The New And Living Way Church, Ikorodu
Meeting: Sunday Service
Date: 11th April, 2021
Ministers: Pastor Laide Olaniyan, Bro Niyi & Pastor Segun
Pastor Olayide Olaniyan (First Exhortation)
The essence of The Triumphant Church teaching is to help us get established in basic truths that are fundamental to growth and establishment in the body of Christ. The book particularly addresses the subject of demons and demonology; giving us more insights into the spirit realm more than some of Kenneth Hagin’s other books. It addresses the issue of healings and subject of prayer and also balances out the “How to Pray” book he wrote.
The Triumphant Church covers many grounds, the believer’s authority being one of it. Other patriarchs of the body have attempted to teach on this subject but none is as balanced as Kenneth Hagin’s. Some have overstretched it. It is important that believers find a place of balance so they can lay truth well, much so in the place of spirit, soul and body as it pertains to the journey of salvation. Rightly dividing the word of truth is very essential. If it is not rightly divided, our faith will be wrong (1 Corinthians 15). Just shifting truth by a few millimeters can affect the direction of our faith.
Truth must be laid accurately and well. Also, we must know the boundaries of truth as defined by the spirit. We are not just going through a book, we are by the spirit attempting to reemphasize and lay again some boundaries of truth so that our faith will rest well; and in doing so, we must follow reverentially and read through and meditate again. There’s something about Hagin’s spirit that helps us to be stabilized if we buy into the words. We must keep following on to know (Hosea 6:2). For things we do not understand, let’s be meek and keep journeying until we understand. Let’s all ensure to read and read again until all the things we have received settle inside of us and the words are worked inside of us. We can’t allow ourselves to be cheated in the arena of understanding spirits, else our faith will not rest well. The Lord will help us to see further details on how these things work.
Bro Niyi
We must understand that there are dealings of the Lord and dealings because of our ignorance. Scripture says give no room for the devil (Ephesians 4:7), and when we’re ignorant of things, we give him room. There are privileges we have as believers and some believers live their lives not being aware. It is not humility to accept some things that we go through. For example, there is a place for repentance but we should not allow condemnation or depression to replace it.
The authority in Christ is for everyone that is born again, the only difference is that some people are exercising this authority and some are not. This authority is given to us to live a triumphant life in Christ Jesus.
The life of defeat that believers live is a result of ignorance. As we go through this book, let’s trust the Lord to help us balance what we would learn and trust God to receive with meekness these words.
Origin of Satan
(Ezekiel 28:12- 19/Isaiah 14:12) Satan used to be an Angel of God. He is a Cherubim (third heaven angel). From scriptures, we know there are 3 heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2). The ranking of angels in the heavens is by their wisdom and that wisdom is a light of God that is in them.
An average believer has a wrong mindset of who Satan is which was intentionally done by Satan so that he can floor us. It’s worse to have wrong information about our enemy than to not have any information at all. We think he’s a guy dressed in black and red with horns or a ugly looking spirit. Satan is a wise being as seen in Ezekiel 28. Scripture reckons with his strength and stature. Satan had authority: a throne (Isaiah 14:13). When we wrongly estimate our enemy, we do not stand a chance in battle.
When Satan sinned and turned against God, he didn’t lose his power, wisdom and beauty. If the Lord does not help us, we will not win in battle.
Satan’s Rulership on Earth
(2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan is the god of this world. (Genesis 1:27-30) The dominion of earth was given to man and we see Adam express this authority in that he was given authority to name the beasts of the earth. Adam died in his spirit when he disobeyed God and he could no longer sustain that authority. To be dead in the spirit is to be disconnected from God; not death in the physical. Satan’s disobedience to God also resulted in him not able to seize authority from Adam but Adam’s disobedience granted him entrance and he was able to teach men his fallen ways. The first man he fully taught his ways was Cain. In teaching man his ways, satan gained authority.
Some men are being tutored by spirits without being aware. There are spirits that oversee nations e.g Prince of Persia in the Book of Daniel or the Beast of Ephesus. Spirits rule, we don’t see them naturally but they rule.
Classes of Evil Spirits
All the angels that listened to satan and turned their back on God are evil spirits. (Ephesians 6:12) These are the cadres of spirits that fell with Satan. Satan is not a demon and not all spirits are demons. There are some that look irritating but not all look the same. We have authority over demons but not over all fallen spirits.
We have authority in Christ but we do not have all authority. We must understand the boundaries of our authority and exercise them. The boundaries are not to limit us but rather to not overstretch them. Satan is not under our feet yet as we popularly sing but there are some spirits we’ve been given authority over. We have authority over principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, but we do not have authority over spiritual wickedness and satan. We need the knowledge of God to fight these spirits. Some of these spirits, such as the fallen Seraphims, can teach us desires that are not of God and we can even serve God in church with these desires. They are very wise and it’ll take help for us to realize they’re not of God and wisdom to fight them.
We are to bind the first 3 cadres (i.e principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this world) in the name of Jesus (Matthew 18:18). We don’t have authority over spiritual wickedness. The ranking of these spirits is by their wisdom with principalities being the least and spiritual wickedness being the highest and Satan as their chief ruler. We cannot allow a small demon even with all the revelation we’re hearing to cheat us because they know we lack knowledge or the exercise of authority in that regard. We must also understand that there are some things we do not have authority over and that is why we must respond in obedience to change them.
Pastor Olayide Olaniyan ( Second Exhortation)
(Luke 10:19/Colossians 2:15/Ephesians 6:12) We must understand the boundaries of victories. Colossians 2:15 was speaking in reference to us but for Jesus, He has triumphed over all of them including Satan. The implication of this for us believers is that our victory is progressive. We wrestle against all of them but we do not yet have authority over all. Irrespective, we are to exercise authority over the first 3 cadres. (Romans 16:20) This confirms that Satan has not yet been put under our feet. Even though Jesus died and has accomplished all things, this reality has not been made manifest for the church at the same time. This is why we must find balance and not overstretch things.
If Satan has been crushed by the victory of Jesus, then why does he still have so much power? But because the soul journeyed with his ways, it’s why we still see him active. We must exercise authority over what scripture says we have authority over while we also walk.
It’s important to note that these spirits are not one but many: there are powers, principalities etc. We can overcome one but be totally floored by another, this is why we must be helped by God.
Bro Niyi (Sunday School Continues)
Evil spirits are fallen spirits or disembodied spirits and hope to possess humans to find full expression. As fallen beings, they hope to oppress, obsess and possess man. To understand how demons and evil spirits can affect mankind, we must know and understand the difference between spirit, soul and body.
Difference between Spirit, Soul and Body
When we understand how man is a spirit, has a soul and lives in a body, we can understand how man can give place to the devil.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23/ Hebrews 4:12) Man is essentially a spirit. The real man is a spirit. Scripturally, when a man is said to be dead, it means his spirit is dead.
When Adam died, his spirit is what died. Our first believing i.e new birth quickens only our spirit but our soul is not touched. If our soul was saved, our thoughts would have been cleansed and we’d be thinking pure thoughts. We must purify our souls by obedience to truth continuously (1 Peter 1:22). Some parts of scriptures tell us we are saved, some parts tell us we are yet to be saved (the soul and the body) and we must understand this boundary. Our soul must learn Christ because it is not yet saved (James 1:21). Our thoughts, actions even after new birth reveals our fallen, unsaved soul nature.
Demons cannot possess a believer but they can oppress the body or obsess the mind of a believer. Scriptures refer to our mind as the window. We must guard our mind. The mind is to be renewed by the word of God and be always in subjection to the spirit.
Our mind is rascally in nature and can take all sorts of thoughts, so we must learn to put our mind in subjection to our spirit. This is compulsory learning and exercise for us as believers. We have a responsibility to reject wrong and seemingly righteous thoughts, to train our minds to take thoughts in a particular direction and not in a particular direction.
What we think on as believers matter because wrong thinking can give evil spirits access to our soul.
There is a difference between repenting and being condemned. Repentance is unto salvation (i.e coming to God) (2 Corinthians 7:10) but condemnation is unto death (i.e separation from God). Taking thoughts of condemnation most times makes us stop streaming meetings, avoiding our brethren and even our pastors.
The body also has its part to play. The body has its own desires that are not spiritual and we must learn to bring it under subjection (1 Corinthians 9:27).
We must understand that not everything is by the influence of a spirit, it’s just our carnal nature and our reluctance in subjecting our body to the spirit.
Pastor Segun (Final Charge/Exhortation)
This book (The Triumphant Church) will help anyone who has had prior fear or still has fear about demons, enchantments, spells e.t.c. We’d come to realize some of these beliefs and fears we have are lies of Satan and are based on ignorance.
God is bringing us an understanding of these things, because of the work He wants to do in us. Satan has put some works in us and that’s why we pay obeisance to him. This is why we cannot rebuke him because it will be like we are rebuking ourselves. Our obeisance to him is why he rules the earth.
Satan is governing the earth, and as believers, we can’t change anything without being sent by God. There is a ruler over Nigeria; a spirit of corruption and decadence, except we are sent, a believer that goes into government or politics might end up also being corrupt.
One thing believers can do for their nation is to walk in the spirit. This message of righteousness will dislodge spirits in the air and once the air is clear, it wouldn’t matter which tribe is ruling. The will of the Lord will not be done as long as these spirits are still ruling, this is why we must understand the rulership of satan in our sphere so we can really fight with wisdom. Demonic activities are so crude that even unbelievers understand them, but to understand the operations of spirits, we must walk in the spirit.
We should not be afraid or think we need some type of power as a young believer to cast out demons or rebuke some spirits. As long as our spirits are renewed, we can rebuke them. We must understand our rights so that we can rebuke them and they will get out because God has given us that authority.
We need to grow in the spirit to be able to battle some spirits. As with the man child, we see he grew before the dragon came to war with him. There are some principalities that are high that God will need to give us insights and open our understanding to see their operation and to rebuke them. Sometimes they attack through mind affliction and we would think it’s our thoughts. They can enter a man’s mind and insert ideas and we’d think it’s ours.
We must keep our hearts from offence in this season and determine to get blessed. What God wants to give us is salvation, and we must allow our minds and body to be tasked to receive it.
Our mind is the window and this is how Satan comes in, so we must renew our minds to keep our minds from his thoughts.
God needs to raise us before He can commit some things into our hands, else we will be overcome by the spirits that rule these things. This is why we must rightly divide the word as there are messages that have stretched the believer’s authority.
Our body can drag us to hell. We must be careful to yield to the Holyspirit when He warns us about some things we do with our body. We must also know that God forgives us for our sins. We sometimes paint God as vindictive but God is not like that. He wants us to come into His kingdom.
When we have this understanding and foundation, we will not be distracted by Satan. We will be able to experience speed in the spirit. The Lord will help us in Jesus name.