Note from Steve Shultz, THE ELIJAH LIST
This article by Francis Frangipane is his follow up the article he wrote
last week which we entitled:
"FRANCIS FRANGIPANE MAKES URGENT CALLS FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST TO PRAY
AGAINST HALLOWEEN-RELATED CURSES!"
Which can be found at:
http://elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=1337
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A
CURSE WITHOUT A CAUSE or: "HOW DID THE DEVIL GET IN, IF THERE WAS NO
CAUSE?"
-- by Pastor Francis Frangipane
www.inchristsimage.org
Arrow Publications
RiverofLifeMailer@InChristsImage.org
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
[
Note from Steve Shultz: I might as well be honest with you. Francis is one
of my favorite speakers, and authors. He has a deep insight into the
things of God that puts him in the role of a prophetic voice to the
Church. You can find many of his books at:
http://theelijahlist.safeshopper.com/311/cat311.htm?88 ]
Francis Frangipane:
Amidst the replies, [from the article, "FRANCIS FRANGIPANE MAKES URGENT
CALLS FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST TO PRAY AGAINST HALLOWEEN-RELATED CURSES!
Which can be found at:
http://elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=1337 ] a question
often came up concerning Proverbs 26:2b.
It
reads: "a curse without cause does not alight."
Question: If a curse cannot be effective without cause, and if this attack
is indeed from hell, how did the enemy get in?
---------------------
SOME HAVE BLAMED SIN
---------------------
Some have blamed sin, and certainly we need to examine our hearts and make
sure we do not have open "sin-gates" through which the enemy can gain
access to our lives. However, I think in most cases there is a different
answer concerning the intensity of this assault: Satan rages when he knows
his time is short (Rev 12:12).
I
do not mean that we are at the time when Rev 12:12 is fulfilled, but to
say that, in the context of all that is occurring in our world--the
restoration of Israel, the preaching of the gospel throughout the world,
etc.--these are signs of the Lord's return and Satan's ultimate defeat. In
other words, we would be foolish to not expect increasing warfare towards
the end of the age.
=========================================
WE
MUST NOT EXAGGERATE THE ENEMY'S POWER
=========================================
Having said that, let me also state that it is vital that we never
exaggerate the power of the enemy, which is worse than underestimating
him. The truth is, if we were not individually protected by the
sovereignty of God, Satan would have destroyed each of us long ago. The
Lord has given His angels charge concerning us. We are sealed by the Holy
Spirit and, even in our imperfections, spiritually covered by the blood of
the Lamb.
We
are protected, but we are also living in a world that, at some point, will
actually see the devil cast down to earth "having great wrath" (Rev
12:12). Even in this, the Lord is working all things for good. God is
using the eruption of hell's fury to move us to greater, more focused
prayer. Beloved, an increasing element of God's protection will only be
manifest through the intercession of others on our behalf. Each of us
must have people for whom we pray daily; and we each need others who pray
daily for us.
In
real ways, we are our "brother's keeper."
============================
THE UN-PRAYED FOR CHRISTIAN
============================
We
would each agree that an "unprayed for" Christian is potentially more
vulnerable to spiritual attack than a Christian who is held before God
daily in redemptive intercession. Likewise, a church that has only
minimal intercession might think its prayer level is adequate until the
battle suddenly escalates.
We
assume a weekly hour of prayer is sufficient, yet God desires His church
to be a house of prayer with 24-hour intercession rising from a united
citywide church. So, He sets the vision before us. The Holy Spirit warns
of increasing warfare, but we do not really listen.
-----------------
THERE IS A CAUSE
-----------------
Yet, what God's warning seeks to accomplish, the warfare itself fulfills.
It is not as though the curse has alighted without cause. There is a
cause: our modern traditions have minimized the priority of intercession.
Consider the untimely death of James in the Book of Acts. James, like
Peter and John, was a singularly important apostle. He was one of Jesus'
closest friends, an intimate who stood with Christ on the Mount of
Transfiguration. Additionally, the early church certainly had a strong
prayer stance. In fact, the apostles previously had been imprisoned, but
had been supernaturally delivered at night by an angel. So bold was their
victory that they were fearlessly preaching the next morning (Acts
5:17-21).
However, the battle unexpectedly intensified. If we study this account we
can see the difference prayer made between the outcome of James' life and
that of Peter's.
James had been imprisoned and, instead of being delivered, he was
beheaded. The experience of the early church was that God sovereignly
delivered the apostles and He would do the same for James. There had been
no great prayer surge on behalf of the apostles and they assumed there was
none needed for James. No alarms went off when James was put in jail. But
James did die, and his death absolutely shocked the church. How could
this happen? How could the enemy penetrate the protection God had
provided previously? Somehow, the early church did not recognize a shift
in the battle and the need of unceasing prayer.
-------------------------------------------
AFTER JAMES WAS MURDERED, PRAYER INCREASED
-------------------------------------------
After James was murdered, Satan's advantage actually seemed to grow. Herod
quickly jailed Peter and planned to put him to death also. However, in
Peter's case we read: "So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him
was being made fervently by the church to God" (Acts 12:5). The
difference between the death of James and the rescue of Peter was fervent
prayer. Instead of comfortably (or prayerlessly) expecting God's
sovereign protection, the church realized that, in some ways, divine
protection was being released through fervent intercession. In fact, the
church prayed so intensely for Peter, that even when he was delivered,
those praying refused to cease praying to let him in! (Acts
12:12-16)
Besides communicating the historical narrative, the spiritual point of
this story is that prayer provides added protection and deliverance. As
Satan used Herod to kill James, we should not think it strange the evil
one would use any means available to injure or destroy the people of God
today (Jn 10:10). Jesus said Satan was a murderer from the beginning (Jn
8:44). When a murderer's rage increases, calamity increases as well.
-----------------------------------------------
THE OUTCOME OF THE CHURCH'S INTENSIFIED PRAYER
-----------------------------------------------
The antidote, as I said previously, is to pray. The outcome of the
church's intensified prayer for Peter was that "an angel of the Lord
struck [Herod]...and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of the
Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied" (Acts 12:23-24). Herod was
struck by divine judgment. With Herod removed, and the fear of God
heightened, the word of God's redemption continued to spread
exponentially. But, let us look squarely in the face of this story. The
breakthrough for the primary church spokesman, Peter, did not occur apart
from citywide, night and day prayer on his behalf.
--------
A
Widow
--------
Jesus told a parable about how we were to pray and not lose heart. He
spoke of a widow who approached a judge because of attacks made on her by
an adversary (Lk 18:1-8). Although the parable does not reveal what
losses she endured, we know she suffered the loss of her husband. The
NASB says she approached the judge seeking "legal protection." Let us
understand that, through Jesus, God has granted us "legal protection" from
our adversary. But, the parable teaches that just knowing Jesus purchased
our protection is not enough; there are times when it takes "day and
night" prayer to activate protection (Lk 18:5-7).
So, let us pray for church leaders; and leaders, let us pray for our
congregations. Parents, pray for your children and each take the burden
to stand with another. Certainly God will avenge speedily those who cry
to him day and night. He will not delay long over them! Let us,
therefore, stand without fear before God and boldly intercede, asking the
Almighty to fully release what Jesus died to legally give us.
Lord, we cover Your church in the blood of Jesus. We cry to You, Almighty
Father, to release warring angels to stand against the plans of hell.
Father, protect our children and our churches. Let Your Holy Spirit
reverse every curse and turn it into a blessing instead. In fact, O God,
we pray for those trapped in witchcraft and the occult. We bless those
who curse us and ask You, sovereign Lord, to show them Your mercy toward
them. Triumph, O God, over all the plans of the enemy. In Jesus' name.
Amen.
(For more info on the place of protection and immunity from the attacks of
Satan, you can order The Stronghold of God and The Power of Covenant
Prayer, which discusses in depth how witchcraft works and how it can be
broken- (both may be ordered from THE ELIJAH LIST. The one book, THE
STRONGHOLD OF GOD is not quite online yet but will be shortly, You can
order it by phone however at the ELIJAH LIST at: 1-866-881-0477. The Power
of Covenant Prayer is at:
http://elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=1337 along with Many
of Francis' other books.
-
Francis Frangipane).
For
most of Francis Frangipane's books go to:
http://elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=1337
==================================
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