Wimp or Warrior - Rise UP - Part 2

I have come to discover that there is a cycle of stages that warriors go through in trial.
1. Abiding                          
2. Building strength
3. Maintaining our armor
4. Going out for the fight

I recently had the shock of my mom passing to her eternal home.  (The trial).  The shock caused me to retreat to the only place where I know comfort is - abiding in Him.  I opened my bible for devotionals in the few days that followed only to discover that I didn't want to read the old words on the pages, what I really needed was His love to comfort me and rebuild me.  His love led me to pick up a book i've been slowly reading.  Integrity, by Sean Feucht.  Pouring through the pages, I read the words of Heidi Baker as God had perfectly planned out for me to study in at this moment; she writes,
"Without oil from God, we can never be more than a dark and empty house. Focus on his face. Discipline your heart. When your mind wanders, focus on his face. He is beyond worthy of your time, your undivided attention."... "When I return to the place of abiding quietly in his presence, I no longer feel the burden, only the faith and joyful anticipation. That is what it means to live in His love! To faithfully listen to His voice, despite everything!"
 Abiding in Him - It's the only answer.  Whe we are hidden with Christ in God, then our vision becomes clearer, we begin to see who we really are.  Truly loved by God  "For you died to this world and your new real life is hidden with Christ in God."  Colossians 3:3
I think Heidi explains abiding perfectly when she explains that by abiding in Him, all of our burdens fall away.  No they don't go away, but those moments of being in His presence build and encourage us to keep on going.
The purpose of abiding is to maintain our identity when we've been wounded.  "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.  God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in Him" 1 John 4:16  Feeling low, I asked God to help me with my emotions, I am a firm believer on bringing heaven to earth as much as I possibly can.  There is no grieving in heaven, and therefore, no grieving on earth.  I know my mother is in Heaven, but how I was feeling needed to change.  The Lord spoke to my heart that, the hardest part about death is losing the love you have received from that person - and that's why spending time with God is so important - because in Him, we are complete.  It's ok to miss a loved one, but he never wants us to feel loss of the love He has for us.  Hearing this from Him made a world of difference to me.  It wasn't a grieving I was going through - it was a loss of part of my identity - the loss of love.  By my abiding in Him and his speaking that to my heart was like medicine for my soul.  My spirit became refreshed and life came back to me.  Literally the sun came back out and I truly enjoyed the rest of my day.
If I hadn't taken that time to abide in Him, I don't know how long it would have taken me to feel better.  Psalm 25:12-13 says "Who is the man who fears the Lord?  Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.  His soul shall abide in well being, and his offspring shall inherit the land."
Building strength - His love repairs and rebuilds.  He is a master builder and knows exactly how to engineer our souls and minds.  Had I hardened my heart to Him and gotten angry for "taking" my mother, I would have been viewing him with the wrong philosophy.  Satan is the thief and liar and the only one who steals - God does not!  Knowing the word, builds your strength to know the truth.  When my mom got sick, the Lord very clearly told me that I had to let her go - and not to war for her - so I put my trust in Him and obeyed. 
It is imperative to guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23) - especially when emotions are running high.  In shock and trauma, people get defensive and emotional - we can't control how they are reacting, but we can control how we react to them.  Abiding in Him and deciding to walk in love no matter what is a responsibility that we as Christians have.  Many see death as a loss and grieve, but when we are in Christ, only the flesh has died; the spirit just crossed the threshold from flesh to being present with the Lord.  With Christ as our savior - we will be united once again.
In this time of rebuilding strength, remind yourself of your righteousness.  You are righteous because you are in Christ.  You are a co-heir with Christ, you have the mind of Christ, you are a son/daughter, and you are His bride!  There is NOTHING that can seperate you from the Love of God - NOTHING!   (Romans 8:38-39)
Maintain your Armor - Why do I say to maintain your armor?  Like any warrior who goes out to battle, we need to do a constant check of our armor when battles are thick.  Swords get swung, darts are shot, and sometimes its easy to get tired and let down our guard.  But we have got to stand firm until the end.  Forgive quickly and straighten your armor, apologize, and straighten your armor.  Remind yourself as frequently as you need of who you are and whose you are.
Going back out for the fight - Living life in abundance is a choice.  You can choose to let the weights of the world bog you down, or you can choose to abide in him and keep going.
How do I know this is possible, I look to Stephen as my example.  In the midst of preaching to a hardened group - Stephen maintained his charachter to the point of death as we see in Acts 7:51-60 ⁵¹ “You stubborn people! You are heathen^[l] at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! ⁵² Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. ⁵³ You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” ⁵⁴ The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.^{[m] 55} But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ⁵⁶ And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” ⁵⁷ Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him ⁵⁸ and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.^{[n] 59} As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.
Now I certainly don't expect any of our drama to be quite so tragic - but some of the day to day stuff can certainly become overwhelming if we allow it to.  So how can we be victorious through trial?
Keep your tongue speaking the word of God... I found that whenever I was feeling stressed, and verbalized that I had stress or anxiety, it got worse.  But when I rebuked my words and declared - i'm not stressed, or I have no anxiety, my body would follow suit to how I spoke. 
Gods word is powerful and true.  It's ok to feel our emotions, God made us to have them.  But it's not ok to park our lives in the pits of depression or self pity, or any other negative place for that matter.

If you're going through a trial, or experiencing grief or depression.. first start by abiding in Him.  You are way too valuable to be taken out of the game.  That is why the bible says not to forsake the gathering of the saints (Hebrews 10:25).  I don't know what I would have done without my prayer warriors and the many that checked in with me to make sure my soul was doing ok.  Being independant of your brothers and sisters in the Lord is setting yourself up for failure.  It's ok to be transparent and let others know when you're not 100%.  We are all a part of the body of Christ - we can't afford to miss a limb (YOU).

Thank you God for my brother or sister reading this.  I declare over you peace and joy in the name of Jesus.  I call you into a greater purity and truth in Christ that roots and grounds you into a firmer foundation.  I praise God for you and declare complete soul wound healing and a spirit of forgiveness.  I ask you God to guide us into a complete walk of love for one another so that we can shine with the light you have put in us as brightly as possible.  Thank you for inviting us into your arms when we need rest.  Speak over us who we are in you.  In Jesus name Amen.



1 Corinthians 16:13 says "Be on Guard, Stand Firm in the faith, be strong, be courageous.

The Umbrella Theory

Laughing at your religion is all about taking doctrines that are causing oppression and bombing them with the truth of the word.  It’s called Hermaneutics…     Her-me-neu-tics; herme’n(y)oodiks/ noun; the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the bible or literary texts.  When you’re reading scripture, there are basic questions you really need to be asking.  2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  So if there is a right way to interpret scripture, there is definitely a wrong way.  There are some basic questions you should ask yourself when reading the bible to make sure you’re interpreting the scripture the right way.

1. Let scripture interpret scripture, read the chapter before and after help you determine the definition.
2. Who is speaking?
3. Who are they talking to and what are they talking about?
4. 2 or 3 witnesses are needed to define a meaning – you cannot make a doctrine out of one scripture.
5. What is the culture of the people being spoken to – Who is the scripture being written about?
6. Are you reading the passage considering the finished works of the cross?

(Guidelines courtesy of Creflo Dollar – “Questions to ask when reading scripture”  http://www.creflodollarministries.org/Watch-and-Listen?slug=Questions-to-Ask-When-Reading-Scripture&returnUrl=%2FWatch-and-Listen%3Fslug%3DQuestions-to-Ask-When-Reading-Scripture-Part-2%26returnUrl%3D%252FWatch-and-Listen%26type%3DVideo%26page%3D1&type=Video&page=1 )

1 Corinthians 11:3 is one that has been an oppressive verse to wives for far too long.  “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Let’s establish this first principle, that God’s words never change.  Matthew 24:35 says “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”  Understanding this is key.  In the beginning, we go back to the very creation of woman, and the blessing that God spoke over Adam and Eve.  Genesis 1:27-28 says “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  And God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

          Do you see that?  God said to both man and to woman – be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over the earth.  This was God’s original plan for man and woman to be equal.  But then the fall came.  When Adam and Eve fell, God cursed the both of them saying “Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you” Genesis 3:16  So if God cursed man, then we can easily compare Genesis 3:16 to 1 Corinthians 11:3.  Because in these two comparisons, we are dealing with living under the curse.  Now to apply the questions to the scriptures as I outlined above, we need to look at several things.

1.   Allowing scripture to interpret scripture, we know the following things, Paul, the author of Corinthians is speaking to the Church of God that is in Corinth.  In the previous chapter, Paul warns against idolatry.  What is idolatry?  Putting anything in higher ranking than God.

2.   Paul, is a Jew.  Jewish tradition has over 100 laws against women.  In Jewish law, a husband was the head of household.  Women were very oppressed in Jewish law.  While the men were allowed to have many wives, they were allowed to divorce a woman if she didn’t please him.  Women were never allowed to divorce a husband in Jewish law or to even be educated. In the context of the Corinthian culture, Corinth was known as a city full of prostitution.  Corinth was located in Greece.  At the time, Greek mythology was the “religion” of the region.  Polytheism was the norm, and Greek goddesses ruled the land.  The basis for temple prostitutes, was because the goddesses ruled and taught within the temples.  When a man became good enough and earned status with the goddesses, they earned rights to sleep with the goddesses.  Shaving heads was a sign of a prostitute – so to continue on in 1 Corinthians 3 where it talks about covering your head, it was a time when Christianity was spreading in the region.  Covering of women’s heads was a way to reduce the judgement of the prostitutes so that all could hear the preaching of the word without judgement.  (On a side note – this is also why women were told not to speak in the temple – not only did they not want the wrong doctrine taught)

3.   We have a second witness for 1 Corinthians 11:3 by looking to Genesis 3:16.  Going for a third here, I am looking at the blessing of Abraham found in Deuteronomy 28:13 “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God.  Under the new covenant, the obedience is fulfilled by 1 John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”

4.   Reading these passages through the finished works of the cross, we need to understand that Jesus took every single curse upon himself.  1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”  Our righteousness is found in Jesus Christ 1 Corinthians 1:30 “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

So to rightly divide the scripture that puts women underneath the authority of the husband is wrong, and sets women up for unhealthy and very unsatisfying relationships. We were made to rule and reign with our husbands – to be the head and not the tail.  To have dominion over the earth together and to equally submit ourselves to our husband Jesus.  We as the church are his bride.  We are one in Christ.  When we are married, we become one flesh.  “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become on flesh” Ephesians 5:31.  So if we are together one flesh – husband and wife, then the only husband we are under authority to, is Christ.

          This is the freedom that Christ came to bless us with – this is the freedom in Christ.  The oppression and pain women have lived under, trying to follow the twisted doctrine of being submitted to an authoritarian husband is not Gods original intent.  It’s time we all got a grasp of what the heart of God really is concerning marriage and allow our partners to be free.  Men don’t need the pressure of being the breadwinners – women – you are free to be educated and be an equal plowshare in your relationships.  There is no need for one to be above the other, when the two of you are happily submitted to the Lord.

 

Some other great resources out there for understanding womens rights throughout the bible are from Kris Vallotton

Fashioned to Reign, and The theory of empowering women.

 

Be blessed, thank you for reading, and please – leave some comments – we’d love to hear from you.

 

Overcoming Strongholds! Wimp or Warrior?!

1 Samuel 22:1-5New King James Version (NKJV)

David’s Four Hundred Men

22 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. ² And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

³ Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” ⁴ So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.⁵ Now the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

                Stronghold:  A stronghold, fortress, is used metaphorically in 2 Corinthians 10:4, one of those things in which mere human confidence is imposed.  Another definition of a stronghold is a mindset that is contrary to God’s word.

                Did you notice here that DAVID of all men was caught up in a stronghold?  Even mighty warriors who have slain giants can find themselves wrapped up within strongholds.  But as the prophets spoke to David, I am speaking to you now – “Do not stay in the stronghold”.

If David was told not to stay in the stronghold, then that means that we have the power to overcome whatever stronghold is against us.  Before we go into how to get out of a stronghold, what we need to first understand is how we got into them in the first place.

                In Luke 11:22, it explains how we get stuck in strongholds; 

But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.

                1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

                John 10:10-11New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

                Take a moment and think on these verses, The devil is the one to snare us into the pit of a stronghold.  He does it through lies and deceptions, his main goal in life is to steal, kill and destroy.  But Jesus who is our Good shepherd has already given his life for us – the sheep.  Because he has already conquered Satan, we have to be mindful not to allow the taunts of Satan, become more powerful than the works of the cross.

But Jesus has overcome the world – and because of Him, so have we!

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

2 Corinthians 10:4New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Isaiah 40:29New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁹ He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.

It’s time to change fortresses!

Psalm 91New King James Version (NKJV)

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

³ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler^[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.            (A contagious or infectious epidemic,  something  destructive)
⁴ He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (A shield covering the WHOLE body)
⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, (The lord has not given a spirit of fear, but power, love      and sound mind)
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,  (Things may be happening around you, but know – you’re
And ten thousand at your right hand;    (covered in his safety)
But it shall not come near you.
⁸ Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

⁹ Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
¹⁰ No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
¹¹ For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
¹² In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
¹³ You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

¹⁴ “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

                Knowing the word of God, the Truth, brings us into freedom.  The word of God is saturated with stories of freedom.

                So what is it you need to overcome?

                In Mark 5:42 – we see a 12 year old girl overcoming the stronghold of death

                In Matthew 9 and Mark 5 – we read about the woman with the issue of blood, she illegally went into public, touched a man illegally, and she took her healing – and Jesus commended her for it.

                In Luke 8:38 – A touch from Jesus healed a man from demons who had terrorized the town

                The book of Job is a story of overcoming – Job’s fear allowed the devil to come in and steal everything he had in his sphere – but putting his trust and his faith in the Lord brought him to victory.

                Believing lies and having wrong theologies can become strongholds for us.  Not knowing the word of truth leads us into bondage.  Perceiving God wrong  is a stronghold, living in fear is a stronghold, sickness is a stronghold, negative mindsets are strongholds.

Some can be dealt with internally, and then there are some, like Davids, that need to be overcome first in the mind, and then physically.

                During Davids stronghold in the caves, he was hiding from Saul.  In the caves he met many that found him to be a leader.  During this period, he trained and built up others that he had discovered.  It is a beautiful image of what the Savior does for us daily.  He meets us in our darkest moments and builds and encourages us.

                In order to become our highest self, (referring here back to Genesis 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”)   We need to be careful not to get stuck with worrying about fulfilling everything that we feel we have lost; relationships, money, jobs, etc.  Because God who is our redeemer will restore everything that has been lost in following him.  Matthew 19:29

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

There is NOTHING that’s worth your destiny OR your salvation.

The Holy Spirit is our guide to getting out of strongholds.  Set your love on him and He will deliver you (Psalm 91:14)       

What part of the word do you need to believe for your victory?  Revelation 2:26 says “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.” 

Holy Spirit, speak to me, guide me into deliverance.  Reveal to me the root of my stronghold and rip it out.  Where there is forgiveness needed, I forgive, where there is healing needed, I am healed, where there is disobedience, help me to obey.  You God are my Lord, restore me to the fullness you have created me to be and show me how to overcome every challenge with a positive attitude and with the Joy of salvation.  Cleanse me with your healing oil God.  Thank you for your love that cast out all fear.  In Jesus name Amen.

FLIPPING THE TABLES FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE

 

What's your heart condition?

Matthew 21:12 [ Cleansing the Temple ] And Jesus entered the temple [grounds] and drove out [with force] all who were buying and selling [birds and animals for sacrifice] in the temple area, and He turned over the tables of the moneychangers [who made a profit exchanging foreign money for temple coinage] and the chairs of those who were selling doves [for sacrifice].

 

In Levitical Law, sacrificing an animal was the atonement for sin.  Amidst all the Old Testament laws, God – who is always the same even says Exodus 25:2

“Tell the children of Israel to take an offering for Me. From every man whose heart moves him [to give willingly] you shall take My offering.  Giving has always been about the condition of the heart.  Religion loves to taint what God made pure – so giving has been one of the most controversial issues in the church since the beginning.

 

We’ve all been tainted by the preachers that send out the message - if you want to be saved, send money.  If you want to be blessed, send money.  I liken the sale of the animals at the temple like a convenient ATM machine; if you forgot to bring your sacrificial gift, buy a dove now for $29.99 and be healed.  It's not about doing it in front of people to look righteous; it's about your heart with God. It brings it back to that giving out of obligation how, that's not how God wants you to give.  Jesus paid the highest price!  He paid with his life and all he's asking us to do is to take care of his flock.  To take care of his flock cost money so if we can appreciate that immense sacrifice, and honor the vision he has for the church and give out of a grateful heart with just our money how much more would it be to give with our entire lives?  Liken it to when someone has a birthday you didn’t plan for – how you don’t know what to buy them because you don’t know their tastes very well, you don’t have the time to shop, or you simply forgot so you flippantly write a check or get some lousy gift card just to be sure you have SOMETHING… doesn’t it feel better when you have taken the time to think about and plan out what to give, and when it’s received, it’s received well?  That is how giving is with God – unlike people – he sees our heart like an x-ray and knows in which condition we’re giving.  

In times of giving, I think people have trouble understanding what they're giving for.  Do we need to start flashing pictures of the children that we’re feeding, the lives that we’re changing, the things that are going on in the kingdom - for them to understand and see what exactly every single dollar is being used for?  Your giving is not used to buy a beautiful lake house, it's not being used for ridiculous expenses and riches; it's being used to change lives. You feel good when you give to the March of Dimes, you feel good when you give to St. Jude's because you know it's going for a specific cause; so when your heart is in the giving, a Joy and satisfaction comes.  Knowing that you're giving towards the souls of the kingdom and that your giving is going into all eternity; it's not temporal it's not temporary, it's permanent and it will last forever.  It's a gift that keeps expanding and growing and never ceases I pray that the whole entire church body will have a revelation of where their seed needs to go and that revelation will just break their heart and cause them to start giving more.  Think about it this way.  Convert the dollars you normally give into something visual -  such as a loaf of bread for the youth ministry to be feeding the children and then as you feel your giving was good then next week, give enough to buy two loaves and three loaves and four loaves etc.

 

I think by and large, the church body has seen giving is a big black hole and they don't REALLY understand it.  It's hard to give with a cheerful heart when all you think you're doing is paying the light bill.  I'll be the first to admit I've given out of religious obligation, I've given out of fear of being cursed, I've given out of need and I've given out of love, and I choose to believe that none of that seed has ever been wasted - regardless of the heart condition that I gave and knowing how much I've given; I still believe for my 100 fold, because God's grace is sufficient for me and Jesus is blood covers all.  And really, honestly, if you’re concerned about the father of the house having expensive and elaborate things, then you need to get yourself back in the word and discover for yourself that Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the Lord brings [true] riches, And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God].

Church, it’s time to get back to giving like in the book of Acts.  There was NO NEED!  Acts 4:32-36  Sharing among Believers 32 Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all. 33 And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God’s remarkable lovingkindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them, and bringing the proceeds of the sales 35 and placing the money down at the apostles’ feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need36 Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus, who was surnamed [g]Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field belonging to him and brought the money and set it at the apostles’ feet.

Can you even begin to imagine what kind of revival would come, what life would come to your brothers and sisters in the Lord if we did what this early church did?  If your neighbor were in need of a car and you had an extra – and GAVE it without obligation or payment?  Would you ever sell a home, or Land to help? What an act of love it would be if all of us could act like the early church.  IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE!  When the body of Christ finally rises up and can stop being so selfish – the WORLD will start seeing our light more brightly! 

What if we were all so financially healed that when we see a non-believer in need that we generously give, just to be an act of love?  The world is selfish – BUT OUR GOD IS A GENEROUS GOD.  It’s time for us church – to stand up and declare – I am going to live my life debt free; I am going to be a generous giver.  It’s time we started aligning ourselves with the vision God has for the world instead of self-seeking to get all we can get.  We were not given a poverty spirit.  In your giving declare – I am prosperous!  I was blessed – so now I can be a blessing.

Father God – I declare over all the people reading this a REPENTANT HEART, a REPENTANT MIND, a REPENTANT SPIRIT.  Father in the name of Jesus I COMMAND souls to LINE UP with the WORD OF GOD and KNOW their TRUE IDENTITY as BELIEVERS.  We walk NOT according to our flesh but in the spirit.  Forgive us for our selfishness.  Thank you for gracing us to change and be renewed in our mindsets.  Thank you for freeing us from the bondages of oppression so that we can be GENEROUS JUST LIKE OUR DADDY!  Lead us not into the temptation of stealing your seed God.  I declare today that we as a body REFUSE to participate any longer with the spirit of the world.  In Jesus name – Open up your storehouses and see the kingdom of heaven flow like it has never done before.  Because we believe in the name of Jesus WE ARE BLESSED!

John 14:15

“If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.

John 14:31

but so that the world may know [without any doubt] that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father has commanded Me [and act in full agreement with Him]. Get up, let us go from here.

John 15:17

This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.

Matthew 22:36-40Amplified Bible (AMP)36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 And Jesus replied to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ 40 The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

 

 

 

 

Breaking the cycle of the lie – falling in love.

Psalm 34New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Lord, a Provider and Deliverer.

A Psalm of David when he ^[a]feigned madness before ^[b]Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.

34 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

² My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
³ O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
⁶ This ^[c]poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.

⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
⁹ O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
¹⁰ The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.
¹¹ Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴ Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are ^[d]crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.
²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be ^[e]condemned.
²² The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be ^[f]condemned

1 Corinthians 13:7

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 John 4:18 [Full Chapter]

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

1 John 2:5

but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

John 8:39-47 ³⁹ They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹ You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Numbers 23:19
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
2 Corinthians 10:5English Standard Version (ESV) ⁵ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Why do we have such a hard time believing in God, believing his word and truth and in his promises?  In the world we live in, there are so many lies we take on when we don’t know the word of truth.  Anything that doesn’t line up with the word is a lie.  Unfortunately, for a lot of believers, following God is hard because of the lies we believe.  Satan is the great deceiver, and the lies of the world that have molded our thinking and the way we see have debased our minds.  Jesus is the king of kings and the lord of Lords.  There is nothing greater than him on earth.  Not our finances, not our children, not our time – nothing.  There is nothing that should be in the way of an ultimate relationship with the lover of our souls – Jesus.  He is perfect love; and in his love there should be no fear.  No fear of speaking his name in public, no fear of following him, no fear of giving, no fear in believing; No fear.  On this journey we call life, we are deceived.  We are deceived in our thinking, deceived in our minds, deceived in our believing.  Deceived mostly into thinking God is lying.  Did God offer you a promise that hasn’t come true yet?  Did you fall into the trap of thinking It was a lie – that you’re not worth the time it would take to finish that promise?  I want you to know right now that in Jesus there are no lies.  He has never lied, nor will he ever lie.  He has always told the truth.  He is perfect love and we have got to stop doubting that his promises are true.  God wrote this book called the bible so that we could read and stand on his truth.  When seasons come where we need to battle and battle hard, the victory will come a lot sooner when we press in and pray and believe the truth of God’s word.  He is a breakthrough God – His battles are always victorious and there is nothing that can outshine the power of God’s word.  So that doctor gave you a diagnosis of cancer – God’s word says – I will live and not die (Psalm 118:17), I was healed on the cross over 2,000 years ago (1 Peter 2:24).  What about the bill that came in the mail that you couldn’t afford?  The Lord is our provider.  What are you thinking of right now that you doubt God about?  He’s not like that person you know who promises to do something for you and then forgets, has not going to tell you one thing and then change his mind.  He is and always has been, faithful, trustworthy, keeping his promises to the thousandth generation.   It’s time to call doubt out of our lives and remove it from our relationship with God.  He is our redeemer and has many and glorious things planned out for our lives.  Jobs, families, relationships – these are the things that are a desire of his heart for you.  He's not just a missionary in a foreign country; he is with you and in you and working to clear out all the clutter of previous history.  He WILL bring you to completion in him – and he’s not opposed to using means that confound your mind to do so.  Let him be who he says he is and work all things together for your good.  You may not be satisfied with where you are today but it’s not where you’re going to finish.  As the psalm above says in verse 16 “The face of the Lord is against evildoers” Romans 8:7English Standard Version (ESV) ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Perhaps there is a war going on in your own house that you weren’t aware of – your mind against the mind of Christ.  When we walk in love, we walk in belief - Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Isn’t the greatest commandment to Love God, and one another?  So if we say we love God but don't believe his truth, can we honestly say that we really believe in God?  Can we honestly say that we really love God?  NO!  We can fool man, but we can’t fool God.  He knows our thoughts, he knows our hearts (Psalm 139:2) He knows when we sit and when we stand, he knows when we lie down and when we rise up again, so doesn’t he also know when we think that something he said, won’t come to pass?  He is intimate with us – can we be intimate with him?  Lay ourselves bare on his throne and expose our hearts and minds?  Like Psalms 139:1 says – Search my heart – Search me and know me.  What is this asking?  It’s saying – God – you know me more intimately than I know myself – search me – ask him to show you your flaws, and when he points them out, ask for his help in healing them.  What do you have to lose?  Absolutely nothing; because God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.  Hebrews 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

I hope I have left you with something.  I believe in faith that I have deposited something in your spirit that has stirred you to get to know Him more.  My desire is to see everyone have a much more loving and intimate relationship with the amazing God I serve.  But it takes two.  He is forever and always calling after you; forever and always loving you.  There is nothing that has ever separated you from his love.  Return to your first love Jesus and open your heart, soul and mind to him.  He is your treasure to behold and your healer and deliverer.

Father God I just PRAISE you for your goodness and lovingkindness towards me.  Thank you God for delivering me from every lie and sin.  I thank you God for healing my mind, soul and body.  Put inside me a soul that makes its boast in you with all honesty, sincerity and intimacy.  Let me be who you desired me to be – I surrender it all to you right now in Jesus name.  Abolish my doubts, and uproot seeds of doubt that I have planted and renew my mind.  Help me to know how to stand on your word of truth.  I declare that I believe in you and everything you say.  Satan I bind you from lying to me.  God, Help me to know you more and show me how to walk in love and absolute belief in your truth.  Forgive me for my sin of unbelief.  In Jesus name Amen

See also - Deuteronomy 30:2

 

 



Laughing@YourReligion                                                                         November 2013
A Lioness Awakens
God hates divorce – so stay miserable my friends
What? You SO did not just say that! Yes I did and do you want to know why? Because it’s an inside the box
approach churches have at holding people captive in unhealthy marriages. Yep, I can see you now – sitting back and scratching your head thinking... “This chick is a Christian”??? What kind of a trip is SHE on? I’ll tell you – I am on the biggest kind of Jesus trip ever!

Bible verses:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleaning her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Ephesians 5:25-28
Wake up, O sleeper,
Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Ephesians 5:14
Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:19

So what’s your problem?

I’ll tell you my problem, but it’s a long one – so get your comfy pants on and sit for a chat... It’s a pretty bumpy ride.
I was born into this world, the beloved daughter of a king. Innocent and pure, I was the apple of my Daddy’s eye. I was raised by some amazing people, not just parents, but people that wanted to see my spiritual life flourish, so at a time when my parents weren’t yet going to church, a neighbor, or my oldest sister would take me.

Going to church and learning about God and His amazing love, I fell in love with my first husband Jesus. I didn’t understand of course what all of this meant – but I knew how I felt when I was close to him, and around people who loved him. My sister who is 16 years older than me was married when I was barely young enough to remember. I could see the love in her marriage and I decided that she had a good marriage because she was Jewish – well actually she is Christian but I guess my Christian-ese hadn’t developed into full understanding yet. But I knew they had something that I wanted. I continued on with a pretty active church life until I was 12. My Grandmother ~ who I was just starting to get to know, died of a massive heart attack. The lack of compassion from

the congregants that we thought we had grown into our family left a wound that caused my family to feel that we needed to leave the church. So now not only did I lose my grandmother, I lost a church structure. Fast forward a couple of years, I started having more serious relationships. I thought I had found what love was. The passionate kissing of a teenage love ~ it didn’t seem like there could be any more to the picture ~ this must be what made my sister’s marriage tick. So I pursued more of that until I was with someone who talked me into having sex for my first time at 14 years old. “For the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23. By
having sex, I divorced my savior, and died a long and painful death. I wasn’t ready for sex. It was less than satisfying and I really couldn’t understand what all the hype was about.

When I found out that he told other kids at school, I was so embarrassed. I broke up with him shortly after and vowed I wouldn’t bother with that anymore. But... then came along another boy. My self- esteem fell after my first experience, I no longer felt beautiful and confident. I became a shell. But this new boy , he pursued me in the hallways, he called me beautiful, and eventually he won me over and we started having sex. This time it was different... this time was definitely it! I was totally head over heels and my parents couldn’t stand him so it had to be right – right? Well – parents – if you have a daughter like I was – key note of info here – don’t tell her what NOT to do – or it’s a pretty sure fire way to get her to do EXACTL Y the opposite.

If you can’t already guess where this is going... my mom kept asking if I had been having sex and of course I kept lying to her ~ until one day I broke out of anger and told her the truth. She was pissed! I had never been a fighter ~ but somehow, one thing led to another and my mom and I had an all out WWF event right in my bedroom. I’ll never forget the look in her eye when she told me I better not get pregnant... So I did. She had promised to throw me out if I did ~ and I couldn’t wait to get out. So further on down the self-destructive path I drove. When the baby was born, I was still living at home.

That plan fell through. But I was still determined. Living in the house as a parent – with your parents causes even more issues, so one night I packed up all of our things and I left. My dad drove me down and unloaded my things, and my new perfect life began in a dirty, cockroach-infested apartment with the man of my dreams and his family. (Yeah when I look back I do a wtf too and I sometimes hate my pure honesty but if it helps someone...) Not long after moving in with baby daddy, we needed to find our own space because the apartment was going to be torn down for a new government building. We found an apartment close by and moved in. It was exciting to finally really be on our own, until reality set in. I was finishing high school and working part time to support my baby, and baby daddy? He went fishing.

12

In case you didn’t know, God is a Jealous God. My apartment was right across the street from a Baptist church. I remember looking out the windows, longing to go through the doors, but I wasn’t brave enough. I didn’t know anyone there and I didn’t have anyone to go with me, so on the warmer Sundays, I’d listen for the joyful sounds of the worship music that would joyfully pour through the stained glass windows and doors. I longed to have that joy back. That pure and innocent joy. I did manage to graduate high school that summer – a stereotype I was not about to live up to. And I went on to start college in the fall, but as life has its way of changing you, the ominous breakup prevailed. A borderline abusive relationship wasn’t what broke me; it was the drug use that had been hidden from me. When I came home from work one afternoon, I found him high, and my baby sleeping upstairs alone. It was in that moment that I couldn’t take another moment. I moved in with a friend for a few weeks until I finally broke and went back home. Like a new baby calf, I pushed to get back on my feet. Igotanewjob,hadaccesstoacar,Ihada regained confidence, but I was so messed up as to what love really was. It was an easy lesson to figure out that to keep a boyfriend interested, you have sex. I finally found one who became serious enough to marry me. I wasn’t of age yet before I started drinking but I liked it and so did he. He had a steady job and a nice family – so I ignored all of the red flags that kept popping up before we actually got married. Killing innocent animals for the fun of it or out of anger, the violent behavior when he was drinking heavily, the intense jealousy, the heavy way he would discipline my daughter, the way he would mistreat her dad. I had been so blind to all of it. After some traumatic events in our marriage, I began feeling trapped, alone and scared, so I started going to church. I never thought that simple act would bring me so much trouble at home. He would get mad at me for going. I couldn’t understand why. Giving money was an absolute no-no. I could give a dollar or two – maybe five. His misery continued on until one day I gave him an ultimatum. He had been working out of town daily and would come home so tired and miserable. I was wanting a divorce but didn’t believe that’s what should be done. This was my marriage – for better or for worse. So the choice I gave him was to find a new job or move. So we moved closer to his work. New friends, a new life, new bars to go to. Life was so much better for a while. My world crashed the year my third baby was born. I was pregnant the same time as his best friend.  Their baby died a month after birth.  I felt guilty, guilty because my baby was alive, guilty because it wasn’t me, guilty. After all I had done, I felt that baby should have been my loss. The pang in my heart was aching to get back to that place of home, so again I started searching. A few occasions I’d sneak out to go to church, not wanting to hear his disgust. But then a friend led me to a place that for a few years, I really could call home. I loved the place, I loved the worship, and I quickly started growing. I was given responsibilities and after a friend leaked the secret that I love to sing, had me try out for the worship team and I made it.

I LOVED where I was at – I had finally found what felt like home. I started to rediscover Jesus and who he really is. He started removing the scales from
my eyes and allowed me to see that I am good – and even better was that he still loved me. The love I had found was amazing – I wanted it at home. The time I spent at church only caused more problems. I’d go home to the silent treatment – sometimes for a week at a time. But what I felt at church, worshipping my Jesus was so intense. I started feeling like I was having an affair and it scared me. It had to be wrong, but I couldn’t stop it. I remember feeling like I needed to leave my husband to pursue this love I had with the Lord, I felt like I was being held back – knowing if I continued the path I was going, he would surely leave me.
One night during a healing service, the pastor prophetically prayed that a member of the church would be healed of sexual abuse that night. When I heard the words I cringed. What an awful thing that person must have had to endure. As the night went on, the worship was amazing, until I felt the rush of God come over me, and I sat down and closed my eyes. Flashbacks of my childhood came to me. I was scared and not really sure what was happening... was I the one to be healed? I had never recalled anything like that happening – I used to wonder but wrote it off as a silly thought. I mustered up the courage and told the pastor what I had been seeing. The pastor sat me down and began praying, breaking off curses and protection of my family, and healing. That night was perhaps the worst night of my life ~ flashbacks flowed through me revealing bits and pieces. It made it all make sense. Why I was afraid of the dark, why I was afraid of men with deep voices and beards, why I hated being tickled. A psychotherapist held her sessions at our church and happened to be a friend of mine. I called her the following day and set up a session to try EMDR therapy. Slowly the pieces of the puzzle all started to fit and healing took place there. I was eventually able to recall the sexual abuse and the person who did it. My healing journey began. Slowly as a carefully worked out puzzle, I got stronger, I started becoming mentally healthier, emotionally healthier, but one thing remained, my broken relationship with my husband.

I eventually came to a place where doing daycare out of my home felt like a prison. The kids screaming would put me in a trance. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I had to break out and break free from the daily trauma it would put me through. I got a part time job at an eye care center, a friend knew I was looking and with my previous experience, he hired me on the spot. Back in earlier days, my husband would tell me that he would kill me if I ever cheated on him. His jealousy of me even talking to other men made me feel that even by talking to a guy I was cheating. So being back in the working world, I was forced to converse with men. This led me to one of the worst emotional breakdowns I had ever had. One guy at work gave me flirty attention, and given the rejection at home I liked it. But then I started becoming fearful. The enemy started having his way with me. I felt like I was cheating. I was so racked with fear that I couldn’t eat or sleep. The lack of food only fed the lack of mental control I had. It was the perfect cocktail for chaos. Paranoia sank in and I was afraid of everything. I tried to maintain composure but it was affecting everything. One night when I got home, I was so sure that he was going to harm me that I told him to leave, and if he came back I’d call the police. He was so distressed and nowhere to go, so he went to a friends house for the night. Calling later on to at least come get his things for work, and as I had promised, I had the police there waiting to make sure nothing would go wrong. He called his parents and mine, and his father came over the next morning trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Once we had a coming to Jesus talk and aired out all our grievances, I was calm enough to eat and found myself coming back to a normal non- psychotic state.

I worked there for a little while longer until I felt I had met my full potential and needed more. A job opened up full time at a manufacturing place closer to home that was just starting up. Our family was all so happy for such an amazing blessing. It was great and exciting, until the ugly head of jealousy began to creep in again. Manufacturing is pretty heavily male dominant. I would go home and share a story about something that happened during the day and I would get negative comments back. I already couldn’t talk about my church life with him, and now I couldn’t talk about work. I shut down, and I shut him out. At home I was so empty. I started working longer hours with no overtime pay just to be away from home, and took online classes to finish my college degree. The only reason I didn’t leave was because of our girls. With both of our paychecks, I was finally giving them the kind of life I wanted for them. But I was so empty. I had lost hope and decided that this was my cross to carry until they moved out, and then maybe I would get a divorce. But the emptiness only grew deeper. I finally broke and found an apartment, but he promised me he’d change. So I stayed another year, struggling to love him. We grew farther apart, and I finally gave myself a deadline after my first daughter had moved out to go to college. We put our house on the market to try and get away from the crime that was slowly engulfing our neighborhood. The more we looked at new homes, the more we couldn’t agree on a mutual future, and I finally broke down and told him I’d had enough – but this time – so had he. I found an apartment and secured it, trembling. Not knowing if it was right. I packed my things and started moving as soon as I had the keys. Leaving my husband as a Christian woman was the hardest thing to do. The guilt that religion put on me – just keep trying, just keep praying, God hates divorce. But you know what? God also hates to see his babies hurting, and the fact that I was far from him, fearing that I was letting him down kept me far from the doors of a church. But he kept whispering to me that he loved me and wanted me to be happy. He whispered words of grace.
A month after leaving I finally had the courage to set foot in a church again, and Jesus reigned me in. He met me so strongly and spoke straight to my heart. I don’t really know all that took place inside of me that morning, but he met me in power, my body trembled, I could barely stand during worship. I know it was his cleansing fire. He broke off lies, and spoke truth; he commissioned me and explained my mission in terms I had never been able to understand before. He brought me out of darkness and back into the light. He woke my sleeping heart and brought me life.
So if I can twist the words of the devil like he does to me – God hates divorce – yes that’s true – but the marriage that God is talking about is the one between Jesus and you. Our earthly marriage is supposed to represent a Godly relationship, and if that’s not what you are getting, and it’s pulling you away from your relationship with Jesus Christ – LEAVE! Run and don’t look back. Because the promises that God has for you are far better than any guilty worry you’re leaving behind. There is no relationship on this earth worth spending your eternity in hell. If you’re already living there – let me help you get out.
Jesus in your name I pray, break the chains off of my dearly loved reading this. Give them the courage to follow your plan. Speak to their hearts and minds and confirm your truth. Renew their minds and give them a spirit of discernment to see their situation through your eyes. Give them beauty for ashes and show them how to be accepted in the beloved. “Wake up, O sleeper, Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Jesus name, Amen!

Resources

If you feel you are in an abusive relationship and you want to learn more, check out the links below. There IS help available.
If you are in immediate danger; call 911
Educate yourself! It’s the first step to healing
http://www.thehotline. org
http://www.childhelp- usa.com
http://www.loveisrespe ct.org/is-this-abuse/is- this-abuse?gclid=CM- 9l6mjgLsCFbBAMgodbE 4A_A