1. Introduction

The Gospel we believe in is never a mere theological doctrine, but rather the sharing of beautiful testimonies experienced in our own lives. This is the best way to spread the Gospel.

The classic tale Investiture of the Gods tells the story of King Zhou of Shang's defeat in battle. Why did he lose? Because he was defeated in the spiritual realm. Revisiting last week's topic, Seeing Through Life and Death, if a doctor tells you, This medication can prolong your life by a few months, would you want it or not? If you see through life and death, understanding the essence of life, would you care about living a few more months or a few less?

Modern medicine can keep a person in a vegetative state alive indefinitely with tubes, but what is the meaning of that? The Christian faith is one that sees through life and death. The death of the flesh is the departure of the spirit from the body, but physical death is not true death; we still have a spirit. When we no longer care about physical death, many other things become insignificant. People live poorly largely because they fear death. Among those who get cancer, half are scared to death, and the other half are poisoned by the medicine. If we who are alive in this world are not afraid of death, then what else should we fear? Would you still fear your employees? Fear your boss? Fear not doing a good job? No longer. Because of fear, we take living too seriously. We do not know the true face of Mount Lu, because we are in the midst of it. Once you see through it, no longer fear, and triumph in spiritual warfare, you will live well.

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)

Jesus Christ came into the world to enable us to triumph in battle. Victory is closely related to not fearing death. In 1979, during the Sino-Vietnamese War, my neighbor participated in the battle. He told me that you must not fear death. One comrade went insane due to fear, ran out of the cat hole, and was blown away before their eyes. Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not be afraid anymore. Life is like being on a battlefield, with the market and the devil fighting. When we no longer fear, we no longer cater to the flesh, and we triumph. Victory in spiritual warfare is the key to solving problems.

Our understanding of the spiritual realm comes from studying the Bible. I encourage you to learn to become a good soldier and disciple of the Lord Jesus when you come among us to receive grace, to be a resounding Christian. How to be a resounding Christian? Not be afraid of death. The battles in the heavens are very brutal.

In my view, there are no mediocre Christians or mediocre engineers. I believe that if you are an engineer, you should be a resounding engineer; if you are a teacher, you should be a resounding teacher; if you are a Christian, you should be a resounding Christian. How to be a resounding Christian? You must see through life and death. Not fearing death is a very good quality, so brothers and sisters must know that the battles in the heavens are very brutal. Why do people live poorly in this world? Because they cannot triumph in the heavens, cannot triumph in the spirit, and thus live under the dominion of the devil. Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must come out from catering to the flesh.

2. Scripture

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought but they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, because the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” (Revelation 12:7-12)

3. Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank You for allowing us to see that because You were not afraid of death, You were nailed to the cross for us, and You overcame all the dark powers of death, resurrected from the dead, and ascended to sit at the right hand of God the Father. Today, Lord Jesus, we also ask God to give us courage, to strengthen and embolden us, to give us the ability to choose to no longer fear death. Lord Jesus, we ask You to reveal us, to manifest us, so that we are not afraid of death. Even if it leads to death, we are not afraid of death, and the salvation and kingdom of God will come upon us. Lord Jesus, grant us such grace, so that we can overcome the dark powers in the air, trample on the enemies of the devil in this day of spiritual warfare, and let Your glory descend among us. Amen!

4. Scriptural Background

For quite some time, I have been leading everyone in studying Revelation. Revelation chapter 11 speaks of the rapture of Christians, the event of the church being raptured. In Revelation chapter 12, something else happened simultaneously, which is that the devil was thrown down from heaven. How was he thrown down? Through the victory of Christians, the devil was cast down. The battles of Christians directly affect the battles in heaven. Revelation chapters 1-12 describe the history of the entire church's victory. The entire book of Revelation describes the relationship between the church and human history. Christians are the protagonists who initiate human history. The target of the church's battle is the devil, who controls the dark powers of darkness. The concept of the rapture of Christians is in chapter 11, which speaks of two preachers being killed, and the whole world is watching. After they die, they resurrect after three days, ascend into heaven on a cloud, and then the seventh trumpet sounds, and the church is raptured. This is what Paul described in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, the concept of the rapture of the church. That is, the matter of death is closely related to the victory of Christians. If we always carry the death of Jesus in our bodies, the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ will come upon us. Therefore, we must know today how important it is not to love our lives.

The church is the theme of the New Testament. If you do not know how to participate in building a victorious church, you probably will not be raptured. Our current era is actually very, very close to Revelation chapter 12. If we see the outbreak of World War III, we are very close to the trumpet of the end times. When the seventh trumpet of Revelation begins to sound, it will be the time of World War III, and then the church will be raptured.

After the church is raptured, if you are still left in this world, the only option for those who have not been raptured is probably martyrdom. Those who fear death cannot be raptured. Therefore, the concept of the rapture of the church is in chapters 11 and 12. So brothers and sisters must know that Revelation is beginning to unfold little by little in our time.

5. Spiritual Warfare

Verse 7 already begins to speak of warfare. Michael and his angels fought in heaven with the dragon and its angels, but they did not prevail. The battles in the spiritual realm determine many things in the world. Some time ago, we ministered to a child who had epilepsy and seizures for four and a half years, occurring every day from four to six in the morning. The parents were exhausted and had taken him to many doctors. Both Western and Chinese medicine were tried. Recently, they were hesitant about whether to see a doctor again. The medicine was all used up, and they didn't know what to do. Surgery had a very low chance of successful healing. People understand diseases from a physical perspective, but we understand them from a spiritual perspective. Why was this the situation? Evil spirits were controlling the child. The boss saw the child's struggle and suggested that the child try spiritual warfare. Then they found us, and from three to six in the morning, we led them in prayer. Was it hard work? There is no battle that is not hard work. There were no seizures on the first day, no seizures on the second day, and it got better and better. We began to see that spiritual warfare is closely related to our problems in the world. In recent days, we have been leading his boss in warfare as well, and he has received great release in his own life.

My mother's healing process was also very spiritual. She could see the operation of the spiritual realm with her own eyes. Now my mother is particularly healthy. Although there are still things to be released, it doesn't matter. Every victory is a step forward.

During the prayer process, battles are taking place in heaven. Heaven and earth are closely connected. If the root of the problem is in the spiritual realm, the solution must also be in spiritual warfare. Many people today do not thirst for victory and do not fight. Many people are asking God for healing. Do not just beg; rise up and fight.

When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (Revelation 5:8)

Each time one of the seven seals is opened, human history moves forward. Therefore, I encourage everyone to be warriors of spiritual warfare. Major events are closely related to our prayers. The prayers of all the saints reach the throne of God. During my mother's deliverance process, the evil spirit kept recurring. I asked the devil what kind of evil spirit it was, and it said it was called Coming and Going. So I told my mother that she must rise up and become a person of warfare. Now I am strongly encouraging her to pray for a long time. And she has begun to release others as well.

My mother's deliverance has made great progress. In the past, she could only persevere for 20 seconds when praying in the spirit. We urged her to become a person of prayer. Now she has removed the bondage. Not only can she pray herself, but she can also release others. Some time ago, a friend smoked 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day, and his fingers were stained yellow, but after being released, he hasn't smoked a cigarette for several days! He drove away the spirit of smoking!

My mother had been smoking for many years, since she was very young. There is a strange thing in the Northeast, which is that girls start smoking very young. There is an anecdote that when taking pictures in the past, my mother liked to make a V-sign, but do you know what? It was with her fingers facing inward, like a smoking gesture, but now she has completely come out of the bondage of smoking!

In my mother's deliverance, the challenges encountered in the battle were very great. At that time, she was already confused and didn't know what she was doing at all, but I was willing to try, to pinch my mother's Taichong and Zhongzhu acupoints, which are located on the thighs and calves. It was really not easy. Without my determination to fight, my mother's life might have been in danger, but later when I rolled up her trouser legs, her legs were already bruised. That is to say, if you cater to people's flesh, you cannot do the spiritual warfare. We completely no longer care about catering to the flesh. If someone saw it, they might describe me as an unfilial son: The old man is already like this, how can you still torture her? I am not torturing her, but bringing her back from the edge of being captured by the devil. Today I am very grateful to God, because I have a group of powerful spiritual warriors who completely pulled my mother back from the brink of Alzheimer's.

When the little ghost Coming and Going and the spirit of the Old Horse in the Deep Mountains came, I asked it, Why are you here? It said the old horse sent it to play with my mother, and I knew that catering to the flesh was really terrible. That is to say, in order to break the flesh, it is okay for the skin to turn blue. I know that I want to transform my mother into a person of prayer and warfare. I thank God that I have taken many steps forward, although it is still far from the ideal state, but that's okay. To what extent was my mother catering to the flesh before? When she woke up in the morning, she would think about what to eat and drink, which was very deadly.

What is it like to cater to the flesh? If an old man wants to return to his hometown, see old friends, and think about the past, what is this returning to the hometown all about? My mother was clamoring to return to her old home in Hebei some time ago. You should know that she left when she was only four years old. Now she says she wants to get the house she lived in when she was a child. Those were all adobe houses, and now she can't find them even if she wants to. So what is she looking for? That is the spirit of death working behind the scenes. The old man is clamoring, but the truth is that the dark powers behind are manipulating her.

Through my mother's healing and deliverance, I have learned many spiritual warfare experiences. First, I cannot cater to her flesh. Second, I must lead her in spiritual warfare. It takes a process to lead her to victory. If leading her in spiritual warfare can solve the problem, many of our next generation are only children. If we cater to our own flesh, it is very sad to get Alzheimer's in old age. Even if the children are filial, they don't have the strength to solve the problem of Alzheimer's.

This spiritual battle world is very real. My mother described that when she was fighting, she saw heavenly soldiers in neat armor in the vision, all in rows and very imposing, fighting with those demons, so that the demons were defeated. A few days ago, I went to West Lake with my mother. She used to be out of breath after walking a short distance, but now she doesn't pant after walking for a long time. Her legs and feet used to be inflexible, and her shoes would drag on the ground, but now her shoes don't drag on the ground, and she walks with vigor. When I led her in prayer, I would say, In the name of the Lord, I command the devil to retreat! Later, the symptoms of the disease really disappeared.

Originally, our prayers can not only solve personal problems, but also promote the development of human history from the perspective of Revelation. If we constantly pray and fight to solve an old man's problem, why don't we, who are young now, rise up to fight and pray? Brothers and sisters, be strong today and be mighty warriors of spiritual warfare. I often feel sad to find that the situation of busy businessmen is very difficult to deal with. They will take their careers as their top priority, busy with this, busy with that.

If you think that being busy can solve the problem of Alzheimer's, then it will be difficult to reverse the situation when you are old. Why is that? If we take the time we will spend on the sickbed in the future, the days of Alzheimer's in the future, and the time we will spend on medical treatment in the future, and use it for prayer in the spiritual world, it is a very cost-effective thing, and we will receive great grace. Just like the words in Revelation: There was war in heaven, which is the war caused by our prayers. Who are we fighting with? Satan. There was no longer a place for them in heaven (see Revelation 12:8).

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:9)

6. No More Place for the Devil in the Heavens

How can one avoid being deceived? A person who is deceived experiences confusion. The devil's power comes from lies. If there is no devil above us, we will surely live well. If the heavens above us are open, our prayers will be effective. If the heavens above us are closed, we cannot reach God's throne; we will be obstructed by the devil in mid-air. We must not believe the devil's lies; we must pray abundantly to open the heavens above us. The reason our prayers are more effective than those of ordinary Christians is that the heavens above us are open because we are victorious Christians in spiritual warfare. Prayer is vital; this is the teaching of Jesus Christ.

The Gospels tell of an epileptic child whom the disciples could not cast out the demon. Jesus cast out the demon, which threw the child to the ground, foaming at the mouth. After the child awoke, he was well. Jesus said to the disciples that this kind of demon does not come out except by much prayer. It is not a matter of simply entrusting it to God.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. (Matthew 26:41)

The devil is by nature a deceiver. We must do two things: be vigilant and pray. Being vigilant means having a mind full of the knowledge of God, and praying means constant practice. Praying in the Spirit and praying with understanding are not interchangeable. Praying in tongues and praying with understanding cannot substitute for each other. Praying in the Spirit is true prayer.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26)

We must be strong in the Spirit. The effectiveness of prayer lies in prolonged prayer. We must imitate Paul and not be deceived by the devil. What hinders praying in tongues is a very evil thing. My mother used to pray with understanding, but she could only pray in tongues for 15 seconds. Later, my mother changed her mindset and prayed extensively in tongues, fervently and powerfully. This was the fundamental solution to her problems. There is no longer a place for the devil above her head, no longer a place for the devil in her spirit.

Therefore, we must completely cast the devil out of us. Today, God's salvation, kingdom, and power have come because we are people of prayer. Some people testify to events from 20 years ago, but have no testimonies after that. Is that acceptable? Today, we have testimonies every day because we pray every day. We are mighty warriors of warfare; we are on earth as we are in heaven.

7. God's Salvation, Authority, and Power Have Arrived

Salvation is the salvation of the living. What do we believe in? We believe in the power of God. The power of God is the powerful Gospel, a Gospel with authority. These authorities and powers are used to cast out demons. Where we cast out demons through the Kingdom of God, there the Kingdom of God descends. The Kingdom of God is closely linked to our casting out demons. Casting out demons is warfare in the heavens. We must cast out demons with God's mercy and love. God's kingdom, authority, and power are the solutions to problems. There must be authority and power in the spiritual realm.

A business owner summarized my belief system as a problem-solving mindset. And that is the fact, it's about solving problems. The Bible tells of a sick person who spent all his money seeing doctors, only to end up penniless. In Singapore, if someone gets sick, they will die regardless of whether they get better, because they will be broke, having spent all their money on medical treatment. God's authority, kingdom, and power are treasures, our most important possessions. God's power will save all who believe. Believing is receiving. We must believe that we have already received God's authority to fight and win. When we strike down the devils in the heavens, God's kingdom, authority, and power will all come down.

The devil's work is to turn a faith with power into a faith without power, which is the greatest deception. This is the most corrupting. We must believe that God's power can surely solve all the deceptions within us. We choose to believe and we will surely receive. We must become mighty warriors of spiritual warfare, and God's kingdom will surely descend among us.

If you get sick in Singapore, you die whether you get better or not, because all the money is spent. Singapore has no pension plan, only the Central Provident Fund you have accumulated, a few hundred dollars. Authority, power, and kingdom are the most important things; you need them no matter what you do. This is a treasure! This Gospel itself is the power of God to save all who believe. When we fight and win, we receive salvation, kingdom, and authority. It is important to know that the devil's work is to turn a faith with power into a faith without power; this is the power of falsehood. We must know that we must become mighty warriors of spiritual warfare, and God's kingdom will surely descend among us. The ancient serpent is the deceiver. It has no power, only the power of falsehood. Recently, many people were delivered and began to live well. The Chinese are a nation born with faith, like the story of The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains.

Today, know that your faith can release God's power. If I had no faith, my mother would be a patient with Alzheimer's disease. Brothers and sisters, know that those with Mingding Destiny cannot die.

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:11)

8. The Key Is Not Loving Their Lives So Much As to Shrink from Death

The blood of the Lamb is what Jesus accomplished. Not loving their lives so much as to shrink from death is what we must do. If we do not love our lives so much as to shrink from death, we will surely win, and God's kingdom will surely descend. Our victory means the devil must repay what it stole from our lives. Today, we must fight with the attitude of not loving our lives so much as to shrink from death, and we will surely receive all the benefits of God's kingdom. This is paying the price. Serving God at the cost of one's life cannot but be blessed, because God will bestow kingdom, authority, and power.

Those who do not cherish their lives or indulge the flesh will live well. I came into the world for this, and I live for this. From now on, no longer fear death, and you will surely fight and win.

9. Be a Victorious Christian

Christians are disciples, and disciples forsake everything for the sake of Jesus Christ to imitate Jesus Christ. It is useless for Christians to just sit in church every week; they still encounter cancer, femoral head necrosis, and business failures. Yesterday, a Christian came to me and asked me to pray for his business, and I scolded him. A victorious Christian should have blessings following them. Being a victorious Christian is the key to being blessed.

Victorious Christians have two manifestations: first, good health; second, financial blessings. If you try to grasp blessings, you cannot grasp them, no matter who prays for you. But if you grasp God, lay down your life for Jesus Christ, and become a victorious disciple, then blessings will follow you.