tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10046517914296779212024-02-21T02:35:38.203-05:00Watchman, What of the Night?Eagle’s Way Ministries<br>
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Eagle Eyeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15289707327487332686noreply@blogger.comBlogger249125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-60742385179592500612024-01-06T11:30:00.001-05:002024-01-06T11:30:36.955-05:00Sj: Be Excellent at What You Do<p style="margin: 16px 0px 5px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Heavy"; font-weight: bold;">✅Where is our largest battle field?</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">Our largest battle field, (at least for this writing) is the world around us. The world that we participate in everyday. Do you know that the Lord can send us into the world to learn it’s ways without our feet ever having to leave home? That’s the internet’s task. Daniel had to be taken captive in Babylon, but we have it much easier.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">There are places on the web, internet, or tv where I am taught about the lawyers, scribes, and pharasees. I learn about the world’s morals (or lack of), norms, and expectation and I never have to leave my seat. Or... I can worship with other believers, hear a powerful sermon, or chat live via the internet. Do you have a prayer need and don’t want to wait till the pastor wakes up in the morning? Enter the internet. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">The first time the Lord led to me get some schooling on media, I balked. I humbly reminded the Lord that I had committed my eyes into His service and would not look at anything vile ever again. The Lord reminded me I had also promised to obey. I started with old vcr tapes of the Christian Faith Generals. I watched AA Allen, Smith Wigglesworth, Kathryn Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, John G. Lake, and more. I watched the series on God’s Generals by Roberts Liardon. (All of this by watching TV.) lol</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">Later, there were historical things to learn. I could learn about the exit from Egypt, the great flood, about the pharaohs, and much more. I never left home nor had to pay for a plane ticket to Egypt. But the best was that there always a ‘voice’ behind the scenes narrating what the Lord was doing in the event. If I watched a special on the Red Sea, the Lord would always bring in many other little pieces of tidbits that would relate to His opinion of the Red Sea and it’s role on the earth. Was the Red Sea birthed by the fire and brimstone that fell upon Sodom and Gahmorah? Can you imagine in your mind large bolders of fire falling into the waters? Do you begin to wonder where they are coming from? Or why they are smashing a city? Could there be a god who is angry? Might one try to find out? We all know that inquiring minds always want to know. lol</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">Anyway, it’s been several years now of this type of schooling. Each movie, tv show, video, or Youtube always has a purpose for me because I have commited myself to always following His guidance. As my education began to become more focused, my studies began to follow a path toward biblical counseling. I got to tell you, some things are really strange out there in the world. My most resent series was watching the story of Gypsi Rose, the girl who killed her mother and just recently got out of jail. There were parts of that show that I could barely sit through, but do we really think that those we are going to be witnessing to or counseling are going to be ‘pretty and clean’ people? No. The weird thing was that Gypsi’s mother had a striking resemblence (character wise) as someone I knew years ago. It made me question as to how people can become this way... so manipulative and easy to lie about something to get their way. What can we do about it? How can we help someone? How can we help a victim of the manipultor or even the manipulator him/herself. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">The Lord needs his people to be educated. Consider a doctor. He needs doctors... good doctors. Doctors need schooling... good schooling. Doctor are strange. They study some yucky stuff, and they play around with cadaviers just a calmly as a fishermen puts a worm</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">on a hook. The Lord gives them a delight to do their studies. They find it a joy to fix a broken leg or operate and give a person a second chance in life. But, they have to get skilled. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">You and I have to get skilled. We have to be the best at what we do. We have to be the ones that can solve a problem that someone needs help solving. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">We’re servants. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">We’re to serve their needs as we have been called and trained to do.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">We need to be excellent in our tasks.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">Everyone has an area of excellence.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">Be the best you can be. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">Study to show yourself approved... unto God. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">sj🦋</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"> </span></p> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-51937845015423734142023-12-21T12:01:00.001-05:002023-12-21T12:01:39.809-05:00Called into leadership, not a Service position<p style="margin: 16px 0px 5px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Heavy"; font-weight: bold;">So, I was listening to Joyce Meyer talk about God's purpose</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">for our lives. One of the things she tries to do is get the pressure off of us by teach us to trust the Lord to be able to get the information to us concerning what He wants us to do in a way</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">we can understand. Then she started sharing how she experimented with finding her call.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">She said that she tried several different roles and positions but found that the Lord had called her to be a leader. She tried being a ‘service’ member of the body of Christ, but found out quickly she was called to lead, not follow. When I heard her say that, I was startled and immediatly asked the Lord if a person could say that. It seemed so… so… ‘unreligious.’ </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">We are expected to say we are called to be the service worker and when someone says they are NOT called to that position, it shocks us. We hear things like.. “let the Lord exault you,” which is true, but don’t we believe it is important to know what we are NOT called to do?</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;">So, basically what I am thinking is that if you are called to be a leader, then prepare to be that leader, and to be a GREAT one. Don’t get all bashful about it and wait until gold dust falls all over your head. Don’t be ashamed to say that you are called to lead. Don’t be afraid to reject jobs in the body of Christ that are NOT what you are called to do. Just make sure you are doing your best to understand the Lord’s call and then be as faithful as you can. That way, you’ll be ready when He needs you.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14.3px;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI"; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><span style="font-family: ".SFUI-Semibold"; font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://youtu.be/o9f6qdUsTeM?si=i9Sdu7RFulXfmlID">https://youtu.be/o9f6qdUsTeM?si=i9Sdu7RFulXfmlID</a> </span></p> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-30915473169137456182023-12-20T17:32:00.001-05:002023-12-20T17:33:42.939-05:00 Rick Joyner: Don’t waste your trials.<div>Rick Joyner shares: Don’t Waste Your Trials </div><div><br></div><div>Everyone wants the mature fruit, but not many are willing to do what it takes to plant a tree and cultivate it until it has matured and can bear fruit. </div><div><br></div><div>The price of bearing spiritual fruit is to take up our crosses daily, not occasionally. We must live not seeking our own will, but His. It is a life that is not self-seeking, but self-sacrificing. </div><div><br></div><div>Even so, just one moment of the glory and anointing of God that we experience is worth any sacrifice many times over. It is a basic spiritual principle that between the place where we receive the promise of God and the Promised Land, or the fulfillment of the promises, there will be a wilderness that is the opposite of what we have been promised. </div><div><br></div><div>We must learn to endure the hard, dry times in order to get to the land flowing with milk and honey. Even so, in the wilderness we will experience great things, and that is where the dwelling place of God was built in the midst of His people. </div><div><br></div><div>Don't waste your trials. It will be hard at times, but it will always be worth it.</div><div><br></div><div>Joyner, Rick (2015-12-03). Army of the Dawn (Kindle Locations 370-377). MorningStar Publications, Inc.. Kindle Edition.</div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-84234240188965114782023-12-12T14:28:00.001-05:002023-12-12T14:28:31.607-05:00The Topic of Demons in the Church<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Many have been in church their whole lives and never heard teachings about Spiritual warfare. It is a purpose in my life to get this message out to the Body of Christ that the ’devil is alive and well on planet earth’ (also the name of a book written many years ago by Hal Lindsay.) Bible scholars say that up to one third of Jesus’ ministry on earth was spent in the deliverance ministry through casting out demons and healing people from demonic oppression. Do we believe that Jesus cast out all of the demons necessary and we no longer need that componet in the Church today? No, it says that as Jesus left, he commissioned us to continue to cast out demons.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">We don’t want to deal with demons.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">I called a minister to ask him if he could teach me about spiritual warfare and how to deal with demons. He told me to not get involved. He said that he’d been there and was glad to get out of that type of ministry. He said that we, the Body of Christ, don’t need to be playing around with the demonic. I don’t know what his personal experience was, but obviously it was not a good experience. But still, that does not change the fact that sticking our heads in the sand and avoiding the topic is going to satisfy the great commission Jesus gave to us.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Hos 4.6 says that the Lord’s people die because of ignorance.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Jesus cast a demon out of a lady who had been hunched over for 18 years. When Jesus cast the demon out, she was healed and free of the afflicition. Are you afflicted with any physical issues? Do you know for sure that they are NOT demonic? Not all physical afflictions are a demon sitting on a part of the body causing great pain and eventually death, but… some are. Some are demonic attacks that are meant to kill you, steal from you, and destroy your life. To ignore this is to ‘give a place to the devil.’ (Eph 4.27)</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Scary and radical Deliverance Ministries</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">I am not a fan of radical deliverance meetings. I am not saying they are WRONG, but I am saying that I have a peace with a quieter approach. Kenneth Hagin taught that handing out a bag for people to throw up in (when they were delivered from a demon) was just asking for a demon. I will try to find that sermon again and share it. I am more comfortable in a meeting where things are much quieter. I understand that demons cast people down on the ground and make them look as if they are dead, but I also know that many are delivered without a visual profile taking place. The point is to be delivered, and that is a Jesus job. It is by His power, and in His name that demons are cast out. Anyway, that’s just my opinion, but is also one reason that many refuse to go to delieverance meetings. I am just saying that there is more than one way to cast out a demon. The point is that they need cast out.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Oppressed or Possessed</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Some believe a christian can be possessed. I don’t. But I am not going to argue the point. I believe that oppression can be strong enough to make it look and feel as if someone is possessed. Have you ever covered yourself with sand at the lake or beach? It’s heavy. Oppression is like that. It’s heavy and makes life hard. Some say that a christian can be possessed and use Jesus casting demons “out” as support for this. I submit that Jesus cast demons out but that this was ‘before the filling of the Holy Spirit’ was available. Still, I don’t believe that the topic of ‘oppression vs possession’ is important enough to keep us from agreement in that people need deliverance.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Jesus has set us free. Let us receive this freedeom and help others get free.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: -apple-system, "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 19px; word-spacing: 1px; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); color: rgb(49, 49, 49);">Begin with the prayer for understanding, mercy, and love.</span> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-60968403662799280612023-12-04T16:48:00.001-05:002023-12-04T16:48:47.268-05:00I Need a Place to be Me<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">I Need A Place to be Me</span><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);">I opened up my Bible to Jeremiah chapter 1 and read the verse that the Lord gave me when he called me to be a watchman and my heart burns within me with such a passion.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);">After the call, I entered school of the Holy Spirit and majored in spiritual warfare 101. Now, after several years, I have such a desire to be in my own personal office, fulfilling the call to the Lord placed on me. I feel like I graduated from (spiritual) college a few years ago, but I’ve been getting my upper level education in the Lord in these past couple of years. It’s been one advancing step at a time. And now I just have a passion to find a place to be me.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);">I want to share what it was like sitting at my desk in a small town in Colorado back in the 90s. The presence of the Lord came upon me and he opened my eyes in a vision to a ceremony where he ordained me into my office as a watchman. It was a formal setting, and it was wonderful. and then immediately after that, I stepped into spiritual warfare, 101 class. And it has been warfare ever since.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);">I’m not in that class anymore as I believe I have graduated from it. It’s like the arena training that they give the gladiators. We will always be warriors, but I’m not in that type of setting anymore. I think I’m on the outside of that in the little outskirts buildings that they have where the Warriors are set aside for a time to heal and get reconditioned into full strength. So I think that’s where I am.<br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);">So, I feel like there’s been a lot of healing. I’ve still got some toning to do along with getting good nourishment and strengthening, but I have a desire now to interact with people. But in a different way. One of the aftermath affects of the arena was that i couldn’t trust anybody or go anywhere without watching your back and watching your step or walking on eggshells. I don’t think that where the Lord is going send me now. </div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);"></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">So I have a desire to be who I am, and to be free at that. And I’m coming out of a place where I never have been free to be myself. I believe we can be ourselves in any atmosphere as we learn to walk in wisdom. </div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-68168842823941072962023-12-04T16:20:00.001-05:002023-12-04T16:20:09.844-05:00New Attitude<h2 style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: var(--bold-font-weight); line-height: calc(var(--line-height) - 0.25); margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">New Attitude</h2><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">There are seasons that the Lord will take you through, and no matter how hard it is, he’s gonna give you the grace to get through it. In the future, you’re gonna look back at this time, and you’re gonna wonder how in the world you went through it and you’ll pick up that saying that says “been there … done that … and I ain’t buying that T-shirt again…“</div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);"></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Certain things that were distasteful to you during that season will still be distasteful, but it’s a different kind of distastefulness. It has a tinge of, “nope… not going to happen” attitude attached. It just means the Lord’s grace is changing and he’s gonna keep things right for you… Just stay with him. </div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: var(--font);"></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Perhaps you read stories about the holy discontentment. This is what we’re talking about.🦋</div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></div><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: var(--paragraph-spacing); margin-top: var(--paragraph-spacing); caret-color: rgb(16, 132, 144); color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-size: 19px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">#Character</div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-75805813163416663162023-12-04T12:26:00.001-05:002023-12-04T12:26:44.000-05:00Osborn: Faith Comes by Hearing…<div>FAITH COMES by hearing the word of God.]</div><div><br></div><div>Faith is never derived through sympathy. </div><div>Faith never comes through discussing with people their pains and aches, weaknesses and sicknesses. </div><div>Faith is born when we hear the word of truth.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus said: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make You free. He is the truth.</div><div>If we want to see people delivered from the bondage of disease, we must teach them the part of God’s word that sets them free from disease. The truth is: Christ wills every person (you) to be healed, or He would not have taken the stripes by which you were healed.</div><div><br></div><div>Then one may ask, “Why do not more get healed?”</div><div>The answer: Because of the lack of teaching and preaching the Bible truth of healing.</div><div><br></div><div>Let us not stand by the bed of sick people to sympathize with their pains. Let us never insinuate that it must be God’s will to “take them;” or that “it will teach them patience;” or that perhaps, “they will be drawn closer to the Lord” through their sickness. Let us rather declare war on every form of sickness, and take authority over every form of demon power through the name of Jesus Christ. Let us minister deliverance to those in need of healing.</div><div><br></div><div>T. L. Osborne</div><div>🔹🔹🔹</div><div><br></div><div>I know that the Lord wants us to be in good health. I know He wants us to be 'walking testimonies.' I don't pretend to know why some are healed and some are not, but I know that it is His will that we are healed and fit for service.</div><div><br></div><div>I remember back several years ago, after a hurricane went through and made a mess throughout the rental properties, that the elderly owner's wife came to help clean up the debris. She was a tall and frail woman with 'spit fire' in her bones. She rushed through the grounds and outworked everyone around her. At the time, I had two apostles (husband and wife team) staying as my guests in one of the apartments. They had come to the area to start a church. They were 25 years younger than her, but they were unable to help us clean up the grounds. Both of them had some kind of ailment that prevented them from lifting or standing for any length of time. </div><div><br></div><div>When my employer asked if they were going to help clean up, I had to tell him no. I really could not give him any kind of valid reason to explain to him why his elderly wife was out raking up debris and my guests (good christian leaders) were sitting in an air conditioned apartment. I just knew in my heart that these two people (my boss and his wife) would not be believing anything the 'apostles' had to tell them (nor anyone my boss talked to about them.)</div><div><br></div><div>My point to sharing this is that in my heart, I know that having these two people being healthy and out there giving a hand in clean up would have gone a long way in the message of Christ being a healer. Sad thing is that they were acting more like the baptist that they had come to convert (into charismatics). </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>#Healing, </div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-47744526604680729632023-12-02T17:24:00.001-05:002023-12-02T17:26:25.704-05:00 Jane Hamon: Pitfalls of Discernment <div>Pitfalls of Discernment</div><div>Learning to Discern </div><div>by Jane Hamon</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>In the beginning I made a lot of mistakes, not necessarily in what I was seeing or hearing but in keeping my heart right. It was easy to become judgmental and critical from what I was hearing God say. I had to learn to discern what came from my soul and what came from the Holy Spirit. I had to learn that sometimes my own opinions got involved and blocked me from seeing what was occurring in the spiritual realm or in the natural realm. Ephesians 1:17 speaks of having a spirit of revelation but also a spirit of wisdom. I had a lot to learn and great leaders around me to help me grow in grace and wisdom. </div><div><br></div><div>At times, I felt overwhelmed by what I was seeing or overburdened by the responsibility of the revelations. What was I supposed to do with everything God was showing me? Many times I became frustrated and said or did the wrong thing. There were times when I simply wanted to ignore the gift or close my spiritual ears to the voice of God because I dreaded making a mistake on such important matters. </div><div><br></div><div>Others with the gift of discerning of spirits express similar challenges. Some shut down the operation of this gift in their lives because they grow frustrated with seeing things in the Spirit when they have no idea of what to do with that information. The internal pressure of receiving a flood of revelation without any strategy for its use is overwhelming. Others shut it down because they made mistakes with some of the information information they received. Those bad experiences hurt people or led to misunderstandings with leaders in their churches. </div><div><br></div><div>It is imperative for people with discernment revelation to pursue the balancing anointing of wisdom that Paul spoke about when he prayed for the church at Ephesus. This was written to a first-century church planted right in the heart of a city that was the center of the known world for goddess worship, magic and occult training. If anyone needed discernment it was these believers. </div><div><br></div><div>He wrote: [I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; . . . according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.</div><div><br></div><div>🔹🔹🔹</div><div><br></div><div>I'm one that shut down. I have a history of shutting down my gift. Then I repent and start all over again. As Jane said, it can become overwhelming. </div><div><br></div><div>I have been very blessed to be reading about Sister Jane's struggles with this gift. I know that as I press on into her teaching, I and stay humble before the Lord, I learn to grow more faithful to this gift. I am amazed at the ignorance surrounding the gift of discernment. It makes it hard on those who have the gift because those who don't have very accusing things to say to us. Yes, they think we are judgemental and start out to correct us, but there is more to it. Most that I have talked to also have a very nervous disposition based on fear of being an evil person because they feel they are being judgemental. They fuss at themselves constantly.</div><div><br></div><div>I don't believe this gift is one that you just step out into one day and become an expert at it. I believe it takes years... if one does not give up. Don't give up. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-86782431025233911032023-11-03T10:34:00.001-04:002023-11-03T10:34:27.906-04:00Joyce Meyer: Ministry Difficulties <div>Joyce Meyer: DIFFICULTIES IN MINISTRY </div><div><br></div><div>Some Difficult Things I Have Dealt WithIn The Ministry </div><div><br></div><div>NOTE: These things are not listed in any descending degree of difficulty. They are simply things God placed on my heart to share with you. Hopefully, they will encourage you to press on and see the end fulfillment of your dreams and visions. </div><div><br></div><div>Loneliness – “It Can Be Lonely At The Top.” </div><div><br></div><div>Leadership can be and often is lonely. </div><div><br></div><div>We want friends like everyone else; and yet, we cannot allow a spirit of “familiarity” to come upon those God has placed under our leadership. </div><div><br></div><div>Beware of becoming “entangled” in the lives of those who are under your leadership. </div><div><br></div><div>Becoming too “familiar” will cause most people to no longer be able to see you as the leader. They will begin to see that you are human; and although in one way they want you to be so, in another way they are disappointed if you are. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>A “divine connection” that God arranges with a mature believer is what we must learn to seek. I have some very good friends, but they fall into one of two categories: </div><div><br></div><div>Friends in ministry – people doing the same thing I am doing </div><div><br></div><div>It is easy for others to say, “Lighten up and have a little fun,” when they are not the ones who need to prepare for six upcoming seminars. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Sometimes it seems that everybody you get around wants something, needs something, expects something, has a question, or needs a decision. </div><div><br></div><div>Always remember that birds fly in flocks, but “eagles fly alone.” </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Giant oak trees do not grow in clumps; they are usually by themselves, perhaps on a hill – and they look majestic. </div><div>We don't say, “Oh, look at that beautiful, majestic clump of trees”; but we do admire the, perhaps, lonely but majestic giant oaks. </div><div><br></div><div>https://youtu.be/mzavNg4ELvg?si=96YvG3W3yEH17keI</div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-77253096417933871932023-10-30T17:45:00.001-04:002023-10-30T17:46:49.559-04:00 God’s Frustration<div>**God’ Frustation**</div><div><br></div><div>The other night, in a dream like way, the Lord and I were in a back room discussing the situation concerning my friend, a mega healing preacher, and the healing that she’s seeking for her son. The Lord showed me a problem and danger and the consequences in a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening to her faith and belief in healing, and the hindrance that is creating havoc in her faith.</div><div><br></div><div>My friend was not raised in church, and has not been taught the way most Pentecostals or charismatics are taught about the gift of healing. She came across a minister of a Megachurch who has the same political agenda as she does and he preaches that the Lord heals today. They struck up a friendship due to political commonalities, and she began listening to his sermons. He preached a really good word message on healing that would have been a huge benefit to her when she found out her son had cancer, but he began making advances towards her via online texting. </div><div><br></div><div>She put him in his place and said that she’s not that type of person, and then she forgave him. They continued on corresponding back-and-forth via text without any further provocative correspondences. But my friend was now walking in the position of being ‘the head’ of their friendship based on the fact that she had forgiven him. She had the upper hand. This is not the way the Lord wanted to this too work.</div><div><br></div><div>God gave the pastor honor, prestiage, and a position of favor so that he could insert healing and faith into people’s lives because they looked up to him. God did not give him “human” frailities to declare as excuses to fall short of his responsiblities.</div><div><br></div><div>Now, when this pastor talks to her about healing, she has doubts, because actually, she’s got the upper hand on him. She is the better person because she forgave him and did not destroy his ministry. To her, he is not a person of authority in her life anymore. God wanted to bring the pastor into her life in a way that she could look up to him and believe him when he told her God wants to heal her son. He would’ve been a great foundational support for her. But the enemy got in there and blew it. </div><div><br></div><div>Honestly, I do not believe that God sent him to her. The Lord knew that his position as a womanizer would ultimately destroy her ability to have full respect for him. And now, my friend is mad at God for hurting her son by allowing him to have stage 4 cancer.</div><div><br></div><div>We hear a lot of talk about our leaders being human and transparent. We are told to cut them some slack. What happened to being strong and courageous? What happened to leaders understanding that they’re held accountable for a higher standard of living? Proclaiming that we are ‘just human’ is cop out and is not gonna wash anymore. </div><div><br></div><div>The Lord told me many years ago that familiarity breeds contempt. It was hard to hear. We are humans and like to be familiar with others. We like to run in packs. We are told to ‘consider the cost’ and told that it is going to cost a lot. </div><div><br></div><div>So, let’s consider the cost and make a real decision... lives depend on us.</div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-79679880953142606012023-10-26T15:37:00.001-04:002023-10-30T17:41:15.003-04:00Joyce Speaks On The Anointing<div><div>I am listening to the sermon on the way to work and back home. I'm enjoying it immensely. She begins the conversation with talking about the anointing. It's been a long time since I've heard a good sermon on the anointing and this has revived my zeal to press in and more. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"> 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we [do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness] that cannot wither. Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"> But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit]. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"> <a href="https://youtu.be/tzBFwfa3OT8?si=aICR9RYWRwX5Dmze">https://youtu.be/tzBFwfa3OT8?si=aICR9RYWRwX5Dmze</a></div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><br><br>ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ<br>✿⊰ B e l i e v e ⊰✿<br> ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ</div></div></div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-44738431898022434602023-10-17T12:31:00.000-04:002023-10-30T17:50:49.149-04:00Rick Renner: The Prophet<div><div>Rick Renner: The Prophet</div><div dir="auto"> - a speaking and saying gift. - a vocal gift</div><div dir="auto"> - before the Lord, - to the Lord - in front of people, - on behalf of the Lord - in advance Catch the Wind of the Holy Spirit Prophets need a lot of time in solitude </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"> <a href="https://youtu.be/fRTeA-jiVLM?si=WVStwDqvu63VJR9B">https://youtu.be/fRTeA-jiVLM?si=WVStwDqvu63VJR9B</a></div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><br><br>ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ<br>✿⊰ B e l i e v e ⊰✿<br> ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ</div></div></div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-57763925435069005032023-10-16T21:12:00.001-04:002023-10-16T21:12:39.160-04:00Only A Few<div dir="auto">Only A Few</div><div dir="auto">Unkn</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The mysteries of God are only available for a few, a few select who have met the requirements. Mark 4.11<br><br>The first requirement is that one be born again. Without being born again, a person cannot understand the mysteries of God. They can read the Bible but it won't "click" inside. Holy Spirit wrote the words in the Bible and we must have the Holy Spirit to teach us what the truth is in what He wrote, and these things are hidden from those who are not born again. <br><br>When a person is born again they become a candidate to receive these messages. It does not happen automatically. We must press in to the high call. <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-31213811707228687922023-10-15T15:12:00.000-04:002023-10-15T15:13:09.072-04:00Randy Alcorn: Do People In Heaven know…<div dir="auto">Do people in heaven know what is going happening on earth? </div><div dir="auto">Randy Alcorn </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><div>Greg Laurie and Randy Alcorn talk about if people in Heaven are aware of what's happening on Earth. Taken from the message, "Big Life Issues" by Pastor Greg Laurie.</div><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><a href="https://youtu.be/oXTEa8wBhp0?si=R4c4M2sTGMuDH-ZJ">https://youtu.be/oXTEa8wBhp0?si=R4c4M2sTGMuDH-ZJ</a></div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><br><br>ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ<br>✿⊰ B e l i e v e ⊰✿<br> ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ</div></div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-34040026671833576902023-10-13T10:20:00.001-04:002023-10-13T10:20:56.393-04:00Soul Ties by Lance Wallnau<div><br>Soul Ties <br>By Lance Wallnau<br><br>James 2:26 explains that, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Your "inner man" or "spiritual man" is comprised of your human spirit and your soul. The moment this inner man leaves the body, death occurs. Let's dig deeper. <br><br>Your soul is actually a living spiritual part of you. It is where your mind, will, and emotions—your spiritual energy—is located. <br><br>If you ever go to a funeral, you will notice that when there is an open casket, the deceased doesn't look like a person sleeping. It is so obvious to me when I look. The body is like a clay vessel; the spirit that animates it has gone.<br> <br>The reason I say this is because I want to talk to you about the power of soul ties. <br> <br>Why is this important?<br> <br>1. You are a spiritual being in a physical body. Even as your body can connect with something physical, your soul can connect with someone else. During the act of sexual intimacy, the two become one (Genesis 2:24). This is one of the mischiefs of sex. The consequences of soul ties has not been effectively taught in this generation.<br> <br>2. Your soul can be bound to another. When two pieces of paper are glued together, no matter how carefully they are pulled apart, each side has fragments from the other that remain stuck to it. When you have multiple physical partners, you have multiple parts of you that have "become one" with those partners. It may not be that all those relationships have equal power but it is almost certain that there is a memory imprint that is hard to shake from one or more such encounters. American culture has completely collapsed on this front. Young people are stunned to hear this paradigm. It does more to clarify the Biblical call to sexual purity when seen from a different perspective.<br> <br>What I encourage people to realize is that your soul is a real spiritual energy. The capacity to bond or have a "soul tie" with another person is not always bad. David and Jonathan, for instance, had a godly soul tie. Parts of you entwine, connect, and bond with others. Jesus had this holy bond with the 12 disciples and FELT IT when one of them betrayed that bond at the table. <br> <br>The point is—be intentional, be careful about where you bond your emotions, where you go physically, where you go with intimacy, and how you open yourself up with another person. The fibers become woven together, and they influence you and you influence them. Even in physical separation, you don't always stay apart. <br> <br>3. Soul ties can hinder or delay God's destiny for your future relationships. These individuals who were once close to you can linger in the memory of your soul. In many deliverance sessions where I've helped people get remarkably free, they recognize that parts of their soul are attached to other people, and that they can never fully give themselves to the relationship they are in until certain ties are broken. <br> <br>When you are able to identify these soul ties and sources of bondage that are holding you back in life, you will be able to start moving towards your destiny and deeper in your relationship with God. If you believe that you are in bondage from lingering soul ties, here is what I suggest you do:<br>Pray to Holy Spirit and ask him to shine His light on the areas of your life that are in bondage because of a soul tie. Let Holy Spirit reveal it to you so you can name it and then identify it.<br>Break agreement with the soul tie(s). Name it and ask the Lord to remove it from you life.<br>Dedicate that part of your life back to the Lord. Give him full access to those rooms of your heart and mind.<br>You might have objects, or gifts, such as jewelry, for instance, from past boyfriends or girlfriends. Take a look at it, and ask the Lord, "Is it time to get rid of it?" If you can't let it go—there's a soulish tie and connection with the item. <br> <br>Consider getting rid of anything that is a trigger or a tie to neurological attachments and memories—these things are no longer meant to be a part of your heart or your life. <br> <br>Question: Do you have unholy attachments with people from your past (or your present) with whom you need to break soul ties? What is the Lord speaking to you? His heart is for you to walk in freedom.<br></div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-34166672910692520172023-10-09T15:46:00.001-04:002023-10-09T15:46:10.214-04:00Rachel Burchfield: Baptism in the Holy Spirit<div dir="ltr">Baptism 2.0 Basics<br><br>By Rachel Burchfield<br><br> <br><br>Answering the most frequently asked questions about the baptism of the Holy Spirit<br><br>My life is filled with amazing people. Recently, a widow I know pointed to a midnight intruder and boldly commanded him to leave her house. He did! <br><br>Another friend refused to panic when her teenage daughter ran away. As she was calling the police, the Holy Spirit revealed the girl's exact location to her. <br><br>Another woman—a shy single mom—overcame a 12-year battle with bulimia. Today she teaches a weekly Bible study to women with addictions. Are these people superheroes? No, they're just ordinary Christians who have received the extraordinary baptism of the Holy Spirit. <br><br>When people are baptized in the Holy Spirit, they are filled with God's ability. Natural people do supernatural things. Lives of chaos find serenity and purpose. Shy people become bold, and selfish people experience radical changes in their priorities. Sadly, many Christians today don't seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit because they don't understand it. They don't know what they're missing! Here are some of the questions I hear most frequently.<br><br>What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?<br><br>The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not salvation; it's a secondary experience to salvation. God's gift to sinners is Jesus the Savior. God's gift to believers is Jesus the Baptizer. <br><br>When Jesus became your Savior, He cleansed your sin by His blood; but when Jesus becomes your baptizer, He fills you with His Spirit. The result of salvation is forgiveness; the result of the baptism is power. <br><br>I like to compare the baptism of the Holy Spirit to fuel for a car. Your car may be paid for, but you won't get very far in it without a full tank of gas. Yes, through salvation, your sins have been paid for; but your journey in life will be easier and more productive if your "tank" is full. The fuller your tank, the further you can go with God.<br><br>What is the evidence of it?<br><br>The evidence of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is, first of all, supernatural power. Power over what? Fear. Anger. Disease. Doubt. Discouragement (and more). This dunamis power helps you overcome anything that hinders you from experiencing God's abundant life. It also helps you do things you never could have done in your own strength. Take Peter, for example. Before he received the Holy Spirit's power, he denied the Lord Jesus three times. Afterward he healed the sick, raised the dead and won 3,000 souls with his first sermon!<br><br>The second evidence of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a glorious prayer language, also known as "speaking in tongues." Now, I understand that many wonderful Christians may disagree with me on this point. But my personal belief—and I think Scripture bears me out—is that speaking in tongues is a wonderful gift that every believer can embrace.<br><br>People ask me, "Do I have to speak in tongues?" My reply is: "You don't have to. You get to." Speaking in tongues is the Holy Spirit praying through you, speaking mysteries to God. How wonderful! <br><br>Why speak in tongues?<br><br>By my count, the Bible gives 31 reasons for speaking in tongues. Since I don't have room to list them all here, I'll just share with you my favorite five.<br><br> Experiencing spiritual refreshment<br><br>Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Do you get bored with the routines of life? Speaking in tongues is a spiritual "refreshing" that causes "the weary to rest" (Is. 28:11-12, NKJV). Often the Holy Spirit has prompted me to get alone and worship God in other tongues. In minutes, I feel as if I've enjoyed a two-week vacation.<br><br> Overcoming weakness<br><br>According to Romans 8:26, speaking in tongues helps strengthen you in areas of personal weakness. Are you tempted with lust? Tormented with worry? Do you struggle with discouragement? Need help with your eating habits? Pray in the Holy Spirit often, because He is your Helper.<br><br> Praying God's perfect will<br><br>Speaking in tongues helps you to always pray the perfect will of God (see Rom. 8:27). When you pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit prays God's will through you, addressing issues and circumstances that are often too complicated for you to understand.<br><br>Here's a personal example: When my beautiful friend Ava was killed by a drunk driver, I wanted that irresponsible drunk locked up forever. But as I continued to pray in tongues, I became aware of the man's path toward hell. I prayed for his soul and gave the legal outcome to God. Praying in the Spirit caused my desire for revenge to yield to the wisdom of God.<br><br> <br><br> Having the mind of Christ<br><br> <br><br>According to 1 Corinthians 2:16, having "the mind of Christ" is synonymous with knowing the will of God. That means that when you pray in the Spirit, you not only pray God's will, you actually have the mind of Christ.<br><br>The question often arises, "Did Jesus speak in tongues?" No, I don't believe He did. He didn't have to—He already had the mind of Christ! He knew the Father's will because He and the Father were one.<br><br> Building up your "inner man"<br><br>Speaking or praying in tongues edifies and strengthens your "inner man" (see Jude 20; 1 Cor. 14:4). It builds you up and makes you strong in God. How much praying in the Spirit do you need to do? Well, how strong do you want to be?<br><br>Must tongues be interpreted?<br><br>The answer is, sometimes. The Bible mentions two different gifts of tongues. The first one, which is associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, is your personal prayer language. This is a language only God understands.<br><br>The language in Japan is Japanese, and the language in France is French. But personal prayer language is what I like to call Heavenese—the language of heaven.<br><br>The second gift of tongues is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:10. It needs interpretation so that everyone who hears it can be encouraged (see 1 Cor. 14:26-28).<br><br>You might say that your personal prayer language is man talking to God; it doesn't need interpretation because God understands. The gift of tongues, on the other hand, is God talking to man. Other people can't be edified unless someone interprets the message. <br><br>Is the baptism for everyone?<br><br>I believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for everyone. Jesus Himself said the Father would give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks Him (see Luke 11:13). Later, Peter said the gift of the Holy Spirit "is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off" (Acts 2:39).<br><br>I once ministered to a dear woman who desperately wanted to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. She had been told the Holy Spirit wouldn't fill her until she quit smoking cigarettes. She tried for 14 years to quit, with no success. She felt condemned and hopeless. <br><br>"God doesn't fill you with His Spirit because you are so good, but because He is so good," I told her. She left that service speaking in tongues and with supernatural power to break her addiction. She quit smoking within one month!<br><br>In 1980 I was invited to minister the baptism of the Holy Spirit at a convention in Belize. Most of the 300 women attending were Catholics who recently had come to Christ. As I preached, I sensed great resistance toward the baptism. I wondered if the "brick wall" was a cultural response or a reaction to the mention of my Methodist upbringing.<br><br>I whispered a quick prayer for direction, and a flash of wisdom came. "How many of you want everything that the blessed Virgin Mary had?" I asked. Those devoted Catholic women perked up, and everyone raised a hand.<br><br>"Our precious Mary was one of the original 120 who received the Spirit's power and spoke in her own prayer language," I said. "Lift your other hand and receive the Holy Spirit, just as Mary did." In minutes they were speaking in tongues.<br><br>Can I be Spirit-filled and not speak in tongues?<br><br>I personally know many precious believers who don't speak in tongues yet lead godly lives filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Are they Spirit-filled? Yes, I believe they are Spirit-filled—just not Spirit-full. They are wonderful, God-fearing people who have learned to yield to and depend upon the Holy Spirit, but they have stopped just short of fullness.<br><br>In his classic book Bible Doctrines, the late P.C. Nelson put it this way: "You may heat water to 150 degrees, then 175, then 200, then 210, but it still does not boil. But, if it reaches 212 degrees, there is no doubt the water will begin to boil. <br><br>"Many believers have mighty anointings with the Holy Spirit who have not received the fullness of the Baptism. So you may be anointed almost to the fullness, but until you speak in tongues, there's still more to receive."<br><br>How can I be baptized in the Holy Spirit?<br><br>The book of Acts shows believers receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit in many different ways. Personally, I received the baptism all alone while in my bedroom in 1972. I've known people who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit over the telephone.<br><br>The key is to be thirsty for all that God wants to give you. Since the Holy Spirit moved into your Spirit when you received Jesus as your Savior, He is already in you. <br><br>Simply ask Jesus for the fullness of His gift to you. Then, in faith, begin to magnify God in your new prayer language. It might seem awkward at first, but keep going. Don't give up!<br><br>Just as a baby starts with a few words, begin with a few syllables, saying them aloud. God will honor your faith. He is the baptizer—and He will fill you to overflowing.<br><br>The Holy Spirit will not come down from heaven. Rather, He will bubble up from within your spirit. Remember—because you received Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit is in you already.<br><br>Many people make the mistake of praying to be filled—then waiting. I've watched thousands of sincere believers reverently waiting at the altar for God to "do something." They don't need to wait for God; He is waiting for them!<br><br>Will I need a 'refilling'?<br><br>I believe all of us should frequently receive a refilling of the Holy Spirit. In the often-quoted verse, "Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18), the Greek word for filled means "a frequent, repetitive infilling." In Acts 2:4, the disciples were filled; later, in Acts 4:31, the same disciples were refilled.<br><br>Why do you need a refilling? Because we dare not depend on our human logic or natural abilities to reach a hurting world. Instead, we must remember Zechariah 4:6: <br><br>"'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts."<br><br>Determine today to know Jesus, not only as your Savior, but also as your baptizer. Ask Him to fill you and refill you with His Holy Spirit. You and I may be ordinary people, but with God's dunamis power working in us and through us, we can do extraordinary things. <br><br> <br><br> <br><br>Rachel Burchfield and her husband, Tommy, are the co-pastors of Believers World Outreach Church and the co-founders of Burchfield Ministries International. Her ministry is based in the Houston area. For more information, go to burchfield.org.w</div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> </span></b></div></b></span><p></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-73930473146823040372023-10-09T15:37:00.000-04:002023-10-09T15:38:02.009-04:00Tim Laughlin: How to Receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost <div dir="ltr">HOW TO RECEIVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT<br> <br>"If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?<br> <br>If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Luke 11: 11-13<br> <br>Shortly after my salvation experience I begin to hear about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and I began to seek out information about it and to study the Bible to see if it even existed. Being in a Southern Baptist church didn't make it any easier to find out about it because they did not believe it was real or was for today. Finally after much research I visited a revival in Indiana started by the Holy Spirit Himself and the second night I was there I was filled, and my life from that point onward was never the same.<br> <br>The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is only for those who have been born again and washed in the blood of Jesus and truly want to follow Him with all of their heart. Many today just want another experience or spiritual gift to play with because to them Christianity is a game or hobby, not a passionate pursuit of Jesus that will cost them their life. Obedience to the gospel requires a sell out, a giving of oneself to the Lord Jesus Christ to follow Him wherever He leads and the filling of the Spirit is necessary to be able to accomplish the mission that has been given to us.<br> <br>"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Matthew 3: 11<br> <br>Many want the outpouring, but few want the fire, because the fire is what burns out the impurities in our life making us more like Jesus. The Spirit not only empowers but burns away the dross of our lives and cleanses us all the way down to the bottom of our soul. In a previous message I wrote about a silversmith that said when the silver that he heats is ready he can see his image in it and that's exactly what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit produces, a purified vessel useful to the Master.<br> <br>Jesus said, ''In the last days there would be many false prophets." and that is the reason that in everything we are to follow His example. Jesus was baptized in water at the beginning of His ministry and as He ascended from the water the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove filling Him and empowering Him to fulfill the mission His father had given Him.<br> <br>***. Upon receiving the Holy Spirit Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for forty days thus fulfilling the scriptures that stated that He would be tempted in all things. Following Jesus involves much spiritual warfare and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit enables us to fight the enemy with the same power that our Lord had, without it we would be blown away.<br> <br>Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. Luke 4: 1, 2<br> <br>~. RECEIVING THE SPIRIT BY THE LAYING ON OF HANDS. ~<br> <br>In most cases the Holy Spirit was received by the apostles laying hands on those that had just been saved, as in the case where Samaria had received the word and Peter and John went down to pray for them. They had only been baptized in water and when they laid hands on them they received the Holy Spirit.<br> <br>When the apostle Paul met Jesus on the Damascus road he acknowledged Him as Lord and was saved, then three days later Ananias laid hands on him and he was healed of his blindness and filled with the Holy Spirit. Although this is the norm it is not the only way and it is possible to receive without the laying on of hands. When Peter went to a gentile named Cornelius after receiving a vision from God as he was still preaching Jesus, the Spirit fell on the entire household and they were all filled.<br> <br>Paul asked a group of disciples at Ephesus if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed and they told him that they were not sure there was a Holy Spirit. He then proceeded to ask how they were baptized and they said, into John's baptism. Paul then baptized them in Jesus name and laid hands on them and they were filled with the Spirit.<br> <br>And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Acts 19: 6<br> <br>When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost the believers became empowered by the Great Apostle, Jesus, and then by the laying on of hands transferred the Holy Spirit to every one that they encountered who had been saved. This was a pattern and an example that Jesus gave the church to insure that the Holy Spirit would continue to be given to allow the body to operate properly. Sadly today because of false teachers and false doctrine many have been scared away by excesses that they have experienced or seen performed by ignorant people.<br> <br>The evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not just speaking in tongues, some prophecy, some receive special gifts of healing or discernment and some, the gift of miracles. Don't ever be deceived by someone wanting you to speak in tongues when that is not the only evidence. God wants to fill His people with His very presence and power so that they can fulfill His mission in the earth, to make disciples of all nations, not to make a circus of His church.<br> <br>RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT BY FAITH<br> <br>We are saved by faith and we in turn receive the Holy Spirit by faith. Everything in God's kingdom is received by faith and without it, it is impossible to please Him. When you feel that you are prepared to receive the Spirit, cleanse your heart of anything that would separate you from God or man and then begin to ask God to baptize you with His Holy Spirit. If you feel that you want the elders of your church, or maybe someone that you trust to lay hands on you then that is good too. Just make sure they believe and are sound in their teaching. This is not something you have to work up, its not emotionalism or a show for others to watch, its the very empowerment of God's Spirit filling an honest and innocent heart.<br> <br>The Bible says that if you seek Him with all of your heart He will allow you to find Him and if you ask Him anything it will be done for you. God is truly a loving Father and the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, so don't be afraid because of the excesses that you have seen and heard about. Trust Him with all of your heart and receive by faith the power and unfathomable love of God available to all who seek Him.<br> <br>PRAYER TO RECEIVE<br> <br>Heavenly Father, I come to You today seeking the Baptism of Your precious Holy Spirit, please forgive me and wash me of sin and unbelief, and unforgiveness, and cleanse me with the blood of Jesus. I believe by faith trusting in Your word for the promise of the Holy Spirit to fill me and release in me the gifts that you have given me. In Jesus name fill me now with power from on high, and I will in turn give you all of my heart.<br> <br>If you prayed that prayer sit quietly and just receive all that God has for you. If you need more information or teaching please let me know and I will be glad to help you in any way that I can.<br> <br>"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. Joel 2: 28, 29<br> <br> <br><br><br>May the Lord open the eyes of your understanding and bless you with wisdom,<br><br>Your servant in Christ, Tim Laughlin<br>www.restorationtrainingcenter.org<br> <br>Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen. Hebrews 13: 20,21</div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> </span></b></div></b></span><p></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-16107627843457661972023-10-09T15:00:00.001-04:002023-10-09T15:00:33.122-04:00Wommack: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit<div dir="ltr">The Holy Spirit<br>By Andrew Wommack<br><br>There are few things more controversial in the body of Christ than the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying gifts.<br><br>Much of modern-day Christianity sees the born-again experience as all there is to salvation. Many Christians oppose the belief that there is a separate experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and they especially oppose the validity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for today's believers.<br><br>That type of belief puts them in conflict with the book of Acts and the very teaching of Jesus. Those who experience the power of the Holy Spirit today are labeled as fanatics or heretics. But what does the Bible have to say? What did Jesus say about this?<br><br>On the night before Jesus' crucifixion, He made one of the most astounding statements of His whole ministry. John 16:7 records these words:<br><br>"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."<br><br>Grasp what Jesus is saying! Jesus said it is more beneficial for us to have the ministry of the Holy Spirit than it was to have Jesus present with us in His physical body!<br><br>Most Christians are totally shocked by this. They would give anything to have Jesus present in His physical body. How could anything be better than to physically see, hear, and touch Him?<br><br>Jesus knew His disciples would be shocked by His statement, so He prefaced it with the words, "I tell you the truth." As hard as it may be to understand, the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is better than the earthly ministry of Jesus.<br><br>This is not to take anything away from His ministry on this earth. Without Jesus coming to the earth and accomplishing what He did, there could be no ministry of the Holy Spirit. The whole plan of God hinges on the redemptive work of Christ.<br><br>But, once His work was done, it was actually to our advantage to have Jesus return to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to take His place. Therefore, we shouldn't lessen the preeminence of Jesus, but we should increase the importance of the Holy Spirit's ministry.<br><br>Most Christians don't realize how involved the Holy Spirit is in everything that the Lord does. They do not ascribe nearly enough importance to the Holy Spirit and what He is doing in the earth today. In Genesis 1:1-2, the Bible says,<br><br>"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."<br><br>In the beginning, God created all the elements needed for His creation. Then, everything else was formed from what had already been created. All the essential ingredients were in place. But nothing happened without the Spirit of God.<br><br>Notice specifically that the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) moved upon the face of the waters. The English word moved was translated from the Hebrew word "rachaph." It literally means "to brood." This is describing the manner of a hen sitting on her eggs to hatch them.<br><br>The Holy Spirit was brooding over the creation of God just waiting to bring forth whatever God the Father said. When the Lord said "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3), then the power of the Holy Spirit brought that light into being. Likewise, with everything the Lord created and made, it was the power of the Holy Spirit that brought it all into existence.<br><br>God the Father conceived it. Jesus spoke it. And the Holy Spirit was the power that performed it. Everything God did in His creation was accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. When God the Father was ready to bring Jesus into the earth, He took the spoken Word (Jesus), the Holy Spirit brooded over Mary (a virgin), and she conceived Jesus' physical body.<br><br>This perfectly illustrates the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are one. In fact, they are so much one that they can't operate independent of each other. They are a team. Jesus didn't do any miracles or start His public ministry until after He had been anointed with the Holy Spirit.<br><br>If Jesus couldn't, or wouldn't, operate independently of the Holy Spirit, neither should we. No one can have an effective life or ministry without the power of God's Holy Spirit working in him or her. This fact can't be argued by anyone who truly believes the Bible is God's Word. The Scriptures are replete with proof that it is "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6).<br><br>So, why is there so much debate over this issue? The sad truth is that denial of the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit is a convenient theology. Believing that miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit don't operate today excuses powerless living. If it's true that the Holy Spirit is still willing to move as in biblical times (and it is true), then there is no excuse for living lives so far removed from the victory portrayed in God's Word.<br><br>The number one reason people resist the ministry of the Holy Spirit is because it exposes the lack of power in their lives. And once exposed, it demands a change. In an attempt to avoid responsibility for change, they change the Scriptures instead of themselves. Of course, it's not that blatant, but there is a predisposition against the ministry of the Holy Spirit, so the Scripture is twisted to support their views.<br><br>It's now politically correct to say that alcoholics are not responsible for their actions, depression is a chemical imbalance, and homosexuality is genetic. We've even had lawsuits where overweight people sue fast-food chains for their obesity. No one wants to admit that their lives are the result of their choices and actions. It's appealing to think that someone else is at fault for their messed up lives. Sadly, the lack of personal responsibility in our society has crept into the attitudes of the church.<br><br>But, the ultimate attempt to avoid responsibility is when we place the blame on God. This goes all the way back to Adam when he said, "It's that woman that YOU gave me" (Gen. 3). He passed the "buck" to the woman and then ultimately blamed God. But God's judgment shows that He held Adam responsible for his own actions.<br><br>Another group of Christians willingly accept a limited ministry of the Holy Spirit as their comforter and consoler, but they still deny His miraculous power. That's convenient, the benefits without the responsibility. These are usually the ones who also believe there isn't a second experience with the Holy Spirit beyond being born again. They may be sincere in their beliefs, but they are sincerely wrong.<br><br>There are many clear examples in Scripture where a miraculous encounter with the Holy Spirit enabled believers to live supernatural lives. Jesus taught about two separate experiences in the believer's life.<br><br>In John 20:28, Thomas confessed Jesus as his Lord and God. That made him "saved" according to Romans 10:9-10. Yet, the Lord told Thomas and all the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). The reason Jesus told them to wait on the baptism of the Holy Spirit was because they didn't have it yet. Look what happened to the disciples once they received that power. They were changed men.<br><br>Jesus said it this way in Acts 1:8,<br><br>"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."<br><br>After the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus' disciples, they were powerful. They faced persecution and death fearlessly. What made the difference? By Jesus' own words, it was the baptism of the Holy Spirit.<br><br>In Acts 8, Philip preached to the Samaritans, and the whole city believed on Jesus and was baptized in water. They were saved. But Acts 8:15-16 says,<br><br>"Who, when they [the apostles] were come down, prayed for them [the Samaritans], that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus)" (brackets mine).<br><br>This is a very clear example of people being born again but still needing to receive the Holy Spirit. This can also be witnessed in Acts 19. Paul found disciples who were not baptized in the Holy Spirit. He prayed for them, and they spoke with tongues.<br><br>Spirit filled, but no tongues!<br><br>There are other believers who acknowledge a second experience with the Holy Spirit which releases power, but they refuse the part of speaking in tongues, or at least say it's not for everyone. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit is like a pair of tennis shoes: It always comes with tongues.<br><br>I guess it's possible to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues, but why wouldn't you want to? If you're afraid, don't be! There's no reason to fear; you're in full control. I'm not speaking in tongues as I write this, because it's up to me to decide when I speak in tongues. It's the same for you. You'll control when you speak in tongues.<br><br>Maybe there's something else that is holding you back. I know from experience that a person whose understanding of this gift isn't right can stifle it. I did. In my case, a denomination had instilled such fear in me that I was afraid I would get something from the devil. It wasn't until later that I learned the Lord wouldn't let that happen (Luke 11:13).<br><br>Whether you're not sure or just having a problem receiving, my teaching entitled The Holy Spirit will answer your questions and set you free to receive this powerful gift. My life was completely changed when I received the Holy Spirit. If it were not for that, you would never have heard of Andrew Wommack.<br><br>Here is a little of my personal story; it may help you. In 1957 I was born again at the age of eight. I loved God and served Him to a degree, but was basically powerless. I prayed six months for my Dad to be healed, but he died when I was only twelve years old. As a young man, I was introverted, timid, and so shy I couldn't look people in the face when talking to them.<br><br>There wasn't any difference between me and an unbeliever in terms of visible results. If I would have been arrested for being a Christian, there wouldn't have been enough evidence to convict me.<br><br>Then, on March 23, 1968, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. My life was transformed instantly. Before the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I was in fear; afterward, I was as bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1). My love for the Lord went through the roof. It wasn't me living anymore, but Christ was living through me.<br><br>My life wasn't perfect then and still isn't now. But receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit opened up a whole new, dynamic relationship with the Lord. You would never have heard of me if I hadn't received the second work of the Holy Spirit, which the Bible calls the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It's my desire to see you experience that same power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that come with it.<br><br>My teaching, The Holy Spirit, is now available in book form, as well as in a CD or tape album. This is the same material I give to those who receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit at our Gospel Truth Seminars. It takes them from "A" to "Z" in the doctrine of this experience and shares very practical steps on how to receive the gift of speaking in tongues. Hundreds of people who were having trouble speaking in tongues were able to receive after reading the book or listening to this teaching. Every one of you knows people who haven't received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and this teaching could forever change their lives.</div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> </span></b></div></b></span><p></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-4002602251700624462023-10-09T12:36:00.001-04:002023-10-09T12:36:11.929-04:00Rick Renner: Tongues Heard As Different Languages<div dir="ltr">Renner: Some have tried to categorically state that those who came out from the upper room that day supernaturally spoke in known human languages. But Paul specifically wrote that speaking in tongues is not speaking in a known language. In First Corinthians 14:2, Paul said, "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him.…" That word unknown is italicized in the King James Version because it doesn't appear in the Greek text; it was supplied by the translators to affirm that Paul was not referring to known human languages; he was writing about a supernatural prayer language that is known only to God.<br><br>According to Paul's words in First Corinthians 14:13-15, speaking in tongues is a spiritual language — never a known language. It is so supernatural and unknown to man that it cannot be understood, not even by the speaker himself, unless he prays for the ability to interpret what he is saying. Since this is Paul's very clear teaching about speaking in tongues, it emphatically asserts that on the Day of Pentecost, the believers did not speak in known human languages, but in a supernatural, unknown prayer language, just as believers speak in tongues today.<br><br>However, on the Day of Pentecost, a special miracle occurred. The believers spoke in tongues — but by the time that supernatural language reached the ears of the listeners, they "heard" a message in their own distinct dialects. This is why Acts 2:6 says that "…every man heard them speak in his own language." Acts 2:8 says, "And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" And Acts 2:11 tells us that the listeners said, "…we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."<br><br>On the Day of Pentecost, the first great work of God was to fill the believers with the Holy Spirit. The second great work was to liberate their human spirits so they could pray in tongues and worship God in the Spirit. The third great work occurred when the believers spoke in other tongues and God supernaturally translated those tongues in the ears of the listeners so that each member of the audience "heard" them speaking in his or her own language</div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> </span></b></div></b></span><p></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-9923599392273033812023-10-07T18:34:00.001-04:002023-10-07T18:34:50.856-04:00Inconvenience of Leadership <div><br></div><div>The "Inconvenience" of Leadership</div><div>Catherine Brown</div><div>via the Elijah List</div><div><br></div><div>Life is full of ups and downs, so they say, and the Christian (leader or otherwise) is not exempt from life's storms. It is during such storms that we learn to lean afresh on the faithfulness of Christ. Such incidences also underscore that leadership is rarely "convenient." The dictionary describes inconvenience as: n. the state or fact of being slightly troublesome or difficult; v. cause inconvenience to.</div><div><br></div><div>My experience as a leader has taught me that leadership does not come all tied up in a nice neat package with a bow. It is a privileged path of blessing, and at other times excruciating pain. It is a journey of joy and sometimes sorrow; it can often be lonely; it takes one to the edge of what is known into the unknown realm of encounter and fresh experience of touching the hem of Jesus in humble God-reliance. It can be mentally, physically, emotionally and even spiritually demanding. It is often a deep place of communion with Christ and has the potential of being a continuous process of emergence in discipleship—both on a personal level and on the basis of leading others into the transformational lifestyle of walking with Christ. It is a humble privilege to serve others through the grace of leadership, yet I do not think I would ever call leadership "convenient."</div><div><br></div><div>Introduction—"Out of Range"</div><div><br></div><div>Allow me to share a short, recent testimony with you from our family that I hope will be both inspirational and an encouragement to you today, whilst at the same time serving as a useful life analogy to which we may apply Scriptural truth.</div><div><br></div><div>With all our children safely despatched to school, and a carefully planned slot in my diary and ministry schedule for a hair appointment, I had finally made it to the hair salon and was looking forward to a much-needed (and rarely available) time-out to have my hair cut and coloured. For some strange reason (and despite all modern technology) the hair salon is out of range with regard to mobile phone signal. Normally, it is a little oasis of peace and quiet for me to retreat to once every couple of months without interruption—however, not so on this occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>At the point of looking less than attractive (wearing a gargantuan black cape to avoid staining on my clothing, with my hair plastered to my head with thick purple peroxide paste), my sister-in-law burst into the hair salon and announced, "Daniel is being sent home from school and you need to come now!" (Daniel is our second eldest son). When I explained I couldn't move for at least 30 minutes, she left mumbling that my mother-in-law was going to pick Daniel up. At that moment my head was completely covered in chemicals with the potential ability to dissolve my hair if it was left on there for too long!</div><div><br></div><div>Daniel had left home for school just two hours previously with not a hint of any health problems and I couldn't think what might be wrong. I reassured the hair stylist that everything would be fine and quietly began to pray for healing for my son Daniel, at this point quite unaware of just how ill he had become.</div><div><br></div><div>Moments later, my mother-in-law arrived ashen-faced and shaking. She had driven to school to pick up Daniel and was now telling me that his hand was paralysed and he had gone blind in one eye. To say I leapt out of the chair would be the understatement of the year. Now, in the moment of absolute crisis, there was no other course of action to take or direction to run but into the eye of the storm. So, with purple hair and wearing a black stylist cape (and at this point now not caring one iota what people thought of how I looked), I ran out of the hair salon and out to Daniel, who was sitting weeping silently in the car. I laid hands on my precious son and commanded his eyesight to be healed, the pain in his head to go and the paralysis in his right hand to be healed in Jesus' name.</div><div><br></div><div>The power of God immediately began to manifest in Daniel's healing. I reassured Daniel I would have the peroxide washed of my hair and join him in just a matter of moments. I instructed my dear mother-in-law to take Daniel straight to the doctor and tell them what had happened. Meantime, I called my husband and asked him to come from work so that we could provide a support system for Daniel and the other three children, should this be necessary. Although shaken by the circumstance, I felt calm, and at the same time a righteous anger rose up in me against the devil. I spoke out loud with resolute faith, "Satan, you will not touch my son in Jesus' name."</div><div><br></div><div>Fifteen minutes later I was free of the purple peroxide and standing in the doctor's office. I was surprised that Daniel and his Gran had not yet been seen by a doctor given the potentially serious symptoms that Daniel was presenting. I strode up to the reception desk and politely enquired when Daniel could expect to see a doctor. The receptionist was somewhat rude and retorted that she did not know how long Daniel would have to wait; bless her, but this status quo was not a position that this determined and focused parent was going to accept during a crisis. I paused and made eye contact with the woman and repeated the same question in a low and determined voice, "When is my son going to be seen by a doctor? He has had a sudden, painful and unexplained attack of paralysis and blindness." The receptionist left to find a doctor and moments later Daniel was examined by a General Practitioner.</div><div><br></div><div>The GP's diagnosis was that Daniel had suffered a serious migraine attack (it was the first of its kind he had experienced). She gave us some medicine to help with the nausea and told him to go lie down and sleep at home. If the migraine re-occurred she asked us to come back. I took Daniel home, tucked my darling 16-year-old in bed, reassured him and prayed for him again. My husband went back to work and I set about calling family members to let them know that Daniel was just fine. As most of you are probably aware—bad news travels faster on the family grape vine than most other types! I felt it was important to thank everyone who had helped us and to reassure them all (including the hair stylists) that Daniel was fine and the crisis had passed.</div><div><br></div><div>Standing in the Storm with Jesus</div><div><br></div><div>Now what does my peroxide anecdotal ramblings have to do with the "inconvenience" of leadership?—frankly, quite a lot! In the first instance, have you ever noticed how crises requiring leadership intervention usually always happen at inconvenient times? They occur when you least expect them and often in the most inconvenient of ways—normally when one is "out of range" (just as I was out of range with my mobile phone). To be out of range in a leadership context might be described as being away from one's normal environment or perhaps one's resources and team members; it may involve dealing with difficult circumstances and awkward timing.</div><div><br></div><div>Crisis requires strength and dependability from anointed leadership that trusts in God and seeks to stand in the storm in the strength of Christ. A reliable leader knows how not to panic and how to access Christ's presence in the eye of the storm and to prayerfully and boldly press in to God's faithfulness for a solution to the presenting problem. Such a leader will also always seek to reassure those who have become fearful and/or are suffering and in pain. As leaders, we will not always know ahead of time when a "storm" will arise or how it will affect those whom we love. However, we can rely on God for His strength, His delivering power and His solution to all life's crises. The prayer of faith is also an important part of a leader's (indeed, any Believer's) response during a life storm.</div><div><br></div><div>The Example of Christ</div><div><br></div><div>One day Jesus said to His disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"</div><div><br></div><div>He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" He asked His disciples.</div><div><br></div><div>In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him"—Luke 8:22-25 (see also Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 6:47-52; John 6:16-21).</div><div><br></div><div>All four Gospel narratives describe an incident in which Christ was asleep during an unexpected storm, each one illuminating various truths about God's dependability during life's storms. Luke clearly outlines the gravity of the storm that had arisen, reminding us that the disciples were "in great danger," as huge waves swamped the little fishing boat, threatening to sink it and take their lives.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus was asleep in deep slumber on a boat, totally and utterly exhausted from intense ministry. Have you ever ministered for hours till your mouth was dry, your body ached, but your heart full of His blessed love? I have and I know the kind of sleep that follows: it is deep. The Lord was in such a place of deep resting, and during this intended and much needed "time out," a violent storm arose that terrified His disciples. Panic-stricken, they woke the Master up, with an expectation that He would know what to do. A crisis had occurred and His disciples needed re-assurance. Putting His own needs to the side, Jesus focused on the issue at hand.</div><div><br></div><div>Matthew's Gospel</div><div><br></div><div>Matthew's Gospel is similar in many ways to Luke's recollection of the storm that night. Matthew outlines that Jesus got into the boat with the men. "Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat." We are reminded of the severity of the storm. Matthew recalls that Jesus was sleeping, and then the disciples called out to Him that they were going to drown. Awaking, Jesus asked His disciples why they were so afraid and He took authority over the winds and the waves and it was "completely calm." Furthermore, they reveal the power and authority of Christ to bring peace to any storm situation.</div><div><br></div><div>Both Luke and Matthew's reflections reveal the need for faith to be engaged during the violent buffeting of an unexpected storm.</div><div><br></div><div>Dear Heavenly Father, today in Jesus' name I pray for every Believer, and especially leaders who are seeking to help others, that they would know Your peace, Your wisdom and Your power to respond with a new level of faith to whatever storm they may be facing. Lord, empower Your servants so that they may pray with holy boldness and see Your mighty delivering hand act on their behalf. Encourage those who feel oppressed by circumstance and loose your wonderful Holy Spirit to their situation to bring healing and freedom in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Catherine Brown</div><div>Founder, Gatekeepers Global Ministries (GGM) and</div><div>Co-founder, Scottish Apostolic Networking Enterprise</div><div>Email: admin@gatekeepers.org.uk</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> </span></b></div></b></span><p></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-8426761575868816702023-10-07T17:43:00.001-04:002023-10-07T17:43:35.317-04:00Definition of a Decree<div>By Jennifer Eviaz</div><div><br></div><div>A decree is defined as an official order issued by a legal authority. Naturally speaking, a decision made by order of the court supersedes the desire or opinion of the defendant, whether it's a fine, a denial of driving privileges, or even a jail sentence. </div><div><br></div><div>Job 22:28 instructs us saying, "Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways."</div><div><br></div><div>The Hebrew word for decree in this passage (gazar) is a command that not only establishes something but also divides and cuts something down at the same time. The powerful promise for making a decree is that the light of God will shine upon all our ways. In other words, the decree cuts away and destroys anything from the kingdom of darkness that has been purposed against you.</div><div><br></div><div>This Easter weekend, I prophesy to your dead places: I command resurrection life to your soul. He restores your soul! I command resurrection life to your heart. He heals the broken hearted! You will feel again! You will have joy again! You will laugh again! I speak to those with derailed callings... get back on track! Hope again! Begin again! I see light and new life entering your dark, dead places. Get ready to experience new beginnings.</div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> </span></b></div></b></span><p></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-85929071384873813602023-10-07T17:20:00.000-04:002023-10-07T17:21:19.394-04:00Two Channels of Healing<div>TWO CHANNELS OF HEALING </div><div>By Kenneth E Hagin</div><div><br></div><div>'Sometimes when symptoms persist, we have to learn to consider not the symptoms but rather consider the Word of God ....'</div><div><br></div><div>There are basically two channels for receiving healing in the New Covenant. One is by personal faith; the other is by the anointing. It is God's Will that we be healed. It is God's prerogative how we are healed. God's prerogative is also determined by His ultimate purpose in our lives. </div><div><br></div><div>Human beings are interested in the immediate. We want to get rid of all of our symptoms and sicknesses instantly. God is interested not only in our symptoms but also in our total life and future. For example, if God wants a person to minister healing to others in the future, He may choose to bring healing to that person through personal faith and not through the anointing. </div><div><br></div><div>...</div><div><br></div><div>Healing by personal faith involves spending time in the Word and acting by faith that the healing has been completed even though the symptoms are still there. Normally, for children and new Christians, God allows them to be healed by the faith of others; but as they grow spiritually, God expects them to exercise their own faith. </div><div><br></div><div>When a child is young or still an infant, we carry him about from place. As the child grows older and learns to walk, we allow the child to walk for longer periods until the child can walk independently. By doing this we ensure that the child develops his muscles and matures physically. </div><div><br></div><div>Our faith muscles, too, need to grow and be developed. If we depend on others to do the praying for us, we may never develop our prayer life. If we depend on others to read the Bible for us, we may never develop our Word life. If we depend on others to hear from God for us, we may never develop an intimate personal relationship with God. However, at the early stages of our Christian life, we do need others to pray for us, read and explain the Bible to us and teach us the voice of the Holy Spirit. </div><div><br></div><div>It is always easier to depend on others than to do things ourselves. In like manner, it is easier to receive healing by the anointing than it is by personal faith. It takes faithful daily application of the Word to receive healing by personal faith. Sometimes when symptoms persist, we have to learn to consider not the symptoms but rather consider the Word of God (Rom. 4:19, 20). </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Healing by personal faith involves all the basic fundamentals of faith: visualizing, meditation, confession and acting on the Word. Basically, our hearts, our thoughts, our vision, our words and our actions must all be in line with the Word of God. The following are some of the principles and methods involved in receiving healing by personal faith: </div><div><br></div><div>1. Meditating and digesting the Word into our lives (Pro. 4:20-23). All the principles taught in meditation are applicable here. The Word, literally, becomes health and life to our flesh. </div><div><br></div><div>2. Praising and thanking God before the manifestation of healing is seen. Abraham gave glory to God before the fulfilment of the promises (Rom. 4:20). </div><div><br></div><div>3. Fasting and spending time in the presence of God (Isa. 58:6-8). A correct fast with the proper attitudes will cause our healing to spring forth speedily. </div><div><br></div><div>4. Praying in the spirit to build ourselves on the faith (Jude 20). Praying in tongues also helps us in our infirmities (Rom. 8:26). </div><div><br></div><div>5. Acting on the Word of God. It was only after Peter lifted the lame man that his ankle bones received strength (Acts 3:7). The lame man in Acts chapter fourteen had faith but was not healed until he acted on the Word (Acts 14:10). In acting on the Word, we must make very sure that faith is truly in our hearts (the conscience will bear witness). All the other steps must be taken to impart and generate faith in the heart before the acting comes forth. It would be disastrous to act without faith in the heart. Listen to the conscience within so that you will not have a spiritual shipwreck. </div><div> </div><div>~ ~ ~</div><div><br></div><div>"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"</div><div>... and "to guide our feet in the way of peace." </div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> </span></b></div></b></span><p></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-3562520800682360012023-10-07T16:21:00.000-04:002023-10-07T16:22:25.102-04:00Andrew Murray: Our Covenant<br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;">✿⊰</span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"><span data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16"> I B e l i e v e</span></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 23pt;"> ⊰✿ </span></div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;"><br></div></b></span></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font id="ygrps-yiv-772424837role_document" color="#112539" face="Arial Black"><p id="yui_3_14_0_1_1396863872592_1538" align="center"><font id="yui_3_14_0_1_1396863872592_1537" size="1"><font id="yui_3_14_0_1_1396863872592_1536" face="Black Chancery" size="7"><em id="yui_3_14_0_1_1396863872592_1535"><strong id="yui_3_14_0_1_1396863872592_1534">Our Covenant</strong></em></font><br><br><br></font><font id="yui_3_14_0_1_1396863872592_1540" size="3">"And I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (Jer. 24:7) <br><br>Do not pass these words lightly. They express the very highest experience of the Covenant relationship. It is only when His people learn to love and obey His law, when their heart and life are together wholly devoted to Him and His will, that He can be to them the altogether inconceivable blessing which these words express, "I will be your God." All I am and have as God shall be yours. All you can need or wish for in a God, I will be to you. In the fullest meaning of the word, I, the Omnipresent, will be ever present with you, in all My grace and love. I, the Almighty One, will each moment work all in you by My mighty power. I, the ThriceHoly One, will reveal My sanctifying life within You. I will be your God. And ye shall be My people, saved and blessed, ruled and guided and provided for by Me, known and seen to be indeed the people of the Holy One, the God of glory. Only let us give our hearts time to meditate and wait for the Holy Spirit to work in us all that these words mean.<br><br><br><br>But why, if all this is meant to be literally and exactly true of God's people, why do we see so little of this life, experience so little in ourselves? There is but one answer: Because of your unbelief! We have spoken of the relation of God and man in creation as what the New Covenant is meant to make possible and real. But the law cannot be repealed that God will not compel. He can only fulfil His purpose as the heart is willing and accepts His offer. In the New Covenant all is of faith. Let us turn away from what human wisdom and human experience may say, and ask God Himself to teach us what His Covenant means. If we persevere in this prayer in a humble and teachable spirit, we can count most certainly on its promise: "They shall no more every man teach his neighbor: Know the Lord, for they shall all know Me." The teaching of God Himself, by the Holy Spirit, to make us understand what He says to us in His Word, is our Covenant right. Let us count upon it. It is only by a God-given faith that we can appropriate these God-given promises. And it is only by a God-given teaching and inward illumination that we can see their meaning, so as to believe them. When God teaches us the meaning of His promises in a heart yielded to His Holy Spirit, then alone we can believe and receive them in a power which makes them a reality in our life.<br><br>Do let us turn our hearts away from all past experience of failure, as caused by nothing but unbelief; do let us admit fully and heartily, what failure has taught us, the absolute impossibility of even a regenerate man walking in God's law in his own strength, and then turn our hearts quietly and trustfully to our own Covenant God. Let us hear what He says He will do for us, and believe Him; let us rest on His unchangeable faithfulness and the surety of the Covenant, on His Almighty power and the Holy Spirit working in us; and let us give up ourselves to Him as our God. He will prove that what He has done for us in Christ is not one whit more wonderful than what He will do in us every day by the Spirit of Christ. (Andrew Murray)</font></p></font></div><br><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#00407f" face="comic sans ms"><b><i><span> <span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(0,255,0)"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>⊰</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>⊰</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="color:rgb(0,255,0)">⊰</span>✿</span></span><span><span><span><span>⊰</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0)"><span><span> </span></span></span><span><span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0)"><font size="4">I</font></span> </span></span><span><span><span><span>⊰</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><font size="4"> <span style="color:rgb(153,0,0)">B e l i e v e</span></font></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span> ⊰</span></span></span></span>✿ </span></span><span style="color:rgb(0,255,0)"><span><span><span><span>⊰</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>⊰</span></span>⊰</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!</i></b></font></div><div style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#00407f" face="comic sans ms"><b><i>... to guide our feet in the way of peace.<br> </i></b></font></div><div style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><br></div><div style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> <font color="#00407f" face="comic sans ms"><b><i><br></i></b></font></div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:24.4444px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b style="background-color:transparent"><span style="color:rgb(11,83,148)"><i><font><br> </font></i></span><br></b></div></div></div> </div> </div></blockquote>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-54440504478987989232023-10-07T12:12:00.001-04:002023-10-07T12:20:03.511-04:00Leaders: You Can’t Just Throw Something Up On The Board<br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">══ღೋƸ̵̡ Pressing Toward the High Call Ʒღೋ══</b></div></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>Sometimes we get in a pinch and feel the pressure to post some information on a topic that we have not fully digested yet. We quickly glance over the material we putting on the post and think that it will do until we can get a little more serious about it. We feel rushed, but we also feel like we need to say something.</div><div><br></div><div>Leaders, don't do it. Don't post it if you don't have time to do a good job. The post will influence others in one way (good) or the other (bad) … Don't post it. </div><div><br></div><div><div>Acts 20:28</div><div>Take care and be on guard for yourselves and the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you bishops and guardians, to shepherd (tend and feed and guide) the church of the Lord orof God which He obtained for Himself [buying it and saving it for Himself] with His own blood.</div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">══ღೋƸ̵̡ Pressing Toward the High Call Ʒღೋ══</b></div><div style="text-align: start;"><b style="text-align: center; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></b></div><div style="text-align: start;"><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 23px; line-height: normal; font-family: ".SF UI Display"; color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"><br></p></div><div><b style="text-align: center; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></b></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></blockquote>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004651791429677921.post-86002228937788075492023-10-07T11:45:00.001-04:002023-10-07T12:20:36.862-04:00Thought Curses<div>Thought Curses<br>Jennifer LeClaire<br><br>If you're a charismatic believer, you've probably heard of word curses. A word curse is a form of witchcraft that taps into the power of death that's in your tongue—or someone else's tongue. This spirit of Jezebel can work through people to release thought curses.<br><br>When we speak negatively over someone's life—"They will never hold down a job acting like that," "Their marriage is bound to fail the way he treats her," "The doctors said he's going to die in 30 days. Isn't that sad?" "I catch that flu every year!" "I'll never get a raise at this dead-end job"—we are agreeing with the enemy's plan and giving power to it with our anointed mouths. When we speak word curses over someone's life—or our own lives—we are opening the door to the devil.<br><br><br>Remember, Proverbs 18:21 says the power of death and life are in the tongue. Unfortunately, I hear many people speaking continual death over their lives, their children, their finances—and other people. Since words come from thoughts, word curses actually begin as thought curses.<br><br>The Reality of Thought Curses<br><br>Recently, as I was praying to break word curses, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the reality of thought curses. One of my prophetic mentors instructed me about 15 years ago that someone was releasing thought curses against me and it was causing me emotional distress. I forgot all about that until the Holy Spirit brought it back up again—and then I found theology to back up the theory.<br><br><br>The preacher said, "Even in your mind do not curse the king; and in your bedchamber do not curse the rich; for a bird in the sky may carry your voice, and a winged creature may declare the matter" (Eccl. 10:20).<br><br>The word "curse" in that Scripture means, "to make despicable, to curse, to make light, to treat with contempt, bring contempt, or dishonor," according to the KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon. The Bible says even in your mind—another translation says in your thoughts—not to curse people. Even in your mind! A word curse gives voice to an evil thought, but how can a thought take voice in the spirit realm?<br><br>From Thought Curses to Word Curses<br><br>When we think wrong thoughts about people—or about ourselves—we're violating Scripture. Paul tells us, "Whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8).<br><br>When we're thinking wrong thoughts about people—or ourselves—we're agreeing with the Accuser of the Brethren. We're getting on the devil's side and allowing him to feed our minds ammunition that will eventually come out of our mouths and become a word curse. Think about it for a minute. If you meditate on how angry and upset you are about someone because they wronged you, how long will it be before you speak out those thought curses and transform them into word curses?<br><br>Have you ever walked into a room and the atmosphere was tense or gloomy? And then when you speak to the person in the room, you discover they are tense or gloomy. Could it be possible that their thoughts have impacted the atmosphere in the room? I believe so. I believe if thoughts are powerful to change our own mind, they must be powerful enough to change the atmosphere around us and may be powerful enough to release witchcraft at people.<br><br>What I do know is this: Witches believe in negative thought forms. Negative thought forms are described as "structured interdimensional energy" that witches work up against victims for a specific purpose. These are intentional psychic attacks that come through negative thinking, jealousy, anger, fear, revenge and other negative thoughts. If there is power in positive thinking, there must be power in negative thinking.<br><br>Combating Thought Curses<br><br>As Christians, we need to obey Scripture. Second Corinthians 10:5-6 talks about casting down imaginations, but we often forget the part that says to bring "every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being willing to punish all disobedience when your obedience is complete."<br><br>Combating thought curses starts with our own thoughts. If we're cursing ourselves in our thoughts, we need to intentionally think the opposite of what the enemy is telling us, what people say about us, or what we think about our own shortcomings. We need to declare the truth out of our mouths. By the same token, we need to guard our thoughts about others. We don't want to be used of the enemy against anyone and violate the law of love.<br><br>Now, if you discern thought curses are coming against you, move in the Luke 6:28 principle—bless those who curse you even if you don't know who they are. Next, bind thought curses and word curses in the name of Jesus with the Matthew 16:19 key. Finally, take authority over every demonic thought that has been formed against your life and gird up the loins of your mind, for that is where the root of the battle really lies.<br><br>Have you read my new book, Jezebel's Puppets? Check it out and determine to drop the curtain on Jezebel's show.<br></div> Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06481110348617111664noreply@blogger.com0