2024-09-08_Sunday 2nd Service;The Battle is the Lord's: By Rev. Dr. Simon Mwangi, PBC Associate Pastor

I will read the scriptures from the book of Psalm, chapter 46.

Psalms 46 · chapter mention

Zaburi al-Banana Sita, psalm 46.

It's a poem, it's a song and it's one that's celebrating God who fights our battles, and that is why the title of the message today is the Battle is the Lord's, psalm 46.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall, into the heart of the sea, though its waters roll and form and the mountains quake with their surging.

Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging, there is a river the Bible continues to say whose streams make glad, the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

I want us to read verse 5 together.

God is within her, she will not fall.

God will help her at break of day.

And let me declare, because God is in our midst, we shall not be defeated.

Nations are in a pro-kingdom's fall.

He lifts his voice.

The earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us.

The God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done in the desolations he has brought on the earth.

Now, verse 9 is important.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.

He burns the shields with fire.

He says what does he say?

Be still and know that I am God.

I'll be exalted among the nations.

I'll be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us.

The God of Jacob is our fortress.

Let's pray, father in heaven.

I thank you so much for the reading of the word, lord.

I know just by the reading we are blessed, but even by the sharing we are even blessed more.

Thank you that we have the opportunity to hear your word, and thank you for everybody who has come in person and those who are following the service online, and I pray that, lord, we shall be equally blessed as we listen to your word.

In Jesus' name, we pray and we all say Amen, we may have our seats.

The battle is the Lord's is the title of the message, and I have read from Psalm 46, verse 1 to 11.

Psalms 46 · chapter mention

However, I've borrowed the title of the message from 1 Samuel, chapter 17, verse 47, which reads the following 1 Samuel 17, verse 47.

1 Samuel 17:47 1 Samuel 17:47

That's where I have picked the title of the message today.

These are the words of David as he declares victory ahead of time, and God wants us to declare victory before it happens.

And you know, victory follows declarations.

This is what it says.

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands.

Let me declare that if there is a battle in your life, it is already sorted out.

I'm following this scripture here.

Let me repeat that If there's a battle in your life, it is already sorted out, and what you're going to enjoy or sample from here henceforth is the victory.

You know, the biggest victory we got was through Jesus.

When he came, he died, was buried, rose from the dead, he conquered death and after that, through the resurrection, gave us the victory and has given us the keys of authority that we may continue the same victory that he was able to acquire when he died and was buried and rose on the third day, and therefore, the battle is the Lord's.

As we go through this, I would like you to reflect on some of the names of God.

One of them is El Shaddai, because truly, it is the Lord who will give us this victory, and El Shaddai simply means God Almighty or Lord Almighty, el is God, shaddai is mighty one, or the strong one, el Shaddai.

And let me say that our God is powerful, hallelujah.

The devil is a creature.

God is a creator and there is no way the creature can be greater than the creator.

God is really, really powerful.

And the reason I'm giving us these names is because sometimes, when we are in the heat of a battle, we tend to see what the enemy is doing more than what God is actually doing.

We tend to describe what the enemy is doing more than what God is actually doing.

We tend to describe what the enemy is doing, how the situation looks bad, more than what God is actually doing and the kindergarten of warfare.

We start at the place of getting to know who God really is if we are going to win the battles of life.

And so he's El Shaddai.

He's also El Gibor, which means warrior god.

It means the mighty warrior god who conquers and who gives us the same victory, el Gibor.

You can note that someplace for further reading and study.

Also.

Number three the name I would like us to have as we go along is the name Jehovah Sabaoth.

He is the Lord of hosts.

Sabaoth is more or less the armies, but this is the Jehovah who is in church of the armies of heaven and he has never, never lost a battle.

He is sovereign over every army, both spiritual and earthly.

In the spiritual realms, earthly realms, inside and at the ground, he is sovereign and he is the head of the armies of armies.

This is the kind of God we have and therefore, when David is facing Goliath, he's not seeing Goliath, david facing Goliath, he's not seeing Goliath, david facing Goliath.

If you remember the story, he's a young man, he's about 17 years of age and therefore his facing is a formidable one.

He's one who is skilled in war, in the art of war, in the skill of use of the equipment of war.

He is somebody who is very, very skilled.

But the odds are big against David.

If you are to consider the case using conventional assessment, the odds are great against David.

However, david, this young man, chooses to take the front line, and the reason he does that is because he knows the God who is with him.

Now, you know, when Satan, or Lucifer, the angel who rebelled, went off and rebelled with some angels, it's one-third of the angels who went with Lucifer.

It's one third of the angels who went with Lucifer.

Two thirds of the angels remained with God, and that is why we normally say those who are for us are more than those who are against us.

For every one demon there are two angels.

Can you actually lose a battle when you have two angels against one?

And so you find that this creature, the devil, is small when you think in terms of God.

And David, facing Goliath, has a God mindset, a kingdom mindset, and therefore, when he looks at Goliath and also looks at his God, he sees Goliath as just a small ant that needs to be sorted out, and it's going to be sorted out very, very quickly.

And so the David-Goliath context is a prototype of the context we face today in our lives, in the various situations of life and I don't know what kind of warfare you're dealing with, I don't know which areas of life there has been a struggle or something not working through.

I am here to tell you that victory is your portion in Jesus' name.

If you received that, give a hand to the Lord.

Victory is your portion in Jesus' name.

So the theology of God and the measure of God that we walk with matters, and it matters on Monday, matters on Tuesday, matters on Wednesday and Thursday, friday, saturday and Sunday.

It matters both during daytime and it also matters during night time.

And so we know that we have a God who wants us to make progress and therefore he has opened the door wide so that we can make progress, so that we can move forward.

However, we also know that we have an adversary whose plan is to ensure that we don't make progress and whose plan is to ensure that we probably even possibly begin to retract, to go backwards.

But I want to say here nobody is falling backwards.

In Jesus' name, we are going to go forward and this door open before us is not going to be wasted.

God has opened it and he has invested very, very heavily through the blood of his son, jesus Christ, so that the gates would be open.

And then he has placed his people at open gates and he wants us to walk forward.

There is a contrary move and a contrary spirit and a contrary force whose determination is to ensure that you don't make progress, that your family doesn't make progress, that your business doesn't make progress, your career does not peak, you know, and somehow your trajectory truncates or probably just simply goes flat.

But here I am preaching and sharing with, anointing from above To be able to say we have a God who is big and we have a God who is able, and for that reason everyone shall make progress.

I want to repeat that statement Everyone hearing my voice shall move to the next level, that promotion shall happen, that ceiling shall be removed, whatever put it there around your life and cost you not to really break through.

I am here to tell you about this God who is with you and with me.

His name is Emmanuel and his committed goal is to make you succeed.

Now, john 10, 10,.

You know it.

It says the thief comes to steal, to kill and destroy.

We know the program of the enemy when he shows up somewhere.

We know his program he comes to steal, to kill and to destroy.

But Jesus came that we might do what have life and have it abundantly.

And so when God says Jeremiah 29, 11, what he says, he means it.

He says I know, I alone know the plans I have for you.

There are plans for good, to prosper you, plans not to harm you, plans to give you what A hope and a future.

This is the God we have, that God who opened a door for me, that God who determined I be born.

The time I was born, the God who has kept me breathing until this day is the same God who wants me to enter his plan, which is good, which is wonderful and which is beautiful.

However, we have an adversary, and his goal is to cut short destinies.

It is to stop people from progressing to the next level.

And here, by this sermon and by this congregation as we are constituted today, we are here to decree and align with the word of God and say progress shall happen, movement shall happen, we shall advance and we shall go forward.

Now you know somebody like Joshua, who was left by Moses, and Moses had big shoes and Joshua was feeling very small, left with a nation.

They had been blocked by the river Jordan for a long, long time.

And Moses, who opened up the Red Sea, is gone.

And Joshua is wondering are we going to move from this circle, this wilderness of going round and round?

And we've been here for 40 years Is it possible for us to actually cross into our peace, into our rest, into the land of promise, into the destiny that God has ordained for us?

But let me tell you, when you look at Joshua, chapter 1, it is a conversation between El Shaddai El Gibor and Jehovah Sabaoth, with an everyday person like you and me, and simply reassuring Joshua in Joshua, chapter 1.

Joshua 1 · chapter mention Joshua 1 · chapter mention

You're going to make progress.

In fact, in verse 3 of Joshua, chapter 1, god tells Joshua Everywhere you step, I've done what I have given to you.

Joshua 1 · chapter mention

Everywhere you step, every place where you set your foot, what is God saying?

I have done it, I'm giving it to you, like I promised Moses, and you shall acquire or step into new territories.

And so today, as we say, the battle is the Lord's.

It is because not only has he opened the door, he also has a plan and a destiny that is very beautiful for everybody, and God will make sure that, whatever comes your way, he will sort it out.

He will sort it out so that you can reach the place and spaces where he wants you to be.

And so I am looking forward to a future that is bright, hallelujah, and a future that is good for every one of us.

And the same God of Joshua who later sees him across the Jordan, across the Jericho, which was a formidable city, and then all across the country, through Ai, into the center of the land of promise, and then sees him take territories to the north and then take territory to the south, that same God who was with Joshua.

He is El Shaddai, he is El Gibor and he is Jehovah Sabaoth, and he is with us.

Hebrews 13.8 says the following Jesus is the same yesterday, today and let's give a hand clap to our King and our Lord.

And therefore, there are three things I want to share briefly about this aspect the battle with the Lord.

First of all, he's our refuge.

Secondly, he makes war cease.

And thirdly, he is our peace.

I just want to repeat that God is our refuge, god makes war cease and God is our peace.

When God comes in like a warrior in our lives, whether it's in your family or in your business, or you know, he comes through.

When God comes in your life as a warrior, the first activity is that he first secures your gains.

In other words, he protects you, he covers you from any further attacks, and then, when he has covered you, he wages war.

That's the second principle.

Has covered you, he wages war.

That's the second principle.

He wages war against whatever has been attacking your life or whatever you do.

He wages war.

But thirdly, he gets a victory and brings you the spoils of the victory.

He brings you, you know the victory right into your hands.

And this psalm, which is a song, it's also a poem, is designed in those three formats.

And God is at the center of this psalm, and that is why we can finish with verse 10 be still and know that I am God, because right in the middle of the psalm is God, and he's Jehovah's Emmanuel.

He's's God who never leaves his people.

When you're in the heat of the battle, sometimes you can forget that God is right there with you, but I'm here to remind you once again that he never leaves us nor forsakes us.

So, number one, he's our refuge.

He creates a place, a hiding place, and therefore we can run into that hiding place.

You've been facing a battle.

I want you to know that there is a hiding place.

Let me just read verse one.

It says God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way.

The Jewish people were very afraid of earthquakes and even floods, and that's why he's discussing some of these things here.

Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and form and the mountains quake with their surging, there is a river whose streams make glad the city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

Listen to this.

God is within her.

She will not fall.

God will help her.

At the break of day.

A hand clap to the Lord.

This is amazing.

It is just wonderful for me, and it is good to know.

There is a refuge, there is a hiding place.

My brother, my sister, you can hide your children somewhere.

I know there are all kinds of places that we can hide children, but there is a type of shelter that God himself provides and he is that shelter.

And we can, today, as we pray, hide your children, hide your business, hide your life, you know, hide your money.

Just put it somewhere.

And I can assure you that this is a very, very, very safe place.

When you are hidden in God, when God is your shelter, when God is your refuge, when God is your shelter, when God is your refuge, the devil cannot touch you.

Did you hear me?

Yes, when God is your strength, your refuge and your shelter, yes, we can give a hand to the Lord.

The devil cannot touch you Because before he touches you, he has to touch God.

And we began by saying God is big and God is strong.

What will a minion, a creature, be able to do against the creator who has formed a wall around you?

You know, psalm 127, verse 1, says unless the Lord builds a house, those who build it labor in vain.

Psalms 127:1

But then it goes on to say unless the Lord watches over a city, those who watch over that city, they do a vain job.

We have a refuge, we have a shelter, we have a hiding place.

When you read Psalm 91, psalm 91, just to be able to reflect further on this concept of a hiding place, a refuge and a shelter which is available for all men Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the Lord.

He is my refuge and my fortress.

I pray somebody is able to connect with this part and say today God is my refuge and he is my fortress, my God in whom I trust.

And then the verse disappeared.

Yes, verse three.

Surely he will save you from the fall of snare and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers.

Technology is failing me on my screen.

Maybe on the other screens it's okay, but let me just verse 3.

Surely, he will save you from the fall of snare and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge.

These are very powerful statements.

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Now, verse 7 says a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but you will.

You will do what.

They will not come near you.

Do you know?

Isaiah 54, 17 says no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper and therefore the first position God does, coming to you, is to protect you and to cover you.

And those words refuge and shelter, hiding place is just to remind us that we have a hiding place.

Proverbs 18.10 says the following the name of the Lord is a strong tower.

The righteous run into it and they are safe.

When you read Exodus 12, verse 12 and verse 13, it talks about the blood that was applied at the doors of the Jewish people while they were in Egypt.

Exodus 12:12

And you know, when the angel of death came, every door that was marked with that blood.

Up here, this side and that side, the angel of death could not enter, simply because of the cover that comes by the blood of Jesus.

Somebody sang the song and say I'm going to stay right under the blood.

Yeah, I'm going to stay right under the blood.

Where the Are you going to stay right under the blood?

Where the devil can do me no harm?

We have a cover and today I plead the blood of Jesus Christ upon everyone hearing me.

May the cover of the blood of Jesus come upon you and upon everything that concerns you, those in the homes, in the hospitals.

I'm releasing that cover because it's provided for in the scriptures and I know it, I understand it.

I release it in your direction.

Receive the refuge, receive the cover and the protection that comes by virtue of the blood of Jesus, and so the whole concept of refuge and cover In the New Testament.

God provides even the armor of God.

We have cover for the head.

It's called the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, the belt of truth and the shoes of carrying the gospel.

And by prayer you can appropriate cover, you can begin to pray that helmet on your mind, that cover, shield here, in this vital, the vitals around here, and they are covered by the breastplate of righteousness and then the sword for attack and the belt of truth, and you can pray that you receive divine protection, because it's the highest level of protection.

The battle is the Lord's.

He begins by providing us with a cover, a refuge, a place to hide our families, and you cover them with the blood of Jesus Christ and you decree that that is done, covered everyone and even cover your days Monday, tuesday, wednesday, like that.

Cover your days, cover your journey, you know, cover your dream, cover your dream as well, because, like I said, the devil wants to shortcut destinies, to mute them, to destroy them.

But Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly.

But I must go to the second thing here.

He makes wars cease.

Not only does he put us in a place of refuge, he now fights the battle.

He fights the battle In verse 6 to 9, it says the following Psalm 46, verse 6 to verse 9.

Psalms 46:6

Nations are in a prow, kingdoms fall.

He lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us.

The God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done.

There's desolation he has brought on the earth.

Now, verse 9 says he makes walls cease to the ends of the earth.

He breaks a bow and shatters the spear.

He burns the shields with fire.

Now, may every weapon fashioned against you right now be crushed, yes, completely.

Anything that is arraigned and set in your direction, any arrow you know or fiery dart that is set in your direction, may it be quenched and completely destroyed by the warrior god El Gibor.

And you know, when you read Joshua, chapter 5, verse, verse 13, up to verse 15, I want you to see the position of this warrior God on your behalf, because he has his sword out.

Joshua 5 · chapter mention

He's a warrior God.

Joshua, chapter which one did I say?

Joshua, chapter 5, yes, verse 13 to verse 15, here Now.

Joshua 5 · chapter mention

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword and this is the position of God in his hand.

Joshua went up to him and asked are you for us or for our enemies?

Neither he replied.

But I have come as commander of the army.

I know there are some human beings who call themselves for our enemies.

Neither he replied, but I have come as commander of the army.

I know there are some human beings who call themselves commander, but this is the right commander, this is the proper commander.

I have come as commander, hallelujah.

I have come as commander of the army of the Lord.

I have now come.

Then Joshua fell on his face to the ground in reverence and asked him what message does my Lord have for his servant?

The commander of the Lord's army replied take off your sandals, for the place where you're standing is holy, and Joshua did so.

The Bible goes on to now, to the next chapter, and it says now the gates of Jericho are securely barred because of the Israelites.

No one went out, no one went in, and from here Joshua is being led by the commander-in-chief of the Lord's armies.

He is trained in battle and God never lost any war.

Now you know, when we trust him, he leads us from victory to victory.

We march from victory to victory.

One of those battles, he actually just simply thundered.

He thundered In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 7, verse 10 to verse 13,.

1 Samuel 7:10

God just simply thundered, and the thunder of God achieved victory.

Let me just read verse 10 to 13.

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle.

But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to the point below Beth-Kar.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shin took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shin.

He named it Ebenezer, saying thus far, the Lord has done what has helped us.

So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel's territory.

Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines.

Now I want to declare something here.

That battle you have been fighting, the Lord has taken over and God will do such a good job around it that a testimony will emerge in the form of your victory.

Those of you who are in school and you're dealing with studies yes, just give a hand to the Lord Dealing with classwork and you feel like you'll never graduate.

I say you will graduate.

Listen to this pastor.

I am saying you will graduate.

We shall have a graduation party and those of you who know me, I love showing up in those spaces Because I'm a firm believer that God gives his people victory.

And Psalm 118, verse 15, says I can hear a shout of victory in the tent of the righteous.

Psalms 118:15

Trumpets of victory are being blown every direction north, south, east and west because God is going to do something and therefore I'm prophesying, I'm declaring that battle the Lord has taken over, and I'm declaring the Lord will thunder and the Philistines will enter confusion, they will be dispersed and you will receive victory that you've never seen before, because God, when he starts a battle, he never loses it.

Even the battle for my salvation, when Jesus came, became a human being and then he died, he was buried, he never gave up anywhere.

Then he beat the grave and he beat death and he rose on the third day and he's shining the risen Lord, the victorious Lord.

It is a prototype of every believer that when we enter some of these difficult stretches, the end is victory and God is coming through for each one of us.

I want to repeat that again God is coming through for every one of us.

Yes, a hand to the Lord, god is coming through.

And so Samuel, in his time after sacrificing, sees what God is able to do In the 21st century.

That same God Hebrews 13.8, the same yesterday, today and forever, that same God is active and working in the life of every individual and therefore I encourage you, look up to God.

You know, many of us tend to look at what the devil is doing, but I want to encourage us to focus on God.

When you focus on God, you shall see the hand of God.

Jehoshaphat in 1st Chronicles, chapter 20, from verse 20 to verse 22.

Jehoshaphat, is this 2nd Chronicles?

Yeah, jehoshaphat, is this 2 Chronicles, pastor Regan?

Yeah, jehoshaphat.

And you know how he acquired his victory.

He said let the singers go before us.

The focus was on God and they began to praise.

And as they were praising God, it is 2 Chronicles, yes, 2 Chronicles, verse 20 to verse 22.

As they were praising God, let me just read it.

Early in the morning, they left for the desert of Tekoa.

As they set out, jehoshaphat stood and said listen to me, judah and the people of Jerusalem, have faith in the Lord, your God, and you'll be upheld.

Have faith in the prophets and you will be successful.

After consulting the people, jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.

As they began to sing I like this verse as they began to sing what happened and also to praise what happened the Lord set ambushes, ambushes, ambushes Against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

I want to say the Philistines, the Amalekites, the Agagites and all the parasites are now defeated in Jesus' name.

Hallelujah, yes, yeah.

El Gibor the warrior, god El Shaddai, jehovah Sabaoth, he never lost a battle.

He will not lose a battle in your own life.

And when he starts to fight, he even crushes the spears.

You know how does he do it.

He makes a wall cease to the ends of the earth, he breaks a bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields and with fire he completely sorts out that battle, to the extent that you will never experience it again.

You have had a recurrent battle in your life.

The cycle of that battle is over.

I'm declaring it is over in the name of Jesus Christ.

It is over, and it is over, and it's over why he makes war cease when he comes in to fight.

He comes to stop that war and stop it completely, never to rear its head again.

There was a demoniac who struggled with demons In Mark, chapter 5, the demoniac he struggled with demons, and there were many.

Mark 5 · chapter mention

I think is it verse 9 where Jesus asked his name.

Just go to verse 9.

Mark, chapter 5, go on to verse 9.

Mark 5 · chapter mention

Yeah, then Jesus asked him what is your name?

My name is Legion.

He replied.

He even lost his identity.

He lost his identity to demons.

Now, he even lost his voice to demons.

So the demons were his representatives.

Yeah, they were speaking on his behalf.

You know, and that's why I want to say some of these things that control our lives to the extent we lose our identity addictions and drugs.

Don't open your door or your window to those kind of things.

Don't allow those kind of things in your life, because when they get a grip on over you, they begin to control you.

You lose your voice, you lose your identity, you even forget who you are, changes your personality and changes everything.

And Jesus is coming and he's asking him what's your name?

He says my name is Legion.

He replied, for we are many.

That's a very interesting answer, you know, and he begged Jesus again and again, again, not to send them out of the area.

These are the demons.

They want to stay inside.

I want to break the tendency of demons in Jesus' name, whether in our homes or our personal lives.

Today, officially, the tendency is broken.

They are not being hosted.

We cannot be hosts anymore and in spiritual warfare you need to understand the whole thing of hosting.

How you open doors, how you open windows, how demonic forces begin to take territory over your mind, over your heart, over your emotions, over your spirit, over your body, and you walk like a slave, being tagged this way.

You know we sang something here.

The chains have been broken and those chains are pulling that way and you mimic the demons and they manifest and they are manifesting here.

So when he asked what's your name?

And then he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area, a large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.

The demons begged Jesus, send us among the pigs.

You see, jesus is here to wage war.

Jesus is here to make war cease in the life of this man.

And the demons begged send us among the pigs, allow us to go into them Now.

These demons were suicidal spirits and that is why this gentleman was tagged by the demons to the cemetery.

He used to live among the dead.

He used to live among the dead, he used to live in the cemetery and even there he was just cutting himself and really, you know, destroying himself.

So Jesus gives them permission, suicidal spirits.

And these impure spirits came out and went to the peaks.

What did they do?

They had about 2,000 in number.

That shows the demons were many.

Rushed down it is suicide now.

Rushed down.

It is suicide now.

Rushed down the steep bank into the lake.

Who programmed them this way?

Who messaged them this way?

You can see how the enemy comes to steal, to kill and to destroy.

But Jesus came, that he might have life and have it abundantly.

Steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

Yani story ended right there.

Back to this man who had these demons, in verse 15.

Verse 15, go to verse 15.

Verse 15 of the same chapter.

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, dressed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

They never saw anything like that, infested by demons.

One moment, the one who fights our wars shows up and he speaks a word that causes the war to cease, and this family or this individual that has been disturbed by these battles and disagreements and confusions.

They never know peace.

All of a sudden, because of El Gibor and because of El Shaddai, and because of Jehovah Sabaoth, who has shown up in the situation and he's a warrior god and he does the war Suddenly, this man is dressed nicely, his mind is back and he's looking really, really good.

I want to say God sent his son, jesus Christ, for a mission and a purpose To destroy the works of darkness.

And he sent Jesus to deliver us from the hands of the enemy.

He sent Jesus that we may be saved, we may be delivered.

That's the mission we may be delivered and that we may really become children of God.

And so the battle is the Lord's, and it doesn't matter whether it's many demons, it doesn't matter whether it's been there for a long time.

Our God is more than able to handle that.

But finally I must say he is our peace, our peace.

Finally, he is our peace.

In verse 10, the Bible says be still and know that I am God.

I'll be exalted among the nations, I'll be exalted in the earth.

The Lord Almighty is with us.

The God of Jacob is our fortress.

God secures our boundaries.

It is also found in Psalm 16, verse 5.

Psalms 16:5

He secures my lot.

That's the first point.

Then, once I'm secure, he fights my battle, and then he brings the spoils of victory, and those spoils of victory is shalom.

It is the peace of God that passes all understanding.

In the book of Philippians, 4, verse 6 and 7, the Bible says have no anxiety, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will do what Will keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6

Pastor Regan, you know, I normally paraphrase that by saying Will keep your heart from blood pressure, because battles can make your blood To go a little faster, and it will also keep your mind from depression.

Yeah, because when you're anxious About this and that you won't sleep, you won't eat well, and within no time the door opens for something called depression, and it's a spirit.

It's a spirit, spirit of depression.

Yeah, let's call it for what it is.

It's a spirit, and so open the door to depression as a very aggressive spirit.

So it comes and fills everywhere.

You start feeling like you are under a cloud.

Even when the sun is bright, like this, you feel like it's all cloudy, it's all dull and as stages of depression continue to grow, you start feeling like a very deep hole has been dug and people are dropping you with a rope progressively and it's like you're going deeper and deeper and deeper and you get to a place you can't breathe.

You've really gone far and you can't think right, you can't socialize, you want to lock yourself in a room and be in dark spaces and you know anxiety does that.

But you know today the spirit of depression and anxiety.

We can break it tendency right now, in Jesus' name, and we can command that spirit.

Did you know?

You have authority, I have authority, we have authority.

We can command that spirit to take off in Jesus' name.

Anxiety is not your portion.

Depression is not your portion.

Fear is not your portion.

Anger is not your portion.

Fear is not your portion, anger is not your portion.

The things that disturb our peace resentment, bitterness, anger, fear, you know anxiety all these are spirits that should not be in our lives.

And you can take authority and you say the things that affect my peace, I'm going to wage war against them through Jesus Christ and command them to go.

So, the same way this demoniac is freed from the demons, it is possible today for every demon to be cast out, and it was not God's plan and purpose that demons should indwell people and that's why we should shut those doors and gates and those familiar things we do Going to the places of witches, yeah, or following those star sigatarias I don't know what they are called and you say they'll determine.

I want to know how my Tuesday will look like, because I was born this particular time and my gods are.

They called gods.

They look like snakes and they look like a mixture of tigers and they look funny mixture of tigers.

They look funny.

I don't know why, in newspapers or whatever, we go looking for guidance and protection and cover from such.

Walk away from those things.

I say again walk away from those things, walk away from those things.

Shut every door, every window through which the devil can come in.

In fact, it's Peter who wrote and say the devil is like a roaring lion who prowls around us seeking whom he might devour.

In other words, he's looking for an opening.

And you know how lions are With prayer.

If prayer is inside, if a lion just gets a small window, it swings its hand very quickly right there.

The hand is very powerful, you know, and just that touch of that lion can have a very big impact.

And so those things that disturb our peace, it is through this service we can send them packing, send them going, because God wants us to have shalom and that amazing peace.

Isaiah 26, 3 says he keeps them in perfect peace.

You know, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast or they stay on him.

The King James Version says thou dost keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.

And so God is inviting you and me to enjoy peace as the spoils of war, because God has gone to battle so that he gives me a heritage of peace.

And I'm not talking about peace, pax romana, which is the common peace we know, namely the absence of conflict around us.

I'm talking about the peace that comes from God.

It is a peace in you, in your mind, your heart and your spirit.

It's a peace also around you, and God is able to give you that peace, and I described as peace that passes all understanding.

So how does victory look like?

Victory looks like the demoniac who was infested of demons, the warrior.

God connects with him and releases him from that warfare, and then he is now clean and smart and right thinking.

You know that is how victory looks like and God wants us to experience that kind of victory.

As I close, in Mark, chapter 4, verse 39, there was a big storm Mark, chapter 4, verse 39.

Mark 4:39 Mark 4:39

And Jesus calmed the storm.

The disciples were in that storm.

How did Jesus do it?

He got up, he rebuked the wind.

He said to the waves let's read together Quiet be still.

What happened after that?

Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

May that happen in our families right now, in the name of Jesus Christ, because, yes, el Gibor is able and he stands up, he rebukes the wind and the wind must obey that storm in your life, must obey A financial storm.

I decree it will obey, in Jesus' name, a storm in your career.

It will obey the things that have obstructed your moving from the next level, the promotion and the elevation they will yield.

My brother, joe, when you are praying here you quoted that verse every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

A service like this in terms of ministry.

There ought to be a time when people come and deliverance happens, hallelujah.

There ought to be a time when people come and deliverance happens, hallelujah and we see paradigm shifts because, you know, god is able to suddenly change that problem.

Sometimes we say it has to take a long period of counseling and guidance, but God is able, whatever problem that is.

And I'm not saying counseling is bad, it's good, very good, and I recommend counseling and also guidance.

But God is able to fast's good, very good, and I recommend counseling and also guidance.

But God is able to fast track the whole process and God is able to bring a change.

You know sudden healing in your life and that healing is called perfect peace.

You know the peace that comes from God, peace within, peace without, and that can only be found when God is with you.

And so, like I started by saying God has opened the door, like we have said, open door, advancement.

God has opened the door not so that we look at the door and enjoy it.

It is decorated.

No, he wants us to advance the reason the door is open.

There is a reason why it's open.

It's because he wants every person to make progress.

But while God has done it, he understands there is an adversary lurking on the sides here who wants to trip your feet or trip your hands or affect your mind and cause you not to progress as you should.

Therefore, jesus came to wage war so that this adversary and this bad spirit that is causing you not to advance is sorted out.

And right now I want to say, like Zechariah told Zerubbabel, oh Zerubbabel, this mountain you see before you, god has turned into level ground.

So all those two things that have been set up in your path to try and stop you from making progress by this declaration, they are actually gone.

Is anybody connecting with that?

Let's give a hand to the Lord.

They are gone.

They are gone.

In the first service I celebrated young people and young people are making strides, and I had one of them come from upstairs there with both parents, celebrated young people and young people are making strides, and I had one of them come from upstairs there with both parents.

And this girl has gotten medals I don't know how many, there are Like three were gold several medals they were brought here, nine, nine medals In Bangkok, thailand.

A Kenyan, one of our children here, goes to Bangkok and beats everyone.

Our door has opened now.

A door has now opened for that girl to go to Yale University in the United States of America.

Her name is Maria.

I celebrated a second young man whose parents were sitting on this side.

The door has opened for this young man to go and study in a very nice institution, a very nice school, and young people of Africa.

God is with you, god loves you, god cares for you.

You know the God who picked on David, a 17-year-old boy who was anointed by Samuel 1 Samuel 16, verse 13, who took a horn of oil, poured oil on this particular boy here, and from that day God's spirit rested on Samuel and the oil of greatness came.

1 Samuel 16:13

He was anointed, came upon his life that God who assisted that boy to make progress and to advance, because by this anointing the gates were open.

But you know, david went through a lot.

The lion came, he sorted it out.

The bear came, sorted it out.

Goliath comes with a single stone.

He took five stones as a plan B, c and D, because the group they were dealing with came from five cities and every city had a giant.

And so David thought to himself you know, if I take five, I hit the first one, goliath comes down.

If the second one shows up after Goliath, I release the second stone.

I have enough stone for all the giants on the other side.

Now this young man, 17 years old, delivering national victories, you know, for the whole nation, makes progress because he's anointed and because God is with him.

Young people, let me say something to you it's not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of God you'll make it.

Thus says the Lord Submit to God, allow God's Spirit to descend upon your life without apology, and allow God's Spirit to drive you to victory.

And I say to the young people of Africa, and I see it very clearly the Lord has chosen to lift you to the next level.

In fact, I see it Right now.

The Lord has created an elevator and this elevator is powered by the Holy Spirit.

And I connect with every young person listening to me, to this preacher and also a prophet.

Here I see an elevator powered by the Holy Spirit and I'm hearing God come saying come, young young man, come young lady.

You are in an economy that looks not so good.

You've gotten your master's, you got your first degrees.

You haven't gotten a job for three years.

You have stayed there for so long and things are not working out.

You have so many regrets.

You've tried all these jobs.

You've tried everything.

Your ideas don't seem to go very far.

They are looking down on you.

But the Holy Spirit is saying step on this elevator.

Is somebody connected with that among the young generation?

Step on the Holy Spirit elevator.

The battle is the Lord's, powered by the Holy Spirit, the power of God.

God is saying you are winning those battles and as you step on this elevator, you will just have to watch elevation, you understand.

I love elevators because they get you to a place where you start seeing, you know, enjoying yourself and having the scenery.

God will raise you to a place where you will see things you've never seen before.

And I'm saying to young people connect with this word, step on that elevator.

In your heart you can say Lord, as this preacher is speaking, I step on that elevator.

I may not understand everything, but by prayer, by faith, I step on this elevator.

Now the battle is yours.

God carry me from one level to another and to another, and I want to say that God is here as a warrior, god, and he's ready to take over.

Are you willing to hand over the battles to him?

Because that's the other thing.

Are you willing to hand over that battle?

There are people who take battles in their lives.

They even walk to somebody else.

They knife somebody.

I read a story somewhere I think was it somewhere this athlete who was burnt with water.

Yeah, did you read that story, jeff?

Burnt with water?

Yeah, did you read that story, jeff?

Yeah, there's an athlete I think she was chapter gay or something yeah, and somebody decides I'm going to fight in my own strength.

I don't know where they got the idea of imagine somebody boiling water to that level the devil is not good and then finding this lady and burns her.

Eventually she dies in the hospital there.

Let me say this God will fight for you.

You don't have to do things like that.

God will fight for you.

They may have offended you so much, but God knows, god can see that situation and God will fight for you.

I'm about to lead us in a prayer that releases our battles in the hands of God, because we know he's El Gibor, he's El Shaddai, he's Jehovah Sabaoth, the God that Joshua met before he met Jericho.

If Joshua had not met the God, the Lord of hosts, before meeting Jericho, if Joshua had not met the God, the Lord of hosts, before meeting Jericho, he would never have had any success.

But now I'm about to pray and commit you to this God who is able to give you the victory From one level to another.

Let's all stand up as we pray together.

Our God is able, matthew 19.26.

I quote it all the time he says he's able to do what we cannot do.

You know, that is our God, matthew 19, verse 26.

Matthew 19:26

There is nothing impossible with him.

What is impossible with me, with God, it is very possible.

Let us pray.

Father in heaven, I want to thank you once again that you have not left us on planet Earth to fight on our own.

The same way, in Psalm 46, you have chosen to come to the city and to live in the midst of the city so that the city would not fall.

God, you have chosen to dwell among me, and not just for exhibition.

It's so that you may walk in and through us and that, god, you may lead us into new territories and cause us to advance.

I thank you, my God, that you even chose to become a human being so that you would have the same experience like we do.

And you conquered death and you rose from the dead.

And today you've given us that same victory and same authority.

That, lord, we may walk in the path of victory, as I've shared this word today, my God, I sense there is somebody who has really been fighting battles, some of them never shared with anybody, and they have reached a place where they say I don't see how I can be standing any hour from now.

God, I thank you that you're saying to that person I am in your city, I am in your midst, and you're saying to that person you will not fall.

And as your servant, I echo that word and I say that none of us will fall because, god, you are in our midst Right now as I pray.

There are those several areas of battle that you have and you are able to identify as I'm praying.

Just circle them in your heart, because we are about to hand over the battle to the Lord.

Those things are things you can't handle.

Of course, god will fight, even for the things you can handle, but there are those things I'm saying you circle and you say, my God, if I continue this way, I'm going to get depressed, I will be anxious.

This battle is too big for me, it is beyond me.

Whatever it is it may be a mountain of debt or just something in the family God is saying bring it to me, bring it to me, my God, I thank you because I have now raised the altar of the Lord will fight our battle and, my God, I've invited your people to release these battles into your hands and you join me as we put our faith together in formally now releasing those aspects in our lives into God's hands.

My father, you love it when people have faith in you and when people trust you.

The psalmist said in Psalm 20, verse 7, some trust in chariots, others trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord.

Psalms 20:7

Therefore, my God, together as a congregation, those following online and those in person, we hand over these battles into your hands and we release them completely.

Release that battle.

Release that battle.

Release that battle.

Release it.

Release it now In the name of Jesus.

Release it.

You don't need it, it is gone.

I declare it is gone.

It is gone.

It is gone Never to come to your tent anymore because you've released in good hands, my God.

Now wage war, as you have promised in your word, so that all these areas, my God, will be dealt with.

And as you wage war, I am praying that you grant peace and bring the victory, just like you did for Samuel in 1 Samuel, chapter 7.

1 Samuel 7 · chapter mention

For him to raise the altar.

Ebenezer, it is because you thundered and they tasted the victory that, lord, your people will taste, the victory that comes when, god, you take over.

And therefore, father, I thank you because of the victory that you're bringing, and I know my God, as we move into this week, we are moving in this elevator where God, you're raising us and giving us victory from one level to another.

At this point, I invite us to lift our hands to God.

My father, now these hands are lifted up to you as an act of reception.

You have told us that you will grant us peace that passes all understanding.

And the psalmist says be still and know that I am God.

I pray that, now that we have released those things, that you grant us that peace that passes all understanding.

I declare the war is over, the storm is over, the peace is here.

Yes, we can give a hand to the Lord In Jesus' name.

The war is over and the storm is over.

And, just like Mark 4, verse 39, says, jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and the place became completely calm.

Mark 4:39

My brother, my sister, by lifting up your hands to God, receive the victory.

Receive the victory.

God has buffered the battle, receive the victory.

I declare victory on Monday, victory on Tuesday, victory on Wednesday, victory on Thursday, victory on Friday, victory on Saturday, victory on Sunday, and testimony is galore as we come to the end of this coming week.

Thank you, jesus, thank you for this victory, and as I have declared that victory, I decree it's also secured and covered by the blood of Jesus.

Now, congregation, I want you to receive the blessing.

Father, in Jesus' name, I want to thank you so much for the power of blessing, and I bless you that, god.

You have blessings that we can never exhaust, and that is why, every Sunday, we come back to you and ask for blessings as we lift our hands up to God.

Now, as an act of receiving God, I pray that the blessings of Monday be released, blessings of Tuesday be released, blessings of Wednesday be released, the blessings of Thursday be released, the blessing of Friday be released, the blessings of Saturday be released and the blessing of next Sunday be released, that the whole week is covered by the blessing of God and every one of us shall walk in the path of blessing that opened doors for us.

I decree these blessings and I declare them right now, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we all say let's give a hand clap to Jesus.