Overcoming Familiar Spirits (Deliverance From Unseen Demonic Enemies And Spiritual Debt) Order Printed Copy
- Author: Kynan Bridges
- Size: 3.26MB | 201 pages
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About the Book
"Overcoming Familiar Spirits" by Kynan Bridges is a comprehensive guide to understanding and overcoming unseen demonic enemies and spiritual debt. Through personal experiences, Biblical teachings, and practical strategies, Bridges helps readers recognize and break free from negative spiritual influences that may be hindering their lives. This book offers insights and tools for spiritual warfare and deliverance, empowering readers to live victorious lives through the power of Jesus Christ.
Charles Wesley
"O for a thousand tongues to sing / My dear Redeemer's praise / The glories of my God and King, / The triumphs of his grace!"
He was said to have averaged 10 poetic lines a day for 50 years. He wrote 8,989 hymns, 10 times the volume composed by the only other candidate (Isaac Watts) who could conceivably claim to be the world's greatest hymn writer. He composed some of the most memorable and lasting hymns of the church: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "And Can It Be," "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," "Soldiers of Christ, Arise," and "Rejoice! the Lord Is King!"
And yet he is often referred to as the "forgotten Wesley."
His brother John is considered the organizational genius behind the founding of Methodism. But without the hymns of Charles, the Methodist movement may have gone nowhere. As one historian put it, "The early Methodists were taught and led as much through [Charles's] hymns as through sermons and [John] Wesley's pamphlets."
Language scholar
Charles Wesley was the eighteenth of Samuel and Susannah Wesley's nineteen children (only 10 lived to maturity). He was born prematurely in December 1707 and appeared dead. He lay silent, wrapped in wool, for weeks.
When older, Charles joined his siblings as each day his mother, Susannah, who knew Greek, Latin, and French, methodically taught them for six hours. Charles then spent 13 years at Westminster School, where the only language allowed in public was Latin. He added nine years at Oxford, where he received his master's degree. It was said that he could reel off the Latin poet Virgil by the half hour.
It was off to Oxford University next, and to counteract the spiritual tepidity of the school, Charles formed the Holy Club, and with two or three others celebrated Communion weekly and observed a strict regimen of spiritual study. Because of the group's religious regimen, which later included early rising, Bible study, and prison ministry, members were called "methodists."
In 1735 Charles joined his brother John (they were now both ordained), to become a missionary in the colony of Georgia—John as chaplain of the rough outpost and Charles as secretary to Governor Oglethorpe.
Shot at, slandered, suffering sickness, shunned even by Oglethorpe, Charles could have echoed brother John's sentiments as they dejectedly returned to England the following year: "I went to America to convert the Indians, but, oh, who will convert me?"
It turned out to be the Moravians. After returning to England, Charles taught English to Moravian Peter Böhler, who prompted Charles to look at the state of his soul more deeply. During May 1738, Charles began reading Martin Luther's volume on Galatians while ill. He wrote in his diary, "I labored, waited, and prayed to feel 'who loved me, and gave himself for me.'" He shortly found himself convinced, and journaled, "I now found myself at peace with God, and rejoice in hope of loving Christ." Two days later he began writing a hymn celebrating his conversion.
Evangelistic preacher
At evangelist George Whitefield's instigation, John and Charles eventually submitted to "be more vile" and do the unthinkable: preach outside of church buildings. In his journal entries from 1739 to 1743, Charles computed the number of those to whom he had preached. Of only those crowds for whom he stated a figure, the total during these five years comes to 149,400.
From June 24 through July 8, 1738, Charles reported preaching twice to crowds of ten thousand at Moorfields, once called "that Coney Island of the eighteenth century." He preached to 20,000 at Kennington Common plus gave a sermon on justification before the University of Oxford.
On a trip to Wales in 1747, the adventurous evangelist, now 40 years old, met 20-year-old Sally Gwynne, whom he soon married. By all accounts, their marriage was a happy one.
Charles continued to travel and preach, sometimes creating tension with John, who complained that "I do not even know when and where you intend to go." His last nationwide trip was in 1756. After that, his health led him gradually to withdraw from itinerant ministry. He spent the remainder of his life in Bristol and London, preaching at Methodist chapels.
Magnificent obsession
Throughout his adult life, Charles wrote verse, predominantly hymns for use in Methodist meetings. He produced 56 volumes of hymns in 53 years, producing in his lyrics what brother John called a "distinct and full account of scriptural Christianity."
The Methodists became known (and sometimes mocked) for their exuberant singing of Charles's hymns. A contemporary observer recorded, "The song of the Methodists is the most beautiful I ever heard … They sing in a proper way, with devotion, serene mind and charm."
Charles Wesley quickly earned admiration for his ability to capture universal Christian experience in memorable verse. In the following century, Henry Ward Beecher declared, "I would rather have written that hymn of Wesley's, 'Jesus, Lover of My Soul,' than to have the fame of all the kings that ever sat on the earth." The compiler of the massive Dictionary of Hymnology, John Julian, concluded that "perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, [Charles Wesley was] the greatest hymn-writer of all ages."
"A Dream Reveals God's Healing Power of Love"
Have you ever had an experience so exceptional you hesitated to share it with others who might not believe it? In the mid-1970s, I worked for a Knoxville company, selling to grocery stores, campgrounds, etc. My route often took me to Chattanooga, where one of my customers lived and was a Christian. We would often share our views and testimonies. One day, after he had shared a beautiful Spiritual experience with me, without thinking, I said, "Wow, is that for real?" He instantly turned away and tartly said, "I don't share this with everyone because I know they won't believe, but I thought you would!" But we were fine; I apologized and explained that it was only a reaction, and I didn't doubt his word. The following article is about a vision I have shared with only a few who I thought would believe. God's Healing Power of Love In 1996 during an incredibly stressful situation, my personal and home life were crashing, and there seemed to be nothing I could do. I was depressed, and Satan repeatedly taunted me with self-harm suggestions. I knew he was a liar, but he always attacks our weakest points. Even those closest to me were unaware that I had encountered one of the lowest points in my life. Our problems and troubles always seem worse at night, don't they? One night in the wee hours, awake and leaning against my pillow, suffering from what I now know was another brutal satanic attack, something happened that changed my life forever. My Vision Suddenly I was sitting in the drivers' seat of a large truck; it had been in an accident, and everything around me was in small broken pieces. The windshield was gone, broken glass and large shreds of sharp metal dangled from the ceiling and were scattered all around. Observing my injured body, I said, I must have been in a fatal accident! Just then, a kind-looking a well-dressed man calmly opened the smashed passenger door and stepped up to the truck. Reaching through the debris, he caught my hand, and I miraculously passed through the twisted metal, glass, and shredded material and out the passenger door to the ground. As I stepped out, I realized how well I felt, no aches or pains, and no depression. I was amazingly well! We started walking, and after about 50 yards, I saw what can only be described as a place or an opening. What I saw/experienced inside cannot accurately be put into words, but I will try. As we drew closer, I became aware of an unspeakable beauty; colors I had never seen, and music that radiated beauty, peace, and healing. Even more were the penetrating feelings of joy, total acceptance, and sense of well-being. The emotional and Spiritual healing powers were beyond what I thought possible. I stood as though glued to the ground, as I was repeatedly bathed with wave after wave of blissful sensations of healing, love, and total acceptance, powerless to move. I am convinced it could only have been a glimpse of Heaven. The power was so penetrating and extreme that I do not believe if it had occurred outside the vision, I could have remained standing. I do not know how long we were there, but perhaps only a few minutes when my friend indicated it was time to leave. We quietly walked back to the front of the wrecked truck. Then, as quickly as the vision started, it ended, and I was again sitting up in bed, awake. But the sensations remained. I trembled as my heart pounded, and the beauty and euphoria from the vision replayed in my mind. I knew without a doubt this was from God; it could not have been anything else. Again, I cannot put this into words, but it was so powerful that I would have knowingly gone through an actual truck wreck and even death to have this experience again. As I sat there searching for understanding, and wondering aloud I asked, "does this means that I am going to lose my life in a terrible accident?" Then a powerful and comforting Spiritual voice immediately responded, "No, I just wanted you to know that I love you and for you to experience the healing power of my love." I was instantly and permanently healed, and my days were once again enjoyable. Although it was winter and in the northern U.S., I would walk through the snow conducting business humming or whistling, and nothing could cause me the slightest bit of worry. The problems in my life did not change, but I did. The things I was so anxious about happened anyway, but I was okay because this miracle from God had brought total healing. God healed and removed me from the most miserable time in my life! It was a miracle that brought healing, joy, and hope for the future, and, most of all, newfound confidence in God. I was laughing and talking with my co-workers again. I didn't discuss my experience with them because some were not Christians, and I was concerned that they could not understand, and it was so precious and powerful that I didn't want to take the chance of someone not believing. This miracle was a token of God's love, and it did more for me than a truckload of pills. It was only a small sample of God's healing power of love but has remained one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The Apostle Paul's actual visit to Heaven and the things he saw and experienced were so wondrous that God would not allow him to speak of them. Paul was so captivated by his Glorious Visit that the only reason he would willingly return to earth was to complete God's message to the world. Twenty-Five Years Later Twenty-five years later, I still remember that experience in detail but can only now understand how much it changed my life. This vision, and a couple of others, are mostly responsible for establishing this ministry and website. I would never again doubt God's reality or wonder about His healing power, and it has given me faith for the countless times I have prayed with others. Now, when troubles and depression try to return, all I need to do is recall that vision, and the healing powers return. No matter how discouraging things become, or how trying the circumstances, remember that nothing is impossible with God; the healing power of God's love is enough to overcome them all. Samuel Mills