“Binding the Strong Man”

Mark 3:27, “But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property UNLESS HE FIRST overpowers and ties up the strong man, and then he will ransack and rob his house.” (AMP)

The Message Bible reads like this, “The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions UNLESS YOU TIE HIM UP FIRST? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.” (Mark 3:22-27 MSG)

I have always been a fan of movies that make you think. For instance movies like “The Negotiator” with Samuel L. Jackson or “The Inside Man” or “John Q” with Denzel Washington.  Movies about negotiating and releasing people (without harm) from their captors. As a student of psychology (I love everything to do with the study of the mind), which is what I think adds to my love and fascination of such movies. To see how people respond under stress, in crisis, and how the mind balances, ever so quickly, with ‘what to do next’, especially when we’ve run out of plan a-z options.

The word “negotiator” is defined as “a person who discusses a problem with the aim of achieving agreement between different people or groups of people; to deal or bargain with another or others, as in the preparation of a treaty or contract or in preliminaries to a business deal; to conduct; to transact; to find a way through, around, or over in a satisfactory manner; to transfer; to extend a promissory note”. Its Latin Origin “negotiari” literally means “to do in the course of business” And as believers (children of God) we are to be about our Father’s business, and His business is that of saving souls. Which puts us directly in the role of the “negotiator” for the lives of those held in bondage and hostage in the hands of the enemy (Satan). In truth, we have the same charge as Jesus:

Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me To bring good news to the humble and afflicted; he has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted, TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God, To comfort all who mourn, To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following: To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning], The oil of joy instead of mourning, The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up and restore the former desolations; And they will renew the ruined cities, The desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations. Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers. But you shall be called the priests of the Lord; People will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And you will boast of their riches. Instead of your [former] shame you will have a double portion; And instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited]; Everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the Lord, love justice; hate robbery with a burnt offering. And I will faithfully reward them, And make an everlasting covenant with them. Then their offspring will be known among the nations, And their descendants among the peoples. All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge them That they are the people whom the Lord has blessed. I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, So the Lord God will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].” (MSG)

This is our responsibility! A portion of it says, “…TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS…” Are you paying attention church? We are to get Freedom for the Prisoners. And who are the “prisoners”? In one word they are “hostages”. I guess I’d call it one of the ugly words of our time – that word hostage. We’ve all seen our share of hostage situations haven’t we? Some are even right here in the United States. When someone has taken a hostage or several hostages, the first thing they do is they bring in the hostage negotiating team and they do their very best to use their psychology and human relations to talk that person into releasing their hostages safely.

Sometimes the person will give up and the hostages go free. But often the negotiations fail, and then it can get a little more violent. Well, when that happens, in come the highly trained commando units, the SWAT teams, and if necessary they’ll shoot the hostage taker, because that’s the only way the hostages can be saved. Now, can you imagine just rushing in there to rescue the hostages without first dealing with the one who is holding them? Believe it or not, but we do it all the time.

Look at Mark chapter 3, beginning at verse 26. Here’s what Jesus says, “If Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions UNLESS he first ties up the strong man. THEN he can rob his house.” Jesus says here that it’s necessary, if we’re going to take people back from the strong man, and we know from the context that strong man is Satan, that we first have to tie him up – to bind him to deal with this hostage taker. See, unlike humans, you don’t negotiate with the Devil out of his hostages. You don’t shoot the Devil, but you tie his hands. That’s Jesus’ strategy.

With that said, you need to section off your teams, evangelists, and according to their gifts/anointing/skill-set, you need to figure out who your negotiators are, and who your SWAT team will be. Because just like most hostages, negotiations often go but so far, and have a tendency to fail. Which is why you need your SWAT team in place before the negotiators ever go forth. You need to have SWAT in place to do whatever it takes to take down the strong-man who has a firm grip on the captives that you’ve been commanded to set free!

You see, some of Satan’s “possessions” are some people you know and some you don’t. Does it matter? Absolutely not. Our responsibility is: “…TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS…” And that includes our parents; children; mates; siblings; colleagues; coworkers; friends; family; business partners. And even the pimp; prostitute; alcoholic; drug addict; and homosexual. That includes men; women; boys; girls; black; white; Hispanic; Asian; wealthy; homeless; professors; uneducated; in the city and in the field; up North and down South. They ALL need to be set free!

However, the SWAT team is very different than the negotiators that go in first. The SWAT team has no interest in talking, negotiating, making deals or bargains. Their only focus is ‘how do we take down the hostage taker?’ The SWAT team isn’t on the phone with the hostage taker and ask no questions about what are their demands and if they want pizza in the meantime. No, the SWAT team is getting strategically in place to take out the hostage taker!

Meaning, the SWAT team is more aggressive than the negotiating team. And truth is, I know that you’ve prayed for those “hostages” in your life. You want to have them freed. You talk to them sometimes about the Lord; you worry about them. But so often we miss what Jesus said is the first step – tying up the one who is holding the hostages! And despite what most churches think, you can’t neutralize the Devil with a program, or a committee, or words, or a task force, or marches, or demonstrations. There’s more to outreach and evangelism than handing out tracts. There’s more than standing at the altar, waiting for the call to be made, so you can hold hands with someone and have a 2 minute prayer that you’re under the impression will take them out of the bondage they’ve been in for the last 2 decades. Listen: The Scripture gives us clear instructions in Mark 3:27 (let’s look at a few translations):

“But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property UNLESS HE FIRST OVERPOWERS AND TIES UP THE STRONG MAN, and then he will ransack and rob his house.” (AMP);

“But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, UNLESS HE FIRST BINDS THE STRONG MAN. Then indeed he may plunder his house.” (ESV);

“Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? ONLY SOMEONE EVEN STRONGER—SOMEONE WHO COULD TIE HIM UP and then plunder his house” (NLT);

One of the “…FIRST…” things the SWAT team has to do is “…OVERPOWER; TIE UP AND BIND…” the hostage taker! This must be done “…FIRST…”!

The word “first” is defined as “coming before all others in time or order; before anything else; foremost in position, rank or importance; highest; chief; preference; precedence.”

The word “bind” is defined as “to tie or fasten tightly together; to restrain by tying hands and feet; to wrap or encircle tightly; to hamper or constrain.”

The word “tie” is defined as “to attach or fasten; to restrict; confine; limit; to prevent escape or movement.”

And SWAT team this is our charge! To FIRST, TIE AND BIND THE STRONG MAN! This is what we do FIRST (before anything else; this is our highest; chief; foremost important, preferred method of operation!) And why is that? Because when we FIRST, TIE AND BIND the strong man, what we’re strategically doing is restraining him, which is (‘to keep under control or within limits; to deprive of freedom or movement or personal liberty’. Its Latin Origin literally means “to tie back”); we’re hampering him, which is (‘to hinder or impede the movement or progress of’); we’re constraining him, which is to (‘severely restrict the activity of; Its Old French Origin “constraindre”, from Latin ‘constringere’ literally means “to bind tightly together”); we’re restricting him, which is to (‘put a limit on; keep under control; deprive of freedom of movement or action’. Its Latin Origin literally means ‘to tie back’); we’re confining him, which is to (‘set limits or boundaries; to make unable to leave; restricted due to handicap or because of becoming disabled; limiting’. Its Latin Origin ‘confinis’ means ‘bordering’ and ‘finis’ which means ‘end or limit’); and most importantly, we’re preventing his escape or movement to do any more damage! This is what happens to the strong man when we first tie and bind him! Which clearly makes it easier to free the hostages! After all, what can he then do?!

But how do we tie and bind the strong man? He is bound by prayer. And I don’t mean, “Now I lay me down to sleep” or “Bless the missionaries” kind of prayers. This is prayer that aims all the majestic power of Jesus Christ at the enemy who is holding the lives we care about.

Mark 9:29, “He answered, “There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon EXCEPT BY PRAYER.” (MSG); Matthew 17:21, “But this kind does not go out EXCEPT BY PRAYER AND FASTING.” (AMPC)

James 5:16, “Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and PRAY [also] for one another, that you may be HEALED AND RESTORED [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. THE EARNEST (HEARTFELT, CONTINUED) PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN MAKES TREMENDOUS POWER AVAILABLE [DYNAMIC IN ITS WORKING].” (AMPC)

Then the book of Revelation goes on to say, “…THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY AND BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB.” (Revelation 12:11) Another powerful weapon is our Testimony, but no weapon is as powerful as the Blood of the Lamb! We need to make sure we’re covered by the Blood, then Plead the Blood against the enemy!

And even if you dare doubt that we are well equipped to tie and bind the strong man after all of that, make sure you read Ephesians 6:10-19! Because it’s not that we’re ill-equipped, it’s that we keep forgetting to get dressed properly!

Ephesians 6:10-18, “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.” (MSG)

That’s the weapons you are to wield! This is to be your daily wardrobe if you are to win in warfare! So how have you been dressing for battle lately?!

And yet, even with that, the Scripture that blessed me the most is still Luke 10:19, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” (AMPC) Remember Mark 3:27? “… In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house AND CARRY OFF HIS POSSESSIONS unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” But Luke 10:19 states, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] OVER ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” (AMPC)

SWAT team we can gear up and go in? Why? Because with the authority and power that Jesus has given unto us “…OVER ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]…”, when we TIE and BIND the Strong Man, we can “…CARRY OFF HIS POSSESSIONS…”

Like Pharaoh, By the Time We’re Done With the Enemy, He Will Gladly Loose Our Hostages and Let Them Go! Exodus 12:31-36, “Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “GET UP, GET OUT FROM AMONG MY PEOPLE, both you and the Israelites; and GO, serve the Lord, as you said.  Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and GO, and [ask your God to] bless me also.” The Egyptians [ANXIOUSLY] URGED the people [to leave], to send them out of the land QUICKLY, for they said, “We will all be dead.”  So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. Now the Israelites had acted in accordance with the word of Moses; and they had asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing.  The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they asked. And so they PLUNDERED the Egyptians [of those things].” (AMP) Sounds a lot like Mark 3:27, But no one can go into a strong man’s house and ransack his household goods right and left and seize them as PLUNDER unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may [thoroughly] PLUNDER his house.” (AMPC).

That word ‘plunder’ means ‘to enter in and take by force!’

Listen, once you follow the directives of Jesus’ strategy for taking down the hostage taker, you’ll be amazed at how fast the strongman wants you to take your stuff (and his) and leave! And if you follow through all the way you won’t leave anywhere near empty handed, just ask Israel!

BUT! You can’t just go running in to try to bring them out! You’ve got to DO FIRST THINGS FIRST! Deal with the one who is holding the hostages. And what’s the best way to deal with him besides prayer, fasting, the Word of God, being equipped in the armor of God, your testimony, the blood of the Lamb, and having the authority and power of Jesus? It’s using that wonderful name…JESUS! Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” (AMP) The Message Bible reads like this: “With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, ONLY THIS ONE.”(Acts 4:8-12 MSG)

Philippians 2:10, “So when the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down before Him.” (NLV).  It says in Mark 3:11, “And whenever those possessed by demons caught sight of Him they would fall down before Him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” (TLB) They didn’t even fight. They just fell down, and so will the enemies you face!

Saints, when the Devil is confronted with the presence, and the power, and the name of Jesus Christ, he surrenders and the hostages can go free!

SWAT team, it’s time to weaken the strong man, plunder his house and set the captives free! You’ve been given the weapons and the strategy, now put them to work, there are far too many hostages who are still bound waiting for you to go to battle on their behalf!

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“Binding the Strong Man”

Mark 3:27, “But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property UNLESS HE FIRST overpowers and ties up the strong man, and then he will ransack and rob his house.” (AMP)

The Message Bible reads like this, “The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions UNLESS YOU TIE HIM UP FIRST? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.” (Mark 3:22-27 MSG)

I have always been a fan of movies that make you think. For instance movies like “The Negotiator” with Samuel L. Jackson or “The Inside Man” or “John Q” with Denzel Washington.  Movies about negotiating and releasing people (without harm) from their captors. As a student of psychology (I love everything to do with the study of the mind), which is what I think adds to my love and fascination of such movies. To see how people respond under stress, in crisis, and how the mind balances, ever so quickly, with ‘what to do next’, especially when we’ve run out of plan a-z options.

The word “negotiator” is defined as “a person who discusses a problem with the aim of achieving agreement between different people or groups of people; to deal or bargain with another or others, as in the preparation of a treaty or contract or in preliminaries to a business deal; to conduct; to transact; to find a way through, around, or over in a satisfactory manner; to transfer; to extend a promissory note”. Its Latin Origin “negotiari” literally means “to do in the course of business” And as believers (children of God) we are to be about our Father’s business, and His business is that of saving souls. Which puts us directly in the role of the “negotiator” for the lives of those held in bondage and hostage in the hands of the enemy (Satan). In truth, we have the same charge as Jesus:

Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me To bring good news to the humble and afflicted; he has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted, TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God, To comfort all who mourn, To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following: To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning], The oil of joy instead of mourning, The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up and restore the former desolations; And they will renew the ruined cities, The desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations. Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers. But you shall be called the priests of the Lord; People will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And you will boast of their riches. Instead of your [former] shame you will have a double portion; And instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited];
Everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the Lord, love justice; hate robbery with a burnt offering. And I will faithfully reward them, And make an everlasting covenant with them. Then their offspring will be known among the nations, And their descendants among the peoples. All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge them That they are the people whom the Lord has blessed. I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, So the Lord God will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].” (MSG)

This is our responsibility! A portion of it says, “…TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS…” Are you paying attention church? We are to get Freedom for the Prisoners. And who are the “prisoners”? In one word they are “hostages”. I guess I’d call it one of the ugly words of our time – that word hostage. We’ve all seen our share of hostage situations haven’t we? Some are even right here in the United States. When someone has taken a hostage or several hostages, the first thing they do is they bring in the hostage negotiating team and they do their very best to use their psychology and human relations to talk that person into releasing their hostages safely.

Sometimes the person will give up and the hostages go free. But often the negotiations fail, and then it can get a little more violent. Well, when that happens, in come the highly trained commando units, the SWAT teams, and if necessary they’ll shoot the hostage taker, because that’s the only way the hostages can be saved. Now, can you imagine just rushing in there to rescue the hostages without first dealing with the one who is holding them? Believe it or not, but we do it all the time.

Look at Mark chapter 3, beginning at verse 26. Here’s what Jesus says, “If Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions UNLESS he first ties up the strong man. THEN he can rob his house.” Jesus says here that it’s necessary, if we’re going to take people back from the strong man, and we know from the context that strong man is Satan, that we first have to tie him up – to bind him to deal with this hostage taker. See, unlike humans, you don’t negotiate with the Devil out of his hostages. You don’t shoot the Devil, but you tie his hands. That’s Jesus’ strategy.

With that said, you need to section off your teams, evangelists, and according to their gifts/anointing/skill-set, you need to figure out who your negotiators are, and who your SWAT team will be. Because just like most hostages, negotiations often go but so far, and have a tendency to fail. Which is why you need your SWAT team in place before the negotiators ever go forth. You need to have SWAT in place to do whatever it takes to take down the strong-man who has a firm grip on the captives that you’ve been commanded to set free!

You see, some of Satan’s “possessions” are some people you know and some you don’t. Does it matter? Absolutely not. Our responsibility is: “…TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS…” And that includes our parents; children; mates; siblings; colleagues; coworkers; friends; family; business partners. And even the pimp; prostitute; alcoholic; drug addict; and homosexual. That includes men; women; boys; girls; black; white; Hispanic; Asian; wealthy; homeless; professors; uneducated; in the city and in the field; up North and down South. They ALL need to be set free!

However, the SWAT team is very different than the negotiators that go in first. The SWAT team has no interest in talking, negotiating, making deals or bargains. Their only focus is ‘how do we take down the hostage taker?’ The SWAT team isn’t on the phone with the hostage taker and ask no questions about what are their demands and if they want pizza in the meantime. No, the SWAT team is getting strategically in place to take out the hostage taker!

Meaning, the SWAT team is more aggressive than the negotiating team. And truth is, I know that you’ve prayed for those “hostages” in your life. You want to have them freed. You talk to them sometimes about the Lord; you worry about them. But so often we miss what Jesus said is the first step – tying up the one who is holding the hostages! And despite what most churches think, you can’t neutralize the Devil with a program, or a committee, or words, or a task force, or marches, or demonstrations. There’s more to outreach and evangelism than handing out tracts. There’s more than standing at the altar, waiting for the call to be made, so you can hold hands with someone and have a 2 minute prayer that you’re under the impression will take them out of the bondage they’ve been in for the last 2 decades. Listen: The Scripture gives us clear instructions in Mark 3:27 (let’s look at a few translations):

“But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property UNLESS HE FIRST OVERPOWERS AND TIES UP THE STRONG MAN, and then he will ransack and rob his house.” (AMP);

“But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, UNLESS HE FIRST BINDS THE STRONG MAN. Then indeed he may plunder his house.” (ESV);

“Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? ONLY SOMEONE EVEN STRONGER—SOMEONE WHO COULD TIE HIM UP and then plunder his house” (NLT);

One of the “…FIRST…” things the SWAT team has to do is “…OVERPOWER; TIE UP AND BIND…” the hostage taker! This must be done “…FIRST…”!

The word “first” is defined as “coming before all others in time or order; before anything else; foremost in position, rank or importance; highest; chief; preference; precedence.”

The word “bind” is defined as “to tie or fasten tightly together; to restrain by tying hands and feet; to wrap or encircle tightly; to hamper or constrain.”

The word “tie” is defined as “to attach or fasten; to restrict; confine; limit; to prevent escape or movement.”

And SWAT team this is our charge! To FIRST, TIE AND BIND THE STRONG MAN! This is what we do FIRST (before anything else; this is our highest; chief; foremost important, preferred method of operation!) And why is that? Because when we FIRST, TIE AND BIND the strong man, what we’re strategically doing is restraining him, which is (‘to keep under control or within limits; to deprive of freedom or movement or personal liberty’. Its Latin Origin literally means “to tie back”); we’re hampering him, which is (‘to hinder or impede the movement or progress of’); we’re constraining him, which is to (‘severely restrict the activity of; Its Old French Origin “constraindre”, from Latin ‘constringere’ literally means “to bind tightly together”); we’re restricting him, which is to (‘put a limit on; keep under control; deprive of freedom of movement or action’. Its Latin Origin literally means ‘to tie back’); we’re confining him, which is to (‘set limits or boundaries; to make unable to leave; restricted due to handicap or because of becoming disabled; limiting’. Its Latin Origin ‘confinis’ means ‘bordering’ and ‘finis’ which means ‘end or limit’); and most importantly, we’re preventing his escape or movement to do any more damage! This is what happens to the strong man when we first tie and bind him! Which clearly makes it easier to free the hostages! After all, what can he then do?!

But how do we tie and bind the strong man? He is bound by prayer. And I don’t mean, “Now I lay me down to sleep” or “Bless the missionaries” kind of prayers. This is prayer that aims all the majestic power of Jesus Christ at the enemy who is holding the lives we care about.

Mark 9:29, “He answered, “There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon EXCEPT BY PRAYER.” (MSG); Matthew 17:21, “But this kind does not go out EXCEPT BY PRAYER AND FASTING.” (AMPC)

James 5:16, “Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and PRAY [also] for one another, that you may be HEALED AND RESTORED [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. THE EARNEST (HEARTFELT, CONTINUED) PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN MAKES TREMENDOUS POWER AVAILABLE [DYNAMIC IN ITS WORKING].” (AMPC)

Then the book of Revelation goes on to say, “…THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY AND BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB.” (Revelation 12:11) Another powerful weapon is our Testimony, but no weapon is as powerful as the Blood of the Lamb! We need to make sure we’re covered by the Blood, then Plead the Blood against the enemy!

And even if you dare doubt that we are well equipped to tie and bind the strong man after all of that, make sure you read Ephesians 6:10-19! Because it’s not that we’re ill-equipped, it’s that we keep forgetting to get dressed properly!

Ephesians 6:10-18, “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.” (MSG)

That’s the weapons you are to wield! This is to be your daily wardrobe if you are to win in warfare! So how have you been dressing for battle lately?!

And yet, even with that, the Scripture that blessed me the most is still Luke 10:19, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” (AMPC) Remember Mark 3:27? “… In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house AND CARRY OFF HIS POSSESSIONS unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” But Luke 10:19 states, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] OVER ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” (AMPC)

SWAT team we can gear up and go in? Why? Because with the authority and power that Jesus has given unto us “…OVER ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]…”, when we TIE and BIND the Strong Man, we can “…CARRY OFF HIS POSSESSIONS…”

Like Pharaoh, By the Time We’re Done With the Enemy, He Will Gladly Loose Our Hostages and Let Them Go! Exodus 12:31-36, “Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “GET UP, GET OUT FROM AMONG MY PEOPLE, both you and the Israelites; and GO, serve the Lord, as you said.  Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and GO, and [ask your God to] bless me also.” The Egyptians [ANXIOUSLY] URGED the people [to leave], to send them out of the land QUICKLY, for they said, “We will all be dead.”  So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. Now the Israelites had acted in accordance with the word of Moses; and they had asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing.  The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they asked. And so they PLUNDERED the Egyptians [of those things].” (AMP) Sounds a lot like Mark 3:27, But no one can go into a strong man’s house and ransack his household goods right and left and seize them as PLUNDER unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may [thoroughly] PLUNDER his house.” (AMPC).

That word ‘plunder’ means ‘to enter in and take by force!’

Listen, once you follow the directives of Jesus’ strategy for taking down the hostage taker, you’ll be amazed at how fast the strongman wants you to take your stuff (and his) and leave! And if you follow through all the way you won’t leave anywhere near empty handed, just ask Israel!

BUT! You can’t just go running in to try to bring them out! You’ve got to DO FIRST THINGS FIRST! Deal with the one who is holding the hostages. And what’s the best way to deal with him besides prayer, fasting, the Word of God, being equipped in the armor of God, your testimony, the blood of the Lamb, and having the authority and power of Jesus? It’s using that wonderful name…JESUS! Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” (AMP) The Message Bible reads like this: “With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, ONLY THIS ONE.”(Acts 4:8-12 MSG)

Philippians 2:10, “So when the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down before Him.” (NLV).  It says in Mark 3:11, “And whenever those possessed by demons caught sight of Him they would fall down before Him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” (TLB) They didn’t even fight. They just fell down, and so will the enemies you face!

Saints, when the Devil is confronted with the presence, and the power, and the name of Jesus Christ, he surrenders and the hostages can go free!

SWAT team, it’s time to weaken the strong man, plunder his house and set the captives free! You’ve been given the weapons and the strategy, now but them to work, there are far too many hostages who are still bound waiting for you to go to battle on their behalf!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“God’s Transforming Rock Tumbler”

 

Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”

There’s a machine called the ‘Rock Tumbler’. And I bet you’ll never guess what it does. Let me help you, it literally tumbles rocks (go figure!) You see, the rock tumbler is placed in water, boring, old rocks are placed inside of it, you turn it on and you let the good times roll! The rocks start spinning, flying, and crashing into each other as they churn around in the water. The atmosphere inside the rock tumbler is pure mayhem! But after all the rockin’ and rollin’ and clashin’ and crashin’, something pretty amazing happens! 

You see, BEFORE those rocks went through the tumbler, they were just drab, boring hunks of stone. BUT WHEN THE PROCESS IS OVER, THEY COME OUT DISPLAYING A BEAUTY YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED THEY HAD! 

Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: “In the beginning, any personal change isn’t easy because you are asking yourself to confront your own self-made comfort zone. The real transformation to the new you, is one that will not only take time, but a healthy dose of perseverance. After all, no transformation is easy or everyone would have already made the shift.” (Byron Pulsifer). 

Now, if the real beauty of an old, dusty, dirty, bent out of shape rock is UNCOVERED THROUGH TURMOIL AND TURBULENCE, DON’T YOU SUPPOSE THAT COULD BE TRUE OF YOU AS WELL? COULD IT BE THAT ALL THE HITS THAT YOU’VE BEEN TAKING RIGHT NOW ARE ACTUALLY PART OF GOD’S “TUMBLER” TO GIVE YOU A BEAUTY THAT YOU’VE NEVER HAD BEFORE?  

Think about it: PRESSURE AND HEAT MAKE A LUMP OF COAL INTO A DIAMOND! AN OYSTER’S IRRITATION AND AGGRAVATION FROM A GRAIN OF SAND ULTIMATELY EMERGES AS A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE! AND, SANDPAPER’S CONSISTENT BUFFING CAN POLISH A BRIGHT NEW SHINY GLOW ON ANYTHING DULL! WELL, DOESN’T IT MAKE YOU WONDER THEN, WHAT YOU’LL COME OUT AS WHEN GOD’S PROCESS IS COMPLETE? Philippians 1:6, “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and COMPLETE it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].” (AMP) IF ONLY YOU’D JUST SURRENDER TO THE SHAKING, TOLERATE THE TUMBLING AND STOP CLASHING WITH THE CHANGE, WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU’LL BECOME IN THE END! COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE WITHIN YOU A GIFT OF SUCH VALUE THAT IT’S OF MORE WORTH THAN THAT OF A DIAMOND OR PEARL? COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE WITHIN YOU A BRIGHT NEW SHINY GLOW OF THE ANOINTING THAT’S JUST WAITING TO BREAKTHROUGH TO BREAK SOME YOKES OF BONDAGE OFF THE LIVES OF PEOPLE?

“It is not the strongest of the species who survive, not the most intelligent, but those who are the most adaptive to change.” (Charles Darwin).  

Maybe you need to stand back from just LOOKING at what’s happening, to SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING THROUGH WHAT’S HAPPENING! Stop fighting God’s process of change, after all, the transformation is for Your Good and His Glory!  

Isaiah 61, beginning with verse 1, reveals some of how TURBULENCE CAN TRANSFORM YOU. The Son of God says: “The Lord … has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Now the truth is, you may feel like you’re in one of those categories right now yourself: you’re brokenhearted over a relationship, you’re held captive in a dead-end, low paying, no advancing job, or you’re a prisoner to the darkness of bad habits, poor decisions and hard to break addictions. Well, before you read too much into that one verse you’re in NOW, might I encourage you by saying: ‘KEEP READING’, SINCE THAT’S NOT THE END OF YOUR STORY! 

God’s Son goes on to say He was sent: “…to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…” Jesus has continued writing your story too! He makes beauty from the ashes of your life, gladness from the grieving times, and praise emerging from a time of despair!

As ugly as the situation looks right now, your Hidden Beauty will emerge in full bloom when it’s all said and done! As hard as you’ve had to cry, your tears of pain will turn into tears over the Promises of God still being intact in your life! Only God can take you from Gruesome to Glorious and Grieving to Gladness! But it’s up to you to yield, surrender and submit to His tumbler process of change and transformation. He will not force His Will on your life. 

One of my favorite quotes reads: “We fear that we are inadequate, but our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be these things? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people around you won’t feel insecure. We are all meant to shine as children do. We are born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically releases others.” (Marriane Williamson). 

In other words, it’s not just about you! Oftentimes, the people in your circle of influence, are watching how you handle bondage and freedom, and they’re emulating your every move. If you decide to play it small, they will play it small. But what if God has so much greater in store for both of you? Are you really content to allow yourself and others, to miss out on God’s Big because you were too scared to stop playing Small!? When you dim your light, people around you will follow you and dim theirs. But then what happens to the city whose supposed to be attracted to our light? Does everyone suffer in darkness because you’re too insecure and intimidated to brightly shine as God designed you to? Are you going to allow God’s Glory in and on your life to be covered by fear? Remember, people are watching you and following you, lead them well. Give them a better example to emulate. Show them what it looks like to be all that God called you to be. Show them what freedom really looks and feels like. Show them the blessing of letting the Holy Spirit use every gift He’s given you. Show them how powerful the anointing of God is on your life, so that they will desire the same thing. Stop Playing Small, When Your Big God has Given You a Big Role to Play in His Kingdom! 

And if you think that’s something, know when it comes to “…praise instead of a spirit of despair…”, God will grant you a “Habakkuk Anointing” that shouts, “Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen, Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I’M SINGING JOYFUL PRAISE TO GOD. I’M TURNING CARTWHEELS OF JOY TO MY SAVIOR GOD. COUNTING ON GOD’S RULE TO PREVAIL, I TAKE HEART AND GAIN STRENGTH. I RUN LIKE A DEER. I FEEL LIKE I’M KING OF THE MOUNTAIN!” (3:17-19 MSG).  

SO DON’T LOSE HEART, THE TUMBLER IS NOT DESIGNED TO TORTURE YOU, BUT TO TRANSFORM YOU!

The tumbler teaches you how to have a different perspective, even while enduring the process of transformation. Habakkuk was faced with trees with no ripe fruit; apples full of worms; a wheat field with stunted growth; sheep pens with no sheep; and cattle barns with no cattle! Truth is, if we were in his shoes we would feel justified in having ourselves a huge pity party, but not Habakkuk! When he had so much to complain about, he chose singing, praising and even cartwheels of joy! And why could he do that? Because he learned how to count on God’s rule to prevail! And that’s not easy when your circumstances, situations, and surroundings are telling you to run and hide under the covers of despair! But once you’ve endured the tumbler with all of its throwing you around like a rag doll, you’ll be amazed by how you can handle everything else! Once you survive going through the tumbler, you can go through anything! Remember, everything you’re facing is by God’s design to bring you out better than you went in. Don’t fight the process, don’t fight the pain, don’t fight God’s Transforming Tumbler!

“Ships are safe within the harbor, but is that what ships are for?” (Author Unknown). Listen: Pirates don’t attack ships that are safe at shore, which is probably why you want to stay there, BUT INSTEAD THEY ATTACK THE SHIPS WITH THE TREASURE THAT’S ALREADY OUT TO SEA (MOVING, GOING SOMEWHERE) WHY? BECAUSE THOSE SHIPS ARE LIVING PROOF THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO FIND TREASURE, CARRY TREASURE, AND LOCATE MORE TREASURE! [OK, This Is Going to Hurt, But It’s Also Going to Help]: IF YOU AREN’T DEALING WITH ANY ENEMY ATTACKS AT ALL, CHANCES ARE, YOU HAVEN’T FOUND ANY TREASURE, YOU AREN’T CARRYING ANY TREASURE AND YOU ARE CLUELESS AS TO WHERE ANY TREASURE IS LOCATED! IF THE ENEMY ISN’T TRYING TO STOP YOU, CHANCES ARE, YOU WEREN’T GOING ANYWHERE IN THE FIRST PLACE! IF HE’S NOT TRYING TO TAKE ANYTHING FROM YOU, CHANCES ARE, YOU DON’T HAVE NOTHING OF VALUE WORTH TAKING! THEREFORE, NO MATTER WHAT COMFORT ZONE YOU’VE DESIGNED FOR YOURSELF IT’S HIGH TIME YOU RE-DESIGN! YOU ARE NOT TO STAY AS YOU ARE! NO MORE SETTLING, NO MORE SHRINKING BACK IN FEAR, THERE’S GREATNESS TO GET TO, SO GET THERE! REMEMBER: PIRATES ATTACK WHERE THERE’S TREASURE, IF THEY’RE ATTACKING, REJOICE! IF NOT, GET OFF THE CLEARANCE RACK OF PROCRASTINATION, PITY, TEARS AND SELF LOATHING AND UP YOUR VALUE! YOU’VE BEEN SITTING ON THE SEASHORE LONG ENOUGH! STOP BEING FEARFUL, STOP BEING INTIMIDATED, STOP PROCRASTINATING, STOP BEING INSECURE, STOP BEING COMFORTABLE, STOP PLAYING SMALL! THERE’S A TREMENDOUS TREASURE THAT GOD IS TRYING TO GET INTO YOUR POSSESSION, BUT HE’S NOT GOING TO TRUST HIS TREASURE INTO A VESSEL TOO SCARED TO CARRY IT!

Remember This: “The cave you most fear to enter contains the greatest treasure.” (Joseph Campbell). And maybe that’s the case for you too! That thing you know you’re supposed to do, but you’ve been too fearful to do, just may hold the key to your treasure chest! Family, maybe it’s time you stopped fearing the cave! Because there’s an assignment in the cave! 1 Samuel 22:1-5, “So David got away and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. When his brothers and others associated with his family heard where he was, they came down and joined him. Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. DAVID BECAME THEIR LEADER. There were about four hundred in all. Then David went to Mizpah in Moab. He petitioned the king of Moab, “Grant asylum to my father and mother until I FIND OUT WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR ME.” David left his parents in the care of the king of Moab. They stayed there all through the time David was hiding out. The prophet Gad told David, “DON’T GO BACK TO THE CAVE. GO TO JUDAH…” (MSG) David was on the run from enemies and ran straight into an assignment from God in the cave! Not only were his family and people associated with his family in the cave, but there also came those who were down on their luck, losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts, and David became their leader. Brothers and Sisters: As insignificant as you think you are, God sees you in a completely different light altogether! While David’s in the cave he’s assigned, unexpectedly on his part, 400 people in all for him to lead. Question: Who’s waiting on you to enter the cave so you can lead them out? Please know this: While you’re doubting yourself, they’re waiting; while you’re scared, they’re waiting; while you’re hiding, they’re waiting; while you’re waiting for someone else to do it, they’re all waiting on you! Some people will never find their place until you get into yours! You are the key puzzle piece to some people’s lives, and as long as you remain ‘missing’, they remain incomplete! Do you really want to give God an account of how you failed to carry out that assignment?! I think not! Know this, God isn’t looking for you to have it altogether either. Even David said, “…Until I Find Out What God Has Planned For Me.” God is simply waiting on your obedience, faith, works, action and trust to kick in so He can share the plan! You do remember that God has a plan right? Jeremiah 29:10-11, “…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (MSG) God doesn’t need you to figure out a plan, He needs you to trust that He already has a plan! Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all…” (MSG) Saints, Trust God’s Plan, Trust God’s Process! And then, let us not forget the rest of the prophet’s instructions to David: “…DON’T GO BACK TO THE CAVE. GO TO JUDAH…” (MSG) Once you’ve fulfilled your assignment in the cave, you don’t stay there, you leave and go to Judah (the place of praise)! Listen, your praise is evidence that you trust God’s process and plan. It’s your gratitude that you express to God because He didn’t leave you in the cave, He processed you and promoted you, and all you had to do was trust the plan of God! Don’t you think today is a pretty good day to start that? Trust God’s Plan, Trust God’s Process, Enjoy God’s Promotion!

Now, here’s how God wants you to look when you come out of the tumbler: “…They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor.” (Isaiah 61:3 NIV) GOD WANTS TO USE THE TUMBLER TO MAKE YOU STRONG AND INDESTRUCTIBLE LIKE AN OAK! SUFFERING MAKES WIMPS INTO WARRIORS! AND HE WANTS TO USE THE TURBULENCE TO GIVE YOU SUCH A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM THAT YOU WILL BE A STAGE TO SHOW OFF HIS GLORY! “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” (Isaiah 61:4 NIV) If you dare to take on the turbulence of the tumbler, you’ll eventually find yourself “…rebuilding…restoring…and renewing…devastation that has taken place for generations…” When you submit to God’s transforming tumbler, He makes you into His tool that He will use to fix every generational curse of devastation in your family line and that of others! Can you imagine God using little old you to be His change agent in family lineages?! You could be in the position to say, ‘and that generational curse dies now and will not relive in not another generation!’ Sickness could stop with you; failure could stop with you; sin could stop with you; divorce could stop with; prison could stop with you; gangs could stop with you; disobedience could stop with you; addiction could stop with you; school drop outs could stop with you; financial distress could stop with you! Don’t You Want to be a Change Agent for God Used to Destroy Generational Curses?! After All, Who Doesn’t?! 

YOU’LL BE EQUIPPED BY THE HARD TIMES TO BE A DURABLE INSTRUMENT OF GOD IN REPAIRING DAMAGED LIVES! WHO DOESN’T WANT THAT AS THEIR TESTIMONY?  

“The tragedy of life is not found in failure but complacency. Not in you doing too much, but doing too little. Not in you living above your means, but below your capacity. It’s not failure but aiming too low, that is life’s greatest tragedy.” (Benjamin E. Mayes). 

THE SHAKING YOU’RE ENDURING, THE HITS YOU’RE TAKING ARE TOOLS IN GOD’S HANDS TO BRING OUT AN AMAZING BEAUTY IN YOU; A STRENGTH, A TENDERNESS, A MATURITY, A CONFIDENCE, A COMPASSION THAT COMES ONLY FROM BEING BEAUTIFIED IN GOD’S TUMBLER! So don’t wallow in the: “why is this happening?” drama series. Instead, keep asking, “How can God use this?” The reality is: “You can’t help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself.” (H. Norman Schwarzkopf). GOD WILL USE YOU IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS, BUT ONLY AFTER YOU’VE BEEN USED TO AID YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT FIRST! So don’t despair when you keep running into things and things keep running into you, when your whole world is spinning and colliding. THIS ISN’T TO DESTROY YOU! THIS IS TO GIVE YOU A BEAUTY YOU’VE NEVER HAD BEFORE! IF YOU LET GOD HAVE HIS WAY IN THIS TURBULENCE, YOU WILL “DISPLAY HIS SPLENDOR” FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! 

Listen to the conclusion of Isaiah: “Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” (vss 5-11 NIV) You my friend are a part of that inheritance. So, are you going to position yourself in God’s Transforming Tumbler so you can receive it, or are you going to allow your fears to cause you to forfeit?

Just think about it: Can you imagine if butterflies said, ‘no, I don’t think I can endure the process of transformation, it’s too dark, too hard, too painful, and too long. I’ll just stay in here. I know wings are waiting for me; I know the beautiful colors I’ll transform into; I know the heights I’ll be able to soar to, but no thanks, I’ll just die in this cocoon.’ Saints, don’t let this be your testimony. Yes, it will be dark, hard, painful, long, and even lonely, but it will be worth it!

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” (Carl Bard). People of God, YOU’RE COMING OUT BETTER THAN YOU WENT IN! AND IN THE WORDS OF THE MEN’S WEARHOUSE COMMERCIAL: “YOU’RE GOING TO LIKE THE WAY YOU LOOK, I GUARANTEE IT!”   

Church, Trust God’s Plan, Trust God’s Process, and Enjoy God’s Promotion!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #BeTransformed
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Health Benefits of Napping”

 

 

“Binding the Strong Man!”

Mark 3:27, “But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property UNLESS HE FIRST overpowers and ties up the strong man, and then he will ransack and rob his house.” (AMP)

The Message Bible reads like this, “The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions UNLESS YOU TIE HIM UP FIRST? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.” (Mark 3:22-27 MSG)

I have always been a fan of movies that make you think. For instance movies like “The Negotiator” with Samuel L. Jackson or “The Inside Man” or “John Q” with Denzel Washington.  Movies about negotiating and releasing people (without harm) from their captors. As a student of psychology (I love everything to do with the study of the mind), which is what I think adds to my love and fascination of such movies. To see how people respond under stress, in crisis, and how the mind balances, ever so quickly, with ‘what to do next’, especially when we’ve run out of plan a-z options.

The word “negotiator” is defined as “a person who discusses a problem with the aim of achieving agreement between different people or groups of people; to deal or bargain with another or others, as in the preparation of a treaty or contract or in preliminaries to a business deal; to conduct; to transact; to find a way through, around, or over in a satisfactory manner; to transfer; to extend a promissory note”. Its Latin Origin “negotiari” literally means “to do in the course of business” And as believers (children of God) we are to be about our Father’s business, and His business is that of saving souls. Which puts us directly in the role of the “negotiator” for the lives of those held in bondage and hostage in the hands of the enemy (Satan). In truth, we have the same charge as Jesus:

Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me To bring good news to the humble and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted, TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God, To comfort all who mourn, To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following: To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning], The oil of joy instead of mourning, The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up and restore the former desolations; And they will renew the ruined cities, The desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations. Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers. But you shall be called the priests of the Lord; People will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And you will boast of their riches. Instead of your [former] shame you will have a double portion; And instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited];
Everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the Lord, love justice; hate robbery with a burnt offering. And I will faithfully reward them, And make an everlasting covenant with them. Then their offspring will be known among the nations, And their descendants among the peoples. All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge them That they are the people whom the Lord has blessed. I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, So the Lord God will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].” (MSG)

This is our responsibility! A portion of it says, “…TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS…” Are you paying attention church? We are to get Freedom for the Prisoners. And who are the “prisoners”? In one word they are “hostages”. I guess I’d call it one of the ugly words of our time – that word hostage. We’ve all seen our share of hostage situations haven’t we? Some are even right here in the United States. When someone has taken a hostage or several hostages, the first thing they do is they bring in the hostage negotiating team and they do their very best to use their psychology and human relations to talk that person into releasing their hostages safely.

Sometimes the person will give up and the hostages go free. But often the negotiations fail, and then it can get a little more violent. Well, when that happens, in come the highly trained commando units, the SWAT teams, and if necessary they’ll shoot the hostage taker, because that’s the only way the hostages can be saved. Now, can you imagine just rushing in there to rescue the hostages without first dealing with the one who is holding them? Believe it or not, but we do it all the time.

Look at Mark chapter 3, beginning at verse 26. Here’s what Jesus says, “If Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions UNLESS he first ties up the strong man. THEN he can rob his house.” Jesus says here that it’s necessary, if we’re going to take people back from the strong man, and we know from the context that strong man is Satan, that we first have to tie him up – to bind him to deal with this hostage taker. See, unlike humans, you don’t negotiate with the Devil out of his hostages. You don’t shoot the Devil, but you tie his hands. That’s Jesus’ strategy.

With that said, you need to section off your teams, evangelists, and according to their gifts/anointing/skill-set, you need to figure out who your negotiators are, and who your SWAT team will be. Because just like most hostages, negotiations often go but so far, and have a tendency to fail. Which is why you need your SWAT team in place before the negotiators ever go forth. You need to have SWAT in place to do whatever it takes to take down the strong-man who has a firm grip on the captives that you’ve been commanded to set free!

You see, some of Satan’s “possessions” are some people you know and some you don’t. Does it matter? Absolutely not. Our responsibility is: “…TO PROCLAIM RELEASE [FROM CONFINEMENT AND CONDEMNATION] TO THE [PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL] CAPTIVES AND FREEDOM TO PRISONERS…” And that includes our parents; children; mates; siblings; colleagues; coworkers; friends; family; business partners. And even the pimp; prostitute; alcoholic; drug addict; and homosexual. That includes men; women; boys; girls; black; white; Hispanic; Asian; wealthy; homeless; professors; uneducated; in the city and in the field; up North and down South. They ALL need to be set free!

However, the SWAT team is very different than the negotiators that go in first. The SWAT team has no interest in talking, negotiating, making deals or bargains. Their only focus is ‘how do we take down the hostage taker?’ The SWAT team isn’t on the phone with the hostage taker and ask no questions about what are their demands and if they want pizza in the meantime. No, the SWAT team is getting strategically in place to take out the hostage taker!

Meaning, the SWAT team is more aggressive than the negotiating team. And truth is, I know that you’ve prayed for those “hostages” in your life. You want to have them freed. You talk to them sometimes about the Lord; you worry about them. But so often we miss what Jesus said is the first step – tying up the one who is holding the hostages! And despite what most churches think, you can’t neutralize the Devil with a program, or a committee, or words, or a task force, or marches, or demonstrations. There’s more to outreach and evangelism than handing out tracts. There’s more than standing at the altar, waiting for the call to be made, so you can hold hands with someone and have a 2 minute prayer that you’re under the impression will take them out of the bondage they’ve been in for the last 2 decades. Listen: The Scripture gives us clear instructions in Mark 3:27 (let’s look at a few translations):

“But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property UNLESS HE FIRST OVERPOWERS AND TIES UP THE STRONG MAN, and then he will ransack and rob his house.” (AMP);

“But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, UNLESS HE FIRST BINDS THE STRONG MAN. Then indeed he may plunder his house.” (ESV);

“Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? ONLY SOMEONE EVEN STRONGER—SOMEONE WHO COULD TIE HIM UP and then plunder his house” (NLT);

One of the “…FIRST…” things the SWAT team has to do is “…OVERPOWER; TIE UP AND BIND…” the hostage taker! This must be done “…FIRST…”!

The word “first” is defined as “coming before all others in time or order; before anything else; foremost in position, rank or importance; highest; chief; preference; precedence.”

The word “bind” is defined as “to tie or fasten tightly together; to restrain by tying hands and feet; to wrap or encircle tightly; to hamper or constrain.”

The word “tie” is defined as “to attach or fasten; to restrict; confine; limit; to prevent escape or movement.”

And SWAT team this is our charge! To FIRST, TIE AND BIND THE STRONG MAN! This is what we do FIRST (before anything else; this is our highest; chief; foremost important, preferred method of operation!) And why is that? Because when we FIRST, TIE AND BIND the strong man, what we’re strategically doing is restraining him, which is (‘to keep under control or within limits; to deprive of freedom or movement or personal liberty’. Its Latin Origin literally means “to tie back”); we’re hampering him, which is (‘to hinder or impede the movement or progress of’); we’re constraining him, which is to (‘severely restrict the activity of; Its Old French Origin “constraindre”, from Latin ‘constringere’ literally means “to bind tightly together”); we’re restricting him, which is to (‘put a limit on; keep under control; deprive of freedom of movement or action’. Its Latin Origin literally means ‘to tie back’); we’re confining him, which is to (‘set limits or boundaries; to make unable to leave; restricted due to handicap or because of becoming disabled; limiting’. Its Latin Origin ‘confinis’ means ‘bordering’ and ‘finis’ which means ‘end or limit’); and most importantly, we’re preventing his escape or movement to do any more damage! This is what happens to the strong man when we first tie and bind him! Which clearly makes it easier to free the hostages! After all, what can he then do?!

But how do we tie and bind the strong man? He is bound by prayer. And I don’t mean, “Now I lay me down to sleep” or “Bless the missionaries” kind of prayers. This is prayer that aims all the majestic power of Jesus Christ at the enemy who is holding the lives we care about.

Mark 9:29, “He answered, “There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon EXCEPT BY PRAYER.” (MSG); Matthew 17:21, “But this kind does not go out EXCEPT BY PRAYER AND FASTING.” (AMPC)

James 5:16, “Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and PRAY [also] for one another, that you may be HEALED AND RESTORED [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. THE EARNEST (HEARTFELT, CONTINUED) PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN MAKES TREMENDOUS POWER AVAILABLE [DYNAMIC IN ITS WORKING].” (AMPC)

Then the book of Revelation goes on to say, “…THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY AND BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB.” (Revelation 12:11) Another powerful weapon is our Testimony, but no weapon is as powerful as the Blood of the Lamb! We need to make sure we’re covered by the Blood, then Plead the Blood against the enemy!

And even if you dare doubt that we are well equipped to tie and bind the strong man after all of that, make sure you read Ephesians 6:10-19! Because it’s not that we’re ill-equipped, it’s that we keep forgetting to get dressed properly!

Ephesians 6:10-18, “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.” (MSG) That’s the weapons you are to wield! This is to be your daily wardrobe if you are to win in warfare! So how have you been dressing for battle lately?!

And yet, even with that, the Scripture that blessed me the most still is Luke 10:19, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” (AMPC) Remember Mark 3:27? “… In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house AND CARRY OFF HIS POSSESSIONS unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” But Luke 10:19 states, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] OVER ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” (AMPC)

SWAT team we can gear up and go in? Why? Because with the authority and power that Jesus has given unto us “…OVER ALL THE POWER THAT THE ENEMY [POSSESSES]…”, when we TIE and BIND the Strong Man, we can “…CARRY OFF HIS POSSESSIONS…” Like Pharaoh, By the Time We’re Done With the Enemy, He Will Gladly Loose Our Hostages and Let Them Go! Exodus 12:31-36, “Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “GET UP, GET OUT FROM AMONG MY PEOPLE, both you and the Israelites; and GO, serve the Lord, as you said.  Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and GO, and [ask your God to] bless me also.” The Egyptians [ANXIOUSLY] URGED the people [to leave], to send them out of the land QUICKLY, for they said, “We will all be dead.”  So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. Now the Israelites had acted in accordance with the word of Moses; and they had asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing.  The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they asked. And so they PLUNDERED the Egyptians [of those things].” (AMP) Sounds a lot like Mark 3:27, But no one can go into a strong man’s house and ransack his household goods right and left and seize them as PLUNDER unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may [thoroughly] PLUNDER his house.” (AMPC). That word ‘plunder’ means ‘to enter in and take by force!’ Listen, once you follow the directives of Jesus’ strategy for taking down the hostage taker, you’ll be amazed at how fast the strongman wants you to take your stuff (and his) and leave! And if you follow through all the way you won’t leave anywhere near empty handed, just ask Israel!

BUT! You can’t just go running in to try to bring them out! You’ve got to DO FIRST THINGS FIRST! Deal with the one who is holding the hostage. And what’s the best way to deal with him besides prayer, fasting, the Word of God, being equipped in the armor of God, your testimony, the blood of the Lamb, and having the authority and power of Jesus? It’s using that wonderful name…JESUS! Philippians 2:10, “So when the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down before Him.” (NLV).  It says in Mark 3:11, “And whenever those possessed by demons caught sight of Him they would fall down before Him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” (TLB) They didn’t even fight. They just fell down, and so will the enemies you face!

Saints, when the Devil is confronted with the presence, and the power, and the name of Jesus Christ, he surrenders and the hostages can go free! SWAT team, it’s time to weaken the strong man, plunder his house and set the captives free! You’ve been given the weapons and the strategy, now but them to work, there are far too many hostages who are still bond waiting for you to go to battle on their behalf!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged
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