Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
The Power of Worship and Faith in Spiritual Warfare (#001 - Elim Rev)
What if the battles you're facing aren't just physical or mental, but spiritual as well? Discover the profound power of worship and faith as we navigate the complexities of spiritual warfare, drawing wisdom from biblical figures like Moses, David, and King Jehoshaphat. This episode promises transformative insights into overcoming fear and adversity by embracing your identity in Christ and standing firm in faith.
Join us as we explore how grounding ourselves in the Word of God can provide strength amidst worldly pressures and uncertainties. With references to Deuteronomy 31 and Ephesians 6, we discuss the necessity of being spiritually prepared by donning the full armor of God. We'll delve into the significance of miracles and God's unconditional love, encouraging listeners to trust in His plan, especially during societal shifts and personal challenges.
Finally, we invite you to participate in a powerful prayer and worship session, embracing the symbolic significance of communion. By calling upon the Holy Spirit, we aim to ignite faith and lead listeners to surrender and trust in God fully. Experience the liberation that comes with knowing your true identity in Christ and the assurance that the battle belongs to the Lord. Let this episode be a reminder of the strength and victory found in His presence.
Christian podcasts, faith stories, Christian encouragement, Bible teaching, Christian living, spiritual growth, prayer and devotion, Christian discipleship, persecuted Christians, Christian apologetics, Advent reflections, biblical hope, theology discussions, inspirational testimonies, scripture insights, Christian resilience, and global Christianity.
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
God bless you.
Speaker 1:God bless you. We are in. We are in Three songs this evening. We are in In the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Wherever you are across this beautiful world that the Lord created by the power of his speech, we welcome each and every one of you If you join us this evening for Bible studies. We just gather around the mics this evening, you know, and we're going to break bread and we're going to take communion together. So, wherever you are this evening, we thank God for your lives and we, just as we always do, just got some statistics back earlier on today. You know, thank god for everyone that watches online, especially in the main church itself, and, just to let you know, we're averaging around about which is pretty good for us around about 300 to 360 people watching online services scattered across the world. That is through the means of the camera, and we thank god for wherever you are. I can't exactly tell where you are across the world, but it just gives me certain figures that we can understand and we can work out. So the online church is growing massively in the main church itself and to everybody that's with us this evening and everybody that is with us in the world of podcasting. It's amazing, thank you, that there's tens of thousands of downloads. There's literally tens of thousands of downloads to the podcast and you can find them. You know where to go for that sort of stuff now, but, praise God, everything you can find and I'll put it up later at the end of the service. I'll make it clear so you can find all the services with clear, audible, and that's really good to know, isn't it that when we're broadcasting from the main church, we're averaging 300 to 360 to 350 people watching us broadcast across the world, with everybody in the Lord's house and everybody here as well in this podcasting room. We thank God for your lives. You're with us faithfully every week and every moment.
Speaker 1:So let's get straight into the scriptures. No-transcript, cross our eyeballs over and we might go to Deuteronomy, chapter 31, and we'll read a few scriptures there about the handing over of Moses to Joshua, about going into the promised land, and I want to thank God for every one of you, wherever you are at this moment in time, and don't give up. Don't give up. And the Bible says there's no room for panic and it's about going into war, into the battlefield. So let's just read Look, let's see what it actually says in verse 1 through to verse 4. Pretty easy read tonight. Pretty easy, not too much depth we got this evening in theological stuff it's got.
Speaker 1:When you go into war against your enemies and you see the horses and the chariots, and they are greater than yours. Do not be afraid of them because the Lord your God who they are, greater than yours. Do not be afraid of them because the Lord, your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you when you go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say to you Hear O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted or afraid, do not be terrified or do not panic in any way, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory. Wow, that's a bit of a powerful, of a punch of a text there. So if we just have a quick look at this a minute, brothers and sisters, there are four areas to that text. A quick look at this a minute, brothers and sisters, there are four areas to that text. And God is telling you, and God is telling me this evening, wherever we are to hear the word of the Lord and when we go.
Speaker 1:Now we understand what this scripture is referring to. It's talking about the Israelites. They was going into the physical war, but we got to understand that we're in a spiritual war. I actually believe, and you probably know what I'm going to say. I believe we're in the biggest spiritual battle the body of Christ has seen since the cross of Calvary. I really believe the spiritual warfare is strong, is very, very high. You know, the enemy is prowling around like a lion looking for someone to devour. So this is why it's really critical for each and every one of us to make sure that we're dressed as the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, says put on the full armor of God, pull on the full armor of God. You know, we've got to get on and get in the word of God. But the word of God is your victory stand. The word of God is your hope. The word of God is healing.
Speaker 1:Do you believe in miracles? You know, do you believe in miracles? Believe in the power of the word of God, believe in the miracles, believe in the hand of God, believe in the power of the word of God, believe in the miracles, believe in the hand of God, believe in the anointing, believe that you are blessed and highly favored, believe that the power of God is with you wherever you are across this world, because God loves you unconditionally and there is nothing impossible for this beautiful God that we serve. You know, all things are possible to those who believe everything the Bible says all things work together for the good of those who love him. Do you love God? Do you love God? I know you love God and God is with you, and sometimes it looks like we're never going to make it.
Speaker 1:But let me tell you this God is fighting the battles in the spiritual realms. It's very difficult, isn't it? Because we are so kin to, we are so used to this materialistic, uh, chauvinistic, this very physical, this very egotistic world in which we live in so much selfishness, so much, uh, inward thought about oneself, you know, and sometimes it's really, really difficult to keep moving. I pray that, wherever you are right now, in the mighty name of j Christ, that you will feel the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. And I pray now that the Holy Ghost will just light that touch paper, that fire in your spirit this evening and you will just feel his glory, his mercy, and you will just feel the very power of him in your life. Now, the Bible that we're looking at this evening is the word of God, obviously the God of Israel. But the scriptures that I really feel that I've been led to this evening are very simple scriptures.
Speaker 1:But it says when you go into war, now we might say to ourselves well, I'm not going into war, I'm not going into the physicality, I'm not going into this area, I'm not going to Ukraine, I'm not going to Israel, I'm not going into any war zone. Well, wherever you live, whatever your job is, whatever your school is, wherever you are, whatever your house looks like, there is warfare all around us. What we've got to remember is that we are blood washed, we are sanctified, we are children of the living God and the battle belongs to the Lord. So, just because we might not be going into the realms of the physical understanding of war, we are in a perpetual war, we are in a continuation of a war, we are in areas of war the majority of our day, the spiritual onslaught. Are you tired, are you weary, are you exhausted? Well, the battle belongs to the Lord and the Lord, thy God that you serve, has everything in the palm of his hand and as we look at these scriptures, it says when you go into war with your enemies, you know the Bible is very clear Our battle isn't against flesh and blood, but against the principalities of the heavenly realms.
Speaker 1:Our battle isn't against flesh and blood. So we are not battling human beings. What we are fighting these spiritual areas, these spiritual entities, these foreign gods of these realms that are out there. You know we live by sight. You know we live our lives by sight. I know what the Bible says and I'm going to quote what the Bible says the just shall live by faith, because we don't live by sight. But so what I'm saying is, when we live by sight, we live by just this world that is in front of us, this world that we see around us. This is it, and it's so easy to program yourself that this is just it. But there is a world outside of this world, this spiritual world that the Bible tells us about, where the heavenly realms are fierce in the battlefield.
Speaker 1:But the God that you serve, the God of Israel, has put to flight angels concerning you, psalm 91. If you were to turn to Psalm 91,. Stuart has popped up a few scriptures already and once he gets himself in that position, he'll put these up as we go along. So Psalm 91. You know the God that you serve. The God of Israel has really clearly told us through the book of Psalms he will command his angels concerning you, that they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone. That God has a way out. There's a way out, but it might feel like that.
Speaker 1:We are surrounded by historical enemies, present enemies, and enemies that could be coming over the hill, just like King Josaphat. Now, when you look at King Josaphat, he was a very interesting king, a very powerful king, a very educated king. But there came a time in his life when there was three enemies coming towards him and there was approximately about a million people, I believe, under the grip and under the hand and under the strain of him, and he was a good king king and he was leading them correctly and he was bringing things in order. But King Josaphat was given a message and the message was pretty simple. The messenger said there is an enemy coming to get you. Now King Josaphat realized that there was not enough weaponry, there was not enough power, there was not enough men and women at the? Uh, the capabilities of fighting this, uh, fierce enemy that was coming over the hill.
Speaker 1:So what did king josephat do? He fell face to the floor, he tore his clothes and he fasted and he sought god through prayer. See prayer and fasting, just prayer alone. But when you put fasting with it and be very, very careful how we look at fasting, because fasting, um, is a very interesting, uh way to get further on in your christian sharpening, you know it's not got to be careful how we look at fasting. But king joseph, he fell on the floor and he said this this enemy is too big for me. Now, there's nothing wrong with admitting that the enemy could be too big for us, because the battle belongs to the Lord. But actually recognizing that the enemy is too big is a good thing, because then we have to completely realize, on the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, we have to allow God into the arena and wherever you are this evening, remember the battle belongs to the Lord. So King Josaphat said, and he cried out what are we going to do? This enemy is too big for us. So what he done? He fell flat to the floor, he fasted and he prayed and he seeked God and he found God and God gave him the answer.
Speaker 1:Now there is power in worship. Have you ever noticed that if there's any issues and there's any worries and there's any fears around your lives, isn't it interesting how the worry and the fear can take us off focus from the God of Israel? But if you can remember, at that point of worry and fear, to pray and to worship and to sing to the King of Kings and just to sing that worship song when it seems impossible, when it seems like there can't be a breakthrough, when it seems an absolute impossibility for this situation to be turned around. See, king Josaphat was given the command send the worshippers out. They wasn't capable of fighting the enemy. We're not capable of fighting the enemy. We're not meant to be fighting the enemy. What we are meant to be doing.
Speaker 1:And the Bible says that we are worshippers and the worshippers worship in spirit and in truth, that we worship in spirit and we worship in truth. So it's really important that we worship in spirit. What do you mean worship in spirit? We worship in the power of the Holy Spirit. We worship through the Word of God, we worship through His Word, we worship through the Psalms, we worship through the Scripture. And as we worship through the Word of God, we worship through his word, we worship through the Psalms, we worship through the scripture. And as we worship through the word of God and as we lift our God up, the enemy will be defeated. There is nothing impossible for the God that you serve Sickness and disease.
Speaker 1:Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit? Do you believe that all things are possible to those who believe, but literally worship, worshiping the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you believe that all things are possible to those who believe? But literally worship? Worshipping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? And I'm not referring to worshipping and idolising those that bring the worship songs. I'm referring to worshipping the God of Israel in that place of adversity, worshipping the God above all gods, worshipping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Not lifting up the worshipers, not lifting up the church band, not lifting up, uh, all that stuff that goes along with that, but washing up jesus christ as your lord and savior, because there is power in the name of jesus and there are four areas, the four areas.
Speaker 1:The priests were given clear clarity words to the israelites. Let's see what he says. They're very, very important because these four elements are alive and well today and we've got to make sure that we take every thought captive. We've got to make sure that we take all this unpleasantry captive and we have to take it to the cross of Calvary and we have to learn to leave the fear, the worry, the anxiety. But let's just see what it says. So back to verse 1. It says will be with you when you are to go into battle. The priest shall come and give you a forward address to the army. He shall say to you hear, o Israel, today that as you go into battle to your enemies. Now, this is it, the four areas. Do not be faint-hearted, do not be afraid, do not be terrified and do not give way to panic because of them. It's really important that we understand who we are in Christ Jesus identity.
Speaker 1:Now, if you was to turn to the book of Moses, and if you was to turn to the book of Moses, if you was to turn to the book of Exodus, about Moses, it's been a long day, brothers and sisters If you turn to the book of Exodus, chapter one, chapter two and chapter three, especially two to three, you will find that Moses' life was broken down into three areas of faulty, as we said yesterday. So in Exodus, chapter 2, chapter 3, you will find that where Moses is taken from the palace, he goes from the palace, he goes to the wilderness. From the wilderness, then he goes into leadership. Three areas of faulty. So our lives are divided up, believe it or not, into three different stages of our lives.
Speaker 1:And I just want to let you know, brothers and sisters, there are many people living in an identity crisis. Now I've got to say this loud and clear this has nothing to do with a gender crisis, this has nothing to do with sexuality. This is to do with who we are in christ jesus, because you are a child of the living god and the devil is a liar. And there are many people in life at this moment in time that have lived the first quarter of their life, and even a little bit further, the first quarter of being under narcissistic control in situations, whether that may be through arranged marriages, bad relationships, whether that be through education, maybe through that, through work and all types of area of life and culture and certain things it tries to shape us. And that was the problem with Moses. He realized that as he was living in the palace for the first 40 years of his life, the palace was trying to shape him. And there are areas of our lives my life, your life and and people that we know that the world around us is trying to shape us into certain characters when actually, just like moses, we're not the character that they was trying to shape us into.
Speaker 1:So the power of worship does two things it brings us in line with the spirit of the living god and it brings us in line with the truth. The bible says we are worshipers and the worshippers shall worship in spirit and in truth. What is the spirit? The Holy Spirit and what is truth? The truth is the word of God. So when you worship in the word and you worship with the word and you sing through the word and you praise the word of God, and then you start to worship in the Holy Spirit, because the two go together and you start to worship in the Holy Spirit because the two go together, see, when you start to worship in the truth and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. You know there is power in freedom, in worship.
Speaker 1:If you've got any areas of your life, if you've got any worries, if you've got any doubts, look what the priest actually says to the Israelites, and he's very clear. He says don't be faint-hearted, don't be afraid, do not be terrified and do not give way to panic. You know, once we give way to panic, it's really, really important, brothers and sisters, that we hold on to truth, because panic is fear, fear is dangerous, fear is of the enemy. Now, what we've got to remind ourselves is the enemy doesn't get in the skin that we're walking in because we are filled to the full measure of the glory of god, but sometimes, sometimes, the battlefield, that mind, that headspace of ours, the overthinking, the over-engineerings, the what's, the ifs, the buts, the possiblities, the maybes, that's where the enemy wants us to get thinking of all these areas. Because when we think about this, what does it do? It tires us out, it, it exhausts us, it brings us into panic, it helps us to lose sleep and it absolutely whacks us out. So that's what a bible is very, very clear you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Speaker 1:Now god was telling the israelites when you go into battle, when you look at what the enemy is coming to you with, so this is in verse 1. He says when you go into war against your enemies and see the horses and the chariots and any army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them. It's very interesting. God is telling us that through the visualization and through what our eyes perceive and what our hearing hears and what our thought pattern looks and brings to our very, very being, what we get through our eyes, through our ears, through our ear gate, through our eye gate, it feeds us. Now we've got to be careful that as we look at the enemy, god is saying the enemy looks bigger than you. You know it looks bigger than you, the situation looks bigger than you, but just remember how big your God is. So when we go into the battlefield of life, when we go into them, areas of unfamiliar territory, when we go into those places of work, education, life itself, when we're thrusted into the hazards of just living as being human beings, when we look at a situation and the situation looks bigger than us, do not allow the size of the enemy's area of that situation, the horses, the chariots don't allow. What you hear and what you see worry you.
Speaker 1:That's really really important for where we live in the UK at this moment in time because, as we understand, or some of us may understand, as we've been listening to the podcast and we've been studying, we've been sermonizing and a bit of deep theological diving on certain things we've been doing about Ishmael and the Ishmaelites and who are, the Ishmael shall be like a wild donkey and his area of his life and the growth will be so quick. So when you look at the Arab nations, when you look at all that sort of stuff, when you look at Islam, the Bible says that he will be like a wild donkey, uncontrollable. Isn't that interesting? But the point I'm getting to, it says they will grow uncountably, it will just grow numerically. They will grow uncountably, it will just grow numerically. So when you look at the vastness of the enemy, and then the Bible reverses it and brings it to a place and it says God will restore all the years that the locusts have taken, the locusts, the swarming locusts, the young locusts, the devouring locusts, and it is impossible to count the volume of locusts.
Speaker 1:So when you look across the world and you see all these hazards, when you see the thickness of life, when you see the pressures of living, the pressures of moving, you know, just by being a Christian and a human being is the hardest thing that you will ever do and it will be exhausting and sometimes you'll question God. What is ever going on, lord? What is ever happening to my life, lord? All I feel going on, lord. What is ever happening to my life, lord? All I feel, like, lord, is I'm in the battlefield, lord. I'm always at the gate of uncertainty. I'm always at the gate of doubt. I'm always at the gate of I'm not sure, lord, I'm always at this gate. Father, god of of my faith is lacking at this moment in time. You know the battle belongs to the Lord and we are in the biggest battle since the cross of Calvary, as spiritual, as Bible-believing believers. And you are a John 3.3.
Speaker 1:The Bible says you must be born again and when you're born again and you realize your identity, who you are and we're not referring to the gender identity, because we got this crisis that has hit the UK like a whirlwind and we knew that it would very, very clearly On last Wednesday. The government has started and the news channels have started saying that the government has made a serious mistake and the government is starting to apologise in certain areas of gender identity and we're not going to teach the children and you can't teach the children anymore on this subject. And they're even talking, as we said, and we know what the journals and what the write-ups have been saying, and the documentation is that they are going to ban sex education for under nine-year-olds. Thank you, jesus. So it's very interesting that the enemy, the enemy, is always changing things around. You've got to be very, very careful and we've got to make sure that we're in the Word of God. We've got to be in the living Word of God, because you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8, 32. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. See, the government is changing things all day long. The government is changing things all day long.
Speaker 1:So I cannot listen to the rhetoric, I cannot listen to the political agenda. Sorry, I have got to listen to the word of God. How do I listen to the word of God? I get it through my ear gate, I get it through worship, I get it through just having it come through whatever device that I may listen through, through my headphones, through my earbuds, through the radio, through whatever means and shapes and how. And sometimes you can actually say to yourself why am I listening to this? It's easier just to listen to the radio and to bob along with whatever's going along on the radio, so to speak, but keep yourself steadfast in the word of God, because the battle belongs to the Lord.
Speaker 1:But I want to let you know the UK is going into a war zone that it's never been in before, and I'm referring not to a physical war, I'm referring to a spiritual war, because there is breakout in areas that we never thought that we'd see breakout. And God is telling you, and God is telling me, to strengthen yourself in the Lord, to prepare yourself for this wave, this crisis, this vastness that's coming to the shorelines. We've already had a touch of that that the UK has dipped its toe into a bit of that stuff that's going on. But, brothers and sisters, prepare yourself for what's coming and strengthen yourself in the Lord, but all will be okay, because what we need to do is just to trust him, to trust the living God. And God is telling the Israelites when you go and face your enemies. Do not give way to fear, do not give way to heart tremors, do not give away to panic, do not give way to doubt, do not give in, but stand firm. Brothers and sisters, this is not about a physical fight. This is about standing firm on the word of God and realizing that the battle belongs to the Lord and all things are possible to those who believe. And I pray that the word of God will be so strong in your life. The word of God will be so powerful.
Speaker 1:Again, I'm going to say, I'm going to repeat myself Do we believe in miracles? Yes, lord. Are you ready? Are you ready, church? Are you ready for the glory? Are you ready for the fire of God? Are you ready for the Holy Spirit? Are you ready for what God is about to do? Because god is breathing and god is moving and you've got to hold tight in the word of god. We've got to get in the word of god like never before. But the battle belongs to the lord. Let's just refresh ourselves before panic sets in. Don't forget we've got um, we've got a changing of the guard coming up. We've got so many things happening in the world of politics and we've got a lot of the guard coming up. We've got so many things happening in the world of politics and we've got a lot of things that are going to happen over the next year within number 10, downing Street.
Speaker 1:I'm going to read again those first four verses from Deuteronomy, chapter 20. And when you go to war against your enemies and you see their horses and their chariots that are greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord, your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. The Lord, thy God, is with you. You are filled to the full measure of his glory. And the Bible says he who began a good work in you will finish it unto the day of completion. He who began a good work in you, god has grafted, god has crafted, god has created, god has brought a great work in you. You are blessed and highly favoured. You are anointed for such a time as this and don't let anybody take the blessing or try to take the blessing off of you.
Speaker 1:Look at Joseph. Look at Joseph and his family. That's an amazing story you find in the Old Testament Joseph with his brothers. As soon as Joseph, a young Joseph, run out from his dad's house and he went here, fellas, have a look at what dad's give me. And they looked at him and said this is not fair. This is not fair. Be careful who you tell your story to Be careful. Who you give your dream to Be careful who you speak to. Be careful, because someone is always trying to rob your blessing. It might be family, it might be friends, it might be someone in church, it might be a pastor, it might be a leader, it might be someone that you sit with in church, it might be someone that is at your school, your university, your workspace. Be very careful who you share your vision and your dream to, because look at Joseph as soon as he started telling his family, they could not understand. And there are people in your lives that will not understand what God is doing to you and what God has done to you. You will find they will become jealous, they will become angry, they will become frustrated because they are jealous of the blessing that's sitting on your shoulders.
Speaker 1:And let's get back into this scripture, verse 2 of Deuteronomy, chapter 20, and when you are about to go into battle. There's nothing wrong with going into battle, because the battle belongs to the Lord and the Bible says you only need to be still. But the Bible also says get dressed. You know, put on the full armor of God. What does it say in Ephesians, chapter 6? Put on the full armor of God, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness. Your feet are fitted with the gospel of peace, you're carrying the sword of the spirit. You know, you've got the shield of faith and you round your. Uh, you've got around you. You've got the buckle of truth. You know you are. Have the buckle of truth. You are dressed and you are ready. But just because you are dressed doesn't mean to say that you're going to go into the battlefield.
Speaker 1:And then, if we was just just a moment, just to spend a couple of moments talking about David and Saul, when David was going to run down and he was going to have the battle with Goliath, you know, saul, there are many people in your life want to dress, you want to tell you. There are many people in your life want to dress you in the way that they want to dress you for the life itself. And I'm not referring to putting your socks and your shoes on in your morning. What I'm referring to is they want you to be dressed in the way that they would go into battle. But the way I go into battle, the way you go into battle, the way we all go into battle is very, very different. The way that we go into life and we go into the arena of situations is extremely different to one another, and I pray that we will not be and we will not give and we will not allow Saul to dress us for what God has for us, because if I go into the battlefield, into the arena of life, with what someone else is trying to give me rather than going in what God is telling me to go in, if I was to go in Saul's armor, I would not be able to fight the good fight.
Speaker 1:Now, very, very clear, david said to him Saul, this does not fit, and there are many things in our lives that people are trying to give to us and trying to get us to do that are not fit for purpose. So be aware who are the people in your life that are encouraging you to go in faith, and don't allow people to dress you in the way that they want to dress you, because if they dress you suddenly, it becomes their victory done through their armor. If you allow others to dress you and others to equip you. That is a way of manipulation and control. You've got to go into the battle seeking God. You've got to stand before the enemies of life and the battle belongs to the Lord. Do not allow the enemy to equip you with what I said the enemy and I'll say the enemy again, because Saul became the enemy to David.
Speaker 1:There are many people in life that are looking at you maybe looking at me, looking at us, whoever we are, and suddenly going to start to wear the jealous skin over their body, because they will be jealous of what God is doing through you. Do not allow the jealousy of the surrounding areas and culture and life to stop you treading the boards of faith. You are to jump out of that boat, you are to start to walk on water and you are just to keep your eyes on Jesus. But very clearly, when you go into the battlefield, don't go in the armor that someone else has given you. Don't go in the advice that someone else has given you. Don't go in the knowledge of what someone else has given you. Don't go in the knowledge of what someone else has given you. Go into the arena of life with what God has given you instruction and go down in faith and go down in power and go in there in the authority of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Speaker 1:And the priests warned them and I believe God is telling us tonight don't go faint hearted, don't go in fear, don't go in doubt, do not be terrified and do not give way to panic before them. We cannot give way to panic. When you study panic and you understand what panic is, you know how that suddenly a panic attack comes on. It completely changes the atmosphere, it changes focus, it changes logic, it changes everything within our lives. But the battle belongs to the Lord. Now God is telling the Israelites you are going to go to war. We've got to understand that we are going to war. And I'm not talking about World War III, I'm not talking about a physical war. I'm talking about the spiritual war that is out there right now. And we are at the gate that we've never been before and the gate is wide open and the heavenly realms are fierce. But the battle belongs to the Lord. Look at Ephesians, chapter 6. Very, very clear there.
Speaker 1:Get yourself dressed, get yourself ready, get yourself in the word of God, because the word of God is yes and amen. The word of God is power. The word of God, because the word of God is yes and amen. The word of God is power. The word of God is life. The word of God is hope and the word of God will lead you. The word of God will carry you. The word of God will lift you. The word of God will exalt you, and I'm not referring to you or me through an ego push, I'm referring to the word of God will lift us at that correct time and God will get his glory, god will get his work done through you.
Speaker 1:Now we're not referring to pulpit ministry. We're not talking about ministry. We're not talking about going and planting churches. We're talking about just getting in the arena, in the battlefield of just general living. And when you get in the arena of life, when you go to school, when you go to work, when you open your front door and you step out into the world, just remember who you are in Christ and don't be like Moses that lost his identity in the palace. And then it got even worse for him when he had 40 years in the wilderness and it was ages before. It was 80 years before he realized who he was. Brothers and sisters, I pray that we will realize who we are in Christ right now, and the love of God will be so strong and so powerful over our lives that we will fill his very, very presence.
Speaker 1:The battle belongs to the Lord. I've got to keep repeating this the battle belongs to the Lord. Are you ready for a miracle? Are you ready to see the glory? Are you ready to feel the glory of God and the power of the Holy Spirit? God is with you, the power of the word of God. There is healing, there is mercy, there is blessing, there are miracles. God loves you. God loves you and God will make a way. There is no other God but the God of Israel. There is no other king but the name of Jesus Christ. He is the king of the Jews, he is the great I Am and he's with you in the fire.
Speaker 1:You've only got to look at Shamrach, meshach and Abednego. They were thrusted into the fire. You've only got to look at what the king said. Who is that fourth person? Who is walking around with them? What is going on? Their clothes have not burnt. They do not even smell of smoke. They've survived the fire. They survived the furnace.
Speaker 1:Brothers and sisters, you will survive the furnace. You will survive the onslaught. You will survive because the battle belongs to the Lord. Even when you look at Daniel, he was thrown into the lion's den and what did God do? He sent an angel to keep the mouth of the lions closed. God will keep the mouth of the lions closed for you. God will part the river Jordan. God will make a way in the wilderness.
Speaker 1:But so often we are led to the wilderness to be strengthened. We are led to the battlefield to be completely relied on him, to have a complete totality of faith within him, and sometimes we have to reach that point, a place of a non-return flight, before we actually realize. This is the totality of my faith. I am completely and absolutely at the end of this road. I don't know what to do and I've literally got to take a leap of faith.
Speaker 1:I believe God is calling you to take a leap of faith. I believe the Holy Spirit is ministering to you. I believe that you are receiving your healing. I believe all fear is gone. I believe the love of God is surrounding you. I believe the word of God is your strength, your shield. I believe the word of God is your salvation. I believe the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is with you in all areas of your life and the best is before you. But when you stand and when you see and you get in the arena of life, as God told the priests and as God told the Israelites, you are going to go to war, but you don't have to lift a sword. You don't have to fight, but you've got to be ready. You've got to have the faith to step into the arena and let God move. Have we got the faith to step in the arena and let God move? Wow, god please. I pray tonight. Lord, give us this faith.
Speaker 1:Brothers and sisters, wherever you are across the world, all those that are joining us on the broadcast scattered across the earth, everybody that's listening to this podcast, tens of thousands of downloads across the world let's get to the cross of Calvary. Let's break bread together and, as I said yesterday and I'll always say for every service, once my mind thinks of it, brothers and sisters, whatever church you're in, I would encourage you to ask your leadership team can we please take the bread and wine at every service? It's really important that we're at this point and you know, we've done it in this church for years and years and years. Every service, we break bread and we take it a cup. It's extremely important because that's the given of God, that is an absolute of Christ. That Christ says as often as you gather together in my name, do this in remembrance of me. So, brothers and sisters, we are doing this in remembrance of the Lord, jesus Christ. So let's break bread.
Speaker 1:Father, we thank you that this bread symbolizes the body of Christ. And right now, lord, in the name of Jesus Lord, we step into the arena. And right now, lord, in the name of Jesus, lord, we step into the arena. Father, we step into the arena, lord, and we're dressed, we're ready, our faith is rising because we shall rise on wings as of eagles. Father, we will run dear God and not grow weary. Lord, we shall march and not be faint. Father, we thank you that the power of God is you. So, father, come right now. Holy Spirit, move over us, move within us, lord, let the glory rest over each and every one of us in the mighty name of Jesus. But, lord, I recognize that this is bread in itself, but it's symbolic to the body of Christ. So, father, I pray that you'll bless every one of us, the terrific amount of people that are online and everybody in the world, lord, are vulnerable, that are listening to this Father.
Speaker 1:We break bread together tonight and we say thank you, jesus, that this is symbolic to the body of Christ In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you, jesus. Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, will you stir us tonight? Holy Spirit, holy Spirit, will you stir us tonight? Holy Spirit, will you stir our hearts? Holy Spirit, will you ignite that fire within our belly tonight? Lord, will you put our heart on fire for God? Holy Spirit, will you stir us to be Bible-believing believers? Holy Spirit, will you bring us to the cross of Calvary? Holy Spirit, will you bring us to the place of surrender? Holy Spirit, will you bring us to the place of totality, complete trust in you, in all things? Lord, will you bring us to a place, god, where we stand Father, god, strong and bold, on the rock of all ages? Lord, will you bring us to a place, lord, where we shout out to the world I am a born again, spirit filled, blood washed, sanctified believer in the blood and in the word of God, and I'm on my way to glory and no battle and no weapon forged against me shall prosper because of the blood of the Lord.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ was shed at the cross of Calvary and he wrote our name. He wrote your name, he wrote my name in the Lamb's book of life. So right now, lord, I thank you for this grape juice. This wine is symbolic to the blood of the Lord. So, father, will you wash me and cleanse me from the crown of my head to the very sole of my feet? And as we all join, lord, as we all link shields of faith, as iron sharpens iron, as your glory reigns across this earth, spirit of the living God, we pray, father, that you bring every one of us to the power of the cross of Calvary and we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. Come, lord, cleanse us In Jesus' name, amen. Oh God, we worship you tonight.
Speaker 1:Brothers and sisters, do you realize who your God is? Do you realize who your King is? Do you realize who you are? In Christ Jesus, you are filled to the full measure. The glory is over you, the power is within you, the love of God is wrapped around you. Let's just pray a moment. Let's just pray a moment as we bring this service to a close, father, in the name of Jesus, we come against ADHD.
Speaker 1:We come against fear, we come against the dark forces of this world and, father, we stand on the rock of all ages. Father, we come against fear, we come against the dark forces of this world and, father, we stand on the rock of all ages. Father, we come against sickness and disease. We come against cancers, heart disease. We come against fear, we come against panic. Right now, lord, we come against the onslaught, the battlefield of the mind from the enemy's realms. Father, we thank you that we have the mind of Christ. And right now, lord, father, will you that we have the mind of christ? And right now, lord, father, will you wash us in the blood? Will you cleanse us by the crimson tide? Lord, will you fix our feet firmly on the rock? Father, will you fix our feet on the rock of all ages, spirit of the living god, we thank you that fire is within us, that joy is around us, that the holy spirit is leading us to new pastures.
Speaker 1:Father, I pray for all those that feel fearful tonight. That fear will go. At the name of jesus, I pray for all those that are doubtful. That doubt will go. I pray for all those that are just lost in the, the complicated way of life, the complexities of life. I pray, lord, that through the areas of faith, dear God, that they will rise on wings as of eagles. I pray for those that are carrying sickness and disease, that the sickness and the disease will go at the name of Jesus and the fire of God will burn in their hearts, their minds, their bodies, their souls.
Speaker 1:Holy Spirit, will you take us to a place, lord, where your word, dear God, your word, refreshes each and every one of us. Lord, we thank you for the miracle work in the power of the living God. Come, holy Spirit, lord, lift us today. Lord, father, we call you into the arena, we call you down, god, in the arena of trouble, and we say Lord, this is your battle, lord, this is your way. We are in the promised land. Lord, this is your battle. Lord, this is your way. We are in the promised land. Lord, we're in your word and we are dressed in the word. So, father, we ask you, lord, that you will just take on all the issues that we are carrying and, lord, help us to lay them at the cross of Calvary, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters, wherever you are at this hour, just remember when you go into the battlefield of life. Just remember when you go in the arena. Just remember when you are fighting historical stuff in your mind. The battle belongs to the Lord. Hand everything over to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He's the great I am. He's worthy of all praise.
Speaker 1:I am just going to flick up on the back screen for those that are asking where do we find these back services and where all these podcasts are. I'm just going to flick that up right now and I pray that wherever you are this evening, you will feel the love of god and the power of the holy spirit. You can capture all this stuff back on reverend ben cooper's podcast, all the back stuff. You know there is so much stuff down there. There is so much podcast, there is so much services. There's so much going on. May God bless you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. We'll catch you soon. Take care, god bless, never give up. See you soon, thank you.
