(See letter of 1909/03/28)

Not Against Flesh and Blood!

Excerpts from a private letter from Horten:

John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” It requires training to hear the Shepherd’s voice—in our daily lives, in the meetings, and everywhere else. By being well acquainted with the Shepherd’s voice, we can distinguish His voice from the voice of the hireling and from the voices of other spirits. If you are familiar with a genuine 5-krone banknote, you can immediately recognize a counterfeit bill. In this area we need extensive training; for it is here we learn to test the spirits, to watch, and to discern any tone that is out of harmony. A person becomes spiritually musical, so when a dissonant note is played, it grates on their ears. There is much transgression against the Shepherd’s voice in many congregations today, which is why there is so much dryness. Jesus Himself has said that where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them. We must remember this, that Christ is in our midst, so all thoughts can be directed toward Him. This Sunday we had an amazingly blessed meeting; the knowledge of God is now beginning to spread throughout the congregation as never before.

We mentioned in one of our letters about the different spiritual forces, and I think it is important to bear these things in mind.

We know that the kings of ancient Israel and their armies fought with their physical bodies against their enemies. In other words, they wrestled against flesh and blood. This was because the body of Christ was not yet dead. When Christ died—and thus His body—then all bodies died. So now the battle is no longer against flesh and blood. Eph. 6:12. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

This tells us that all our battles are against spirits—spiritual hosts of wickedness. So then, all our victories must also be over spirits; and if anyone suffers defeat, it must be the spirits of wickedness that have defeated them.

For example: If a person suffers from the spirit of discouragement, that spirit can bring them to a dark, dark place, and in the end they may even take their own life. They thereby become a murderer who murders themself. The spirit of discouragement has thus gathered unto death. If a person allows themself to be overcome by a spirit of pride, this will ultimately lead them into debt, fraud, and theft and can result in a very terrible end. So the spirit of pride gathers unto death. These spirits may even appear in the form of an angel of light. 2 Cor. 11:14: “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” But all of these spirits will gather unto death. To gain full victory over all these spirits is to have full victory over the body of sin.

This should make it clear that we cannot be too vigilant when it comes to not consenting to any of these spiritual forces. That’s why Jesus said to His disciples, when they wanted to command fire to come down from heaven and consume the city: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.” Likewise to Peter, when he wanted Jesus to save Himself: “Get behind Me, Satan.” Peter’s mind had been penetrated by Satan, and Peter agreed with Satan. Here we cannot be too vigilant, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

By always being attentive to the Shepherd’s voice, a person will, as previously mentioned, be able to easily recognize these other voices and overcome them. When we don’t recognize these spirits, it is difficult to know how to defeat them; but when we recognize them, it is far easier.

These spiritual hosts of wickedness are now dwelling in the children of the world. There you can encounter all kinds of spirits. So we are battling against the spirit that is working in the sons of disobedience. Just think—these spirits are working in the sons of disobedience in order to transform them into the devil’s own image.

The devil is seeking to defile our spirit. Ezek. 20:32 says: “And that which arises in your spirit shall never be,” etc. [Norw.]. Here the devil caused a thought to arise in the children of Israel’s spirit, that they should be like the Gentiles, serving wood and stone.

Now, the second Adam has become a life-giving spirit. 1 Cor. 15:45. Through Christ’s influence, our spirit is made alive. That is why it is vital to be constantly vigilant to hear the voice of Spirit that makes us alive, for the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.

Your brother in Christ Jesus,

[signed in Byposten as J. O. H.]