Free From The Enemy’s Propaganda
Text: Matthew 24:3-14 (KJV)
We need to silence the propaganda of the enemy of our souls by getting into the presence of THE TRUTH!
We have liberty and freedom today because of the great sacrifices of our military personnel who willingly fought for our country.
The freedoms and liberties that we enjoy today in the United States of America have come at the very high price of those willing to defend what was right and what was true!
Before the United States of America was ever dreamed up in the hearts and minds of our founding fathers…we were exposed to a much greater freedom. Because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross at Calvary, we have freedom from sin, death, and eternal damnation.
Just as propaganda has always played a part in every major conflict…the spiritual battle we find ourselves in today is no different.
Text:
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. —Matthew 24:3-14 (KJV)
1. WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?
Propaganda - dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion. —Britannica Online
Propaganda –
2: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
3: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause —(Merriam Webster Online)Propaganda is information that is not impartial and used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, often by presenting facts selectively (perhaps lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or using loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information presented. —Wikipedia Online
Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV)
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
1 Corinthians 14:10 (KJV)
10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
2. The Propaganda
The strategy of the enemy is to lie to you and deceive you every day. Do you ever have negative and discouraging thoughts that come out of nowhere? Sometimes they can be hard to recognize as the enemy’s propaganda because it sounds like it could be true.
1 Peter 5:8-10 (KJV)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
John 8:44 (KJV)
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Hitler’s Basic Principles of Propaganda (abstracted from Jowett & O’Donnell)
• Avoid abstract ideas – appeal to the emotions.
• Constantly repeat just a few ideas. Use stereotyped phrases.
• Give only one side of the argument.
• Continuously criticize your opponents.
• Pick out one special “enemy” for special vilification. —Propagation and Pursuasion: Jowett & O’Donnell
Genesis 3:1-6 KJV – First recorded use of propaganda on earth…
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. —Genesis 3:1-6 (KJV)
3. Don’t Be (Willingly)
1 John 4:1 (KJV)
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them. —Sun Tzu; The Art of War
2 Corinthians 2:10 – Lest Satan get an advantage
John 16:13 (KJV)
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 14:26 (KJV)
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
You Can Be FREE from Propaganda
When you have a troubling thought, ask yourself, ”Does this line up with the Word of God?” – We are told to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5).
John 10:27 says, “My sheep know my voice” (CEV), so when you hear another voice spitting out propaganda, take those thoughts captive and mentally and spiritually throw them to the ground before they ever have a chance to take root.
You need to respond with truth in the presence of THE TRUTH.
“You don’t earn a FREE GIFT”
Ephesians 2:7-8: “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
Romans 5:15-16: “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.”
You will be affected and impacted if you are open to truth and regularly entering into the presence of THE TRUTH!
(John 8:32) Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free!
It is impossible for you to stay deceived by the enemy’s propaganda when you are seeking truth in the presence of God!
You can be FREE from propaganda if you will stay grounded in TRUTH!
4. BE
TODAY
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools —Romans 1:17-22 (NIV)
The enemy of your soul is pushing out as much propaganda as possible right now…
He knows His time is short!
See Revelation 12:11-12
He will push every lie and half-truth he can to get you to be separated from God! That is his ultimate goal is to separate you from God. So all the lies and propaganda in your spirit that are not lining up with what the Word of God says….they need to be struck down in the presence of TRUTH today!
You can be free from the enemy’s propaganda today….in the presence of the TRUTH, walk by faith!