David Wilkerson The Private War of a Saint

I want to talk to you about the private war of a singing the private war of a saint now when I when I call them a say when I say Saint I'm not talking about somebody that is a recluse that's hiding away for 50 years and not in the public I know that this is a Christian it's a believer who is walking in the fullness of Christ's love and we are all Saints according to Paul the Apostle those who love Christ and walk with Him are called Saints the private war of a saint now Heavenly Father we ask you to come and speak in a very special way there are many private wars going on even now when I speak there are private wars among the saints of God here and Holy Spirit you have spoken to my heart and you have given me something from your heart and I ask you Lord to give me the strength and give me the anointing to convey it to this crowd this congregation Lord without the anointing of the Spirit I can't preach it and we can't hear it so we asked you to come Holy Spirit right now I honor you and I say take my voice take my mind and soul and spirit and speak your word to our hearts so that we walk out of here encouraged and changed in Christ's name I pray amen in the 12th chapter of Revelation we're told that Satan is going to rise up on the last day and declare war on the remnant the Holy remnant this is a war Satan is going it is now engaging in against the Church of Jesus Christ and against the body of Christ that includes those in China Africa South America North America over the world there's a war and you and I are involved in what we have termed spiritual warfare now this spiritual warfare can manifest itself in many ways it's it's Islam in many countries fighting against the the Christian Way of life fighting against the the revelation and testimony of Jesus Christ himself when you go to Europe it's secularism this is the the warfare that Satan is waging against the Church of Jesus Christ recent survey said that in Sweden only 20% of the population now believes in God 80 percent do not believe in God secularism and apostasy you go to England you'll find apostasy you find it all through Europe Europe is in great dire need of a shaking and not just the United States in the United States the the warfare against the church has to do with with the madness for pleasure and sensuality and prosperity and gold has become the idol and and these are principalities and powers of darkness that seem to be moving into every institution the principalities and powers of darkness this war that's being raged and believe me all but one candidate Democratic side I don't know yet about where all the Republicans stand but even they those candidates are for gay marriage and it seems like though this this war has developed in that there's there seems to be a boasting in this area of principalities and powers that are moving into positions of power in our institutions and agencies and even into church denominations when you have the leader of the Pisgah pagan Church here in the United States advocating gay marriage and ordaining a gay bishop and you see this almost this mockery you you see this the pride that we're going to win this war that we're going to move into power and they're doing that you can be sure that any anyone who gets into power now in the presidency and many in Congress we are headed for gay marriage it's inevitable it's going to happen and now in our schools teaching that homosexuality is the right way and teenagers are being taught in some of our schools now to try it even in grade schools and you you you see them in these principalities and powers working through people putting out their chests and saying we are in power we're in your face but folks the Bible says our weapons are not carnal but mighty through God and tearing down strongholds and impulses said we don't war that kind of war we don't do that we war through prayer we war through our knees we don't have to have a machete in our hand we don't have to lop off somebody's head or somebody's arm our power is not those carnal weapons Lord be to God now we know who's going to win this war I said we know how this war comes out mighty through God and pulling down strongholds and principalities and powers but you see there's another war and this is the war I want to concentrate on this morning and that's the private war to individual children of God individual private Wars the writers of Ecclesiastes said there's a time for war there's a time for peace now you may be enjoying a time of peace right now the joy of the Lord is flooded in your soul your problems many of them have been solved or God has answered prayer and you're in that time there's a time for rejoicing a time for peace and I trust that many of you there but also said there's a time of war and that war that private war will come to you if you're not already in it and many of you sitting here listening to me right now you have been enduring and you are in the middle engaged in of spiritual warfare private that nobody else knows about nobody else can share you can't tell anybody because it's so deep and they wouldn't understand how they might judge you in for example like I talked to Gwen and sometimes I see the pain etched in her faced and I want her to talk to me and I say and would you please tell me what's going on because I want to pray with you I want to hold you up and she says I'll often do it this is my silent war I can't tell you and I said why not she said I I just can't explain it's so deep have you ever been there if you ever gone through something where affliction after adversity after fliction after trouble after trial comes heap one after another and it doesn't seem to stop whether its financial children grandchildren friends come on now I'm not speaking into the air I'm not talking over your head many of you know what I'm talking about you're in that private battle right now these are Wars of the flesh my son Greg who went through this two and a half years of hell on earth with pain that no medication could touch thank God he's had his operation and he's doing fine and gaining strength every day but I remember going to visit him at times when he wanted to take his life he was in doctors say that's what happens with the kind of situation he had and I said Greg I can only imagine what you're going through and he says no no no that you can't you can't imagine it because you see I couldn't reach him his wife couldn't reach him is June and couldn't reach him counsellors couldn't reach him because there's something going on there between him and God there's something going on that is so deep and so painful he doesn't have words I believe that some of you could not sit down with any pastor or with me and try to probe the depths of what you're going through you've already gone through the questions why God you're beyond that that's what happened to Greg he's beyond he's I don't ask why anymore he said that's that's it I just want one hour free of pain I would just like to be able to see and get some kind of relief and what I'm going through this war that I'm in you see there are war zones and there are bloody battlefields and in that time you don't want a song you don't need a sermon you don't need a Holy Ghost meeting where you just get primed and pumped in and go out and as soon as you get on the street or get in your car it's there now I know what that's like to be in a private warfare and sit in this seat and hurting usually over someone else's pain near to me and and so overwhelmed by it and everybody singing shake off those heavy bands lay your burdens down and I'm saying well I I don't feel like it I I'm not getting into the meeting and I'm not hearing the message I know I'm hearing powerful message from some pastor and he's preaching with fire on truth than building my faith and and I walk out saying I'm the same them still in the battle you see we try to grit our teeth and say hey I can fight this and we put on this facade and we say everything is all right innit it's not and God doesn't want you to cheat like that God doesn't want you to put on a front god is has sympathy when you're in these times he knows what you're going through but this is between you and God it's between you and Jesus and nobody else can help I know what it was for three days when my daughter Bonnie was who here this morning was in hospital cancer and for three days in a room shut in in a hospital room nobody could go in except with leaded soot leaded vest no food and cobalt beaming into her body for three days and nights and Gwen is in the hall pounding a wall on the fist their fists on the wall and I couldn't take it I was overwhelmed and so shocked I got in my car and I told this store went out in the country and for two hours they screamed to God said God Gwen all her cancers and then deafie and now Bonnie what did I do and and why this constant barrage of pain and agony and I know what it is to not be able to few to see me and talk to me on that road in El Paso I can you couldn't get me I don't care if there were a thousand Saints standing there praying for me I don't care if they were saying brother Dave hold on you're going to make it through and don't say things that wound God's heart and and don't scream at God and nothing would have touched me because I was in a private war because God had to do something in my heart there was something God had to do and me man can't do it sometimes counsellors can't reach it they can't get through to you you can hear all the preaching you can hear all of that but God has to do something supernatural for you for you I thank God he met me on that day and God said your daughter has two fathers you and me which one knows what's best I said you do he said you forgot to father which one other can one of us can hold Bonnie now in that room I said you can and Lord said you put your family in my hands and you trust me and you just hold stead I'm not mad at you get it out of your system cry it out and then just put them all in my hands and I'll do what's right distrust that I'm a father to you and while Gwen was in the hall praying and I'm out getting a victory there just between me and God Jesus moved into Bonnie's room for three days and held her fast she's here today and she could tell you that oh yes private Wars some of us face a private war that's cause what the Bible calls a season of heaviness who are kept Paul said we are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time we're in you greatly rejoice though now for a season if need be you're in heaviness through many adversities temptations or adversities he said in Paul saying I know your rejoicing I know you of rejoicing her we know you love God but there are going to be times of adversity and heaviness and the original it says times of dejection and times of down this times of absolute depression and he said for a season if need be it's this waking up every day in another battle finances that nav financial problems that never seemed to end I got a letter from the pastor this week and he said positive I've got three children and I've got financial problems there's no money coming in and he said I I actually said in a room recently and was so angry because I have prayed and I have fasted I've done everything and this battle never ends for me and then at the end of the toward the end of the letter he said I just got your newsletter and you were talking about the very thing he said it's like you were sitting in the room and the Holy Spirit lifted the burden he said I still have the need but I know I have a Heavenly Father who cares see this is a day-to-day battle David said my soul melts because of my heaviness what he's really saying I'm worn out come on straight talk some of you who love God so dearly here we would love people and help people and and do what is right before God but your we are you down you're just tired of the battle because of heaviness this is your private war and then then to go a little further there private Wars according to Scripture the result from the lust that war in our members lust that war in our members that bring us to a private terrible warfare in the soul I was reading this past week a few chapters from the famous book written many years ago it's about a the private war of a very godly saint two chapters in particular he was greatly admired a very righteous man charitable man it served the Lord faithfully for many many years he was an intercessor a man of integrity and honesty he loved God's Word he was a worshipper and even his enemies acknowledged his righteousness a very very godly righteous man but one day his world came tumbling down because in a moment of weakness he impregnated another man's wife and in his panic he made sure that he made arrange this for hit man to kill her husband and one day his world came crashing down over his head and he describes the in vivid vivid detail his horrible private war he was stricken with a disease his friends for silken his sons turned on him his soul was flooded I'm reading some of his very words his soul was flooded with grief and bitter tears he couldn't sleep at night the guilt was unbearable he came under the chastening rod of God he said my burden is intolerable my sins have caught up with me my body is wracked with pain my bones ache I have great pain in my back and every part of my body been overcome with shame for having reproached God's name I've been a fool I've been a hypocrite he said all I do now has grown the mental anguish causes me to mourn from mourning tonight I'm depressed and I've thought that God now has forsaken me I have my own war my God my God why have you forsaken me my sins have overwhelmed me I am totally abandoned now by you time by this time you know the book is the Bible and the man is Paul our David I just told you life David and if you go to Psalms 38 and 69 you'll read those two chapters are referred to when I started on it David had sinned and and actually caused the enemy to become the hit man to destroy Uriah now I bring this to your attention because this this war that's going on against the Church of Jesus Christ and against the saints of God it comes down to not just the weariness of life and the heaviness it comes from an attack Paul the Apostle talked about this lust attack that's coming and that has come and is coming and is here now against this this lust warfare this enticement out of the very pits of hell against God's holiest people from whence comes Wars and Fighting's among you come they not even hence from your lusts that war in your members 12 says scripture says it Paul said take heed when you think you stand lest you fall because you see we we have a concept that if you're godly your praying person and you truly love the Lord that you cannot be tempted that that you will never be enticed but I feel that the Holy Spirit to just I'm going to do this quickly but I have to bring it as I feel the Holy Spirit would lead me now the spear the Lord is upon me and my heart goes out to those on the jobs those who are being enticed on their jobs and this the Holy Spirit spoken clearly to me not to judge anybody here but some of you listening to my you're in your own private war because the enemy has tried to bring some kind of an attraction on the job sometimes it can happen in the Church of Jesus Christ and my heart goes out to those because the battle I just talked to you about is the battle of those who love Jesus and have have some kind of a thing going on in their heart looking not with lust but being enticed in just a little bit responding not rejecting not standing strong in the spirit and resisting the enemy he's going to come in like a flood he's going to come under many of you know what I'm talking about people coming on at you men women and young people especially their friends I spoke to the young people Friday night then all week I was saying what do I preach to these young people and and the Lord gave me one word responsibility the responsibility to choose who you walk with your friends and we have Christians in this church and I say it with heartbroken love and compassion and I'll not read on you but you see 90% given to God 90% of Christ but there's something holding back there's a 10% something there holding back and is because of friends friends that are not walking with God and an unwillingness to give up so so wanting God but then never able to give up there's something holding back and the Lord in His grace wants to open your heart to that so that he can lovingly restore you and just say wake up be careful because this is what David said this is the battle the sleepless night Gil condemnation fear David said my lord my god teaches me how to war now there is a way to fight to victory in your private war now I don't have a formula I don't have a list of things to do but I look at David's life and how he came through to glorious victory and I want to share this with you because if you're in a in a private war right now whether it's the heaviness whether it's financial whether it's a lust situation whatever it may be there's a way to victory did you hear what I said there is a way to victory God does not want you to go on in this if you're having a problem of some kind of addiction some kind of a problem with difficulty the Lord has an answer if during the service of young man came down and knelt here and I asked him to come backstage and his name is Timothy and he's here listening to me now and a wonderful young man the reason he came up here he said he has a war going on in his heart he said I want to do right and I don't know how and because I don't know how I'm confused I don't know my way out he prayed he's given his heart to Jesus and and he said how do I find the way I'm confused let's look at what David did first of all David cried out in agony and this is the cry many of us cry O God make haste hurry up deliver me help quickly caused me to escape because I'm about to fall Oh God make haste you have given your word to deliver me so now do it and I have prayed that prayer you have prayed it my God deliver me bring me out of this and God hears he understands that cry God where is your way of escape you see we want out of the warfare we don't want to fight anymore you said I've fought long enough and I'm weary and I'm about to fall that was David's word and that's the the we do that by nature that's theirs and God understands that he'll not judge you for that we were to cry even Christ in the garden said the crossing father why have you forsaken me so this is not the issue but you see God doesn't want to take you out of your battle right now and listen closely because I received this from the Holy Spirit you can't be taken out of the bow because you're going through what you're going through because of your walk because of what you have asked God to do in you and there is no other way and so many people depend on your strength if you're an intercessor for example you can't be taken out of a battle you have to because God keeps you in the warfare to harden you as a soldier in your heart and your spirit so that those around you if he takes you out people are going to fall all around you because you are the center of the warfare because you're had a heart for God and you don't understand it you think in the devil is trying to defeat you and bring you down and yes he is there to battle against you and God allows this but you can't be taken there's some of you now more in greater intensity of private war than anybody in this house but you see God can't take you out because he's got nobody else for those that are fighting around you and looking to you and looking for your strength they trust in God but they're weak tower weak Christians the Bible said there are those that need to depend there those who need crutches for a while until God heals the spirit and so see give me the grace give me the strength to endure David made a decision live or die I'm going to magnify the Lord in my battle I'm going to magnify the Lord in this now you see David said well I pray that God get me out of this and God didn't take me out of it so I'm going to just while I'm in this fight while I'm in this war I'm going to magnify and praise God in spite of everything I'm going to through David said Psalm 74 let God be magnified Psalms 34 3 I magnify the Lord come magnify the Lord with me and that is exalt his name together Psalm 40 60 stay say often continuously God be magnified God be magnified in this I called Greg yesterday and son with dave beckman healing and I said what's happening he said dad you see I thank God for my healing I thank God that I have no pain but the Lord showing me something God doesn't want to just take me out of pain he doesn't want me just to be a testimony you see Israel cried 10 times God get me out of this they were in deep trials and God delivered ten times and they still complained they still didn't get it you see God can pull you out of everything you're in right now but God that's not God's goal the Lord's goal is not just to get you out of one crisis and say boy you don't know what I've been delivered God has healed me but did you come out of it totally dependent on Christ did you come out of it totally dependent saying live or die I'm the Lord's and I know I'm going to face more things but am i drawing nigh to Christ or has it made you more christ-like as it made you more compassionate toward people you see he wants more than that it's not just being delivered out of the Red Sea its to go on in to the fullness and the rest they were to go into the rest until your soul is at rest God's delivered me yes and I'm at peace and I trusted God but I know there's another battle coming and it may get worse and I'm going to set my heart to trust God through it you set your heart before it comes you set your heart in good times in times of peace you set your mind I'm going to trust God through this finally the great lesson that David learned is that faith must believe that my distress will not overwhelm me my problems will not take me down Oh glory be to God will you get this Saints will you hear it if you hear nothing else from me this morning it is to to look at all around you all your fears all your distress is all your anxieties all of all of your adversities everything around and be able to say by faith by God's grace I'm not going down I will not be overwhelmed by these things because that's the fear the devil wants to put into your heart that suddenly your faith is going to fail suddenly that you're going to just give up and quit no you're not going to quit because you have a Holy Ghost living and you have the Holy Spirit living in you and he will quicken you by his Spirit there has to be something that arises up in your heart and say no I'm going to fight through the power of His Holy Spirit escaping and getting out of storms is not the final issue with the law with God now I come to the most important part of my message in closing Paul the Apostle says a there was a messenger Satan sent to harass me and to bombard me and really in the original Greek is to pound with the fist and he said I prayed three times and Lord said no I'm going to allow this because I have enough grace for you and I'll give you abundant grace to cope with it and he had that all his life I don't know what it is it could be oftentimes I think that his his messenger of Satan was hounding of his mind of all the saints that he destroyed and ruined and cast into prison and their faces and their cries all coming to him and in the enemy just shouting at him you you phony you hypocrite and never letting those cries vanish autism I don't know that speculation but I feel that often because if it were his just his eyes he wouldn't have been able to write these letters in dark prisons and there's so many other things that point to that but I believe that the devil sends the principles and powers of darkness a sign lying spirits to those who walk close to God I know that I know that I know that I have been assigned not because I'm holy not because I'm somebody special not at all but I know I know him I know God and I know that there has been an assignment on my life for a number of yous that I have fought at lying spirit they worked from the atmosphere because there is a prince of the air of the scripture says principalities and powers who rule in the air the severe and they will come they were sent on assignment and they will stay with you night and day so that in the middle of the night wake up through the day and there will be these lies that come now you see I know that I have the mind of Christ in me I know that he's given me a renewed heart I know my love for God and I don't fear that I never question I I have I have total confidence in my covenant walk with Jesus Christ but I also know that when I walked the streets when I walked to church when I leave the church when I get up to preach I'll hear a lie from the devil says you're just a hypocrite you don't have the anointing these things will come at you but but you see I know who he is I know what it is I know that that's not out of my mind my mind is cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ I I know who I am in Christ but you see I don't I'm not afraid of those voices anymore I'm not afraid I'd say till I know where that's coming from and you're just going to get tired one of these days and have to leave because I'm not going your way I'm not listening to these lies I am in Christ I'm under the blood of Jesus these lies I I was taking in the hospital last week and Dell said you better make funeral arrangements I began to weep that's wait a minute God wouldn't do God's not gonna lie to me right now there's this this is not bitsy who come as the voice of an angel he'll moi this is God folks the only voice you listen to is this book right here right here you get this in your heart you know you know what I deal with is I close I may publish this book called my favorite faith building Bible verses and it's this about a hundred right now and I'm going to crease it to about 200 and I have it in a notebook by my desk in my study and when those lying words come to me I get those promises out I read I'll read 50 of them and by the time I get to number 10 number 12 and the devil you are liar you are a liar this is what Jesus did the devil quoted scriptures and came into his a voice came and said throw yourself down from the temple and the Lord Jesus went to the word folks this is the sure voice this is this your unshakeable voice of the Lord so get your Bibles out get your promises out glory to God we have victory in Jesus Christ I I was looking just open the Bible recently and it says he causes all Wars to cease he causes all wars to see we are standing just lift your hands and give God praise lift up your hands to the Lord and say Lord I love you I thank you that in my battle you're going to see me through I'm going to believe you I'm going to trust you through this come what may and I'm going to praise you even now Lord we praise you we worship you and give you thanks for your faithfulness your goodness your mercy glory to God now I didn't preach a long message but I hope you heard something from God all all applause in this church goes to the Heavenly Father not to man we know better than that it goes to our Heavenly Father I believe God wants to lift those he wants you to just cast yourself on his care just like I did on that lonely road in El Paso Texas I just threw myself said here Laurie but I said Lord if I walk with you you have to walk with me you have to make known to me I can't just hear those words well the Spirit will give you power Lord it has to be real you have to come and manifest that power I've got to see and he'll give you evidence of that power you'll find that even in your most vicious battle that the Lord will move you you may need to be praying but you just feel a peace coming there'll be a rest come from the Holy Spirit and that's the Lord answering that that's the Holy Spirit giving you strength he strengthens through peace and rest the Holy Spirit has come to bring us into rest so some of your troubled Minds god bless your heart lay it down if you're in a lust problem the Lord's not turned you away he's not turned you away he wants you to come to his grace he wants to first of all he convicts you he just say a loving word to you no point of loving finger just be careful and then he he comes with his healing grace if you're here this morning in the in the annex or here in the main auditorium and you want somebody to stand with you in prayer you're going through your war you have a private war would you bow your heads I feel the Holy Spirit saying something here Lord speak your mind but I don't know who's here I don't know who walked in here but Lord this this is life and death this is so important that that some not walk out of this building with this war still raging though they come and say I come to you Jesus because I need faith restore and like the man says forgive my unbelief but he's saying Lord replace it with faith to see me through Lord for those with financial terror it's there's no other word can explain it they're terrified because the finances go deeper and deeper God I'm asking for miracles today first of all that we would rest and believe that God somehow in some way in some mysterious way things we can't understand in ways we don't know that God will see us through you said you'll never let your seed beg for bread and you're faithful for those Lord that have a sickness a disease maybe cancer whatever it may be and what a war it's been it's been a private war and those that are here suffering pain they live every day with pain where people in the choir we have people all over hearing me right now living in constant pain Oh God will you come now with assurance that there's a Heavenly Father focused right on the need if you're here and you need prayer I want you to step out and we'll believe the Lord right now you walk out here just walk out of your seat wherever you're at the balcony go the stairs on either side and in the annex I believe they're probably room you can come down the ushers in the lobby there we'll show you how to get here to the main auditorium you can walk down the aisle and join us and we will stand together and believe God for me if you don't know Christ if you backslide you've turned away from the Lord you're drifting why don't you just obey the Holy Spirit if he's tugging at your heart and follow these that are coming let's believe the Lord we come and move in tight if you will please move in close so that make room for these that are coming David the psalmist said the Lord is merciful and gracious he is slow to anger plenteous in mercy he will not always chide you neither will he keep his anger forever he's not dealt with you according to your sins he's not rewarded us according to our iniquities for the heaven is high above the earth so great is His mercy toward them that fear him as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our sins from us like as a father pities his children so the Lord pities them that fear not listened this again like as a father pities his children so the Lord pities them that fear Him he knows our frame he remembers that were just dust but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness under children's children what a God we serve what a loving merciful God was her you heard what it said god sympathizes he pities and you can be sure he's not going to sympathize with you and see your need then walk away this means that he's come to your rescue he's come to to intervene I'm not going to ask you to pray God just get you out of the trouble right now that God will lift you above it and bring you to a place of rest and when you're at rest then you are capable to receive the faith that he wants to instill in you it's hard for God to break through the wall of despair he comes now he can do but there has to be a cry you had that cry in your heart you've had that for quite a while and I know that I know God wants you to walk out of this building after this service with a major piece like you've not known a major of rest I give not experience for a long long time pray this with me Lord Jesus I know you'll love me I know you will do what is best for me you've seen my struggle you've seen my war and you know every detail and you know what to do about it will you cleanse me Jesus cleanse me of all iniquity I come to your mercy for cleansing forgiveness and I ask you to send the Holy Spirit come Holy Spirit give me confidence and faith that God rejoices in me God delights in me David said and I say his mercy and his gladness has made me whole now I receive it in Jesus name confidence faith and hope that God is giving me rest and peace according to his promise now let me prove you Heavenly Father we lay hold of your promises you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you you will do that look let the peace of God come like a flood look this poor reign of peace upon this people right now everyone within the sound of my voice let peace reign and let God be magnified but God be praised oh come on folks let's praise him and thank him for his goodness all thank you Jesus glory to the homeland we worship you we praise

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Length: 46min 55sec (2815 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 17 2013