Freedom is the natural condition of the human race, in which the Almighty intended men to live.
Those who fight the purpose of the Almighty will not succeed. They always have been, they always will be, beaten.
—Abraham Lincoln
When you step out in faith to tell people about Jesus and get them free, the devil will come against you with every evil tactic, planting fearful and intimidating thoughts in your mind and stirring up your emotions.
This is not a great feeling, but I can tell you that what Lincoln said is true: Anyone who opposes God will be defeated. They cannot win.
One way to slam the devil when he comes against you like that is to make certain your head is covered with the helmet of salvation (see Eph. 6:17) and you have applied the blood of Jesus to your circumstances (see Rev. 12:11).
Remind yourself how you got saved, all the great things God has done for you, and how you are His child and He loves you. You will break any hold the enemy would try to have on you, and freedom and peace will flood your soul.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(James 4:7)
“Submit yourselves to God” means to immediately reject any thoughts of doubt or torment and turn to your heavenly Father for wisdom.
Get His strategy to fight the evil that has attacked you. Then you can turn around and “resist”—or slam—the devil with God’s Word and His power behind you. He will run away from you like a cockroach when you turn the lights on in a dark room!
But that’s not the end of it. Now that you are free from whatever sin or bondage the devil tried to entangle you in, you can turn the tables and begin to torment him! Go out and tell someone your testimony, get them saved and set free. Believe me, it’s a whole lot easier—and more fun—to carry out the mission when you’re free!
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
