The Kingdom Of God Is Within You!

The kingdom of God is not in the black and white print of a book called the Bible. It’s not in the church programs or in the buildings. It’s not what you do…although many people do wonderful things in the name of the Lord. Jesus said the kingdom is not in meat or drink. It's not in this far off unattainable place up in the sky, either. So where is it?

The kingdom of God is within you, according to Luke 17:21. Think about that for a moment. Well, think about that until you get the revelation! The King doesn’t go anywhere without His kingdom. As a matter of fact, He brings it all with him! How amazing is it that Jesus thought to put it inside of each person that received Him as Savior?

God has said that His word will not return to Him void but it shall surely accomplish what He pleases and it will prosper in the thing for which it is sent, (Isaiah 55:11). When we “send” the word back to Him through our prayers and declaration of it, it has such a short distance to travel to get back to Him. We’re really just declaring it until we get the revelation that releases the breakthrough of faith. We don’t declare it for God’s sake, but for ours. The Word of God is Jesus. (John 1:1) Jesus also said in John 15 that if we would abide in Him and His words abide in us, we could ask whatever we desire and it would be done for us. (vs.7) The WORD is in us. The Kingdom of God is within you. The Kingdom is released through faith and obedience. The more we remain in faith and obedience, and demonstrate love and compassion towards others, the Kingdom inside of us grows. It expands like yeast permeating a lump of dough. It will literally overtake every part of us! Jesus so wanted people to “get” the concept of the Kingdom being inside of us, that is why He told His disciples to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and as they went they were to proclaim ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ He told the disciples, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” The King and His kingdom are as close as your hand. What he was saying is, “Check it out guys! The Kingdom is so close you don't have to go anywhere to find it. You’re standing right in the middle of it!” "Now, go - give it away!" What a revelation, right? The Kingdom is actually closer than your hand. It’s within you. He demonstrated the Kingdom so that they wouldn't forget what He was teaching them.

Now that is truly an amazing thought, once you wrap your mind around it. The Kingdom of God and everything you need is so close, it’s right there inside of you. You just need to learn how to tap into it with your faith. Are you getting this yet?

What exists in heaven? Is there sickness? Is there disease? Nope. Is there poverty? Is there death? What?? Isn't heaven full of dead people? No, no no... they are very much alive! Jesus said God was not the god of the dead but of the living. So there is only life in Him, right? Can Jesus be anything BUT life? No! Read John 1:4. In Him we find wholeness, peace, and health. Jesus gave each person His Holy Spirit and as we accept Jesus as our Savior, Holy Spirit came to take up residence within us. If you doubt that fact, simply invite Him to come inhabit you and fill you with all His fullness - right now! Isn’t He, in fact, resurrection power? In Ephesians 18-19 the Apostle Paul prayed that we would be able to comprehend the depth of God’s love. It so surpasses understanding and our knowledge! Paul understood the Kingdom with incredible depth. That is why when he got bit by a poisonous asp (see Acts 28:5) he simply shook it off and suffered no ill effects. You see, when you get the revelation of “the Kingdom of God within you,” the fullness is released. More anointing is released because your faith grows through revelation. Anything with death attached to it had to surrender to the power of the anointing. Paul understood this. Nothing is greater than the God that lives inside of us. The scripture gives us good news. We have the victory! We’ve overcome, because greater is He that is within you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4).

But the flip side of this truth is that faith must be exercised in order to grow. One cannot develop faith in the middle of a crisis. That is called hope, and hope and faith are not the same. Faith is a confident assurance towards God. Faith knows. The enemy will do everything possible to wear people down and convince them through their circumstances that he is greater. Death, illness, poverty are greater. No, friend. The KING and His Kingdom are greater. Always. The devil may present you with facts, but facts are not always truth. There may always be those times when circumstances defy our understanding, and there will be times when we simply don't understand God's plan or His will for different individuals - but we should never stop believing. Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly. He came to have us live in the reality of His Kingdom. It was so important to the plan of God for each of our lives, Jesus was willing to die so that we would have access to it all!

Whatever your need, all you have to do is envision the Kingdom living within you. The help you require is so close, you can’t even extract yourself out of the kingdom. What a cool plan, huh? Jesus wanted to remain as close as possible to us so that we wouldn’t get lost. We couldn’t be without help in the time of our need. Seriously. Read Romans 8:31-39. He has already given us Himself through death and resurrection. What else would He not be willing to give? Our only failure is to not understand His love, His gracious Spirit, His kindness and His mercy. You didn't know you've been forgiven? You have, on the cross - even before you asked for it! You don't have to feel angry, rejected or forgotten. You don't have to feel unwanted. You don't have to worry about where the answer is going to come from. God wants you to know He understands, and it's going to be ok. If you've had a response of unbelief, just ask Him to forgive you; receive His love and grace. Everything you need is contained in Jesus Christ. He loves you so very much He left His Spirit with us so that we all could experience His Spirit living within us. Oh, how marvelous is His love!! You are not waiting for help to arrive, it is here! I ask my daughter all the time (reviewing spelling words) “What is the difference between ‘here’ and ‘there?’ One letter. “t”. Funny how it takes the shape of the cross. The cross is the bridge between ‘here’ (where you’re at this moment) and ‘there’ - (where you need to get to, or where the answer is). Just close your eyes and go across the bridge of faith, get your provision out of the kingdom, and come back with it in your hand. Tap into it with your faith. See yourself doing it!

 I think Jesus wants you to ask again, and this time, don’t doubt. Jesus said, “Have faith in God. For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.” (Mark 11:22-24).

You Are The Dream Of God

Did you know that God has put a dream inside of each and every one of us? He has a dream specially created just for your life! We know according to Genesis 1:26 that God had a conversation with Himself and said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness…" and when God created woman in Genesis 2:21 He said, "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept, and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in it's place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, an He brought her to the man. And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called WOMAN, because she was taken out of man."


So WOMAN came from man, but she's made in the image of GOD. That's quite an interesting concept, isn't it? Woman is distinctly female, yet has inseparable qualities of both MAN AND GOD within her. THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT! Wow, we are soooo fearfully and wonderfully made. Can you just get inside the mind of God for a moment when He was dreaming about creating woman – what an absolute genius mind God has… man is wonderful, and man is made in the image of God too, but we are truly made with both male and female qualities – quite unique. We are the female counterpart to the Godhead because we mirror – or we're supposed to mirror all the qualities of Holy Spirit. Gentle, kind, loving, tender, yet absolutely the voice of authority in our sphere of influence. And ever since woman was created, God has been trying to get woman to let the man out of her. When I say "man," I'm referring to the voice of male authority that is found in Christ. It's the GOD-MAN in us.

God wants to see us live the reality of His word that says we are made in HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS. That means we need to look like God. We need to sound like God. When we speak, the devil shouldn't be able to tell the difference between us or Jesus when we're walking in the dominion, the power, the authority, and the confidence of knowing who we were made to be. Holy Spirit is the one that creates, He is the one who impregnates and conceives the dream of God. He is the very womb of God. He is the one that gives birth. He hovers over those He loves like a mother hen; He is the one that comforts, encourages, lifts up and nurtures those He loves. Do you see how you, dear woman, are made in the image of God?

You are Mary – who was impregnated with the dream of God. You are Hannah, that travailed to see the birth of the promise. You are Ruth, who knew the importance of devoted loyalty even in the face of personal sacrifice. You are Tamar and Rachel, that wrestled with God and others, not dissuaded by circumstances but spurred on by injustice, that brings forth a promise named Breakthrough and generations of great fruitfulness. You are Deborah, that wars for the justice of God and compels others to rise up and do what's right – to fight the good fight of faith. And you are Esther…a woman who has come into the Kingdom of God for such a time of this. A woman who will lay down her life to confront the enemy and decree life to those that have been targeted for the enemy's destruction. A woman that knows what it means to wear the robes of royalty with gratitude, confidence and humility, and to know what it is to be an extension of the King's scepter of authority. Every woman that I mentioned is a different picture of who God is, and what the CHRIST in US yearns to do. So ladies, let Him out. This is who you really are!

YOU ARE THE DREAM OF GOD.

Don't be afraid to dream big, to be a woman of influence. God has spoken words of destiny over you and He wants His dream for you to come to pass! Do you believe that? Do you know He's had conversations about you in heaven that you know nothing about? He's spoken to the Godhead; He's spoken to the angels. He has words of destiny that are waiting to be fulfilled!

But some of us need divine surgery on our hearts in order to see that happen. You see, sometimes we have a filter on our ears, and it affects how we hear. Sometimes we have a filter on what we see, and it affects our perception. If you have unresolved offense or unforgiveness, everything is affected because of the filter. If you've got insecurities or fears, you've got a filter. And the enemy uses those filters – whatever they are – to manipulate your hearing so that he can manipulate your belief system. When he manipulates your belief system, it transfers over to your actions. It has a ripple effect. It's not just good that gets passed on, offense gets passed on, too. That's why the Bible warns us to beware of anyone that has a root of bitterness, lest it defile the hearts of those affected by those that are offended. Offense poisons others and multiplies greatly. The Bible admonishes us to be "wise women," and compares the wise woman to the foolish woman in Prov. 14:1. The foolish woman tears down her house through negative speech and unloving actions. We want to be the wise woman that heals through love. A wise woman promotes wholeness and health in her family with sound speech, love and wisdom of God. Let me encourage you today to examine your own heart for places where you need the Lord's healing. There may be areas where you think you're ok, but if you haven't really forgiven someone that offended you, if you haven't renounced that "filter" or dealt with the root of your issues, the enemy has an open door to continue to spin his web of lies. That's how he keeps that blind spot there, 'cause that's where he has a hook in you. And, that blind spot may seem like not that big of a deal to you, but it might be enough to keep you from your next door of opportunity, or walking into your inheritance as a child of God. We may not even know it's there, but GOD knows when we're got a blind spot and it's affecting us in some way. Do you know why they call them blind spots? Because YOU can't see them. YOU ARE BLIND TO YOUR BLIND SPOTS. You have to trust HOLY SPIRIT to do the assessment for you.

Our assessment of where we are at spiritually or emotionally, or even our assessment of our own maturity level is absolutely irrelevant. It means nothing, because our own opinions and the way we judge ourselves is not equal to God's standard of holiness or purity. We will automatically judge ourselves to be in a higher state of maturity or spirituality than what we really are. God's word is our standard, not our biased assessment of ourselves or others, and not our personal opinions. Sometimes there are things that are too painful to admit. Things that we're too ashamed to confess to ourselves, much less to God. Listen, I know what it's like to have such shame you can't even hardly face yourself, much less confess it to another human being. I've been the drunk and the drug addict. I've been the person who couldn't keep a job, or the mom who risked having her kid taken away. I've been the adulterous woman looking for love in all the wrong place. I know what it feels like to lose everything and have to start over – sometimes from my own sin, and other times because I simply said yes to God. I know what it's like when everyone abandons you, and you're standing by yourself on the curb, wondering where God is in your life. I know what it's like to hate God and shake my fist and say, "HOW CAN I TRUST YOU?" when all my dreams were shattered and lying in pieces. And I know the shame of it all when the devil tells your story in such a way so that what others see is the worst possible picture. Please know that what you've done is not who you are.  Never forget that you are made in the image of God. You are a child of God. The redeemed, His bride. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You are destiny. Royalty. Never let the devil or anyone else tell you otherwise!

God wants to go deep. We can't expect to go into our future carrying around all our baggage from the past. You can't restore others until you are restored. Women are life givers. They are by nature, restorers. If you have become anything less, then you are denying the very person you were created to be! I want you to think about the attributes of the Holy Spirit that I described. Life-giver, nurturer, comforter, encourager, protector, mediator, peace maker and so much more. Women are the key to families being healed, which is why the enemy has tried so very hard to destroy them and keep them from entering into their destiny. Women are the key to healing their children and their children's destinies, because if a woman is walking in peace, joy and the love of the Lord – everybody around her is going to get a touch. You have the ability to turn your husband in a new direction, and with it, turn the destiny of your entire family and generations to come – in a new direction, but you can't do it by force or manipulation. YOU WERE CREATED TO INFLUENCE, but God wants your influence to come from Him the way He created you to be, not the ways the enemy wants to manipulate our behavior. If you want to be even more of a life giver than what you already are, then you have to start walking in an even greater anointing.

The first step is walk in the reality of who God created you to be – and not the identity the enemy has tried to put on you. He has done everything possible to conform people to some twisted, misunderstood, rejected piece of work and signed his name to his handiwork, but TODAY is the day when the tables turn and you can get the upper hand over the enemy.There is a quote from a little book called the Prayer of Jabez that has stuck with me. The author was giving this illustration of a great man of God and wondered what made him so different from other men. Then he walked down the hall and overheard this man praying. He said, "Ahhh…Now I know. Great men pray different." I'm telling you, to reach a place of influence…to see the power of God move the mountains and be big in your life, you have to get to a place where you pray different. You have to have ears to hear and CATCH certain phrases, certain key words, and you capture them and take them into your own prayers. You don't just read an article and walk away, you glean from everything you can get and take it into prayer. You don't just hear a message and leave thinking, wow, that was a great message. You have a personal responsibility every time you hear an anointed word. Your life becomes the message. We are living epistles read of all men. Our lives become the prophetic message to those around us –what sign are you wearing? What do others read out of your life? The Holy Spirit inside of the believer is a healer, a reconciler, a restorer. He is the one who encourages us to forgive, be gracious, be victorious. The God inside of us always, always seeks to encourage, lift people up, and NUDGE us, even PUSH us towards mending relationships, loving and forgiving everyone, all the time. 70x7 is what Jesus told Peter. We can't just talk about God. The question is, "CAN OTHERS SEE CHRIST IN YOU?" Remember, woman of God, YOU ARE MADE IN HIS IMAGE. God wants us to wear a sign that makes others stop and ask us for directions.

The Bible tells us to overcome evil with good and that love never fails. Sometimes the greatest test of your integrity is the test of loving others in the midst of offense. When you pray out of a pure motive - a heart moved by compassion and selfless, sacrificial love - This is true greatness, and this is the GOD that lives inside us. This is what He wants to create in us; the capacity to LOVE GREATLY – but until he empties us of ourselves, we cannot be filled. He wants to take the filters off. The ones that the enemy uses to make our love grow cold. The ones the enemy uses to distort what we think we're hearing or perceiving. God wants to rip the veil off the blind spots and give you clarity, He wants to deal with our uncleannesses and restore us. He wants to take every deficiency and fill it with power, authority and anointing to take back our families and our inheritance. No way can the devil have my family! No way can he have my husband! No way can he have my health, my finances, my future, or any promise God has said belongs to me. It's time to put our foot down on the devil's head and take it all back. It's time for recovery! It's time for every daughter of Eve to walk into her rightful inheritance and fulfill her destiny. You are a beautiful, incredible woman of destiny and God is calling you up and out of the ashes of your yesterdays. Put on the robes of royalty. Dare to believe, because God is restoring HIS DREAM IN YOU!


Father,

I thank You that I am made in the image and likeness of God. I thank You that You put your greatness inside of me! Lord, I renounce all bitterness, unforgiveness and offense. I do not want them to hinder my future. I choose to forgive (Name those people you need to forgive) and I ask that You bless them in any way You see fit. Bless their families with healing. Bless them with health. Bless their finances. Help me to release them to you. Lord, if I have any blind spots, show them to me so that the enemy cannot exploit them. I give You permission, Holy Spirit, in advance of any situation that may arise - that You have permission to change my responses so that they honor You. I submit myself to You, Lord Jesus, and your Holy Spirit. You may change my heart, change my words and responses, so that the enemy cannot receive any glory. I thank You for helping me be an agent of healing and reconciliation. Fill me with Your love, grace and mercy so that it can be used for the good of healing others and leading them to You. In Jesus name, amen.

Prayer for Life in the Womb (Healthy Pregnancy)

Are you believing for a child but have problems with conception or miscarriage? Expect your miracle because God wants to give you one! I know the pain and heartache of losing a baby to miscarriage. This is my testimony and a prayer at the bottom.

About 6 months before my husband and I got together, all of a sudden my hormones began to drastically change. I had a friend who knew of my longing and desire to find a husband and she laughingly said, "God is preparing you to have another baby!" at which I said "that will never happen!" And I meant it. I was closer to 40 than I wanted to be and it just didn't seem to be in the plans for the future. At least not the way I had thought! 

Lo and behold, guess what happened? My second child was born in 2004. There was 19 years difference between my oldest and my baby. She has always been deeply loved and  blessing from the Lord. A couple years later, we were not thinking of having any more kids. This time, I had a different friend come up to me and tell me I was going to have another baby. Again I laughed. She was serious! A few weeks later we went away to a pastoral conference. During the weekend we were encouraged to listen for the Lord and believe for Him to tell us what exactly we needed to ask for. So I asked. Three times I heard the Lord say, "Ask me for your Joshua." I about stumbled over that one. I wasn't sure I wanted to ask, sensing it might mean another child. I didn't know if I wanted to have another child, but I was willing. My husband and I went back to the room to pray and we asked God if having another child was His will. Then we asked Him to give us the child He had for us if that was what 'asking for our Joshua' meant. Two days later, I went home and took a pregnancy test and found out I was pregnant.

All of a sudden, I was overjoyed at the thought of this pregnancy and it awakened a longing for a child I didn't even know existed within me. One week after I felt the baby move for the first time, I miscarried. On the way to the hospital, the Lord told me it had been an attack by the enemy. He spoke peace to me. In the E.R., he told me this was my testimony and to trust Him, so I did. No matter what the doctors reported, I believed in faith because of what I had heard from God. During the time I was cramping and bleeding, I heard the Lord ask me if I would surrender my right to be healed. I couldn't imagine why He would ask me that. I thought maybe it was an Abraham kind of test, you know...like if I said yes to my Isaac he would give him back. I surrendered, and I meant it. After all, I was laying there miscarrying so what could I do to stop it? And He allowed me to lose that baby. I felt cheated. I was so devastated. I felt like God set me up to believe and then yanked it out of my grasp. I was so angry and hurt all I could do was grieve. I was raging with anger towards God and felt like I was losing my mind. The torment was incredible. I finally cried out for God to please fight the enemy for me. Clear as a bell, I heard, "You fight him. And next time, watch your blind spot."

That was like a slap in the face. I guess I needed that. God wasn't joking, but neither was the enemy. He meant to take me out of the game permanently. Instantly I stopped crying and repented for my anger. I submitted to God then stood on the principle of James 4:7 and resisted the enemy.He left immediately and I got my peace back, but then I needed to figure out what God meant by telling me to watch my blind spots. I had forgotten that about 6 weeks earlier we had taught a weekend seminar on deliverance and uncovered a lot about the Jezebel assignment of witchcraft. What I did not understand at the time we did that is that the enemy saw an open door through generational sin and had a legal right to strike out in retaliation. That's another long story but you can find out more by clicking on the link on the home page that deals with generational curses.

After the miscarriage, we went away for a weekend to regroup. We went to a prophetic church and during that weekend my husband told me he heard the Lord say to believe against all odds. The doctors had told me that with advanced age and my hormone deficiencies I would not get pregnant again. At best, all they could recommend was very costly fertility treatments and even then the odds were not in my favor. Talk about against all odds. We had to stand on faith alone and trust God. He put us in a place of having to believe God for the miracle. I went up to get prayed for and told them I was believing for a healthy baby. The prophet told me 'this time next year' I would have a baby, and he was right.

I found a website with many prayers against infertility and birth defects and began to declare the word of God over my womb. The first month passed...then the second...I grew impatient and began to plead with God because I felt like it would never happen. Then my husband went to the store and came back with a little blue baby outfit. He said faith without works is dead, and we needed a visual reminder that God was true to His promises. Then we sat down to worship and my husband began to call for his child out of heaven and to be put in my womb. He called him by name (we had decided on Jace, which has almost an identical meaning as Joshua). And so my husband called those things that "were not" as though they were, and the next month I was pregnant. This time around, we went back to the doctor earlier and again we got precautions not to set our hopes on the pregnancy making it. They wanted us to be reasonable but I kept telling the doctor God would provide. By the time I got to 36 weeks, the doctor said, "Well, you made it. I didn't think you would, but it looks like everything is going to be fine." No doctor intervention. No fertility treatments. Just God. My son was a whopping 9 lbs. 5 oz. at birth. I was 42 and my husband 49. If you want children, don't let anything stop you. Sometimes God just waits until a couple are both in agreement; sometimes there are other factors, but my children and proof positive that all things are possible with God. It doesn't have to take thousands of dollars in fertility treatments if you put your trust in Him. There is nothing stopping you. He just has to get our faith and belief adjusted so that doubts are not hindering our prayers.

Oh...and by the way...that "Joshua" the Lord told us to ask for was also granted. God gave us a double blessing. The meaning behind asking for "Joshua" was strategies to outwit the enemy. Joshua in the Bible was a military strategist, and that is what God gave me. I had to be broken in order to be filled with more of Him, and though I didn't understand it all at the time, God gave me the most awesome gift. Immediately after the miscarriage I started to have dreams where I could see and understand the enemy's plans and know exactly what his intentions were. Pretty cool, huh? Revenge is sweet!

Father God,

I thank you that children are a blessing from the Lord. I stand before You today and declare YOU are faithful. I will enjoy the blessing of children for you have given me your promises.

Father, please forgive anyone in our family line that may have neglected to ask Your forgiveness for their sins. Forgive, I pray, sins of broken vows and covenants, causing jealousy, suspicion, and broken trust; forgive the sins of idolatry, rebellion and any ungodly covenants that may have been made with false gods and others. Let them be broken now in Jesus name. 

On behalf of myself and my generational line, I also repent for any sins of murder and innocent bloodshed. Forgive the sins of abortion, I pray, and please forgive anyone - including myself - that has used negative conversation to assassinate people's character and reputation with others.

I renounce and repent for any agreements that have been made with the spirit of abortion, death and hell. I ask for forgiveness for any sins committed by myself or other family members that would have opened us up to barrenness and miscarriage.

On behalf of myself and my ancestors, I repent and renounce unforgiveness and bitterness. Lord, I choose to forgive anyone that has hurt,offended or disappointed me. I repent for carrying any bitterness, and I reject all bitterness and resentment towards others. I ask You to bless anyone that I have been offended with, and help me to genuinely let go of any and all offense.

I renounce and repent for any wrong spiritual alignments that have caused me or my family to come under word curses and witchcraft. I renounce any spirit of disappointment and unbelief that has taken root in my heart in Jesus name. I declare Your promise in Isaiah 54:17 that no weapon formed against me and the fruit of my womb shall prosper. 

I command any spiritual ties to false fathers and mothers, or other spiritual ties that have released \a spirit of unfruitfulness and miscarriage to be cut off now in Jesus name. Father, forgive myself and anyone else in my family that may have cut off the flow of Your Holy Spirit in their life. Holy Spirit, forgive us for grieving You. Come back into our lives and restore our ability to be fruitful, I pray.

Please forgive any inherited generational iniquitous sin and let the blood of Jesus be applied to those sins. I declare that I am a new creation in Christ and there is life in the blood. 

I thank You, Lord Jesus, that Your DNA flows through me to make me whole and complete in every way. I thank You for your Holy Spirit that is full of life, strength and power. Let the perfect soundness and wholeness that is in Your Spirit flow through me and release healing throughout my body. I declare no curse will pass through the blood of Christ. 

I submit to Your Lordship in my life and I resist the power of evil. I refuse it and declare it will not come near me.

Your word declares in Psalm 127:3 that the fruit of the womb is a reward and Psalm 128:3 also promises that I will have children that flourish like young olive plants in my home. I declare the blessing of Prov. 31 over myself and my womb, that the day will come when my husband and my children will rise up and call me blessed.


I declare according to Your promise in Exodus 23:26 that because I love you and serve You and worship You, O God, You will bless my provision; you will take sickness away from me and I will NOT suffer miscarriage or be barren. I will fulfill the number of my days, in Jesus name.


Father, I remind You of Your promise in Malachi chapter 3. I tithe and am a giver, Lord, and because of that, You have promised to rebuke the devourer for my sake. You promised that the devourer would not destroy the fruit of my ground and You said my vine would not fail to bear fruit in the field (vs. 11) so I thank You for fruitfulness to come forth from my womb and that the devourer is rebuked in Jesus name.


Lord, You also said in Job 22:28 that I would declare a thing and it would be established for me so that light would shine on my ways. I make this declaration now and ask You to establish this for me.


I declare the decree that I will not miscarry according to Your promise in Exodus 23:26.


I declare that my body is now and will continue to produce abundant levels of all hormones necessary to maintain a normal, healthy birth. I declare my progesterone levels are increasing exponentially daily and will continue to do so throughout my pregnancy.


I declare that I will bring forth a healthy child out of my womb. I call for my children to come forth out of heaven and into my womb. I speak life into my uterus.

I break the power of every negative word over my body, my family, my future, and children yet to come.  

I declare I will not experience placenta previa, leaking of amniotic fluid, premature miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, abnormal bleeding or any other complications. 

I declare that you have an appointed time for childbirth and I will not give birth before that appointed time.

I declare that the placenta will adhere normally and be of correct size and in the right position to support a healthy pregnancy. I declare the fetus will implant in the right place and be securely attached to the uterine wall. I declare that all cells will divide normally and each cell will produce healing and perfect soundness as it forms new life inside of me.  

I declare I will not experience ectopic pregnancy, congenital defects, inherited disease or other abnormalities. If it is not allowed in heaven, I do not receive it. There is no disease in heaven, Father. I resist those things and declare all possible inherited generational curses broken now in Jesus name.

Father, I ask for a double portion of restoration. I thank You Father for continuing to show me how to pray specifically as I believe for a healthy pregnancy. In Jesus name, Amen.

#Prayerforhealthypregnancy, #Healyourwomb, #Prayerforchildren, #Prayeragainstmiscarriage, #Breakgenerationalbarrenness

Jesus and the Adulterous Woman

Many women seem to carry the guilt of past events, failures and emotional baggage as if they don’t understand that they can let go of them. Jesus took them upon Himself at the cross. They don’t belong to you anymore! It’s time to release the weight of these burdens instead of carrying them around with us. God wants to break all false yokes of condemnation!

What we see throughout the gospels is the ongoing theme of two worlds colliding. The kingdom of God challenged kingdoms of men. This was true in Jesus' day and it's true now, in every nation, tongue, tribe, and culture. That is why the gospel message as well as the scriptures remains just as relevant today as when they were written. It's important to understand that this is what sets the tone for the gospel accounts. It was the power struggle between the existing religious order and the message of grace as Jesus came on the scene. In almost every place or situation, power encounters and struggles for control are at the heart of many spiritual battles.

In the gospel accounts, there was a tremendous amount of tension because the old order did not want to make room for grace. Jesus knew the real matter was about power and control. With the Pharisees, it was always about who would control the people. They wanted leverage, and entrapment was the method they choose to try to fulfill their agenda. When hearts are wrong, judgments will be skewed. They weren’t interested in justice or truth, they were interested in getting rid of the anointed one (Jesus) that could see through their motives and free those under ungodly control. God gave people a living example of His grace because their belief system was rigid and unyielding. Their hearts were bound by fear and pride and grace offended them. Jesus knew their judgments were predisposed to judgment and fault finding. What is interesting is that when Jesus was in the wilderness being tested and tempted by the enemy, one of the first things Satan did was challenge His identity. In Matthew 4:6 Satan said, “If you are the Son of God...” Satan was appealing to Jesus’ humanity and trying to create doubt. Satan knew if Jesus didn’t know who He was, He would not be able to fulfill His purpose. The interesting thing is, once Jesus began His ministry, He was the one that challenged the religious crowd on their identity issues. He told them they didn’t know what spirit they were of and they didn’t know who their father was! He knew who He was, and who did not belong to His Father! Identity issues are at the heart of many problems, and it was no different in Jesus’ day. The balance of power was shifting! Prophecy was being fulfilled before their very eyes!

Jesus was always clear about the fact that He was a messenger sent to reveal a Kingdom and a different reality than what they had known.  Jesus said if a person saw Him, they saw the Father. John 1:17 says that 'grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.' The people needed someone to demonstrate the reality of the message of grace, so Jesus showed them how it was done. He gave them grace when they didn't deserve it. He didn't fight back when people wanted to kill him, mock him or spit angry words in His face. Instead, He demonstrated real concern over their welfare by speaking truth in love and showing them in practical ways how the Father really loved them. He healed them, fed them spiritually, multiplied food when they were hungry, and cast out the demons that tormented their souls with fear. He encouraged them, spoke kindly to them, and didn't condemn them for their sins. Love wants others set free, healed and restored to God. Love wants relationships restored, healthy and moving forward towards the good plans that God has for people's lives. Jesus, in His own words, proclaimed that the one that came to Him would by no means be cast out. (John 6:37) God’s heart is for restoration, not condemnation.

The Encounter with the Woman Caught in Adultery

John chapter 8 gives us the story of a woman caught in adultery who was dragged to Jesus by a mob of angry Pharisees. In perhaps one of her worst moments of shame this woman found refuge and forgiveness. The enemy only has power when his schemes are covered by the cloak of darkness, and when no one stands up to defend those he attacks. This woman found a defender and a liberator in Jesus Christ. The Pharisees wanted to test Jesus by challenging him to a duel of the law. They thought they could force him into a corner. Instead, Jesus reminded them of things that pricked their own conscience and brought such conviction that the crowd dropped their stones and walked quietly away. “He who is without sin, cast the first stone,” He said. Perhaps he wrote the 10 commandments in the sand, or perhaps he wrote things pertaining to their own sin that only God would know, but it was enough to convict their consciences and shut down the attack of the mob. Condemnation is a tool of the enemy which he uses to strip us of our real sense of identity. Legalism thrives on condemnation, finger pointing and people comparing themselves to others. Jesus knew this. This is why He never backed down and he didn’t let others control him. He stood his ground. When the accusers left, Jesus asked the woman, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (John 8:10,11)

The Liberator Sets a Woman FREE from Shame

Religious spirits aren’t afraid to make a public example out of others in order to exercise fear and intimidation as a means of controlling others. Jesus didn't condone the woman’s sin, but He didn't condemn her, either. The amazing thing is, He extended grace without her even asking for it. Before He went to the cross. Before she prayed a "sinner's prayer" or demonstrated repentance. Nothing speaks more of the Father's intention to extend forgiveness and grace than this verse. This woman didn't know Jesus personally, but she was about to. She met Jesus when she met Grace and Kindness. Who doesn't want to know a God like that?

God did not curse the woman. If He had cursed her, he would have to curse us all, but He sent His Son to deliver the world from condemnation and judgment. We are all guilty of being the adulterous woman. We are all guilty of elevating judgments and criticisms more than we have loved others. We are all guilty of sharing our affections with worldly lovers. We’ve loved materialism, greed, ungodly attitudes and allowed other masters to divide our loyalties to the One who came to save us. Many people have had one foot in and one foot out of God’s Kingdom, wondering why they haven’t experienced more from life. Yet, even when we were still sinners, Christ laid down His life for us. The answers we need are found in Him. The very purpose for which He was sent to this earth was to demonstrate God’s great love, mercy and kindness to a world that had no idea of their true identity as sons and daughters of the Most High God. Over and over in the scriptures we see GOD humbly taking our rejection, anger, betrayal, as He watches and waits for people to realize how much He truly loves us all. He won’t break covenant with us, but so many times we have broken our vows to Him, even when we told ourselves we would live to honor Him. When we may be tempted to judge others we must stop to remember the adulterous woman lives inside all of us. If we judge others, we reap that same judgment into our own lives according to the principle in Matthew 7:1.

 Jesus was there to liberate her, and He is here today to liberate all of us. Jesus didn’t condemn her, He consoled her. This is a wonderful example of how Jesus stepped in and became her advocate. He took the position as her defender, her attorney. This is the power of the cross of Christ and the cleansing power of His blood! This is the message of the gospel! Jesus stood between those that wanted to have her stoned and saw no value to her life, and the Father’s desire to have her experience the goodness of God. The Pharisees cared nothing about this woman’s life, her feelings or her future. They wanted to stone the woman but Jesus wanted to set her free. They looked for someone to accuse and to blame; Jesus looked for someone to forgive and exonerate. The truth is, hard heartedness blinded those that thought they could see, and the kindness of God allowed a sinful woman to experience an encounter with Divine Love. Her eyes were opened to see Him in Spirit and in Truth. The mob mentality was anger and hatred from people who weren’t interested in knowing Grace; they were only concerned about being right. A bunch of angry, offended people presented the facts, but they weren’t living in truth, at least not the truth of the scriptures they seemed to hold in such high regard. Fear is at the root of religious legalism. A religious spirit looks for ways to manipulate and control others. It withholds acceptance and approval until demands are met by those wielding control. A religious spirit is exclusive rather than inclusive, and it divides rather than unifies. A religious spirit will try to make people’s judgments sound biblical but often they are not. God always acts in mercy before He is willing to execute judgment. That is just who He is! He extended forgiveness of sin and acted in this woman’s defense. He didn’t demand brokenness from those that were already broken. He comforted them, spoke kindly and reassured them that as they came to Him, (an act of faith) - their sins were forgiven. What graciousness! What love He displays that releases peace to the lives of those that desperately need Him! The important thing for each of us to understand is that God expended His wrath upon His Son; He hasn’t held it back to unleash it upon us. The price for the sin of all mankind has already been paid in full. It wasn’t a down payment. The BLOOD of CHRIST is sufficient! We can’t earn any part of the grace that Jesus paid for with His blood. The bridge between sinful man and a Holy God has been made through a relationship of love. God’s intention is not to condemn the world but to save those in the world. If the message isn't the good news of forgiveness, grace, restoration and relationship then it's not the gospel. It's somebody else's message, but it isn't the message the Father sent by His Son.

It is the kindness of God that leads men to repentance. How often we forget! And when we forget to be kind, how can people possibly see or understand the kindness of the God that Christians profess to serve? We are messengers of a different reality, a different kingdom than what people are used to.  We are ambassadors sent from the Father, just like Jesus was sent to us.

Jesus confronted heart issues and what motivated people to exalt their judgments above the law of love. Jesus told the Pharisees in John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."  Jesus was trying to get the religious leaders to see beyond the physical aspects of teaching to the real issues, that if they believed on Him they would have eternal life. Pride blinded them to their own need for grace and so they rejected Him in the process. The law that they used to judge others became the law that was used to judge them. They exalted their knowledge of the law to the point where it completely blinded them to their own need to come to God on His terms. No one can come to God on their own terms and be justified. They must come on His.

In the story about the adulterous woman there were people that were convinced they were righteous, but weren't following God at all. They followed a god of their own understanding and clearly missed the boat entirely when it came to understanding Father’s heart. The irony of the situation is that they accused the woman of adultery but they were equally guilty of spiritual adultery. They weren’t having a relationship with God. They loved their judgments more than they loved Him. They loved their false gods of control, pride, unforgiveness, anger and hate. Jesus did not come to condemn the world. He came to judge the works of the enemy. There is a big difference. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17,18

This story in John 8 reminds us that no one is above being tempted by the enemy, no one is above failure. Jesus judged with righteous judgment because He did not judge by the flesh. (See Isaiah 11: 3,4) He took all things into account, including heart attitudes, motive and intent for people’s actions. Our position is not to act as judge or juror against others, but to show grace and mercy in hopes that kindness opens the door for people to be reconciled to God. Release words of life or share a testimony. Tell someone how God met you with love when you didn’t deserve it. Encourage others the way you would want someone to minister to you. It is so easy to judge someone else without having to walk in their shoes or live their life. Sometimes failure is life’s greatest teacher, and failure is the thing God uses to bring people to Himself. The God of compassion meets people at their lowest point. Even when He brings correction, He is gracious and kind.

The story about the adulterous woman carries a profoundly deeper message of hope for every person. The Book of Matthew chapter one lists the genealogy of some very notable women among the catalog of names. Four women in particular are mentioned and given extraordinary emphasis: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Each one was notorious for having a disreputable reputation and carried the stigma of being “unclean” or “unworthy” in every sense of the word. Even Mary, a young virgin girl who would become the mother of Jesus - handpicked by God because she said yes to His greater purposes - bore the burden of being falsely accused. She bore the reproach of a disgraceful reputation for many years. Do you think that others believed she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit? Did they even know who that was? She said yes to God but His favor meant that she had to carry the stigma of being marked by God. God is not afraid of shame or reproach on a person’s reputation. He allows it to be there for a reason. Each of these women had a strength, determination and tenacity that refused to give up. Against all odds, they overcame. They wrestled with God and man and prevailed. This is the quality that God looks for in those that will give birth to His promise.

God is not put off by people’s sin. Jesus took care of our sin issues. God Himself provided the solution for our redemption, sanctification and justification. God supplies the grace and uses the scandal, accusation and pressure to birth what He wants to release into the earth. He chooses people that the religious cast out, deem unfit and despise because it causes them to be jealous for His encounter in their lives. He loves His bride but He is jealous for the world, too. He will win them to Himself using vessels the church has rejected and cast off. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. (1 Cor. 1:27-29) God is outrageous in the ways He chooses His servants. His ways are incomprehensible and far above the thoughts of man! What good news for all of us! There is no sin or bad reputation that is beyond God’s ability to redeem and restore. His arm is not too short to pull those who call on His name out of the deepest pit. He can lift the lowest of the low out of the ash heap, out of despair and shame, and place them in royal lineage just as He did with Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. He can use the woman that is the outcast, the rejected, and the least likely to win the spiritual Miss America pageant. What these women could probably not foresee was the bigger picture of how their life would impact generation upon generation of those that would come after them. This is the truth that we all need to understand. It’s not all about us. God’s love is so deep for mankind, He wants no one to perish. He wants all people to be saved. He is willing to go to great lengths to restore each of us because first and foremost, we belong to Him. We are His children. God uses our lives and our testimonies to reach more people, all with the intent purpose of winning them back to Himself so that others can enjoy the blessing of knowing their sins are also forgiven, and share eternal life with Christ and our Father in heaven.

The question each of us must answer is, “Can God forgive so completely that the stigma of a scandalous reputation is no longer a sign of rejection?” Can people be transformed in their minds, looking at the reproach and stigma of a tainted reputation and see it in a new light? Will people stop to consider the fact that God remakes our human vessels? The very things that might offend our sense of propriety could in fact be the very mark of God that indicates an individual has received His approval and acceptance. If there is anything offendable in us, God will bring it to light. He will challenge the self-righteous attitudes in all of us. This is the decision all will come to when God chooses to work through ordinary, earthen vessels that have been redeemed, refashioned and made honorable for His purposes. Praise God that He never throws away the clay! Praise God that He sees people through eyes of faith! He knows exactly where to find something worth redeeming in us - because He put it there! Praise Him, because your life is not outside the grasp of a loving God that has good plans for your life, thoughts of peace and not of evil. His ways are not our ways; they are so much higher than what we can imagine. God’s wisdom turns the kingdoms of men upside down.

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for liberating me from shame. Thank you that even when I fail, Your love and acceptance are constant and assuring of my place in the kingdom. No one can take that from me. Thank you for standing as a shield and a protector from the voice of condemnation. I love You, Lord. Please continue to unravel the lies I have taken into my belief system so that I can be truly free. In Your name I pray, amen.

#Jesuslovestheadulterouswoman, #Jesusourliberator, #Heunderstandsourpain

When God Separates

There are many reasons why relationships end. Some people grow apart, finding that they really don’t have enough in common to sustain a relationship. Others die a painful death that can be much more complex or difficult to process. This article is written to help people understand that there are times when God just wants you to know it’s ok to let go. As TD Jakes would say, “If a person’s going to walk out of your life, let them walk!“ “Don’t beg them to stay, don’t try to convince someone to love you…let them walk, because they are not a part of your destiny!” This is so true. Some people are not a part of the bigger picture; they are there for a reason or a purpose but when that is fulfilled, often that is when things may begin to fall apart. Some people also don’t understand the quality of loyalty. They are loyal to themselves above all others, often viewing others as expendable. This too is ok. You don’t really want or need that type of person in your life. If they don't value you for who you are, let them go. Sometimes the situations that occur in our lives that end up breaking relationships are for the best, and even if we can’t realize it at the time, often we do later on.

There are also times when God pulls people apart because the relationship(s) are unhealthy for our spiritual growth and will actually turn people away from Him if those relationships are left together. You cannot be yoked to dead weight and expect to move forward with the Lord. Toxic, destructive relationships will damage people’s spiritual walk with God and injure their faith. It is my hope and desire that this article will help shed some light on things that may have occurred in your life that have left you with unanswered questions and unhealed wounds.

So many people struggle with “church” hurt, disappointment from people they expected more from, or broken loyalties that leave people feel completely rejected, abandoned, abused and an outcast. God does not abandon His children, but He will separate and allow offense to burn the bridges behind people so that they cannot go back to unhealthy, toxic relationships. It’s painful, but necessary. Some people might say otherwise, that we are to make amends and try to patch things up, but that is not always what God has in mind. Yes, we can try to make amends, but what I’ve noticed is that not everyone wants to make amends and put things under the blood; they just want the satisfaction of trying to continue to place guilt, shame, condemnation or other yokes upon people that God has not approved. Jesus came to set us free, not keep us unequally yoked to others that insist on dominating people and making victims out of others, even to the point of oppression and bondage. God separates because not all people are ready or willing to grow spiritually. Those that do will probably find themselves facing some turmoil as God prunes certain relationships from their lives. Some have even bought into a toxic faith system that keeps them loyal to the wrong people, relationships and elements of contaminated faith that actually works as a thief in their life, robbing the individual of self esteem, genuine faith, and they end up placing their loyalties in the wrong camp. A toxic faith system is made up of perpetrators, co-conspirators, enablers, victims and outcasts.

Here are some behaviors and character traits to help you recognize the various roles: (these are taken from the book “Toxic Faith” by Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton).

Characteristics of the Persecutor:

* Frequently defends own problems
* Feels the need to embellish the truth
* Feels the need to be in control
* Speaks boldly about sinful behaviors, even when involved in that same behavior
* Projects own wrongs onto other people
* Has an attitude of superiority
* Feels they are owed something
* Was probably born into an abusive or neglectful home that appeared wonderful to those outside the family
* Is extremely self centered
* Contorts God’s word to fit own beliefs
* Surrounds self with people who are insecure and easily swayed
* Manipulates others using guilt, shame and remorse
* Attempts to make others accept responsibility for own mistakes
* Is very angry
* Is compulsive
* Blames others for own failures
* Feels disappointment in God, self and others
* Fears not measuring up or losing image
* Refuses accountability
* Possesses an observable compulsion such as hard work that appears admirable to the outside world

The Role of the Co-Conspirator

* Assumes the role of the ultimate team player
* Feeds the persecutor’s ego
* Keeps things going within the toxic faith system
* Typically is a small person that feels big when in on the action
* Ensures that everything is taken care of responsibly
* Willingly deceives to maintain the persecutor’s power
* Is good at lying
* Enjoys being rewarded for willingness to distort the truth
* Usually felt inferior as a child
* Is viewed by outsiders as trustworthy, conscientious, competent, mature and reliable
* Protects sense of self worth by protecting the persecutor
* Is sincerely deluded
* Lives to be appreciated and recognized by the persecutor
* Ties person feelings of value to another person rather than to God
* Addicted to the caretaking of the persecutor

Characteristics of the Enabler:

* Allows victimization rather than promotes it
* Supports victimization with silence
* Is dedicated to not rocking the boat
* Does not trust God enough to allow family turmoil or destruction of a ministry
* Appears powerless
* Receives praise for sainthood in being able to survive under severe persecution
* Can be perceived by co-conspirators as the enemy or a threat to the co-conspirator’s position
* Allows the persecutor to be in denial
* Covers up the harm done to the family or the organization
* As a persecutor beings to lose credibility, will start to develop other skills, such as obtain degree in counseling, knowing the system and the family may fall apart
* Feels very little self worth
* Goes along with group consensus
* Is addicted to the persecutor and the system
* Becomes a caretaker of the persecutor
* Has the primary goal of maintaining peace and the status quo
* Inwardly is angry at living an unfulfilled life
* Outwardly appears loving and supportive of the persecutor
* Has great difficulty thinking for oneself
* Needs someone to intervene

Characteristics of the Victim:

* Makes tremendous sacrifices out of a combination of a desire to serve God and a very low self esteem.
* Wants to feel a valuable part of something important.
* Was often victimized as a child
* Is easily manipulated by persecutors and co-conspirators
* Feels victimized when the truth about toxic faith ministry is revealed
* Is often threatened by co-conspirators and persecutors to keep the victimization a secret
* Often abandons spiritual journey upon discovery of abuse by an exploitative leader or parent
* Bears the pain of existing in a world of lies and deception
* Refuses to doubt questionable activities; instead rationalizes why exploitative things would be necessary for the ministries survival
* Often has a martyr complex
* Sacrifices a wonderful family for the sake of a toxic leader
* Though astute in business and other affairs, naively practices a blind faith
* Resolves to protect and defend the toxic leadership and ministry
* Sometimes leaves one toxic faith ministry and goes to another
* Looks for someone to make salvation easy
* Becomes isolated and lonely once disillusioned about a ministry or family
* Is reluctant to stop the victimization for fear of looking foolish
* Often is involved with a toxic faith ministry out of a desire to be or look important
* Willingly pays a high price for acceptance

I would mention that although there are various roles and characteristics of each participant, in the end, all are victims. The enemy plays to win souls and damage as many people as possible through his various tactics; none are without the high cost of emotional pain and trauma. How often those that are victims eventually transform from victim to persecutor and even that of a predator. The enemy continues to reproduce the cycle of pain and the toxic beliefs into anyone that is none-the-wiser to his course of action.

The book goes on to say ( and I quote), “Of the five roles in the toxic faith system, only one is not a religious addict or bound by toxic faith. In most toxic systems, someone can usually see the problem and confront it. Unwilling to play the games of the persecutors and co-conspirators, the person becomes an outcast.”

“These people who stand up for what is right and challenge the system lose their jobs, friends, and church. They become lone voices in the wilderness, crying out for change that will not come as long as the persecutor dictates power, the co-conspirators manipulate the system, the enablers allow it to continue, and the victims fall in line with blind faith. When outcasts surface, they are identified as troublemakers and pushed out of the system as soon as possible.”

… “Outcasts who challenge the delusion of the system are discredited immediately. The toxic faith system creates a lose-lose situation where the outcasts must give up perception of reality or be willing to face complete rejection. Abandonment becomes the reward for trying to correct the ministry (or leader).”

“Outcasts can interpret reality for themselves. Even when their perception of reality contradicts that of hundreds or thousands of followers, they can clearly see the problems and press for solutions to those problems. Outcasts are unimpressed by position or personhood. They love God and want to protect his people and his institutions from spiritual fraud.”

“Those who are so dedicated to God have little difficulty seeing others’ dedication to egos and empires. Yet they are forced to suffer for what they see because they refuse to watch people live a lie and abuse others. No toxic faith system can handle this keen insight and dedication to truth. They must place their jobs and the church they love on the altar of sacrifice as they are forced to move on to a place free of toxic faith.”

Characteristics of the Outcast:

* Is not a religious addict.
* Does not possess a toxic faith
* Willingly stands alone
* Stands up for what is right
* Is willing to be rejected by others in the toxic faith system
* Can discern right from wrong
* Commits to leaders having integrity
* Refuses to be victimized by false teaching and a lack of integrity
* Speaks out for truth
* Usually loses a job within a toxic organization over concern for it
* Suffers rejection by friends after challenging the leadership of those in the toxic faith system
* Often is treated like a leper
* Sees the truth and acts on it even if it produces great personal pain
* Is motivated to protect people from spiritual fraud
* Endures shame for actions
* Interprets reality for self
* Others respect them for their courage

“Toxic faith exists within an unhealthy family or system of people trapped in roles that addict them and destroy their relationships with God. …Where toxic faith exists, everyone is affected. Everyone is hurt by the counterfeiting of faith in an all powerful, loving God.”

These are some powerful excerpts from the book “Toxic Faith,” and this is a very well written book about breaking free from the unhealthy, co-dependent roles that support and keep a toxic faith system alive. Many people question things enough to know that something isn’t right, but don’t have the courage to confront it and make the changes that are necessary so that they can get into a place where the Lord can heal them from toxic relationships. If this article has spoken to your heart, I pray that you seek the Lord further on this matter, and I highly recommend this book so that you can read it for yourself. God wants to shine His light on those things in each of our lives that hinder our faith from growing and maturing, but until we are willing to confront certain things with truth, until we are ready to allow God to show us things in our own belief system that don’t line up with truth, we are not ready for change. We have to be willing to surrender all that chokes out our faith, and allow God to make those crooked places in our understanding straight again. I pray that this is your day for salvation! The Lord is standing at the gate, waiting to lead you out into green pasture. He is waiting to lead you out into an open field where your faith can flourish. The question is, “Do you want your future more than where you are at right now?” “Will you take Him by the hand and allow Him to guide you into the truth that will set you free?” You are stronger than you think. It’s time to stand up for what you know is right and not be a victim any longer. It’s time to overthrow the enemy’s yoke of oppression and come into the life God has for you!

Where is God When Life Falls Apart?

Problems? Trouble on the road ahead? Sometimes it feels like problems the size of boulders are pummeling us on every side. It seems like so many people are just trying to hold on and make it through life. The struggle to survive can be overwhelming. People have lost jobs, homes, stability, and some have even lost family members. They feel overwhelmed just trying to keep their head above water. Many feel like they are drowning in despair as heaviness keeps trying to pull them down.

We’ve been there, too. It’s hard to hold on to your faith when you’re starting to believe the lie that God has abandoned you. It’s hard to hold on to your resolve to do the right thing when the devil is whispering everything he can think of to get you to cast away your confidence in God. It’s hard to stay true to your convictions when you feel that your convictions haven’t produced any rewards. It’s hard to keep yourself motivated when you feel like tossing in the towel and staying in bed. It’s hard to believe in God’s promises when you’ve lost sight of dreams, ambitions and haven’t heard His voice in a long, long time. It’s hard to get anything out of His word when you don’t feel the desire to read it, and when you do, you find yourself looking at black words on a white page, reading and re-reading the same sentence several times and …nothing. You close the book in frustration and walk away.

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…but happy is he who keeps the law.” (Prov. 29:18)  In other words, when people lose sight of God and have no vision for their future, they will eventually return to their old ways of life. There is a fine line between being truly free from a religious spirit and not succumbing to the pull of the world which draws a person into apathy and departing from the Lord. It is a constant tension that must be maintained.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

You feel dry. Empty. Discouraged. Where is God???

Where is God when you are hurting, feeling hopeless, and have no answers for the problems that seem beyond your ability to overcome?

God sees your struggle to live and He is there. Even when we feel like He has left us in a field to die and just walked away. Ezekiel 16:5-14 tells a story of a newborn infant that was despised and loathed at it’s birth and thrown into an open field to die. God saw and said, “When I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, “Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you thrive like a plant in the field and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful.” 

Notice how God reaffirmed His word twice. He wants us to feel assured that He is watching over us and is willing to step in to help! He knows that we need a place to not just barely survive, but to thrive. Will you trust Him today to take you to that place? Will you trust Him today to show you what you need to know to get beyond your own personal limitations and enter into a place where you can experience more of His loving care? God is much more loving and gracious than we know. Every time we feel we have discovered an aspect of His grace and mercy, God comes to do something new, different and reveal another dimension of Himself that we have not yet encountered. He is infinitely so large we cannot comprehend His vastness, His love, and His tremendous commitment to our lives! God does this so that people will continue to experience more of His goodness, more of His grace, and through their experiences, come to know His ways. When we learn God’s ways, He succeeds in unraveling the devil’s lies, false doctrine and ideas that give people an incorrect perspective of His nature and character. Unraveling is God’s technique to teach us real truth.

The truth is, He sees everything. He knows that in order to get free from religious thinking, hypocrisy, pride, zeal,selfish ambition and other undesirable qualities, He must bring us to a place where it's literally 'waiting it out.' We cry out, we seek Him, implore Him for answers, a visitation, something...He is quiet. He tests our responses and maturity level. He allows temptations to come to see if we will hold on to the promises in His word or cast off our confidence. He knows when we have nothing left and are barely holding on - but it doesn't mean He has left us. It simply means we can't sense what He is doing or His presence. God knows our struggles and our pain. He knows our thoughts and feelings, and He knows everything that has happened in our lives that have developed a false belief system in our thinking. He knows that pain, disappointment and discouragement often manifest as pride, anger and resistance towards Him. But He loves us too much to leave us feeling abandoned.

Sometimes life is just hard. It doesn't seem fair. Life happens to the just and the unjust. Good things happen to wicked people and good things happen to good people. The same with the bad. We have to learn to hold on to what God has said when we can't hear in the moment we're in. His heart hasn't changed. His thoughts for us haven't changed. Like any tough place in life, this too shall pass. You will get through it, even if that is not the way it feels right now. So hold on. It's a valley you're passing through but He will walk you out on the other side.

Sometimes though, the answers we need to resolve our problems elude us because we are so conditioned to struggling. Sometimes it’s that sense of fighting to survive that allows a person to get through very demanding circumstances. It’s understandable, but at the same time, that struggle to live in less in a less than healthy or safe environment can cause people to develop an independent spirit towards God. It can cause a person to set up a shield of self protection around their heart, but the wall of defense that is intended to shield a person from more emotional pain also serves as a wall of resistance towards being yielded and submitted to God. And that’s a lot of the problem. God simply can’t get through our wall of defenses. It’s like an invisible force field of pride, insecurity, fear and brokenness. All of our trust issues are covered up with a masquerade of pretense, false faith, and an outward display of “togetherness” that gives ourselves and others a false impression of who we are and what we really feel. The thing is though, as hard as it may be to admit, that is what hypocrisy is. It's play acting.

When a person is struggling it's usually about this time that the devil will make sure to send someone across your path with a religious answer. People can have a variety of opinions about why others are going through certain things, but it doesn‘t necessarily mean they‘re correct in their assumption. Jesus made a powerful statement in Matthew 7:5 by declaring that hypocrisy blinds a person to seeing clearly. It works both ways, blinding both those that judge others, and blindness in how we see ourselves. So the best possible answer is found in Matthew 7:1. Don't judge, period. You know how I sum it up? If you haven’t walked in another person’s shoes, refrain from judgment. You can’t possibly know what someone else is going through and they certainly don’t need a religious answer. A religious answer is from someone that thinks they know biblical truth about a matter when in fact they have never personally walked through the same type of situation and had to live that truth through their own experience. There is a big difference between zeal for the things of God, and knowledge with understanding. There is a big difference between knowing what a scripture says, and having it worked into your life through experience. One without the other can lead to spiritual error and false judgments. I used to think I had a lot of answers for others, but that was just pride speaking. God had to take me through a lot of learning experiences (produced by pain and hardship, I might add), because truth be told, I didn't really have the answers I thought I did. That's a painful truth to admit, but I'm being brutally honest and transparent here. I wanted to help but my efforts reeked of spiritual pride and self righteousness. I wanted to spare people from pain and hardship, and in an effort to try to help, I gave them answers they weren’t ready to receive. I guess I thought they just needed a scripture and well meaning advice, but I missed the mark so many times. It makes me cringe to admit those mistakes, but you know, we all make them. My husband has always told me, “You can’t give a person an answer to a question they haven’t asked yet.“ It’s true. Well meaning people think they are being helpful when in fact they may only be causing more offense; a tactic used by the enemy to keep a person in that state of resistance towards God. People need answers, that’s true, but they also need a friend. Take the time to develop a relationship and you will have a better chance of being heard when you do have something important to say. Unless God has sent you to a particular person with a word from Him, or unless they ask and seem willing to receive what you have to say, odds are you are casting your pearls of wisdom before people that will only trample all over them. It’s better to wait until their hearts are made ready and they can see value in what you have to say. And maybe God will send someone else into their life to speak to them. Either way you can be assured that He loves them enough to help them when the time is right. It doesn’t necessarily have to come from you.

God has a way of preparing people to receive truth. Truth is not always easy to hear, and when a person has a hard time hearing and applying the truth He wants them to understand, God will allow circumstances to communicate a spiritual reality. He does it in such a way as to make repentance look more desirable than their current state of circumstances. Sometimes that is why they encounter hardship, loss, trials and tumultuous situations. God wears down people's resistance. He dismantles their walls of defense, and finds ways to penetrate their shield of self protection. He sends arrows of truth to find their way between the plates of armor, so that truth will hit home and understanding will come. This is His way of preparing the hearts of those that have become so self reliant that they are afraid to trust God and put their lives in His hands. The reality is, God is for them, not against them, but the enemy has twisted things around so much in their minds that they’ve got it backwards. It’s the enemy that brings destruction, poverty, loss, and robs people's lives. When people go through troubles, sometimes it is God allowing it for the purposes of refinement. But more often than not, what many people experience is the result of an open door to the enemy that allows a curse to operate in their life to rob and plunder them. Jesus said He came into the world so that those who did not see would receive their sight. (John 9:39) He wants to give sight to those that have not understood the root cause of their problems. He also said that it’s the thief  that only comes to steal, to kill and destroy. (John 10:10)

Don’t let the enemy lie and present the truth backwards. That’s His scheme. God is trustworthy, all the time. God is for you, not against you. But He wants people to get to a place where they stop struggling and start living. He knows your every need and I guarantee you, He has a plan to put your life together in a good way. (Jer. 29:10,11). He has an answer for a place to live, provision, a new job, healing from illness, or whatever it is that you need. I know, because I’ve walked through it -more than once. I’ve been at that place where I’ve had no other option but Him. He is faithful, but He is looking for a response of faith in those that seek Him. Faith and obedience - returning to what we know is right in His eyes - unlocks provision. Humility and repentance unlock revelation. A heart that is quiet and teachable is ready to receive from the Lord, and it is in that place where we will hear Him speak.

God Works in the Unexpected

One of the most difficult things to grasp is the relationship between what we’ve prayed for and the answer to the prayer. We can see the result of something simple, such as praying for a check to come, for instance, and the tangible result of it making it into our hands. It’s not difficult to see that God just answered our prayer.

The hard part is when we’ve prayed for something that is a bit more complicated and then suddenly something happens that doesn’t look like God at all. God works best in the unexpected. He uses divine strategy to use the element of surprise and catch the enemy (and people) off guard, and He launches a situation for which no one seems prepared. Out of no where the situation gets even more complex and frustrating, maybe even enough to scare the wits out of you, and it looks like things are getting worse instead of better. People often blame the devil for causing trouble (and believe me, he does look for opportunity where he can find it!) but the reality may well be that the complexity of the situation is God bringing the answer to your prayers. Be careful not to add to the problem by fighting against His chosen methods. If He is going to change a situation then He must rearrange the situation altogether, right?

I have experienced situations that seemed like it could not be God, yet it was. Sometimes we can’t see it while we’re in the middle of it, but after the fact we recognize that even though God’s methods might not agree with our own, it was still Him answering the prayer and fulfilling a need for change.

When things turn upside down God can still be very much in control. He orchestrates certain events that we may feel uncomfortable with, but often God has to pull things apart in order to expose the need for change - before He puts things back in order. The middle of the storm is never fun though.

I know of a church that was praying for revival, only to have the pastor and leadership be exposed for wrongdoing. Talk about a mess. But in the midst of it, you know what happened? People got concerned about their own lives being exposed and they started to get right with God. After repentance comes a revived heart and renewed passion for God. So, did God answer? Yes, even though it wasn’t what others may have had in mind when they started praying!

I’ve known of people that have prayed for a loved one to get saved or delivered from something, only to have a heartbreaking situation occur that they had not anticipated. Those things hurt, and we wouldn’t wish them on anyone, but sometimes those heartbreaking situations are needed in order to prepare a person for truly getting set free, healed or delivered. I remember a time when I was praying for someone and even getting “clues” in my dreams about situations. Then the day came when we got some bad news and suddenly I knew who and what those dreams had been about. Had I known, I probably would not have prayed the way I did, because if I had known, I would have wanted to spare that person pain. But you see, God knows this too, and sometimes He doesn’t tell us the individual on purpose. He just wants us to pray objectively, not trying to impose our will into a situation, and pray the best way we know how for His perfect will to come forth.

There was another time when I was praying for someone’s family to have a breakthrough and the Lord was very clear it would occur in a certain amount of time. I prayed, and waited, and on the very day when God said it would happen, someone in that particular family died. It’s shocking to think that these are some of the unexpected ways in which God can work to set others free or bring a change in a situation. But we have to trust that He knows best. We have to trust that God knows and understands things from a much higher perspective than what we can see from our natural understanding.

I hear of people every day where it would seem that they are going backwards. They encounter financial difficulty and have to move in with family, for instance. But in one situation recently I had an opportunity to encourage a young couple and help them see a different side of their situation that hadn’t occurred to them. “God is healing families,” I said. “Perhaps there is a bigger reason for you going home to live. Maybe someone there is going to need you. Maybe God is in the midst of another situation you haven’t thought about.” That answer seemed to bring peace to their troubled thoughts. One way for God to heal relationships is by bringing people together. Things that people tend to see as negative situations can be opportunities in disguise. We just have to look for God’s purpose. Are you looking at your situation with eyes of faith, or fear and frustration?

Many answers to prayer bring great joy and celebration. And some do, just not at first, because there are times when people can’t discern that God is in the midst of them doing something quite important. Jesus is known to have told His disciples, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.“ (John 13:7. Keep in mind, Jesus often works in ways we do not understand. Some things are only understood after the chaos has ended and the bigger picture has been fulfilled.

God is in your midst changing and rearranging situations that you have prayed for. We also have to remember that just because something hurts or feels uncomfortable, doesn’t mean it’s always the devil. Many times it’s God. We don’t like it when He works outside of our understanding, do we? Fear and insecurities rise up and will try to make people resist God and try to control a situation. Just take your hands off and stand back. Let God be God. He is big enough to handle whatever it is! The problem is, often times what we want and decide is best is not God’s will. It’s not God’s best for us, and because it’s not, as a loving Father, He will make decisions that are in our best interests. He chooses His particular instruments to fulfill particular tasks. He chooses the least likely candidate to fulfill His purpose, even if you or I can‘t see the purpose He is working out. He takes the very thing that others see as weak, unprepared, inadequate, inexperienced and too small to do the job at hand. He might even choose someone that offends you. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Cor. 1:27-29)

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 1 Cor. 1:19

He uses the small to confront the proud. Remember how David, a young shepherd boy, confronted the proud Philistine giant? In the eyes of the giant, David was nothing. Humility (smallness) allows a person to get close enough to the giant to slay it. God will use a child to do a man’s job if that child is humble and compliant in the Master’s hand.

He used a donkey to talk sense into a self willed prophet. That's pretty crazy even for God, don't you think?

He used a man named Gideon who was so caught up in his insecurities that he was hiding from the problem.
 
He can use what you don’t expect to answer your prayer, so trust Him.


God uses what is small and insignificant in the eyes of others to take down giants, topple kingdoms, and rearrange situations so that God can achieve His plan and purpose.


God’s will of what He wants to fulfill, and how He chooses to interpret what we pray may look a whole lot different by the time it works itself out. We pray what we think is His will, yet somewhere between heaven and earth, things may change. By the time the prayer gets to the throne room, we have to trust Holy Spirit has edited the prayer so that it brings about God’s perfect will for that particular situation. If we don’t let go of our preconceived ideas of how we think God should answer prayer, it can cause a lot of hurt feelings, discouragement, false accusation, slander, and much much more. God is big enough to handle whatever situations may occur. He might just call your name the next time He is looking for the right person for the job - but remember, He looks for those that are small.