Are You Comfortable Using the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Before You HAVE to Use Them?

Good Evening Shakad!

Today we did a deep dive into the origins of Halloween. We traced back its roots to Samhain, a Celtic Pagan Ritual Festival, and Ancient Roman Catholicism, a Paganization of Christianity.

Should a Christian take part in Halloween? The Bible says for those who are pure all things are pure. But here are some perspectives from the enemy camp. Anton LaVey, author of the satanic bible, is quoted as saying, "I'm glad Christians let their kids worship the devil at least one night out of the year." Ex-satanist John Ramirez put's it this way, "It's like having a one night stand with the devil. Why would you want to cheat on Jesus? You don't see satanists coming to church one night a year to cheat on the devil. No way!"

When we understand that there is much more than meets the eyes; when we understand that there are powers and principalities all around us warring for our souls; when we understand that evil and wickedness are real; when we understand that the devil has been plotting a coup for your soul since before you were born; would you really dabble, casually with Ha-satan. Just a toe in the water with evil? Maybe just a weekend in Hell? If the scales were removed from our eyes, what would you spiritually discern about your own soul? We spoke a lot about Ex-satanist John Ramirez's stories when he still served the evil one. He spoke about how his spirit would leave his body, and he would go to different Christian homes that were left wide open for attack. They just didn't realize the power they have in Christ Jesus, the Power of the Holy Ghost. The devils would reveal to Ramirez their weakness, and he would exploit them through curses. He was a powerful, high level satanist. One day, he was on a crowded street, and he came across some teenage street evangelists. This moment would forever change his life. You see prior to this moment, he had seen Christians as weak, naive, ineffectual, powerless, and wishy washy. They weren't willing to do what it took to get close to the "entity" they worshipped. Satanists did. They weren't ashamed. They didn't hide it under a bushel. They boldly declared it. But this moment on the sidewalk would change Ramirez. He was about to send a spiritual attack. The same he had done countless times before. He was approaching them. But a WALL OF FIRE was encircling the teens. When he tried to move closer, he was pushed back, in the spirit realm, forcefully. He could not access these teens no matter how hard he tried. He didn't know it then, but that was the Holy Spirit at work. That was his first encounter with the true power of the Lord. He went on to leave satanism and to expose the lies of the enemy to Christians. He preaches God's Word and through God's Word shows you how to fight back.

Whether you like it or not, Satan wants your soul. Misery loves company, and he would like nothing more than for you to suffer in hell right alongside him. There are many proactive things you can do! Plead the blood of Christ over you, your family, your home, your vehicles, et al. You can stayed prayed up. You can invite the Holy Ghost to actively lead your every decision and move. You can know Jesus Christ and be known by Him. But we are following the one true God. We are following He who is indominable. Why aren't we boldly proclaiming territory for the Kingdom and beating back the devil. Some of you may, but this should be second nature to all of the Sons and Daughters of the King.

When man goes to war, he trains. He goes through boot camp. He gets in his best physical shape. He practices his maneuvers. He can assemble his rifle with his eyes closed. These things become second nature. When a soldier is de-civilianized, he is a changed man. He is comfortable with the job he is about to do. He has done it hundreds, if not thousands, of times before. Would you take a civilian on his first day of boot camp and place him on the front lines of battle? No. Would that soldier say I don't need to train, when the time comes I basically know what to do? No again.

Now is the time to get to know the Holy Spirit. Now is the time to get familiar with using those gifts. God forbid you ever have a demon attacking you and you don't know what to do. Now is the day to put on your Armor of Light. Now is the day to put on the full Armor of God. Remember we aren't on the defense, we are on the offense. Every time a devil comes out of hiding, we chase him back to hell. We don't cower. We are brave and courageous. We are more than conquerors. WE WILL BE COMFORTABLE USING OUR GIFTS. But the Lord Jesus tells us something very clear about this, do not celebrate that you can work miracles through the Holy Ghost, but instead celebrate that your name is written in Heaven.

Learn today. Practice today. Get comfortable today. But most importantly, build that relationship with Elohim, TODAY.

See you at the Shakad!

Selah