OVERCOMING THE SYSTEM

In the process of developing overcomers we must get past the idea of overcoming a system by rebellion. We are not advocating anarchy or communal unrest. If you want that, go to Hong Kong. Nor are we suggesting the American idea of independent militia’s all around the country because you think the government is untrustworthy. We have to let the mind of Christ move us well and truly beyond all this.

The overcomer that expects to see radical change in society must be someone so in touch with God that they move the overriding spiritual culture first. Martin Luther King is an excellent example of changing a culture this way. It cost him his physical life but his overcoming spiritual life had been loosed long before.

Bringing this principle home we need to ask the question: –

WHO REALLY RUNS OUR CULTURE?

The government thinks it runs our country — actually, at the moment, it is the coronavirus calling the shots.

I have become tired of hearing our God being blamed for it, sometimes by well-intentioned leaders who should know the scriptures and the nature of our God far better.

Most of us, in our individualistic, democratic, thinking, feel we can run our own culture and existence much better than any exterior government. In point of fact we are failing to realize what our mind actually knows! The author of our culture and therefore the director of our daily existence is none other than that fallen angel, lucifer.

Isaiah 14:12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer [satan or the devil], son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!” [weakened the nations is putting it mildly]. Isaiah 14:15 -17 “Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol [the grave], To the lowest depths of the Pit [hell]. 16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man[?] who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners [in hell]?‘

The devil brought his supporters with him.

Jud 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

Jesus not only endured the temptation of satan but He saw him kicked out of God’s throne room. In Luke 10:18 And He said to them, “I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. In 2 Cor. 4: 4 the Apostle Paul referred to him [satan]as The god of this age.” His main tools of trade are fear, terror, trauma, guilt, shame and anything else that vaguely resembles these.

How should we deal with these if we are to become an overcomer?

 

WE NEED TO DEVELOP A PROPHETIC CULTURE!

 

Not a “thus says the Lord” egotistical thing. God wants to be able to speak from His Body and every individual in it. He expects every declaration made to have prophetic unction in it, whether it be by preaching, personal word auricular prophecy, foresight, Biblical exposition or whatever else.

It is a sensitivity to spiritual atmosphere!

Joel 2:28, 29 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

This is telling us, as it is repeated in Acts 2, that we can all prophecy, i.e. speak forth the Word of God with spiritual sensitivity – old men, young men, women etc. To develop this ability we can expect dreams, visions and a pouring out of spiritual understanding.

So, the answer to who should be administering our culture is: those with perceptive spiritual receptivity.

 

APPLICATION OF THE ANSWER REQUIRES AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEMS!

 

We have inherited a culture of transgression fostered by our forebears all the way back to Adam. How am I going to deal with all that sin ingrained in my culture?

Fortunately someone has dealt with it for you. All you have to do is identify what has come up to you, repent and commit it to Jesus. But, if you are not aware of what it is that is bedevilling you there may be situations to be dealt with.

We need to think about how our family lived and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any problems with our bloodline that need to be cleansed. We must be careful not to blame them for situations that are our own responsibility.

Exodus 20: 5 I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me

Am I responsible for the sins of my parents?

How did our culture become the way it is?

Am I responsible for the sins of my children?

We are only responsible for the way any of these questions affect us? Only insomuch as these things have a bearing on us personally or collectively. Is it only to the third and fourth generation? It could be much longer!

Isaiah 43:26-28 Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. 27 Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. 28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches.

WE OVERCOME!

We can easily see the results of some of the sins we committed in the lives of some of our children and vice-versa. We can see mistakes made in our past culture which now affect our present worldview. Because of the incredible sacrifice of our lord and saviour Jesus Christ, they can all be rectified as they are brought under His blood.

We overcome continually by developing a prophetic culture; an intimate personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and our own spirit. Not in our ego but in the gracious humility of Jesus himself, asking direction for the cleansing of our own generational line and our culture. The more specific we get the cleaner our personal and cultural existence becomes making it easier to see our prayers answered positively.

There is one other problem that needs to be dealt with – Curses! They are real.
Having been cursed personally but being in a good situation it did not touch me. However, being in counselling situation s and observing, first hand, the trauma caused by their lies it needs to be dealt with quickly by submitting them to the Holy Spirit and expecting healing from Jesus.

Pro 26:2 Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.

Keep yourself in that intimate prophetic relationship and no curse can land on you or yours. Remember: –

Gal 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us

 

CONCLUSION

Allow the Holy Spirit to conquer your culture. He has done so in many places in this modern world. The “Transformation videos”2 give ample evidence of places where cultural change has been wrought.

Jesus wants you to be an overcomer and get it all happening where you are.

Live in the prophetically anointed humble relationship Jesus offers.

Allow the Holy Spirit to clean up any ungodly personal and cultural history.

Arise you overcomer!!!!!

1. Bracketed words [ &] phrases are not part of the text but are added by the author to bring clarity.

2. Transformations videos I &II, © 2002 The Sentinel Group. Australian Distributed: Toowoomba City  Church / P.O. Box 2216 / Toowoomba Qld. 4350 / Phone : 07 4638 2399 / 07 4639 2691 /Email:tccmail@tcchurch.com.au