“A lying witness will not go unpunished. One who tells lies will die” (PV 19:9; God’s Word Translation)

Most parents agree that the one of the greatest challenges is to teach their children to speak the truth. It takes a lot of prayers and patient follow up to train a child in the way of God, to speak the truth in love at all times.

One main reason why God is angry with the liars it is because they miss-represent Him to others. All liars are false witnesses. All unrepentant compulsive liars are the devil’s children. A liar shall not escape God’s judgment. He cannot deceive and hide forever. Sooner or later, God shall expose and punish him. If a liar refuses to repent and become saved, he will go to hell.

Lying and deceiving others is a wicked activity and a sin unto death. Liars do not live long. Each lie is like a suicide poison. The unrepentant cowards and liars die two times. They die a natural death and a spiritual death. What a tragedy…

“He who is victorious shall inherit all these things, and I will be God to him and he shall be My son. But as for the cowards …and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive… and all liars (those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed)—[all of these shall have] their part in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death” (Rev 21:7, 8; AMP)

Are you a coward and a liar? Are you afraid to come to the light and confess your sins, your lies? Is your ministry and reputation built on a fake foundation of lies and manipulations? You may be able to deceive men, but no one deceives God! Your secret occult power of success has been exposed as a fake ‘anointing’ and disgrace. May these words be painful enough that you make wake up spiritually and come to the Cross! Give all the glory to God that you are still alive as you read these lines! It means there is still mercy for you! I say it again: Wake up!

Let’s pray: “Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You to ask for mercy and forgiveness. We have lied many times. We have no excuse. We have escaped the notice of men, but not we truly want to change. We command every evil spirit of lies, deception and wickedness to leave us and go away! We destroy every promise we have made to them! We reject the father of lies and the children of lies! Go away…

Dear Holy Spirit please come and take control! Change our hearts! Do something new in our lives! Starting from today, we want to lay the only holy acceptable foundation: Christ Crucified! From now on, we shall only speak the truth in love. We shall expose satan and all his lies. We shall do warfare until the deliverance and the victory is complete! All to Your glory!

In Jesus name,

Amen!”

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!!!

THIS IS OUR TESTIMONY! THIS IS THE GIFT OF GOD! MONEY CANNOT BUY AND MAN CANNOT GIVE! IT IS THE WORK OF GOD!
TODAY, WE CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF WONDERFUL, FRUITFUL AND BLESSED MARRIAGE!
IT WAS GOOD…BUT LIKE THE WINE, IT IS GETTING EVEN BETTER!
DEAR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, FRIENDS AND FAMILY…PLEASE PRAISE THE LORD!
GLORY TO THE FATHER!
GLORY TO THE SON!
GLORY TO THE HOLY GHOST!

“Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you!

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles shall come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising!” (Is 60:1-3)

This is our testimony for the past 24 hours:

Yesterday we had our women fellowship. We exposed and prayed against the evil spirits of lies and deception. I shared with them that I read some reviews saying that the number one reason why husbands cheat and deceive their wives it is because the women like to be deceived. That is what most men said about their wives. This should be the story of the world and its darkness.  But in the Body of Christ such an excuse must die, in Jesus name. The title of the sermon yesterday was: ‘The Truth about liars’. After the service we received a call from one of the women who attended the service. She said that she repented of any secret sympathy with the father of lies, the devil. Then she said that for a long time she wanted to ask her husband if he had been faithful to her since they got married. She went home and, as gently as she could, she asked him this very question. The answer came in the form of a slap. He suddenly became mad at the question and beat her for daring to ask if he was faithful or not. She called us weeping. We had to talk late into the night, trying to counsel them thru the phone.

Then we got ready to go to sleep. It was about midnight. Suddenly, the voltage went very high and the bulbs started breaking in the house. Then the flat screen TV went on fire, black, smelly smoke filled our house. Other electrical appliances got burnt too.

The reason why I write this letter is to remind you that the Word of God is powerful. Prayer is powerful. Deliverance from evil spirits may bring a backlash. But with all the punching and all the damage in the home, the truth still wins and shall abide forever. The devil is a liar and a father of all lies. Hot temper, lies, manipulations, intimidations and other weapons of the devil are all defeated at the Cross of Calvary. We cannot be intimidated and we shall never retreat. If the devil likes it or not, the truth is marching on and revival shall come to our city!

This evening we had our prayer meeting. We prayed against any evil spirits that attack in dreams, in the form of eating, or sexual intercourse. Any water spirits have been exposed and rejected. The anointing was strong enough for all to pray with faith and passion. There is hope that our lives shall be better. We also rejected the evil spirit of poverty. Many people hear a voice saying that ‘even if you work three jobs, you shall still die poor’. We silenced and rejected that voice. We prayed against the ‘boil’ of spiritual poison that makes the people sick and weak. We prayed against ‘the water snake and the mud fish’ that coils against the feet of the brethren to make them stumble. In case you feel that these words are too ‘crazy’ then you do not understand spiritual warfare, prophetic anointing and the passion for revival. But for us who do, today was another day of victory.

Then the Word came: “Arise and shine…” The Holy Spirit came and filled the free and clean hearts. We lifted our hands and worshipped God! Even the children fell down with laughter crying “more, more…sweet, sweet”. These children will not be sick again!

Just in case you query us saying ‘my problem is very serious; for many years I have suffered from this sickness, this situation or this oppression. Are you saying that just faith in God and prayer will solve my problem? Is that the weapon you have? Is that the cure you recommend?’

It is my privilege to answer you ‘YES God is all we have!’

For nothing is impossible with God and also with them who fully trust in Him!

In Christ I declare:

I am saved!

I am free!

I am healed!

I am transformed!

I arise and shine, for my light has finally come!

All to the glory of God Almighty!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true” (Rom 3:4)

The question is this: how do you recognize a liar, a deceiver, a manipulator? The answer is of course, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit! Pray for the gift of discerning the spirits! It is one of the best assets in spiritual warfare.

But there are other signals that we should look for, when trying to discover the truth about a person. You don’t have to be deceived my men! You can live a life of victory against the forces of darkness and their human agents! This is very important for us, especially as we are commanded not to yoke ourselves unequally with unbelievers. You do not need to fear any man! You should not be bitter against people! But pray to have the mind of Christ who ‘knew what was in man’ (Jn 2:25) without getting frustrated as He continued to do ministry.

A liar is a person who doesn’t tell you the whole truth. He is a deceiver, a manipulator, a betrayer or a promise breaker. He gives you words, even fine sounding words, but never the truth, and never true love. Truth is always perfect, complete. Truth is always 100%. Any contamination changes the truth into a lie and love into betrayal.

A lie is a statement known to the speaker to be untrue. It is spoken with the intention to deceive or mislead the hearer. In other words ‘an innocent liar’ does not exist.

Why do people lie?

The reason why people lie is to make themselves look good. This is due to emotional insecurity. A liar has a deep inferiority complex and thinks that truth does not favor him. So he ‘embellishes’ the truth changing it into a lie.  A liar is someone who having led others to believe one thing, without any shame, he does a different thing. You may not recognize a liar from the beginning. Some are more skillful than others. But keep watching the man you suspect is a liar. Observe his behavior in his relationship with you and with others. Pray always! Remember, until you have a personal confirmation from the Holy Spirit, any man is a sinner and a liar. With time, you shall discover that the man who looked so nice is in fact a wicked man, one who has a double life, irresponsible, unreliable and unfaithful. His past performance with people leaves him with little or no credibility. Behind him there is a trail of broken hearts and bleeding wounds.

The power of the devil as the father of lies is in his deception. The devil hates to be exposed. He will fight back against any man who tries to discover the truth. But fear not, God is with you and His truth shall set you free! Stay on God’s side where there is victory!

In Christ I declare:

I reject the source of lies in my heart!

I destroy all connections with lying spirits!

I am a person of truth!

Truth has set me free!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“The stone which the builders rejected as worthless

    turned out to be the most important of all.

This was done by the Lord;

    what a wonderful sight it is!

This is the day of the Lord’s victory;

    let us be happy, let us celebrate!” (Ps 118:22-24)

There are two opposite words: rejection or acceptance. One excludes the other. You can’t exercise both in the same time, towards the same person. A man can be either a friend or an enemy to you. Read the meanings of these two words and meditate upon them:

*To reject: To refuse to accept, consider or submit to; to refuse to take and use it for some purpose; to push away; to close the ears….

*To accept: To receive willingly and happily a good gift; to give approval; to recognize as true and precious; to extend favor and help; to embrace; to listen to…

In Christ I declare:

When wicked men reject me, God shall accept me!

God has accepted and blessed me ‘in the Beloved’ (Eph 1:6; KJ)

God has received me willingly and happily! I am a gift to God and to His Kingdom! God has approved me! God recognizes me as true, honest and precious to Him! God has given me His favor and His help! God has embraced me and nine can pluck me away from His arms! God listens to my prayers! God loves me! I am safe and secure forever! I am established as a servant of God! I am promoted! God is on my side! This is my day of victory and celebration! The celebration and praise is so beautiful! None can stop it! This is my testimony! I am happy! I am beautiful! I am blessed!

All, to the glory to God!

In Jesus name

Amen!

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY!

Listen! Listen! Listen, please…
“I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a path right through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses, to lie beneath the waves, dead, their lives snuffed out like candlewicks.

But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I’m going to do! For I’m going to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for My people to go home, and create rivers for them in the desert!” (Is 43:15-19; LB)

“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him…

They crossed the lake and came to land at Gennesaret, where the people recognized Jesus. So they sent for the sick people in all the surrounding country and brought them to Jesus. They begged him to let the sick at least touch the edge of his cloak; and all who touched it were made well” (Mt 14:31-36)

3-JESUS SAVES US

*Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him

The word ‘stretched’ means to enlarge beyond the natural borders. The word ‘hand’ in Greek means a channel thru which the rain, the storm passes. The word ‘catch’ means to seize and to hold securely.

Jesus is the source of ‘God’s storm’. The hand of the Master brings His own storm and saves you from all other storms of life.

When Jesus made His disciples to go to the other side of Galilee, what He had in mind was the place called Genesaret. Today no city remains. The name means ‘the garden of riches’. It was a very fertile area giving to the tribe of Naphtali. It is there that miracles of healing took place. There was a prophecy that in the land of Naphtali a great light will shine in the darkness (Is 9:1-3; Mt 4:15, 16). This is the light of the revelation of Christ.

Jesus wanted the disciples to move from the place of miracles of bread to the place of a greater revelation of the glory of His Person; the place of miracles, of healings. He ‘pushed’ them thru the storm to move from a good place to the best! Please think about this: To arrive at a place of healing, of being made whole, you must pass thru the storm of Jesus! That is the test! That is the price!

Have courage today! Trust God for the impossible things! Remember, there is no limit with God! Peter is not a spectator. He came out of the boat and walked on the water! The same waves that scared him to death, he walked on top of them! When he looked unto Jesus, the author and finished of his faith, against all odds, he made progress! But when he lost his focus, looked at the wind, looked at the devil and the circumstances, he started sinking. But even then, he did not die, for ‘immediately’ Jesus caught him. What do you think about living a life so extraordinary that, when looking at you, people will wonder and give all the glory to God? Do you desire to be used by God? How do you respond to a proposal of miracles? What do you say about being a vessel of honor to the Master? If you keep quiet, then the answer is ‘No, thanks’. But Oh…the glory missed and regretted at last…

As for me and my Household, we shall come out of the boat, out of the religious comfort zone to walk upon the waters…We are ready to take the risk, even to sink, for the blessing of the touch of Jesus, for the grace to hear His voice, to see His smile… ‘He that believes in me shall never die…” He said…so why fear? Love drives all fears away…Mountains are not too high, seas are not too deep, to stop me from moving towards the Lover of my soul!

“JESUSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!…O, Lamb of God I come, I come…”

In Christ I declare:

Jesus Christ is the Savior of my soul and the Healer of my body!

I am lead by the Holy Spirit!

In all situations, I vow to give glory to God!

I am healed!

‘The garden of riches’ is mine!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid!” (Mt 14:27)

2-JESUS SPEAKS TO US

*Immediately Jesus spoke…

The disciples were trying hard to steady the boat. These were experienced fishermen. But this storm was different. They obeyed the command of the Master and found themselves in the middle of the storm. They were confused… Many questions flashed in their mind: Did Jesus make a mistake sending them away? Did He not know that the storm is coming? Does He want them dead? So many questions, so many doubts, so many fears… It was night, not even the stars were seen. The wind was blowing against them… Surely, this is the end…who can survive this…

Then something happened… no book could ever prepare a man to understand it. Jesus was coming towards them walking on top of the angry waves. They shouted in fear: ‘It is a spirit…’ No man of flesh and blood can walk on the water. It has to be a spirit. Maybe they are dead too…or so they thought… Then ‘immediately Jesus spoke’ words of comfort and life: ‘Take courage! I Am! Stop being afraid!’

The word ‘spoke’ is the same with the word ‘preach’. On top of a watery pulpit, in the middle of the night, Jesus ‘immediately’ preached His sermon. His words were clear…this is a command to be obeyed instantly: ‘Take courage!’ In other words Jesus preached to them: ‘Be bold! Dare to believe that I Am God! Reject the fear of death! I AM in charge!’

To be bold means to be fearless, to be full of faith and confidence that God is in control in the midst of danger. To dare means to have sufficient courage to confront an enemy confident that you shall win. Fear is the opposite. Fear is the enemy. It is described as a painful, strong agitation in the face of danger. It manifests as loss of courage and loss of faith. Fear is an evil spirit and it can be hidden during times of peace. Pride makes a man deny the bondage to fear. You need a crisis to recognize your bondage to fear. You need an encounter with Jesus, in the midst of a deadly storm, to be delivered from the merciless grip of the fear of death. The bondage is a life time long, but glory to God, deliverance comes ‘immediately’.

In Christ I declare:

I destroy any bondage to fear and doubt!

I reject any evil spirits of religion, pride, fear and doubt!

God has given me power, love and sound mind!

I am bold like the Lion of Judah!

I am free! I am encouraged!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side…” (Mt 14:22)

It was a rainy day. Most people could not come to church. But the faithful ones came expecting to meet with God. The Holy Spirit helped us all, teacher and congregation. We looked tire. but the we prayed and the spiritual atmosphere suddenly changed. We refused to allow the rain dampen our spirits. We sang: ‘Do something new in my heart, O Lord’. Then we received the Word of God. The title of the sermon was “Immediately Jesus…” Thank You Lord for the privilege to serve You!

This is the wonderful story of how Jesus walked upon the water. Peter too followed; at least some few steps. The word ‘immediately’ appears three times in this story. It gives the feeling of continuous movement, like a quick dance with the Lord. We are not permitted to slow down, to be lazy or to stop dreaming. There is a gentle pushing from behind… There is no time to waste, no delay, no hesitation, no doubt. There is a feverish activity, a sense of urgency… a mystery enveloping the story. We do not understand everything, but we try to believe… Things happen suddenly… the storm… the cold wind blowing in the night… no stars…the deadly waves… And suddenly, walking on top of the water… (‘Yes, you heard it right’)… Jesus comes closer, like a ghost. The congregation in the boat is gripped with great fear and too little faith. But peace comes at last… Such a marvelous story…What are the lessons for us?

1-JESUS LEADS US
*Immediately Jesus made them…
The disciples witnessed a mighty miracle. Five thousand men and women were fed with just five loaves of bread and two fishes. Jesus multiplied this little offering and it became more than enough to feed them all. The disciples were still excited about what they’ve seen, talking to one another.
Suddenly Jesus ‘made’ them get into the boat. The word ‘made’ in Greek is a strong word. It means to be violent, to force somebody, to apply overwhelming pressure to do something against his will. It means to compel, to overcome somebody’s resistance or unwillingness by a superior power. This violent pressure was applied ‘immediately’ or unexpectedly. In other words, Jesus wanted His disciples to enter the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, knowing that the storm is coming. He leads them to meet the storm. Clearly, there are lessons we can learn only in the middle of a trial. We want to go around a crises but Jesus wants us to go thru the middle of it. Without Him applying pressure we shall never leave our comfort zones. Without Jesus forcing us to enter the fire, we shall miss the miracle of victory, the blessing of healing and the gain of proven faith made gold.

In Christ I declare:
I trust the Lord to move, push or send me, wherever He wants!
Even when I do not understand, I shall trust God!
Even when my suffering is long, Jesus shall come ‘immediately’!
I shall not fear! I shall not doubt!
Here I am Lord! Send me!
In Jesus name
Amen!

“Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God;

    He created all the world.

He never grows tired or weary.

    No one understands His thoughts.

He strengthens those who are weak and tired.

Even those who are young grow weak;

    young people can fall exhausted.

But those who trust in the Lord for help

    will find their strength renewed.

They will rise on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not get weary;

    they will walk and not grow weak.” (Is 40:28-31)

This is the promise of God! He shall supply strength to them that need it, to them who are weak. This strength shall be used to achieve things otherwise impossible. Nobody forces God to give a gift. This is His personal pleasure and His precious free promise! Honor God  by believing in His Word! The burdened shall be free; the sick shall be healed; the single shall marry; the jobless shall find good work! The only condition for this transfer of power is to have faith in God! Not in me or in yourself, but in God! You have ‘to trust in the Lord for help’.

Are you tired of life? Are you hopeless? Are you discouraged? Are you lonely or depressed? Did you try to achieve your dreams by your own strength? Did you fail? Are you embarrassed? Are you rejected by others? Did you abandon your plans to improve your life? You used to sing…did you stop? You used to laugh…did you stop? You used to hope for greater things…did you stop? You used to trust God for healing…did you stop? The reason is because you are tired of life, tired of yourself. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, then do this: say ‘Amen’ to this prayer, for I want to pray for you. God will surely answer me for it is His desire to bless you.  It is His promise to strengthen the weak. Just believe and doubt not!

“Dear Heavenly Father, this is Your promise to give strength to the weak. I am asking for the grace of power to come upon my brother (….) and my sister (….). Nothing is too hard for You! May the power of resurrection manifest NOW in their situation. I command every evil spirit to leave them and go away, in the name of Jesus! I vow to give You alone all the glory! In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!”

In Christ I declare:

God’s strength is perfected in my weakness!

I am strong! I am healed!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev 5:12; NKJ)

This is the eternal song men and angels sing in heaven. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. He died on the Cross to give glory to God and to save sinners like me and you. To be ‘worthy’ it means deserving eternal praise and ready to receive His reward. Jesus has suffered and died. He shall suffer and die no more! Forever!

There are seven blessings enumerated in the song. Jesus has received them all. Outside Christ, for example, there is no more power, riches or wisdom left on earth. Every other being, men or demons, are left totally powerless, wretched and foolish. So, if you need a miracle, power or riches, go to Jesus for He alone has it all.  If you go to any other source, you shall be disappointed. Jesus is the Lord of all!

The following are of the seven blessings (and their meanings in Greek) given to the Lamb:

Power- miraculous power to create and change all things

Riches- overflow of wealth (yes, even money)

Wisdom- counsel that never fails (no more mistakes)

Strength- the force to be able to have a breakthrough and to always be successful in warfare

Honor- what is the value you ascribe to God (is Jesus small or great to you?)

Glory- the intrinsic value of an object (the matchless power and the unique beauty of the Lord)

Blessings- fine speaking, elegant language, the eternal poetry of holiness (the tongue of a ready heavenly writer)

One thing in common with all these blessings is that they flow like a river, better said, like a flood. This is a power that overflows and changes all it touches. Sickness has to flee! Depression has to bow! Poverty has to be defeated! Idleness has to fail! Sin has to resign! Death has to die!

Please listen to this…I want to be as ‘practical’ as possible: if you live ‘from hand to mouth’, if you have to borrow money to survive…then you do not know the power of this royal overflow of blessings. Our God is the God of ‘more than enough’! God is the limitless God! You cannot stop this overflow of blessings! You cannot fight the whole heaven! Better surrender your life to Jesus and join us in the choir! We are ready to learn a new song…

In Christ I declare:

Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior!

I am born again!

I worship God in Spirit and in Truth!

The overflow of royal blessings has come to my home!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev 5:12; NKJ)

This is the eternal song men and angels sing in heaven. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. He died on the Cross to give glory to God and to save sinners like me and you. To be ‘worthy’ it means deserving eternal praise and ready to receive His reward. Jesus has suffered and died. He shall suffer and die no more! Forever!

There are seven blessings enumerated in the song. Jesus has received them all. Outside Christ, for example, there is no more power, riches or wisdom left on earth. Every other being, men or demons, are left totally powerless, wretched and foolish. So, if you need a miracle, power or riches, go to Jesus for He alone has it all.  If you go to any other source, you shall be disappointed. Jesus is the Lord of all!

The following are of the seven blessings (and their meanings in Greek) given to the Lamb:

Power- miraculous power to create and change all things

Riches- overflow of wealth (yes, even money)

Wisdom- counsel that never fails (no more mistakes)

Strength- the force to be able to have a breakthrough and to always be successful in warfare

Honor- what is the value you ascribe to God (is Jesus small or great to you?)

Glory- the intrinsic value of an object (the matchless power and the unique beauty of the Lord)

Blessings- fine speaking, elegant language, the eternal poetry of holiness (the tongue of a ready heavenly writer)

One thing in common with all these blessings is that they flow like a river, better said, like a flood. This is a power that overflows and changes all it touches. Sickness has to flee! Depression has to bow! Poverty has to be defeated! Idleness has to fail! Sin has to resign! Death has to die!

Please listen to this…I want to be as ‘practical’ as possible: if you live ‘from hand to mouth’, if you have to borrow money to survive…then you do not know the power of this royal overflow of blessings. Our God is the God of ‘more than enough’! God is the limitless God! You cannot stop this overflow of blessings! You cannot fight the whole heaven! Better surrender your life to Jesus and join us in the choir! We are ready to learn a new song…

In Christ I declare:

Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior!

I am born again!

I worship God in Spirit and in Truth!

The overflow of royal blessings has come to my home!

In Jesus name

Amen!

“And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death…He got so tired of her asking him about his secret that he felt like he was going to die. Finally, Samson told Delilah everything. He said, “I have never had my hair cut. I was dedicated to God before I was born. If someone shaved my head, I would lose my strength. I would become as weak as any other man” (Judg 16:16, 17)

The prayer meeting started with a strong ‘deliverance anointing’. It came suddenly as a waterfall of the Holy Spirit. The best way to describe it was an overflow of faith that there is an open door of freedom. Everybody wanted to pray and pray…it was easy to flow with the prayer…We ‘disconnected’ from the family line of curses…there was shouting ‘amen…amen… overflow…overflow…’. Then the Word came, describing what has happened in the heavenly realm: great deliverance from the evil spirit of Dagon (ogbanje).

Dagon was the principal deity of the Philistines, who was ‘imported’ from Assyria and Babylon. He looked like a half man and half fish. He was the god of fertility, harvest and victory in war. The Philistines depended on Dagon for success and they offered various sacrifices for his favor. (In Nigeria, where I live, there is a similar idol called ‘mammy water’ or ‘ogbanje’).

Goliath ‘insulted David by his gods’. He invoked the spirit of Dagon, the idol of the Philistines. David knew that the real battle is spiritual. The victory decreed in the heavenly places shall manifest in the natural. Also, David could have known the story of ‘love and betrayal’ between his ‘brother’ Samson and Goliath’s ‘sister’, Delilah. Samson was defeated by Dagon but only for a time. After he repented, God helped Samson to destroy the temple of Dagon and kill its worshippers. I am sure that David told himself: ‘Jehovah helped Samson. In the same way, He will help him kill Goliath’. He does not need a sword! The Word of God shall be his sword and his strength!

This is the story: Delilah is a beautiful Philistine woman who seduces Samson. She is a worshipper of Dagon. The lords of the Philistines pay a lot of money to her, to betray Samson. I read that the total amount was about $10 million. Their purpose was to discover the secret of his supernatural strength and the way to overpower him.

The long hair of Samson was a visible symbol of his life time dedication to God. But the real strength of Samson comes from the Holy Spirit. Four times in these chapters, we are told that the Holy Spirit came upon Samson and he did great exploits in battle (Judg 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). In all these episodes, the Holy Spirit moved him, propelled him forward as a champion, to defeat his enemies.

These are great lessons: The Holy Spirit is given that we may receive power, to gain victory in spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit is the power to salvation and deliverance. The devil wants you to sin and grieve the Holy Spirit. Then you become weak and stumble. The devil wants to steal your anointing and to destroy your strength! The word ‘strength’ in Hebrew means the power to produce wealth and to be fruitful. That is what the devil wants ‘to tap’ from you. Samson said that without the strength, he will be ‘weak, like any man’. The devil wants you to become spiritually tired, not better than an unbeliever, so that he can control you! ‘The Ogbanje spirit’ wants you to be weak spiritually and physically, unable to pray, to read the Bible or to come to church.

David knew this story. He was jealous over the seal of the Holy Spirit in his life. He protected the source of power in his life. That is why he defeated Goliath. Before he attacked the giant, he possibly prayed Psalm 140 and God gave him the victory.

In Christ I declare:

“My Lord God, you are the powerful One who saves me.

    You protect my head in battle.

Lord, don’t let the wicked have what they want.

    Don’t let their plans succeed. Selah

My enemies are planning trouble for me.

    Lord, make that trouble fall on them.

Pour burning coals on their heads.

    Throw them into the fire.

    Throw them into pits they can never escape” (Ps 140)

In Jesus name

Amen!