Cyber Truths By E-mail
11. Discussion For Application (July 23, 2005)
Dear Friends,
The revised and expanded Demolishing
Strongholds books have arrived! We thank God that almost half
of them were purchased before publication and mailed out
straight from the printer. The cost of the new version is $7
plus shipping.
For those of you who have been praying for
us during the re-write of the book, we offer a heart-felt
"THANK YOU!"
We're now deep into producing the
Demolishing Strongholds Video. The content of the video goes
far beyond the book. We now have 22 segments planned. [There's
only so much you can put down on paper. The video is a far more
penetrating medium than writing is to impart the truths our
Lord has given us. Later in this email we'll explain why.]
The demonic opposition to producing the
video is far more intense than re-writing the book. Files are
disappearing in our computer. When we re-open different
completed segments, many of our settings are changed. One
project we worked on for hours couldn't be opened by the
software the next time we tried to open it. We had to start all
over again.
We both know the Holy Spirit is using this
material to shine light on the unseen demonic forces that are
engaged in a war for the souls of people. The demons are doing
everything they can to remain hidden, and are resisting
exposure that this book and video may bring. Unclean spirits
find it easy to work in stealth because over 50% of Christians
today are convinced that there are no demons. We continue to
ask your prayers on our behalf as we work on this project. It
will never be completed without our Father's response to
intercession.
Discussion For Application: Opening the Way For the Holy Spirit
In our last e-mail we addressed the effects
of apprehension. Apprehension between people blocks their
ability to love each other as Jesus would have them love. After
we sent out that email, we were amazed to find out how many of
you, especially married couples, live with persistent
apprehension. We were overwhelmed by how epidemic this form of
interpersonal tension is among those who call themselves
"Christian."
Since our last e-mail I [Mike] have been
anguishing over this situation because the most common source
of apprehension in families is the husband/father. And being a
one myself, I kept seeking God for wisdom that would help
husbands free their families from apprehension concerning
themselves.
Two events substantially increased my
earnest pursuit of this topic. The first was a visit to a
family several weeks ago. The father really felt he was
excellent in the area of having discussions with his family.
DBut during our visit, Sue was deeply enmeshed with hearing the
wife's tearful recounting of her husband's boorish treatment of
the family on a recent vacation. The teenagers shared how
impossible it was to discuss things with their father. His view
of himself and his family's very different perception of him
made you wonder if they even lived together.
Another prompting came earlier this week
from a close friend. He's been trying to help a buddy lead his
family in spiritual development. When my friend shared
something painful that had happened during a discussion with
this man, I found myself getting agitated. The man's
lackadaisical response to my friend's godly counsel is
indicative of so many "Christian" husbands and
fathers today. I tried to use my sorrowful dismay about this
man's spiritual laziness as personal motivation to fall upon
our Lord for wisdom. You probably yearn as much as I do to be
His redemptive instrument in the lives of His children. As
we've shared in earlier writings: We believe our Lord wants His
followers to take negative feelings captive, then use them as
prompting to ask Him for help so that we can make each
disturbing situation redemptive.
Both of the men I've just written about,
along with so many other father/husbands we encounter, have a
false assessment of what is going on in their families. Too
many men have a far higher self-appraisal of how they're
carrying out their biblical role in their homes than their
family experiences with him. Sadly, what the father/ husband
believes is discussion with his family is really him talking at
his wife and children.
Talking at rather than discussing with is
especially noticeable when it comes to spiritual conversations.
So many husbands/fathers who are still controlled by
strongholds are obsessed with being right. There is such a fear
of ever being wrong in his family's eyes that he totally misses
the way God would have him share biblical truth with his
family. As we've written so often before, the focus on who is
right rather than what is right is the fruit of Hellenism on
the Christian community. And this need to be right
especially influences the minds of men. Hellenism promotes
philosophical discussion and arguments about the Bible. It's
all talk with no regard for applying and living out the Word of
God. Hellenism is the demonic influence behind the form of
"Bible Studies" that many attend: All talk and no
action of obedient trust! Self-inflating knowledge, not a way
of life, is fostered when people gather to spout out their
mind's content. Our Father is never glorified by mere knowledge
of His Word. It's trust walked out in obedience to that Word
that bring joyful testimony of Him.
What we are writing in this e-mail, and a
whole lot more, will be covered extensively in the video
segments of Chapter 5, After You've Demolished the Strongholds.
But we want to share a revelation our Lord gave me [Mike] after
weeks of deep searching. On Tuesday our Lord spoke forcefully
and clearly to my heart:
"You and Sue are producing these
videos, including Jesus In Your Home, to enable families and
other people to sit down together in their living rooms in
front of their TV's and discuss the truths they will live by.
You've taught them repeatedly the truth you've discovered about
the Hebraic Stream of Judaism, 'Whenever two or three sit down
together to discuss God's Word for application, the Holy Spirit
is there in their midst giving understanding and application.'
The two of you are showing people the way
to bring the Holy Spirit into their midst. It's through the
discussion of two or three seeking to live a way of life that
glorifies the Father. My words to all my disciples are built on
this truth from heaven, “I tell you that if two of you on
earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you
by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in
My name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:19,20).
These husbands and fathers you are so
frustrated about refuse to enter into discussion about My
truths with their families. They want neither Me nor the Holy
Spirit to come forth in their homes. These men want to be in
control. The method of discussion I've revealed to you brings
about the full work of the Holy Spirit, and this is a threat to
them. And they don't want their families to come under the
control of the Holy Spirit. The key to freeing my Spirit to do
all He was sent to do is through discussion that leads to
application — living for Me as a way of life."
This revelation was so powerful I couldn't
stop talking about it. Do you see, what these men fear, as do
any others who refuse to discuss God's Word to live it, is the
Holy Spirit. In fact, there's little evidence in the lives of a
number of men who call themselves "Christian" that
the Spirit abides within them. For others, the strongholds in
their soul have blocked them from desiring to come under
control of the Spirit. Instead, the Hellenist spirit that so
impacts Christendom today satisfies them with being mere
talkers about the Bible. Isn't this how Paul described the men
who lived in the center of Hellenism? "All the Athenians
and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing
nothing but talking about and listening to the latest
ideas" (Acts 17:21).
Discussion that leads to a Christ-like way
of life opens the door for the Holy Spirit to be about the
ministry the Father and the Son sent Him to do. As you consider
the four factors listed below, think of them as indicators of
the Spirit's presence in your life.
1. The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin.
None of us would put our trust in Jesus or
repent of our sins if the Holy Spirit didn't do His work.
"When he [Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of
guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment"
(John 16:8). If you are a husband/father or anyone who wants
their own way, you're not going to let the Holy Spirit convict
you. And, you don't want your family becoming convicted of sin,
because that only puts you in a worse light.
It's the presence of the Spirit of God in a
person that enables them to free themselves from their own sin
nature. That is, if they want to be free.
"You, however, are controlled not by
the sinful nature but by the Spirit, IF the Spirit of God lives
in you. And IF anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he
does not belong to Christ" (Romans 8:9). What a
powerful assertion which clarifies the core issue for all of us:
If anyone does NOT have the Spirit of Christ, he does NOT
belong to Christ."
It's our personal belief that anyone who
claims to be a "Christian" but continues to block out
this all-important work of the Holy Spirit to convict people of
sin blasphemes the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy is adding to or
taking away from the nature, character, and work of God. It is
a direct attack on His very person. People who refuse to let
the Holy Spirit do what is within His character and ministry to
do are blasphemers. And our Lord warned us about what happens
to such people, "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy
Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal
sin" (Mark 3:29). If you're in this situation, please turn
away from it and return to our Father path. HE wants your
relationship with Him cleansed and restored!
If you don't agree with what we've written
about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, we encourage you to come up
with your own understanding of our Lord's words. You certainly
don't want yourself or your family to be "guilty of an
eternal sin" through your own stubborn willfulness. And,
if you cherish your family, you don't want to be the one
leading them down a path that ignores the Holy Spirit.
Again, God's method of using discussion
with others opens the way for the Holy Spirit to reveal His
will and His ways. Discussion that leads to application of
God's Word is also one of the signs of the Spirit's presence in
your life. And, with His presence He brings conviction of sin.
Conviction opens the way for repentance and being cleansed from
unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9). And righteousness leads to your
prayers being answered (James 5:16).
2. The Holy Spirit verifies God's truth.
When Pilate was interrogating Jesus he
mockingly asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).
The Greek word for "truth" means
"reality." So when Jesus proclaims, "I am the
way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me" (John 14:6), He is proclaiming Himself
as the only Reality. He, and all truth about Him, is the
foundational reality of our existence as our Father's children.
Truth is devoid of lies and deceit. And since lies are the
character of Satan (John 8:44), understanding God's truth via
the Holy Spirit keeps us from living without deceit in our
convictions.
Knowing that His work of redemption was
coming to an end, and the need for His followers to live by
truth, Jesus promised them and all followers to come, "I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to
be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world
cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in
you" (John 14:16,17).
The crux of the issue for fathers/husbands
who pursue truth is this: Unlike Hellenism that emphasizes
"WHO is right", our Lord wants us to free the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of truth, through our discussion with others
to confirm "WHAT is right!"
Anyone who desires to live by truth as our
Lord would have it understood, must follow His method and LIVE
BY His truth. And when we earnestly pursue truth, our sinful
darkness will be exposed,
"Whoever lives by the truth comes into
the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done
has been done through God" (John 3:21).
3. The Holy Spirit anoints and empowers our
Father's children.
The Apostle Paul affirms the importance of
the Holy Spirit's anointings in several of his letters. To the
Corinthians, and to all of us he says plainly, "Now about
spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be
ignorant" (1Corinthians 12:1). The Holy Spirit's presence
in you is what sets you apart from all of mankind. Not only do
we who have the Spirit have a guarantee of a wonderful eternal
destiny; we also have God-empowerment to fulfill His purposes
through us. And each one of us is empowered differently as the
Spirit desires, "All these are the work of one and the
same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he
determines" (1 Corinthians 12:11).
If the Holy Spirit has access through your
discussions to freely convict you of sin and to verify God's
truth for you, He will certainly empower you. But that can be a
problem for those who sit back in spiritual sloth.
Spirit-empowered people earnestly seek to be under the control
of the Spirit. They know that He will lead them to where His
power through them can be manifested. Isn't this why Paul tells
us, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with
the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25)?
We've met very few men who know the Holy
Spirit's anointing for them. They have no idea how they are
empowered to fulfill our Father's purposes (see Ephesians 2:
10). And, even fewer men know the anointing the Spirit has
given their wife and believing children. I've beseeched so many
husbands/fathers over the years to find out the Spirit's gifts
within their families so that he can help them be used as God
desires in blessing others.
We're grieved over how few have taken
responsibility to know the Spirit's empowerment of their
family. It goes back to the man's failure in the first two
factors we listed above. He enjoys his pet sins, and doesn't
want to be any more responsible to God than he thinks he has
to. And, he wants his beliefs and decisions to be verified by
himself alone. Ignorance of the Holy Spirit's operation in his
family feeds his complacency and irresponsibility. This is
where you find the "Tyranny of the Monarch", which we
wrote about in our previous e-mail. If the Spirit is in
control, then the man's no tyrant! [We discuss this more
extensively in the forthcoming Demolishing Strongholds Video.]
4. The Holy Spirit gives us peace no matter
what our circumstances.
Paul assures us, "Now the Lord is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). What freedom do you think
he's talking about? Really, are YOU walking in the freedom the
Spirit gives? It's crucial that you do! He gives us the
spiritual fortitude to be at peace no matter what is going on
around us.
People under stress hope and even pray for
their circumstances to change. Then they believe that they'll
feel more at peace. But changing hearts by His Spirit is our
Lord's way far more than is changing circumstances. Jesus
readily knows that love prospers in the heart of a person to
whom He gives peace. But, where there is apprehension, the love
He desires to manifest through His followers is quenched.
Jesus' admonition is for all of us, "Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid" (John 14:27). Shalom, peace, is an active word
that imparts a sense of well-being, harmony and of one accord
with others. It signifies the complete absence of apprehension.
Peace in all circumstances is one of our Father's best ways for
His children to be noticed by the world —they aren't
troubled or afraid as are the people of the world.
Again, the ministry of bringing peace to a
disturbed heart is given to the Holy Spirit, "The mind of
sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is
life and peace" (Romans 8:6). This arena of identification
with the old sinful self is where husbands, fathers and others
quench and grieve the Holy Spirit. Rather than turning to the
Source of Peace, they try to change things on their own through
their own efforts and decisions. And even worse, they learn to
tolerate apprehension as a way of life, and train their family
to live with apprehension.
We wrote Growing Relationships Through
Confrontation so that you could free the Spirit to bring peace
to your heart and your relationships with others. Why do you
think we produced the Jesus In You Home Video Series and are
working so diligently on the video for Demolishing Strongholds?
Because all our work is useless unless it is DISCUSSED with the
desire to apply it as a way of life which glorifies our
heavenly Father. We wrote God's Instruments For War:
Discovering and Coordinating Spiritual Gifts As Weapons of
Warfare so that each believing member of a family and faith
community could be COLLECTIVELY used by the Holy Spirit to
further the Kingdom of God. Do you think our Father is pleased
with families who live unempowered by His Spirit? Is He pleased
with people who rely on their own strengths?
The best that Sue and I can do is to offer
followers of Jesus biblical truths that they can watch, then
pause, and discuss in their own living rooms. We found from our
research on the earliest church that the HOME is the
"basis building block" for ALL spiritual development.
As we've discussed what we've shared with you over the years,
we've been changed by the Holy Spirit in our discussion. We are
offering you and your family the same method that God calls
for and has used in our own lives. Discussion is the same
method that enabled the first followers of Jesus to be called
"The Way" as they put Jesus' teaching into practice
through His Spirit. And, discussion is the only method that
will free the Holy Spirit to do His work in you and your
family.
Please consider with all your hearts what
we've briefly written. Use the videos! Watch and discuss them.
Open the way for the Holy Spirit to use your TV to do His work
in your home. And we plead with you, "So, as the Holy
Spirit says: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your
hearts...'" (Hebrews 3:7,8). As we seek to encourage you
to act upon what we're writing, we're reminded of someone who
almost waited too long to make the right decision:
Many years ago while we were at the retreat
center, the wife of one of the pastors who met at our retreat
center each month wanted to have another baby. She was in her
early forties and her other two children were in school. He
wasn't really interested in another child, but for her sake he
agreed. All through the pregnancy he had zero interest in her
pregnancy or the fact that another child was coming into his
family.
He was dutifully in the hospital for the
delivery, and shortly after the baby was born he went home.
When he arrived home he received a phone call from his wife.
She related to him that she'd been told the baby had some
serious birth defects. There was a pause, and then she
pointedly asked, "Jim, I need to know: Are you with
me?" With one question he was faced with all the months of
his complacency toward her pregnancy and the arrival of this
baby. He responded in tears, "YES!!", and drove
immediately back to the hospital.
• Some of you men reading this e-mail
have blasphemed the Holy Spirit. This e-mail may be too late
for you if you have no ears to hear.
• Others of you may have only quenched
and grieved Him. Repent! Ask the Holy Spirit to change your
life. Begin to discuss God's truths with the goal of
application with your family or others close to you in the
faith. Our Lord needs men who are training up laborers for His
harvest. Be among them!
Your servants for the glory of the Father,
Mike & Sue Dowgiewicz
