Decision Day: The Watch Letter

There once was a woman who had demons cast out of her.

But for a while, after that deliverance, she continued to act the same.

Why? Did God fail in her deliverance? Did the man of God's prayers go unheard?

Of course not.

The demons were indeed cast out. But they still had control over her life.

How?

Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn told me it was because she had not decided to be free.

Instead, she was still deciding to think the same way and do the same things she did while she was possessed.

And Chief Apostle Gunn explained that because of our decisions, demons can have control over our lives from the outside.

Her decisions permitted them to oppress her and guide her from afar.

But one day she finally made up her mind to live in and for God and the demons no longer could oppress her and rule in her life. And that is where freedom lives! Chief Apostle Gunn always teaches us that you have to have a well made-up mind to freely serve God.

So, how do you make up your mind? Here are some scriptures on what to do with our minds to ensure our decisions open the door for the Lord to reign over our lives and not the devil and his demons

2 Corinthians 10:5 - Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Isaiah 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Psalms 119:15 - I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

Romans 8:5-6: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

So, back to the story about the woman. The woman decided she wanted God more than her lifestyle, her habits, her past, her feelings, her desires, and even more than being accepted by her family, friends, and the world. That decision made her life dangerous to the demons and they could no longer control her because she relinquished control to the Lord.

There are lies often told in or through the church worldwide that are helping people who profess to be saved or love God to continue to be bound by demons. They continue to go undelivered because they are not being told the truth. That is why I am so thankful for Chief Apostle Gunn. He ensures through the teaching that we are not naive or blind as we navigate life.

Once saved always saved and once delivered always delivered are just a few of the lies that are leaving people bound. As Chief Apostle Gunn always says: it takes more than coming to the altar to "give the pastor your hand and God your heart." That is an outward symbol and a one-time occurrence. He taught us that you have to recommit to God daily. You have to repent daily. You have to choose holiness daily. You have to make Godly decisions daily. You have to cry out for deliverance and change daily.

So, for some people, once they get in church, go to the altar or meet with the pastor for prayer, that is as far as they go. They do nothing to maintain their day-to-day walk with God and because of that, the demons move right on in. You can be ministering, praising, fasting, studying, and testifying every day, and be clean outwardly, but a demon is still in control of you if your daily life decision is not for Christ and Christ alone.

Matthew 12:43: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

You can get delivered. But you can also backslide from the Lord and all of the places you were washed become unclean again. By our decisions, we can walk from under the covering of the blood of Jesus. Yes, he died for us all but we must choose daily to no longer be slaves to sin and instead be in service to the Lord.

Although Judas walked with Jesus physically, he fellowshipped with the devil in his heart by the decisions he made. The devil was one of God's angels, but became his enemy and betrayed him because of the desires he had. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, were members of the early church -- the same church that was on one accord because they received the Holy Ghost together and the same church where everyone shared their finances and resources to work and live together for the cause of Christ. But they wanted more money, success, and worldly things so bad that they lied to God and did not keep their commitment to sharing their finances and resources. Peter asked them: "How is it that satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself?"

All three of these situations have one thing in common: a decision. One decided that heaven and being with God eternally was not enough for him. Another decided that being a disciple of Jesus was worth far less than a few pieces of silver. And the others decide that they would rather lie to God and their fellow Christians than give up what they had in their hands.

Chief Apostle Gunn told me once that some people, for example, can have been hustlers, liars, addicts, abusers, users, thieves, and the like before they got saved. And although they may not do the same things they did in the past on the surface, if they have not made up their mind whole-heartedly for God they will go back to the old ways and those ways will show up in many forms. For instance, the hustler may become a leader in the church but he finds a way to use his slick words to get people to go along with his plots and schemes to undermine the pastor put paints it to be holy. Because that leader has not decided to let go of his old mentality he is continuing to allow those demons to work in his life but just with a white robe or nice suit on.

Chief Apostle Gunn has also taught us about the power of the Lord's prayer. He taught us that Jesus never intended for it to be a tradition, vain repetition, or done out of pomp and circumstance, but that it was to be a model of how we are to come before the Father every day. Jesus said: "After this manner, therefore, pray ye." Manner means an approach or way of doing something. There is one part of the Lord's prayer that is standing out to me today.

"Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil."

Jesus is telling us that we have to come before God daily to ask for what we need to do his will, to ask for forgiveness from our sins, to ask for help out of temptation, and to ask for deliverance. So, that means it has to be a daily decision to live for God. A baptism, altar call, confession booth, or prayer line won't sustain you.

In John 3:3, Jesus said; "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

The word again means afresh, anew, and in addition to what has already been done. We have to keep coming back to God again and again, every day --- just like we want him to do for us. The other week, Chief Apostle Gunn talked about going back to the beginning and going back to living before God as our Father. God is the beginning of all things. He is also the beginning of time. The beginning of life. The beginning of hope. The beginning of joy. The beginning of health. The beginning of peace. The beginning of love. So, to attain and maintain these things we must keep deciding to stay before him, live for him, and love him every day.

Deuteronomy 30:19: I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

One last note before I go. The other day Chief Apostle Gunn was sharing with me about the importance of Godly influence in our lives and our homes and our children. We need to ask ourselves is God influencing us? If God is not your first and major influence there is a problem. If Godly people are not your influence there is a problem. And if you are the one who is not a Godly influence in your home, to your spouse, to your children, on your job, amongst the congregation, etc., then Houston we have a problem.

Have we helped the demons control others from the outside by not demonstrating who God is and what he stands for in our homes? Are we allowing the devil to operate stations of demonic activity right in front of our faces by choosing not to take a stand, speak up, lead by holy example, and walk out the word of God? Is our compromise, silence, selfishness, and worldliness turning the people we influence away from God and over to demons?

In this instance I will use the NIV version of the Bible to drive the point home:

Luke 17: 1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Listen to this FORREAL RADIO BROADCAST from 2018 "Standing at the Crossroads of Trouble:" https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=6419428465967104&wix-music-comp-id=comp-j3hyec8g

I want to take a moment to say Happy Birthday and thank you to Chief Apostle Gunn. He has indeed been a Godly influence in my life and the lives of thousands of others. The Lord has given him a new addition to his name - Fire Chief! Because he is on fire for God! And he has been called to put out the fires that have been sent to destroy people's lives physically and spiritually in this land and to help rescue them from the fire of hell. Join me in praying for him and supporting him. Sow a seed toward the labor ahead here. Amen!