This sermon by Milton Green emphasizes the importance of understanding the influence of the powers of darkness in our lives and the need to be aware of their deception. It highlights the significance of being set free from bondage, walking in righteousness, holiness, and discernment, and overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil through Jesus Christ. The message encourages humility, reliance on the Word of God, and being led by the Spirit to experience true freedom and transformation.

Welcome to In the Word with Milton Green, with your host, Tommy Williams. I hear a sound coming from the mountain. I hear it louder each day. I hear a sound coming from the mountain. And it says, prepare ye the way. Prepare ye the way. Prepare ye the way. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Hi, I'm Tommy Williams, and I want you to stay with us for this next hour as God opens up His precious word to us through His servant, Milton Green. Milton Green is proclaiming a message of righteousness and holiness to the church today, calling the church to repentance. The author of The Cross and the Switchblade, David Wilkerson, has said that every true believer, every God-hungry minister in this nation, needs to hear what Milton Green is saying. You'll see that this is a powerfully searing and searching message, yet healing and uplifting. It will be good news to those who desire to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ with a pure heart. Now, let's get our Bibles and get in the word with Milton Green, just as it was recorded live at a recent In the Word meeting. We'll join Brother Milton Green, already in progress. I'd like to welcome you. And I just speak blessings and peace and grace and love over you in Jesus' name. And we came to hear the word, and we came to receive from the Lord Jesus Christ His word. And we know that word performs its work in us. And so I'm just real thankful I have a part. I'm awed by the grace of God every time it comes time for my part. You have a part, and I have a part. It's time for my part. Isn't it good that, you know, I used to sit back where you are right now, and I used to think, well, I've got the little Jesus, and the man up here has the big Jesus. And it was real deliverance for me to find out that I have the same Jesus as Peter and Paul and John and James. And I don't have the little Jesus anymore. Now, I want you to stand up, and let's just begin to possess the Lamb. I really appreciate what James has shared here. I was just enjoying that and just kind of wanted him to go on. We're not what the world has programmed us to be. We are a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things have become new. As Jesus Christ is in the world, so are we. Now, this word, as we receive it in our heart, has performed its work in us. We have a covenant partner, the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything the Lord Jesus Christ is, we are, because as he is in the world, so are we. We exchange robes for the Lord Jesus Christ. He took on the earthly. We took on the spiritual. Covenant is when two become one. Our war is not after the flesh, but it's divinely powerful in God to turn down strongholds, casting down imaginations. Every thought up here exalts itself against the knowledge and the Word of God. We're what this Word says we are. We're not what our thoughts have told us we are. We're not what the world has told us we are. Mercy has brought us into grace, and we're under grace in Jesus' name, and we're not under guilt and condemnation. And I think that this is in the Word. We're in the Word here to receive the Word, and the Word performed its work in us. We agree with the Word. Is that right? We're what this Word says we are. We're seated in the heavenly places in Jesus. Isn't that right? So let's agree with the Word. And like you, when I go to hear someone new, and there's always controversial things about anyone that threw out this Word here when they were sharing. You read the Bible and upset some folks. You know that, don't you? They just don't like to hear certain parts of it. So I'm new to a lot of you, and I want you to understand right now, before we even begin, that not one time or one moment this entire time do I want anything shared these three days are done except to point to Jesus Christ in the Word. I think that's what the Holy Spirit does. Isn't that right? And you need to know, and I need to tell you that I really love you. Now, I can tell you in the Spirit of God I have to communicate that to you. There's probably no one in here that's received any more grace than I have, or probably possibly even needed any more grace than I have. So I know who's where the source is, and that's who I want to point to, and that's who I want to praise. There's no need to be sad. And now let's just agree with the Word, and I would just like to ask you to just follow after me here. As we just confess and say what the Word says, we do this every seminar, and I'll tell you what you're going to find out. You're going to find out that the Word of God in this next few minutes is just bringing such peace and love over you. And that only comes from the Lord. Isn't that right? All right, let's begin. I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I'm born again kept by the power of God. I'm redeemed by the blood. I'm born again by the Word of God. I'm complete in Jesus. My sins are nailed across. I'm sealed with the Holy Spirit, I promise. Seated in the heavenly places, right now, at the right hand of God. You kind of believe that, don't you? You kind of believe it, too, don't you? Because, see, this is what the Word says about you. Isn't that right? I'm more than a cockwear. I take dominion. I rule and reign in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is my heavenly Father. And Jesus Christ is my Lord. I'm a product of His love. I have love. I have joy. I have peace. I have long-suffering. I have goodness. I have gentleness. I have meekness. I have temperance. I have faith. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Right now, I'm strengthened in all power by the might of the Lord. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm given authority over all the works of darkness. With the Word and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I now receive grace, the Word, and the blood. I remove in Jesus' name all the works of heaviness and oppression from me and this building, from this seminar. I remove every work of unbelief and doubt in Jesus' name. I remove all the works of traditions, legalism, and every work of oppression against my body in Jesus' name. I rule and reign in the name of Jesus. I always triumph in Jesus' name. I remove in Jesus' name all words, all curses, all the works of darkness. And in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, my weapons are mighty in God to tear down strongholds, casting down imaginations. And every thought here exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And I now bring every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. I'm a new creation. As Jesus Christ is in the world, so am I. Do you think you could smile over that? Let's try that again tomorrow and we'll see if you can smile about it. That's a mouthful, isn't it? Now from the throne of grace, I now receive love, joy, blessings, healing, and deliverance. And in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I now speak peace. And he sent his word to heal you, and his word performs its work in you, doesn't it? That's what happens when we agree with the Lord. Let's pray. Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we've come together to focus our eyes on the Lord Jesus and your word. And Lord, we'll begin by boasting in you, Lord Jesus. I boast in your grace. We boast in knowing you. We boast in understanding, Lord. And only understanding comes from you. We boast in your wisdom, Lord. And Lord, we come to receive this word. And we just think that this word is forever settled in heaven. This word is the final authority. That you watch over this word to perform it. That heaven and earth will pass away and this word will never pass away. That this word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That this word is life to us and health to all our whole flesh. That this word doesn't return void without accomplishing what you desire and succeeding in the matter which you're sending. That this word sanctifies us, renews our mind, separates us from the world into righteousness. And we rule and reign and live through the gift of righteousness in the grace of God through Jesus Christ that we're more than conquerors in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord, I just come before you now. Each one of us here has come before to stand in your grace. Your mercy has moved us into grace. And we boast in that mercy and we boast in that grace. And now, Lord Jesus, I just give you my will that your will would prevail, Lord. That only you and you only would receive glory. That nothing would be exaggerated. That nothing would be left out. That we'll speak the word as you speak it, Lord. We'll say it as you say it. And Lord, I just pray to you, quicken this word to each one. And Lord, I just hold the word in the blood now against all the works of darkness. Every hindrance in the name of Jesus, all distraction is removed with the word and the blood in the name of Jesus. Every work of confusion is removed in Jesus' name. We have the mind of Christ in Jesus' name. We rule and reign in your name, Lord. And all the works against memory and mind-binding and every work of darkness, and all the works of darkness that's assigned against this seminar and this time in the word, that's assigned against me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, you're separated. You're sealed by the blood. You're removed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Jesus' name. And now, Lord, I too speak your blessings, peace, grace, love, healing, and deliverance now over each one here in Jesus' name. Amen. Will you be seated, please? I believe you'll come to a conclusion, and many of you already have, at the end of these three days, that God in his grace is opening our eyes to many things that we haven't seen before. I don't think anyone knows it at all. I just learned enough to know I don't know very much. But I thank the Lord that I'm given a part. And I need to say some things about this. I can only do my part. I'm not the whole ministry. When the Lord passed out the bread, no one got the whole loaf, did they? Isn't that right? So I'm given a part. You're given a part. There's no one here, if Jesus Christ is your Lord, couldn't teach me a lot about the Word and the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we're not to know one another out of the flesh. And I think this is a grace that God is doing to us. It's moving us into a place away from the flesh to where we can quit honoring men and we start honoring the Lord. There's many things that's been receiving glory and much of the deception we've been in. And I want you to know the Spirit of God always points to the Word and it always points to Jesus. Now, sometimes when you deal in the Word, and I can tell you right now, that we'll be dealing with controversial things these whole three days. And I want to tell you to begin with. I don't receive anything from any man. Now, this way I want you to start out. And I want you to remember what I'm saying. I want you to hear me. I don't receive anything from any man until God confirms it in my heart. I'm called into liberty and freedom. I'll not be intimidated. I'll not be made fearful. And I'll not persuade if argument is not going to lead me into something or to walk somewhere or that I have to be like anyone except the Lord Jesus Christ. And so I want to tell you here now that you're not to get under any condemnation at any time if everyone in this seminar here sees something and you're not seeing it. You only see it. You only receive it in your heart. I've got a great big shelf I put things up there. And I put them on that shelf until God confirms it in my heart. So, see, if everything in my heart is toward truth, see, there's a difference in holding people together by truth instead of fear and guilt and condemnation and that sort of thing. So, yes, truth is what holds the body of Christ together. If you have the Spirit of God in you and I speak the truth, I'll not be able to teach you anything because there's only one teacher. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. And if I speak something here that quickens you, it's already in your heart. You already knew it. And the Lord just made it alive by speaking it through me. There's only one teacher. His name is Jesus, and we're to know his voice, whether it's a one-hour-old Christian or whatever. Now, you're called into liberty and freedom. You have come from many different places here. I can promise you at the end of three days, there's a little war getting here. You'll shake your head over that, won't you? And you'll find out why there's a little war getting here as we go on. Examine your thoughts, folks. That's where they talk to you. Now, I want to tell you something. You know I was talking about the big Jesus? You have the big Jesus if Jesus Christ is your Lord. Now, let me tell you about this Jesus. He says, I will lead you in all truth. Now, that's a promise. Now, that means if you want to be led in all truth, then you'll need to let all your heart and soul go to the Lord. Is that right? Ain't that right? Now, he also said his word is not for private interpretation. Now, let's quit this thing looking up toward men. And some man's got the whole loaf or whatever. The reason that you haven't been being led in all truth is because you've been letting someone else lead you in all truth instead of trusting Jesus in your heart to lead you in all truth. Coming to the Lord Jesus Christ is not intellectual. It's spiritual. The natural mind understands not the things of God. That's one of the problems today. A world has moved into a church where we look up to the intellect and the man with the money gets the floor, right? Well, it's mercy which moves us into grace. And it's the only thing that we boast in because you'll never know one thing from God unless it's revelation and it's grace. So there's no man or anything else we can boast in. Now, he is no respecter of any people. Let's just put it this way. There's no big shots in a bunch, just one, Jesus. That'll set you free right then. Won't set you free if you won't believe it. If you get talked out of it and you just stay in bondage to men. We're called in liberty and freedom. If I work for Jesus and you work for Jesus, I'm going to tell you what, we know one another. We are submitted to one another. And we're going to have a fellowship with one another. Now, I want to tell you something, folks. I stand before God right here with my motives before the Lord right now. He's looking right in my heart. He's looking right in yours. I don't want any following. I don't need any following. And I want you to know that my problems are not with other people. The problems I deal with here is right in my heart. The enemy, like we'll do some things in the seminar, it shows you that the enemy wants you to get your always looking off somewhere else where you're not looking here. And he's going to lead you all in all truth. And if you're led in all truth, you know the truth. What does the truth do? It sets you free. All right, now, the reason I'm saying these things, because when you, you know, our unspoken traditions put us in a whole lot of bondage. You know that, don't you? And there's certain things. Well, let's just put it this way. We have been so intimidated and made so fearful of the powers of darkness and demons, we're not even supposed to talk about them. Let's just say it together here just one time. Just say demons. Let's see if we can get by with it. Demons. Let's say it over here. Demons. See, we made it. Now, it's part of the gospel. And we can talk about it. And a second verse to that, we're going to. It didn't say to ignore the devil and he'd flee, did it? We're going to find out there's more to it than saying greater is he that's in me than he that's in the world every six months. And I'm going to begin by sharing some of these things with you. And I want you to know that if you stay in bed very long this morning, and they were talking to you before you got out of bed, they're an enemy. They come to kill you, steal every relationship and destroy you, and they're doing it every day. You, you, you, your family, and your children. Now, I'll tell you what. There is a mystery of godliness, and the opposite of everything that God is is the powers of darkness is Satan. Do you realize that? All right, now. The mystery of godliness is a process of where God is manifested through the flesh. We know quite a bit about that. That's the Spirit of God wants to be an expression of Jesus who you conform the image of Jesus, who is the image and likeness of God. Isn't that right? That's what this covenant's about, for us to become in the image and likeness of God. Is that correct? But the other side of this that I'm going to be sharing a lot about is the mystery of iniquity. That's the process of where Satan is manifested through the flesh. The people of the world who have not come into a covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ and made Him Lord, I begin by telling you, walk, talk, and act like Satan. Of course, we don't recognize a lot of that with the world and the church. But this is what you'll see in the Word. And many times, folks, because in many ways the powers of darkness have been prevailing. Now, some smart man hadn't showed up that figured everything out. God's working a lot of places besides right here. But God in His grace wants you to look at a part here these three days. This is just a part. I think it's a very small part. I think there's so much more. I think we're just beginning to see and have our eyes opened in a way that you couldn't dream of. But I'm going to tell you one thing. Your heart's going to be turned totally to Jesus and you're going to walk in it. You will walk in it. That is covenant. You won't analyze it and speculate about it. You'll walk in it to receive more. And as you sit here these three days, the things that you've been experiencing this morning, the suspicion and all these things, you're going to start noticing a freedom. Freedom. You're going to notice that tomorrow that more, hey, I'm just more peaceful. I'm more peaceful. Hey, you know, there's kind of a lightness about me. I don't want to tell you why that is because that's the particular anointing for this part. It's the work of God's word when you receive it. Perform your work and it's setting you free. And when you get through this seminar, you'll not go retire. You'll stay in the word and you'll walk in it. But you're going to know many of you are going to know a freedom since you have never known since day one. And it's not going to be because some man came to town. It's the word. The word of the Lord. Now, you're in liberty and freedom. You understand that? You're in liberty and freedom here. A lot of you don't know you're free. We're all learning more and more about liberty and freedom. Our focus is totally on the Lord Jesus Christ and his word. Now, I would like to share just a little testimony so you'll know where I'm coming from because many of you, so many of you, I don't know. I've never seen before. You've never seen me. So it's good to see where a person's coming from. I was a dying man, 43 years old. Been one of the most tormented and broken lives you've ever seen in your life. And the Lord healed me. I mean, I was like a thread over hell. And the Lord healed me, saved me. Well, he saved me and healed me in that order. And for probably a good bit over two years after I was saved, I couldn't even carry on a conversation. Just a few sentences and I was off. My mind was off on something else. The Lord did heal my mind with the word. I used to go with labor Bibles where you go and, you know, in the churches in different parts of the country. I began witnessing. I tell you, the Lord did such a work of grace in my life. He so transformed me to all the brokenness and torment I'd been in those years to find out. And one night I had stepped over into a world. I mean, it's all that I could handle. And I want to tell you something. The one thing that you know it's something come from the Lord is you want to give it to everybody else. And I wanted the whole world to know, to have what the Lord had given me. Such torment, such brokenness, such a jungle that I lived in. And such grace, mercy and grace. And I can't comprehend it today that the Lord would consider me. I can't handle it and I can't comprehend it now that I could have anything to say that you'd be interested in. But I know that I'm standing in grace. I know that when I come up here to stand in this place, if grace is not there, I might as well go home and you too. Sometimes the Lord just lifts anointing off me just enough to show me. And I go into panic. So just for a short, brief time. And that just keeps me straight. I have no natural ability to be a teacher. They didn't even call on me to give testimonies when I was in the seminars, when I'd go different parts of the country, because I couldn't talk. And I know of at least one here that was in those lay revivals with me. So I want you to know to begin with, up front, I have nothing to boast in except the Lord. And I have a lot to learn. I'm a learner. And I'll tell you why I believe we all better be learners. And I believe no part has it all. And I believe the parts are fit together. The enemy is separated. We've all been islands before the Lord. You know, even in churches today and things like that, we're separated. We each do our own thing. We fit together. And we don't fit together in selfish ambition and jealousy. We fit together as one in Jesus and all the glory and everything points to the Word and Jesus. Now, I try to say this interesting thing that how the powers of darkness had just broken my life to pieces. That it's an interesting thing that the Lord began opening my eyes immediately after becoming a Christian, and Jesus Christ becoming my Lord, He began opening my eyes about the powers of darkness. I found it very hard. I found it a strange thing as a new Christian to be able to relate these things. I really did. Because I learned that when you begin talking about these things, something happens to people, even your best friend, your family. They'll believe... You know, I realize my family didn't believe me about anything I said until it come to... But I see this suspicion in things, you know, when you begin talking about that part of the Bible. And it's strange, going off the deep end. And so we're going to deal with the powers of darkness. But folks, I want you to know something. This is not a demon meeting. Because if you listen real carefully, the focus is not on the powers of darkness. The focus is what the powers of darkness have been hindering you and me from being in Jesus. Now, what I'm going to be talking about, Jesus is Lord. That's what I mean. Through all of this, this is where the focus is going to be. It's going to be in righteousness, holiness, discernment, overcoming the world, overcoming the flesh, overcoming the devil. And if you're not overcoming these three, they're overcoming you. And folks, I've had people that have left the seminar and they go back to some place and they start talking to some people about something about being free. And people say, free from what? I want to tell you something. There's a lot more bondage in this room right in here right now than you'd dream of. There's a lot more bondage in your home, in your children and you, than you can comprehend. See, this war has been going on and the church hasn't showed up for it. So, folks, don't resist something if it doesn't fit in our traditions, if it's in His Word. Will that be all right? Because the traditions... Now, I want you to listen very carefully to what I say. There's a stronghold right there. And do you ever notice when you hear something that doesn't fit in your structure right there, something rises up in you? When something rises up in you, could I ask you something? Examine it. Say, what's that thing doing rising up in me? Why am I upset over the Word here? What's got me upset? Now, you can be free from that unless you like it. If you enjoy it, just keep hanging in there. Keep a stiff upper lip. Just be like the world out there. Just keep letting the rough end drag. You and that pride. Now, we've already determined that you're not going to receive anything unless the Lord confirms your heart. That don't exactly sound like a cult, does it? All right, now listen. Here's what's going to happen. Here's the reason I want to share this with you. Listen, I'm going to start down here on some things, and I'll say some things down here. Where I'm going right up here, you'll hear me begin saying some things that's kind of got a strange sound to it to many of you. What I'm asking you, and there have been several thousand before you have learned, just relax. Just rest. You don't have to receive it until it's put together and you see it in the Word, do you? Now, I have to start out in this seminar by explaining many things, and then we're going to get in the Word, and I'm going to tell you what, if you see that list in front of you there, we're going to get in a few scripture, aren't we? We're going to get in the Word a little. Now, let me just begin by telling you something about the part that the Lord has given me. As the Lord would lead me, these saints would open up my eyes about the powers of darkness. I came to a place, you know, first I was out witnessing one time, and I'm telling you what, you know in God's school, you know all of us in school, if Jesus Christ is your Lord. And as I was witnessing this fellow right here, I never seen anything like it, or I'd seen it, I hadn't recognized it before. But a demon manifested in this man. I either had to run or deal with it. I didn't know, I didn't know too much, but the Lord just led me into a situation, and this, I'll not go into all the details of the story, but let's just say through a series of things, the Lord began, oh, as a brand new Christian, I didn't have much seniority at all. He began, He just began to open my eyes and lead me in this way. But I came to a place when I wanted to relate it, see, that people wouldn't, had a hard time receiving. I didn't understand that. So finally, you know, I run to get books, you know, to read about, and I'm telling you what, that's one of the worst mistakes I ever made, because those books just lead you into confusion. Now here's the way you learn about the powers of darkness, get lost in Jesus and get lost, He has a lot to say about it right here. Because you're not going to stand there knowing about the Holy Spirit anyway, it's not what you know, it's the grace and the Spirit of God that leads you and protects you anyway. Isn't that right? So going to these lay revivals, I came to a place that was invited to a lay revival to Graceland Baptist Church in greater Louisville area, which is the largest Baptist church, southern Baptist church in Indiana. And it's right across the river from Louisville. And I went with a Baptist pastor and a Methodist pastor was with me, and we just went up there to go with the church folks and so forth and just go out and share it and tell people about Jesus as I've done in many, many, all the times I've been a Christian. This is 1980. I wasn't thinking anything about demons, and I was particularly not thinking about anything like that going into churches, because what experience I'd had, you know, and delivered some things like that had been in my home or somewhere else. That's interesting. But in this revival, I was propelled into a situation, I'm not going to get into all the total story, where the Lord... I was casting out demons in the church memory. That was the last thing that I was expecting to do in that church. The pastor was there. I think there's about ten people on the staff. Most of them were there. And just a few others who'd never seen anything like this before. And I guess, as I was dealing with this man who was a member of that church, it was a pretty intense thing the way I used to do it. You know, we walk in what light we have, and I've got a lot of light since then. But I never heard such crying and brokenness in my life that I did behind me. And man, I mean, I just had to stop what I was doing right here. And I just had to turn around, and I looked in the pastor's face. He was holding a hand up. His eyes were closed. Tears were falling off his face. And as we discussed things later on, I knew I found out, you know, really what he was thinking. Because as he saw this man being transformed right before his eyes, who was one of his church members, and incidentally, this man taught in Southern Seminary in boys' school, and on occasions, and as a matter of fact, it was just last summer, if that matters. But he looked back through his ministry, and he saw all the counseling that he had done. And he saw that he had been dealing with symptoms instead of the source. And the Lord just opened his eyes where he saw that and absolutely broke his heart. This man on Sunday morning went before his people in a service there. He absolutely bent double over an altar, broken, asking the people to forgive him. Elvis Markham is his name. It's a godly man. Asking the Lord to forgive him and told the people he hadn't taught them the whole counsel of God. He was broken to pieces. Well, folks, this revival had already gone for some time, and it continued, and God came in such a way. And instead of staying there three days, I stayed there over three months as this revival continued. Three months. And I would start of the morning, through the day, and after the services at night, and through those three months. Now, I want you to listen carefully to what I'm saying, folks. I was casting demons out of church members. Now, folks, I started with the staff. Now, do you believe that this deserves a hearing or has some nut got in front of you up here? Now, folks, I knew that people walking in the walls were demonized. But I'm telling you what, as I sat before those demons, these people and these demons, and would cast them out of these people, I got to learn how they got ground to get in these people. See, let me tell you something. You know, as I share with you, that I have no natural, I don't have any natural ability to be in this place here, to be a teacher or anything like that. But I'm going to tell you something, folks. When God's Spirit or His grace comes upon you, anointing comes upon you, God makes you look pretty good, like you're smart or something. Do you know it? And I'd never heard of anything like that. I'd never read of anything like that. But I began to see, and it's like I blow my mind, the whole place is in bondage. Now, demons aren't a blessing. Can I say that one more time? All right, here it comes. Demons aren't a blessing. Now, let me tell you the second part of that. They're a curse. If they're not a blessing, they're a curse, all right? The stained glass didn't keep them out. I'm not saying that to be smart or cute, folks. I'm talking to all of us, boys. None of us are too smart. Do you know that? And it's the most amazing thing to me, and I try to... There was a dentist there that we worked together every day through this revival, and I tried to relate to him, and my mind couldn't handle it. Now, if that kind of seems a little strong to you right there, you're just going to have to worry. Only the Spirit of God can sort that out. Don't reject it. Why don't you check on it? Go up there. They're still casting them out. People getting free. Now, for the benefit of people that might have any problem with spiritual pride, it's not just a Baptist problem. Let me just go ahead and drop this on you, the whole bunch. So I left there. Now, in about three months of this, I was walking in the walls. And I left there, and after a time of rest, folks... Now, I'm telling you something here that deserves a hearing, doesn't it? I went to either six or seven churches the next year, and every one of the pastors needed deliverance from demons. Now, for the benefit of pastors right here, I want to tell you right now, before we get through this seminar, you'll find out that I love you and I'm a friend. If there's one thing the Lord ever put in my heart, it's to be a pastor helper. Because I don't think there's anything more beautiful in this world than a shepherd with a shepherd's heart. That's the most beautiful thing in this world to me, and I just want to tell you. And I don't care what you've thought or what you've heard or anything else. You just wait till you get through this three days, and you just decide in your spirit where you think what you hear from the Lord. Let's don't go by what we hear. Let's go by what we know. Is that all right? All right, now, I gave a testimony a couple of years ago in a conference, well, it was here in the convention hall. And I came to a place, and you know, these things begin to share. You know, people all think these things are over in Africa still. You know it? And I began to relate and share, as James has, how the powers and darkness had controlled my life and my testimony. I had come to a place and related it, and I noticed that people's mouth, you know, demons. So you'd have to cut out about two-thirds of Mark if you left it out. You know that. They're the ones that control this world system, folks. This world you live, this world system, you're going to see it in a word. You should already know it. But I said, I came to a point that I said that if Christians can't have demons, then the top pastors and evangelists across this country are lost, many of them, because I've been seeing the Lord set them free from the demons. Now, folks, let's look at something. I've seen this church after church repeated since then. Now, let me ask you something. So what are they doing? Well, let me tell you what they do. They're killing you, stealing from you, and destroying you. They're all the time like that. They're there every time you get your Bible out to read it to explain ways away, to get your heart to look some toward some man. When you run into something in the Word, they tell you to meet them. Just like lust can come to you, you know, when you go through the shopping center, many of you, when you look at your choir on a Sunday morning, you have to kind of look away. See, because like the world, the world has been programmed with the powers of darkness and there's pride, and we hide this thing in us. We never, you know, you don't walk out of church on Sunday morning and say, I lusted toward the choir today. I'm not saying that to be smart. I'm just telling you that these are things that we hide in. You're coming to party inside, and you're just like the world out there hanging in there. Where are you hanging to, pride? See, pride is satisfied. Satisfied people don't need God. They make their own bread and eat their own bread, and they're going to work it out some other way. Well, God resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble, and that's a whole lot of things that we're learning today that we're moving in this place of humble, being humble. Now, I won't turn to it, but in 1 Timothy 4-1, it says that in the last times, that people will fall away. Now, what is falling away? Falling is departing from the Word of God. Let me just give you an example. Falling away could be, what do you think these powers of darkness are doing to them folks? Do you think they're leading them toward heaven or hell? Are they leading you toward error or leading you toward the truth? What do you think they're doing to people? They're lies. They're lying. They tell everybody the same lie, and they think it's good because they all thought of it or something. But what we have to do is come back here and see because we can't stand on experience. This is what we have to do is see it right here. Is it all right to come right here and see it? Can we agree right there? All right, now, it says that you can be deceived and fall away by deceitful spirits. Now, let me ask you something. Are you too smart to be deceived by the deceitful spirit that's stronger and smarter than you are? Where did we ever get anything so worked out we ignore that part of the Bible? See, you're going to see how that church got demonized, top to bottom. You're going to see it the same way all over. But you've got to see it right here, not about me up here telling stories and experiencing it, if you see it right there. Now, these deceitful spirits, it also says, has doctrines of demons. Now, doctrines of demons points toward hell. It's a falling away. It's apostasy. And then, you know, pretty soon, let me tell you how it works, how the powers of darkness works. They begin... Did you ever get in a boat and have your head down and then you look up and you're all the way over here and they'll say, well, how did I get over here? You drifted. And that's what they do. They just drift and drift and drift. And they deceive. Now, let me tell you something. You pastors are in here right now. And, see, we shouldn't be bothered by that. It'll be some truth right here in this word. I don't care whether it's a carpet, a carpet cleaner, where James and John and James just have a time today. Do you know it? But if it's in here in a word here, you see something in a word, I think it's all right to look at it. If you miss an is or are or anything like that, it's right there in the Bible, right? Because we know the truth, and the truth sets us free. So what... This is what the Lord in His grace is doing today. They're showing us the mystery of iniquity is showing how the powers of darkness, what they've been doing and what they've been deceiving us about. Now, in seminary, as most pastors have relayed to me, you come to that, you touched on it, and you went on. You didn't really learn about it. Now, I'm going to tell you something, pastor. You, pastor, don't stand a chance, shepherd, of properly shepherding a flock, if you don't know and understand and deal with the powers of darkness. The only thing you can look forward to is some man coming to town, and when he comes there two weeks, they've taken away everything he's done. You know, you talk about going over the top, going over the top. We almost went over the top. You're not going to go over the top until you get rid of them and deal with them. And... So now, if we come back to this part of the Word and deal with it, what we've been programmed with, the powers of darkness got us programmed real well to react to... to anything that mentions anything about the powers of darkness, to react to demons. You know, you start getting some labels laid on. Now, all the people in here that ever dealt with anything, the people that represent God say what God said. Is that correct? And when they said it in here, there became criticism and the persecution. Is that right? Now, that's a promise for you. It comes to you. Well, many things have become... You'll be accused. You became... You have extreme view or something like that. Many things of this nature. You've gone off the deep end. You see a demon behind every bush. I see 50. And it's... You know, that's... I don't know whether I even should have said that or not, but I'm telling you something, folks. They control this world system and the world's got no church. And they brought it in there. And they make a gospel of grace, a social gospel. And that's what they've been doing. And when you see it, by the Word of God here, these three days, they've deceived us. The whole bunch of us. Ain't nobody can boast. The whole bunch of us have been deceived to some degree. All right, then we're going to deal with how do things get to be this way. I don't want to share with you. I just want to start down here and I just want to begin sharing with you how things got to be this way. And then I'm going to do a little talking here this morning and then we're going to get in the Word. We're going to stay in the Word, okay? But let me just explain some things because when we come to it in the Word, so you'll just see it and understand it. Now, Adam was created in the image and likeness of God, which means he walked like God and he talked like God. Isn't that right? And Eve was taken out of the sight of Adam. Isn't that correct? All right, they were in the image and likeness of God. And it come a time for them to be tested. And the powers of darkness do the testing. And without getting into details now, we know that Adam fell and he became earthly. We know in Genesis 5 that when Seth, his son, was born, he was not in the image and likeness of God. He was in the image and likeness of Adam. Where were you when Adam, you know, for this sin, he was cursed? And so were you because you were still in Adam. You hadn't been born yet, and so was I. You were cursed. And when you come into this world, you walked in an image and likeness. You walked, talked, and acted like Satan. Your heart was in covenant with Satan. Why? Because your heart goes to the lust of the flesh. That's where you live. Everything you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel. It's pretty evident that the world out there lives for the lust of the flesh. You know what an egg carton is? Or a milk carton? You know, it's kind of a container. I don't want you to think it's some new Greek word, but this is a carton. Can I call that the carton? Now, we're beautifully made as far as our body and everything. I'm talking about the lust. When I refer to the carton right here, I'm talking about the lust. Now, do you understand that the world out there lives for the temporal? Their heart goes for the lust of their flesh. All their decisions, everything, is for this carton. They live for the temporal, right? That's where they live, for the carton. Have you got that straight? So they walk and scheme. They're all wolves. Have to work out all the angles. Step on the whole bunch. Make a name for them. Selfish ambitions. Selfish, I mean, my. They're Lord. The world's full of them. They're in covenant with Satan in their heart because of everything. I want you to listen very carefully. Everything you are or everyone is in the flesh, so is Satan. When you walk after the flesh, of course, you know, when you get a new master in Jesus Christ, he's really your Lord, not just words. I mean, really, Lord. You walk in newness and light, and you got a new master. But your walk in this world, you know, you go by what some of the words world calls good. And what the world calls good is detestable in the sight of God. We know that in Luke 16. But you walk, talk, and act like Satan. Now, let me show you how. In the lust of your flesh, each one of us in the whole world here, is pride. It's there. Ego. It's there. Rebellion. It's all in there. All of these say, I need my, as it's called, it's my. Hi, I'm Joyce Green, Milton Green's widow. God took Milt very suddenly, October 14th, 1987. All of us who knew and loved Milt were very surprised that God would take him home like that. But the Lord told me the next day that he was going to use Milt to a far greater degree in his death than he had used him in his life. And this is certainly proving to be true because we have a wealth of wisdom from the Lord that he gave Milt during his time here, such as the program which you just watched. And the year before Milt died, God gave him a book called The Great Falling Away Today. And this book will give you much wisdom about what is going on in your own life and what is going on in the church. And the world around you. If you would like to receive a copy of this book and information about the tapes that Milt preached when he was here, just write to us at Be Fruitful and Multiply, Post Office Box 3459, Palestine, Texas 75802. That's Be Fruitful and Multiply, Post Office Box 3459, Palestine, Texas 75802. If Milt were here today, he would say to you, the only desire of my heart is that you be a success in Jesus. And everything that he wrote and everything that he said would point you in that direction. So cling to the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you. Have a wonderful day in him.