in the greatest fear ever when you don't believe what God says and you start believing what the devil says and so they stop believing that were going to the other side and they started panicking by the hindrances and the evidence that

was telling their five physical senses we are not going to get to the other side and how many you know our five physical senses can be raging our five physical senses can begin to tell us this isn't working our five physical senses will begin to tell us you're not going to get what God has promise. I mean, you're getting too old. Look at you. You got another birthday coming up and you're getting old.

And what God said ain't going to happen. And they begin to tell you, look, that bank account has always been like that. And God said, you're going to be prosperous and you're going to be a blessing. But look, you ain't a blessing at all because you can barely pay your bills. And you begin to look at your health. Well, I'm getting old, you know, and as you get old, you know, you start getting pain in your body. That's what the devil wants you to say.

And you begin to look at all the external factors and you begin to believe the external factors and you forget what the word of God says that with long life I shall satisfy you. And the word of God says you are prosperous and blessed. And the word of God says that you shall overflow. Overflow. You forget all that because you start focusing on your five physical senses and what they're telling you. And so they go wake Jesus up.

Now, the astonishing thing to me is the storm didn't wake him up. All of that raging water wind didn't wake him. Matter of fact, it just rocked him to sleep. believe. They, the disciples, go to Jesus and they make a bold statement. They say to Jesus, do you not care? So they challenge Jesus's concern for his people. What a challenge. God loves us and he says he's going to protect us and watch over us. And what an indictment for them to say, Say, we care more than you, is what they really said.

And you got to be careful of that, especially when you get around this political climate, that you care more than God cares about our country. You got to be careful of that because God cares about our country, and you don't care more than he does. So stop acting like you do, because you don't. He cares more, and you say, well, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, because I care, and what you're essentially saying is, I care more than God. And that's a place you don't want to be.

God cares. And that was an indictment that they said to Jesus. You down here asleep? Do you not care that we are perishing? Now, Jesus, you know, slowly gets up. Okay, y'all woke me up. I was doing just fine. If you just trust and believe me, we're going to get to the other side. But let me show you what to to do when your five physical senses are raging? Let me show you what to do. Let me come on upstairs from this boat and let me stand out on the boat and let me rebuke the wind.

Now, it was the wind that was causing the waves to rage. Nobody in here, nobody online has ever seen when we've never seen when we've seen the effects but we've never actually seen when Jesus literally got up and spoke to a force that he cannot see and. I want you to get this. Jesus talked to something that he couldn't see. And he didn't have a conversation like, hey, how you doing, man? I'm doing all right, man. I'm just raging and roaring around here,

and I'm trying to take you out. Man, don't take me out. I'm trying to kill you. Well, I'm just whatever God's will is, you know, whatever God's will. Jesus didn't do that. Jesus didn't even start a conversation. Jesus demanded that the wind stop.

He commended the wind to stop he rebuked the wind that's what the word rebuke means i command you to stop i rebuke you i demand that you stop now understand the wind is invisible jesus talks to invisible forces and if he can talk to invisible forces so can you and so can i hallelujah we can talk to invisible forces so he spoke to the wind and and commended that the wind stopped and then he looked at the waves and he said peace be still

what was he saying peace is found not in the absence of conflict or pressure or challenges peace is found in the presence and the power and the promise of Jesus. Hallelujah. Somebody say amen. Peace is found in the presence of Jesus. You carry Jesus with you everywhere you go. The Holy Spirit is in you. You have his authority and his presence and his power and his promise.

So therefore you can operate in peace when all hell is breaking loose around you you can operate in peace somebody say man and so he spoke to the wind an invisible force a hindrance. And he started commanding it to stop. Then he said, waves, be still. And then he turns to his disciples. I love this. He turns to his disciples and he looks at them like, I can just imagine. I'm like, why are you so fearful? And I want to put an emphasis on the word you.

These disciples have been with him all day long. Preaching seeing miracles signs wonders in his presence around his power and then they get on the boat and they go the other side and the storm rages and Jesus turns them like you haven't you seen all of this and now you are fearful that we're going to die in this boat in the lake do Do you think how it's going to end that way? That we, all of this great work has happened and we died in a boat and a boat

sunk and we died in the sea. That's not how it's going to end. And he turns to them and says, why are you? I want to ask you that. Why are you? Yes, you individually, you so fearful.

I love that. If you don't mind, put it on the screen, guys. I believe it's Mark chapter 4, and I believe it's verse 40. Mark chapter 4 and verse 40. I want you to see it. Put your eyes on it. And he says, why are you so fearful? How is it that you, you individually have no faith? What he was really telling them there is, you could have done exactly what I did.

You could have challenged the threat in the invisible realm and begin to talk to it, begin to demand of it, to begin to command of it, begin to speak to it, and you could have stopped this just like I did. Where is your faith? One time I was telling the Lord that, Lord, I'm believing you for this, and my faith is here for this, and the Lord spoke to me. I was in my office praying. He spoke to me. He goes, you don't believe me.

I said, no, Lord, I believe that we could do this and that, and I've got your promise on it. He said, you're not in faith about this. I said, Lord, I am. I'm in faith. I mean, look, I'm in faith. I see it here and I'm in faith that these things could happen he said you're not in faith he said again you're not in faith about this I said oh my gosh I I feel like I'm in faith I said well help me he said you are not in faith because you have stopped speaking.

To the issues and the problems that are coming against you. You've gotten quiet. And since you have gotten quiet, you are not operating in faith. Faith believes and speaks. Faith knows who it is in the invisible realm. Faith knows that things are working even if I don't see it. Faith realizes that things are occurring even if I can't see it. Faith begins to place a demand on things. Faith begins to speak to things in the invisible realm. Faith begins to talk to things.

Faith begins to declare things. And the Lord spoke to me, you have stopped doing it. And why have we stopped doing it? Well, we've gotten tired. We've gotten fearful. And we just put up with it. Well, I'm just going to put up with it. And I said, no, I'm not going to put up with this. I'm going to start talking to it. Come on, somebody say amen. I'm going to release my faith and I'm going to command it to stop. What's going on in your life?

What is happening in your life? And you've done all the things that you know to do in the natural. But it's still a hindrance in your life what is it you're going to have to address the hindrance you're going to have to talk to the problem and your problem is not a person I got to say that again because some of y'all thinking my wife is the problem see I knew I got to talk to her see the problem no no no your problem is not a person your problem is the enemy behind the scenes.

Trying to hinder you. And when you begin to speak and talk and declare, I know this may seem crazy to you, but I'm telling you, it's an element of our warfare that we have not activated. We are only looking at natural things. We need to begin to speak to things. Well, my stomach hurts. Begin Begin to talk to your stomach. Stomach, be healed in the name of Jesus. Stomach, you are strong. Stomach, you operate well in the name of Jesus.

I got a report a few years back, and they said something was going on in a part of my body, and I started speaking to it. Liver, you operate well in the name of Jesus.

Kidneys, you operate well in the name of Jesus. blood pressure you decrease or blood pressure you increase you begin to talk and i went back and they say well all is well praise the lord because it can hear you are you listening to me the invisible realm can hear so talk to it next week we're going to talk a little bit more about this begin to talk to hindrances and things and challenges that are operating in your life Begin to open up your mouth and talk to me like, Pastor, you crazy.

You talk to invisible things. I do. I sit in my car and I begin to talk. Now, that spirit of rebellion, you will not get on my children.

Rebellion get off my children and my children are obedient my children hear and they obey and that spirit rebellion you are not welcome on my children in Jesus name come on somebody say amen to that you begin to talk you begin to declare you begin to say there's someone in our family that they operate in a religious spirit that religious spirit it's very religious Religious. How many of you know what I'm talking about when I say religious spirit? They, I mean, they are Pharisee, okay?

Modern day Pharisee, right? Nothing, you know, I'm so holy and nothing can come around. And, oh, you said, shoot, that's a bad word. I'm too holy to hear that. No, no, no, no, no. That's a religious spirit. Listen to me. Now, I ain't the person. It's a spirit. And so Stacey and I said, when we started realizing this, we said that religious spirit, come on, you're welcome to come over. Come on over. Yeah. Not religious spirit. You ain't coming in this house.

Y'all think I'm crazy, but this is what you do. How many of y'all think I'm crazy? Raise your hand. Amen. I see you said no.

I really don't care what you think. I know what it works in my life amen I know what works and I begin to to talk that now religious spirit on on that family member you're not welcome to come in the house now family member come on in here but that religious spirit can't come in here and we've started to see a change in Jesus name, When you begin to operate like Jesus and begin to talk to invisible forces, like he did the wind, and there are other areas in Scripture where Jesus talked to things.

When you begin to operate like him and begin to use your authority like him and begin to address situations, you'll start to see that enemy cower and back off. There's a spirit that tries to, sometimes when my wife and I are just talking, and all of a sudden we get into contention about some TV show. Why are we arguing over a TV show? She sees it one way, I see it one way, and now we arguing. That is a spirit.

Unintentional. And we'll stop in the middle of it and we'll say, we're on the same team.

Now you, spirit of strife, you get out of here in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. You want results, start talking to the invisible realm. Commending it, demanding of it. Don't have a conversation. Well, I think I'm going to stay here for a little bit. No, I say get out. And you start demanding and commending, and you begin to see change in your life. There are hindering spirits hindering you from being as prosperous as you want to be. You're going to have to begin to talk.

We'll talk about that on Wednesday, but you're going to begin to talk. You hindering spirits, you get off my finances in the name of Jesus. Come on, somebody say amen to that. You begin to declare that Jesus says that whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whenever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So go ahead and start binding and loosing on the earth. Amen. Glory be to God. And when you begin to do that, you will begin to experience true life.