What it Means to Take the Table of the Lord in An Unworthy Manner

1 Cor. 11:23-24 says: (23) For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (24) And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do you, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Jesus left His beloved disciples with the instructions to remember that moment often, and savor His fellowship. He was about to leave them, but wanted to institute a time of remembrance. Every time they broke the bread and drank from the cup they were to remember His teachings, His love, His great mercy and forgiveness. They would remember His miracles, and be encouraged in their faith. But most of all, they would remember His great humility to suffer along with them and for them, and to be their friend. Their friend was King of all heaven and earth. Taking communion was no light thing. It honored everything He had taught them; everything that He was to them. Partaking of the table of the Lord was to stand in agreement with love, justice, mercy, forgiveness and the brotherhood of His body. It was to remind them of the price He was willing to pay for them; His painful death upon the cross and the power of His resurrected victory. Every time they took communion, it was enjoying fellowship with Him. The very act was so sacred it literally drew His presence to them.

With this reminder also came the instruction to avoid taking a sacred act lightly and in the process dishonoring its significance. 1 Cor. 11:26 – 29 says: “For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come.(27) Why whoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (29) For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

How often people prefer the blessing but want to ignore the truth. We are far too desensitized to sin; so much so that we often completely disregard the warnings of the consequences of it. The body of Christ is weak, sick, powerless and some have gone on to an early death all because we fail to judge ourselves properly. We cannot judge ourselves according to our own opinions! Holiness is not something our flesh enjoys or finds easy to accommodate. We often create loopholes in order to disregard or excuse our sin rather than looking into God's word to find the spiritual laws that He is bound to enforce. If we would judge ourselves, we could avoid being judged and chastised. Yet, how frequently we fail to do so. The warning to each of us is to judge the condition of our own heart and life before taking the table of the Lord in an unworthy manner. Recently I had an opportunity to take communion with other brothers and sisters in a new church we visited. As the familiar elements of the bread and wine were passed to the congregants, the pastor spoke on this subject and reminded all the people on the significance of the act they were about to perform. Then I heard something I cannot remember hearing before – ever. And in that moment it occurred to me how serious it is to not heed the Lord’s counsel. I have heard other men of God advise people to confess their sins before taking communion, but what I had not heard was a warning to parents to deal with their children’s hearts before offering it to them. It wasn’t harsh or critical, just an advisement and a reminder that those that sit in the seat of the head of household had a responsibility to those under them. How often people pass the trays of bread and juice and make light of the very thing Jesus told us not to take lightly!

If a person ignores their responsibility towards sin, they keep a covenant with sin and death and that covenant of dishonesty and falsehood will, at some point, bring judgment on their own life. God’s justice demands it. How many people fear the responses of those around them instead of fearing the Lord? When is it appropriate to take the elements of communion and when should one allow it to pass them by?

In regards to bringing an offering to God, in Matthew 5:23 Jesus said, (23) “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has ought against you; (24) Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (25) Agree with your adversary quickly, whiles you are in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.” If God is willing to refuse a gift or an offering until broken relationships are reconciled and the instruction is to leave the gift and go deal with the brother or sister that is offended with us, then how much more is He concerned with the state of our heart before we partake of communion? Is it not an even more holy act of worship?

We are all sinners, all in need of God's grace, and He has given it freely. Communion is a powerful thing when it is done in humility and honoring towards the significance of this act. It is not just another religious ritual and shouldn't be treated as such. That is taking the table of the Lord in an unworthy manner. It's not correctly discerning the power made available to us through the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. Jesus died in our place. He was punished on our behalf with great suffering. The price for our sin has been paid in full, yet, it does not give us a free pass to ignore other portions of scripture in regards to disobedience. Hebrews 10:29 says: “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” If we have broken relationships, they must be dealt with. If we are separated from others, then we should seek reconciliation. If we have hurt or offended others, we must lay down our pride.  If we have unforgiveness or bitterness in our heart, it must be renounced and sought for the Lord’s forgiveness. If we have dishonored authority or spoken in an unmannerly way towards others, we need to confess it and make amends with those affected. If we have committed wrongs, they need to be corrected and confessed. Should we attempt to deceive ourselves or others in regards to not dealing with our own sin issues and take communion as if our heart and life are in right standing, we willfully attempt to deceive God and others and stand in jeopardy of judgment. God is bound by His word to do what the word states. He does not accept excuses; He accepts repentance. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” (James 5:16, NASB)

Married couples have a responsibility to one another as well as to God. If something in their lives is out of order, they need to reconcile it with God. Their spouse is also a brother or sister in the Lord. There are times when marital issues can be quite serious. I think of the steep penalty Ananais and Saphira paid because they conspired together in an attempt to deceive others in the body of Christ. They attempted to lie to the Holy Spirit about things they had done and disguise their motive for doing it. Though that situation concerned finances, God was looking into their heart. They failed to judge themselves when they had an opportunity to tell the truth and judgment fell instantly. This was not Old Testament; this is New Testament (Read Acts 5),  under the covenant of grace. The fact that Jesus made grace available is not to be used as an excuse to deceive ourselves, others or try to avoid accountability.

Galatians 6:6-8 says, “Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teaches in all good things. (7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” If we attempt to gloss over our own sin without true repentance, we become guilty of mocking God and dishonoring the person of Jesus Christ. Taking the table of communion was not about a religious exercise or ceremony. It was about considering our relationship with the Lord, who Jesus represents in our life, and our relationship with others that also have the Spirit of Christ living in them. It is all about the integrity of our fellowship with God and others.

We need not fear God for He is great in mercy and patience; yet this admonishment to humbly examine our own heart less we be judged gives thought to serious consideration. Let me close this with a more contemporary version from the Message Bible. 1 Cor. 11:23-26 “Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord’s Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me. After supper, he did the same thing with the cup: This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you. Each time you drink this cup, remember me.

What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.”

27-28 “Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.”

29-32 “If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.”

The table of the Lord has the ability to bring us into close fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and partake of everything He has made available to us, providing we do so in honesty and integrity of heart. What an amazing blessing awaits us as we remember to first deal with the issues of our heart and life, and then partake of His power, life, healing and provision. Blessings await those that will honor His body, (brothers and sisters in the Lord) and remember His sacrifice with gratitude. Thank you, Lord Jesus. We bless You and what You have done for us and we welcome your communion. Amen.

Prayer for Healing from Auto Immune Disorders

Father God,

I bring myself to You and place myself at the throne of Grace. I thank you that my sins are forgiven and You are always available to help me.  I ask You for Your healing  touch on my mind, emotions, memories, and my physical body. Lord, I do not know the cause of all the physical symptoms I have experienced, but You do. I believe You can help me Lord Jesus. I thank You that You know everything about me and can guide me through my healing. I ask for wisdom from your Holy Spirit to help me correctly diagnose the root of these issues. Lead me to the answers that will release my healing.

Lord, I bring my heart issues to you first, and I ask to be healed from any and all emotional wounds that would keep my heart blocked from giving and receiving love. I ask you to dissolve any root of bitterness that came as a result of hurt, offense, grief, rejection and disappointment. Guide me through my emotional healing and help me to be aware of the love that you have already placed in my life. Help me to trust that love and release any walls of self preservation I have enacted to protect myself. Let sensitivity return, and let me not see it as a sign of weakness or something to be feared. Let me see it as a part of experiencing life. Help me to love myself and see myself as You see me. I open the door of my heart to You.

I ask for revelation of You as my Father, and that Your great love would dispel all spirits of fear, anxiety,abandonment, hopelessness, disillusionment, self pity, cold love and rebellion. I loose myself now from all of these including unloving and critical spirits. I loose myself from spirits of fear, accusation, anger and rejection. I submit to you Jesus and resist these spirits. In the name of Jesus and by the power of Your blood I bind every evil spirit and forbid them from operating against me. I command every unclean, evil spirit to go from me now and never return. I command every assignment of the enemy to be cancelled and unraveled and the assignment from the Lord to be released into my life. By faith, I receive healing from Your Holy Spirit to my mind, emotions, and memories. Forgive me, Lord, for rejecting myself and what You have said about me. You are not a liar. I choose to accept myself, and I reject the lies that the enemy has told me. I thank You for the love that heals and restores every part of me. I thank You that I have great peace and my composure is undisturbed because I put my trust in You.

I speak now to my physical body. I command all swelling and abnormal pressure on nerves on my spine, in my arms, legs, hands and feet to be released. I speak healing into every nerve that may have suffered injury from accidents, compression, drugs, alcohol, lead, radiation, seafood toxins, insect and spider bites. I speak to my arteries, and wherever there is constriction, let there be normal blood flow. Let all pressure on peripheral nerves from enlarged blood vessels, scar tissue or infection be released now in Jesus name. Let all chemical balances of potassium, calcium, sodium, vitamins and other body chemistry be in proper and normal balances. Let any abnormal accumulation of chemical or medication toxins be supernaturally removed from my body now, in Jesus name. I command healing and restoration to the myelin sheath around my spinal cord. Let all viruses and gene defects be healed now, in Jesus name. I command any and all symptoms of MS and other diseases to be eradicated from my body. I command my body’s immune system to be strengthened and the immune cells to stop attacking my nervous system, including my brain, optic nerves and spinal cord in Jesus name. Send Your healing to every ulcer and lession on the myelin sheath of my spinal cord and let it be completely healed and restored. I thank You, Lord Jesus, that by Your stripes I am healed. I thank You for your promises in Psalm 103 that tells me You forgave all my sin and healed my disease. I believe in You O God and in Your word! You said in Psalm 91 that no plague would come near me.I thank You that I do not have to fear. I place myself under the shelter of Your wings. You are my refuge and I thank You that no harm shall come to me. Thank You Father for Your love. Thank You Jesus for delivering me from the things that want to destroy my health. Thank You, Holy Spirit for releasing healing. In Jesus name, Amen

Life Is In The Seed

There is a funny thing about truth. No matter how much a person tries to run from it, it always seems to follow us home. Truth, like the word of God, is the seed. Now, Jesus said there were a variety of hearts that were likened to different kinds of soil. Some hearts, like ground that has been tilled and prepared, allows the seed that is planted to immediately take root and begin to grow. Others...well, they seem a lot like this picture. The person's heart may have a lot of barriers that act as a wall of self preservation. It doesn't just keep others at a distance, it keeps the love of God, His presence and His truth locked up in captivity so that the person cannot really grow or change.

There is a dying process that the seed of truth produces, and it's a necessary step that cannot be overlooked. How often we want to see immediate change either in ourselves or our loved ones, but the seed, Jesus said in John 12:24, cannot bear fruit UNTIL it goes into the ground and dies. Then, and only then, can it actually produce life and bear fruit.

Whether it is ourselves or those we have been praying for, the seed must die. It's a process the individual must go through as they wrestle with that grain of truth, themselves, and God. The seed must surrender to death, and so must we surrender to death of ourselves. We know by faith that our flesh was crucified with Christ, but often our flesh still wants to try to stay alive and resist the growth that the seed is designed to produce. God is very patient with the process because He knows it is the process that will produce lasting change and permanent growth, but, when He wants a person to get on track He does have His ways of turning up the heat and making things quite uncomfortable, so that submitting to Him seems more desirable than resisting Him and doing our own thing! The moment you grab hold of a promise from God, all hell will fight to prove that that promise will not bring forth life. It's ok...that's part of the process but no matter how bad the news it doesn't mean the circumstances are truth. They may be the facts at the moment, but you can just let the enemy know that those facts are not the truth, and your circumstances are going to comply with the word of God. Of course the enemy tries to steal the seed, but here is the great news! Inherent in the DNA of the seed is the quality of tenacity. Don't ask me how, but that seed will always look for a crack so that it can grow and break forth out of the ground. Have you ever seen a shoot of new green life that springs up between cracks in the sidewalk, in between rock and the most incredible places? It makes one wonder how anything could find a way to grow. Yet, the life of that plant seemingly will not be denied. It looks for a place to break through and produce what is in the DNA of the seed!

We rented an apartment a few years back and there must have been a crack in the foundation, because there was this stubborn piece of grass that would grow up from under the carpet and right there in the corner of my living room was green living grass. I honestly think God gave it to us as an object lesson! Tonight He reminded me of that blade of grass. I could never get to the root, so I always had to clip it off with scissors, and it would always grow back. The root always produces the fruit. Listen, whether it's a stubborn weed you need to get rid of or a seed that you want to bear good fruit, the process is the same. You must deal with the roots. Spiritually, it is the same process. Either way, the good seed is more powerful than the weeds. Just keep planting the word of God because eventually it will find a way to break new ground!

Friends, let me give you a reassuring word today. Your spouse, your loved ones, or whoever is on your prayer list may be wrestling somewhere with themselves and God, but that seed is looking for a place to grow. THERE IS ALWAYS A CRACK THE ENEMY DIDN'T COUNT ON. You might not know where it is, but God does, and He will direct that seed to fall into the right crack; the one that has just enough light in it to make that seed struggle to live and keep reaching for daylight. It may take a while, but the word of God does not return void. It will prosper in the thing for which it was sent! (Isaiah 55:11) The interesting thing about a new plant is that it has to fight to live, and in the process as it gets stronger, it will displace some hard clumps of dirt, debris or even rocks. So keep declaring the word of God and sending out light and truth to the person, even if you can't speak it to them directly. Once it is released, it is in God's timing and according to His intimate knowledge of the individual. Ask Him to direct the seeds of truth into the right cracks in their heart. Ask Him to shine His light in that crack that pulls the seed up into the light. Speak God's word that is like a homing device looking for it's target. Truth always has a way of following a person home.

Lessons From the Book of Galatians

The Apostle Paul had some interesting things to say in the Book of Galatians. He started out by speaking a blessing of grace and peace to those he addressed. Did you know that when God wants to tell us something, His words are always full of love, and love brings assurance of our acceptance in Christ. It is this revelation of our unconditional acceptance in the Lord and His good will towards us that leads to increased faith and confidence towards God. Grace and peace are always multiplied when we are in Christ. That’s the first thing we always ought to keep in perspective when we hear a message. Are grace and peace being multiplied unto me as I hear this? If not, test the spirits.

Paul went on to introduce himself as an apostle declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus, He reminded those who would read his letter, not only gave his very life for mankind but that he was sent to deliver us from the temptation of this evil age. In other words, Paul was referring to the redemptive work of Christ to sanctify believers and deliver them out of the temptations of the world. Paul marveled in shock that those he knew had somehow defected from the truth of the gospel that saved them, and they had unwittingly fallen for a different message. Somehow, something had gotten twisted in those they had allowed to teach them, and the message perverted. Paul could hardly believe that they had gotten tricked into believing a false gospel.

The most difficult lie to discern is the one that is introduced along with a majority of truth. It is not always easy to pick up on the deception when it sound plausible. Yet scripture must be balanced by the rest of doctrine and interpreted through the heart of God in order to understand it’s true intent. What I mean by that is, if a person doesn’t truly understand God’s heart, they will never correctly interpret His scripture and a form of legalism or error will be the result. Legalism is the use of guilt, manipulation and control. In the environment of the church, it forces the will of man upon others, often misusing and utilizing the scriptures in order to entice and manipulate people to do the will of a stronger individual . It uses fear and intimidation to fulfill it's desire to control others. It is operating by the spirit of Satan and not the Holy Spirit. Witchcraft and legalism will always misrepresent God's heart and character and the result is the effect of turning others against God, running away from Him in rebellion.

This was apparently the problem with the false teachers that introduced the Galatian church to a “different gospel.” There was no “human flavoring” of the gospel that Paul preached. He was not regurgitating what had been taught by the doctrines of men; Paul received the revelation of Jesus Christ straight from the source. If the gospel that Paul preached had been made up by men, he would have had to confer with others in order to receive their teachings or validate it. But, God’s will to choose Paul to advance the gospel was such an important choice that He left nothing to chance. Holy Spirit gave Paul the download of the gospel so that he would have it correct right from the start. This is an important truth to understand. Others can deliver the gospel message, but only the Holy Spirit can truly impart the revelation of Jesus Christ, His cross and resurrection, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that changes a person.It is not man's attempt to reinterpret scripture or add to it that sanctifies us. We are not sanctified by our own attempts to appear righteous; it comes only through the blood of Christ as He imputes His righteousness to us. God does not speak to our sin nature and focus on our shortcomings; He speaks to us as we are in Christ and lifts our focus off of ourselves and shifts it back to gazing upon Jesus, for He knows that what we focus on we become. It is the message of unconditional love, acceptance and the work of grace that changes us from the old man to the new. By grace we are saved, and by grace we are sanctified. You see, the gospel isn't about you. It's for you, but the gospel is about Jesus. It's about what He has done through His blood that was shed for us and the power of His cross and resurrection.

Red flags and warning bells went off in Paul’s head when he realized that false brethren had introduced a gospel that sounded believable, yet had subtle deceptions interwoven into their teachings in an effort to steal the liberties of the Galatian church. Perhaps one of the most powerful and impacting scriptures in the 2nd chapter of Galatians is found in verses 19-21. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Let’s just pause right there for a moment. Do you realize that Jesus didn’t just die for you, but He died on that cross as you? Whether you realize it or not, you died to sin a long time ago. Jesus took you to the cross with Him (as He did for all of mankind) and died in your place so that you would not have to pay the penalty for your sins. He died as you. So let me ask you a question. If you died with Christ, then what are you doing with that truth? What have you done with Jesus? Because the day Jesus went to the cross you died to sin, spiritually speaking that is. If you can believe that truth and receive it by faith, then all that remains for you now is to walk in resurrection power. All that remains in you now is for your mind, heart, soul and lifestyle to catch up with that truth.

Paul challenged the Galatian church in chapter 3, asking them who bewitched them (who cast a spell over their minds) that they would stray from the truth and start believing a lie. He reminded them that what they began by faith in the Spirit they could not expect to finish by mistakenly trying to perfect their flesh through their own efforts. Paul challenged them, as any real apostle would do, to consider where they got off track and started believing a different gospel. They had been tricked or perhaps brainwashed into believing that they could somehow achieve a form of righteousness by the commandments of men rather than by the grace of God. They were confused by faulty doctrine and didn’t recognize it. He reminded them that a curse comes upon those that try to achieve righteousness by their own standards and that no one can effectively fulfill the law, and no one is justified by their own forms of righteousness. The just shall live by faith.

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Do you realize that God does not focus on our sin nature? It's because it has already been crucified with Christ. When God speaks, He reveals the lies of the enemy that hinder us from becoming more Christlike. He is kind even when correcting our perspective. He does not condemn nor reject those in whom His Spirit inhabits. God's love and grace are abundant, and those that grow in their relationship with Him will continue in a life of sanctification - but it is as the Holy Spirit deals with each individual, in His time. The real gospel is in some people's estimation, radical grace, but that is what makes it the good news. God is restoring this truth back to His church, and purifying His bride. He is calling us back to the purity of the gospel.

Some people are alarmed at this new so called "grace movement." People who want to take it to an extreme and perhaps read things into those that are speaking grace and get offended by it, thinking they are actually giving others permission to use grace as a license to sin. I really believe this is a fear response, because fear says, “Let’s rope these people in before they get too far out of control.” Some go so far as to say those that preach such a thing are bordering on teaching heresy.

Scripture reminds us in 2 Cor. 10:12 not to compare ourselves with those that commend themselves, nor measure themselves by comparing themselves among one another because it is not wise. Wisdom refrains from unnecessary judgments, criticisms and comparisons. Fear causes people to jump to conclusions and make judgments that none of us should probably make. Good grief. Everyone is at a different place in their walk with God, in their understanding of the scriptures, and in the depth of relationship with Holy Spirit. If we are going to err, let's do it on the side of grace and not judgment. People are so quick to jump in and want to be the voice of the Holy Spirit to others to either use fear as a motivator towards obedience or caution them not to get too caught up in grace that they fall in a ditch. Can we not trust Holy Spirit to do HIS job? It is HIS job to convict people of sin and HIS job to sanctify...OUR job is to love people where they're at and stop jumping to conclusions based on what we assume about others. We need to stop being overly sin conscious and be Jesus focused. If we make salvation and sanctification about our own efforts then we rob the gospel message of grace. People tend to adopt one of two mindsets when it comes to their scriptural foundation. It is either based on a fear of rejection which puts the emphasis on our own efforts, or it is based on the joy of acceptance by which we can enjoy peace, rest and allow God's grace to transform our thoughts and actions.

So, how does one determine if their belief system needs an overhaul?  A perverse spirit will twist truth, cause confusion and result in double-mindedness and unbelief. It will cause anxiety, fear, frustration, disappointment, anger, and rebellion towards God. It will accuse God to the believer and cause serious trust issues between the individual and God. Pride and anger withstand God so that God withholds Himself from the believer. It is a shallow relationship at best. Real faith and personal growth are stunted, leaving the person disillusioned, dispassionate and wondering why their faith doesn’t seem to produce more results. Genuine faith in God comes as a result of embracing the truth of the gospel, recognizing that daily we need a Savior, Healer, Restorer, Deliverer and Teacher, and experiencing His faithfulness to meet us right where we are. This is how a person comes to understand the power of God’s unconditional love and acceptance. He multiplies grace and peace in the believer’s life and confidence towards God increases as revelation increases. Without revelation, a person is lost in their own thoughts, frustrations, personal limitations and cannot seem to make their faith work for them. It seems like a never ending road of trying to seek and serve God without much fulfillment or satisfaction from their Christian life. In essence, it keeps a person a slave to human effort, is centered around self rather than being centered around what Jesus has done for us, and results in estrangement from Christ. Every wrong thought produces anxiety, frustration, fear and other negative emotions. It produces unbelief and distrust towards God. Every thought precedes an action that will either draw us closer to God or lure us away from Him, His truth, and fellowship with Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, every right thought will produce a natural inclination towards gratitude for what Christ has done, love for the Father, an increase in faith and confidence towards God. This is why it is so important to take every thought in captivity that would rise up to challenge truth and subject it to the authority of Jesus Christ. I will end this with the words of Apostle Paul in which he said, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1).

Declaring Defeat Over the Spirit of Pythos

There is a prevailing demonic principality over our nation that must be dealt with if we are to experience breakthrough and revival. This spirit is the gatekeeper to many cities, and defeating it is the key to others being able to break through spiritually. Defeating it is one of the keys to reaching more people for the harvest and the increase of God's kingdom manifesting in the earthly realm. It is important that those in the body of Christ understand and recognize how this spirit works so that together, we can join forces to take down this principality. There are important keys in this article to help each of us overcome! The spirit I am referring to is known as the spirit of Pythos, or “python.” Python or pythos, from which is originates, is known by certain characteristics. Some of them are:

• Overwhelming tiredness, loss of desire to fulfill destiny and loss of vision.

• It operates in pride, stubborness, heaviness, depression and bitterness. (Acts 8:23)

• Will counterfeit real prophecy with divination, which is from a demonic origin and a form of sorcery (witchcraft). (Acts 13:6, 16:16). Divination defiles and often ends up causing bitterness and rebellion towards the Lord because false prophetic words often end in disillusionment and discouragement. Pythos, or divination utilizes prophecy for profit, or the prostitution of spiritual gifts for selfish gain, (Acts 16:19).

• Is manipulative and deceptive. Uses flattery to gain trust and promote pride. (Acts 16:17)

• Squeezes the life out of individuals, churches, and those under it’s influence. (The nature of the python is to constrict).

• Is attracted to the flesh. (Serpents "lick the dust" which speaks of our fleshly nature. They use their tongue to sense their prey. The more of our flesh they can sense is how it is attracted to individuals.)

• Despises worship and can result in  “brass heavens” or an inability to break through in worship.

• Causes heart and breathing problems, back problems and other health issues, sometimes even death. Brings a spirit of infirmity with it.

• Works together with the spirit of witchcraft, or Jezebel, which lusts after power and control. A spirit of lust (a consuming desire for power, sex, money, fame, recognition, etc. often accompanies the python and witchcraft spirit). Withstands breakthrough. (Acts 13:8)

• Perverts the straight ways of the Lord. Influences people to believe what is right is wrong, and what is wrong is acceptable and even approved. (Acts 13:8-10)

• Promotes bitterness, rejection and encourages separation from others rather than seeking healthy, like minded spiritual relationships. Projects doom and unbelief on the future, stripping people of faith. Those under its influence often retreat from fellowship and isolate themselves from others in order to preserve themselves from further hurt or relational disappointments.

• Lies to those under it’s influence to destroy faith in God, and accuses God to the believer.

• Does everything in it’s power to wear out the believer until all their strength is gone. The nature of a constrictor is to slowly suffocate and squeeze the life out of it's victim.

The spirit of Pythos, from which we get the word “python” takes on the characteristics of the serpent and tries to squeeze the very life and breath out of the believer, the family of God and tries to destroy the prophetic voice. It hates worship, hates the prophetic gifts (which can see through it’s deceptive ways and identify this spirit), and it hates apostolic authority. It has no problem with titles, name plates or self appointed labels, but it is terribly fearful of genuine authority in Christ. It will attempt to destroy, defame and defile God’s appointed authority because it knows that it has the power to destroy it’s ungodly yoke of oppression and shed light on it’s deceptive ways.

Because this spirit operates in pride, arrogance, bitterness and hatred towards the Spirit of Christ, it is very warlike. KEYS TO BREAKTHROUGH: To defeat pride, you must operate in humility. To defeat hatred, fear, anger, and grief, you must operate in love. Never engage in warfare by the same tactics or by the same spirit as the enemy. 

That is our responsibility in the natural. But as men and women of the Spirit, we engage in combat with the enemy by declarations and decrees which act like stealth bombers releasing bombs over enemy territory. Decrees are actually enforcement of God’s laws, utilizing His word, which declare a higher spiritual law above that of the earthly realm. Demonic principalities operate in the earthly realm and the 2nd heaven (the airwaves where Satan has limited influence) and when we release decrees (speaking the prophetic word, enforcing what God has already spoken through His word), these things give us victory over all the power of the enemy. Air strikes are preparation for what comes next. How many of you know that in war, both air strikes and ground troops are needed in order to advance against the enemy and secure the victory? That is why it is so important for the apostolic and prophetic to work together. Prophetic declarations affirm what God is saying and establish His will, and they also shed light on people's prophetic destinies, while the apostolic releases strategies to the ground troops. Those with apostolic authority often deal with power encounters with the enemy, establish sound teaching and order in the body of Christ, and help mobilize the body of Christ.

Decree an End to the Spirit of Pythos

I declare an end to the Pythos spirit today, in Jesus name, over this geographic region, (the city where I live), over the state of California and over our nation.

I declare Jesus Christ is the stronghold of our family, our city, the people in this geographic region and over our nation.

Let there be revelation of this counterfeit spirit wherever the spirit of python is at work. Let people have discernment to recognize this spirit. Come out of (_________) in Jesus name. (Acts 16:18)

Let the influence and voice of divination be silenced. Let the power of witchcraft and the spirit of infirmity be broken now, in Jesus name!

Where there has been constriction, I speak enlargement: over my family members, over this geographic region, and this nation, according to Genesis 28:14 in Jesus name.



Let the wind of the Holy Spirit breathe new life into those that are weary. Let the wind of the Holy Spirit release resurrection power into those that are empty, dry, and without strength. I prophesy to the breath according to Ezekiel 37:9 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath on these slain, that they may live.’” I prophesy to the whole house of Israel as I say, “Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves; and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, have spoken it, and performed it,” says the Lord. (Ezek. 37:12-14.)

Thus says the Lord to His anointed (insert your name) : "I will go before you to make the crooked places straight. I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel and (insert your name)." (Is. 45:2,3) Lord we agree, that what you did for your anointed servant Cyrus to subdue nations and go before him to loose the armor of kings; to open before him the double doors so that the gates would not be shut, you have done for us. We thank You for breaking through the barriers and leading us beyond the outer gates and through the doors you have for us. In Jesus name, amen.

#Breakfreefromconstriction, #DeclaringdefeatoverthespiritofPython

Bless - and God Will Take Care of the Rest!

Friend, do you sense God holding back from you? Do you feel as if blessings are hindered from coming to you? Then let me ask you, how is your confession?  Angels and the Lord are always listening to what we speak. Careless words are one significant reason why people struggle. We may speak something and immediately forget about it, but none of our words are inconsequential. None.

Words are not just words; they carry the power to create in the spirit realm. Words have great power to either release a blessing or a curse. If we are not careful, our mouths have great power to hinder blessings that God wants us to have from actually coming into our hands. Many people have heard of the necessity of speaking life into God’s promises and contending for them until they come to pass. We can believe for good health, financial increase and restoration, family members to come to salvation and many others things, but sometimes there is an area people neglect to consider, and it’s that specific area I want to bring to your attention.

The words we speak about others carries a great responsibility, especially the words we speak regarding other Christians. If we do not harness our tongue, we can put ourselves out of alignment with God and actually hinder Him from being able to release blessing into our lives. "How can we hinder God?" you might ask. Because He is a good Father and teacher. He takes great care to teach us important life lessons because He wants us to not just learn from them, but be permanently changed in our nature so that we begin to look more like him. We must align ourselves with faith in order to move His hand and unlock the blessings, and obedience is a large part of demonstrating faith. In Genesis 12:3 God made a covenant with Abram in which the Lord God said, “I will bless those that bless you, and I will curse those that curse you...” God’s covenant with every Christian is the same as what He offered Abram, and when we speak negative words about others, especially words that have the power to injure a person’s relationships, reputation, livelihood or future success, it is the same as cursing them. When you curse people with negative words, it is creating with the satanic power of witchcraft attached to your words, and God cannot and will not bless it. Speaking ill of others is a direct violation of who we are in Christ. It denies the law of love by which all are judged, and as God’s children, we should know better. James chapter 3 tells us that the tongue is like a fire that holds a world of iniquity in it and is so set among our members that it has the power to defile the whole body; it is set on fire by hell itself. Vs. 9 says “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Vs. 10: “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren these things ought not to be so.” This is a stern warning about the damage that can be released with the power of the tongue! The contradictory speech of speaking blessing and then cursing can only ever produce bad fruit and negative results. Because we judge others, the fruit of judgement, not blessing, is released into our own lives. (See Matt. 7:1) Psalm 109:17 tells us, “As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; as he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.” You can read the next several verses yourself to see that when people misuse their speech and allow their tongue to curse others through gossip, evil speaking and slander, the ripple effects of those actions goes far beyond what they might perceive at the moment they act careless with their words. They actually release a curse upon themselves that can affect every aspect of their lives. Remember God’s promise to Abram. Those that bless His servant would be blessed; those that cursed him would receive the curse. God has never retracted His promise neither has He nullified His covenant. There are many warnings throughout scripture to advise us to be careful about the words we speak. It is not a light thing in the eyes of the Lord to speak ill of others.

I have had many people speak negative things about me and my family over the years, and admittedly it is not always pleasant to our emotions to have to deal with people that rejoice in wishing you misfortune. I have also had people deliberately accuse, slander and try to influence others to think negatively about us, but if we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will always counsel us to bless and not curse.Friend, what voice are you listening to? Who do you allow to influence you? Separate yourself from a gossip, and depart from those that love to whisper about others or you can find yourself in a snare. Don't allow foolish, immature people to entice you to partake of their own rotten fruit. Bad company corrupts good morals. In Luke 6:26 Jesus gave us words of wisdom when He said, “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who spitefully use you.” A little later in the chapter He continued to advise us “not to judge.”

Friends, the words you speak are important. If anyone is guilty of gossip, slander and speaking curse words over others  - especially if they have spoken against another one of God’s children - you need to know that God holds you accountable for what you speak. One cannot sweep everything under the rug with a broad broom of grace and think that there is no responsibility towards what we speak. Words hang in the spirit over others and have the power to release the power of witchcraft or blessing. Now, if you speak well of others you have nothing to worry about. But if you speak things that are not right, those words will boomerang back into your own life with a curse attached to them. God is a shield around those that trust Him. It’s a part of His covenant. (See Genesis 15: 1) So, do you know what a shield does? It deflects the fiery darts, arrows laced with poison and shields us from the onslaught of enemy fire. But if we are not acting in faith, and speaking right things is a part of acting in faith, then that shield is lowered and the person finds themselves vulnerable to taking a hit. Friend, if that is you today and the Holy Spirit has convicted you of speaking the wrong things about someone, then take the opportunity to correct the situation. If you don’t you may find yourself at odds with God and His blessings withheld until you repent. You don’t have to struggle if you will take the road of humility, but pride can keep a person from receiving what is actually theirs. Don’t let pride be your stumbling block. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.Talk to God and ask His forgiveness, then do what Jesus told you to do: BLESS the one you spoke against. Pray your best prayer of blessing over them and their household. Bless their family, their future, their health, their business, and anything else you can think of. Ask God to do for them what you would want Him to do for you. Reverse the curse and take it off of yourself at the same time. God promises to show His salvation to those that order their conversation aright.

Your words have the power to bless or to curse. Now, in light of what you’ve read here today, isn’t it wisdom to bless? I have blessed people when they didn’t deserve it, and not just with my prayers. It brought hot coals of conviction on their head and released my heart with joy. Blessing releases joy and freedom, regardless of how others treat you! When others have come against us, I ask God to bless them, heal their heart, bless their family, bless their household, and I tell you, it works. When we bless, God will take care of the rest. He moves mountains. He changes hearts. He removes those with an agenda to hinder what God wants to do. He will take people out of the way if that’s what is needed, and you don’t have to do anything to make it happen. I've seen it happen. You don't have to worry about a thing. Regardless of how you may feel personally about someone, you can still choose to do the right thing. Maturity and wisdom advise us to choose obedience. Just follow God’s word and bless those that curse you. Pray for those that spitefully use you and persecute you. Then trust God to take care of everything else. He is your shield and exceedingly great reward!!

The Fatherhood of God

I will never forget the day when God visited me suddenly and unexpectedly to give me a revelation of His Fatherhood. It changed a lifetime of hurts, religious misconceptions and lies the enemy had introduced into my belief system and caused me to repent for years and years worth of believing the wrong things about Him. I believe this understanding of the Fatherhood of God is a key factor to initiating the salvation of many, the end of the religious spirit and vital to this next move of God. I have been a Christian for many years and gone through some great trials, had many great victories and testimonies of how the Lord has moved in my life - and, I had prayed for this particular revelation many times. Yet for whatever reason in the heart and mind of God, the answer to my prayer to have deep revelation of the Father/child relationship eluded me until the Holy Spirit showed up with personal revelation. How many of you realize that we don't get to pick and choose how we experience God? He chooses the timing and the way He releases the moment. It is different for everyone. I believe at least part of the reason I had to wait so long is because of the many, many people that are in this 'fatherless generation' and need to be set free from religion, set free from deep childhood disappointments, and receive deep healing for their souls. I have known Him in many other aspects but I do believe that understanding the FATHERHOOD of GOD is key to this particular time in the kingdom.  This incredible moment was the experiential reality of Galatians 4:6 being poured out into my heart in a way that I have never known before.

There are many things we know and understand intellectually and by hearing them over and over are absorbed as truth, yet without a personal emotional experience that connects us to the heart of our Father. It is this defining moment with the heart of God that has the potential to change us forever, and with it, the unraveling of every lie that has affected our belief system. I cannot fully explain my own recent experience with God  -  except to say that nothing I have experienced impacted my perception of God’s Fatherhood as powerfully as it did when He suddenly showed up and birthed a cry of “Abba, Father in to my heart, and the wonderful realization that I have a DAD who loves me and will do anything for me!”The truth is, I always had a Father who loved me, I just couldn't see it because the enemy was messing with my thoughts and emotions. I always had a Dad who wanted a relationship with me, but different aspects of my brokenness from my childhood prevented me from being able to relate to Him in a more meaningful way. I knew God was my heavenly father, but intimacy was lacking. The enemy still had seeds of mistrust that were buried so deep I didn't know how to get them out, and he used those seeds of lies to bring me back under condemnation, guilt and legalism whenever it seemed convenient to him. Those lies also told me I was alone, orphaned, and uncared for.

 Then, in one moment, my heart has been changed forever. But the most powerful thing about this defining moment in my relationship with "Dad" is that this revelation suddenly shattered lies that had been intricately woven by the enemy since very young childhood. The enemy lost his grip that day. All the seeds of lies that were continuing to operate in my belief system, trying to convince me that I had to work to please God, self effort that tried to pull me back under the law, seeds of mistrust, frustration, and so many other things that warped my understanding of Father God and His Word - began to unravel. Because every lie was an accusation against His character. Every lie was tied to feelings of rejection in one way or another. My own father was mentally ill as long as I can remember. He fathered me, but he was never a dad. He was absent mentally, emotionally and physically most of my life because of his condition. One simply cannot have a healthy, emotionally fulfilling relationship with someone that is not mentally healthy and stable. When it came to being saved and trying to relate to a heavenly Father, it was completely foreign to me. Sure, I can understand the many other aspects of the Lord such as Healer, Deliverer, Savior, King, Provider, and many other dimensions of His nature and character - the I was still missing a very vital component to the heart of God.

 There are many other people in the same boat. Many people that for one reason or another, need this powerful revelation in order to feel truly whole. God wants to radically change our perception of Him so that we receive the deep healing that will transform our belief system and change who we are.  I continue to pray that those that have felt abandoned, misunderstood, rejected, unwanted and orphaned would have the same experience I have. That the Spirit of Sonship would be poured out into your hearts, thereby settling, establishing and reaffirming the faith and confidence you have towards your Heavenly Father. This is the perfect love that casts out all fear and makes us bold in our prayers!

 It truly is the Spirit of Elijah that carries with it the ability to turn the hearts of the children to the Father, and the fathers to their children. God gave me a personal point of reference to be able to connect with His heart. It all started with a word study related to a portion of scripture in Micah chapter 7. In verse 19, the word compassion is used. It is the Hebrew word 'racham' which means to love from the womb. It depicts the tender love of a mother for her own helpless child and it speaks of the depth of compassion associated with this expression of love. Now, this is where the revelation flooded my heart. I could not relate so much to the whole father relationship because mine was lacking, but I could related to how a mother deeply loves a baby in her womb because I'm a mother. Over and over, waves of God's love poured out as He healed the deep issues of my past. Broken areas of my emotions, my heart and understanding were restored and made whole. I was filled with joy, relief, gratitude and I cried rivers of tears. Holy Spirit poured in the revelation of sonship and so much more that day and the moment He did, the struggles from my past, the lies, the religious misconceptions and even the understanding of how prosperity and formula preaching had defiled my heart. All those things had only added to the misunderstanding I had of God in my belief system yet never knew was there.

Some people have absent parents for what ever reason, or those relationships have been broken or estranged. Those things affect us deeply and can produce feelings of abandonment. But the other reality is that religion also produces a sense of being orphans and being fatherless because it substitutes rules, traditions of men and legalism for genuine relationship. It keeps people's hearts from truly connecting with their Father. This may be a blind spot in people, but again, I encourage you to search your own heart and ask Yourself if your relationship with God is one of intimacy, trust, faith, and confidence towards Him as your Father. Do you feel secure in His love, or do you fight feelings of inferiority, fear, insecurity and condemnation? Are you working for your salvation, or are you resting in His complete grace and what the blood of Jesus has made available to you? It is He that justifies. It is He that sanctifies. Jesus did it all. We can add nothing to the gospel or take nothing away; otherwise it becomes perverted with a mixture of man's beliefs and traditions, diluted of power and impure.

My friends, many people have ambition. Many people desire to do good things for God. Many seek the praise of men or have a need to be recognized because inwardly they seek the fulfillment of something that gives them LIFE. But "things" cannot give us life. Only Jesus can give us life. It must come directly from the life-giver. He must have our hearts before we can do the greater things of the kingdom. We can try to do a lot of "things" but if we fail at loving God and loving others we have ultimately failed the greatest commandment Jesus ever gave us: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. That is the gospel in a nutshell. We are judged by how well we love. None of us will never be able to love others unconditionally and purely without this revelation of the Fatherhood of God. We will never be able to free ourselves from fear or insecurity in our relationship with God and experience the passion of the Lord without a deep understanding that releases the love of God from our heart to His. 1 John 4: 18 tells us that he who fears has not been made perfect in love. It's not God's love that needs to be perfected, it's ours. When you receive the revelation of His deep, unconditional love towards you, it really will cast out all fear. Would you like to become fearless before the enemy? Set free in your mindset? Bold in faith? Absolutely convinced that God is on your side and will do anything to insure your victory? Then ask for a deeper revelation of Him, because you will never move from where you are now to where you need to go without the faith to get you there. Ask for the Spirit of His dear Son to be poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit and fill every part of you to make you whole. We love Him because He first loved us, and it's the personal revelation of this deep, sacrificial love that gives understanding to every other scripture. He who did not spare His Son for us, but delivered Him up as a living sacrifice for us all (Rom. 8:32) is YOUR DAD and He will do anything for you. How could He not? This is the love that is spoken of in Romans 8:38 which tells us that nothing - absolutely nothing - can ever separate us from this love of our Father who is found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I believe that it is paramount to people being awakened in their heart to know God, and when that occurs, it will have such a deep impact that it transforms their heart, their belief system and their faith. It will impact them to such a degree that their lives will suddenly take a new direction and follow after the Lord.  This is a key to winning the lost and partnering with God in the harvest. How shall they know unless someone is sent to them? How shall they hear the gospel unless someone speaks? Yet let us deliver a pure gospel that comes not by the teaching of man, but by revelation from the Lord Himself. When purity returns to the gospel, it really will be seen as the good news. Not just as a "get out of jail free card," but the answer to the needs of our heart and soul. The response on each of our lips should be a grateful, "Here I am Lord, send me. "



Note: If you are curious about the trademarks of a fatherless generation and statistically how impacting and devastating they are, you should do a little research, but recognize that statistics are only an outward indicator of an inward reality. People that feel orphaned or fatherless struggle with deep feelings of rejection, resentment, fear, anger, shame, insecurity, inferiority and much more. We will never resolve the problems of society without first addressing the issues of the heart and soul. Healing is the first answer, not the last. We will never produce change in society, reduce the crime rate, see the reduction of runaways, people delivered from drugs and prostitution, break people free from generational poverty and other important aspects of transformation if we do not first focus on the healing and restoration of people's hearts. Change is produced when the belief system is transformed and restored. Transformation occurs one life at a time and it comes by the love and power of God to heal broken lives.

Kingdom Principles for Business Prosperity

Part 2 on Finding Your Purpose in a Chaotic World. Purpose is linked to many things. Some people are called to the arts, music, ministry or a variety of other things. How can you know where you fit? If you missed the article on Finding Your Purpose in a Chaotic World, go back and read yesterday's post. This is a continuation on the same subject, a little different application. We will be going through this same topic for a while so that people can understand more about finding purpose and how their gifts and talents are placed there by God as a means of directing them to fulfilling the plan of God for their life. Before we embark on today's lesson, let's take a look at some important background information concerning God's covenant with Abraham and how it applies to us. (Genesis 12:1-3.)

IF Abraham was obedient (Get out of your father’s house, go on a journey with God)…then all the covenant promises would be fulfilled. The rest of the promises hinge upon obedience to what God tells you to do.

1. Promise of multiplication (many descendants). Also long and healthy life. Gen. 15:15 & 24:1
2. Blessing, wealth & importance.   Gen. 13:2
3. Fame or honor   
4. A blessing to others
5. Those who curse you cursed by God (divine protection & retribution to enemies)  He is a shield of protection, Gen. 15:1 and our great reward
6. Limitless opportunities to bless others

Why is God’s covenant with Abraham important to us? Because this promise was not limited to Abraham; it was promised to Abraham’s seed through Issac, his son. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael & Issac. The son of promise came by faith. By it's very nature, genuine faith is an act of humility. If you know anything about faith, it's that it requires risk. Total dependence on God. Pride cannot wait on God. Pride will cause people to try to work their own solution to a problem but as Abraham discovered, trying to make a promise come to pass on our own efforts can bring forth an Ishmael that causes great consternation and problems for a long time afterward. Pride assumes one can do whatever they please and have God bless their efforts. Pride keeps us from receiving what’s ours through God's promise - but His promise is only fulfilled by faith and patience. Pride often masquerades as fear and resists believing God. It sounds so logical but logic will talk us out of obedience and logic will talk us out of taking a step of faith. Pride masquerades as fear to keep us in indecision after we clearly know that God has spoken to us. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. True humility is believing God, trusting Him and obedience even though it requires great risk on our part. We are inheritors of the covenant promises because we come by faith, choosing God's methods above our own.
(Read Gal. 3:16 & 3:29).

Abraham’s promise came to Issac, and Isaac also learned what it was to trust God and walk by faith. God showed up in Gen. 26:23 and renewed the covenant with Issac. Isaac prospered just like his father. It was a generational blessing that continued because they walked in faith. Even the men of the community recognized that Isaac prospered because God was with him. (Read Gen. 26:28)


Many years later, along came Isaac’s son, Jacob. Jacob worked a sly deal with his brother, Esau, and scammed him out of the first born blessing, then ran to his uncle’s house a long way off to hide from the wrath of his brother. During this time, Jacob met Uncle Laban’s daughter and fell in love. He ended up working for Laban for many years but the whole time Laban was deceitful and kept changing Jacob’s wages. Many times over, Laban convinced Jacob to stay but look at his reason why! “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.” Gen. 30:27. (Here comes the moment Jacob has been waiting for!) Laban says, “Name your wages and I will give it.” 


Let me just interject something here. An old proverb states “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Another quote by play writer George Chapman states, “The great mother of all productions is grave necessity.” 



Great leaders do not emerge when things are running smoothly. Great leaders emerge in times of crisis, chaos and when there is a great need for change. You must learn to look at discomfort and frustration as opportunities for change, and those unmet needs as indicators to start looking for answers outside the box. YOU WILL NEVER FIND THE ANSWER YOU NEED INSIDE THE BOX OF ALL YOUR LIMITATIONS. You will never find the answer you need if your God is too small. If God isn’t big enough to bust out of your religious theology and comfort zone, then you have put Him in a box and tied His hands. HE WILL NOT WORK UNTIL YOU TAKE THE LIMITS OFF. You have to tell Him it’s ok to do some changing around and let Him lead. Ask Him to be Lord of all your impossible situations!

He longs to be BIG in your life! He longs to hear his children ask Him to do things so big that they can’t possibly do it on their own strength. He puts us in impossible situations so that we have to ask Him to do the impossible. If we’re too afraid of looking foolish or getting out on a limb, then what we’re saying is, my pride and my comfort zone is more important that really letting You get the glory for doing something great in my life. This is where faith is activated, and faith is the commodity of the kingdom. It's the only real currency you will ever need to operate in God's economy.

Difficult situations are the opportunity we need to inspire creative solutions. Ingenious solutions. Difficult times require inspired ideas for change. Unless we are pressed to do something different, we won’t look for a new solution. You literally need to be between a rock and a hard place in order to get a miracle. In other words, if there is no need for a miracle, you won’t get one. Discovery of creative solutions often contain the same elements of being pressed by your circumstances. Discomfort in your situation is God’s gift to you to inspire the change He wants to bring!

The discomfort of Jacob’s situation made him want to run from it, but in the midst of his troubles, an angel showed up in a dream one night and gave Jacob the strategy to outwit the guy that was swindling him out of wages and peace of mind. No doubt Jacob prayed for a solution, although the scripture doesn‘t specifically state that. He knew God because Jacob had encountered him many years before. It stands to reason that although the scripture doesn’t state it, Jacob had been praying. After all, an angelic encounter is often the result of answered prayer! I believe it wasn’t just the covenant with God that gave Jacob success but it was a generational inheritance of anointing for business that Jacob received from his father, Issac. His grandfather, Abraham had it and was very wealthy. Jacob inherited a lot from his father and grandfather including the knowledge of how to excel in multiplying flocks. That was one of the commodities of their day.

There were many years of Jacob getting a taste of his own medicine, which in the process of time served to humble him and change his nature. Jacob had to have realized that what Laban was doing to him was along the same line of what he had done to his brother. But even with all that, God still hated injustice, and Laban was acting unjustly towards Jacob. You see, Jacob was God’s son, but it doesn’t say that Laban was. They were in the same family line but they didn’t have the same God. Laban worshiped idols. So one day God shows up in a dream and gives Jacob a strategy to improve his business that begins to help him recover his losses. Read Gen. 31:11. But Jacob didn’t share that tip with even his wives until he had gotten very prosperous because of it.

What is interesting here is that Jacob’s name meant “he who supplants.” It meant one who gained by deceit and trickery. Then God showed up and turned it around to show a positive meaning, “The Lord supplants.” That word means displacement. Proverbs 13:11 says “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished.” God was about to diminish Laban’s wealth because it was gained by dishonesty. Hear me now! This is important if you are an employer! God looks at how you gain your wealth and at what cost. Who is paying the price for your success? Who are you stepping on? Are you treating others fairly? Laban had  changed Jacob’s wages many times over. Have you ever had a boss offer an incentive when times were hard, trying to get you to work harder - then when he got the blessing in the house he changed his mind and gave you less than what was promised? That’s greed and dishonesty, and those that operate their business by taking unfair advantage of others will find their finances slipping through their fingers because they are not honoring their promises. The cries of their laborers is coming before the Lord of Hosts. Prov. 13:22 says that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. That’s us. God wants to give us strategy for success in business that will supplant, or displace those that gain their living by deceit and trickery and let us inherit that wealth. Wealth never goes away, it just changes hands. Strategy allows us to understand how we can partner with God to have those finances change hands and make it into ours. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF GOD, YOU WILL NEVER EFFECTIVELY OPERATE IN THE ECONOMY OF GOD. God is under no obligation to bless those that don’t know Him, and He is under no obligation to bless those that have no interest in serving Him. He is obligated by His oath and covenant to those that covenant with Him. (re-read chapters 12-15 of Genesis).



God has said in Deut. 8 that He takes us through the wilderness to test us and humble us so that we would know that man does not live by bread alone (our needs being met) but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. He wants to know that we will follow instructions! He said he did it in order to do us good in the end. So there are times where our trust in God is tested, our integrity and character are tested, and we learn to change our behavior so that it aligns with faith and God’s character. If we do not have sufficient character, which includes generosity and compassion towards others in need, we will be stingy. We will not be the blessing to others that God requires us to be. We will allow roots of greed and the love of money to corrupt character and horde the blessings instead of releasing them to others. That is why it is so important to BLESS and SOW in times of famine. You sow your way out of every wilderness season. Don’t let fear impoverish your future or your harvest. If you don’t sow you can’t reap. If you don’t sow you demonstrate to God that you are not yet trustworthy to handle greater riches. Those can be some lean years - but after we pass the tests, God’s intention is that we would be able to inherit wealth. Deut. 8:18 says, “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, (WHY?) that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers as it is this day.” It’s the same covenant with the same promises as He made to Abraham.

In the practical that may equate to receiving raises, promotions or bonuses; including a new job, gaining new clients or contracts, and God’s favor to bring increase to Christian businesses. He always made Israel to stand out and be so blessed that others would know they were blessed because God was with them.  Laban was shrewd, but he wasn’t wise. If he had any wisdom at all, he would have inquired and wanted to have a personal relationship with the very God that was blessing Jacob, but he only wanted the financial gain. Laban understood that he was getting blessed because of Jacob’s God and didn’t want him to go; not because he wanted to know the God who fought for Israel but because he wanted the financial increase to remain in his house. God will not be used like some talisman for good luck. He wants to prosper His children,  but He also knows what motivates us. He knows if wealth is our treasure and the love of money or if it’s really Him. We have to make sure our priorities are in the right place. One of those priorities is to ask for wisdom. Solomon was blessed with wisdom but he had the sense to ask for more. He didn’t ask for riches; he asked for wisdom to know how to govern God’s people, and because he asked for wisdom, God gave him everything else he didn’t ask for - everything, by the way, that is contained in the covenant promise: wealth, fame, honor, blessing to be a blessing to others, land, property, etc.  You would not give a great deal of wealth to a child, a person that had a poverty mentality, addictions, or someone that was a chronic homeless. Why not? Because they would not have the wisdom to know how to manage kingdom wealth or resources. Good intentions are not enough. You must be tried in the furnace of affliction and go through certain tests because only a person that has suffered will understand humility and compassion towards others. If you never understand what it feels like to be in a humble place and have to receive from others, you will never learn how to bless others without making them feel small. God wants us to give, but not at the cost of depriving others of their dignity. Wealth without the wisdom to know what to do with it will result in it slipping right out of a person’s hands. ASK for WISDOM before you ask for anything else. Demonstrate to God that you understand what is truly important.

  For more great insights on how to prosper in difficult economic times feel free to browse the other articles. Many of our own personal testimonies are included and will encourage you to know certain principles of breakthrough as well.

PRAYER:

Father God,

I ask You for wisdom to know how to correctly handle any situation I may encounter. I need wisdom and strategy in order to be successful in my future, and even just in my daily life with my family, work and personal relationships. But I also ask You for strategy to succeed in business, sensitivity to Your Spirit, to know how to correctly understand what You're communicating, and a heart that is quick to obey You. I ask You for wisdom to know what to do and how to manage what ever success You allow me to have. I acknowledge it is You that gives me power to gain wealth, Lord. Help me to have the quality of character that pleases You so that I can be a blessing to others. I also ask You to increase my faith so that I will not shrink back when taking a great risk is required of me. Show me how to prosper Your way, Lord Jesus. I thank You for helping me find my purpose and walk into the newness of whatever You have planned for me. In Jesus name, amen.