THE POLITICAL SPIRIT

Pastor Carolyn Sissom \ June 6st, 2010 (12405 views)

The Political Spirit

 

Excerpts from Book by:  Faisal Malick

 

Taught by:  Pastor Carolyn Sissom

 

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

   

“When political correctness takes precedence over uprightness before God, the Church is in danger of falling prey to the Political Spirit.” (Dr. Ronald V. Burgio, President, Elim Fellowship)

 

 

   “Religion and mammon have married and the political spirit is one of their fruits that have shut the mouth of the saints in the church and beyond.  If mammon were not in the equation, religion would be less powerful.  Money and power are what rule.  II Tim 3:1 lists the end time sins: lovers of money and lovers of self are the first two on the list” (Jill Mitchell O’Brien)      

It is time for the façade of corrupt governing systems and religious hypocrisy of our day to be exposed.  What drives people to lose their moral compass in the pursuit of power?  In his book, The Political Spirit, Faisal Malick gives us a clear description of how this spirit operates.  In this teaching, I will only cover one chapter, but hope I will encourage you to obtain the book and read it for yourself.  Destiny Image, Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, Pa. 17257-0310.

 

 

  The political spirit is the mastermind that forges alliances with the religious and Jezebel spirits to forward its own hidden agenda.  This is political propaganda masquerading as a quest for the greater good.   

 

 

The Political spirit has been specifically assigned to block the establishment of the government of the Kingdom of God on the earth by instituting false government and corrupt political practices.  It is the spirit behind the positioning and strife we see in earthly governments and behind divisions in the Church; it’s the hidden mastermind using the spirit of Islam to spread terrorism and anarchy across the globe today.  Because of its cunning ways we will soon see a new, more insidious, and subtle form of terrorism blindside the world.   If the Church doesn’t stand up to act now, many will needlessly be lost.

  

We must understand the tides of our times and specifically the nature of the spiritual warfare taking place around us through the influence and deception of the political spirit.  We must ensure that we are in step with the Holy Spirit and that no other spirit of this world---specifically the political spirit---corrupts our course or causes us to step falsely.

  

These are critical times.  These are defining times.  The world’s systems are in upheaval.  But it is during such times of upheaval that we are given extraordinary opportunities to take new frontiers for our King.  We are living in a period in history when a portal will be opened between time and eternity.  God is about to sovereignly intervene in world affairs to forever change the destiny of all peoples of the earth.  It is a kairos time.

  

The Church is experiencing a major shift that will be felt in every arena and ripple to every corner of the globe.  We are entering an era of seeing the Kingdom of God manifested; it is an entirely new season requiring a new level of discernment and alignment with the instructions of God.  God wants His church to walk in the power of His presence in order to release His Kingdom and its ways in the corporate and individual lives of believers and all those they touch in every level of society.  He has dropped a plumb line into the midst of the Church and is calling His people to a higher standard so that they can walk in greater power and authority.

  

It is a time of choosing to whom you belong and who you will follow---of making adjustments and crossing through that portal between time and eternity that separates God’s Kingdom in Heaven from those of the earth.

  

To be victorious in these last days, the Body of Christ will need to be carriers of the glory of God…When you go beyond a light visitation of God’s presence and move into a deeper habitation, your life must be divinely aligned.

  

Great moves of God have swept the earth, and it all ended within just a few decades.  David and Solomon established a holy nation unto God, but after their deaths, it was split in two.  Jesus came and the apostles went out, and a hundred years later, the miracles were gone.  John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield started the Great Awakening and the Methodist church, but that movement is powerless today.  William and Catherine Booth started the Salvation Army and swept the gospel around the world, but now the Army is merely a charitable organization that no longer holds the salvation of souls as its primary aim.

  

The political spirit infiltrated and derailed each of those movements as their founders died and handed the reins on to the next generation.  If we are to succeed where these others have failed, we must know how to deal with this spirit and defeat it. 

  

God’s government will be established as we align our lives to His divine order, first in our individual lives and then corporately…

  

This is on the level of strategically accomplishing tactical missions within the end-time battle plan of God.  God is appointing His officers and commissioning His troops.  You are moving into an era of deployment---a season of fulfillment---of actually accomplishing the eternal purpose that God has ordained for your life…

  

It is the Hand of the Lord that comes upon us for the purpose of fulfilling our God-given assignment.  Whenever we deal with divine purposes and the uniqueness of God’s call on people’s lives, God’s hand comes into operation.  There will be a greater measure of God’s presence and power as he establishes His will in the individual and corporate lives of His people…

  

Our natural reasoning is most always self-justifying or worse, self-promoting and it leads to false governing systems---systems that are ultimately man-made and block the operation of the Kingdom and government of God in that sphere.  This is what the political spirit uses to corrupt divine order.  It creates false government that is contrary to God’s sovereign rule, and it is not only deceptive, but also destructive.

  

“But if I cast out demons by the spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  How can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man… (Matthew 12: 28-29)”

  

The Kingdom of God has come upon us.  We have spoken briefly about God’s plumb line---and the vital importance of aligning our lives with the Word of truth.  More than ever before the spirit is prompting us to make it a priority to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.  There is urgency to understanding and discerning the government of God, and by doing so, walking in a level of governmental authority not seen since the days of the apostles.

  

God has been preparing His church---equipping and training His people---to be filled to overflowing with His honor and glory.

  

God’s living temple has gone through the fires of refinement, brick by brick, so that we can sustain His glory---because it is only the glory of God that can expel the gross darkness at work in the world today (Isa. 60: 1-3).  The Church will need to rise up and walk in a greater degree of righteousness---or divine alignment---to overcome the enemy of her future, the political spirit.  The political spirit is the strong man working behind the scenes to gain power over spiritual and natural territories by controlling the world’s governing systems.  This spiritual enemy manifests in the form of false government, which has reaped deception and destruction throughout the Church and the world.  It is the cunning spirit behind every corrupt governing system---and it can only be displaced by the true government of God.

  

Tragically this spirit has operated within the body of Christ as easily as it has anywhere else.  Because of this, God is calling us to dismantle the influence of this spirit first within our own lives, then in our churches, and then in our nations.  This must not only be displaced through divine strategies of faith, knowledge, and prayer, but it must also be replaced with the government of God’s Kingdom.  This strong man always raises its head as a government that ultimately is against God’s blessings flowing to its people, even though it looks like it has the best interests of the people at heart.  In order to make sure the false doesn’t return you just replace it with the true.

  

As God establishes true apostolic government, the political spirit that has taken hold in the Church will be exposed.  When you deal with God’s government, you deal with the hand of the Lord.  When the hand of the Lord is in operation, the false things will be exposed and rendered powerless. 

  

When Sandra and I were in D.C., we visited Mount Vernon.  As we toured this great estate, the tour guides emphasized that George Washington was a Godly man.  I realized that George Washington carried this governmental mantle and it was through this supernatural empowerment that he was able to establish the government of the United States of America.  I believe that Jesus Christ, the ultimate strong man, was able to use George Washington to establish a government based on the government of God.

  

A strong man by definition is a political leader, a military leader, or someone with jurisdictional power, control, or authority who is influenced by the political spirit.  This person might not necessarily have legal or positional authority, but they have imposed their influence and control over a territory or region---they have established their authority, whether it is legitimate or not, over a specific area.

  

For example, Manuel Noriega, who was a general in Panama, was dubbed “The Strong Man of Panama.”  Even though he was not the president and did not have what we would consider the highest position in the nation, he actually dominated the region of Panama.  He was the ruler, controller, power, and influence over that region and as a result went down n history as “Panama’s Strong Man.”  He could not be displaced except through a stronger political force.  So, in 1990, he was bound and brought to trial by the government of the United States for his human rights violations.  In 1992, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, where he remains today.  Interestingly, even a higher authority convicted him when, in May of 1990, he gave his life to Jesus Christ.”

  

In Matthew 12, Jesus, the ultimate strong man, had just ousted a demon from a blind and mute man.  The people in the area were amazed and began worshiping Jesus as the Son of David.  The Pharisees became jealous and accused Him of witchcraft saying, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” (Matt. 12:24)   In other words, they questioned what authority had given him jurisdiction over the demon, presuming that it could have only been the ruler of demons.  It is in the next few verses that we are introduced to the strong man principle.

  

Matthew 12: 25-26, Jesus declares:  “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?

  

He uses the concept of a kingdom---In this case the kingdom of darkness---or it could be a city, a house, or a nation---to explain that any entity divided against itself it cannot endure.  He goes on to clarify that if satan casts out satan, then his kingdom could not stand.  It would self-destruct.  Jesus is making it obvious that He is binding the enemy by no power other than that of the Spirit of God.

  

He is making it clear that He is casting out the devil by a higher governing authority---by the Kingdom of God that is above the kingdom of darkness.  This is the evidence that the finger---or hand---of God is in operation.

  

Matt. 12:29:  “How can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?”  What he is saying is, unless you deal with the chief authority, the governing spirit, the one who has control or influence over a house, a city, a nation, or a region---until you bind or render that strong man harmless and void of power---you will be powerless before it.  You can’t go into a house or city or kingdom and take control of that territory until you first bind or defeat the strong man in charge there.

  Luke `11:21-22---We know that Jesus is stronger than all.  He is the strong man of the universe.  “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Co. 1:27).  The Jesus in you, the C

Christ in you has called you to unique areas---whether it’s a city, a house, or a region---areas where a strong man is usually on some level, working against the plan of God.

  

In your personal areas of influence, you have full jurisdiction to protect your family or your business interests from the schemes of the enemy.  The enemy has no legal authority to interfere with what you are working on in your jurisdiction.  But what if you go to Saudi Arabia and say, “You know, today, I feel like taking out the strong man holding the Muslim world in bondage”? 

  

First you must have that type of governmental authority granted to you by God based on your call, which is a corporate assignment that you will always be bigger than who you are or what you can do alone.  This type of assignment is for taking new territory for God’s Kingdom.  There are governmental assignments that go way beyond the sphere of influence that most of us are used to, or able to understand, but we will see more of this type of pioneering authority being imparted in the lives of ordinary---soon to be extraordinary---Christians.

  

This is the kairos we are embarking on as the body of Christ.  We will begin to see the advancement of God’s Kingdom like no one has yet seen on earth.  This will happen to an increasingly greater degree as God’s government is established, because as the government of the Kingdom of God comes upon us, we will be in a position to take greater authority over the enemy and take new territory.  As the hand of God begins to move in the church, the strong man will be exposed.  It is that same governmental authority that will enable the Church to overtake and bind the strong man wherever he is revealed.

  

Eph. 6: 10-11 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

  

We don’t war against humans; we war against the spirits or demonic strategies corrupting them; we war against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and wickedness in high places.  The forces at work against the Church---and every member of the Body of Christ---are in the spirit realm.  Something is always vying for control behind what we can see in the natural realm.  Many times we encounter situations that are not about people but are about the spirits that are influencing those people---they are using them like pawns in a chess game against you or against your assignment in life.

  

True governmental authority must come forth throughout the church to bind and replace the strong man at work against every kingdom assignment.  Few who have given their lives for the gospel’s sake did so with the intention of falling into sin.  They had to be directly challenged by a political spirit---a strong man---over the region and tempted to the point that they were overcome.

  

Positionaly, we have been given every victory in Christ.  But we are only able to walk in that victory to the extent of our revelation of the authority that we possess and abide in through Christ…Jesus bound the strong man, took authority over him, spoiled him openly, and rendered him useless, harmless, and ineffective through the cross.  “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them.

  

Helen Owen called me last night.  We were discussing the politically arena and our recent trip to D.C.  She asked me, “Why aren’t the Republicans doing something about the evil and wickedness in our government?”  If the Republicans  are operating with the political spirit, they have no authority over that ruler.  If satan cast our satan, then you will have a kingdom divided.  The only people who would have authority over the strong man would be those who are living and moving in Kingdom authority.

  

We will not take back this nation for Christianity, until we do so in the power of the Kingdom of God.  I believe it was established in that power.  The political spirit is now ruling. 

  There is a difference between personal authority and corporate authority.  Personal authority is about your personal life and the extent of your influence.  Corporate authority has to do with the domain of your unique Kingdom assignment on behalf of the King and His domain.  The government of the King is what protects you on a personal level and back you in your Kingdom assignment on a corporate level. 

On a personal level, we have every right to take authority over the devil and over the kingdom of darkness in your family. 

  

Brother Malick was born in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.  The strong man over that nation is the political spirit behind Islam.  One can’t go into Pakistan and command that strong man to leave the nation unless God has granted specific authority over it.  This type of authority would be on the scale of Moses usurping Pharaoh.  Most people don’t operate in that degree of governmental, corporate authority.

  

If the Lord decided to give authority to bind and isolate the strong man over the nation of Pakistan, one would be able to remove or overcome it to set all of the people under that spirit’s domain free.

  

I believe the Lord has continually raised-up  people such as George Washington, Ronald Reagan and other God fearing men to whom he gave this authority.  King Cyrus, a heathen king was given this authority.  I believe even now there are people in the United States who are strategically placed and are fighting the good fight of faith to bring down the political spirit over the U.S.A. 

  

We have already defeated and overcome them (the agents of the antichrist).  He who lives in us is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

  

However, if the political spirit is given dominion in the church and in the Republican party, neither the church nor the Republican party have  Kingdom authority. 

  

Opposition is certain.  Learn to recognize it and overcome it with the righteousness of God at work in us---for “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:17)

  

The Bible says in Genesis that Abraham was called alone (Isa. 51:2).  There is a place in the preparation for our Kingdom assignment that we will be isolated in our life and no one will be able to relate to us---no one will be able to understand where you are coming from.

 

This is the place that we begin to conquer through love.  I believe that, the more of His love that we know, the more we will conquer in life.  Grace will get us through the problem, and faith will us the victory in an event, but it is love that will make us more than a conqueror.

  

Love is our state of being.  “More than a conqueror” reveals who we are.  It’s not talking about a temporary victory over a single event, but it’s the definition of who you are regardless of your circumstances.

  

Taught by:  Pastor Carolyn Sissom, Tuesday Morning Bible Study

 Bibliography: The Political Spirit by:  Faisal Malick with a brief overview of chapters One and Two.  Comments and Conclusions are my own.  Quote from Dr. Ronald V. Burgio, The Rev. Jill Mitchell O’Brien, Manuel Noriega; the Rise and Fall of Panama’s Strong Man; The Conversion of Manuel Noriega, American Rehabilitation Ministries.

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