Why You Keep Losing Spiritual Battles by Apostle Arome Osayi: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Prophecy of the Foundation

Matthew 7:24–27 — "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

The prophecy here is clear: the floods will come and the winds will blow and beat upon your life. Even if you do not say amen to it, that is what the scripture says. Whether you are wise or foolish, the floods and winds will test your life. It is the floods and winds that reveal which one you are.

Some believers went through a divorce and ceased being Christians — not because the divorce was too difficult, but because they had no foundation. The test was not the problem; the absence of a foundation was.

Hebrews 6:1–3 — "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit." Even though these are foundational, there are times it is necessary to visit them again, so there will be no gap in the faith of the people of God.

Why Foundations Crack

Christianity is not a sprint. It is a marathon — a time test. The floods test the foundation. The winds test the roof — your covering. I have seen winds blow and displace people out of the authority structure God had put in place to protect their destiny.

The devil comes with the trick that "we all have the Holy Ghost, so I can remain in my wilderness and be praying independently." But you are not wiser than God. God is the one who set up human authorities around your life — your husband, your boss, your pastor, your teacher. And if in the place of warfare you are in violation of any of those God-ordained physical authority structures, you will receive a feedback.

A great prophet in Nigeria went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage and came back claiming he had discovered a name greater than the name of Jesus. A major prophet — and that is what he came back with. The reason he could be inspired by a spirit of error was because his foundation was not adequate.

What Spiritual Battles Reveal

I have lived enough in the body of Christ to see what happened to people who were displaced out of the authority structures God put under them. A man who in 1982 raised a dead person in his compound — the whole compound gave their lives to Christ. We discovered that man did not die. He is still alive, but he has become a victim of a wind. His secret life was exposed and his faith shipwrecked.

The floods come to test the foundation. The winds come to test the covering. And because Christianity is a marathon, it is a time test. A man may begin powerfully but after two years, you look for him and he is still alive but has been swept by a wind.

The Foundation of Salvation

Romans 10:9 — "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Two requirements: confession of the mouth and belief in the heart. Mark 16:16 — "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." This word was spoken by Jesus himself.

Romans 10:13 — "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." There is a human effort of recognizing who the Lord is, what he has done, and a deliberate and intentional call on Jesus to save the soul. This is purely an act of faith. You might call on Jesus to save your soul and have no feedback feeling — but faith is not feeling. Faith is acting on the word of God.

John 5:24 — "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." He has been spared from perdition — because by an act of faith in Jesus Christ, he has passed from death to life.

1 John 5:12–13 — "He that hath the Son hath life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life." This scripture was written so that everyone that believed might have a knowing that they have eternal life. Your belief system is based on what the Word of God says. Because your feeling fluctuates, but the Word of God is permanent.

John 1:12 — "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God." This is the proof of salvation — the easy part. You have received him and he has granted you the power to become a son of God.

The Issues of Authority in Spiritual Warfare

Before Paul said "finally, my brethren" in Ephesians 6, he dealt extensively with the issue of authority. He spoke about it in the book of Ephesians because you must be in alignment with every God-ordained physical authority structure. In the place of warfare, if you violate any of those authority structures, you will receive a feedback.

Sometimes the agenda of the devil is a foundation test. Sometimes it is a roof test — testing your covering. In any case, the Bible says if the house is properly built on a good foundation, it will stand the test of time.

The Joy of Salvation as a Fortress

Isaiah 12:3 — "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." The joy of your salvation is what can make you survive every situation. The enemy can take away the coat of many colors — but that joy is something no one can take away. You are the only one with the authority to quench it.

When David sinned, his prayer was: "Restore unto me the joy of my salvation." He did not say restore my ministry. He did not say restore my gifts. He knew the joy of his salvation was the source of his strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength — and that joy, cultivated in the presence of God, is the fortress that the enemy cannot access.