DOMINION OVER SPIRITUAL BLOCKADE (PART II)

1. The Prince of Persia – Dan. 10:10-13. An angel was despatched with an answer to Daniel’s prayer but he was held back for twenty-one (21) days by the prince of Persia. It was not until an angelic reinforcement was sent that there was a breakthrough.
2. There are principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world.
3. The spirit of Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. Pharaoh is not just a title, it is a principality. The spirit of pharaoh is the spirit of slavery; the spirit of bondage, the spirit that will not let you go to do the will of God.
4. Economic pressure – a lot of people are under the yoke of bondage of captivity as a result of economic pressure. Many people leave their countries to go and slave abroad because of economic pressure. It was the issue of bad economy that took the children of Israel to Egypt in the first place until they became slaves. In Ruth 1, economic pressure took Elimelech, Naomi his wife and their children outside the purpose of God to the country of Moab. At the end, only Naomi returned out of the four of them that left Israel. Do you know that your blessings are locational? Many pastors who left the shores of their countries for greener pastures will not fulfil the purpose of God until they return to their original base.
5. The spirit of Uzziah – Until Uzziah died, Isaiah could not see the glory of God. Isa. 6:1. There was a covering cast. There are spirits that don’t want you to see the glory of God.
6. The spirit of Herod – Acts 12 – this is the spirit that fights against the Church.
7. The anti-Christ spirit. 1 John 2:18 – the anti-Christ is that which is opposed to Christ, the opposer of Christ. The anti-Christ spirit is already at work. What does it do? This spirit fights against Christians. It is the Christ in you, the hope of glory that is the target of the anti-Christ spirit. It engineers circumstances to make life difficult for true children of God so that they will submit or succumb. The concentration of wealth today is alarming; the people controlling the economies of the world are non-Christians while Christians are busy picking crumbs. Whenever economic pressure is mounting and suffocating, it makes many men feel worthless because their pockets are dry. In the midst of it, when a little temptation comes, they succumb easily. I am concerned because a lot of teachings in the Church today do not prepare people to say “No”. Look at what the original Simon Peter did when Simon the sorcerer offered him money in exchange for the anointing. Do you think Peter was not under financial pressure when the offer was made? Anti-Christ spirit is real all over the world and the devil knows how to strategize by placing his people at strategic places. If you have ever compromised your faith, please cry out to God for mercy. One prayer you must pray regularly is ‘Father, do not allow anything that is capable of overwhelming me to come my way, in the mighty name of Jesus’.5..Idolatry – if you are an African Christian, if Americans pray for two hours a day, you should pray for 20 hours. Why? Over there, you can find about four generations of preachers from one family. What we have in African today is a resurgence, a revival of primitive idolatry. Idolatry makes the heavens to close and that is why Africa is the way it is. Corruption is not the real problem of Africa; it is only a symptom of idolatry. In Acts 8, we saw how one man’s sorceries bewitched the city of Samaria. The Church must wake up. God hates and punishes the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is a direct violation of his command. A very powerful prayer that brings out the effects of idolatry can be found in the book of Jeremiah 14:20-22. The structure of idolatry is still very strong in Africa and one of its effects is dryness. Idolatry makes the heavens to close. When the heavens are closed, prayers keep bouncing back and the person praying will feel constrained. There is of course, the modern day idolatry. Idolatry is anything you place side by side God in your heart. The god that people worship most in the world today is mammon.

   6.  Unforgiveness – this is one of satan’s greatest jokers especially amongst Christians. Matt. 6:14-15. It is as we forgive that we are forgiven. Unforgiveness blocks the heavens. If you are holding anyone in unforgiveness, you are holding yourself in bondage. Those who teach grace should be mindful of this. This is one of the things that will make many people not to fly at the sound of the trumpet. There is a case of a Sister who was in a relationship with a Brother for eight (8) years, in fact, as far as the Sister was concerned, she was as good as married to him. To her surprise, the Brother dumped her after 8 years and married someone else. Of course, the Sister was devastated and very bitter. When we counseled her and advised her to release forgiveness to the man, she eventually obeyed and forgave him. Miraculously, her heavens opened, God intervened and blessed her with a wonderful husband who travelled down all the way from the United States of America in search of her. Today, she is happily married. One of the blessings of open heavens is strategic divine connection. All you need is just one divine connection. If you don’t release forgiveness, you cannot expect to receive. Forgive! Someone defined forgiveness as a gift you give to yourself. Another person described unforgiveness as drinking poison and hoping that your enemy will die! Study Matt. 18-21-35. Verse 34 says “And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors …”

TO BE CONTINUED.