Review

Last week, the pastor spoke about how there was no longer a place in heaven for the dragon to stay, and it had been cast down to earth. This is why we have the privilege of engaging with the dragon in the church today. This past week, the church has somewhat resembled a zoo as we've been dealing with various animalistic evil spirits. Walking the dragon and slaying the dragon have become our main forms of entertainment and warfare. We are surprised to find that our combat capabilities have greatly improved in this process of battling the dragon.

In addition to fighting the dragon, we also had a major battle with the spirit of martial arts this week. One of our brothers from the English congregation, who had practiced a lot of martial arts before, suffered an accident with his knee, and for 20 years he was unable to squat or run. When we ministered deliverance to him, he began to make various animal movements, like a monkey, a praying mantis, and a tiger. During the deliverance, he was rolling and tumbling on the ground; the scene was quite shocking, no less than any blockbuster movie. At times like these, do not be afraid. Although the scene is shocking, it will definitely not harm anyone because of the protection of the Holy Spirit, as deliverance is the work of the Holy Spirit. This brother said that when the evil spirit was in his hand, we grabbed his hand and prayed, and he roared at us. We later discovered that this roar was from a Pixiu. Later, we also discovered an interesting phenomenon: this Pixiu spirit has a mouth but no anus, only eating gold and silver treasures but never excreting. Imagine! Anyone who is afflicted by this Pixiu spirit is bound to be unlucky. Their money is eaten by it, and it only takes in but never gives out—how tragic!

Later, we discovered that when we began to triumph in our battle with the dragon spirit, all those who were oppressed by spirits below the dragon began to receive varying degrees of deliverance. Even our sister L娟’s many years of schizophrenia were healed, and her neck straightened, something that we could never have imagined. What shocked me the most was that a brother who had joined us three months ago left our group due to work reasons. After not contacting us for three months, he suddenly contacted me and said that he had been delivered. He then told me that he used to mess around and attack Christians in the group, but now he no longer attacks them. He asked me to add him back to the group, saying that he was willing to be an auditor and follow us in believing in the Lord. He said that the reason he was oppressed by evil spirits was because he was abandoned in the womb, and his spirit was wounded and oppressed. Now he has been delivered. I thought this was truly amazing. I had a feeling that as our spiritual battles deepen, even those who hear the name of our abundant spiritual food will be blessed, because when we overcome the dragon, heaven opens for us.

Later, when I read the Bible, I was surprised to discover that not all churches have the opportunity to engage with the dragon. When your capability is not enough, the dragon simply looks down on such a church. The spirit of the dragon manifests because it is angry. The dragon becomes angry because the church is not under its dominion. Churches that are under the dragon's dominion do not have the opportunity to battle the dragon because the dragon simply does not manifest. So, what kind of people will be chosen by the dragon to spar with? Only those who have the status of children of God will. I am not just making this up. Let us look at today's scripture.

Scripture: Revelation 12:17-18, Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Only Children of God Are Worthy to Battle the Dragon

It turns out that only those children of God who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus are worthy of being noticed by the dragon and engaging in battle with it. And you see here that it is written that the dragon stood on the shore of the sea, so the spirit of the dragon should be quite rampant in coastal areas. Throughout history, coastal areas have been places with a lot of warfare.

Seeing this, do not think, Oh, it's so miserable to be a child of God! You have to fight the spirit of the dragon. How dangerous! Actually, the scene is quite frightening. When some of our brothers and sisters were releasing the spirit of the red dragon, when the spirit of the red dragon manifested, the person would enter into a state of extreme anger and mania. You would see these brothers and sisters who are oppressed by evil spirits with fierce eyes, red faces, bulging veins, and extraordinary strength. A girl could not be held down by several people. Oh, I don't want to be a child of God. It's too dangerous. In fact, if you are not a child of God, you do not have to fight the dragon, but you are directly under the dragon's dominion. Then you are a toy of the dragon. The dragon can make you angry whenever it wants. In fact, many murderers are killed by this dragon spirit. In the end, they do not even know that it was the evil spirit that made them kill, and they bear all the guilt themselves, which is very miserable.

So, in reality, we have no choice. Either we become children of God and kill the dragon, or we are under the dominion of the dragon spirit, being controlled by it. In fact, this dragon is the ancient serpent that deceived Adam and Eve into eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. If you cannot overcome the dragon, you will live in the knowledge of good and evil, which is very painful. So, if you want to live a free and joyful life, you must overcome the knowledge of good and evil, which is the spirit of the dragon. Therefore, if a church wants to overcome the dragon, the brothers and sisters in the church must obtain the status of sons of God. It turns out that obtaining the status of sons of God is the key to overcoming the dragon.

The Status of Sons of God is Our Mingding Destiny

In Ephesians 1:5, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Many people ask what Mingding Destiny means. I tell you that Mingding Destiny means you are to become a son of God, you are to do what Jesus did, that is your Mingding Destiny.

In other words, the matter of status is non-negotiable. I think none of us do not know the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob used a bowl of lentil stew to buy the birthright from his brother Esau. Why did Jacob use every means to seize the birthright from Esau's hands? Was Jacob trying to win against Esau? No. Would anyone think that Jacob had a spirit of contention? Haha, actually not. The reason Jacob contended was to fulfill God's commission in his life. The reason Esau gave way was not because Esau was humble, not because Esau was Kong Rong, but because Esau did not know why he was living. In fact, Esau was killed by the spirit of the dragon.

Moreover, I have another surprising discovery. After the oppression on a person is broken, especially after the spirit of the dragon is driven out, they will miraculously experience blessings. Actually, this is not surprising. In Genesis 27:28-29, May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed. This kind of blessing was given to Jacob, but everyone should know that this blessing originally belonged to Esau! As a result, because the dew and the richness were given to Jacob, Esau just happened to live in a place without dew and richness. His father Isaac also declared this. Living a small life is the spirit of the dragon! The spirit of the dragon constantly deceives people. After people are deceived, they choose to live a small life. Once they live a small life, they lose their Mingding Destiny, lose the status of sons of God, and then lose their blessings. Then the dew and the richness will be far away from you, and you will live in a curse! This is the end of those who are deceived by the spirit of the dragon.

It turns out that whether it is contention or concession, these are not key. The key is whether we believe in our hearts that we have the status of sons of God. A person who has the status of a son of God is a person who will not lose his mission and Mingding Destiny. Such a person has very clear goals, and such a person's emotions will also be very stable because he knows why he is living.

The Holy Spirit is the Guarantee of the Sons of God for Inheriting the Inheritance

Ephesians 1:13-14, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Everyone knows that when we have the status of sons of God, we can inherit the inheritance from God. This inheritance is that we can represent God to manage this land, and we become the masters of this land.

Everyone should know that if a house is said to belong to you, your name must be on the property certificate. In other words, the property certificate with your name is the proof that this house is yours. If this land is yours, then you must have the title deed to this land. So, what is the proof that we Christians receive the inheritance from God? It is the Holy Spirit! This is why when we pray for some brothers and sisters, evil spirits begin to manifest as soon as we call upon the fire of the Holy Spirit. Everyone should know that our bodies and the places where we live are the inheritance that God has promised us. When the Holy Spirit moves, it is the time for us to take back our inheritance. At this time, the devil becomes an illegal resident because this inheritance is predestined for the sons of God. Just like this week, my parents said they wanted to buy a new house in China and directly change it to my name. As a result, they found that it could not be changed temporarily. Actually, it does not matter whether it is changed or not because they only have one son, which means that this inheritance is predestined to be mine.

In fact, we find that many times demons manifest in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no proof, and it is difficult to take back the inheritance that is predestined to belong to us from the hands of the devil without producing proof.

True Freedom Comes Through Being a Son of God

When we have the Holy Spirit as our guarantee, and reclaim the inheritance God has predestined for us, evil spirits can no longer rule over us. We will gain freedom. The principle is simple: if the house is yours, you can decorate it as you wish, remove a wall, or add another without anyone interfering. But if you are renting, you cannot do that. Freedom is similar. Imagine if the spirit of a dragon dwells within you, how can you live in freedom?

I once read a book titled A Different Kind of Freedom, which had an excellent line: Freedom is to be able to face and respond to life's problems and challenges at any time and in any place according to one's created identity. If you want true freedom, do not seek it externally. If you are not free within, even if you travel to the ends of the earth or possess great wealth, you will not be free. One of our brothers was controlled by the spirit of Mammon, the spirit of money. When I prayed for him, I saw a golden dragon and a red dragon. I later discovered that the golden dragon was related to money, and the red dragon was related to anger. As we continued to pray, he began to sneer, his eyes flashing fiercely, and then he began to be delivered. The evil spirit even spoke through his mouth, and these evil spirits were particularly interesting. Because he was being delivered in another place at the time, Sister Jiayi was also being delivered from the spirit of the dragon, and the dragon was using Jiayi's mouth to say that it was the boss of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. When I came back to see this brother, the dragon inside also said that it was the boss. In the world of evil spirits, these spirits compete with each other.

This brother was convinced that with money, he could live well and do whatever he wanted, and that was freedom. But I am very clear that evil spirits will not set people free, and a person who does not know his identity cannot gain freedom. Freedom cannot be obtained from outside the heart, only from within.

In Ephesians 2:2-3, in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. See that? Evil spirits operate in our hearts. Where do these evil spirits come from? They come from the customs of this world. For example, you must have money to live well! You must get into a good university to live well! You must have a good job to live well! You must marry a good wife or a good husband to live well! In fact, anything that is based on works essentially belongs to the customs of this world.

We were very surprised why many people had physical problems during the Dragon Boat Festival, and when we ministered, we saw the appearance of a dragon on these people. Qu Yuan is a typical example of someone controlled by the spirit of the dragon. Many people say that Qu Yuan was incorruptible, but from a spiritual perspective, Qu Yuan possessed the spirit of the knowledge of good and evil and rebellion. In fact, today we see Qu Yuan's death as very bizarre. At that time, he wanted to implement political reforms, but the authorities above consistently disagreed, and he was dismissed and exiled. During his exile, he was still full of bitterness, so he wrote many negative poems. Later, when the State of Chu fell, Qu Yuan believed it was because his reforms had not been adopted, so he was very distressed and drowned himself in the Miluo River with a stone in his arms. Sometimes I think, this Qu Yuan is like Judas! You see, Judas betrayed Jesus, and then Jesus was arrested, and Judas hanged himself instead. It's so strange! They were both killed by the spirit of the dragon! When Qu Yuan died, he said, Everyone is muddy, but I am clear; everyone is drunk, but I am sober. You see, you are all wrong, I am right, see, the country is destroyed because you didn't listen to me! In the end, he died himself. How powerful is this knowledge of good and evil! It completely distorts people's thinking!

That is to say, we certainly will not gain freedom because of external circumstances, but external circumstances, these worldly customs, can become a channel for the devil to enter us and make us unfree. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Today, if we want to live out a new life of freedom, the most important thing is to know that we have the status of sons of God. Sons of God are heavenly and spiritual people who do not follow worldly customs.

Only Sons of God Can Receive Love

When a person begins to be free in spirit, he can receive love from God! Many people say, doesn't God love the world? God certainly loves everyone, but not everyone can receive it. We found that when we asked the brothers and sisters who were controlled by the spirit of the dragon to say, Lord Jesus loves me, or Pastors and brothers and sisters love me, they could not say it.

In Ephesians 3:14-19, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

That is to say, when a person is controlled by the spirit of the dragon, the spirit of the dragon is very strong, and the Spirit of God is very weak in him, and the strength in his heart is also very weak. As a result, he has no way to be strengthened, so at this time, everyone must not criticize this person who is controlled, If you are not strong, why don't you control yourself? Because he cannot control it. And when a person is not strong in the spirit, he has no way to receive the love of God! At this time, when we pray in the spirit, restore the authority of the Spirit of God, and declare the love of Abba Father! This person can begin to receive love from God! God's love is also a very powerful weapon.

The Word of God is the Weapon for the Sons of God to Fight

When the Holy Spirit operates in us, we have the guarantee to reclaim the property looted by the devil. But the devil will not leave on its own; we still need to drive out the devil through warfare.

Ephesians Chapter 6 speaks of the full armor of God, but only one thing is used for offense, which is the sword of the Spirit, and the Bible says it is the Word of God. My understanding is that the Word of God is a system of beliefs based on believing the entire Bible. The Word of God is not a single sentence, but the entire Bible. And it is necessary to understand the entire Bible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is why our church values prayer in the spirit and systematic Bible study.

When our church was dealing with the spirit of the dragon, Brother WJ saw a vision. There were three dragons with three colors. The three dragons were connected end to end, forming a tight logical system. The first to bear the brunt was the red dragon, which represents anger; then the white dragon, which represents the knowledge of good and evil; and finally the black dragon, which represents bitterness and unforgiveness. A person who knows good and evil is prone to anger, and anger will bring bitterness and unforgiveness. Unforgiveness may be expressed as unforgiving God, unforgiving others, or unforgiving oneself. When a person cannot forgive, he will be more discerning of good and evil, and then he will become a vicious circle. People who are controlled by such a logical system basically have no ability to break free from such a circle.

We also discovered one thing: when we pray, the red dragon is easily manifested, which is the dragon of rage. And all those controlled by the red dragon hate the Bible and cannot read it normally. This is a very spiritual revelation. A person who discerns good and evil will be easily angered. In fact, dealing with the knowledge of good and evil requires being rooted in the Word of God. At this time, the devil deliberately makes people hate reading the Word of God, so a person who discerns good and evil will be tightly grasped by the knowledge of good and evil.