WHY I HAVE NO FEAR OF WITCHES, HEXES AND CURSES

In the early days of our ministry, a well-known witch attended services in the church Sue and I were planting in eastern Canada. Several people came to me concerned about the presence of this witch. They wondered if she was trying to work some spell or sorcery on our fledgling congregation.

Several of us met together to pray about the situation. While praying, I saw a vision of smoke (representing the devil) and then a wind (representing the Spirit of God) that came along and blew the smoke away. The smoke had no substance or strength with which to resist the wind. It was suddenly gone.

At the very same time another person saw a similar vision and then a powerful, prophetic word came forth that gave me a new perspective on the devil. God said, “My power is so far surpassing any power possessed by the devil, he is not worthy of the attention you are giving him.”

Satan is a Defeated Foe

When it comes to spiritual warfare, we must realize that there was a tremendous shift that took place at the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Satan was not annihilated but he was stripped of his authority. He is like a 5-star general who is court-martialed, stripped of his authority, and drummed out of the army.

The general still exists but no longer has any authority. If, however, the general puts on his uniform with all his military medals, he will be able to exercise authority over those who do know the truth of his court-martial. But for those who know the truth, even a private can tell the former general to “get lost.” So it is with even the newest babe "in Christ."

The overwhelming victory of Christ over Satan is delineated by Paul in Ephesians 1:15-23. He speaks of Christ being raised from the dead by the mighty power of God and then being seated at His right hand in the heavenly places.

The “right hand” in Scripture is symbolic of authority and power. Psalm 98:1, for example, says of God, His right hand and His holy arm have gotten Him the victory. When Paul says that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, he is saying that Jesus is seated at the pinnacle of the universe, in the place of ultimate authority and power.

This place where Christ is seated is far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Eph. 1:21). It doesn’t matter what kind of principality or power it may be–even Satan himself–-the place where Christ is seated is far above them all.

And here is what is incredible! Paul says that the same power that raised Jesus from dead and seated Him in that place of ultimate authority, far above any power possessed by the devil, is now at work in you and me. No wonder Satan trembles at the child of God who knows his/her position and authority in Christ.

T.L. Osborn Understood Satan’s Defeat

I had the privilege of working with the elder statesman of modern, miracle evangelism, the late Dr. T. L. Osborn. T. L was a firm believer in the absolute victory of Jesus over Satan and demonic forces, and he expressed this in his overseas crusades where much fear and superstition existed concerning Satan and demons.

He told, for example, about a miracle crusade his ministry sponsored in Africa. Among the many thousands that had gathered in the open air were hundreds of witch doctors who had come there with their fetishes to cast curses and spells on the foreign preacher.

Knowing this, the supporting pastors wanted to lay hands on him and pray for his protection before going on the platform. T. L. emphatically refused their prayer. He said, “I would not insult my Lord in that way.”

T. L. focused his attention on preaching the good news of Jesus and His victory over all the powers of darkness and hell. Many came to Christ that day and many were miraculously set free from all kinds of illnesses and bondages. And some Christian pastors realized that they did not have to be afraid of the devil.

This New and Better Covenant

Even under the Old Covenant the enemies of God could not cast spells and curses on His people. Balak hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel but after seven attempts he had to admit he could not do it. How shall I curse whom God has not cursed, Balaam asked (Numbers 23:8).

If this were true under the Old Covenant, how much more is it true under this new and better covenant based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ! Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19. After emerging from the tomb as a mighty conqueror over death, hell, and the grave, He said to His disciples,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . ..

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the founder of Hyatt Int'l Ministries, the "1726 Project" and The Eddie Hyatt Podcast. His books are available on Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

THE FRIGHTENING PROSPECTS OF A MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY TURNING ITS BACK ON GOD

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian-born Nobel prize winning laureate, suffered for eight years in a Soviet labor camp because he refused to acquiesce to the tyranny of the Marxist Soviet regime. In explaining how this could have happened in his beloved Christian homeland, he wrote,

If I was asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to report, “Men have forgotten God; that is why all this has happened.”

The DNC’s Official Rejection of God

In 2019 the Democrat National Committee (DNC), the governing body of the Democrat Party, took a sharp turn down the very path of which Solzhenitsyn warned. They unanimously passed a resolution in which they affirmed atheism and declared that neither Christianity nor any religion is necessary for morality and patriotism. 

Not a single Democrat leader—neither Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, nor Nancy Pelosi—has protested this affirmation of atheism and rejection of Christian morality by their party. And just as happened in Russia, we see this same party putting itself in the place of God with attempts to control every area of our lives, including how we think.

Atheism and Tyranny are Siamese Twins

Atheism and agnosticism inevitably lead to tyranny. Having rejected God and all transcendent moral constraints, political leaders become emboldened to act like God and impose their values and political vision on the populace without debate or hearing opposing views. "We the people" becomes a forgotten relic of the past.

At a Democrat-run school board meeting just last week in New Jersey, parents who expressed concern about the teaching of transgenderism to their children were told that they have no say in what their children are taught in the public schools. This is not surprising for in atheistic/Marxist thinking, children belong to the state, not the parents.

During the covid pandemic, it was Democrat governors and local officials who were most tyrannical in their attempts to control every detail of their constituent’s lives—all in the name of “safety.” 

Governor Gavin Newsom, a rising star in the Democrat Party, just signed into law a bill that forbids doctors to criticize his state’s position on the Covid virus and its treatment. The governor's edicts are not to be questioned, even by trained doctors and scientists. He and his cronies have put themselves in the place of God and this should be frightening to every American.

Cancel culture, which is intolerant of opposing views, is another expression of tyranny that is arising in this nation as the fruit of rejecting God. William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, got it right when he said, "Those who will not be governed by God must be ruled by tyrants."

I am not saying, of course, that every Democrat is bad and that every Republican is good. That is not the case. The fact remains, nonetheless, that the Democrat Party, without opposition from within, has chosen to reject the role of faith and Christian morality in the life of the nation.

America’s Founders Were People of Faith

The path taken by the Democrat Party is away from America’s founding generation, which considered Christian faith and morality to be the key for social stability and prosperity. James Madison, America’s fourth president and the chief architect of the U.S. Constitution, wrote,

The belief in a God All Powerful, wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities impressed with it (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 111).

George Washington, after taking the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible, gave his first inaugural address in which he warned the new nation,

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 173).

John Adams, America’s second president, sounded a similar note in a 1798 address to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia. He declared,

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).

The well-known Catholic scholar, William Novak, was correct in saying,

Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

We Must Have a Christian Awakening

This November 8 election may well be the most important of my lifetime and I encourage everyone to cast their vote. This election, however, will not save America for America’s sickness is not merely political, but spiritual and moral. There must be a return to the God of Whitefield, Edwards, Washington, Lincoln, and King.

So, as we prepare to vote in this election, let us recall the warning of Solzhenitsyn. Let us also ask God to visit this nation once again with another Great Awakening. If you want to know what that might look like, get a copy of my books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the founder of the “1726 Project” with the goal of educating this generation about the defining role of the Great Awakening in the founding of America and the ending of slavery. His books are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

OVERWHELMED WITH JOY AND LOVE

Sarah Pierpont Edwards attended the Congregational Church in Northampton MA, which was pastored by her husband, Jonathan Edwards. Women were supposed to remain silent in the Puritan/Congregational churches, but a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit was occurring (the Great Awakening) and she could hardly contain herself at times.

"I could scarcely refrain from leaping with transports of joy," she exclaimed. One day she was so overwhelmed by God’s presence that she could no longer stand, but sank to the floor. It happened as she listened to a visiting minister lament that God's children should be so cold and lifeless in their faith. She said,

I felt such a sense of the deep ingratitude manifested by the children of God, in such coldness and deadness, that my strength was immediately taken away, and I sunk down on the spot. Those who were near raised me, and placed me in a chair; and, from the fullness of my heart, I expressed to them, in a very earnest manner, the deep sense I had of the wonderful grace of Christ towards me, of the assurance I had of his having saved me from hell, of my happiness running parallel with eternity, of the duty of giving up all to God, and of the peace and joy inspired by an entire dependence on his mercy and grace.

The church in Northampton had no choir, no worship team, and no orchestra. Jonathan Edwards wrote out his sermons in advance and read them in a monotone voice without ever moving from behind the pulpit. Yet, Northampton was the center in New England for the Great Awakening that transformed Colonial America.

Sarah and many others were overwhelmed by the the presence of God, which is characteristic of real revival. Edwards, in fact, said, "The town seemed to be full of the presence of God."

Although lacking the modern accoutrements that we consider necessary for revival, they had the essence of what it really takes. In the words of Sarah, it is “giving up all to God” and “an entire dependence on His mercy and grace.” 

This is an excerpt from the book, America's Revival Heritage, available from Amazon and Dr. Eddie Hyatt's website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

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WAS GEORGE WASHINGTON A CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST?

The Miami Herald recently published an editorial accusing Governor Ron DeSantis of "flirting with Christian nationalism" because he utilized a Biblical metaphor about “putting on the whole armor of God” during a speech at Hillsdale College. If the editors of the Miami Herald were so triggered by the governor’s passing allusion to Ephesians 6:11, heaven only knows how they would have reacted to George Washington. 

The term “Christian nationalism” is relatively new and is generally defined as “the attempt to merge Christian and American identities and thereby distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy.” Ironically, those who use it most seem to have little understanding of either the Christian faith or America’s constitutional democracy.

Consider George Washington

Upon taking command of the Colonial American Army in May of 1775, George Washington issued an order stating that each day was to begin with prayer led by the officers of each unit. He did this because he knew that without God’s blessing and favor, the Americans had no chance of defeating the mighty British war machine.

For the same reason, he also ordered that, unless their duties required them to be elsewhere, every soldier was to observe “a punctual attendance of Divine services, to implore the blessing of heaven upon the means used for our safety and public defense.” He also forbade profanity, swearing, gambling and drunkenness and expressed his desire that, “Every officer and man will endeavor so as to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 114).

Against insurmountable odds, Washington led the ragtag American army to victory over the British. On the same day that General Cornwallis surrendered his entire force to him, Washington appointed an army chaplain, Rev. Israel Evans, to deliver a sermon to the troops. A massive crowd joined the assembled troops and Evans exhorted them all to give thanks to God, knowing their victory over the British was not the result of their own prowess and strength.

Washington later sent a letter, dated June 14, 1783, to the governors of the various states in which he urged them to make Jesus their role model for life. He exhorted that we ought to,

Demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 120).

What They Banned

It is obvious that Washington had no thought of banning expressions of faith from the public square. The same is true of all the Founders. What they banned in America was an official, state church like the nations of Europe.

In England, for example, the Anglican Church was the official state church and all others, such as the Pilgrims, were harassed, jailed, and exiled. In Germany, Lutheranism was the official state church, and all others were banned. In Italy and other European nations, Roman Catholicism was the state church and all other expressions of faith were forbidden.

Washington, by contrast, envisioned America as a land where there would be a free and open marketplace of religious ideas and expressions without government interference. This was the vision of all the Founders, which is why they instituted the First Amendment, which reads, “Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion, nor hindering the free exercise thereof.”

The Big Lie

One of the biggest lies of America’s history is that the First Amendment secularized the American system of government and banned expressions of faith from government institutions. If that were the case, Washington and the other Founders never got the memo.

Washington, for example, insisted on taking the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible. Then, in his inaugural address, which was filled with references to God and the Bible, he declared,

The propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of right and order that Heaven itself has ordained (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots 2nd Edition, 175).

After the swearing-in ceremony, Washington and Congress proceeded to St. Paul’s Chapel for a worship service.

Neither Washington nor any Founder wanted to impose a particular church or sect on others. However, they all believed that only Christianity provided the intellectual and moral underpinnings for a stable and prosperous society. They, therefore, welcomed its influence everywhere. This is the basis on which John Adams, in a 1798 speech, declared,

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . .. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).

The phrase, “wall of separation,” which is often used by those on the political Left, is not in the U.S. Constitution. It was used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to a group of Baptists in which he referred them to the First Amendment and assured them that it guaranteed that they would not be persecuted for their faith as had been the case in the Old World. Jefferson’s “wall of separation” was obviously unilateral, in place to protect people of faith from the government, not to protect the government from people of faith. 

The Conclusion of the Matter

The Miami Herald’s response to Governor DeSantis’s quote of a Biblical passage is indictive of the hostility that has arisen in modern American culture toward people of faith. America’s Founders held no such hostility. Instead, they affirmed people and expressions of faith. The noted Catholic scholar, the late Michael Novak, was correct when he said,

Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

This is why I and thousands of others are praying for another Great Awakening to sweep across the land, rejuvenating the faith of individuals and revitalizing the churches of America. Another such Awakening is the only hope for America.

If George Washington were here, he would surely say, “I approve this message!”

This article was derived from the book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, which documents the impact of the Great Awakening on both the founding of America and the ending of slavery on this continent. It is available from Amazon and Dr. Eddie Hyatt's website at http://eddiehyatt.com.