Verses for a Resurrection Miracle

Whatever you're believing for is what you make room to receive. It's a principle of agreement that actually produces an expectation in the spiritual realm. If you come into agreement with negative thoughts, you are actually making room to receive the fulfillment of your fears, and whatever negative words that you speak. Faith works on the opposite spectrum. Jesus said we would have whatever we believed we would have, and He taught on the principal of agreement. Speak life. Jesus never made room for death. He always prepared for life because HE IS LIFE. The kingdom of God is at hand, and so is His resurrection power, to bring forth life. Make room for what you believe by welcoming His Spirit and His life to flow where it's needed.

If you read Matthew 9 23 and 24, a ruler came searching out Jesus and ask for his daughter to be healed because she was near death. The first thing Jesus said was MAKE ROOM... in other words he was saying enlarge your faith, step aside and watch Me do the impossible. We have to make room for the miracle to come in! 

Faith always requires an action to trigger God’s response. Faith is not passive. When we really grab hold of this truth, it causes people to get up and do something they wouldn't have done otherwise. It causes them to partner their faith, their conversation and their worship with God. Backing up in that portion of scripture, in Matthew 9:18 it said that the ruler came and WORSHIPED before making his request. When we come before the king, protocol dictates that we bring a gift. Worship is our gift to God. Sometimes we also need to ask, "God what would you have me do as an act of faith to show you that I'm really believing you for this to occur?" Sometimes He will drop a thought into our hearts of something we need to do as something practical or even a prophetic act. When I was believing for a child and was told I couldn't get pregnant, we went out and bought a little baby outfit and prayed over it and called that child forth, prophesying into my womb. I declares healing scriptures over myself until my condition changed.There have been other things that we have done when we were standing on other promises. Faith takes a corresponding action to partner with God so that we can receive what we're asking for.

Praying the Scriptures for Revival and Restoration

Speak life! The natural realm is subjective to God’s spiritual laws. Therefore, when we declare God’s word over troubling circumstances, sooner or later the natural earthly realm must yield in submission to the higher spiritual laws contained in the scriptures. This is the way God purposed it, and that is why we can boldly and confidently proclaim, “Let it be done on earth as it is in heaven!” Speak the scriptures and the declarations in faith and expect God to turn that situation around!

Father,

Your word is truth. I believe it, and I’m putting my trust in the integrity of who You are. You are holy. You sacrificed your very own life for me, for my household...and for (insert name of person you are praying for). Your word says in Romans 8:32, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? I believe in You, Lord Jesus. You would not have died in our place if You did not intend to give us what we ask for and need in order to live in health and wholeness. You said in John 10:10 that You came to give us abundant life, so I am asking on (_______’s) behalf, that You give him/her the abundant life that You promised. I stand in faith and remind You of Your promises, and as I declare Your word to You, I ask that You release the power contained in Your word to accomplish all Your will and purpose. I ask You to release angels to carry out the fulfillment of Your promises.

Therefore, in the name and authority that You have given me as Your blood-bought child, and as a co-heir along with Christ, I do declare:

Psalm 68:20

"Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death."

Declaration: Father, I thank You that You have saved (________) and delivered him/her from death according to Your word in Psalm 68:20.

Isaiah 38:16

"O Lord, by these things men live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; O restore me to health and let me live!"

Declaration: Father I thank You that the life of Your Spirit lives in (______). You have restored his health and let him live according to Isaiah 38:16.

Job 33:25

"Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; "

Declaration: Father, I thank You that (______’s) flesh is fresh and youthful, and You have restored his/her vigor according to Job 33:25.

1 Kings 19:7-8

"The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you."

Declaration: Father, I thank You for sending Your angel and Your Holy Spirit to touch (_______) a second, third or even a fourth time, to tell him/her to arise and be healed. Touch them again as you did for Elijah in 1 Kings 19:7-8, for You are willing to do it.

Psalm 116:8-9

"For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling."

Declaration: Father, I thank You that You have rescued (_____’s) soul from death according to Psalm 116:8-9.

Ruth 4:14-15

"Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel."

Declaration: Father, I thank You that You have not left (_____) or our family without a redeemer. Redeem his/her life from death so that Your name may become famous once again, according to Ruth 4:14-15.

Titus 3:5-6

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit…"

Declaration: Father, I thank You that You have saved (_____) from death not because of his own righteousness, but according to Your mercy, by regenerating his/her mortal body and renewing him through Your Holy Spirit, according to Titus 3:5-6.

1 Thessalonians 1:5

"….for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake."

Declaration: Father, I thank You that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not only in word but in power of Your Holy Spirit. Let the power of Your Holy Spirit now raise (_______) up in complete health and restoration according to Your word in 1 Thessalonians 1:5.

Psalm 30:9

"What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?"

Declaration: Father, I thank You that You do not benefit from (______’s) death. Nothing is gained by silencing his voice and robbing him/her from being able to proclaim your goodness. Therefore, according to Your word, let his/her ability to speak and praise You be restored even better than before according to Psalm 30:9.

Jeremiah 17:14

"Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise."

Declaration: Father, I thank You for healing (_____) and giving him/her the ability to praise you again according to Jeremiah 17:14.

Psalm 41:1

"Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;"

Declaration: Father, I thank You that because (______) has been kind to the poor and has been a constant source of provision to our family and others, You remember him/her and have delivered him in his day of trouble. Let it be done for him/her now according to Your word in Psalm 41:1.

Jeremiah 39:17

"But I will rescue you on that day, declares the LORD; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear."

Declaration: Father, I thank You that You have rescued (______) and have not given him/her into the hands of death. We do not fear because you are in control. Deliver (______) according to Your promise in Jeremiah 39:17.

Numbers 23:19

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?"

Declaration: Father, I thank You that You are so holy and pure that You cannot lie. You don’t change your mind on what You’ve said. You don’t make empty promises and then not fulfill them! I EXPECT You to raise up (______) in health. I EXPECT You to restore his/her life better than before this health crisis occurred, because that’s just who you are. You watch over Your word to make sure it comes to pass, so now according to Your word, let it be fulfilled this day for (_____) .

Isaiah 55:11

"So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

Declaration: Father, I thank You that Your word is anointed to bear fruit and it will not return to You empty. As I return Your word to You by speaking it out of my mouth, I thank You that it produces life. Let Your word have good success and prosper to accomplish what You have desired it to achieve, in Jesus name, amen.

Don't Forget Your Keys!

In reading Matthew 16:18-19 today, something stood out to me that I thought I would share. Jesus was having a conversation with Peter, after Peter had the revelation that Jesus was the Christ, and declared that he was the Son of the Living God. Jesus turned to Peter and said, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus was saying that He would build the church upon the same revelation that Peter had; Jesus was the Son of the Living God. But, then He went on to tell Peter that the gates of Hades, or Hell, would not prevail against the church. That’s us. Jesus wanted Peter to understand that He was giving His disciples the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever they forbid on earth would be duly noted by heavenly administrators of justice and those statues would be carried out in the earthly realm. Likewise, whatever they permitted on earth would also be loosed from heaven and the answers sent back to the earthly realm.

There is a similar scripture in Isaiah 22:20-23. “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder: so he shall open, and no one shall shut. And he shall shut, and no one will open. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.”

The steward had the key that gave him an audience with the king. This idea is affirmed again in Revelation 3:7. Jesus Christ, the holy one who is called Faithful and True, had the key of David because He was the rightful son of David (see Matthew 1:1). The ‘key’ holds the entrance into the door of the New Jerusalem as it’s called, or the kingdom of heaven. It was Jesus’ prerogative as the rightful owner of the keys to give them to whomever He wished, and He gave them to His disciples. That is what He was trying to explain to Peter, and it’s what He keeps hoping WE will understand today. Friend, YOU HAVE THE KEYS TO HEAVEN. You have the keys to the church (that’s you!). YOU have the keys to lock the enemy out of your house. You have the keys to lock the gates and secure the doors to make sure that Satan’s plans are shut down. Get up and go get your keys!

The enemy has no rights unless we allow him to have them. Stop complaining, stop blaming others, and stop feeling helpless. The enemy doesn’t have the keys anymore, remember? You do! Simply remember that God has given you authority and use the keys He gave you! You have the authority to lock the door! You have the authority to forbid the thief, the oppressor and the murderer from taking from you and your family. You also have the authority to ask for angelic assistance to bring you the things you loose from heaven.

Another very interesting thing I took note of is found wedged between “The Offended Brother” in Matthew 18:15-17 and verses 19 & 20 that mention prayers of agreement. It’s tucked in between as if it is all part of the same conversation. I asked the Lord, “Lord, was it part of the same conversation or something You said at another time?” “Why was it written in my Bible as if it was all part of the same dialogue? Are You trying to tell us that we even have authority on earth to bind up offenses and just forbid them from happening?” That intrigued me.

Perhaps we won’t know for sure until we just start forbidding offenses from occurring and loosing God’s grace, humility and understanding. Personally, I believe God will honor the prayer of faith. What if we all started praying that just as a little experiment? Do you wonder what effect it could have? Start with where you have been given authority and influence: your family, your workplace, pray it over your church, neighborhood and increase your prayers into ever-widening targeted areas. Pray for no offenses in your city. Bind up that spirit of misunderstanding, offense and anger. Loose the graciousness of God to touch the ears of those that hear.Ask Him to remove the filters off the ears of others that would cause them to hear something that wasn’t intended. Pray that people will hear without taking in offense. That will have a ripple effect that reaches far and wide.

One thing I do know is that Jesus was obviously reaffirming the concept of the transfer of authority to His disciples because He repeated what He said to Peter.  Vs. 18: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” AUTHORITY TO RULE. The question is, are YOU using it? It’s already done. Whatever problem or issue that is coming against you, your loved ones, or even in our cities or our nation...if it’s not permitted in heaven, then it should not be permitted on earth. If it is permitted in heaven, then it can be loosed as an answer to come and invade earth. In the kingdom of heaven, the answers have already been determined. All we need to do is to call it out of heaven and tell the right thing to manifest in the earthly realm. By faith, we call those things we can’t see and tell them to exist. When our faith agrees with what has already been determined in heaven, God can then release the answer to our prayers. In the mere twinkle of an eye, what didn’t exist before, suddenly just is. We say YES, Lord to Your will, Your plans and purposes coming forth. Let it be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Overcoming A Spirit of Rejection

Did you know a spirit of rejection can come through the womb as a generational curse? A spirit of rejection works alongside fear, It creates an inner voice that tells the individual they are unworthy, unlovable and inferior. The enemy will set people up to experience situations that confirm those negative thoughts, because negative experiences serve as a form of validation, that what they think, feel or have experienced is a basis for truth. This is how the enemy creates a false belief system in an individual. Once the person accepts the lie that they are flawed, unlovable, unaccepted, unworthy and rejected, they will then begin to create their own man-made 'fig leaves' to cover their feelings of rejection.

Rejection will cause people to feel unloved. If they feel unloved, then the next course of action is to find something to fill that void. Paying inordinate amount of attention to make up, appearance, drinking and recreational drug use, gambling, shopping or other impulsive behaviors can be the result of a spirit of rejection.

Rejection can drive a person to perfectionism, become nit picky and critical of others, and results in self rejection. It's a no win situation because the person suffering from rejection develops negative behaviors to try to compensate for feeling rejected, even if they can't verbalize why they do what they do, but those negative behaviors can end up sabotaging relationships. People with a spirit of rejection may also feel prone to acting out in other attention getting behaviors, look for flattery or other forms of praise because they feel those things somehow validate their ability to feel accepted and normal. They feel driven to over compensate for their inner voices that tell them they are an outsider, unwanted, rejected, or unable to find acceptance in the places that they feel are important.

Do you need healing from rejection? If so, begin by renouncing all generational curses tied to a spirit of rejection that came through the womb and attached themselves to you. Forgive your mother and father, your ancestors, and others for things that resulted in you feeling unloved, rejected, unable to measure up, unworthy and unaccepted. They too, were probably victims of a generational curse that caused them to develop negative behaviors. They too, probably had people in their life that the enemy worked through to create a sense of rejection and unworthiness in them. Then it got passed on to you. If a person feels unloved and rejected themselves, they will have a difficult time loving others. Renounce unloving spirits, familiar spirits, lying spirits as well as a spirit of rejection. Ask the Lord to forgive you and your other family members for falling short in the area of love and acceptance, and ask for the blood of Jesus to cover those sins. Ask the Lord for a revelation of God's love and acceptance towards you to unravel the lies of the enemy, and help you see yourself as God sees you. This will help re-establish your God-given identity, and defeat the power of the enemy's lies. Don't pass it on to your kids; break the cycle and reverse the curse.

Here is a link to a prayer to help break the power of fear and rejection:
http://xpectamiracle.blogspot.com/2012/03/prayer-against-self-hatred-and.html

Loosing Yourself From Demonic Deception

   

When truth comes up against a lie in your believe system, it causes a dying process to take place. That 'dying process' creates a war within the individual. As truth fights against error, deception and thoughts that don't line up with God's word will cause the enemy to throw a huge tantrum. If it feels like you're coming unglued it's because God is shaking your belief system. He is allowing you to feel unstable, confused, angry, hurt, and frustrated because this is how all the underlying, hidden falsehoods make their way to the surface so that you can see where they enemy has been hiding within you. 

     Joshua 10:5 tells a story about how Joshua found himself fighting against 5 ungodly kings that had assembled themselves against him at Gibeon.

…4"Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel." 5So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it. 6Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us."…

     I want to give you a little insight into the meaning behind the names of these five cities. 

• Jerusalem means peace. There is always a war for your peace!

• Hebron means 'to join, or team up.' A company, or a confederation of alliances. It can also mean to bind, and can be used in the sense of binding someone with a spell. Difference variations between the masculine and feminine part of the name indicated 'united, joined and bound together.'

• Jarmuth means 'to be high,' either in literal height, or rank. It can be also construed as the height of pride or arrogance.

• Lachish means 'he who walks or exists of himself.' This speaks of an independent spirit, rebellion. It also means impregnable, fortified, obstinate, hard to capture, and invincible.

• Eglon means 'the bullock.' A place of heifers, which speaks of strength. It also means chief or king, and round, or a circular round motion. Perhaps indicating a rolling about or going in circles.

     Old Testament scriptures give us symbolic references to spiritual matters. Joshua's battle shows us a key as to how demons organize and strategize against us. He was in a battle against 5 very strong, stubborn spirits that were high ranking demons. They were full of pride, arrogance, and rebellion. These ungodly kings, (demonic strongmen), will join forces together to make them very difficult to defeat. They will bring in a company of troops that arrogantly boast they cannot be captured, defeated, or evicted. The effect they have on people is to bind them to demonic spirits that cause people to keep going around in circles. These demons will manifest their character traits in those in whom they are inhabiting. Demons join forces in order to present a fortified wall of defense and attempt to resist being cast out of their host.

     Joshua was a deliverer to God's people. When the Gibeonites called for Joshua to come help them, they were full of fear. The enemy had presented a very formidable picture of his alliances in order to intimidate the people into believing they were already defeated, but we can see from the biblical account of the story, this isn't true. You see, demons will always TRY to paint a false picture for people hoping they can convince them to give up before the battle is truly won. It's all deception. The art of spiritual warfare is waged against the power of the lie. The truth is, a child of God has more power within them than the enemy does on his side, for it is written, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world," 1 John 4:4.

     Delivering God's people is not always an easy job. People sometimes get so beat up from the enemy that they may want us to sympathize and take it easy on them. I am all for compassion, grace and mercy, but sometimes the words that God wants us to deliver are not easy words to speak, and they're not easy for others to hear. Sometimes what a person needs is a real shake up, wake up call because they are allowing themselves to be destroyed by the enemy rather than stand up and give it back to the enemy with both barrels. I've been in that place, too, and God never just allowed me to sit there and take it for too long. I would often get a stern rebuke, even when I most wanted sympathy! But that's when you know He's talking to you like your Father. It's because He knows you are mature enough to handle it and He wants you to rise up and overcome. We, too, when we're counseling others and trying to help them get free, cannot afford to sympathize with people to the degree that it ends up encouraging self pity or allows them to see themselves as a victim. We must all confront our own sin and faulty belief systems. If people don't learn to fight, it will be very difficult indeed for them to mature in Christ or develop any sense of stability in life. People must realize that they have been given an opportunity to raise their spiritual sword against the enemy and become the overcomer in Christ that God says we are. Satan is relentless in his plan to kill, steal and destroy. We cannot afford to see ourselves, (or allow others to see themselves) in a light that places them us/them in agreement with the enemy. Because, if that is true, then that person is also in rebellion against God and that is a wide-open door for the enemy to bring in every form of destroying spirit. Rebellion often looks very different that what we might imagine, and that's where we can fail to recognize our own blind spots. When ever we are in agreement with attitudes or beliefs that cause us to feel unworthy, rejected, defeated, angry or accusing towards God, bitter, feel that we can't trust God or we put our trust in ourselves, for example; we have rejected truth and accepted the lies Satan has told us. Thus, he becomes our god and master in those particular areas of our life because we've given away our dominion.  Perhaps without even recognizing it, we have made an ungodly peace treaty with the enemy and aligned ourselves with Satan and rebellion. This is why we can't trust our feelings to always tell us the truth.

• Do not make a peace treaty with the enemy.
• Take the enemy by surprise.
• Pursue your enemy until you can put your foot on his neck and force his surrender.
• Forcefully advance the kingdom of God and slay the enemy. Leave no survivors that can re-group and attack again another day.

     While the Gibeonites were standing there shaking in their boots, Joshua got a word from the Lord to pursue the enemy (Joshua 10:8). Read Joshua 10:10. 

8   And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
10 And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.”

The word 'discomfited' in this portion of scripture means to unfasten, break up or disintegrate. By definition, the word means to cause uneasiness or embarrassment, to put someone off their game. It means to confuse, agitate, fluster, upset, disorient, disturb or unsettle. In other words, it means that if you're going to displace the enemy, you're going to have to rattle his cage a bit and put that devil on the spot. You're going to have to pin him down so he has no more wiggle room to escape. Because once his tactics are identified, the person can make a conscious choice to exercise their will over the enemy. The process can be uncomfortable for everyone, BUT - it becomes the moment of freedom for those that have been oppressed by the enemy. This is what it means to put your foot down on the enemy's neck, just like Joshua did to those five ungodly kings.

     We have to tell demonic spirits to unlink, or unfasten themselves from one another and come out from where they've been hiding. We have to command them all to go back to the abyss and ask God's angels to lock them up until the day of their judgment. Joshua knew how to route the enemy to where he could defeat them. He went to locate the five kings that were hiding out in a cave in Makkedah, trying to escape certain death. Their plan failed. Joshua brought out the ungodly kings and had them slain, then he hung up their bodies as a warning to Israel's other enemies. Every enemy must be destroyed if we are to have peace and good success. Demons will always try to hide from you, which is why God allows things to come shake you up a bit. He's trying to shake those demons out of the cave where they're hiding in your belief system.

     Scripture defines Satan as liar and the father of all lies. He screams and lashes out when he's in pain, and truth causes him an incredible amount of pain and anguish. If deception has been a false father to you, then let him die! The war within is to get you to make a decision on what is truth. If you make your emotions the measuring rod to determine what you feel is truth, then you will always be unstable in your thoughts and actions. This is caused by a spirit of double-mindedness and unbelief.

     The remedy? Disregard your emotions. Emotions and feelings come and go, they are constantly in motion and are not a true barometer to establish truth. Scripture says the heart is deceitfully wicked, who can know it? Our hearts are fickle. One day it will tell you one thing and the next day it will tell you something else. Instead, recognize the plumb line that God has provided in His word. The Spirit of Truth will make you free WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO LINE UP WITH TRUTH. The illusion is that the enemy is stronger than you are and you can't get free. This is not true. The spell of the enemy's deception can be broken once a person settles it in their heart what they believe. You will be able to walk free because the truth has made you free; it's all a matter of choice. You can't waiver between two opinions because that is what causes the chains to remain. You really do have to decide who you are going to serve. Either you will be bound to worldliness and Satan will be your master, or you can be free, healed, delivered and blessed if you make a choice to serve the Lord. BUT, you will never defeat or overcome the enemy that you are in agreement with. You must renounce the lies. Renounce the agreement you made unknowingly when you took the lies into your belief system and started acting as though the lies were a basis for creating your reality. They are not. The enemy will only listen to you when you exercise the spiritual authority God gave you, and that is through declaring the real truth, the word of God. Every time Satan came to tempt Jesus, He responded with, "Get away, Satan. It is written..." and He would quote scripture. This is how you overcome.

     When you break the agreements you've had with the wrong things, you can come back into right alignment with God. God will not put a blessing on disobedience, sin and our faulty beliefs no matter how much we pray, cry or beg. He teaches us to grow up in Christ by partnering with Him in our own self deliverance and wage war using our spiritual sword and shield, (the Word of God). When God shakes you, He's trying to get YOU to shake off the old man. Shake off the old belief system. Shake off the father of lies. Shake off the agreements you've made unknowingly with deception and the enemy. Let the spirit of the Lord STAND UP on the inside of you and declare, "Away with you, Satan. Get out! I make up my mind this day that you are a liar and Jesus Christ is Faithful and True. I break every agreement I've made with unbelief, double-mindedness, lying spirits, familiar spirits, rebellion, discouragement, depression and witchcraft spirits. I CHOOSE truth, and I choose to believe what God has said. This matter is finished, now go to the abyss that was created for you and never return! In the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray, amen."

Our Kingdom Cannot Be Shaken!

Hebrews 12:26, 27 - And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN." This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;…

Uprooting Stubborn Spirits

Demonic spirits can be stubborn and resistant, there's no doubt about it. Sometimes when people struggle under oppressive spirits or unbroken curses they grow tired and weary of the battle. It feels like you're never going to win. It feels like things are never going to change. The voices of hopelessness and unbelief grow louder, and a sense of injustice and bitterness over your situation seems overwhelming.It's bad enough for those that don't have a relationship with Christ, but when the struggles in life are so discouraging they can even turn a Christian away from trusting and believing God, that's a hard day indeed.

Some of you reading this have struggled and wrestled with God for what seems like your entire life, and you're tired. You're tired of trying to make your faith work and seen little results for your effort. You're fed up with feeling angry and frustrated with God and your circumstances. You want to believe God for His promises, but you've just seen so little progress that it can feel like you and God are at a standoff. If you feel like you're caught in this never ending tug-of-war between God and the devil, well, you ARE. I understand those stubborn-as-a-mule type of spirits that just won't give you any rest. But, here's the good news. I may not have the exact same experiences as you, but there are spiritual principles that WILL release breakthrough.

Demons have a way of revealing our weaknesses and character flaws to ourselves.If you think of someone you don't much care for or you're offended with, and something rises up within you and says, "I am not going to forgive so-and-so," you've got spirits of Defiance, Stubbornness and Rebellion at work. If you tend to justify certain behaviors, social activities or attitudes that are less than becoming, you are dealing with a stubborn demon. If you feel stubborn and defiant towards God, repentance or parting with certain sins in your life, then that is a clue you have a very stubborn spirit at work in your life. It can come in through generational sin that runs in families, or it can be doors you've opened yourself, but the reality is some demons are stronger that others and thus become more difficult to remove from one's life. God calls this idolatry, because it elevates self-will over submission and humility to God. No one can worship God in spirit and in truth when they are resisting submission to Him. It's called rebellion, and God does not put a blessing on that which is aligned with Satan and the kingdom of darkness.

Addictions, lust, rebellion, bitterness, anger, witchcraft (which is control and manipulation), and self pity are all very strong, defiant and stubborn spirits that resist deliverance. Those are just a few. Poverty, especially generational poverty, is another one. When a person or a family has struggled under demonic oppression for what seems like their entire life, it affects their entire belief system. It's difficult to believe God, much less trust Him. A person can tend to waiver between faith and unbelief, and the indecision invites a spirit of double-mindedness. The problem is, according to scripture, a double minded man receives nothing from the Lord. 

The Amplified Bibles says it like this: [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]. (James 1:8)

The CEB version says this: If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.

And, the EXB version: [L For] Such doubters are ·thinking two different things at the same time [L double-minded], and they ·cannot decide about anything they do [L are unstable in all they do]. They should not ·think [expect] they will receive anything from the Lord.

If we want to receive answers to prayer, we must resolve the double-mindedness issue, for God rewards FAITH and OBEDIENCE. See, a person can pray and pray and pray, yet if they have a spirit of double-mindedness operating in their life, and they can't seem to establish their faith and trust in God, they won't receive the answer they need because God can't bless sin, and double-mindedness is sin. Whatever we do, if it is not done in faith, is considered sin, according to Romans 14:23. In Mark 11:22-24 Jesus advised His disciples that if they were going to pray, to have faith in God and pray without doubting, then they would have what they asked for in prayer. 

The second thing God cannot bless is disobedience and sin When an unbroken curse exists in a person's life, it means the enemy has found legal grounds to steal, kill, or destroy in that person's life, or in his/her family. He can rob finances, health, act as a destroyer in relationships, business, or marriage. He can bring mental torment, illness, disease, instability in a variety of ways. He can send accidents, untimely death, and plunder where ever he chooses until the individual makes a deliberate choice to partner with God in healing and deliverance. This comes by prayers of renouncement, genuine repentance - which means forsaking and turning away from the things God calls sin, and asking for the blood of Jesus to seal the doors shut so that the enemy no longer has access to a person's life. Renounce the soul ties to people that have negative impact on your life. Separate yourself from those that encourage you by being willing accomplices in sin and error. These things are biblical and scriptural.

As I mentioned earlier, there are some spirits that are more stubborn and resistant than others. Matthew 17:18-21 is a warning about stubborn spirits that don't give up easily. Jesus advised fasting along with prayer to help move the demonic spirit out of a boy when the disciples could not cast it out. When they brought the issue to Jesus, He told them that it was because of their unbelief. They were dealing with a stubborn spirit that did not want to let go of the child, and they became frustrated at their lack of understanding.

Friend, every problem has an answer. Just hold on. Every test or trial has an expected end. For someone today, God just answered your question why you have not seen greater success, why you're still going around the same old mountain. He just gave you the answer to the trial you've been facing. FAST over the stubborn issues of your life and command those spirits to come up and be removed, in Jesus name! 

I struggled with a stubborn root of bitterness all my life. I could tell it was a generational spirit because it affected our whole family. I never even met my grandmother but I know she had to have had it too, simply by observing my own family members and hearing stories about the kind of person my grandmother was. She had bitterness. Poverty was generational. Addictions, lust, rebellion, mental illness were also quite strong in my family. All of these were the tell-tale signs of a demonic root system at work. Idolatry and witchcraft were strong and deeply rooted. It felt like I was never going to get truly free. When a person has struggled for a long time with the same recurring issues they get weary, discouraged and unbelief sets in. Hopelessness sets in. This can cause a person's faith to begin to fail, and they may become offended with God. They don't understand how to get free and may get angry all over again. The person may even feel like giving up on God, but unbelief must be challenged! 

FASTING is a chain breaker. It helps break up the entangled root system so that it can be removed from a person's life. Especially when you're dealing with a generational spirit that has seemingly been with a person all their life, FASTING is a necessary component to help drive the enemy out! Couple it with worship, prayer, declarations of faith, and decreeing God's word. It might not get completely taken care of the first time or two, but if you remain persistent and determined, you can and WILL get free. It's hard, I know. We all want the quick fix. But everything in our journey becomes teaching curriculum in the hand of the Lord. He won't waste our experiences, rather, He will use them to teach others how they can also get free, just as I am sharing with you now. He wants you to understand that there is light at the end of the tunnel. He's just given you the answers to the tests you've been going through. He's given you the strategy to see the enemy defeated in your life so that you can be free and healed!

I'm going to throw in a little side note. It's important that you are in correct spiritual alignment, too. Ask the Lord to direct you to a good local church, and if you can't find one, then connect online with an internet ministry where you know you are being fed the good word of God. Even if you don't always want to be accountable to the words that your reading or hearing, your spirit will witness truth. You've got to do everything you can to line up with truth. 

God also gives us a promise in Malachi 3:10-12. It's really the only time in scripture where God tells us it's ok to test him at his word. If you hold up your end, He will hold up his. Giving in the house of the Lord is for the furtherance of His kingdom. If you're aligned with good leadership, anointed leadership that prays for you and feeds you with God's word, you can expect a good return. Friend, don't let fear cause you to hold back financially. Giving is part of the way you break the back of the enemy and release the promises of God. You just can't cheat God and expect to get the full benefit of what His word promises.

Malachi 3:9-12New King James Version (NKJV)

9 You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of hosts;
12 “And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

I did want to interject the part about tithing because God makes a promise that when you give generously, you can also stand on His promise to rebuke the devourer. You need to have all your ducks in a row so you can be assured of correct spiritual alignment. This is one of the keys to getting unstuck!

Ok, back to the main point of this article which is dealing with stubborn spirits!You can't do it without incorporating fasting. As I mentioned earlier, there are some spirits that are much stronger than others. You are dealing with strongmen spirits that have other lessor demons under their authority. Think of it like taking out the general of an army. If you get the general, you also take out all those under his command. If you don't get the general, you'll continue to war without results because he just keeps calling in more troops faster than you can get them out. Fasting humbles our flesh and allows our Spirit man to rise up and take authority over the enemy. You are not a victim unless you choose to be. You do not need to feel helpless in your situation, you just need a different perspective of how you see it. You have to ask God to help you understand from a spiritual perspective and give you the strategies to outwit and overcome your adversary. God is trying to get the body of Christ to mature and understand that you must use the authority He has given you. He will not do for you what He expects you to do for yourself. It's time to grow up! As you cooperate in your own deliverance, you become stronger. Fasting, high praise, worship, declaring God's word and making decrees against the enemy is like taking a huge hammer against the enemy. You're pounding on his hands, his feet, his head, his back. You are hammering, pounding, weakening his grip and destroying the demonic network of that stubborn, resistant root system that has been entangled around your life. If you have to fast three days out of every week and repeat the process of praise, declarations, repentance and renouncing the sins of your ancestors, do it. Keep repeating the process. As you do, your spirit man gets stronger and the enemy gets weaker. Eventually your spirit man will overcome and force the enemy to let go and vacate!

Friends, listen to me. There is such a strong root of bitterness in our nation. We can see the evidence of it in the cries of injustice, the anger and the protests. Bitterness is unfulfilled vengeance, and it's a root cause of the outrage against police, the divisiveness and racial divide. The enemy has planted demonic root systems in our nation that are using bitterness,hatred,rebellion, lust and witchcraft to produce divisiveness and war. This is what the enemy wants. These are perverse spirits that twist truth and war against unity, forgiveness, repentance and reconciliation. They war against God himself, and they war against each one of us. The bigger picture is the enemy claiming souls for himself and taking as many people as possible into captivity, turning hearts against God and one another, shifting blame so that Satan's schemes goes unnoticed. As a nation, how can we expect to defeat our natural enemies like ISIS and other real threats unless we first defeat the spiritual enemies within? The very roots of bitterness, rebellion and witchcraft that motivates terrorist groups are the very same roots that exist within our nation; it just manifests somewhat differently. One cannot fight and expect to win against an enemy (whether externally or internally) if they are in agreement with the same spirit(s). The reality is, we cannot defeat any enemy unless we are in proper alignment with God and have taken care to annihilate the enemies in our own back yard. The only way we are going to get victory over stubborn, resistant enemies is to incorporate fasting along with prayer, high praise and worship, declaring God's word and evicting devils out of our lives, our of our homes, and out of our cities. It starts one life at a time. One household at a time. Transformation can only take place to the degree that each one of us is willing to own the sin of ourselves, our ancestors and generations of those that came before us. We must reverse the curse so that God can bless us the way He has always desired to!

I just want to end this article with a praise report. As I mentioned earlier, I struggled with bitterness for a long, long time. I could not seem to get the complete victory until I incorporated fasting along with the other components I mentioned above. As I did, I began to feel stronger in my spirit. I started to also heal internally from the toxic effects that long term spiritual issues had on my digestive system. The related health issues slowly began to reverse itself. My husband got a boatload of work (suddenly) and in one day, we paid off all our bills and credit card balances. That's a promise because it's a year of Jubilee! But that's a whole other message. Friends, God wants to bless us, but often the way he wants to bless us gets held back because the enemy has found legal loopholes to hold back the blessings in the pipeline. They're there, waiting, until we successfully complete whatever process God has us in. So don't think God isn't fair or He doesn't want to bless you. That's simply not true. I will end with this portion of scripture. I pray it's a motivator to you today and an encouragement. 

Ezekiel 36:29-36New King James Version (NKJV)

29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

33 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

Did you see that? On the day you are delivered from the things God calls unclean, blessings await you! Restoration awaits you! A turnaround in your circumstances await you!