Creflo Dollar - The War Against the Soul - Part 1
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I’m gonna show you something. I need you to hold to your seat. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 12 to 18, in the Mirror, 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 12 to 18, in the Mirror. So, let’s talk about fornication. Let’s talk about sex outside of marriage because, I mean, you know, everybody’s doing it. Everybody’s having sex. I’m not saying everybody, including you, but, you know. It’s like a norm, it’s like, going on a date meant, back in my day, we were actually gonna go on a date. But going on a date now means you gotta end up with some cookies. And I’m not talking about oatmeal cookies here. What does that do to the soul? What does that do to the soul?
Look at this, 12 through 18; he says, «I am free to do what I want». So that’s a huge scripture in the Bible; it so blew my mind. I read that, as a new Christian, «You’re free to do whatever you want». I’m like, «Hey, this ain’t, this is a pretty good deal here». «'Cause I loved you before when you did it; I’m gonna love you anyway, but you’re free to do what you want». Really, is that real freedom? Watch this, «I am free to do what I want, but if what I do is inappropriate, I refrain from doing it and will not be trapped or snared by sudden notions». Inappropriate desires trying to take advantage of my freedom in Christ.
«Your appetite for food and sex does not define you. Your life is tailor-made for God,» oooh, Jesus. Your appetite for food and sex does not define you. Your appetite for food and sex… No, your life is tailor-made for God. Say that, «My life is tailor-made for God,» say that, «My life is tailor-made for God». Say that, «My life is», say it again, «My life is…» You fit him like a glove. He fulfills your deepest longings, oooh, Jesus. God reveals, in dramatic fashion, the value he places on the human body by our joint resurrection with Jesus from the dead. This means that your bodies are co-members of his, which makes it absurd to even consider engaging his body in sexual promiscuity. Sex involves so much more than two bodies joining together. Scripture speaks of a sacred union of two lives becoming one.
So how can we reduce this sacred union to harlotry? In our union with him, we are one Spirit with the Lord. «Flee fornication. Every sexual sin is a violation of the sacredness of the human body and scars the conscience of the individual like no other sin does». It scars your conscience like no other sin. I figure it’s just kind of time for me, as your pastor, to kinda show you how you’re being deceived. But we’re good at deceiving ourselves, so we don’t know when we’re deceived because we’re deceived. And you got born again. And I’m mentioning this because there’s a lot of sex going on in the Body of Christ? It’s like we’re trying to turn Jesus into a ho. Because we’re one body with him, and, if we’re one with him, and we go to that, huh, and that’s telling us what we believe and what we don’t believe. Oooh, turn to somebody, somebody turn to your neighbor and say, «Heavy preaching, heavy».
Now, remember now, this is not a beating stick. This is not a beating stick. This is a teaching stick. This is a light open; it’s an eye opener kind of thing. And you’re gonna need the Holy Ghost, especially with this. But, you remember the warning? He says, «Don’t be lured». So you’re gonna need grace, you’re gonna need mercy, you’re gonna need Jesus. You’re gonna need to say, «Lord, help me, I can’t do this without you». Somebody will say, «It ain’t nowhere in the Bible where God says he’s gonna help you».
You remember this scripture in Jude? «He is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the Almighty God». You’re gonna need some grace, you’re gonna need some mercy because, if you try to get delivered based off your performance, you’re gonna become deeper and deeper into condemnation and shame. You’re gonna need help. 'Cause, if not, you’ll go back, while I’m talking, you’ll go back to the last time you had fornication, and you’ll walk around here, you’ll walk out of here beating yourself up from the last time. And you gotta walk out of here knowing that, «Yeah, I did that before, but thank God I’ve been washed. Thank God I’ve been cleansed, and the same Holy Ghost that’s helping me right now, he’s gonna help me through this process».
That’s the problem, you tried to get this to happen on your own ability and will and your performance, and, I’m telling you, you’re not gonna be able to do it. You’re gonna go from heavy to real heavy because nothing’s heavier than when you thought you received deliverance, only to repeat the action again, and it feels heavier and heavier. You need God, and he know you need him, and he ready to help you. And, so, if anything, all of this stuff that I’m talking about hopefully will drive you to the throne of grace, not drive you to the throne of depending on yourself and the throne of performance 'cause you’re gonna perform, and you’re just gonna, you keep, 'cause the battle, the soul, that there’s a war raging, you know, «Should I do it, should I not»?
And then you say, «One more time,» and then one more time becomes one more time, and you say, «One more time,» and one more time becomes one more time. And then you say, «Lord, this time I mean it from my heart,» and it still becomes one more time, and then you feel like, «I’m trying, Lord,» and the problem is you won’t get out of his way. And some people will hear this and say, «I ain’t paying no attention to Creflo. I ain’t got time to be paying no attention to that. I mean, you know, everybody, everybody doing that, ain’t nobody paying no attention. My grandmama’s 90, she’s doing it. I ain’t paying no attention to that». All I can do is teach you, and the Holy Spirit’s got to treat you, and Jesus will help you if you want it. 'Cause he said, «There is no other sin that scars the conscience of an individual like this indulgence».
And you’re not hearing no sermons like this no more, ain’t nobody talking about this no more, especially in church. And I just chose to be not different, but just, I chose to be according to my design, my design. Ain’t nobody perfect; I ain’t talking, church is not for perfect people. You understand that, don’t you? Church is not for perfect people. Church is for people who got issues. Please understand that; church is not for perfect people. That’s a huge deception. «Well, everybody coming to church, they’re perfect». You got to be out your mind. Church is not… Well, you ain’t out of your mind, but church is not for perfect people, and God doesn’t use perfect people. God uses murderers, prostitutes, adulterers. Somebody said, «You better understand that the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell in filthy temples».
Well, ain’t no other kind of temple to dwell in. «Oh, what are you supposed to do, Pastor, stay filthy»? No, you’re supposed to remember that Jesus is the shower. And he knows how to change your desire, and he’s working on your desire. And it might not happen one day, and it might happen one day, but he knows how to change your desire. He knows that transformation hadn’t taken place just because you stopped the action. Transformation hadn’t taken place until the desire has changed, and he is the one that’s working on your desire. And that’s why church people ought not be coming to church judging other church people like you ain’t got no… everybody got an issue. From the pulpit all the way out to the parking lot, everybody got an issue.
Why we sitting around here trying to act like that ain’t true? You know how deceived you are, if you’re coming to church and think me and Taffi ain’t got no issues. Something wrong with you. Here’s the great thing about our issues. We know where to go. God, help us with this. God, help us with that. Somebody tried to dog me out on the little platforms and said, «The messy life of Creflo Dollar». You know what I did? I said, «Sure was». We forgot about that scripture that said, «When the enemy come yo do something, quickly agree with him». I said, «Sure was. But, praise God, it’s better today than it was before».
That’s my hope for you, that every week you come and say, «It’s better this week than it was last week. I praise the Lord, I dated old Harold, ah, Jesus, he had curly hair, yeah, he had an 8-pack. My God, I ain’t never seen an 8-pack. Hey, Lord, I was praying in tongues, but it’s just, oh, Lord, I went from talking in tongues to saying, yeah, yes, yes». But you know what you don’t take advantage of? You don’t… look at this, at least this time, it bothered you; that’s progress. «Mmm, this time I wasn’t feeling comfortable because the God in me is conflict with the desire in me».
And every time the desire wants to stand up, the God stands up and says, «Hm hm». And then, if you proceed to do it as the final vote, you won’t feel like you used to feel about it. Before, it was cool, it was good, you went and talked to somebody. «What did you do last night, boy, let me tell you what I did last night, boy». This time, now that God living in there, and that conflict coming, and you’re like, «Ah,» and you ain’t trying to tell nobody because something has gone against your design. I know what this must be like. Somebody’ll say, «What you talking about, Pastor»?
I know what it must be like to sit in the church and hear the truth. I can’t preach no more fables. It ain’t working. Because that fable has protected that sin, and it’s gone from one generation to the next generation to the next generation because the preacher thought he was perfect, and he can’t talk like that because he felt condemned because he know he ain’t. But, when you know you ain’t nothing without Jesus, it’s easy to get up and tell people, «I ain’t nothing. Without Jesus, I ain’t nothing».
Oh, my God. You got about 4 pages, can’t end this, I’m on that line right there. All right, watch this, did I read 18? Yeah, look at 2 Corinthians 10:30, 2 Corinthians 10, 3 through 5, let’s look at the King James in the Mirror, «For though we walk in the flesh, for though we walk in a life that’s apart from God», and even here, this is one of little, or places where it does refer to the physical flesh that we walk in. He says, «We don’t war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal…)» not through the sensory mechanism. «(The weapons of our warfare are not sensory mechanisms, but mighty through God.)…» see, our weapons are mighty through God, «(to the pulling down of a strong hold.)»
A stronghold is a house constructed of thoughts, that those thoughts have built a stronghold in your mind to where that’s all you see and that’s all you know it to be. It’s a stronghold in your mind, and, when people talk to you about it, it’s hard to deal with it because that’s the strong grip that’s gripped your thinking. It’s gripped your thinking. In verse 5, «Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God». So there’s some high thoughts that we’ve allowed to exalt itself higher than the knowledge of God. And he says, «We’re gonna cast those imaginations down, and we’re gonna cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God».
So you gotta be honest and look at the way of thinking that you’ve exalted above the knowledge of God. «And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ». So now he says, «You gotta become a custodian of your thought life. You gotta examine that thought and say, 'Wait a minute, that’s not what the Word says.' You got to examine that thought and say, 'That goes against my design, no.' You got to become a custodian of your thought life». 'Cause, if you don’t, then that’s one thought waiting on another thought waiting on another thought, and you are now building a house, a stronghold, in your mind, all right? But we can cast those down.
So you don’t overcome thoughts by using thoughts. You overcome those thoughts by what comes out of your mouth. What’s that illustration? Let me see if I can think of the illustration I should give. I want you to think, I want everybody here, I want you to keep your mouth closed, just use your thoughts. I want you to count from 1 to 10, and, when I tell you to say your name, open your mouth and say your name. Instructions clear? Ready, count, now say your name. Okay, what happened to the thoughts? It had to stop once you did what? Opened your mouth and spoke because those words capture thoughts. And so, when a negative thought’s going through your mind, «you are gonna die of this sickness», don’t sit there and say, «Mm mm mm mm mm». Open your mouth up and say, «I will live and not die,» and that casts that thought down.
I’m showing you how to battle this thing every day. Every day, cast it down, open your mouth up. You cast down those negative thoughts with words, and you speak the word of grace, and you speak the word of mercy, you speak the word of love. You speak the word that, again, verifies your identity and who you are in Christ. You open your mouth up and say, «I’m the righteousness of God». You open your mouth up and say, «Satan, you think you won in this war; this war has already been done. I abide in the finish. I abide in the thing that’s already done». You open your mouth, you open your mouth, you open your mouth. You don’t owe anybody any explanation for what you said. In fact, you might not want to say it around them. You open your mouth; you tear those thoughts down with the words that come out of your mouth.
Let me read 1 Corinthians 6, 12 through 18 again in the Mirror, and 2 Corinthians 10, 3 through 5 in the Mirror, and we’ll close right there. 2 Corinthians 10, 3 through 5, yeah, and in the Mirror, «The fact that we are living in a physical world in human bodies of flesh does not mean that we engage ourselves in a combat dictated to by a typical tit-for-tat strategies of religion and the politics of the day. The dynamic of our strategy is revealed in God’s ability to disengage mindsets and perceptions», see, what you just did, you disengaged that negative mindset, «and perceptions that have held people captive in pseudo fortresses for centuries. Every lofty idea and argument positioned against God’s knowledge of us, is cast down and exposed to be a mere invention of our own imagination. We arrest every thought at spear point, anything that could possibly trigger an opposing threat to our redeemed identity and innocence is taken captive. And the caliber of our weapon is empowered by the revelation of the ultimate consequence of the obedience of Christ».
Wow, y’all are gonna be all right, I sense it. Some of y’all are sitting up there just saying, «I just didn’t know. But now that I know and now that I’m learning, I ain’t missing this», amen, and part of me is, when I get on a series like this, it’s hard for me to let it go, so I ain’t missing this because I will not no longer allow my original design by God to be messed up by the battle fought in my soul. And by his grace I will accomplish and be all that God has called me to be. You get anything out of this?