Rodney Howard Browne discusses what Jesus did

when Jesus was tempted of the devil. Jesus did not

cast him down, but said, “It is written.” When He stood at

the tomb of Lazarus and prayed, it was not out of

desperation, but for the benefit of those around Him. He

turned first toward heaven, speaking only to God, not

addressing demonic realms. Then out of His relationship

with His heavenly Father, He proclaimed the desired

result. (See John 11:41-44.)

Also, in the country of the Gadarenes, the demons

knew who Jesus was. They said, “Have you come to

torment us before our time?” They knew that their time

was not yet and they pleaded with Him to cast them into

the swine. He did, not in a three-hour battle, but with one

word ( go! (See Mark 5:1-14.)

Rodney Howard Browne Teaches that There Is a True Intercession

I am not against true intercession which is the

Holy Ghost praying through us the perfect will of God for

any situation. But I am against fleshly prayer that

produces nothing but pride in the individual’s life and

robs them of their joy and peace and their productivity in

the kingdom of God.

A city like Los Angeles, California, is a classic

example of a city that in recent times has been

bombarded by prayer in some form or another. Yet it has

seen anything but revival. It has seen earthquakes, racial

rioting, drought, and more. I am not saying that we will

not see revival come to L.A. If and when it comes, it will

not be to the credit or glory of men, but through the

outward working of the Spirit of God through men,

resulting in many won into the kingdom of God.

Rodney Howard Browne answers whether it’s Fact or Fiction?

Again, I must emphasize that I am not against true

intercession. But remember that the devil realizes he can’t

stop the Church from prayer. He can, however, get us

praying in the wrong direction. This will result in nothing

but dead works, frustrating the believer and causing him

to be caught up in a super spiritual world of warfare and

demonic forces, fighting a seemingly never-ending battle.

Yet he is never doing the works of Jesus ( preaching,

teaching, and demonstrating the power of God.

And even if he or she did minister, it would not be

with an over comer’s mentality of seeing the victory

purchased at Calvary as a finished work. Instead it is a

warfare mentality seen through the eyes of a Christian

writer’s novel. The truth is, Jesus has already won the war

and given us power and authority.

The Red Rag Mentality

The Church reminds us of a bull in a ring chasing

a red rag as his opponent, not realizing it is the matador

holding the rag who is his problem. If the bull ever found

out the truth, that would be the end of the matador. Even

so, the Word of God declares that when the enemy is

revealed on that day, many will be amazed. They will

say, “Is this the one who did bring kings down?” Many,

including the Church, will be astounded.

We need to realize that the devil is defeated. He is

not omnipresent and he is a creation, not creator. These

simple truths will help us to see clearly that prayer must

be used primarily to fellowship with the Lord and to

spend time being filled up in His presence. Then out of an

overflow of His touch, we minister to the needs of hurting

humanity.

The Study of the Word of God

Paul, in speaking to Timothy, said, “Study to

shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”

(Second Timothy 2:15). Every believer needs to have a

workable knowledge of God’s Word. One of the problems

we face is that many Christians don’t even know the

basics of the Word. They are caught up in the nonabsolutes

of the Word. It is not producing life and joy and

freedom, but rather death and bondage to man-made

doctrines and forms.

The scripture says many walk after the doctrines

of men, “having a form of godliness, but denying the

power thereof” (Second Timothy 3:5). That is why Paul

admonished Timothy to, “Preach the word; be instant in

season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all

longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when

they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own

lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having

itching ears” (Second Timothy 4:2, 3).

Don’t Throw Arrows in the Dark

The study of the scripture should be systematic,

rightly dividing between the Old and the New and

between absolutes and non-absolutes. It is evident that

many take a little of the Old and a little of the New and

make up their own covenant. It is one that brings them

into freedom for a little while and then puts them back

into bondage.

I suggest that once a believer has a workable

knowledge of the scripture, then he or she spend time in

the Epistles and also the Gospels. We should study the

Epistles to find out what is available for us through the

finished work of the cross. We should study the Gospels

to follow closely the ministry of Jesus and to build into

our lives an image of Jesus and His earthly ministry.

Jesus said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do

shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do”

(John 14:12).

Any time spent in the Old Testament must be

backed up with time spent in the New. Otherwise the

student will come out with a picture of negativity and

failure because the Old Testament was a type and shadow

of the New. The Old without the New produces bondage

and death.

The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old

and the completion of everything Jesus came for. That is

why He cried, “It is finished,” and the veil of the temple

was rent in two from top to bottom. The Holy Spirit came

out of an earthly tabernacle made with the hands of man,

never again to live therein. He now lives in my heart and

your heart. Thus the scripture says, “We have this

treasure in earthen vessels” (Second Corinthians 4:7).

The world offers us many philosophies from which to select.

We are told that we will be able to mix a not much of this with a little bit of that and make an acceptable belief system. In Colossians, Paul warns us about this dangerous angle. He is saying we are instead to build up our relationship with Christ so we will withstand the world’s deception. Imagine an empty lot with only a cement house foundation on it. That is precisely what our life looks like after deliverance. All of the shaky, humanly designed buildings are removed, and a new foundation Jesus Christ is laid.

For the follower working in the Spirit, each action, motive, and deed builds on the indestructible rock of God’s Son. When we construct a home, we select quality supplies like cedar shingles and brick rather than plastic or wood chips. In the same way, our Christian life must be built with good material service, prayer, sharing our faith, and obedience to God’s instructions. Wrong motives, insubordination, and sinful choices weaken the construction. Building a solid house of religion on the bedrock of Christ is a long process.

As we learn how to communicate with God as our Father, trust Him to worry for us, and meditate on Scripture, we add to our supply of construction apparatus. If we are sensible, we won’t stop working till our last day. A religion house which is erected with righteous actions and angles can’t be blown over by difficulty or penetrated by the wind of fake philosophy. The strength comes not from our effort but from the foundation on which we have built. We stand firm in Jesus Christ.