Spiritual becoming Physical

From your innermost being will start flowing rivers of living water. Acts 1:8 says, "You shall receive power." That word is dunamis – the same word that dynamite and dynamo come from. A dynamo has the ability to generate power. And what's happening? I'm generating power, but I need to connect the physical and the spiritual. That's why you are here. You are connecting the spiritual with the physical. You are the dynamo – you generate, and you release.

Who of you would be willing today to change your thinking on some of the things you currently believe? I'm actually asking a question that requires a response. Just raise your hand if you are willing. Let me rephrase – I see some of you are sceptics. If I show you something in the Word of God that is different from your current belief system, who of you are willing to change your thinking?

Are you truly willing to do that? Because if you are not willing to receive revelation and knowledge from the Word of God, and to change your mind's pattern and your thoughts, then you're not going to do things differently, and you're not going to get different results.

I have a bit of boldness in my spirit today, so I'm going to show you things from the Word of God, but it may require that you start thinking differently about one or two things, and start changing one or two things in how you do them. So who of you would be willing to do that? Are you all with me here? Okay, good. There's quite a battle going on at the moment.

There's quite a battle, and I can see a lot of Christians who are struggling – struggling physically, struggling emotionally, struggling financially, struggling with their belief system or their beliefs. I want to test that and ask a question, and I want you to arrive at your own answer: the way it looks on earth at the moment, should we as Christians be fine with it?

Process that, because I'm going to share information with you which I believe is consistent with the Word of God. If we conclude that we are not happy with the way things look in the world, then it is not consistent with what we have been sent for. I'll give you my conviction now, but you can test it: I firmly believe that the way the world looks at the moment is not the way it should look.

I believe that what the body of Christ should look like is not there yet. So the impact we should have on this earth is not there yet. I'll show you some of the aspects. I think I can summarise it by saying – and this is where you need to understand now – you're going to have to function more in the spirit tonight than in the flesh. Life is spiritual. You know that.

Life is spiritual. God is a spirit; He created us firstly as spirit. So life is spiritual, but I want to take that one step further. Life is about the ability to manifest the spiritual in the physical world. It's not just about a form of existence, saying, "I am spirit and I am in the spiritual realm." Truly, if we want to measure what a successful life is, and if I say life is spiritual and God is spirit, and God says in the end times that the true worshippers will worship Him in spirit and in truth – what does that mean?

There's a reality, there's truth, it exists, but if I have to measure my success on this earth, I have to measure to what extent I can manifest the spiritual in the physical – to what extent I can live more from the spiritual than from the physical. Maybe it's not something we are used to. It's not the way we grew up; we didn't get much exposure to this. Most of us only know the physical life and the physical world. We never got exposure to the spiritual. So I'm going to take you a bit into that.

Ephesians 6:10, which you know very well, says: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord." Now I'm going to change gears here – this is a bit higher grade tonight, because I want us to eat some steak. Paul writes that it's not good for you to continue drinking milk; there comes a time when you need to eat steak.

Let's get into it. Why can I be bold without worrying whether I'm going to offend you? Because I'm going to be bold consistent with the Word of God, and I'm assuming that if you are here, you are willing to receive the Word of God. It doesn't help that we try to keep everybody happy and stay within our existing belief system and way of functioning. I need to give you the truth from the Word of God so we can see whether we are moving closer to what God has sent us for, or not.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV)

Say with me: "Strong in the Lord." You need to note something here: when we go through this, it's not about your ability. People get hung up on this – we sang those beautiful worship songs, and a lot of it was about our ability to speak from where we have been positioned in Christ, and to manifest that. A lot of people will say, "You are not God, who do you think you are?" But look at the emphasis here: it says, "Be strong in the Lord." So we acknowledge it's not about our ability – it's about His ability. But that doesn't mean I'm meant to be paralysed and say, "I'm just a poor human being." I've been formed and created a vessel, a being with the ability to manifest His power.

It's not about me, but I have a role to play. So as I share with you tonight, see the interaction between God's ability – He is God, we acknowledge that, we're not God, He is God – and my responsibility. The two work hand in hand in this earth. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." Say with me: "The power of His might." So there's no confusion about where the power is coming from and where the ability is.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV)

"Stand against the wiles of the devil." The wiles of the devil are the lies, the deceit, the deception – the things he uses to throw you off balance, portraying things the way that they are not. In the physical world we would say it's all smoke and mirrors, people trying to show you a reflection, a false thing – and that is Satan's primary task.

The Word says that the Word of God is a mirror – if you look in that mirror, you see the glory God created in you. So what does Satan want to do? He wants to distort the picture you see in that mirror. He wants you to believe the picture the world shows you more than the picture the Word shows you. That's why I've asked whether you are truly willing to change your thinking and your acting based on what the Word says.

I don't care if you've been sitting in church for forty years or studying the Bible for forty years. My question is: do you have the ability to take what the Lord reveals to you and literally change your action steps? If not, you are wasting your time. It's about our ability to do the Word.

He doesn't have substance, but he's trying to prevent you from walking in substance. Darkness is only the absence of light; it's not substance. There aren't clouds of darkness passing by as I speak, because it's not substance – it's just the absence of light, and that is what Satan is. He's the absence of light. So he's only trying to deceive you into not seeing truth, not seeing reality, not seeing the picture you're meant to have of yourself. You worshipped that just now – you said you are who God says you are, but do you really mean that?

Do you think you are who you think God says you are, or do you think you are who God truly says you are? We can't take one page of the Bible and tear it out and say, "Ah, I don't know about that one." It was never meant to be about your intellectual ability alone – though indirectly it is, and I'll get to that.

We know this verse so well, but I can tell you that in the last two weeks I've come to the conclusion that most people have no idea what they read when they read this verse, and no idea that it is a reality in their lives.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)

You can't just read that verse and say, "Whoa, not for me, next page." This is the Word of God. It is not a storybook where you pick which pages to read, because this page is causing people to pay a price. I believe that when we are done sharing tonight and allow the Lord to minister to us, we will conclude that things do not have to look the way they look at the moment.

He's trying to mislead people through all sorts of things. People say, "Yes, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood," but that's where it stops for them. So then what? If I only act based on what I see in the physical, I'm not truly acknowledging what this verse says. Am I equipped to actually deal with what it says? It lists four categories – and not even all of them: principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, spiritual hosts of wickedness. This stuff is real, and it's out there.

I'm going to jump to a conclusion quickly because I don't want you to switch off. I don't want you to think we're going to end up concluding that you must do spiritual warfare every day, binding things and throwing out certain items. I'm not talking about that – I'm not saying there isn't something relevant to you in there, but leave that; I'm not talking about that tonight.

I'm purely talking about acknowledging, firstly, that there are things in the spiritual realm that are not light and that do not want you to succeed in what God has sent you for. Can we at least acknowledge that? What we do with that, we can deal with separately. It happens that this passage is talking about the armour of God, and that already gives an indication.

I don't want to specifically talk about the armour of God tonight, but I want you to test this reality. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Then it says, "Therefore" – acknowledge that these things are there. Even in the Old Testament you read about the Prince of Persia. There are areas in the spirit that have been allocated to spiritual forces.

There are spiritual princes of darkness, categories of principalities, powers, rulers, spiritual hosts that function in certain areas – they've been allocated territories within which they operate. All of this is consistent with the Word of God. You might have ignored it up to now, but it exists. There's a way the kingdom of darkness functions, and this is part of what they use. The intention is to make sure you do not have the same picture of yourself that God has of you.

Its intention is to make sure you do not fulfil what God has called you for. Its intention is that we continue to suffer and focus on ourselves, sorting out our own issues until the day Jesus comes, having had no impact in the Kingdom of God. If you focus on that, Satan will keep you busy.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Ephesians 6:13 (NKJV)

So there is an answer, a solution – and not only a solution, but a call to action. I have to keep reminding myself I'm not going to talk about the armour of God tonight, otherwise I won't finish what I want to say. But what is the end result? You take up the whole armour of God – not just picking one piece here and there, but the whole armour of God – so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.

People look around and say, "Did you see what that person did? It's not even human. I can't believe somebody can do that." Are you surprised? There is an evil day. There is an intensity in the spiritual realm among these principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual hosts of wickedness. There is a level of evil that is being exposed and manifested on the earth.

Although people can recite this verse, it's as if they don't see what's going on. They look at a person and say, "Look what that person did," without understanding there is something behind that person. Do you understand that we would not receive an instruction if it were not possible for us to do something about it? It says there is an evil day – if you look around you, don't be surprised.

It's terribly evil. Isaiah says gross darkness will cover the earth. It doesn't help to put blinkers on and sit at home pretending these things don't happen, or to respond only in the physical and think we can do nothing about it. Here we have an instruction, and we would not receive that instruction if we didn't have the ability. Remember where we started: "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

I'm going to keep emphasising that, because people use it as a backdoor, saying, "Do you expect me to do it through my own ability?" And because they leave that backdoor open, they end up doing nothing, saying, "It's only God." So we wait. But you worshipped this tonight – are you waiting for heaven, or is heaven waiting for you?

“…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV)

For the purpose of what we're sharing tonight, a successful life is measured by our ability to manifest the spiritual in the physical world. One of the most significant ways we manifest the spiritual in the physical world is to pray in the Spirit.

I've shared this many times before, and you can come to your own conclusions – go and spend time on it. The passage speaks about the armour of God, comes to verse 17, the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit, and then the sentence doesn't end there – it continues into verse 18: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."

So I'm going to tell you, if you are willing to believe the Word of God, the seventh item of the armour of God is praying in the Spirit. I didn't write the Word of God, but that sentence doesn't end – it continues. I've told you many times before that when my life changed eleven years ago, in the first week, the Lord said to me, "Count the number of items in the armour of God." I got to the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, and it was number six. It just didn't make sense.

Then He showed me that the sentence doesn't end there – it continues: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." I want to emphasise there's a spiritual realm, and these spiritual hosts of wickedness are running rampant in it. There are different levels of heavens, different levels of spiritual realms – which is beyond what I want to discuss tonight – but there is a level of functioning where these spiritual hosts of wickedness, of darkness, are running rampant because we are ignorant about the instruction we received.

That is an instruction from the Word of God: 'Praying always.' That refers to the frequency and quantity of prayer, and it also refers to the methodology of prayer.

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.”

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (NKJV)

So he talks about two ways of praying: one from the Spirit — the same concept as praying in the Spirit — and one praying in the understanding. We do both, but notice that he puts the first one, praying in the Spirit, ahead of the other. Here we have a clear instruction, and every single person can recite this verse. I hear it so often: 'Our war is not against flesh and blood; it's against spiritual forces...' People say it, and then, so what? They are ignorant of their responsibility. Now, I'm not saying go and fight them — that's not what I'm saying. I'm explaining this as we continue.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV)

One of the problems is that we read verses like this and think they are optional. We say we put God first, and then God gives us an instruction as clear as can be, yet my mind is so stuck in its physical interpretation of what I think this should mean, and whether I think it's for me or not.

It says in the Word of God that the Kingdom of God is suffering violence — it's being plundered. It says that since the day of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God is being taken by force. This is not some fuzzy little thing. If you look at the description of what we're up against — spiritual hosts of wickedness — do you think this is a fluffy little toy hanging around to be cuddled? These things carry serious implications in our lives, and we have a specific instruction, yet we want to decide whether it's for us or not.

This has serious implications in our lives, and we have a specific instruction: praying always with all prayer and supplication. One of the core things on my heart is the amount of prayer required of us and the way we should be praying. I can tell you now that every single one of us should be praying more. Everything in the Word of God, in the New Testament, gives us such an instruction: there is nothing of significance in the Kingdom that happens without prayer preceding it.

“Pray without ceasing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV)

It's a serious instruction, and I want to urge you to question this and listen to the Spirit: What should I adjust in my normal lifestyle? What should I adjust in my routines? What should I adjust in my prayer methodology?

Remember, I said success is manifesting the spiritual in the physical — manifesting the presence of God, His light, His life, His love, His ability. I don't have to be the source of it, because He is the only source. It says Jesus is the foundation and no other foundation can be laid, but then you build on that foundation. So there is something there: it's the power of God, the ability of God, and I have the responsibility to manifest it in this earth. Part of that process is to pray in the Spirit, and that doesn't mean five minutes a week.

I'm not talking religion here. I'm not talking condemnation or judgment — none of that. I'm saying we're on the same team. If we were playing rugby, we would get together and ask, 'How are we going to win this game?' This is an awakening in my own spirit, that we should be doing more by the power of His might — not the flesh. People fall so easily into that category and say, 'Are you going back to dead works?'

That's one of those back doors religion likes to keep open — 'dead works.' They misform the concept of what the Bible talks about. When the Bible speaks of dead works, it's talking mostly of one thing: works you do with the expectation that you will receive salvation through them. It's not possible to receive salvation through works, and that's why He calls them dead works.

But that doesn't mean we should do nothing because everything is dead works — no, that's not what it says. Close that back door, because it doesn't exist.

“Faith without works is dead.”

James 2:26 (NKJV)

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

So you hear the Word of God — like tonight, you are receiving the Word of God. Embedded in that Word is the ability to execute and manifest what it talks about. You should respond to that word in faith, because embedded in it is the faith.

Now it says, 'Faith without works is dead.' So what does it help if we tell each other how much we know about the Word, how much we understand it, if we are not willing to take up the responsibility to act upon it? It's meant to be acted on.

So if it says here, pray in the Spirit always, it is a responsibility we have, and we are one team working out a strategy to win this game. You worshipped that tonight. We are standing in the results of the victory that Jesus Christ already attained for us. He did not attain that victory in vain. We worshipped and said we are seated in Him in heavenly places.

We are functioning from in Him. We said we have authority, but we only have that authority — coming back to where we started — if we are in Christ. It's not about looking at me and my authority, as if I command things and they happen. It's about His ability flowing through me to do what He has desired since the day He created Adam and Eve: to fill this world with His presence. And He wants to do it through me. He wants to do it through you.

So we need to come together, like a team preparing a strategy: you practise during the week, even in the dark you switch on the light and practise; you go to the gym; you get someone to do a video analysis and say, 'That left foot needs to go a bit more forward, lean on it more,' and you go through all of that. Why don't we do that in the Spirit? Not condemnation, not judgment, but let's come together and decide: we're actually a team, and we've been sent to do something in this earth.

We have the authority, the ability, the instruction — but let's come together and ask, 'What is working in this game we're busy with?' The most important game, the most important job we're busy with, is this thing. Yet we give it only the crumbs — whatever bit of time is left over — yet it is the most important thing in our lives.

It's the thing that has eternal value. For billions of years to come, this thing will have implications. So we have a responsibility, and we need to help each other. A conviction needs to come from the inner man, from your heart. And then it's fine to say, 'I have a desire, but I don't know what to do. I don't know how to move forward. I want to do something, but I don't know how.' That's fine, because then we can come together and ask how we help each other.

Every one of us is a component in the body of Christ, and every one of us needs the other. Not one of us is a spare part. If you are not doing what the Lord has called you to do, I am paying the price for it. If I am not doing what the Lord has called me to do, you are paying the price for it. Can you start understanding why it is so significant for us to spend time praying in the Spirit, to spend time in intercession?

Because God has a vested interest in you being successful. I have a vested interest in you being successful. Can you understand why, if you continue to only focus on solving your own problems — your marriage, your finances, your business, your family — and you think your purpose on earth is to craft a better life for yourself in the physical, you are missing the target?

The target is that we establish His Kingdom, and there's no way any one of us can do that on our own. We need each other.

So if we talk about the things that are in the Spirit, I want to give you a glimpse of this on the reality side.

“But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'”

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)

Remember, that's talking about the physical man. I'm trying to stimulate you tonight to admit there is a spiritual reality, and that you can see some of its components and its influence on you.

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NKJV)

Can you see the connection with what I said earlier — pray in the Spirit? Here it says God has revealed them to us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. So if somebody says, 'You don't know everything about God,' I say, 'You're right, I don't. But there is someone who does — the Spirit of God.'

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”

1 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV)

Can you grasp that? The very being that knows everything about God has been given to you. Can you get some idea of the significance of spending time with the One who knows everything about God?

It's not just been given to us so we might know. There is reality, there is authority far superior to this physical world, and the Spirit knows everything about it, and that Spirit has been given to us. And nothing in the Bible about knowing is without the responsibility to manifest it in this earth. God will not simply show you things if they're not meant to have impact in this physical world.

Do you think Jesus knows everything about God? It's a bit of a trick question, so I don't blame you if one hand goes up and one goes down. I can at least tell you this: it says that Jesus doesn't know the day He will return. That's what the Word says.

So I can tell you one thing about God that Jesus doesn't know, yet the Spirit of God knows everything about God, and that Spirit has been given to you. Do you have any idea what ability, what responsibility, and what intention of God is behind having done this in you? We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

Here's where I wanted to take you: now you know it — that's great, but it's not enough. Remember, Romans 10 verse nine and ten explains how you receive salvation.

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 10:10 (NKJV)

Even James says you believe there is a God — you're doing well. Even the demons believe there is a God, and they tremble. So what does that help them? They believe there is a God, but it helps them nothing.

For you to have received salvation, you had to not only believe it — with the heart you believe unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. So the Word comes to you, the ability is in that Word, you act on it in faith, and when you speak it, only then is your salvation a reality.

So here it says He has given you the Spirit that knows everything about God, so that the Spirit — the Bible says the Spirit will show you things to come, will bring things to remembrance — the Spirit is showing you things. But then it says you have a responsibility. It's not that we can just walk around saying, 'Wow, you know what He showed me? Isn't it beautiful?' That's nice, and it's not wrong, but it's not meant to end there.

“These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

1 Corinthians 2:13 (NKJV)

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)

There is a place we should function from where the spiritual realm is so much more of a reality to us — where the presence and ability of God... And it's possible; I'm not making these things up. The Spirit that knows everything of God has been given to you, to show you everything God has prepared for you, so that you can speak those things. The whole Word is full of the results of speaking the Word of God in agreement with God.

Let me quickly show you this — the spiritual connection between the Spirit and the Father.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Romans 8:26 (NKJV)

This is partly also praying in the Spirit.

“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Romans 8:27 (NKJV)

Can you see the interaction between the Spirit and the Father? The Spirit that knows everything about God has been given to you. Sometimes when you're praying you don't know what to pray for; the Spirit, through you, praying in the Spirit, will pray with groanings that cannot be uttered. It goes to the very core of God's being, His form of existence, His ability, the things He has prepared for us. He says, 'I have a desire for you,' and He expresses that desire for you through the Spirit of God.

So He puts the Spirit of God in you, and then He says, 'Express.' Express what? Express Me — the I Am. He says, 'Express what is inside of you.' And because I have put the Spirit in you — remember, the Spirit that knows everything about Me, I've put Him in there — then when He expresses through you, I hear Myself.

"I recognise myself because I know that is me. That is my Spirit. That's me being expressed through you." Am I reading from the Word of God?

“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:27-28 (NKJV)

So this flows into that. This is the result of this intimacy. I'll maybe share something about that.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

He predestined us to be what? Conformed. There's something we're working towards. Can you see why I say, if I look around me, I cannot accept the way the world looks? I cannot, because I have been predestined.

I have been foreknown. It says He knew about you before He created the earth. Who can comprehend that? He knew about you before He created the earth. So He foreknew you, then He predestined you. He had a specific goal in mind. He has written your plan for life. There is a scroll, there is a book that actually represents everything that's God's perfect will for your life, and the intention is for you to fulfil that which is His goal for you.

So He predestined you, but then He says, 'to be conformed to the image of His Son.' We are working towards something. We are growing towards something, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

It says in 2 Corinthians 10 verse 3, 'For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.' Again it says the same thing: 'For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,' but I'm going to add something here — not add, I'm going to continue. The Word will add something to it, you will see, because many of you will say you have heard this a hundred times, if not more. We walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, but what does it mean to you?

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (NKJV)

Say with me: mighty in God. Mighty in God. I'm not talking about your physical ability. I'm talking about God's ability working through you. It's mighty in God, but look at this: for pulling down strongholds. Now, that means a few things, but it continues: casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Mindset. Everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God — I warned you already, I said to you, are you truly willing to look at the Word of God and say, 'I need to change my thoughts concerning this particular thing'? And when you change your thoughts, then you act according to the new belief system that you have arrived at.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

So all of a sudden — follow with me here — we're talking spiritual, we're talking physical. He talks about spiritual tools, warfare, spiritual weapons that we have, but then he says the end result of those spiritual weapons is that I start thinking differently. Did you get that? He says, 'casting down arguments and every high thing' — thoughts, every high thing — 'that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity.' So what is he saying? What is the challenge? Thoughts, mindset, belief system, believing only what I've heard my whole life up to now, not acknowledging that there is an ability inside the Word of God that God wants to express through me, yet I am positioning myself to exalt a thought above God.

So he says, when you are utilising these weapons, the spiritual weapons of warfare — because remember, in the previous verse that's what it said: 'the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.' It's not physical things, it's not carnal, but it's mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Reality — here it is again — bringing my thoughts in line with what reality is. It says, 'and being ready to punish all disobedience when obedience is fulfilled.'

So thoughts and the mindset is one of the biggest issues that is the channel through which all these spiritual forces and wickedness, whatever they are, use as the channel to manifest themselves. And that is why people that respond to that do things that you and I think to ourselves, 'How is it possible that one human being can be so cruel?' We cannot even grasp it. Yet for them, it was their thoughts and their ability to make themselves available to become a channel — instead of becoming a channel for God, to become a channel for Satan. Demonic forces are cruel. They are evil. It is beyond description and comprehension for us, and it's terrible what people have to go through, because Satan is left to be able to do this through so many people.

So part of that process — I've covered a few verses — part of that process is praying in the Spirit, praying in tongues, the same thing.

“Building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

Jude 1:20 (NKJV)

When you are doing that — you saw Romans 8 in terms of that expression of the ability and the desires and the heart of God that's being expressed through you — when you come to that place where you dwell in that intimacy with the Father, it is inevitable that you are going to have the desire to express more of Him through you.

And one of the ways to do that is to pray in tongues, to pray in the Spirit. It's a powerful tool that we have been given. And when you pray in the Spirit, you are manifesting God in your spirit.

But I want to quickly make it practical. Paul says, 'I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all.' And he's the person who wrote the greatest number of books in the New Testament. Can you understand, again, the correlation? The Word of God has been given by inspiration of the Spirit. The Spirit of God gave the Word for people to write, to convey. So it would not have been possible for Paul without a relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is not possible for us to express more of God without that relationship with the Holy Spirit. Praying in tongues, praying in the Spirit, is only part of it — it's only part of it, but it's a significant part of it that enables this ability.

And if I can put it this way, when you pray in the Spirit, it says in John 7:38 (AMPC),

“From your innermost being will flow rivers of living water, rivers of life-giving water.”

John 7:38 (AMPC)

So inside there, in your spirit, in your womb, in your belly, right there in your innermost being — it says Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit when He said that. So your ability to express God's life, His ability — your ability to do that is tied up in the ability of the Holy Spirit. You cannot do it without the Spirit.

And we've looked at so many instances now describing that intimacy with the Spirit of God, that ability to activate that and to pray in the Spirit, the instruction to pray in the Spirit. And what happens — if I can physically explain that — you saw in 1 Corinthians 2, it says when you've seen all these things and it becomes a conviction, you hear, you see. Remember Jesus said, 'I could do nothing except what the Father showed Me.' When the Father shows you, when you get that conviction — however He does it, it doesn't have to be pictures. Show doesn't necessarily mean pictures. He's communicating with your spirit. When He reveals those things to you, when you have a conviction, then it says, 'these things we also speak.'

Now, I know that probably nearly all of you here pray in the Spirit, pray in tongues, and if you don't, you are welcome — afterwards we'll pray with you to pray in the Spirit. It is for everybody. But I want to connect it with that verse that says, 'which things we also speak.' I want to encourage you, when you pray in tongues — and let me firstly say, I want to encourage you to pray more in tongues, full stop.

You cannot pray too much in tongues. You cannot. And I'm saying, stretch yourself. Paul says, 'Pray without ceasing.' If you can pray an hour a day in tongues, I promise you, you will see the difference in your life. If you can, over a weekend, maybe take one evening — a Friday evening — and pray two or three or four hours in tongues, it is impossible for your life and your environment not to start submitting to what you are expressing.

I can tell you emphatically, this is the thing that changed my life, and I can tell you it makes a difference whether I pray for an hour or whether I pray for four hours. If you start understanding what's happening in the spiritual realm and how it works with the different heavens, the more you pray in tongues, the more you spend time in that intimacy with the Spirit, the more the spiritual realm will become a reality to you.

And two things will start happening. The more you pray in tongues, the more you will start speaking differently. The more you pray in tongues, the more your thought patterns will start changing. Remember, there was the connection between the two: this is the weapon that we have, and what is the result? You start taking every thought captive. You start thinking differently. You start doing differently.

But I want you — for those of you who are not doing it enough — I have a strong conviction about our ability to speak the Word of God.

I want to share two verses with you, then I'm going to come back to the point I wanted to make.

“Then I said, 'I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.' But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”

Jeremiah 20:9 (NKJV)

When you function from that place, it will be like you are starting to explode with the Word of God inside of you. It's like you will have to forcefully keep your mouth closed not to speak the Word of God when you open it. All of a sudden, the Holy Spirit starts revealing wisdom to you. You will speak to people, and all of a sudden there will come something out of your mouth that people will say, 'Wow, I never knew that.' Meantime, you know you also didn't know that. Ask me, I know — it happens a lot. When I said it, I think, 'Wow, I need to make a note of that. What did You say, Spirit?' But it's because of that intimacy.

So it says you come to that place where the Word of God inside of you — you cannot hold it back. It spoke about Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:19.

“So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.”

1 Samuel 3:19 (NKJV)

Who of you thinks there is power in words? Can I see? Can I respectfully say, this is not Mickey Mouse working with Samuel? This is: the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

Can you imagine that? God working with you and not letting one of your words fall to the ground. Which means — Isaiah 55, it says the Word of God has been sent and it will go forth and it will achieve what it has been sent for.

So we understand that. We understand the Word has been sent, but you need to connect the Word and the Spirit. And when you spend time — it says here, it is the Lord that was with him.

I want to go back — I want to quickly take you to Ezekiel. I'm nearly done, but I have to share these one or two things.

“And again He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!"'”

Ezekiel 37:4 (NKJV)

Oh man, can you see what's happening here? The Lord says to Ezekiel, 'Speak to the bones.' But what does Ezekiel say to the bones? He says, 'Bones, hear the word of the Lord.' Not, 'Hear Ezekiel's word.' Ezekiel says to the bones, 'Hear the word of the Lord.' Look what happens.

“Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.'”

Ezekiel 37:5-6 (NKJV)

This is Ezekiel prophesying. I mean, this is the part where you also need to renew your mind. You say, 'Yeah, you are blaspheming, you're saying you are God.' No, I'm not saying I'm God, but I'm speaking God's word. And Ezekiel came to these bones, and he said, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.' You know the whole story of what happened there. Who's the one that spoke, God or Ezekiel? God. It's not a trick question. Ezekiel spoke, but what did Ezekiel speak? He spoke the Word of God.

Remember, I'm going to take you back right to the beginning. It's the power of His might. It is His ability. It is His Spirit that is showing us the things of God. We can't fabricate these things, but we can connect with God. We can have an intimate relationship by which we can express these things. And Ezekiel said, 'Surely, this is what the Lord is saying.' I want you to see one word: He says, 'Surely I will cause.' Say with me: I will cause. I will cause. Who's causing? God.

Can you see this triangle? Ezekiel is speaking to the bones, but he's speaking God's word, and he's saying to the bones, 'This is God's word, hear God's word.' And then, when Ezekiel speaks God's word, God causes something to happen. So it's not about arrogance, it's not about blasphemy. It is, again, the back door that we keep open, not to take up our responsibility to say, 'I have a responsibility to speak the Word of God and to declare it.'

So I want to take you back to what I wanted to say. When you pray in tongues, you pray in the Spirit, you spend that time with the Lord, two things start happening: your mind starts changing, your word starts changing. But what I want you to do — those of you who pray in tongues quite a lot — what I want you to start combining is pray in tongues and practise this: pray in tongues for two, three minutes, and it's like from your innermost being will start flowing rivers of life-giving water.

There is... it's like, you know, Acts 1:8, that says,

“You shall receive power.”

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

That word, you know that word — it's dunamis. It's the same word that dynamite comes from, and dynamo. That dynamo has the ability to generate power. So I pray in tongues, and what's happening? Whoa, man, I'm generating power. I'm generating power. But I need to connect the physical and the spiritual. Yes, there is impact, and there's a lot that happens that I don't even have time to share. There are instructions that go forth to angels while you are praying in the Spirit.

There are things happening here in the spiritual realm, as real as it is. I'm surprised how many people can focus on Ephesians 6 and say, 'Ah well, our warfare is not against flesh and blood,' you know, it's against all this stuff — like all that stuff is real to them, yet the ability and the power of God is not real to them. They can focus on that verse, but they can't focus on the verse that says, 'Pray in the Spirit without ceasing.' When you pray in the Spirit, you are bubbling up this life. You are generating this like a dynamo.

But then become attentive. Don't just pray in tongues for an hour and start becoming bored — you are praying in tongues, 'phew, yeah, only half an hour.' No. Connect with what's happening. Connect the spiritual with the physical — that's why you are here. You pray in tongues, and then you speak that which God created in you.

That's what He did with the bones, and Ezekiel would say, 'You dry bones, God will cause something.' So you pray in tongues, and then you say, 'Thank You, Father, my family is protected. Thank You, Father, I see those angels going forth to protect my children, to surround my house while I'm not there. Thank You, Father, I see the ability that is being ignited in them to speak Your Word, and Your Word shall go forth and achieve what it has been sent for. Thank You, Father, for Your power is activated in every heart of every person that is sitting here.'

Can you see that? You dynamo — you generate, and you release. The same way you received your salvation: you believed in your heart, and you released, you created, through speaking. So don't just pray in tongues — combine it with speaking the Word of God.

So your strategy, as far as I'm concerned — I'm ending off with this — four things I want to tell you in terms of the time we live in and what's necessary. Four things.

Intimacy with the Father – there's no replacement for that. Jesus could do nothing without that intimacy. Don't think five minutes are going to do it. I'm not talking religion. I'm not talking judgment. I'm not talking condemnation. I'm talking reality. If you want to understand the Spirit that is in you, who knows everything about God, don't think that the Spirit is going to reveal things to you in five minutes.

I'm saying certain things – I know sometimes the Holy Spirit will give me a whole sermon in one second. Just, boom, and it's in my spirit and I start writing. He can do things like that, but you need to spend time with Him. You can't just spend five minutes.

Intimate time with the Father, time in prayer – go and hear what the Spirit says to you about how much time is sufficient. Not religion, not dead works. Remember I explained that to you: I'm not talking dead works. I'm talking about manifesting in this world what the Spirit of God is showing you about God Himself. You can't do that in five minutes. Time in prayer.

Number three, living love. There's only one commandment that we have. All of this is not to demonstrate power and ability and things; it's the ability to live love. The most powerful force – 1 Corinthians 13, and you need to go to 14 as well – explains: yes, all of these things are great, whether you speak the language of angels or whatever it is, whether you give yourself as a sacrifice, it says, but the most important thing is love.

So all of this – but see what's happening – that dynamo is generating the ability. That ability in you starts giving you different convictions. You start thinking differently. You start speaking differently. You start acting differently. And you don't even know why, but it's because you have generated that power.

Number four is relationships. Cherish every person that the Lord sends to you. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. That's why we are here. Amen.