• Acts 19:11-20
o 11 God worked unusual miracles through Paul.
o 12 People would take handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul’s skin to those who were sick. Their sicknesses would be cured, and evil spirits would leave them.
o 13 Some Jews used to travel from place to place and force evil spirits out of people. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to force evil spirits out of those who were possessed. These Jews would say, “I order you ?to come out? in the name of Jesus, whom Paul talks about.”
o 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
o 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I’m acquainted with Paul, but who are you?”
o 16 Then the man possessed by the evil spirit attacked them. He beat them up so badly that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.
o 17 All the Jews and Greeks living in the city of Ephesus heard about this. All of them were filled with awe for the name of the Lord Jesus and began to speak very highly about it.
o 18 Many believers openly admitted their involvement with magical spells and told all the details.
o 19 Many of those who were involved in the occult gathered their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of these books and found that they were worth 50,000 silver coins.
o 20 In this powerful way the word of the Lord was spreading and gaining strength.
• I want every born again, spirit-filled believer to say
o I’m anointed to live this life
o If you believe that as I do
o Give God some praise tonight
o Because if you believe that as I do
o You believe that ultimately you are going to be victorious in every test
o And in every challenge that comes your way
o Because you are anointed to live this life
o The anointing is God’s power that is flowing on you
o And in you
o And all around you
• God’s empowerment that enables you to live a life
o Not enabling you to life your life
o But to live the life that God has predestined for you to live
? Now let me take a moment to talk about that word predestined
? Surveyors term that means boundaries
? God has set up boundaries that have been there since the foundation of the world
? He has placed them there for your life
? He has predestined them for you
o The anointing is there to help you
o Not to serve out your agenda
o But God has an agenda
o And when you get in alignment with His agenda
o He anoints you to accomplish what He had predetermined for you to do
o God does not anoint you to do your own thing
o And then ask Him to come over and anoint it
? That’s what we do in the church a lot
? We program and then ask God to come and bless what we’re doing
? We need to be doing what God is blessing
o God is here to get His will accomplished
o And when you get with Him
o He will get with you
o When you get with Him
o The provision will be there
o The power will be there
o Anything that you need will be there
• The anointing is the enabling power of God
o That quickens you
o And empowers you that you might have the power to perform the things that you can’t do in your own strength
o You have to understand that the anointing
? When looked upon from the outside
o Will cause people to judge you
o And think that you are a strong person
o That it is easier to live your life than it actually is
o It’s easy to be you
o But the anointing of God is a helper
o A paraclete
o One who stands along to help you
o So that you are able to lift more load
o Than what is naturally possible
o Because God comes along and adds His super to your natural
o And makes you able to operate in supernatural power
o People who stand on the outside will think that you are just strong
o It creates a challenge
o Because if they think that you are strong
o They don’t think that you need anything
o When in reality it is not your strength
o But God’s
o And beneath His strength
o There is just a small
o Frail human being
o Who is intimidated
o And scared to death
o Yet God enables you to do these things
o To the point that you have to sit back and wonder for yourself,
? How in the world did I make it through that
o It was just God anointing you to get you through that period in your life
o If you ever get that confused
o And that that it is you and not God
o You are setting yourself up for the greatest disappointment in your life
o Sampson gets into a battle
o Didn’t know that his strength had left him
o He thought he could do what he always did
o But God stepped back from him for a moment to let him see that it was not him doing it
o But God doing it
o When God adds His increase into your life
o You have supernatural strength
o If you could go and pull the rock out of Goliath’s forehead
o And examine the rock
o You would find that there is nothing exceptional about the rock
o If you could raise David up from the dead
o And examine his hand
o You would find that there is nothing exceptional about his hand or arm
o If there was nothing exceptional about his hand
o Nothing exceptional about the rock
o The Bible says that he had a slingshot
? A child’s toy
o So, there is nothing exceptional about the weapon
o Yet it got an exceptional result
o We have to understand that God got behind what David threw
o And cause it to be affective
o But if God hadn’t gotten behind it
o The rock would have just rolled off Goliath
o And David would have gotten a beating
o So, all of you that are waiting on exceptional equipment before you get into the fight
o You are going to miss your life
o God’s strength is made perfect in weakness
o The only way that you know that you’re anointed
? Is when God takes sub-standard equipment
? And performs supernatural feats
? You say
• Lord I don’t know how in the world You could do this with me
? Then God gets the glory because you realize that it isn’t you,
? It’s Him
• Don’t try this on your own
• There are people who look across the room
• And see you doing things
• And they think
o I can jump up there and do that
• That is what makes people start churches
• When the anointings on somebody that God is using,
• Others say,
o I can do that
o They jump up
o Start a ministry
o Have you ever been singing in the car and thought
? Wow I sound really good
o But then the song stops and you keep singing
o Then what do you think
o What about in the shower
o You walk out of the bathroom and you see your family with earplugs in
o You sounded good in the bathroom
o The anointing on somebody makes things seem overly simplistic
o And it opens up great room for people to have great failure
• Paul was so anointed that he made ministry look easy
• People were stepping into his shadow and they were getting healed
• He wasn’t even conscious of his own anointing
• He affected the atmosphere
• When you are really anointed you don’t even have to speak
o Your presence affects the atmosphere
o You can just walk out on the platform
o And your presence demands a certain level
o There is a gross weight of anointing on you
o Demons respect you
• Paul walked into the room
• Walked down the street
• People were being healed
• Even the things that Paul touched were being changed
o He touched handkerchiefs
o They would take them to the sick
o And they would be healed
• Anything that was connected to him was anointed
• When he casted out devils
o He took authority over them
o He didn’t beg with them
o Didn’t plead with them
o Didn’t have a discussion with them
o There wasn’t any council with them
o He would cast the devil out
o There are some devils that you have to cast out
o You can’t argue
o You can’t plead
o You just have to say
? Okay this is it
? You got to go
o There was a woman that kept coming up behind them on their journey
o And he turns around and tells the devil
? You got to go
o Now the 7 sons of Sceva walked up and saw what Paul was doing and said
? We can do this
? We can handle this
• These were men who were sons of a Jewish priest who didn’t even believe in Christ
o But were attracted to the Christian power
o They thought
? If we can just get down his movement
? His intonation
? His voice
? We can do this
o When Hollywood gets ready to train an actor to be a preacher
o They always send him into the service
o They take notes while the service is going on
o Thinking that if they wear the right clothes
o Move the right way
o Do the right things
o Talk the right talk
o But there is something about the anointing
o I don’t care where you’ve trained
o Who your coach is
o You might be able to act like a boxer
o You might be able to act like a pilot
o A conductor
o A doctor
o But you cannot act like you’re anointed
o Don’t believe me
o Look at every attempt that Hollywood has made at being preachers
o Embarrassingly disappointing
o They cannot teach them how to act like they’re anointed
o You are or you’re not
o Singers
o Get to up sing
o Have the right movements
o Sing the right notes
o And yet it falls flat because the anointing cannot be imitated,
o Cannot be duplicated
o Cannot be bought
o Cannot be borrowed
o Cannot be faked
o You either have it or you don’t
• So, I think we have some lessons we can learn from the 7 sons
• Things that they would want you to know if they were here today
• They’re not,
• Their beat up running naked somewhere
• First, victory is not as simple as it looks from the outside
o Paul was just walking by people and they were healed
o Taking handkerchiefs pinned to his clothes
o And people who touched them they were healed
o Calling out demons and kept on walking
o Paul was not to be trifled with
o If you met Paul
o You were in for something
o They looked at him and said
? We can do that
o Because when you have the anointing on you
o It doesn’t look difficult
o But victory is not as simple as it looks from the outside
o You cannot have victory without warfare
o They came in at the end of Paul’s career
o Came in after all the bugs had been worked out
o After he had matured in the faith
o Came in when he was getting his stride
o They were trying to take a shortcut to what had taken years of Paul’s life to perform
o It is shocking, pastor, that there are people who think that they can do in 20 minutes
o What it took you 20 years to accomplish
o They really think that all you have to do is come to the altar,
o Turn around 3 times
o Spit into the air
o And then they will be just as anointed if not more than you are
o Then they go out there and have a train wreck
o Because they disrespect the anointing that is on another man’s life
o Scripture says
? Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm
• 1 Chronicles 16:22
o Don’t disrespect the anointing on the person’s life
o You may not even like the person
o But you have to respect the anointing that is there
o When people disrespect the anointing that is on your life
o They over simplify what was a long laborious process in your life
o The sons would want you to know
? That victory is not as simple as it looks from the outside
• Second, more numbers doesn’t necessarily mean more power
o 7 sons trying to do what one apostle was doing
o Just because the enemy looks like he out powers you
o Doesn’t mean he’s going to whip you
o Just because it doesn’t look like you have the numerical support system that you need
o Ask Elijah
o He went up against 450 prophets of Baal
o One prophet of God against 450 fakers
o What about Elisha who was surrounded by the enemy
? His servant was trembling
? But Elisha was anointed
? He could see God’s army standing around
? He led the enemy to the king
o Truly when you are anointed the odds are against you
o There’s always a little posse trying to lynch you
o But if God is for you
o He is more than the world against you
o David said
? Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
? Psalm 27:3
o More numbers does not simply mean more power
o Seven sons trying to do what one preacher had done
o And they got the socks whipped off them
o Beat
o Whipped
o Stripped
o Bleeding
o And running for their lives
o If you walk with God
o Those that rise against you
o Won’t stand a chance
o One more thing while we are here
o Just because someone is with you
o Doesn’t mean that they are with you
o These 7 sons had been watching Paul all along
o They were there
o They were in the crowd
o They were checking him out
o They were never with him in the first place
o Some of you think that you are losing people
o Losing friends
o Losing support
o Losing help
o But really God is revealing
o You haven’t lost a thing
o You can’t lose a thing
o You can give away
o But you can’t los a thing
o If you give it back to God
o He can take it but you gave it to Him
? They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us
? 1 John 2:19
o When something is really yours,
o What God hath joined together let no man put asunder
o When something is really yours
o Satan doesn’t steal your joy
o He doesn’t steal. Your peace
o He doesn’t steal your strength
o You give it away
o They had been studying his ministry
o They had been looking
o They had never really been converted
o But they had him down pat
o Just because somebody’s with you
o Doesn’t mean that they’re with you
• Third, one day evil will answer those who pretend
o They were running into these spirits practicing for awhile
o In the name of Jesus whom Paul preached
o In the name of Jesus whom Paul preached
o Then it says one day
o Things can only go so far so long
o And if they go so far so long
o There’s going to be a
? One day
o You can only fake it so long
o One day it’s going to be truth or consequences
o One day the only way you will survive is if you have the real stuff
o One day you are going to hit up against something
o And evil is going to try you to see whether you’re made out of the stuff that you preach about
o One day you’re going to have to stand by yourself and say
? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged
• Romans 3:4
? One day you’re going to have to stand up to the test
• Prove all things
• Bear all things
• Endure all things
• Believe all things
• Then when you have done all there is
• You are going to have to stand there
o Ephesians 6
? One day you’re going to have to walk with God
? When you can’t see where He’s taking you
? You’re going to have to walk by faith and not by sight
? You’re going to have to be a Christian
? But you don’t feel like a Christian
? One day you’re going to have to stand on the Word
? When it doesn’t look like the Word is working in your life
? One day you’re going to have to confess your healing
? Even though you still have a lump on your breast
? One day
o Voice of evil takes on many forms
o Takes on different ways
o It comes to challenge
o It comes kill
o It comes to steal
o It comes to destroy
o One day evil spoke
o Ever so often in your life evil will speak
o What we need to understand is that evil spoke
o That means that evil had the ability to invade the presence of where they were
o It was not just wicked energy
o It had the ability to communicate
o It could think
o It was intelligent
o I’m trying to get us to understand that we are fighting a real devil
o Not a play devil
o Not an imaginary devil
o Not just something that we talk about for the fun of it
o We don’t just come to church because we’re good people
o Just because we’re nice people
o Not because we’re celebrating something
o We come to church because we’re in a fight with a real devil
o A no holds barred devil
o I was never trained to fight
o So I don’t understand where you’re not supposed to hit
o All the rules
o How you’re supposed to bob and weave
o When I was in a fight
o I would hit you anywhere
o Kick,
o Scratch
o Pull hair
o Use anything, I can, to make sure that I’m okay
o You have that kind of devil fighting you
o He’s not some nice, neat devil waiting on the bell to ring
o He’s an old hateful
o Nasty spirit who will kick you anywhere and fight you any kind of way
o So you better put that cute stuff in the closet somewhere
o And start taking the battle to him
? You up there
? Wait a minute
? You can’t to do that to me
o Yes he can,
o He can do anything
o Only the strong shall survive
o And when there’s something down in your heart
o That is hope against hope
o You keep believing in God
o You say like Job
? Though he slay me
? Yet will I trust in him;
o I don’t want to be in this hospital
o But if I have to be there
o I’ll glorify God
o Don’t try this on your own
o You better put on the whole armor of God
o That you may be able to stand the fiery darts of the enemy
o Cover you head
o Your chest
o Your loins
o Your feet
o Your shins
o Cover everything but your back
o Because you can’t turn around on this devil
o You have to face this joker and say
? Come on
o If you turn your back
o You will fall
o You’re not covered in the back
o You’re only covered in the front
o God doesn’t want a coward soldier
o God doesn’t need a coward soldier
o God won’t have a coward soldier
o Face him and defeat him
• Fourth, satan’s kingdom is aware of who we are
o Listen to the intelligence of the spirit
o Paul I know
o Jesus I know
o Satan’s kingdom is aware of who you are
o That’s why we teach the Gospel
o So that you are aware of who you are
o Sometimes the devil knows better of who you are than you do
o You’re feeling yourself on one level and he’s fighting you on another level
o That’s why you don’t have time to be insecure
o Have a pity party
o Have low self-esteem
o And not know who you are
o Because the devil knows who you are
o And he’s fighting you up here
o And you’re waiting for him to feel sorry for you
o It ain’t happening
o Satan is aware of who you are
o He tracks the anointing
o He knows where the anointing is
o He is aware of who you are
o He is aware of what God is going to do in your life
o He is aware of the flow of the anointing that is operating in your life
o Job 1
o He didn’t question who Job was
o He knew who Job was
o The reason why I know who he is
o Is because I hit that forcefield that you have set up around him
o God has you covered in ways that you don’t even see
o He has you covered on the right and the left
o On the north and the south
o When the enemy comes,
o It won’t be that he won’t hit you
o It will be that he will bounce off of you
o Running into something hard
o God’s forcefield
o Satan is aware of who you are
o You might be underestimating yourself
o You might be pre-occupied with your own insecurities
o Weaknesses
o Intimidations
? I’m not ready Lord
? I’m not able Lord
? I’m not good enough
o All of that the devil is not worried about
o He’s more worried about the anointing that is on your life
o You’re talking about you and the devil is fighting the anointing that is on your life
o Satan is aware of who and where you are
o When God removed the forcefield
o The shrewdness of Satan came out
o He attacked Job strategically
o It was not random
o Job said
? The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me
• 3:25
o That which I feared
o The thing that I was most vulnerable to
o That which I feared has come upon me
o Why did it happen
o Because fear is a negative form of faith
o It is your conviction to trouble coming into your life
o That’s why I don’t want to get into a fight with someone who is afraid
o Because that fear will get you killed
o You have to get into a fight with someone who is strong like you
o Who knows the end of the book
o Who knows the outcome of the battle
o Who knows that we are the victors and not the victims
o Who knows that we are the blood bought
o The head and not the tail
o The first and not he last
o That we can crush the serpent
o We can crush the enemy
o Through the power of Jesus Christ
o Satan is aware of who you are
o But you need to know that you are joint heirs with Christ
o You are part of the greatest
o The strongest
o The most powerful family of the universe
o He was defeated then
o And he is defeated now
o For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and a sound mind
? 2 Timothy 1:7
o Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
? James 4:7
o We’ve been asleep far too long
o It is time for the mighty army of God to stand and take back what we have given the enemy
o Our families
o Our children
o Our churches
o Our devotions
o Our prayer life
o Our evangelism
o Our boards
o Our businesses
o Our work
o Our friends
o Our holiness
o Our uprightness
o Our boldness
o Our strength
o Our joy
o Our peace
o Our hope
o Our faith
o Don’t stand there and wait for him to attack again
o Forward, forward is the battle cry
o Onward, onward to our home on high
o We will conquer for the Lord or die
o The foe’s retreating press the battle on
o Forward, forward never faint or fear
o Christ our captain is forever near
o Be courageous
o Full of hope and cheer
o With full assurance
o Press the battle on
o Forward, forward put the foe to flight
o We are battling for the truth and right
o We shall triumph in Jehovah’s might
o Then do not falter, press the battle on
o Forward, forward there’s a crown before
o See it shining on that heavenly shore
o We shall wear it when the conflict’s o’er
o The prize is waiting, press the battle on
o Strengthened by the mighty power of heaven
o We will conquer, we will conquer
o Till the raging foe afar is driven
o Press the battle on
o The bell has sounded
o Get into the battle
o The pandemic is over
o Get out of the house
o Get off the sofa
o Lives are depending on you
o Believer you’re anointed to live this life
o Prese the battle on
o Just because you’ve come through 50 years
o Just because you’re celebrating the years of ministry
o You’re just getting started church
o Let’s go and get the gold shields that belong in the Temple of God that are hanging in the halls of hell tonight.
o I’m tired of the church losing tonight
o I’m tired of the church backing away from the battle because it’s a little hot
o I’m tired of us running away like the 7 sons of Sceva did
o Let’s press the battle on
o Columbus is counting on us
o The Kingdom of God is counting on us
o You’ve been anointed for such a time as this!!!
• Let’s stand
