The Great Matt Geib with you (0:30) once again on a sunny, bright day in the Pacific Northwest, winding down the end of July and (0:37) going toward the home stretch of the end of summer. Can you believe it? And today I wanted (0:44) to get back to you. It's been a long time.I think we're going to have to come in here (0:50) and study this more frequently, but I started to read at the very beginning of June, end (0:57) of May, How to Identify and Defeat 16 Evil Spirits That Want to Destroy You. The name (1:06) of the book is Power and Authority Over Darkness by Angela Greenig. She's a deliverance minister (1:13) that's traveled the world, been around, oh, 40 years or more, as long as I have, maybe (1:19) longer.And she's written a powerful book on the workings of the enemy. And I started (1:27) to read it. I think this is such an important topic, I began to say when we started this, (1:33) because of what's going on in our world right now.It says in the Bible that even if it (1:38) were possible, the elect could be deceived. And I think it's important to know the forces (1:44) that may come against us, especially in this last age. I believe we're in the last age.(1:50) So I had started to read this, and there are 16 spirits that she identifies. That's the (1:57) meat of the book. There's more to the book, but I thought this was the important part (2:01) because I've read this book.And I only got through the three spirits, the first three (2:06) spirits she identifies, lying spirit, spirit of bondage, and the spirit of fear. She wrote (2:13) this book in 2019, so it's still really relative. And these are very good things to be aware (2:21) of when we're talking about demonic spirits and strongholds.And I believe Christians can (2:26) be oppressed and harassed by evil spirits, and this will help you. (2:33) So let's get to the next one. This is going to take some time because she really devotes (2:38) a lot to each of these topics.The spirit of heaviness, and provide for those who grieve (2:45) in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of (2:52) mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks (2:58) of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. Isaiah 61.3. We're (3:06) talking of 16 spirits.This is spirit four, the spirit of heaviness. Manifestations, depression, (3:15) the blues, psychological disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking (3:23) and concentrating, feelings of dejection, loneliness, the feeling of being without company, discouragement, (3:31) to deprive of courage or confidence, hopelessness, not having any desire accompanied by expectation (3:40) of fulfillment, grief, emotional distress caused by or as if by bereavement, gluttony, one (3:49) that eats to excess, anorexia, loss of appetite, especially when prolonged, bulimia, I'm not (4:00) sure how to say that, to overeat, then induce vomiting, obsessive, compulsive, unreasonable (4:08) fears leading to repetitive behaviors, disconnected thoughts, incoherent, unclear, lack of a sound (4:18) mind, inability to think, reason, or understand, delusions, deluding or being deluded, a persistent (4:26) false psychotic belief, illusions, mistaken identities or ideas, misconceptions, misleading (4:35) visual images, hallucinations, abandonment, given up on completely, forsaken, deserted, (4:43) rejected, disconnected, discounted, or considered as useless or unsatisfactory. These are all (4:53) manifestations of the spirit of heaviness.Rejection, discounted, considered as useless (4:58) or unsatisfactory, suicidal, desire to kill oneself purposely, to commit or attempt suicide, (5:05) low self-esteem, to set a low value on self, does not respect, admire, or revere, (5:15) melancholia, a mental disorder marked by extreme depression, often with delusions, (5:22) sadness, and gloominess, dejection, lowness of spirit, downcast, pessimism, an indication to (5:31) take the least favorable view as of any event, or to expect the worse, hypochondria, depression of (5:38) the mind, often centered on imaginary physical ailments, brokenhearted, overcome by grief or (5:45) despair, self-tormenting, to severe suffering of body or the mind, voiceless woes, having no voice, (5:55) not pronounced with voice. All of the manifestations of the spirit of heaviness (6:00) speak for themselves. Look closely at the definitions I've mentioned and keep your (6:06) mind girded with the helmet of salvation, not the thorns of torment.Job 3.26 says, (6:14) I have no peace, no quietness, I have no rest but only turmoil. In Psalm 69.20 we read, (6:22) Reproach has broken my heart, and I'm full of heaviness. I looked for someone to take pity, (6:27) but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.This teaching is for you if you're (6:33) going through a season when the spirit of heaviness has been trying to steal all that (6:39) the Lord has given you. Yes, there are seasons in our lives when we feel lonely. As I write this, (6:44) I look at the holidays and how many people are so lonely, hurting, and want to die.I know there (6:50) are many lonely people out there. Please be mindful that everyone experiences times when we (6:56) grieve or are sad because of the loss of a loved one or a dear friend. When we see someone going (7:02) through hard times, we must attend to one another more than ever.My friend lost her (7:08) husband to cancer a few years ago. She is so strong in the Lord that many people thought she (7:14) was fine. Therefore, not a lot of phone calls or people were checking in on her and her family.(7:21) People did not realize that she was grieving so deeply inside. She was crying and scared, (7:26) lost, confused, angry. I tell you this because there are different processes we must go through (7:34) in our lives, and it's okay to grieve and to feel these emotions.(7:38) There's another sister in Christ I know who is still in her death clothes to this day. (7:43) It was six or seven years ago when her husband died, but she is still immobilized, crippled. (7:49) Most days she cannot get out of bed.She is frightened and feels alone. (7:53) The difference between these two women is not all about faith but where we are spiritually. (7:59) It is also about those areas that the Lord has healed and the areas that He's still working on.(8:05) Every situation is different. Sometimes it takes a year or more to heal. Others may take a lifetime.(8:14) In the first situation, my friend allowed the Lord to bring healing (8:18) and restoration to her heart and life in an everyday process. (8:23) Unfortunately, the second sister, because of being so dependent on her husband for everything, (8:28) felt like she lost her identity. Since her identity was invested in her husband when he died, (8:34) she felt like she died right along with him.Many people do not know how to handle depression. (8:41) They turn solely to the medical field or self-medicating, (8:45) often through destructive means. Some are getting wrapped up (8:49) in it so tightly that they often need psychiatric help, which can lead to many (8:55) medications.These medications often make people feel worse than they did at the start. (9:01) The best medicine is Jesus. Sure, it's easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere, (9:07) and there's no better addiction in this world than to be addicted to the Heavenly Father.(9:13) Depression is brutal, a hard habit to break, and yes, it is a habit. Some may not think so, (9:22) but a habit is something we do daily, even if we don't realize it. It is by far one of the hardest, (9:28) if not the hardest habit to break, because we find outlets to medicate our depression.(9:34) Alcoholics use drinking as a mechanism to cope. Smokers use that to clear their head. (9:40) Many use food to ease their depression, which then turns into a form of gluttony.(9:49) Food can turn a person from mad, sad, or melancholy into a state of mind which is euphoric. (9:55) How long does it last? Maybe 30 minutes, an hour or two at the most. We eventually fall back into (10:01) reality and to our vices.Consumption is what most do to battle depression, yet it is so very (10:09) destructive. The depression that our son went through involved years of medications, being (10:14) hospitalized for months on end, and this went on for years. It is so scary as a parent.Every place (10:21) he went for help, he was told that his problem was bipolar disorder, which affects 5.7 million (10:28) adults, or about 2.6% of the United States population 18 and older, according to the (10:34) National Institute of Mental Health, and this disorder is on the increase. When bipolar was (10:42) mentioned, we couldn't believe it. After all, he was in a wrestling competition at school, (10:48) and he had been doing amazingly well, but a door opened and I saw it.Like Alice in Wonderland, (10:54) he was in the looking glass and spiraling down the rabbit hole. As his parents, we were undone. (11:02) One of the most horrible feelings in the world was to see our son's mental and physical health (11:08) failing.It took years of unfolding or peeling that onion problem away, which included several (11:15) DUI arrests and the consequences of court appearances, jails, and fines. Today, he (11:21) does remarkably well now and takes no medications at all. Does he still have bouts of depression? (11:27) Yes, but he leans on Jesus and family to get through, and that's where the road to mental (11:35) health begins.Children as young as 4 or 5 years of age are on medications for related (11:41) mental and social diseases, when often the cure is just receiving the proper love and attention. (11:48) I believe the Lord has given us doctors and medication to help us. While medication can be (11:54) the physical partnering with the spiritual, it is important to cooperate with God as He brings (12:00) healing.In the U.S., treatment with medication for this spirit of heaviness is increasing (12:06) at an alarming rate. Children as young as 8 or 9 are being prescribed medication for depression, (12:14) ADHD, bipolar, etc. My personal belief, and I stress this is my own opinion, is that much of (12:24) behavior in children is triggered by the growing divorce rate.So many parents have divorced, (12:30) and the statistics reflect that divorce rates are nearly as high in Christian marriages as (12:36) non-Christian marriages. When marriages are on the verge of disaster, parents can become so (12:42) consumed with their own issues that children are often neglected. Instead of being present (12:48) in their children's lives, children are often left to entertain themselves in front of TV sets (12:52) or video games.This can create a sense of emotional abandonment, grief, and rejection (12:59) that they do not have a voice. Children then invest themselves into alternate realities (13:05) through media, which can eventually leave them searching for something real that is prime (13:12) territory for the enemy to enter, slowly sowing seeds of deception and attempting to alter the (13:18) patterns and behaviors of children. Often, when this occurs, everything changes, (13:26) or once that occurs, everything changes.Children become unruly or unmanageable, (13:32) or they can become that way. Parents in marital distress may view their children (13:36) as liabilities rather than assets and heirs. At times, we need to get help from the medical field (13:43) with the manifestations of this spirit of heaviness.Also, we should be fasting and in (13:48) prayer. God, please release your healing balm, healing the depths of the minds and hearts of (13:53) your children of all ages. Our soul, the soul, if not healed, will cause great damage to you (14:01) and to your walk with the Lord.I've asked many people if they are happy in their walk with the (14:06) Lord. Usually, their answers are no. The cycle of a damaged soul will keep you from enjoying true (14:12) happiness and feeling self-worth.If you are fractured and fragmented by the pains of your (14:19) past, those wounds can cause a chasm so wide that you will not be able to step over it into (14:26) your future. We need to walk in wisdom whenever things become overwhelming so that we do not (14:34) succumb to allow ourselves to have a breakdown of mind and body. Psalm 23 speaks of it like this, (14:41) to go through these valleys as long as you go through them.You do not camp there and make (14:46) yourself a home there. If you feel like you can't press on, reach out for help. Call on God and (14:51) friends or family when you are going through difficult trials and tribulations.Go to your (14:55) pastor or someone who you can talk to. Never be afraid as a Christian to go to a doctor and get (15:01) help. Remember, we pass through the valley of death, and the situations that arise will subside.(15:08) For years, I have taught about needing mirror time, which is about taking time to look at (15:15) myself in the mirror, seeing who Christ has made me to be, and embracing it. (15:21) When the Lord first called me into ministry, He told me to go and bring the lost and hurting to (15:27) Him. I had only been saved a short time, but He told me to go.I said, Lord, I can't. I don't (15:33) speak well. I'm afraid of rejection and ridicule.I had such a great heaviness on my life during my (15:40) teen years that I became anorexic and bulimic. I was living in wells of death and despair. (15:47) The Lord said to me, bathroom time now.So I went and started talking to myself in the mirror. (15:53) As I started to speak to myself aloud, what I saw in me, He began to speak over me. (15:59) You are an evangelist.I honestly didn't know what evangelist meant at the time. He said it. (16:04) For the first half hour or so afterward, I laughed and cried and started speaking aloud the Word of (16:09) God.Out of your heart flows rivers of life, and I was bubbling over. Watch over your heart with (16:16) diligence, for from it flow the springs of life, Proverbs 4.23 tells us. The true mission of the (16:24) Spirit of Heaviness is to rob you of your blessings and your joy.Why do you think we (16:29) see so many unhealthy-looking people around us, whether overweight or underweight or just (16:34) generally looking unwell? It is because there is an imbalance caused by the Spirit of Heaviness. (16:41) First, it affects your mind of the person, then the body. Isaiah 61.3 declares, (16:48) Of the oil of joy and the garments of praise, it is important that our focus is on rejoicing in the (16:54) Lord.We must choose life and not death. Find scriptures that bring life to your situation (17:00) and meditate on them, and the enemy won't have a footstool to stand on. However, do not rejoice (17:08) that the Spirit submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven, Jesus told the (17:14) Luke 10.20. Depression and lethargy go hand in hand, as both are heavy spirits that can lie (17:21) upon a person for days, weeks, months, sometimes, sadly, for years.It is easy to be caught up in (17:29) the routine of either one of these because it tends to consume us as individuals, which can (17:35) be a hindrance to those around us. Nobody wakes up saying, I will be sad and depressed today. (17:40) I began looking for solutions to these problems in my research.(17:45) I discovered that the mind is bombarded 60,000 to 80,000 times a day. Experts estimate there (17:53) are between 2,100 to 2,500 thoughts that bombard your mind every hour. I was surprised, (18:00) but then it hit me.Years ago, we were exposed to the constant bombardment of negative images. (18:07) Twenty years ago, we didn't have access at our fingertips to the internet sites, cell phones, (18:11) and all the technology we have today. No wonder many of our young ones are so bound with feeling (18:19) the heaviness of not being good enough, thin enough, rich enough, etc.The competition is (18:25) out of control, and it is unhealthy at any age. Many people can't stop looking at their Facebook (18:32) or Instagram accounts to see how many likes they've received. (18:36) It's become such an oppressive behavior.I say, no, we must reverse that. It's like the saying, (18:43) you are what you eat, which for this context would be the bread of God. You take it in, (18:48) and you feel good.But if you are not hungry for the Lord, you'll be starving (18:53) and using worldly things to keep you fed. You can even reason with yourself as to why, (19:00) but He does not want us to consume things of the world. For in doing so, we often become depressed, (19:07) lonely, suicidal.Anyone imprisoned by any type of slavery should start singing in the midnight hour, (19:16) freedom, freedom, freedom, to grant those who mourn in Zion the following, to give them a (19:25) instead of dust on their heads, a sign of mourning, the oil of joy instead of mourning, (19:31) the garment of praise instead of disheartened spirit. So they will be called the trees of (19:37) righteousness, strong, magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with (19:44) God, the planning of the Lord that He may be glorified, Isaiah 61.3. Let's pray. (19:52) Lord Jesus, I repent from any unforgiveness, bitterness, or offense toward, and you fill in (19:59) the blank the people you think of now, in the name of Jesus.Lord, I choose to forgive, (20:05) you fill in the blank again, and I forgive these people. I receive your forgiveness (20:11) through faith, and by my own confession, I break Satan's power hold against me now, (20:19) no more. I pray this prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ.I bind (20:25) the spirit of heaviness, yes Lord, from operating in my mind, body, or soul any longer, and by the (20:32) power in the blood of Jesus, I command it to leave me now. I release myself fully and totally from (20:39) any of its residue that would try to remain or hold me down through demonic manifestations, (20:46) and its demonic fruit of sadness, sorrow, laziness,...
